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ELECTRICCARSREALLY CANDELIVERDRIVERFUN

ASWENUDGE evercloserto‘TheBan’in 2030,thefutureoffunisa constanthottopicatAutocar and,ifourreaders’correspondenceis anyguide,amongyoutoo.

There’ssomescepticism,ofcourse. Drivinghasalwaysbeenasensory experience,andifyouremovetwoof thekeyelements,surelyitfollows thatcarswillbelessexciting.

IcanrememberaGoodwood FestivalofSpeedintheearly2010s whenNissangotstuntmanTerry GranttodriveaLeafupthehill inreverse.Itwasatoughcrowd, admittedly,buthe’dhavegot morereactionifhe’dbeen pushingawheelbarrow

Andyet…asour11cartestonp40 demonstrates,we’vecomealongway sincethatGoodwoodstuntWhen carscandelivergenuinechassis adjustabilitytogowiththeeasily accessiblepowerthatallEVshaveas standard,theystarttogetunderyour skinandfosteremotionaltiesThere areatlastdifferentiatorsfromwhat usedtobewhitegoods.

I’mnotsayingwe’reallthewaythere yetlineupani4nexttoanM1and weallknowwhichwaypeoplewilllook butourtestshowstheengineersare atleastthinkingaboutthisstuff.It’s notthedoomandgloomitoncewas.

ThenewMercedesAMG C63S,duelaterthis year,tradesitsiconic V8enginefora670bhp pluginhybridpowertrainthat combinesa469bhp2.0litre fourcylinderengineanda 201bhpelectricmotoronthe rearaxleinasophisticated fourwheeldrivesystem

Asbefore,theC63will beavailableasasaloonand estate,buttheroleofthetwo doorcoupéandconvertiblewill bepickedupbyahotversion oftheincomingCLE,which replacestwodoorversionsof theCClassandEClassFor thisnewgeneration,thenonS C63basemodelisdropped, leavingonlytheMercedes AMGC63SEPerformance,

touseitsfullname.

Visually,theC63is differentiatedfromtheregular CClassby76mmwiderfront wheelarcheshiding19inor optional20inwheels.There’sa moreaggressivefrontvalance withafamiliarAMGgrilleand activeshuttersthatopen andclosedependingonthe engine’scoolingdemands Theadditionalcooling hardwaremeansthebumper jutsoutmorethanona standardCClass,makingthe wholecar50mmlongerThe bonnet,withitsairoutleton top,isuniquetotheC63,too.

ENGINE The20litrefourcylinder engineisadevelopmentof

Theengineonitsownisthe

currentlyinseriesproduction

theunitfoundintheC43 andSL43.However,inthis application,ithasalower compressionratio(from 10:1to9:1)inordertoaccept moreboostfromthelarger turbocharger.Tominimiselag, theturbochargerincorporates anelectricmotorthatrunsoff the400Velectricalsystem andhelpstheturbinespoolup fastertechnologyderived fromAMG’sFormula1racer.

With469bhpand335lbft, theengineonitsownisthe mostpowerfulfourcylinder unitinseriesproduction. Itissupportedbyanelectric driveunit(EDU)ontherear axlethatcombinesa201bhp, 236lbftelectricmotor,a 61kWhlithiumionbattery,

atwospeedgearboxand anelectronicallycontrolled limitedslipdifferentialinone unitThisEDUissimilarto theoneonthenewGT63SE Performance,althoughinthat applicationitispairedwitha 4.0litreV8.

AswithotherAMGs,the enginestilldrivesthrougha ninespeedautomaticgearbox withawetmultiplateclutch

At6.1kWh,thehighvoltage drivebatteryisrelativelysmall forapluginhybridAsaresult, theC63cantravelonelectric powerforonlyeightmiles, comparedwiththeC300e’s segmentleading68miles ofEVrangeAMGproduct managerArneWiebking said:“Thiscarisnotmade

todrivefullyelectricforlong distancesThiscarismadefor performance.”

Thepurposeoftheelectric drivemodeismoreforsocial acceptabilityandleaving quietlyearlyinthemorning Therealvalueoftheelectrified drivetrainliesinprovidingthe instantpowerthatthepetrol enginecan’t

AccordingtoWiebking,itis notevenessentialthatowners plugthecarin.Withmany pluginhybrids,oncethe batteryisrunninglow,they reducetheamountofelectric poweravailable,andsinceit’s notefficienttorechargethe batteryusingtheengine,they usuallydon’tThenewC63 managesitsenergydifferently

AMGcontinueswith

Combiningthe strongelectricmotor, highperformancebatteryand directcoolingforthebattery cells,theC63’shybridsystem canregeneratemorethan 100kWofelectricpowerunder brakingtofeedbackintothe batteryandgiveitthebest chanceofstayingtoppedup Forextendedharddriving, aboostmodecanalsouse theenginetoensurethat thebatterycapacitynever dropsbelow30%.

FOURWHEELDRIVE

TheC63beatsitsrivalstothe adoptionofpluginhybrid power,somethingthatthe AudiRS4andBMWM3aren’t expectedtodoforafewyears yetHowever,itisthelastto offerfourwheeldrive.

“Theallwheeldrivesystem isonebigplusforthiscar, becausethatwasapainpoint forourcustomerswiththe outgoingcar,”saidWiebking, whoaddedthatalotofowners felttheoldreardrivecarwas sometimestoomuchtohandle

UnliketheC43,whichhas afixed31:69fronttorear torquesplit,theC63’s4Matic+ systemisfullyvariableandcan adjustthetorquedistribution dependingonthedrivingmode andthecircumstancesLikeits bigsibling,theE63,italsohas theabilitytodecouplethefront

Unshackledtop speedis174mph; 062mphis34sec

axleinadedicateddriftmode

Althoughtheelectricmotor ismountedontherearaxle, itcanalsosendpowertothe frontwhenrequiredThis meansthateveninEVmode, theC63drivesallfourwheels.

CHASSIS

ThenewC63PHEVtips thescalesat2111kgFor comparison,theBMWM3 CompetitionxDriveweighs 1780kgTokeepthatmass incheck,AMGisthrowingits entirearsenaloftechnology attheC63

Atthefront,thesteering knucklesandsupportingjoints

forthespringlinkarebespoke totheC63andlengthenthe wheelbaseby10mmcompared withtheregularCClass

Thecarstillsitsonsteel coilspringsbutusesasetof remotereservoirdampers withasolidpistonand externalvalvesforbump andreboundThisimproves dampingperformance underextremeconditions andresultsinbothbetter controlandmorecomfort. Unliketheracingdampers onwhichsuchasystemis morecommonlyseen,the C63’sareelectronically adjustableviathedriving

modesinthreestages

TheC63alsogetsfourwheel steering,allowingtherear wheelstoturnupto2.5degin theoppositedirectiontothe fronts(upto62mph)orupto 07deginthesamedirection athigherspeed.

Upgradedbrakeswith sixpistoncalipersarefitted atthefront(optionally grippingcompositediscs) andsinglepistonitemsare usedattherear.Thefriction brakesaresupplemented bystrongregenerative braking,whichisadjustable throughfourstages.

ILLYAVERPRAET

Ifitwasn’tclearfromthe changeinengine,thenthe revolutionintheC63’s chassisandthewaythe engineerstalkabouttheir aimswiththisprojectconfirm thatthenewC63willbea verydifferentcarfromthe outgoingmodelThat’snot byaccident:thereisnosense inmakingasimilarcarwith alesscharismaticengine ItneedsanewUSP.

InthenewC63,thetyre smokinghotrodelement takesabackseatsothat

AMGcangoaftertheAudi RS4customer,whowantsa carthatisaseasytolivewith asaC220dandhassecure, competenthandlinginall weatherbutcanstilltake yourbreathawaywithits performance.Atthesame time,thehandlingshouldbe less‘bluntinstrument’and thepluginhybridpartought tobringasemblanceof socialacceptability.

Ihavelittledoubtthat thenewC63willrationally beabettercarthanthe

oldoneinalotoftheways thatmatterandwillsuit theneedsofmanyowners better.However,Iquestion whetheritwillbeabetter supersaloononethatyou desiresimplyforwhatitis, onethatexcitesontheroad andIreallydon’tenvythe peoplewhosejobitwillbe tosellpotentialbuyerson theideaofafourcylinder supersaloonwhentheAudi RS4andBMWM3stillhave sixshooters,evenwhenit makessenseonpaper

670bhpat6725rpm 402lbftat 52505500rpm 2111kg 34sec 155mph(optionally174mph) 409mpg(subjectto homologation)

503bhpat6250rpm 479lbftat 27505500rpm 1780kg 35sec 155mph(optionally180mph) 280-283mpg

ThenewBMWXMis thefirstelectrifiedcar fromthecompany’s Mperformancedivision andonlyitssecondcompletely bespokeproposition,following theM1supercarof1978

Itisalsothedivision’smost potentandexpensivecaryet, withordersopeningnowfrom aRangeRoverP510erivalling £144,980andthepromiseof arangetopping‘RedLabel’ variantin2023with738bhp over100bhpmorethanthe currentBMWM5CS

TheCSisedgedbyeven thestandardXMseenhere, whichpacksacombined

644bhpand590lbftfrom anewlydevelopedPHEV systemItpairsM’sfamiliar (but“extensivelyupdated”) 4.4litretwinturbocharged V8withanewelectricmotor integratedintotheeightspeed automaticgearboxproducing 194bhpand207lbftinits ownright.Workingtogether, thetwopowerplantssend theXMfrom062mphin just43secandontoan optionallyderestricted 168mphtopspeed. Withheftyupgradesto thepetrolelementofthe drivetrain,theRedLabelcar willboosttotaloutputsto

738bhpand738lbftmaking itthemostpowerfulnon electricSUVonthemarket

BMWalsopointstothe enhancedefficiencyafforded bythehybridboostThe

launchspecXMpostsareturn

andprecisionincornering.

BMWpromisedtheradical XMconceptitshowedlast yearwas“morethan90%” readyforproductionand indeedthefinalcarwillarrive indealershipsnextspringwith onlyminimaldesignchanges MdivisionCEOFrankvanMeel toldAutocartheprevailing ethosfortheXMis‘extroverted luxury’.“It’sgotthisrockstar imageofonstage/backstage,” hesaid“Thecaritselfismore likethefrontofstage,butat thesametimeinthesecond seatingrowyouhavethiscosy seatingbenchwhichismore likethebackstagearea”

Indeed,therearseating areahasbeen

QFRANKVANMEEL,CEO,BMWM &A

WiththeXMandthe upcomingM2,isthe Mlineupcomplete?

“Itismoreorlesscomplete, Ithink,andthetwoactsare thebookendsofM.Wedonot makeahighperformance versionofeveryBMW productthereis,whereas withtheMPerformance vehicles,wetrytooffer oneofalmosteveryBMW unlessit’samultipurpose kindofproductButfor thehighperformanceMs, Ithinkthisismoreorlessit. Itmakesnosensetomake anynewcompletelydifferent Mvehicles”

WhatdoestheXMmeanto Mdivision? “Itexpandsourproduct portfolio,whichisobvious, butitalsoexpandsour customergroupbecause wehadacustomergroup missingthatwasalways askingus:‘Youcanbuya GClassoryoucanbuya LamborghiniUrusthese areverybold,extroverted vehiclesandofcourse, AstonMartinhastheDBX WhyistherenoM?’Soyou

canseethat allthese SUVlike extroverted carsare coming because there’s ahuge demand,and wedidnothaveananswer. Sowewantedtocreate anofferforthatcustomer group,becausewehadsome peoplewantingtojointhe family,buttheydidn’t havetherightoffer.”

Whynotjustmakean MversionoftheX7? “BecausetheXMisan Monlyvehiclewewantedto have.Forinstance,aGClass isnotaGLEorGLSItisa purposedesigned,specific vehicleandwealsowanted todothat.Becauseinthat group,theywantsomething reallyoutoftheordinary Anditshouldbeunique, extrovertedandboldand itshouldbeastatementby itselfbutalsofortheones thatdrivethecarThatwas thereasonbehindtheXM”

amongthestandardfeatures. It’sasimilarstoryupfront, althoughtheXMdoesplace moreofafocusondriver engagementthanthesimilarly sizedBMWX7.Thereare Mspecificdisplaymodesfor thewraparoundinfotainment screen,Mbuttonsonthe steeringwheel,carbonshift paddles,Mspecificpedalsand varioussportsthemedfinishes andtrimelementsthroughout tomarkthisoutobviously fromastandardBMWSUV

Askedwhetheritshouldbe consideredasasportscar, vanMeeltoldAutocar:“It’s averybigcar,butit’sreally easytodriveverypreciselyOf course,ithelpsifyouhaveabig batteryonthefloorbecause yourcentreofgravitygoes down,whichgivesyoumore possibilitiesonthesuspension tobeprecise,butatthesame timeyouhavecomfortbecause thecarisnotrollingsomuch

“Andifyouhavereal civilisationsystems,thatalso helps.Soyoucanmakequite afastgoodcaroutofthat.Is itaracecar?Ofcoursenot It’snotasupersportscar Butwedidn’twanttomakea supersportscarbecausethe segmentthatisthefastest growingandthebiggestatthis timeistheSUVsegment”

Ihadashortdriveina

it’snotreallyintendedto appealtousEuropeans, butinsteadtobuildthe BMWMbrandinplaceslike theMiddleEastandChina, whereitsexaggerated outrightsizeandfeatures shouldseemmoreintune withwidercarculture, anditsblendofdynamic

strengthsmorerelevant ButitwastheMdivision engineerIremember clearest,whoencapsulated thecarperfectlyforme, withoutknowingitHe reactedmonosyllabically whenIaskedaboutrivals fordynamicbenchmarking, andwhetherairsuspension hadbeenconsidered;and thenheaskedmuchmore enthusiasticallywhether I’dliketorideintheback seats,orifI’dseenphotos ofthespecialilluminated headliningtheyhad developedforthecar ThisisaluxuryMcarlike nonethecompanyhasever built,butIdon’tsuppose BMWwillmindhowwellit sellsinmarketslikeours

ANMCARLIKENONEBEFOREIT

MATTSAUNDERS

devisedasan‘MLounge’, placingmoreofanovertfocus onoccupantcomfortthanany Mcarbeforeit,withintegrated phoneholders,luxurious quiltedleather,adedicated rearinfotainment screen,atablet mountand USBC ports

Prototypedrivemade itclearthatthiswasa newbreedofMcar

NewlargeSUVwillarrivealongsideaheavilyupdatedversionoftoday’sICEXC90

Volvo’srangetoppingnew EV,basedonthehugely popularXC90SUV,will becalledtheEX90,the Swedishbrandhassaidahead ofits2023launch

TheelectricSUVwillbe Volvo’snewflagship,thefirst cartositatopitsnewSPA2 platformandkittedoutwith safetytechnologyneverbefore seenonaproductionvehicle

Itwillbesoldbesideaheavily refreshedversionoftoday’s combustionenginedXC90.

TheEX90willplayakeyrole inVolvo’splanstosell600,000 EVsaroundtheworldannually from2025,asitpushes towardsbecomingafully electriccarmakerby2030.

Dueasaproductionready versionoftheboldConcept Rechargeshownin2021,the EX90willprovideVolvowith alongawaitedentryinto theincreasinglyimportant

fullsizedelectricSUV segment,inwhichmost premiumoriented manufacturershavelaunched theirfirstEVsinrecentyears.

Someoftheconcept’smore outlandishandfuturisticcues willbetoneddownforEX90

productionthefourfree standingseats,forexample However,theskateboardstyle architecturewilloffernew levelsofinteriorspace,which conceptdesignerRobinPage likenedtoa“Scandinavian livingroomfeeling”

Tothatend,theproduction EX90willabandonphysical controlsforacleanerand simplerdriverenvironment

Mostofthefunctionswill becontrolledthroughalarge centraltouchscreen,asfirst seenintheXC40Recharge

VOLVOTAKESACTIVESAFETYTECHNOLOGYTOTHENEXTLEVEL

TheEX90willfeaturesome

Workingwithcamerasthat monitorthedriver’sattention andwellbeing,thesenew

featurescanreducetheriskof deathorseriousinjurybyup to20%,claimsVolvo.

“Someonealwaysneedsto bewatchingtheroad,andwe

Recentpatentfilings suggesttheEX90willlook morelikethecurrentXC90 thanwassuggestedby theconcept,whichhada straighteredgedtwobox silhouettereminiscentofold Volvoestates,suchastheV70

knowit’snotgoingtobeyou partofthetime,”saidMikael LjungAust,Volvo’sdriver behaviourexpert.

Thecar’scomputersalso gettoknowthedriver,Ljung AusttoldAutocar,learning howtheydrivesothatthe systemcan“knowwhenyour attentioniselsewhere”.

EmmaTivesten,Volvo’s seniorsafetyresearchleader, confirmedthatdriverswillbe abletoturnoffthesefeatures.

AMGG63BECOMESAMONSTERTRUCK

AMGG63to888bhpandmadeitintoapickup truckNamedtheP900RocketEdition,itcanhit 62mphin37secandgetsawiderbodythanthe boxshapedoffroader.It’spricedat£568,000.

STARTUPSHOWSNEWELECTRICSUV

ItalianAmericancarmakerAehrawillunveilits

XC90isinlinefornew look,updatedplatform andnewpowertrains

Lidarseesobjectsaroundyou

NEWLOOKFORBMWZ4LINEUP

ArefreshedBMWZ4,completewithanewgrille andMSporttrimasstandard,willbereleased laterthisyearThetwoseater’slineuphasalso beenslimmeddown,withjustthesDrive20i MSportandM40imodelsoffered.

Mitsubishicouldreturntothe UKwithmultipleelectriccars

MITSUBISHIWILLCONSIDER reenteringtheUKmarket onlyonceithas“morethan one”electriccartooffer, itsEuropeanbosshassaid.

TheJapanesecompany unveiledthefirstoftwonew carsbasedonmodelsfrom AlliancepartnerRenaultthat itwillsellinitsremaining Europeanmarkets.

Thesecondgeneration ASXcompactcrossoveris arebadgedversionofthe RenaultCapturthatwillbe launchedinMarchnextyear,

andthebrandhasrevivedthe Coltsuperminibyrebadging theRenaultClio,withsales duetostartthisautumn.

ThenewASXwillbe soldwithapluginhybrid drivetraintositbelowthe currentMitsubishiEclipse CrossPHEV,butnoelectric varianthasbeenannounced.

MitsubishilefttheUKin 2020aspartofacostsaving strategythatinitiallyinvolved leavingallofEuropeItlater reversedthatdecisionand hasstreamlineditsEuropean

presenceto17markets, downfrom32in2019

Suchhasbeentheshift toEVsintheUKinthe meantimethatMitsubishi wouldn’tfeelconfident reenteringthemarket withitsplannedlineup

“Themarkethaschanged quiterapidlyinthepasttwo years,sowewouldhaveto findagoodproductstrategy toreenter,”saidFrankKrol, Mitsubishi’sEuropeboss “Wewouldneedmore thanoneelectriccar.”

AUTOCARREADERSARE invitedtojoineditorin chiefSteveCropleyin conversationwithSimon Saunders,founderof sportscarmakerAriel, ataspecialeventin Londonnextmonth.

Saunderswillshare detailsoftheSomerset basedfirm’slatestproject, thehugelyinnovative HipercarEV,anddiscuss hisexperienceofworking formajorcarcompanies beforedecidingtostart oneofhisown SpeakingattheRoyal AutomobileClubinPallMall

ontheeveningof31October, CropleyandSaunderswillbe joinedbyseveralmembers oftheAutocarandClassic& SportsCareditorialteamsfor

NEWVANWALLHYPERCARONTHEWAY

AVanwallbrandedLeMansracerlaunchedby GermanteamByKolleswillspawnaroadlegal varianttotakeontheAstonMartinValkyrieAsits namesuggests,theVandervell1000isexpected toget1000hp(986bhp)andweigh1000kg.

anindepthQ&Asession Ticketscost£48,which includeslightfoodanddrinks Tobook,visiteventsforce. net/hm/1260/register

NewASXisRenault

Referencestothe 5Turbo2arestrong, asistheperformance

OFFICIALPICTURES

Renaulthasrevealeda 374bhpdriftfocused electricpowered reinventionofthe Renault5Turbo2tokick offthe50thanniversary oftheFrenchfirm’s popularhatchback RenaultdesignbossGilles Vidalsaidthe5Turbo3E prototype,whichjoinsthe electricRenault5showcar, hasbeencreatedtoprove thatEVscanbefunandtopay homagetothespecialsport

variantsofthemarque’spast.

Todothis,ithasthree driftmodessomethingnot availableontheoriginal1980s hothatchTheseprimethecar foreasydrifts,donutsorjust quick,“playful”driving

Whenoneofthedriftmodes isactive,pink,blueandyellow LEDstripesflashonthe frontofthecar,addingtothe “1980svideogamevibe”

Toenablethedriverto capturetheirdriftingskills inaction,Renaulthas

integrated10mounting bracketsforcameras, suchasGoPros

Inlinewithitsdriftfocused remit,thecarhasarigid tubularchassis,aflatbase,a

rollbar,carbonfibrebodywork andawidesteeringangle.

Adeepairinletonthe frontofthecaraidsdownforce andcoolsthebattery,whilea massivewingpushestherear

wheelsintotheroadtokeep thecarplanted

Eachrearwheelisdriven byitsownelectricmotorand theycombinetoproduce 374bhpand516lbft.They canpushthe5Turbo3E from062mphinjust 35secandonto124mph

A42kWhlithiumionbattery powersthemotorsandcan befullychargedintwohours viaa32Acharger

Vidalsaid:“TheTurbo3E combinesultratechdesign

andwilfulexuberancewith numerousreferencesto theworldofcarracingand videogames.Thisdrifter demonstratesthatelectric carscanalsobefunwith incredibleperformance”

Theprototypecontains manyTurbo2cues,such asthedistinctive,huge, sidemountedairinlets andflaredwheelarches Thebonnet,doorsand cockpitarealsostrongly reminiscent.

Aftermakingitsdebut attheChantillyArtsand Eleganceconcoursevent on25September,the prototypewillappear attheParismotor shownextmonth WILLRIMELL

LamboV8racersetfor2024LeMans

LAMBORGHINI’SHOTLY anticipatedLMDhhypercar racerwilluseatwin turbochargedV8hybrid powertrainandcompeteat theLeMans24Hoursin2024

Settoappearatthe eventaspartoftheWorld EnduranceChampionship, theracerwillproduce 671bhpandbecapableof hittinga211mphtopspeed Itwillalsocompeteinthe USbasedIMSASportscar Championship.

TheV8isthefirsttobefully developedbyLamborghini’s SquadraCorsemotorsport department,whiletheelectric motorhasbeendeveloped byBoschMotorsport

Thepowermanagement andenergystorage

systems,meanwhile,have beensuppliedbyWilliams AdvancedEngineering

Thecar’stotalweight standsat1030kgwithout fuelandadriver,whiletheV8

alonetipsthescalesat180kg

TheItaliansupercarfirm revealedplanstodevelop andraceanLMDhhypercar earlierthisyear.Ithashad asuccessfulpresencein

GT3sportscarracingfor anumberofyears,butthis willbethefirsttimethatit hasfieldedacarinthetwo topflightenduranceracing championships

WHOELSEWILLRACEAHYPERCARATLEMANS?

Lambohypercar

andIMSAseries

Porsche963

Primedtolaunchin2023, the963getsa4.6litre V8basedonthe918

Spyder’sengine

Ferrari(yettobenamed) Alsosettoracenextyear, Ferrari’sLeManschallenger willreturntotherace50years afterthebrand’slastforay

BMWMHybridV8

TheGermanfirmwillmake itsdebutatLeMansin 2024ItwilluseaDallara chassisandaV8

inaroundfiveminutesand chargefrom1080%injust 15minutes.

Xpengclaimsarangeofupto 436milesontopspecversions undertheChineseequivalent oftheWLTPcycletheChina LightDutyVehicleTestCycle (CLTC)UsingtheWLTPcycle, therangestandsatbetween 285and354miles.

DeliveriesoftheG9are duetostartinOctoberfor theChinesemarketbeforea EuropeanlaunchPlansfor XpengtoentertheUKmarket havenotbeenruledout,soitis possibletheG9willgoonsale heretorivalsimilarlyconceived familyEVsincludingtheAudi Etron,BMWiX3andFord MustangMachE.

IMAGE

BatteryhealthkeytoEVvalues

Callsforcarmakerstosharedatasoownerscantrackvariationsinbatterycondition

Pressureisgrowingon electriccarmakersand sellerstoprovidedetailed informationonbattery healthsothatcustomers knowwhattheyarebuying Factorsthataffect healthincludeage,high temperatures,operationat highandlowstatesofcharge andhighelectriccurrentand usage(energycycles)

Variationsinchemistry, thermalmanagementand bufferlimits(thecapthemaker placesonthetopandbottom endsofthebattery’scharging range)alsocontribute

MarketanalystAutovista Grouprecentlypublisheda reportoutlininghow,without informationonthesefactors,

residualvaluedataonEVswill becomehardertocalculate withcertainty

Producedinpartnershipwith batteryanalyticsspecialist Twaice,thereportsaidthat howanEVischargedand drivenoverthefirsteight to10yearsofitslifehasa majorimpactonitsdriving range,andsuggestedthat abatteryhealthreportcould add£400tothevalueofa threeyearoldCsegmentEV

DerrenMartin,directorof valuationsatCapHPI,said: “Ifyourneighbourbuysan identicalcartoyoubutthe batteryhealthandrangeof yourcaris10%less,youwould wanttohavepaidlessforit.”

Heclaimed,however,that

EVmakersarereluctantto sharebatteryhealthdata, saying:“It’snotsomething thatmostmanufacturers arehappytoprovide.There’s asuggestionthatwemight needlegislationtobepassed

toensurethatdataisshared” SaraRidley,engineeringand qualitydirectoratAutocraft SolutionsGroup,abattery manufacturingandrepairfirm, saidpressureforthisdatato bemorereadilyavailableis

GETTINGABATTERYPASSPORT

Thebatterydataanalytics systempresentedbySilver PowerSystems(SPS)helps commercialvehicleoperators maximiseperformanceand residualvalue

Itdoessobymonitoring thebattery’spastand presenthealth,aswell aspredictingitsfuture behaviourDatadirectfrom thevehicleisanalysedto determinethebattery’sstate ofhealth,aconditionthatcan haveabearingnotonlyona vehicle’soperabilitybutalso itstotalcostofownership

SPShasaccumulated morethan1.24millionmiles ofEVusagedatatodateand founda510%variabilityin batteryhealth

Theworkhasalsorevealed thatbatterychemicalage

doesn’tcorrespond tovehicleage

SPS’sbattery ‘passport’gives asummary ofabattery’s conditionand behaviour acrossarange ofmeasures, including range,energy throughput, temperature, voltage,current andcharging history

Italsoexpressesthe battery’sstateofhealth inageterms,comparingit againstafleetaverageso that,forexample,abattery mightbefoundtohavea92% stateofhealthasopposed

growing“Monitoringbattery healthisbecomingimportant,” shesaid“Ownerswillneed tobeabletohaveeither permanentdiagnosticsfittedto theirvehicleorbeabletogoto adealertohaveadevicefitted

tothefigureitshouldbe reportingforitsageof97%.

“Ourpurposeisto capture,presentandanalyse batterydatainactionable ways,”saidprogramme managerLiamMifsud.

thatwillmonitortheirbattery’s performance,withthedata analysedatthenextvisit”

HOWTOMONITORBATTERIES

SilverPowerSystems (SPS),aspecialistinbattery analytics,recentlypresented itslatestbatterymonitoring systemAimedatsmaller manufacturerslookingto incorporateitatthevehicle productionstageandfleetand commercialvehicleoperators wantingtheirownaftermarket batteryhealthrecords,it tracksbatterydegradation usingarangeofmeasuresand realtimeandhistoricaldata thatcanbepresentedinthe formofa‘batterypassport’

ProgrammemanagerLiam Mifsudsaid:“Thepassport isarecordofthebattery’s

behaviourandcondition,and avehiclewithonehasmore valuethanonewithoutUntil now,operatorshavebeen focusedongettingEVsonto theirfleets,butnowtheyare gettingtheirheadsaround batterydegradationHavinga clearpictureofbatteryhealth willbekeytotheefficient operationofthesenewvehicles andhelpprovideanaccurate understandingoftheirvalue”

SPS’ssystemrecords,tracks andmonitorsbatterydata, includingchargeanddischarge cycles,internalandexternal temperaturesandthelocation ofchargeevents.Theeffects ofrapidchargingonbattery healtharemonitored,too

Basedonthisdata,italso canpredictfutureperformance andtheendoflifeinformation that,asmoreoldbatteries arerepurposedelsewhere forenergystorage,is becomingvaluable

OneofSPS’skeyfindingsis thatbatteryhealthcanvary widelyacrossfleetsandeven outwardlysimilarvehicles

“JudginganEVonsimply itsage,conditionandmileage isnolongersufficient,”said PeteBishop,founderandchief technologyofficeratSPS “Acrossevenasinglefleet, variationsinbatteryhealth canbeupto10%Considering thatinmostcommercial applications,80%battery capacityisdeemedtobeendof lifeinoperationalterms,10% representshalfavehicle’slife”

MifsudsaidSPSisseeing batteryendoflifereachedat aroundeightyearsformost EVsbutearlierforheavily usedcommercialones

However,headded that‘endoflife’isopento interpretation:“Someone operatingaspecialistvehicle willprobablykeepitforlonger andnotregard80%asend oflife.Iftheydon’tdrivefar,a privatevehicleownermayalso behappywiththatcapacity However,wehavenoticedthat whenabatterygetsto70%, itdegradesmorerapidly.”

Whateverthefigure,getting thefullestpictureofabattery’s currentandfuturehealthis becomingessential JOHNEVANS

WILLBATTERYTECHNOLOGY betheendgameforsustainablecarsor williteventuallybeovertakenbyother alternatives?Eitherway,thevastquantity ofresearchdonetodatepointstothefact thatbatterystorageisthemostefficient wayofusingelectricityonthemovesimply, becauseitdoesn’tinvolveconverting itfromoneenergycarriertoanother (likehydrogen,forexample)

BMWaddedtothestreamof announcementsinSeptember,with newsofaswitchinbatterycelldesign andarampingupofmanufacturing capacityItopenedtheBatteryCell CompetenceCentreinMunichin2019 andovertheyearshasbuiltupanetwork of300partners,rangingfromcompanies touniversities.Foritssixthgeneration ofbattery,it’schangingboththeformat andthechemistry,improvingvolumetric energydensity(howmuchenergyis crammedintoagivenspace)by20% andchargingspeedandrangeby30%.

Thechangeinformatisfromprismatic (rectangularshaped)cellstocylindrical cells,intwodifferentlengthsbutboth 46mmindiameter.Thenewcellscontain morenickelandlesscobaltonthecathode (positiveelectrode)thanbeforeandmore siliconintheanode(negativeelectrode) Moresiliconsuggestsfastercharging, andsincethebatterieswillallformpart of800Vdrivetrainsystems,it’sperhaps notsurprisingthatthenewclassof batterywilldothat,withthe1080% chargingtimereducedby30%.

Aswellastheusualimprovementsin capacityandperformance,thecellsshould leadtomoresustainablebatteriesand includerecycledrawmaterialsSuppliers willincluderecycledcobalt,lithiumand nickelinthecellsandmakethemusing onlyrenewableenergy.Theaimisto reducethecarbonfootprintofthecell manufacturingprocessbyasmuchas 60%Giventhecontroversysurrounding materialsusedinlithiumionbatteries,the ultimateaimistousefullyrecyclablecells. Fornow,BMWwillonlyallowtheuse

oflithiumand cobalttakenfrom certifiedmines andhaspromiseda nosecretsapproachto theextractionmethods usedintheproductionofitsbatteries.

Thegoodnewsforscepticsisthatthere’s acommercialbenefitindoingthatfroman energysecuritypointofviewsothere’s plentyofincentiveFurthergainsincost effectivenesslieinthefactthatthecells areeasierandquickertomake.Developing acertifiednetworkofsourcesshould avoidsuppliesdryingupdueto geographicalorpoliticalreasons

Thislatestgenerationofbatteries canalsobeproducedusinglithiumiron phosphate(lithiumferrophosphateorLFP), gettingridofthecobaltandnickelcontent altogetherLFPiscommonlyusedfor leisurebatteries(thinkcampervans andoffgriddomesticsolarsystems).

Advantagesarehighchargeand dischargeefficiency,safety,longlife andnotbeingadversetodeepcycling Beyondthat,weshouldseeaBMW demovehiclesportingadevelopmentlevel solidstatebatterybefore2025,with seriesproductionexpectedby2030

FALKEN’SWINTERWONDER

EVbuyersaren’t easilyabletoassess batterycondition

JLRstartswork toturnHalewood intoEVfactory

PlantwillbeconvertedtobuildcarsonnewEMA platformin2024,securingmediumtermfuture

JaguarLandRoverhas takenthefirststepsto convertitsHalewood factoryonMerseysideto buildelectricvehicles,securing itsfutureasthecompanyrolls outzeroemissionvehicles

JLRrecentlybeganthe tenderingprocesstoupgrade thefactorytobuildcarsonits new“nativeBEV”Electrified ModularArchitecture(EMA), asourceclosetotheprocess toldAutocar.

Ithadalreadyconfirmed theEMAplatformforthe Halewoodplant,oneofthree JLRvehicleassemblyfacilities intheUK,butthisnewswill bewelcomeforthefactory’s 3700staffduringthisperiod ofhighuncertainty

Theextendedshutdown periodtoconverttheplant willhappenin2024,the sourcetoldAutocar

JLRhassaidthefirstcars basedontheEMAplatform willarriveinthesameyear.

Thecompanyhaspreviously saiditwillrepurposeitsCastle BromwichfacilityintheWest Midlandsaspartofthe25% cutinitsmanufacturing capacitydictatedbythe

Reimaginetransformation planthatCEOThierryBolloré announcedin2021.

Halewood’sconfirmedrolein buildingelectriccarsaswell ashybridsandpluginhybrids ontheflexibleEMAplatform willensureitsfutureissecure wellintothemediumterm.

Thissummer,JLRalso submittedplanningrequeststo extendHalewood’sbodyshop “toincreaseitsproduction capacityfornewmodellines”, accordingtodocumentslodged withthelocalKnowsleycouncil

Thenewtwostorey buildingwouldexpandthe additionalbodyshop,where thecar’smetalbodiesare joinedtogether,byaround 32,000squaremetres

JLRiscurrentlyputtingthe newEMAplatformthroughits engineeringapprovalprocess, chieffinancialofficerAdrian Mardelltoldinvestorsona conferencecallinJuly

TheEMAplatformhas beendescribedbyJLRas “bornfromanobsession withsimplicity”.

It’s“batteryagnostic”, meaningitcanacceptany batteryshapeandchemistry, thecompanyhasclaimed, anditcanaccept“small capacity,highperformance combustionengines”

Thisislikelytomean themildhybrid,hybridand pluginhybridversionsof thecarsthatarebasedon itwillusethe15litrethree cylinderenginethatpowers today’sRangeRoverEvoque andLandRoverDiscovery Sportpluginhybridmodels.

JLRisaimingfor60% ofitsglobalsalestobefully electricby2030,10%plugin hybridand30%mildhybridor hybrid.Itisaimingforallglobal salestobezeroemission vehiclesby2036

NICKGIBBS

MOREFACTORIESPREPARINGFOREVERA

Halewoodisoneofseveral highoutputUKcarfactories thatarebeinglinedupfor futureEVproduction

Ford,whichopened theHalewoodfactoryin 1963andretainspartofthe site,willinvestaround£250 millioninrepurposingitasan electricdrivetrainfactoryby 2024.Currently,500workers buildgearboxesfortheFiesta andFocusthere

Ofthisfunding,£25m istocomefromtheUK

government’sAutomotive TransformationFund,which isalsopartfundingthe expansionofNissan’sEV batteryplant(runbypartner companyEnvisionAESC)in Sunderlandaprojectthatis anticipatedtotop£1billion

Theexpandedfactorywill supplypowerpacksforall ofNissan’sEVs,including theasyetunnamedLeaf successor,acrossoverthat willbebuiltatNissan’scar factorynextdoor

Halewoodhasbeen buildingEvoques sinceJuly2011

JimHolder

INSIDEINFORMATION

WHOWOULDHAVE thoughtwe’dbereflectingon thedaysoftwotonneSUVs assomekindofhighwater markinlightweightdesign?

Mytongueisofcourse firmlyinmycheekbut perhapsnotwedgedashigh asmyeyebrowswerewhen Ireadthattheupcoming batterypoweredMercedes EQSSUVtipsthescalesat justover28tonnesWith largeelectricSUVscoming fromeverypremiumand luxurymanufacturer,this maysoonbecomethenorm ratherthantheexception, butshouldweacceptit?

I’velongapologised fortheelectricrevolution beingdriveninlargepartby contradictoryheavyweight SUVs,followingthe industrylinethatthehigh bodystylewastheperfect waytodisguisetheadded heightofbatterypacks, andreasoningthatifyou wanttodriveadoption, thebestwaytodoitisby launchingnewcarsinthe mostpopularsegments.

However,inthefaceof suchbulk,seriousquestions shouldbeasked.Weight compromisesefficiencyand dynamics,andthesafety ofotherroadusers,and itraisesquestionsaround roaddamageandtyrewear (andtheirknockonimpacts onhumanhealth)andmore. Eachoftheseindividually warrantsseriousscrutiny, butcombinedtheymake mewonderiftheirmakers haveactuallyconsideredthe environmentalimperativeto consumelessthatisdriving thetransition

Sure,wecanmarvelat thetechnicalprowessthat allowssuchalarge,heavy

cartoachieveofficialbest caseefficiencyof3mpkWh whileofferingaclaimed rangeofmorethan400 milesBetterthatthana fuelguzzlingV8,perhaps.

It’salsotruethatwe shouldn’tfixateontheEQS SUVthattriggeredthese thoughtsThereareother electriccarsonsaletoday, almostallofwhicharelarge SUVs,thatareevenless efficientalthoughnotably plentythataremoreso

Butwhileitseemslogical thatallowingthesuperrich togreenwashtheirtravelat theexpenseofothersshould nolongerbeacceptable,I’m notsurethecarmakershave graspedthatpoint.Where oncewewouldhavebrushed offsuchexcessbyaccepting thattheownerhasevery righttochoosetospend theirmoneyhowtheyseefit, now,surely,wehaveawider collective,societalconcern fortherepercussionsforthe planettoconsider,don’twe?

Theanswerrequiresan uncomfortablereinvention, ratherthanagentleshift Today,itstillfeelslikecar makersaresetonmaking electricversionsofwhat theyhavespentthepast 100yearshoningButthe timeissurelyripeforamore thoroughexamination ofwhatpremiumand luxurystandfor.

Therewillbelimitsand fringeobsessionsExcess andlargessemayalways appealtosome.Butmaybe, surely,nowitbelongsin thefringes,thepotentially contradictoryvulgarityof bothacknowledgedandthe excitementofnew,fresh, modernsolutionsready tobeembraced

ArecarslikeEQS SUVanachronistic despitebeingEVs?

TheVauxhallAstrawill bethefirstmodeltoget aperformanceoverhaul underthefirm’snewGSe brandanelectrifiedsuccessor fortheGSinameplate.

Launchingasaplugin hybrid,thenewrangetopping, dynamicallyenhancedAstra GSegetssharperhandling,a tweaked,loweredchassisand upratedengineperformance.

Aswithstandardmodels, theGSewillbeavailableinboth hatchbackandSportsTourer

guisesThemodelusesthe same1.6litreturbocharged petrolengineand124kWh batteryastheregularAstra pluginhybridalreadyonsale, butitstotaloutputisboosted from178bhpto222bhp.

Vauxhallhasyettoannounce anyperformancefigures,but themechanicallyidentical Peugeot308225plugin hybridhasa062mphtime of7.7sec,a146mphtop speedandanelectriconly rangeof37miles

Foritsfirstforayintothe electrifiedperformance sphere,Vauxhallhasfittedthe AstrawithGSespecifictuned dampersandsportscalibrated steeringandithaslowered therideheightby10mm.

Upgradedlooksinclude new18inalloys,abespoke frontbumper,GSebadging andperformancethemed interiordetailing.

ThearrivalofanewGSe linewaspreviewedbylast year’sretrostyledMantaGSe

conceptandcomesaspartof Vauxhall’splantobecomea fullyelectricbrandby2028. SimilarlyconceivedGSe versionsoftheCorsaElectric andGrandlandpluginhybrid modelslooklikelyaspartofthe performancepush.However, thefirmhasyettogiveany indicationofplanstolaunch anequivalenttothefullbore VXRsportingbrand

GSe(forGrandSport electric)isVauxhall’s replacementfortheGSi

performancebrand,whichover 40yearslaunchedanarray ofwarmedupcultclassics includingtheNovaGSi, MantaGSiandMk3AstraGSi

TheAstraGSeisexpected tocommandanear£40,000 price,giventhatitwillsitatthe topoftheAstrarange,whichis currentlyheadedbythe£36,115 UltimatevariantOrderswill openlaterthisyear,withthe firstdeliveriesscheduled forthestartof2023

PHEVgetsunique suspensiontuning andapowerboost

NOV12FORTHEURUS

LamborghiniCTORouven Mohrsaysthefirmhasno currentplanstofititsUrus SUVwithaV12engine, despitecallsfromfans

“I’mabigloverofthe naturallyaspiratedV12,”he said.“IntheLM002,itwas acoolconcept.But,tobe honest,doesitmakesense [fortheUrus]?Notnow”

TheUrusneedslowend torquetoserveasadaily driver,hesaid.“Youcanuse [theUrus]forlongdistance travellingYoucanuseit forthesupermarket,”said Mohr,butifithadaV12,it wouldmeandrivingonthe motorway“permanently over6000rpm”

OurfriendsatWarwickshire pub/carvenueCaffeine& Machinehavemadethe kindofobservationIwish I’dbeensmartenoughto.

APPYDAYSATDACIA

appsforits‘BringYour OwnDevice’infotainment system,essentiallya driver’sphonemounted onthedashboard Amongthemisa drowsinessdetectionapp thatusesasmartphone cameratorecognise whenadriverisbecoming drowsyordistracted,and recommendsrestbreaks afterfactoringinthingslike weather,traffic,lengthof routeandthedriver’sage, weightandgeneralhealth

Inothersafetyrelated Dacianews,CEODenisLe Votsaidheis“notworried” aboutEuroNCAP’sview ofhisfirm’scars“It’sall aboutchoices,”hesaysof Dacia’sdecisiontofocuson passivesafetyoveractive safety“Youdeactivate lanekeepingassistYou’rea humanYoucanassess,”he said.“Wedon’tsellittoyou asweknowyoudeactivate itWeareveryseriousabout passivesafety,butactive safetyisdifferent”

Inapromotionalpostforits StrassenkulturGermancarthemed nightthirdWednesdayofthemonth ithighlightsPorsche’sfourcylinder coupés,the924,944and968,andasks whethertheseclassicswouldhavehad morecredibilityiftheyhadbeenmade bysomebodyotherthanPorsche Ithinkthey’reright.Nexttoa911ora 928,thefourpotshavesometimesbeen consideredpoorrelations,languishing inawaythatrearenginedormulti cylinderPorschesdidn’t,andforalong whilehadresidualvaluesthatdidn’t reflecthowmuchfuntheywere.

Andtheyweretremendousfun. MultipleLeManswinnerDerekBellis reportedtohavesaidthe924Carrera GTalimitedrunracespecial, granted,butofPorsche’sperhaps leastlovedcarwas“oneofthebest handlingcarsI’veeverdriven”

Thelaterstrippedout968ClubSport

woneverygrouptestitgotnearand,in the1990s,inPorscheonemakerace championships,thesefrontengined carsroutinelycleanedupagainst contemporary911s(althoughinthewet, the911s’tractionevenedthingsup)

A968ClubSportisstilloneofthe bestPorschesI’vedrivenandit’snow, belatedly,beinggivenitsdue.Inthe mid2000s,youcouldpickoneupfor alotunder£15,000,closerto£10,000, butthecheapestonestoday,wearing megamiles,are£30k,andoneis upforover£50k.Thesub£10,000 944isstillathing,andithastakena longerwhileforthesetoberegarded astheclassicstheyare

Imagine,then,thattheyhadn’tbeen madebyPorschebutbyNissanor Vauxhallorimpossibleatthetimebut notnowHyundai,sayTheywouldn’t betheforgottenpoorrelationsinthe “yeah,notquitea911,mate”doldrums: theywouldbehalomodelshailedas fantasticdriver’scarsNiche,sure,and maybenotsellingformorethannow Buttheywouldatleastbecultclassics, not“apoorbloke’s911”(orBoxsteror Cayman)likesomepeopleregardthem, whichwasn’ttruethenandisn’tnow Anyway,Ithinkthere’salessonin thereforthefutureWhenI’mlooking atanoldcarmaybeevenanew oneandconsideringitincontext, imagineitwithadifferentbadgeon

thefront,andseehow,orif,thataffects whatIthinkaboutit.

■CarburettorspecialistBurlen, whichalsorestoresandmakesbits forthelittleJ40pedalcarsthatare enjoyingsomethingof,um,arevival (they’reusedatGoodwoodRevival’s SettringtonCupkids’race),announced atGoodwoodthatithassecuredthe Austinnamethecarmakerthat originallymade32,000ofthetoycars withsparemetalfromitsLongbridge factory,from1950throughto1971

Turnsoutthetrademarkwas ownedbyChinesefirmSAIC,MG Motor’sowner.Thetrademarkprocess apparentlyinvolvessendingSAICsome letterstosaythename’sdormantand youplantouseit,andifnoobjections come,postingnoticesintheUKsaying similarabitlikebeforeawedding thencrackon.

Therewasatimeyoucouldn’tgive J40saway,butnostalgiaisanamazing thingandnowthey’reworththousands

Meanwhile,theGoodwoodRevival isasimpressiveasever.Reallyyouneed morethanaday:onetowatchtheracing, anothertotakeintherestoftheplace

Porsche’s968is finallygettingthe kudositdeserves

SteveCropley

MONDAY

Totellthetruth,I’dforgottenthatthefirstofa braceofnewVauxhallAstrasdueatmyplace todaywouldbethe1.2litrethreecylinder editionThecarlookedsodamnedsubstantial parkedinmydrivethatitseemedimplausibleits enginecapacitywasonlyslightlylargerthanthe firstVauxhallIeverdrove,a1056ccVivaHAwith fully44bhpontap.

It’sfascinatingtoclockhowfarengine outputshavemovedThisAstra12,admittedly turbocharged,hastwicetheflexibility,three timesthepowerandfourtimesthetorqueofthe Viva,fordoublethekerbweight.Butwhat’sbest isitsbigengineddemeanourIt’ssmooth,pulls fromcarpetlevel,hasnooldtimeturbolagand supportsatopgearingofaround30mphper 1000rpm.That’sdoublewhattheVivadelivered. It’snotlongsincepeoplereckonedengineslike thiswerefortakingyoutothestationNow they’lltakeyouaroundtheworld

TUESDAY

Iftheballhadbounceddifferently,Imighthave spenttheweekatthefirstDetroitmotorshow inmorethanthreeyearsItwouldhavebeen disappointingInfact,I’mnotsurehowthisyear’s fixturewouldhavefaredforheadlineshaditnot beenforanewFordMustang,completewitha largeandthrobbingV8Hackseverywherehave spokenof“atoneddownatmosphere”thisyear,a baddescriptionforanAmericanshowThisevent wasn’taboutegotripsforcarcompanybosses usedtorevealingextravagantnewmodels, declaredStellantis’sCarlosTavares(ashestood besideapairofalreadyflaggedelectricJeeps)It wasaboutmakingsuresuchnewmodelsasthere werecouldgenerateprofitablebusiness.

USreportersdescribedamotorshowastheyall seemtobethesedays:smaller,lesswellattended,

It’snotverywisetoputallof youreggsintheBEVbasket

withfewersurprisesbecausecarcompanies holdtheirownlaunchevents.Whatwasclearly missingandwilleventuallyneedtobebrought backisthesimplejoyofavintagemotorshow: theanticipationandoccasionalamazement Thesethingsarenotmereincidentals:theymake thecarworldgoaround.

WEDNESDAY

ThehuntisonFriendsandIarekeentofinda primeentrantfortheyear’sgreatestcarshow, theFestivaloftheUnexceptionalthatsuperb gatheringofprime,ordinarycarsWebelieveit maybenecessarytofindsomethingthathasn’t quitereachedthe25yearthreshold,toguarantee best‘unexceptionality’whenthetimecomes.One suggestionsofaristhe2003CityRoverexceptit won’tqualifyforfivemorelongyearsAnyothers?

ANDANOTHERTHING…

MrPriorandIhave begunaweeklypodcast, summarisingourmag columnsandaiming toaddabitofguff andgossip.Aftertwo episodes,listenershave beensurprisinglykind Pleaselisten:advice aboutrefinementswill begratefullyreceived.

THURSDAY

Relief.Plentyofexcitementaboutthefuturewas onofferwhenIdroppedintotheMIRAbased headquartersofViritech,acleverlyconceived, allBritishcompanydedicatednotjustto arguinginfavourofhydrogenfuelcellpower, butalsotodesigningandbuildingtheessential mechanicalandelectronicgubbinsthatwill makeitworkable(seestory,p52)It’snotvery sensibletoputallofyoureggsintheBEVbasket, saysitstechnicaldirector,MattFaulks,when thesize/weight/rangerecipeforadecentBEV doesn’tstretchfarbeyondamediumsaloon witha4050kWhbatteryThatmeansfuture trucks,buses,bigSUVs,locomotives,offhighway vehicles,ships,aircraftandjustabouteverything elsethatmoveswillneedadifferentkindof motivepower:hydrogen

Shrewdly,Viritechismakingitscaseby buildingabatchof25£15millionhydrogen hypercars(theyweighjust1000kgeach) becauseitscreatorsfeelthehighperformance casehelpfullypresentsalltheirnewinventions withthetypicalhurdlesoftomorrowweight challenges,packagingdifficulties,costcontrols, aggressiveuse.Oneofthescariestthingsabout manycurrenthypercarprogrammesishow poorlypreparedtheyarefortomorrowThis isverydifferent

Thislaunchwasa subduedDetroitmotor show’smainattraction

Vivaflashbackbrings newcontexttothe latest1.2-litreAstra

O T O R S P O R T

DamienSmith

RACINGLINES

OUTOFTHISWORLD

Thealienswho crashlanded theirflying sauceratthe GoodwoodMotorCircuit thismonthmusthavegained awarpedfirstimpression ofthespecieshomosapiens Inplaceofbaseballcaps, sportsleisurewear,jeansand trainers,thespecimensthey sawweredressedindapper tweed,buttonedupshirts andtiesandglamorous dresses.Andwhatwasthat ontheirfaces?Theycall themsmiles,apparently

Asforthevastarrayof twoandfourwheeled transportationdevicesthat allwereeithergawping atorwhizzingaboutin, whatstyle,whatgrace andwhatadin.Especially thatbrutal,longnosed darkgreenmonsterthat theycalltheBRMV16

Costoflivingcrisis?For oneweekendinthiscorner ofbeautifulWestSussex, depressingrealitycould besetasideforafewsweet hoursastheGoodwood Revivalofferedupitsannual indulgentdistraction,spliced withitscharacteristic

retrothemedhumourand sheersenseofhumanjoy Itwasjustwhatweneeded, andmorethaneverbefore.

BUTTON’SSTARTURN

The60thanniversaryof GrahamHill’sfirstFormula1 worldtitleandFerrari’s75th werethebountifulthemes ofthealwaysunmissable demonstrationsthisyear, asDamonHillandhisson Joshproudlymarkedthe achievementsoftheonly personevertohaveworn motorracing’striplecrown FivetimesaMonaco GrandPrixwinnerand conquerorofthe1966 Indianapolis500and 1972LeMans24Hours races,GrahamHillwas astonishinglyversatile andremainsaperennial Goodwoodfavourite47years afterhewaslosttoosoon inalightaircraftaccident overElstreegolfcourse.

Meanwhile,amongthe throngofracingFerraris,the 1965F11512(for1.5litreV12) thatwasdriveninperiod byJohnSurtees,Lorenzo Bandini(seeright)andPedro Rodríguezwasapersonal favouriteasitwailedamong thesportsracersandGTs.

Fortheraces,theRevival drewitsusualhostoffamous names,includingthisyear seventimeNascarchampion JimmieJohnsonandsixtime IndycarkingScottDixon, bothofwhomrelishedtheir firsttastesoftheplanet’s greatestcelebrationofmotor racing’sgloriouspast specificallyGoodwood’s periodtimeframeof1948 to1966Anotherworld? Nothalfforthesetwo,who mightaswellhavearrived onthatflyingsaucer.

OntheSunday,Ibeamed downandJensonButton stoletheshowwitha mesmericdriveinthe

❝

Itssheersenseofhumanjoy wasjustwhatweneeded

onehourRoyalAutomobile ClubTTCelebrationInhis secondRevivalappearance, the2009Formula1world championputonadisplay ofhissignaturesilkenstyle inAdrianNewey’shot JaguarETypeLightweight, sprintingintoa14seclead beforethesafetycarpegged himbackButtonwasstill 20secuptheroad,having setanewGTlaprecord beforehandingoverto HarrisonNewey(sonofthe RedBullF1designer),only forasuddengearboxfailure torobhimofwhatwould havebeenhisfirstvictory ataBritishracetracksince hisFormula3daysin1999 Itwasashame,but performancescountformore thanresultsatGoodwood (inmybook,anyway),and suchwashisartistrythat thiswasoneIwon’tforget

MOVEOFTHEDAY

ForallofButton’sprowess, though,crowdsdon’tthrong toGoodwoodtowitness F1styledominationIt’s allaboutthewheelto wheelracing,andthe usualsuspectsdelivered

JensonButtonandsurprisewinnerstealGoodwoodRevivalshow

Buttondeservedto win,butEType’s gearboxfailed

ondemandTheStMary’s Trophysaloonswerekept untillastthisyear,with mammothFordGalaxies lookingcomicallyoutofscale comparedwiththeLotus CortinasandMinisnipping attheirrumps,especiallyin thecorners.CheekyOlivier Hartdidn’tknowwhen hewasbeatenashisAlfa RomeoGiuliaSprintGTA clungonroundtheoutside ofGregorFisken’sGalaxie, rallycrossingoverthegrass, justmissingatyrebarrier andcuttingthechicane entirelytofinishsecondon theroadtoFredShepherd’s bigFordGreatfun

Butthebestlegitimate moveofthedayIwould givetoJamesCottingham intheSussexTrophyfor 1950ssportsracingcars HisTojeiroJaguardidn’t quitehavethegruntof DavidHart’sListerJaguar ‘Costin’,soitwasgoingto takesomethingspecialto stealthevictoryandthat’s whathefoundontheoutside ofthefastrighthander knownasNoName.Kudos toboththattheyemerged intactasGoodwoodbriefly helditscollectivebreath

FOSTER’S AMBERNECTAR

I’mutterlybiasedonthisone, butthemostjoyfulwinofthe dayhadtogotomyoldmate EdFoster,theGoodwoodpit lanecommentatorbriefly handingoverhismicrophone toracehismuchmissedlate fatherJohn’s1964exworks MGBintheLavantCup,run thisyearasaonemakerace forwhat’ssurelyBritain’s mostubiquitoussportscar

Fosterisaselfdeprecating chapandwaspinching himselfjusttohavequalified ontheoutsideofthefront row,whichwasasgoodashe thoughtitwouldgetThat’s exactlyhowitlookedwhen hefluffedthestart.“For thefirsttimeever,itdidn’t properlygointofirstgear!” hesaidButhehadtriggered chaos,andwhentwocars collided,theredflagsflew togivehimasecondshot

CHRISBUESCHER TheRFKRacingFord Mustangdriverended a222raceNascarCup Seriesbarrenstreakatthe Bristolovalbyseeingoff ChaseElliotttobecomethe thirdconsecutivesurprise playoffwinnerThevictory wasjustBuescher’ssecond CupSeriessuccess,hisfirst comingatPoconoin2016.

BADWEEK

COLTONHERTA RedBullhasgiven uponitspursuitofthe IndycarSeriesdriver,who fellshortoftherequired pointstoearnaFormula1 Superlicencethisyear. The22yearoldhadbeen markedoutforRedBull’s AlphaTaurisquad,butthe FIArefusedtomakehim anexceptiontoitsrules.

WorldTouringCar championRobHuffwas alreadyout,hisMGBhaving brokenofftheline,leaving Fostertochasethemore experiencedMarkColefor thelead.Driftingwithgrace throughthelongfirstturn, Madgwick,ourmandid welltokeepwithinrange, whensuddenlytheyellowcar slowedintoretirement.Sure, theracehadcometohim,but fewcouldbegrudgeFostera surpriseandpopularvictory Ashefoldedhisridiculous 6ft7inframeoutofthelittle car,engulfedhisfiancé inabearhugandthen clampedoneofGoodwood’s traditionalwinners’cigars betweenhisteeth,thedark nightsoffraughtworkby longsufferingpreparerRoy Gillinghamandthetuningof afreshenginebyAJBarnard withheadsfromMiniwizard NickSwifthadallpaidoff. Itwasoutofthisworld

TWRXinPortugal

ITWASAweekendoffirsts asthenewlyelectricpowered WorldRallycrossChampionship (WRX)headedtoMontalegre inPortugal

Fourtimechampion JohanKristofferssonkeptup hisunbeatenstreakinthefirst round,butNiclasGrönholm sonoftwotimeWorldRally ChampionMarcusGrönholm endedthatruninthesecond toscorehismaidenwin,while

Anderssonwasfirst womanonpodium,with Veibyonsecondstep

teammateKlaraAndersson becamethefirstfemaledriver toscoreapodiumintheseries.

Kristofferssoninitiallylost outinhisVolkswagenPoloat thestartofthefinaltoPeugeot 208rivalKevinHansenAlate brakingdiveintothefirstturn turfedHansenintothegravel, leavingKristofferssontowin onlyfortheSwedetoinevitably bedocked10secanddropto fifthinthefinalorderThat

handedGrönholmhislandmark win,withKristoffersson’steam mateOleChristianVeibyleft secondaheadofAndersson.

“Thisobviouslyisn’ttheway Iliketowin,andit’sslightly bittersweet,”said26year oldGrönholm.“Westruggledin thefirstfourrounds,buttoday wasbetterandwefinallycame awaywitharesult”

KristofferssonleadsVeibyin thepointswithsixroundstogo.

MOTORSPORTGREATS

LORENZOBANDINI

Thatname,thosegoodlooksFormany,LorenzoBandiniremains thearchetypalFerrariracer,althoughhiscalmtemperamentand pleasantmannerbeliedtheLatinstereotype.TheItalianmadehis Formula1debutforScuderiaCentroSudin1961,drivingaCooper, andwasinvitedtojoinFerrarithenextseason,atatimewhenthe teamwasindisarrayDroppedfromF1for1963,hewonLeMansin a250PwithLudovicoScarfiotti,buthewasbackinthegrandprix teamfor1964andprovedacapablenumbertwotoJohnSurtees, scoringhisonlypointspayingwinatZeltweg.Teamleaderfrom196 theDaytona24HoursandMonza1000kminFerrari’sglorious330P4beforetragedystruckat MonacoHiscarclippedtheharbourfrontchicane,vaultedthestrawbalesandburstintoflames afterhittingalamppostMarshalswereslowtoactandhesufferedfatalburns,hishorriblefate becomingakeymotivatorinracing’schargeforimprovedsafety.

Grönholmended Kristoffersson’s winningstreak

“Justaweather balloon,”saidthe attendingofficer

TheoriginalSmartCity Coupéwasoneofthemost revolutionaryvehiclesofthe pastquartercenturyanda hugecommercialfailure.When theinnovativeminiaturewasfirst launchedin1998,Smart’sparent company,Daimler,predictedthat citieswouldbedesignedaroundit somethingthatseemedgenuinely possible,givenitsdinkydimensions andradicalstylingButdespite receivinggenerousbackingfor morethantwodecades,Smart neverachievedcommercialsuccess, norreportedlyevermadeaprofit andBMW’smuchlesstechnically adventurousMinibrandoutsold itbymorethanthreetoone

That’saquickwayofexplaining why,althoughthebrandingof theSmart#1isfamiliar,almost everythingelseisdifferentThisis

anotherrollofthedice,anallnew electriccrossoverthat’sthefirst productfromajointventure betweenMercedesBenzandGeely, theChinesegiantthatalsoowns Lotus,PolestarandVolvo.

Underthisdeal,newSmartcars willbedesignedbyMercedesand brieflysoldalongsidetheexisting EQFortwoandEQForfourelectric citycars.Butthe#1sitsonGeely’s SEAplatformandwillbebuiltby thatcompanyinXi’an,China Let’sstartbycoveringoff thename,which,inthefashion ofamiddleagedfathertryingto getdownwiththekids,reallyis meanttobepronounced‘hashtag one’Youcandecideforyourself whetherthat’s#blessedor#cringe.

Threeversionswillbeavailable fromlaunchintheUKnextyear, theentrylevelPro+(possiblythe

firstcarnamedafterahangover cure)andthePremiumbothusinga 268bhpmotoroutbackTherange toppingBrabus(whichyoucanread aboutoverleaf)getsasecondmotor upfrontandpeakoutputof422bhp.

Allversionsusethesame underfloorlithiumionbattery, usingnickelcobaltmanganese chemistry,witha66kWhcapacity andsupportingDCrapidcharging atratesofupto150kW

ThePremiumandtheBrabuscan alsomanage22kWACcharging whereavailable,whilethePro+is limitedto7.4kW.Thecheapercar alsohasaslightlyshorterrange, 260milesunderWLTPagainstthe Premium’s273miles,whiletheall pawBrabusmanages248miles.

Althoughit’sthebiggestSmart yet,the#1isn’tespeciallylargeby segmentstandardsA4270mm◊

NEWCARSTESTEDANDRATED

TESTER’SNOTE

Smartexecutivessay they’replanningfor futuremodelstohave unlockablefeatures thatbuyerswillbe abletosubscribeto orbuyoutrighton cheaperversions Heatedseatsand aheatedsteering wheelarecitedasthe obviousexamplesMD

❝

Refinementandridequality arebothgood,butthecontrol responseseelinconsistent

Δlengthmakesitjust65mmlonger thantheHyundaiKonaElectric.

Thedesignpaysdistanthomageto someearlierSmartmodels,although thesinglelightbaracrosstherearis morereminiscentofMercedes’EQA, EQBandEQCelectriccrossovers.

Despiteitscompactfootprint,the #1isimpressivelyspaciousinside, withgenerousheadroomand enoughspaceforonefullygrown adulttositbehindanother.

Luggageislesswellcateredfor byadinky313litrebootandatiny 15litrespaceunderthebonnet

Theinteriorisimpressively wellfinished,too,withsome stylishdesignandupmarket touches,includingmetalair ventsincorporatingcolour adjustableLEDelements

Theuserinterfaceislessgood, though.WhilePolestarandVolvo carsuseAndroidAutomotive,the newSmartoperatingsystemisbased onGeely’sEcarxtechThenotquite finalisedversionweexperienced waseasilytheworstthingaboutthe car:clumsy,unintuitiveandwitha numberofembarrassingsyntaxand spellingerrorsinitsEnglishtext

Thesystemfeaturesthecharmsof ananimatedfoxwhopopsupabove menusandboxes,althoughmost

potentialbuyerswouldbelikelyto swapthiscutegimmickforAndroid AutoandAppleCarPlayfunctionality seriousomissionsforanybrand

Andthedrivingexperienceis

anyobviousdynamicsimilaritiesto anypreviousSmartcar.

Withakerbweightof1788kg, thePremiumisgettingonfortwice theweightoftheexistingEQFortwo, yetitrarelyfeelsthatheavyonroad, thankstobriskperformanceanda wellmanneredchassis.

AswithmostEVs,accelerationis keenestatlowerspeeds,withrapid responsesandtheabsenceofgearbox

delaysensuringthatgapsarethere forthetaking.

Beyond60mph,therateatwhich speedisgatheredstartstotailoff, butthe#1isstillpullingreasonably hardasitgetstotheupperendof likelymotorwaycruisingspeeds. Ultimately,a112mphlimitercalls time,butfewdriverswilleverbe likelytofindit

Therearethreedrivingmodes Eco,ComfortandSportalthough thelackofadaptivedampersmeans thesealteronlytheaccelerator mapping,regenerativebraking strengthandsteeringweight

Twolevelsofregencanbe manuallyselected,andthere’s nooptionofafreewheelingsail mode,unlikeinsomeEVsThere isaonepedaldrivingfunction, butthisslowsyouverygradually, andwithSportmodeselectedit isn’tabletobringthe#1toafull haltonafallinggradient

Fortunately,thebrakepedal integrateselectricalandfriction brakingeffectivelyandseamlessly.

Refinementandridequalityare bothgood,butthecontrolresponses feelinconsistentThethrottlehas averyslightresponsedelayonly acoupleoftenthsofasecondbut enoughtomeanthatanysudden

DesignisacombinationofoldSmartandmodernMercedes

Leanissignificantincornersandoddfeelingsteeringdissuadesyoufurther

Thespringyfeelingsteeringalso deliversnonlinearreactions,witha keeninitialturninandthenadead patchDespiterearwheeldrive, understeeristhedefaulthandling characteristic,withmuchofthis duetothelimitedbiteofthelow resistanceContinentalEcoContact6 tyresThere’salsosignificantlean undercorneringloadsAndalthough youcanturnthetractioncontrol systemoff,themotor’straction managementdoesn’tallowthe car’stailtoslideunderpower

Themostimportantmissingdetail fornowisthe#1’sprice,whichwon’t beannounceduntilclosertotheUK onsaledateConfirmedEuropean numbersdogiveustheballpark, though,withFrance’s¤39,950kick offsuggestingthatthePro+should bearoundthe£35,000mark.

Standardkitisimpressiveforthat price,includingapanoramicroof, electricallyadjustableandheated frontseatsandapoweredtailgate.

(Smartexecutivessaythata cheaperbasemodelwithfewer toysisplannedforlater)

ThePremiumwillcostaround £3000more,addingadaptivematrix headlights,wirelessphonecharging andaBeatsbrandedsoundsystem.

Despitegenerouskit,though,such pricingwouldleavethe#1carrying aheftypremiumovertheMG4EV. ThefactthatUKdeliveriesaren’t duetostartuntilthesecondhalfof nextyearmeansthere’sstilltimefor Smarttoapplymorepolishtothe#1. Frankly,itneedsit.There’sagood carhere,butonethat’sindanger ofbeingletdownbythedetails MIKEDUFF

t’sentirelyappropriateforany Brabusproducttohaveasurfeit ofpower,andthattraditionis proudlybeingupheldbythe rangetoppingSmart#1Youwill beunsurprisedtohearthatafour wheeldriveelectricsmallSUVwith 422bhpisseriouslyquick,especially givenitsinstanttorqueButpotential buyersdefinitelyshouldn’tcomehere lookingforhugeamountsofdynamic finesseorevenrelativelymodest amountsofdynamicfinesse.

Thisisn’tmeantasacritical kickingIhadhugefundrivingthe #1Brabus,andit’shardnottowarm toacarthatlookssocuteyetalso threatenstospinallfourwheelson dryroadsButit’sfairtosaythatthe balancebetweenpowerandcontrol isdefinitelynotcentredonthescale

Changesoverthereardriven#1 areslight.Inadditiontothelesser car’s268bhprearmotor,theBrabus gainsasmaller,154bhpmotoronthe frontaxle,butthat’smostofthestory mechanically.Despitehavingallthat additionalpower,theBrabussitson thesameContinentalEcoContact6 tyresastheRWDcarAccordingto Smartengineers,thesuspension settingshavealsobeenrevised onlytotakeaccountoftheextra massupfrontthebasesetup isstillassoftandpliant

Theecograderubberstruggles tocombinecorneringloadswith longitudinalacceleration.Turnin ismushyandpronetolowspeed understeer,butgettingonthe powerthendramaticallyreverses thechassisbalanceastherearward torquebiastakesoverandtheback gainstheunmistakablesenseof lightnessthatindicatesimpending oversteerAtthispointprobably fortunatelythestabilitycontrol systeminterveneshardandmore effortisdirectedforwardstotryto

pullthecarstraight,leadingtomore understeer.It’scertainlyquick,but it’snotveryelegant

OtherBrabusspecificdetails areadifferentalloywheeldesignand badging,andaBrabusdrivingmode abovetheusualSportone.It’snotas ifearlierSmartBrabusmodelswere dynamicparagons,butnordidany everhavesomuchpowertocallon Thisoneisfun,butIcameawayfrom myfirstexperiencewonderinghow muchbetteritwouldbeonstickier rubberandstiffersprings

MIKEDUFF

TESTER’SNOTE

TheBoostfunction givesyoua10second burstofextrapower It’sabitoverthetop forafamilySUV,but there’ssomething childishlyentertaining aboutit,andit’shandy forovertakingVP

Thirdgenerationgetsnewplatform,updatedenginerangeandangrierstyling

Theallnew,thirdgeneration BMWX1isabitlargerthan itspopularpredecessorJust by53mminlength,44mmin heightand22mminwheelbase,but thatstillmeansMunich’s‘baby’SUV isnow45metreslongOnlyabout 60mmoffthelengthoftheoriginal X3,incaseyouwerewondering… Anyway,a‘baby’SUVisnowthe defaultfamilycarforhugeswathes ofbuyers,andbiggerwillbe betterinmanypeople’sbooks

BeneathitisBMW’sFAAR platform,whichwehavepreviously experiencedonlywiththenew 2SeriesActiveTourerItwillalso underpinthenewMiniCountryman

TheX1isavailablewitharangeof mildhybridengines,runningfrom a20litrethreecylinderdieselin thefrontwheeldrivesDrive18dto a20litrefourcylinderpetrolin thexDrive23ianda2.0litrefour cylinderdieselinthexDrive23d.

Twopluginhybridpowertrains offerachoiceofpoweroutputs andupto55milesofelectriconly running,courtesyofnew,fifth generationPHEVtechnology anda14.2kWhbattery.

Andthenewlyintroducedelectric iX1(seeright)topstherange

Pricesrunfrom£36,225upto £47,785forthemildhybrids,with thexDrive23itestedherecoming intowardsthetopendofthatprice rangeThatisatouchmorethanyou wouldpayforanequivalentAudiQ3, itmustbesaid,butstillcompetitive withintheclassoverall.

Thankfully,theX1doesfeelgrown upandplushenoughtojustifythat pricefairlyeasily,butwewillcome

backtothatinaminuteFirst, whatofthexDrive23i’sontheroad characteristics?Isittheenthusiast’s choiceofcompactfamilySUV?

ItbeingaBMW,andthemost powerfulnonpluginoptionin theX1range,thankstothe215bhp 20litreturbochargedpetrolengine, it’seasytoseewhyyoumightbe hopingso.Youmightbeatouch disappointed,though

It’snotforwantofabitoffizz, that’sforsureThe20litreturbo

petrolengine(whichhas201bhp withoutanyelectricaid)has90% newcomponents,notleastthe fifthgeneration48Vmildhybrid technology,whichnewlyintegrates a19bhpelectricmotorintoaseven speeddualclutchautomaticgearbox

GiveitSportdrivemodeandagood roadandtheenginepullsheartily rightupto6000rpm,delivering greatflexibility,evenifitdoessound coarseintheupperrevranges

Inmorerelaxedprogress,it’sfairly refinedandsmooth,andevenafter theenginehasbeendecoupledto allowforcoasting,youbarelyfeelany shuntorhesitationasitreengages

Thegearboxdoesafinejobof beingintherightratioattheright time,too,andrespondsswiftlytoa flickofasteeringwheelmounted paddleifyouwantfullcontrol

Thehandlingisfitforpurpose, butthesteeringisshortontexture andfeedback.Whileit’spredictable andwellweighted,youdon’tfeel muchconnectionStill,bodycontrol isdecentandyoucanfeelthexDrive fourwheeldriveshufflingpower totherearwheelsanddelivering asharper,moreenjoyableturnin

Bodycontrolandhandlingcombinetoimpress,butsteeringlackssomefeel

TESTED14922,MUNICH,GERMANYONSALEOCTOBER

thanyougetinmostalternatives.

MSportvariantsgetadaptive dampersasstandard,andon19in wheelsthesemaketheX1feel composedmostofthetimeOnly midcornerintrusionsunsettleit, andscruffysurfacesattownspeeds canhaveitfidgetingalittle

Arguablythebiggeststrengthin theX1isitsimpressivecabinfinish andversatility.Aframeless,curved dashboarddisplaycontainsadigital instrumentreadoutbesidea107in infotainmenttouchscreenwith outstandinggraphics,whilewireless AppleCarPlayandAndroidAutowill beallthatmostuserswant.There’s nownorotaryiDrivecontroller,sadly, butthescreenisresponsiveifnot alwaysthemostlogicaltonavigate

Therearseatsslide13cmforeand aftina60/40split,whiletherear seatbacksreclineorfoldflatina 40/20/40split;andthere’splentyof headandlegroomtoallowacouple ofsixfooterstoslouchincomfort.

Thebootisagoodshape,witha fairlylowlip,andaloadbaythat’s bigenough,at500litres,totakea chunkydoublebuggyifyouneeditto

It’sproperlycomfyanduseful intheX1,andthat’swhatafamily SUVshouldbeabout,afterall.

TheX1offerspetrol,diesel,plugin hybridandnowelectricpower,too

THEX1’sNEWBORNsibling,the iX1,isthefirstpureelectricmodel toarriveonBMW’sFAARplatform

A647kWh(usable)battery deliversaWLTPrangeofupto272 milesinthexDrive30versionthat wedrove,despite308bhpcourtesyof twoelectricmotors,fourwheeldrive andahearty062mphtimeof57sec

Whilethemodelbadgingclearly leavesroomfordifferentversions, thexDrive30istheonlyoption fromlaunch,soyouwillneed tofind£52,255ifyou’rehopingto getholdoftheiX1inthenearfuture (BMWwillstarttakingorderslater thisyearandfirstdeliveriesare peggedforJanuary2023)

Wehadadriveinaprototype iX1,whichprovedtobeaconfident andcohesivecar.Thesteeringis shortoffeel,butit’sweightednicely enough,andyoualwaysgetagood senseofhowmuchtractionthereis

(masses,bytheway).It’sasatisfying, unflappablesteer,whetheryou’re cruisingonthemotorwayorputting insevententhsonadecentroad

Theconsiderableextraweight ofthebatterydoesshowintheride comfort,thoughStandardadaptive dampershelptodeliveradecent secondaryride,butbiggerpotholes andawkwardcamberscan sendheavythudsandshudders throughthecabin.

It’sstillcomfyenoughmuchofthe time,though,nottomentionquiet, evenbyEVstandards.Theinstant accelerativeurgencyisfun,too.

TheiX1isn’ttheenthusiast’sEV thatsomemighthavehopedfor However,inthecontextsofinterior space,technologyandperceived quality,itsallroundslicknessstill makesitoneofthemostcompelling electriccompactSUVs

VICKYPARROTT

Decentefficiency,seriouspaceand aclassyandcomfycabinmakefor acompellingpremiumallrounder

RideismostlygoodinMSportcar,thankstoadaptivedampers

Veryclassyindeed,butwemournthedemiseofBMW’srotaryiDrivecontroller

We’reoftentoldthatAlpina isallabout‘fillingniches’ unexploredbyBMWand particularlyitsMdivision. Onthesurface,thisseemssensible Inreality,however,Alpinaproducts can’tbeconsideredstraight substitutesforMcars,andthe nichefillingstrategyisrarelyif everexecutedinthestrictsense

Justconsiderthecurrentrange Alpina’sflagshipB8GranCoupé coexistswiththeM8GranCoupé,the B7withtheM760Li,theXB7withthe X7M60i,theB5withtheM5,theB3 withtheM3Andwewon’tmention thevariousdieselofferings,because it’smuchthesamestory.

Thefactisthatwiththefirst everM3Touringannounced,the onlytruenichefillerintheAlpina lineupistheB5TouringOratleast itwasuntilnow.Whiletheprevious B4cameonlyintwodoorcoupé formandwithperformancefigures toworryitsM4cousin,thenew generationB4arrivesonlyinGran Coupéguise.BMWdoesn’tmake anM4GranCoupé,soifyouwant 4Serieslookswithfourdoorsand almostasmuchtorqueastheFerrari F8Tributo,thisisyouronlybet

At£79,900,it’salsoanexpensive one,althougheventhebasicM4in theUK(theCompetition)nowcosts £78,000,soperhapstheAlpinais fairvalue,relativelyspeaking Thereisnoskimpingonhardware. ThesameMbuilt3.0litrestraight sixfirstseenintheB3sitsupfront

with488bhpand538lbftThat’s anelephantinetorqueoutputand isputtoallfourwheelsthroughan AlpinafettledZFeightspeedtorque converterautomaticgearboxThere’s alsoanelectronicallycontrolled limitedslipdifferentialattherear, plusthesameraftofpowertrain coolingandstrengthening upgradesasintheB3

LestyouthinktheB4ismerely areskinnedB3,though,knowthat newunderfloorbracingattherear, aswellasartful,skeletonisedstrut bracesintheenginebayandastiffer frontantirollbar,makesthechassis moretorsionallyrigid

Thelarger,20inwheelsalsogive thecarthesamemassivecontact patchasthe600bhpB5Biturbo. Becauseoftheimprovedrear tractionthisbrings,Alpinahasmade thetorquesplitlessneutralthan thatoftheB3andmorerearbiased. Equally,theB4’smarginallytaller

sidewallsshouldalsogiveitbetter ridecomfortthanthatoftheB3

Allin,it’sacarconceivedfirmly inthelongsnoutedgrandtourer mould,blendinglongmotorwaylegs withextremecrosscountrypaceOn paper,theB4ismorecapablethan theB3,despitebeing3mphslower.

Itallsoundsverygrand,but themagicoftheB4isinhowit managestofeelintuitivein almostanyenvironment

Onthemotorway,itreallyis beautifullyrefinedandcomfortable, andwhileyouoftendon’tneedit,the AlpinaspecificComfortPlusdamper settinggivessuchacushionedand fluentrideforsomethingwearing 20inwheels.

OnBroads,itmajorsinstability andaccuracyAlpinameddleswith thesuspensiongeometryofthe M440ixDrivedonorcartoexcellent effect,andtheresultingsteering responseiscrisperyetalsomore

resolute,withmoreebbandflow totheweightingAlongwithsupple butsecurebodycontrol,thisimparts confidence,whichisjustaswell, becausetheperformanceoftheB4is savageinanygearandatanyspeed It’snotuncouth,thoughThis revisedS58enginemaybealittle monotoneanduniforminitsdelivery, butit’salsosilkysmooth,with extremelygoodthrottleresponse forsomethingthat’sheavilyblown Reservations?Well,theB4is expensive,butitisn’toutrageously so,andyouwillneverseeanother oneI’mlessconvincedaboutthe hatchbacksilhouette,whichisa bitungainly,althoughthat’shardly Alpina’sfault.TheB3saloonismore classicallyproportioned.Lastly, knowthattheB4doesn’thavethe sameagilityorplayfulnessasthe M4.Itisnoslowerandis95%as precise,butit’smorealoofand,while stillseriouslywellbalanced,more stabilityfocusedandnoseledinits handlingIt’sthelessenchantingcar ontherightroadButonanannual basis,it’sprobablyalsothebetterone. Ratherthanmerelyfillinganiche, theB4isitsownentity,andan exceptionallyfineoneatthat RICHARDLANE

BENTLEYBENTAYGAEWB

Luxurylimousineshaveexistedfor aslongastherichhavewantedto arriveinstyle,butextendedSUVs haven’tWiththeBentaygaEWB, Bentleyisclaiminganewsegment, albeitwiththeprovisothattheRange RoverLWBhaslongdonethesame thingwithslightlylessposhbadging

Anextra180mmhasbeenputinto theBentayga’swheelbase,withallof thatgoingtoimproverearpassenger space.Youcanhavearegularthree manbench,twoindividualseatsor, for£8395,AirlineSeats,whichare intherunningtobethecomfiestand mostadjustableeverofferedinacar.

Beyondincreasedroom,thisSUV hasanothermission:filltheflagship rolevacatedbytheMulsannein2020

Onlyonepowerplantisofferedat launch:the542bhptwinturbo4.0 litreV8fromtheregularBentayga. AV6enginedpluginhybridsystem isexpectedtobeintroducedlater

Thespecificationispredictably generous,includinganactiveanti rollsystemandactiverearsteering, thelatterafirstforanyBentayga

Youwon’tbesurprisedtohearthat thedrivingexperienceisverysimilar tothatoftheregularV8Incharacter, it’stheexactoppositeofthesnarling BentaygaS,yetperformanceremains impressivelybrisk,the060mphtime extendedbyjust01sec,thankstothe extraweightbeingonlyabout100kg

TheEWBcanbehustledatserious velocitiesifthemoodtakesyou.Sport modeturnsuptheantirollsystem toallbuteliminatecorneringlean, anditfeelsimpressivelywieldyfor somethingsobigandtall

ButComfortmodeisfarmorein keepingwiththeEWB’spurpose,the fullysoftenedairspringsabsorbing roughasphaltwithoutcomplaint

Switchingtothebackseatgives achancetoexplorethatextended wheelbase.Thecabindoesfeelhuge, withmorelegroomthanintheRolls RoyceCullinanorRangeRoverLWB

TheAirlineSeatdoesn’tofferquite thelevelofadjustabilityyouwould getflyingatthesharpend,butthe backrest’smaximum40degangle iscertainlyreclinedAnundercalf

poweredrestrisesinunison,and inthemostlaidbackRelaxmode thefrontpassengerseatismotored forwardsandupright

TheAirlineSeatalsofeaturesan internalmultizoneclimatecontrol systemthatwillmonitorboththe temperatureandhumidityofany partofabodyrestingagainstit, heatingorcoolingasnecessary tomaintainachosentemperature. Ididn’tactuallynoticethisworking whichisundoubtedlythepointbut Icertainlyfeltfreshafteranhour ofbeingchauffeuredatfullrecline. There’salsoamultitudeofmassage andpostureimprovingfunctions

Thereareacoupleofissues, thoughThefirstisdictatedby physics:thehigherseatingposition ofanSUVmeanscorneringloads havemoreeffectonarecumbent passengerthanifpositionedlower, sochauffeurswillhavetotakeavery leisurelypaceonnonstraightroads toavoidcomplaintsfromtheback. Thesecondisthefactthattheextra roommakesthefoldouttableatthe

topofthefrontseatbackprettymuch uselessasanythingbaratabletrest Incontrast,theMercedesMaybach GLSgetsafoldoutairlinestyletable.

EvenafterI’veexperiencedits spaciouscharms,theEWBdoesn’t feellikeanobvioussuccessorto theMulsanneIt’sbettertodrive, beingquickerandmoredynamically secure,butitdoesn’thavequitethe samesenseofoccasion.

YettheEWBundoubtedlylooks betterthantheregularBentayga, andapartfromtheneedtopaya substantialsupplement(evenan optionlessEWBispredictedtocost apunchy£211,300),choosingthe stretchrequiresnosacrificesbeyond themoresubduedenginenote MIKEDUFF

V8,3996cc,twin

TESTED19922VANCOUVERCANADA

ONSALEOCTOBER

finsanityisdoingthe samethingoverandover againandexpecting differentresults,then thenewC5Xisnotgoodnewsfor Citroën’smanagementIthasbeen shownrepeatedlythatlargesaloons andestatesfromFrenchbrands andbyextensionanybrandthatisn’t aGermanpremiummanufacturer don’tsellallthatwell

Soatatimewhenbuyersare flockingtoSUVsandcrossovers,and evenFordandVauxhalldon’tseethe senseindevelopinganewgeneration oftheMondeoandInsignia, here’sCitroënlaunchinganew C5amodelwethoughthadbeen permanentlydiscontinuedin2016.

ThereismoretothenewC5Xthan theextraletter,thoughFirst,ifyou lookcloselyatitsdimensions,you willseethatcontrarytowhatthe namesuggests,it’snotadirectrival fortheSkodaSuperb,Volkswagen PassatandPeugeot508,orthenow discontinuedMondeoandInsignia ThenewCitroënisabitsmaller thanthose,butbiggerthanthe estateversionsoftheSkodaOctavia, VolkswagenGolfandPeugeot308, thuscarvingoutanicheforitself

It’salsosignificantthatthePSA Group,andnowStellantis,isaglobal companynotaversetooffering certainmodelsinEuropebecause theyareproducingthemforanother marketanyway.Europeansmay havegoneoffcarsliketheC5,butthe Chinesekeepbuyingthem,sothe riskinputtingitonsaleoverhereis limitedevenifitdoesn’tsellinhuge numbers.Itdoesalsomeanthatthis mostFrenchofcarsismadeinChina. Evenifithasn’talwayshitthe markwithitsrecentmodels,Citroën doesseemtohavefoundaclearer directionwithitsfocusonmildly quirkycarsthatabandonanynotion ofaggressivenessandsportiness,and insteadmajoronoutrightcomfortIf thatsuitsanytypeofcar,itshouldbe alargesaloonorestate

DESIGNANDENGINEERING

AAABC

SinceSUVshavelargelyreplaced estatesasthepracticalfamilywagon ofchoice,today’sestatesneedto bemorestylefocusedthanbefore tostayrelevantIt’sastrategythat Peugeotappliedtothe508and CitroëniscontinuingwiththeC5X Wesayit’sanestate,butCitroën itselfdoesn’twanttopigeonhole itscarinthatwayItsaystheC5X “combinesthemodernityandstatus ofanSUV,theeleganceandappeal ofasaloon,andtheversatilityand practicalityofanestate”.

AwayfromfloweryPRdescriptions, theC5Xisquiteclearlyanestate, butonewithaslopingrearwindow thatisnotunlikeanAudi100Avant, combinedwiththeraisedrideheight andplasticcladdingtypicallyseenon VolvoCrossCountrytypeestates TheC5Xactuallygoesastep furtherthanmostandhasan unpaintedblackplasticrearbumper. Thoseweredeeplyunfashionable

Rangeataglance

ENGINESPOWERFROM

Puretech130129bhp£27,790 Puretech180178bhp£31,820 225PluginHybrid222bhp£36,470

TRANSMISSIONS

8spdautomatic

Citroëniskeepingtherange relativelysimplewithjustthree powertrainoptionsandthreetrim levelsTherearetwopurepetrol engines,a12litrethreecylinder anda16litrefourTheplugin hybridusesthesamefourcylinder unitbutwithaddedelectric assistanceThebasetrimlevel, SensePlus,isfairlywellequipped, buttogetthe180engineyouneed toupgradetoShineorShinePlus

whentheywerestillcommon,butin theCitroënitisactuallyquiteuseful whenloadingheavyobjectsandgives youacertainpeaceofmind.

Mechanically,it’sallfamiliarPSA componentsTheC5Xridesonthe sameEMP2V3platformasother largecarsfromtheStellantisgroup includingthelatestPeugeot308, DS4andVauxhallAstra

Asaresult,thepowertrains areallunitswehaveseenbefore Citroënisn’tofferingthefullgamut ofavailableengines,though,andis insteadkeepingtherangerelatively simpleTheonlyrealsurprisesare thatyoucanbuythislargecarwith athreecylinderengineandthat dieselsarewhollyabsent.

Nevertheless,the1.2litrethree potislikelytobecomethebiggest seller,butasitrecentlyfeaturedin ourroadtestofthePeugeot308,we haveelectedtotestthe178bhpfour cylinderpetrol.LikeonallC5Xs, thestalwarteightspeedautomatic gearboxfromAisinistheonly transmissionoption

OneoftheareaswhereCitroën triestodifferentiateitselffromthe otherexPSAStellantisbrandsis withitssuspensionThesignature hydropneumaticsuspensionis,of course,longgone,butinitsplaceare ‘progressivehydrauliccushions’,or hydraulicbumpstops,thatallow theregularspringanddampertobe softerthannormalPluginhybrid C5Xsaddcamerabasedadaptively dampedsuspension.

INTERIOR AAAAC

GiventheC5X’sratherattractive entryprice,youmightexpecttosee somemajorcompromisesinthe

ThesehorizontallinesontheDpillar areanodtotheCitroënBXLikeon someversionsoftheBX,thereisa windowbehindthemArelativelyflat rearwindscreenmakestheC5Xquite sleek,butmeansthelackofarear wiperisespeciallyannoying

C5wassoldwithoutanXfrom2001-2016

Somemarketshave17inalloywheels asstandard,butintheUKjustonestyle isoffered:theseintricate19sThetyres arejust205mminwidthbutadequate forcarwithnosportyambitions.



Citroënlikestoemphasisethe SUVnessoftheC5Xandwhileitdoes havearaisedrideheight,itlooksvery muchlikeatallestatefromthefront, sinceitlacksthemassive,upright fronttypicalofanSUV

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Thereisplentyofroomunderthelong bonnetforthis1.6litrefourcylinder engine,sothe1.2litrethreepotiseven morecomfortableThebaymustbefull ofinsulationaswell,becausetheengine isalmostinaudibleinsideunlessyou’re goingfullthrottleathighrevs.

WHEELANDPEDAL ALIGNMENT

TheC5X’spedallocation ismostlyconventional,but itfeelsasthoughyou’re pressingthepedalsdown ratherthanforwardsThis isfineforthebrakes,butthe throttlehasasurprisingly longtravelandcanrequire somethoughttopressfully.

Δinterior,butthat’snotthecaseatall

TheC5Xdoesn’tfeellikealuxury carassuch,butalmosteverythingis solidlymade,andthedesignershave displayedsomeoriginalitywiththeir choiceofmaterials,whichbothlook andfeelappealingTheusualglossy blackplasticisn’tentirelyabsent, though,andisnotablearoundareas thatyouarelikelytotouch(andleave fingerprintson)

TheseatsaretypicallyCitroën, fromthedistinctivestitchingpattern tothelackofsidebolsteringandthe wayyousinkintothesoftcushioning ShineandShinePlusmodelsget leatherupholsteryasstandard, whileSensePluscarsgainanequally attractivetweedlikefabric.

Thewholeinteriorlayoutiswell

thoughtthroughThereisa120in centraltouchscreenanda70in digitalgaugecluster,butCitroënhas retainedphysicalcontrolsforthe climate,thevolumeandthedriving mode,andtherearenotouch sensitivesurfacesTherearebigbins underthecentrearmrestandinfront ofthegearselector,aswellasanextra slotthatisidealforyourphone

TheC5Xsitsbetweentwo segmentsinsize,andthat’smost noticeableintherearseats,whichare roomierthanthoseinboththeSkoda OctaviaandHyundaii30estatesThe materialsinthebackmirrorthose inthefrontandrearpassengersare providedwithacentralventilation outletandtwoUSBCports.

Theboot,however,issmallerthan

theOctavia’s,andthepracticality ishamperedslightlybythesloping roofline.Ontheplusside,itisa usefullysquareshape,therearseats canbefoldedflatusingleversin thebootarea,therearbumperis madefromscratchresistantblack plasticandthereisn’tmuchof aliptonegotiate.

PERFORMANCE

AAABC

MostC5Xsarelikelytobepowered bytheentrylevel130Puretech. Itmayseemoddtohavea12litre threecylinderinacarofthissize However,thatunithasproventofeel surprisinglypotentandquietinother models,andwhenwetesteditinthe C5Xonthelaunch,wefoundittobe

perfectlyadequateforacarwithno sportingaspirations

Ifthebudgetallows,itmay wellbeworthsteppinguptothe 180Puretechthatisthesubjectof thisroadtestWithanadditional cylinder,400ccofcapacityand 49bhp,themiddleengineoption lendstheC5Xapleasantbutnot overwhelmingturnofpace

Itsaysalotabouthowthecar markethaschangedthatthevast majorityoftheC5X’sestaterivals wehavetestedinrecentyearshave beendiesels,oftenwithmanuals ComparingtheC5Xwiththediesel Octavianeatlyillustrateswhat driverswhoswitchfromdieselwill experience.ThepetrolCitroënis fasterfromastandingstart,butthe

gaugeclusterandtheheadupdisplaywithvariouswidgets. Ittakesabitofacclimatisationtolearnwhatworksforyou,but onceyoudo,theinterfaceisverylogicalThescreenresponds quickly,andtherearephysicalbuttonstogotothehomescreen andtoaccessanumberofconfigurableshortcuts

adeptatchoosingtherightrouteandavoidingtraffic.Thesame reservationsabouttogglingautozoomfunctionalitythatwe haveobservedintestsofothercarswiththesamesetupapply

Δtorquierdieselpullsharderfrom lowrevsingearInpractice,it mostlymeanstheC5X’seightspeed gearboxwillbebusierkeepingthe engineontheboil.

TheC5Xisnottryingtobea sporty,dynamiccar,sothereis littlepointintryingtomakeitfast However,theslightlymorepowerful enginedoesmakeitmoreeffortless.

Theoutrightperformancehelps withthat,butjustasimportantis thatStellantis’sPuretechengines haveproventobeveryrefinedSotoo isthatthecaseintheC5X.Except underhardacceleration,the1.6isall butinaudible,andevenwhenpushed hard,itneversoundsstrainedIt’s probablyjustaswellCitroëndoesn’t offeramanualgearbox,because shiftingbyearwouldbehard.

Theeightspeedtorqueconverter automatichasnosuchproblems Ittendstochooseitsshiftpoints

carefullyandaquickprodofthe throttlegenerallypromptsaswift downshiftifnecessaryIt’sfarfroma perfectscoreforthegearbox,though Upshiftsathighrevstakesome time,butasthere’senoughmidrange grunt,that’srarelyanissueThereal frustrationisthatbelow25mph,the carcankangarooslightlyifyou’renot perfectlysmoothwiththethrottle, asifthereweresomewornrubber componentsinthedriveline.

TheC5X’sbrakingperformanceis onaparwithrivalsItstopssecurely, eventhoughthebodyheavesaloton itssoftsprings.

However,wewishthepedal wereeasiertomodulateAthigher speeds,pedalfeelisacceptable, iflight,butwhencrawlingalong intraffic,inconsistentpedal weightingandresponsiveness makethecarfrustratinglydifficult tobringtoasmoothstop

HANDLINGANDSTABILITY

AAACC

NowhereinitspresspackfortheC5X doesCitroënemphasisedynamic orsportyhandling.Instead,ittouts the‘wellbeingexperience’,the ‘advancedcomfortsuspension’and the‘advancedcomfortseats’The C5Xisintendedtoberelaxingrather thanengaging,andthatprobably suitsmostdriversjustfine.

Withthatinmind,theC5X’s handlingiscomposedenough At205mminsection,thetyresare surprisinglynarrowforacarofthis size225wouldbemoretypical. Nevertheless,theoutrightgripis perfectlyadequatefortheroad

Ifyoudodecidetopushthecarin thecorners,itrollsquitegenerously, andthelightsteeringoffersno feedbackwhatsoeverThatsaid, thebodymovesgraduallyand

predictably,andifyougiveitsome timetosettleratherthanbarrelling intocorners,it’snotunenjoyableto drivetheC5Xquickly

Despitebeingquitesoft,the suspensioncontrolsverticalbody motionssurprisinglywell,andthe C5Xnegotiatescrestsanddips withoutrunningoutoftravel

COMFORTANDISOLATION

AAAAC

GiventheC5X’spositioning, comfortiswhereitoughttoshine, andtoanextentitdoes.Yousinkinto thepillowyseats,whichhaveenough adjustabilityforanyonetofinda gooddrivingpositionTheengine firesupalmostinaudibly,andina passivelydampedpetrolmodellike ourtestcaratleast,theprimaryride feelsverysoftindeed.Itapproaches thefeelofanairsprungcarinthe wayitflattenslongwavebumps,

Liketheinfotainment,theassisted drivingsystemsintheC5Xareshared withothercarsfromthegroupand, asaresult,havesimilarbehaviours

Thelanekeepingassistancecan bealittleintrusiveoncountryroads butiseasytoturnoffandwehadno falseinterventionsorwarningsfrom thecollisionavoidancesystemShine andShinePluscarshaveblindspot detection,butthistakestheformof quiteasubtleandsmalllightinthe doormirror,whereasamoreobvious audiblesoundwouldbebetter

Theadaptivecruisecontrolis smoothandintuitive,butsome systemsarebetteratanticipating TheCitroëncanbealittlelatetoslow downforaqueueonthemotorway andtendstobrakeabittoosuddenly ifanothercarcutsin.Engagingthe lanefollowingcouldbeeasier,since thereisnodedicatedbuttontodoso, butonceactivated,itdoesfairlywell atpositioningitselfwithinthelane

AUTONOMOUSEMERGENCY

BRAKING

Doesthesystemseemmorethan averagelypronetofalseactivation?

Canitbedeactivated?

Doesithavepedestrian/cyclist detection?

LANEKEEPINGASSISTANCE

Isthesystemtunedtokeepthedriver engagedatalltimes?

Isitadjustableforsensitivity?

Doesitallowyoutodrivearound apothole/obstaclewithinyourlane easilyandwithoutdeactivation?

INTELLIGENTCRUISE CONTROL

Canthesystemconsistently recogniseandautomaticallyadopt motorwaygantrysignedvariable speedlimits?

Doesitpreventundertaking?

Doesithaveeffectiveaudibleor visualalerts,orsteeringintervention, topreventchanginglanesintothe pathofanovertakingcar?

withoutgettingunpleasantlyfloaty.

Unfortunately,itcan’tquitefinish thejobWhenthewheelsthump throughpotholesoroverexpansion joints,youcanfeelthatthereis enoughtyresidewalltoavoidthe impactsbeingoverlyharsh,butthe dampingisn’tfullyuptocontrolling thewheel’smotionandasaresult theC5Xneverfeelsasperfectly isolatingaspromised.

Atthispricepointthereisn’ttoo muchtocomplainaboutwiththe seatsAnextendablethighbolster wouldhavemadethemevenbetter, butthecushionisrelativelylong anyway.Evenso,forallofCitroën’s talkabout‘advancedcomfortseats’ withmemoryfoam,it’sworthnoting thattheseatsinsomeMercedesand BMWsarestillbetterforavoiding fatigueonlongjourneys.

Oneareawherethereisroom forsomeimprovementisthenoise

isolation.BynomeansdoestheC5X disgraceitselfthenoisereadingswe tookwereonaparwithrivalsItjust seemslikeroadnoisecanresonate throughtheinterioratouchtoomuch.

Allthecomplaintsinthissegment arerelativelyminorTheyareworth highlightingbecauseofthefocus oncomfortinCitroën’smessaging andthecompromisestothecar’s handling,whichmeanthesecondary rideshouldreallybebetterthanitis. Foranyoneafteracarinthisclass thatcossetsratherthanexcites, theC5Xisstillanobviouschoice.

BUYINGANDOWNING AAAAB

Whicheversimilarlysizedand similarlyequippedcaryoucompare theC5Xwith,theCitroënwillbe cheaper.Withasimilarpowertrain, it’sconsiderablymoreaffordableand betterequippedasstandardthan

theSkodaSuperborVolkswagen PassatComparedwithestatesa segmentbelowthose,liketheSkoda OctaviaorVauxhallAstra,theC5X issimilarlypriced,butusually muchbetterequipped.

CsegmentSUVs,liketheNissan Qashqai,KiaSportageandFordKuga, arenotasroomyinsideastheCitroën andwhilethemostbasicversionsof someofthoseundercuttheC5X,most haveamanualgearboxasstandard andlessequipmentingeneral

Allofthatistrueforeachofthe threepowertrainoptions.The pluginhybridhasslightlylessofa priceadvantageoveritsrivalsthan otherversionsoftheC5X,butit isstillcheaperOnlytheSportage PHEV,withitslongelectricrange andlowerresultingcompanycartax rate,offersacompellingfinancial argumentagainsttheCitroën

The180Puretechversionislikely

tobetheleastpopularoftheC5X rangebecauseithasneitherthe lowentrypriceandlowonpaper fuelconsumptionofthe130model, northelowcompanycartaxofthe hybrid.However,ithasalready impressedwithitsperformance andsmoothness,andcontinuesto shineintermsoftherunningcosts, returning43mpgoverthecourseof aweekthatincludedperformance testing.The1.2mightbeallyouneed, butthe16isaworthyupgradethat won’tpunishyouatthepump Unfortunately,Citroën’sfinance ratesaren’tquiteasattractiveas thoseofsomeothermanufacturers andthefirmdoesn’tcurrentlyoffera depositcontribution,sotheC5Xisn’t asgoodvalueonaPCPdealAnother slightnegativeisthatCitroënoffers onlyathreeyear,60,000mile warranty,whileKia,forinstance, providescoverforsevenyears

Ontheroadprice

TYPICALPCPQUOTE

3years/30,000miles,15%deposit

TheC5Xdoesn’thavethestrongestresidual valuesandCitroënisn’tofferinganydeposit contribution,whichbumpsupthefinancerate TheAPRis7.9%,theballoonpayment£15,479 andtheexcessmileagecharge11pencepermile

EQUIPMENTCHECKLIST

19inalloywheels

LEDheadlights 120ininfotainmentscreenwith smartphonemirroringandsatnav 70indigitalgaugeclusterplusHUD

Wirelessphonecharger;fourUSBports

Keylessentryandstart

Electrictailgate

Heated,blackleathermemoryseats

Heatedsteeringwheel

Dualzoneclimatecontrol

Adaptivecruisecontrol

Activelanefollowing

360degcamera

Pearlwhitepaint£850

Greyandblackleatherseatswith ventilationandmassagefunctions£800

Spacesaversparewheel£159

Blackroof£350 Roofbars£200

Openingpanoramicroof£1300

Upgradedhifi£500

Optionsinboldfittedtotestcar =Standardna=notavailable

CHASSIS&BODY

ConstructionSteelmonocoque

Weight/astested1491kg/1502kg

Dragcoefficient030

Wheels70Jx19in

Tyres205/55R1997V, GoodyearEfficient GripPerformance

None(spacesaver

ENGINE

Installation

Front,transverse, frontwheeldrive

Type4cylsinline,1598cc, turbocharged,petrol

MadeofAluminiumblockandhead

Bore/stroke770mm/855mm

Compressionratio102:1

Valvegear4percyl

Power178bhpat55006000rpm

Torque184lbftat17504500rpm

Redline6500rpm Powertoweight119bhppertonne

Torquetoweight123lbftpertonne Specificoutput1112bhpperlitre

TRANSMISSION

BRAKES

Front330mmventilateddiscs

Rear290mmsoliddiscs

Anti-lockStandard HandbraketypeAutomatic HandbrakelocationCentreconsole

Track200mpg

Touring478mpg

Average432mpg

Low332mpg Mid428mpg High504mpg Extrahigh435mpg Combined43.5mpg

Tanksize53litres Testrange504miles

148g/km

£195/£390

SAFETY

ABS,ESC,AEB(pedestrianandcyclistdetection onShineandShinePlus),lanekeepassist, driverattentionwarning,twofrontairbags, sideairbags,curtainairbags EuroNCAPcrashratingNottested

RPMin8that70/80mph=2067/2362

itroënhaslookedattheshrinkingmarketforestatesanddecidedthat thereisstillroomforsomethingthatdialsupthestyleanddialsdownthe aggressiveness.TheC5Xisanoriginal,moderntakeontheestatewithplenty ofnodstotheFrenchmanufacturer’sheritagewithoutbeingretro. Thereisalottolike,notleastthevaluetheC5Xoffers.Anddespiteundercuttingmost ofitsrivals,ithasanupmarketinterior,aslickinfotainmentsystemandaselectionof efficientandrefinedpowertrains.Itssoftridemakesitespeciallydistinctiveinthemarket. GiventheC5X’slaserfocusoncomfort,andhowitsacrificesallhandlingdynamismat thealtarofridecomfort,wecan’thelpbeingslightlydisappointeditdoesn’tdoevenbetter inthisarea.Whethertheculpritisthemoderntasteforbigwheelsorsuspensionthatis ultimatelybuilttoaprice,therideisnotquitetherevelationitprobablyshouldbe.And whiletheinteriorisn’texcessivelynoisyatspeed,thereissomeresonancethatstopsitfrom beingtrulyserene.Noneofthat,however,stopstheC5Xbeingalikeable,competentand uniqueoptionthatoffersalotmoreforthemoneythanequivalentSUVs.

ROAD

AAAAC

148g/km,43.5mpg

Testers’ notes

ILLYA VERPRAET The infotainment letsyousetupdifferent profilesthatsavethe homescreenlayoutand thecar’ssettings,but whenyoucreateoneit defaultstoFrench,and youhavetogothrough severalmenustochange thelanguage

MATT SAUNDERS Theexistenceof theC5Xmakes mequestionthe pointoftheDS9.They haveasimilarvibeabout them,partlybecauseof thesharedmechanicals, buttheCitroënisvery nearlyasniceinside andismoreuserfriendly andcheaper

TOYOTACOROLLATOURING

AAAAC £34,260 193bhp,na 81sec,111mph 127g/km,50.4mpg

The130engineis adequate,the180nice tohaveTheplugin hybridcomeswith usefulcompanycartax benefitsbutwon’tfeel thatmuchfasterthan the180Alltrimlevels arewellequipped,but Shinestrikesagood middleground

Specadvice Jobsfor thefacelift

Finessethe secondaryridetotruly makegoodonthe promiseofcomfort.

Sortoutthebrake pedalfeel

Replacetheshinyblack plasticintheinteriorwith amaterialthatpicksup fewerfingerprints

AAABC £35,770 177bhp,266lbft 77sec,140mph 25g/km,256.9mpg

arietyisn’tsomething thatthemarketfor electriccarsoffered muchofinitsinfancy, butasithasblossomed andgrown,soithasgraduallydiversified WhenNissanpreparedtolaunchits trendsettingLeafontotheUKmarketin 2011,wouldwehaveimaginedthatwithin littlemorethanadecadetherewouldbe zeroemissionshypercarsandpickup trucks,limousinesandquadricycles,off roadersandluxurySUVs,electromodded classicsandeverydayusefamilyoptions ofsomanydifferentshapesandsizes?

It’sespousedinsomeplaces, meanwhile,thattheonekindofcar thatcan’tbefullyandconvincingly electrifiedisthesportscar.Thedriver’s car,performancecar,enthusiast’schoice: callitwhateveryoulikeWe’vechallenged thatlineofthinkingsomanytimeson thesepagesaswe’vedrivenandtested somanynewelectricmodels,andover

AHELEVENTHOUTof11Anda FordMustangatthat,oneofthemost evocativenamesinthefuncarworld.

AlapintheMustangMachEGT startsoffinnocentlyenough.There’s anencouragingbackgroundhumto accompanythestrongacceleration, butitonlytakesahalfturnforthe modeltorevealitspartypiece.

Fordsarefamousfortheir‘tuck’ asyouturnintoacornerandliftoff thethrottleThefrontendhooksup nicelyandthebackenddulyswings around,thecarfeelinglikeit’s pivotingarounditsmiddle.

Well,IthinkFordhastriedtomake theMachEdothesamething,only withahintofpoweronoversteer thrownintoo.Whichisallverynice intheory,youwouldthink.Abunch ofpowergetsthrowntotheoutside rearwheeleasilydoneinanEV

andthecaroversteersButsomehow itfeelswildlyunnaturaldoingitIt’s soalarmingthefirsttimeithappens thatitseemslikeafrontwheelis pitchedintotheairandareartyre hasbeenletdownYoucanimagine thecorneringstancelookslikeoneof those1970sracingCapris,pitching aroundwithwheelsofftheground.

Ifyoustayonthethrottleatthat pointandwindoffsomelockonthe springysteering,itwillremaininthe pose.Butit’snotanaturalbalance, whiletheturninresponseisvery abruptandtheinitialrollratesharp.

TheMachE,likemostlongrange EVs,isaheavycar,anditfeelslike Fordhasturnedupthehyperactivity tocompensateforit:“No,itwillnever handleliketheFiestaST…butwatch THIS!”Aspartytricksgo,it’sapretty wildonebutnotanaturaloneMP

FORDMUSTANGMACHEGT

ItseemsFordhastriedbutfailedto givethisthedrivingcharacteristics ofitsothersportscars

RatingAABCC

Price£74,540

EngineTwopermanentmagnet synchronousmotors

Power480bhp

Torque634lbft

Gearbox1spdreductiongear,4WD

Kerbweight2198kg

0-62mph44sec

Topspeed124mph

Battery99/88kWh (total/usable,est)

Range310miles

Economy31mpkWh

Miniwasfound wantingontrack, evendynamically

FORDMUSTANG

MACH-EGT

JAMESDISDALE Withthaticonic nameandFord’sback catalogueofdynamic hits,myexpectations werefairlyhighYet itonlytookafew cornerstorealise thatthisisapony carbutnotinagood wayInconsistent controlweightsand systemsthatfeltlike theywerefightingfor supremacyoverthe driverandeachother resultedinscrappy anddiscombobulated progressFastbut notthatmuchfun

INPLANNINGFORthistest, yourstrulyhadtheMiniElectric markedoutforapodiumspot Veryfewsmall,affordableEVs havecomealongandserved enthusiasttastesquiteasdirectly asthiscardidwhenMinilaunched itin2019,afterallSincewestarted lookingexpresslyforcarstodeliver funandvalueformoney,Iwasall themoresurethislittlehatchback mightbeagiantkiller

Minicouldhavechosenmore obviousandpracticalpriorities whenitdesignedanddeveloped thiscar,buttheonesitactually pickedshowyouhowseriousit wasaboutfuntodriveappeal A32.6kWhdrivebatteryisfairly

small,afterall,butthereforealso prettylightAthreedoorbody shellsomewhatlimitsusability, butitalsolendsthiscarinstant authenticityasaproperMini.

Sowhatwentwrong?Ontheday, theelectricpowertrainfloundered withthedemandsoftrackuse, whileitschassiscameupabitshort onthelateralgripandswivelling agilityyouexpectofamodernMini

Theformerproblemwasoneall testersremarkedonAftertwofast lapsofCroft,themotorwouldbegin limitingitspoweraftershortbursts ofacceleration,takingauthority awayfromtheacceleratorpedaljust whenyouwerebeginningtoenjoy yourselfbutatleasttellingyouit

wasdoingsobydiallingdownits indicatedavailableperformance inthedigitalinstrumentdisplay

Thebodycontrolwasgood anditschassisresponseinitially typicallykeenbutMini’schoice ofefficiencymindedtyrefailedto delivermuchterrierishbitetothe steering,sothecarwouldtoooften washwideincornerswhereyou wantedittodartandswivel

Onthedayandonthetrack,only theMini’spowertrainwouldreally struggletomeetthedemandsour keeninvestigativedrivingplaced onit,andIdaresaythejudges feltobligedtopenaliseitonthat basisAgreatshamebutaneven greaterdisappointment.MS

RatingAAACC

Price£30,945

EngineHybridsynchronous motor

Power181bhp

Torque199lbft

Gearbox1spdreductiongear, FWD

Kerbweight1365kg

0-62mph73sec

Topspeed93mph

Battery32.6/28.9kWh (total/usable)

Range143191miles

Economy40mpkWh

MINI

EVERSINCETHEVolkswagen Groupstartedexperimenting withsharedmodularplatforms, ithasoccasionallystruggledtogive differentcarsdifferentidentities,and thatcertainlyhasn’timprovedsince thearrivaloftheMEBEVplatform

Intheelectricera,it’sthegroup’s titularbrandthat’sgettingtheraw deal.Intryingtobetheideal middlegroundasitalwayshas been,VWendsupputtingout carsthatareabitblandPerhaps it’storemedythisthatVWisthe firsttohavecomeoutwithan overtperformancederivative oftheMEBplatform

Unfortunately,ithasn’treally workedInthistest,theID4 GTX’sbiggestproblemisthe CupraBorn.Youcaneasilytell thetwoarerelatedbythegear

selectorbehindthesteeringwheel, thesharedwindowswitches,the tinygaugeclusterandtheclunky infotainmentsystem,butalso fromthewaytheydrive.Despite thesimilarities,they’vefinished atdifferentendsoftheleaderboard

That’sbecausetheID4feelslikea BornthathasletitselfgoabitIthas

thesamesubtlereardrivebalance, buteverythingfeelsheavierand lazierThesteeringismeatierbutalso abitwoollyAndthestabilitycontrol isjustashumourlessasintheCupra.

It’snotthattheID4doesanything wilfullybadlyIt’sjustdullAddin theheavyhandedcostcuttingthat afflictsanyID4despitethehigh iceanditsfatenearthe ttomofourlistissealed. TheID4GTXisaninteresting sestudyforthefutureof rformancelabelsWhen ere’snoangryengineorrorty haustandrawspeediseasy comeby,howdoyoumarka routasspecial?Theansweris

THEREAREAfewsplitopinions overthenewelectricFiat500.Most testersarefansbutotherscan’tquite seewhatthefussisabout.

I’vegotafairbitoftimeforitI thinkitgetsalotrightasacitycar: it’ssmall,agileandbiggerthanthe continuingICEversionbutretains asimilarinfectiouscharmandsense offunPlusit’seasiertogetcomfyin

Ahandlingcourselikethismaynot beitsnaturalhabitat,butwhatmakes itfunasanurbancaralsoshines throughhere.It’sveryreactive andresponsivetosmallsteering inputs,butnotinahyperactiveor unsettlingwayIt’sjustenthusiastic There’sonlyalittleroll(aswith mostofthesecars,whilethere’sa lotofweight,it’scentredlow)and itfeelswillingandgameevena littleadjustableonthethrottletoo Brakefeelthethingthat

separatessomanyofthesecars fromICEalternativesastheybattle toblendregenerativebrakingvia themotorwithfeelfromthediscs whentheycutinisgoodPerhaps yougetthroughthemodestmotor generator’scapabilitiessoonerthan inthemorepowerfulstuff.There’s onlya117bhp,162lbftunitforthe frontwheelsanyway

Butthatfeedbackcontributes toafeelingallaroundthatthisisa confidenceinspiring,reactivecar that’swillingandgame,andone whosepoweryoucanleanonhard outofcorners,willingitalongwhere othersjustwhooshtothenextbend.

Icouldspendquitealotoftimein thiscaralreadyAndtothinkthisis aFiatwithnodynamicpretensions Apparentlythere’sanAbarthversion due,whichcouldbethepocketsized funEVwe’vebeenwaitingfor.MP

IFWEHADbeenlookingforthe ‘bestappliancecar’,theModel3 wouldhavedonealotbetter.Ithas alotofundeniablequalities.Tesla’s Superchargernetworkrunsfillingup withpetrolverycloseforconvenience, ithasalongrange,thankstostrong efficiency,theseatsarecomfortable andtherideandnoiseisolation makesitafussfreewaytotravel.

Isitfun,though?Notparticularly Youmightconsiderarcadegamesin thecentrescreenandanintegrated whoopeecushionfun,andthat’s fairenough,butwe’relookingfor adifferentkindoffunhere

ItwastellingthattheTeslaspent

alotoftimeinthepitlaneWithin onelap,itputsallitscardsonthe table.Ultraquickbutmutesteering makesithardtodrivesmoothly. Therestrictivetractioncontroland systemsthatshutthingsdownifyou doanythingasadventurousasgo overakerborleftfootbrakemean there’sverylittletodiscoverand keepthekeendriverinterested.

ThisModel3isrearwheeldrive andturnsinkeenly,sotheremight wellbeadecentdriver’scarinthere, butTeslaseemsdeterminedtogo intheotherdirectionandtake thedriveroutoftheequation asmuchaspossibleIV

5THAUDIRSE-TRONGT

THISSHOULDBEserious,because itisn’tjustanAudiEtronGT,it’sthe RSAudiEtronGT,whichmeans thatwhileit’sabigcarwithabig battery,it’salsoanRSmodelwith shedloadsofpower(235bhpatthe frontand449bhpattherear)

SoatthesamepointonCroftwhere aFiat500israttlingalongat80mph, theRS’sspeedoisreading120mph. Seriousurge.Althoughaswith allofourhandlingtests,what interestsusisn’toutrightpace butsteering,handlingand brakingresponses.Good newshere,too:theEtronGT sharesthingswiththePorsche Taycan,andyoucanfeelit

Ithasverysmoothsteering lighterthantheTaycan’sandstays pleasinglyflatduringchangesof directionIttakessomestopping, butonceyou’rethroughsomeinitial gloopinthebrakepedal,itfirms upnicelyandspeedeasilywipes awayfromwhatturnsouttobean exceptionallycapablecarIthangs ongamelyandhassomuchurgeand

lateralgripthatonecomplexwhich wouldbetwodistinctcornersin slowercarsbecomesasinglefast flowingandrewardingcombination No,thesteeringdoesn’tofferloads offeedbacktothedriver,yetthisfeels likeaproperRSAudi,atruesuper saloonAudi’sRSmodelsareoften notthelastwordinfeel,butthis onehastherestnailed.It’sbrutally st,seriouslycapableandone thosecarsthatprovesthe perienceneednotbeallabout enoiseandengineThere’s rifichighspeedrefinement andtheplushnessyouwould expectfromabigcar,too ColourusimpressedMP

AUDIRSE-TRONGT

NotquiteasinvolvingastheTaycan

RatingAAAAC

£114,285

Power590bhp

612lbft

1spdreductiongear (front),2spd(rear),4WD

Kerbweight2347kg 062mph33sec

Topspeed155mph

Battery934/837kWh (total/usable)

Range283miles Economy2.9mpkWh

CUPRABORN MATTPRIOR

I’dpreviouslydrivena Bornonlyontheroad, whereyougetareal sensethatthere’s adecentbalance underneaththiscar That’sunleashedby theopportunityto driveitclosertoits limitsonahandling trackTheweightis obviouslyverylowand thedriveobviously fromtherear,sothe steeringisentirely untroubledbythe heftykindoftorque thatanEVdelivers.

YOUDON’TEXPECTmany recognisableperformancecar charactertraitsamongapitlane fullofEVs,butafewweretherefor thefinding.TheCupraBorn,for example,setaboutthechanging radiuscorners,dippingcambers andswollenkerbsofCroftCircuit uncannilylikeafairlyoldschoolhot hatchback.Ifyouthinkaboutiteven alittlebit,thatdoesn’tmakemuch senseatall,butontheday,itwasas plainasthepaintonthekerbstones

TheBorngentlyrolleditsway aroundthetrack’sfasterbendsbut gaveitsdriverplentyofconfidence andfoundplentyofgripinthe processIttookoffawayfromthe chicanesanddownthestraights withanurgencythataclassichot hatchmightwellhavehad.

Itcouldbeturnedintotight directionchangeswithitsmass gatheredaboutitsnose,pivoting keenlyandpointinggamelyleft andright.Evenso,however,and

reardrivenornot,theBorndidn’t quitehaveapowerlevelgenerous enough,norastabilitycontrol systempermissiveenough,to allowittorotateundermidcorner throttleapplicationsAndyetitmost definitelyentertainedusIftherewas onecollectiveregretinthepitlane asthescorescamein,itwasthatwe hadn’tbeenquitegenerousenough forittotakeaplaceinourfinalthree

TheBornnodoubthasthesoulof adriver’scarIthaskeenergriplevels thanmostEVs,alltheperformance youreallyneedandachassisthat certainlywantstomovearoundand expressitselfmuchmorethanthe governingelectronicsareultimately preparedtoallow.Itwaswithinitself beingdrivenhard,absorbinginspite oftheunpunctuatedsmoothnessof itselectricpowerdeliveryandlively whereothercarsweremoreinert Ifwehada‘mostfunforthe money’award,theBornmighthave wonitMaybenextyearwewillMS

THEFINAL THREE THEFINAL THREE

OKAY,LET’SHAVEsomefun. Let’stakeabreakfromallthe worriesandfurrowedbrowsthat usuallysurroundEVsandsimply enjoythedrivingRightnow,there’s plentyofbaggageattachedtoEVs, whichisn’tsurprising,giventhat oneofthewordsmostoftenused whendiscussingthesemachines is‘anxiety’(oftherangevariety) Thentherearetheconcernsabout theefficacyofthechargingnetwork orthelifespanofthecars’lithium ionheartsWorry,worry,worry Andofcourseforpeoplelikeus, therapidriseoftheEVisalsoframed againstabackdropoftheslowbut fairlyinevitabledeclineofourbeloved internalcombustionengineand,just aslikely,themultiratiogearboxes they’reattachedto.Yes,thesefossil fuelfeddevicesarenothingmore thanacollectionofthousandsof

bitsofmetalandplastics,butput together,they’resomuchmore. Tellmeyoursoulisn’tstirredby ahighrevvingHondaVTECor aLamborghini’svocalV12and Iwillcheckyouforapulse.

Makenomistake,theinternal combustionenginecontributes greatlytothegrinfactor,butas we’reabouttodiscover,it’snot necessarilythebeallandendall. Yes,it’slovelytobepropelledalong byareciprocatingpistonengine,but iftheotherdynamicingredientsare right,youwillbesurprisedbyhow soonyoustopmissingitsomething that’sgloriouslyhighlightedbyour triumphanttopthreehere Infact,what’sarguablymost pleasantlysurprisingaboutour leadingtrioisthatthey’reallquite differentinthewaythattheydole outdriverdelightsThoseofus

whowereconcernedtheadoption ofelectrificationwouldleadtoa onesizefitsallapproachwillbe heartenedtolearnthatthePorsche TaycanGTS,KiaEV6GTandBMW i4eDrive40eachhasitsowndistinct characteristicsandqualitiesThey aren’tperfect(wewillgettothat), butasstatementsofintent,there areplentyofreasonstobecheerful.

Ofcourse,onethingthat’scited mostoftenindefenceoftheexciting EVistheprodigiousperformance potentialfromtheirtorquerich,fast spinningmotorsandinthisregard, noneofourtriodisappointsEventhe

tamestofthem,theBMW,packs

in5.7secItfeelsthisquick too,withaninstantandeasily modulatedpacethatcontinues tobuildrapidly,evenbeyond thenationalspeedlimit,where lessermachinesoftenlosetheir momentum.Inreality,youwillrarely needtomovemorequicklythanthis.

Evenso,theTaycanisfaster still,its590bhpdualmotorsetup propellingitwithrealintentoutof slowercornersandits4WDtraction meaningnotasinglewattiswasted.

Moreover,itcombinesthis slingshotpacewithasyntheticsound effectthatiscuriouslyappealing Itsblendofdigitisedinternal combustiongrowlandfuturistichum risesinpitchandchangesintoneas youaccelerateharder,helpingtoadd

Taycanisrewardinghoweverit’sconfigured

aspeedsensationthattheusually nearsilentelectricmotorstripsaway. It’scertainlyeasierontheearthan theBMW’ssubStarTrek‘Iconic’ soundsignature

Thenthere’sthefactthatthe Taycanhasatwospeedgearbox, whichresultsinasubtlekick throughthedrivelineasitslips fromfaststartingfirstintoits longerstridingsecond.It’sa smallthing,andonethatthedriver hasnocontrolover,butitmakesa difference,helpingtofostermoreofa connectionbetweenyouandthecar Eitherway,neitherthei4northe Taycancanmatchtheknockout punchoftheKiaWhenitcomes tomaximumbang(orshouldthat bebuzz?)foryourbuck,theKorean EVtakesquitesomebeating.Ata smidgenunder£62,000,it’snearly halfthepriceoftheAudiRSEtron

KIAEV6GT

ILLYAVERPRAET

Iwastheonlyoneto puttheEV6ahead oftheTaycan,and whilethePorsche isinmanywaysthe moretraditional, transparentdriver’s machine,Ilovedhow keentoentertainthe KiaisThesteeringis moretalkative,and thebalancemore readilyadjustableand thebrakepedalmore consistentAndallfor alotlessmoney.

EV6GTishotallright, especiallywhenflying in577bhpGTmode

GT,yetthere’slittlemorethan thewidthofahighvoltagecable betweenthemwhenitcomesto eyewideningacceleration

Infact,turntheEV6alltheway upto11byengagingitsGTdriving mode(unleashingthefull577bhp) andthethrottleisonsuchhighalert thattheKiabecomessomethingof alivewire.SosensitiveistheEV6 toyourrightfootthatyouhaveyour workcutoutwhengettingawriggle on,totheextentthatyouwillquickly forgetaboutgearchangingand spinetinglingsoundtracks.

Thesteeringisfast,ifalittletoo weighty(thelighterNormalmode ismoresatisfying),butdespiteits subtlyraised,SUVlikestance,the Kiaslicesquicklyandcleanlyinto corners,whilethatrazorsharp throttleusesthemuscleoftherear motortorotatethecarquicklyatthe apexTooquicklyalmost(comically soinDriftmode),meaningthatwith theelectronicsafetynetsentpacking, youhavetothinkhardaboutwhen andwhereyoudeploythefearsome firepowerandbereadytogatherup somebigslideswitharmfulsoflock.

Atthelimit,theKia’smass andheighteventuallystartto tellWhencombinedwiththehair triggerpowerdelivery,itcanmake forslightlyscrappyprogress,the EV6lurchinghereandsquirming there,requiringquickcorrectionsto tameitswaywardnessAndaswith theotherdualmotormodelshere, includingtheTaycan,there’ssome inconsistencyinthewaythepower isdelivered,mostnoticeablyontrack whenyou’regettingabitflamboyant

SometimestheEV6willadopt alovelyattitudeonexit,slidingjust whereyouwantit,whileonother occasionsthefrontaxlethrowsin someextratorqueasitattempts tostraightenthecarsoonerAway fromthecircuit,it’srarelyanissue (althoughtheknobblylowspeedride is),butyou’releftwiththesensethat it’sthecomputersthatareincharge andnotyouEvenso,there’sno denyingtherabblerousing,rough aroundtheedgesKiahasplentyof character,andthefactitdemandsso muchattentionwhenyou’rehustling hardisahugepartofitsappeal

Therearenosuchwhiteknuckle◊

BMWandKiaEVsare bothintoxicatingbut inverydifferentways

ΔmomentswiththeBMW,which withitssimplersinglemotorand lower,salooncarcentreofgravity isamuchmoresalubrioussteer Infact,theonewordusedbyallthe testerswhenexitingtheBMWwas ‘natural’,because,well,that’sexactly howitfeelsThesteeringisasmeaty, quickanduncorruptedasthefirm’s ICEofferings,whilethehandling isbalancedandgrippy,givingyou confidencetopushon

Yetthere’salsoaplayfulsidetothe i4,whichwhenprovokeddelivers thesortofbenignandconsistent throttleadjustabilitythatevadesits fasterandmorepowerfulsparring partnersTherereallyisgenuine driversatisfactiontobehadhere, particularlyontheroad,wherethe eDrive40’sblendofprecision,pace andreasonablyplushridemakesit amoreengagingpartnerthanthe morepowerfulandpricierM50

Yetimpressivethoughboththe BMWandKiaundoubtedlyare, eachhastoplaysecondfiddletothe TaycanGTS,which,whenitcomes totheartoftheelectricperformance

car,isasgoodasitgetsrightnow.

Howgood?Well,ifyoureyeswere coveredandyourearsplugged,you wouldbeabletotellinstantlythat thiswasasonofZuffenhausen.From thegloriouslyslicksteeringthat’s weightedjustsotothefinelyhoned dampingthatservesupanalmost alchemicbalancebetweencastiron controlandasybariticsuppleness, themessagesfilteringthrough fingertipsandtheseatofyour pantsscreams‘Porsche’

Atthetrack,itwasfastand precise,turningintocornerswith onlythesubtlestwhiffofundersteer (itsfourwheelsteeringnodoubt helpinghere),rotatingquickly,but itgaveitsdriverplentyofconfidence andfoundenoughgripintheprocess, preciselycarvingthroughthebend beforefiringdownthenextstraight.

Itgivesyouoptionstoo,withan abilitytousethesteeringandthrottle tohelpsubtlyadjustyourline.Break freeofthecircuitandit’sclearlyabig car,butitsaccuracyandagilitymean itrarelyfeelsit,allowingyoutofully exploititshighlypolisheddynamics

atthesweetspotof price,desirabilityand usableperformance. TheeDrive40hasall thepoweryoucan

dynamicpurityof

quiteassweetlyand

Itwasalsothecarthatcontrolled anddisguiseditsnotinconsiderable massthemosteffectively,andonly whenaskingforthemostrapidof directionchangesorwhengrip finallyturnedtoslipwereweaware ofitsporcinekerbweight,whichat 2295kgis170kgmorethanthei4

Fullmarks,then,andadeserved winner?Well,yesandnoBecause wrappedupintheTaycan’sexcellence isadynamicflawthatafflictedall 11ofourcontendersOnethat,asit stands,arguablyunderminesthe funEVcausemorethanalackof anengineandthat’sthebrakes.

Almostallthecarsherefeelfinein normaluse,butgoharderandineach onethetransitionbetweentheregen andfrictionbitsstillleavesalottobe desired,withsomesuddenlybinding ontightlyandothersfeelingmushy andconfidencesappingIt’sanissue

moststarklyexposedontrack, wheretheinconsistencymakes ithardtopickabrakingpoint aswellasstopsmoothly

Then,ofcourse,there’sthe cost.Batterytechdoesn’tcome cheap,andthecheapestofour topthreeisjustunder£55,000 ThePorschetipsintosixfigures, whichisabigchunkofchange

However,beforewecomedown tooheavilyonourentertainingEVs, it’sworthrememberingthatwe’re stillonthenurseryslopeswhenit comestothedevelopmentofthese machines.Engineersarequick learners,andeveninthefewshort yearsthatelectriccarshavebecome commonplace,theimprovements indrivingdynamicshavebeenfast pacedandpalpable.Asforthecosts, theywillcomedown,andasthe Cuprashows,theengagingelectric

carcouldsoonhaveitsgiantkilling VolkswagenGolfGTImoment. Yes,westilllovethecombustion engine,butourcontestantshave provedthere’snothingtofearin theswitchfromhighoctaneto highvoltageexcitement.Thistime nextyear,wefullyexpecttoseean evenmorediverse,talentedandno doubtlesscostlygroupofcontenders Untilthen,theTaycancantakea bowasourthoroughlydeserving, inauguralfunEVchampJDL

“lessandlesscomfortablewithnot doingsomethingimportant”.

Lyons,whoisnowViritech’sCEO, heagreedthat“hydrogenlooksquite good,butpeoplearegoingabout itinentirelythewrongway”.The pairdecidedtostartacompanyto investigatethetruepracticalities ofbuildinghydrogenvehiclesThey launchedinNovember2020and byMarchlastyearhadfoundand movedintopremisesatMIRA’s TechnologyPark,nearNuneaton,

Δusingtherightengineeringfor therightapplication.”

Intheearlydays,Faulksspenta fewmonthsathomeinvestigatingthe technologychallengestoahydrogen project:“Ilookedateverythingand itbecameclearthatthekeyswould bestorageandpowerelectronics. Ourindustryisgreatatmotorsand invertersbecauseofalltheworkon BEVs.Andthere’sagoodchoiceof batteries,withalotofknowhow fromF1.Therearegoodfuelcell options,too;that’snotnewscience Soweweregoingtobetechnology enablersforhydrogenvehicles.

“Wedidexperimentsonewith arepurposedCaymantodiscover howcellsizeandbatterysizeaffect oneanotherWeneededtoknow whatcombinationgavetheright batterylifeandtherightfuelcell responsetime.Abigquestionwas: howdoeswhatIneedforan800kW hypercarfitconceptuallywitha 44tonneHGVgoingupahill?”

Faulkssaysitbecameobvious, quitequickly,thattheoptimum solutioninbothcaseswasasmall batteryworkingwitha“multi hundredkilowatt”fuelcell

ViritechregardstheApricale unashamedlyas“aTrojanhorse”for thewiderbasedhydrogenbusiness itwantstocreate,whilealsousing ittoproveanumberofbrandnew technologies,forwhichitholdsIPand patents.“Forme,thiscarisallabout lightweighting,”hesays“Thathas

Faulks:“Forme,

ahugeeffectonthewayithandles, itreducesthingsliketyrewearand it’shugelysignificantonenergy efficiencyasspeedsrisebecauseyou aremovingmuchlessweightabout”

Underitsgullwinged,carbonfibre skin,theApricalebristleswith weightsavingmeasuresOneisits useofcompositehydrogentanks (mountedcentrallyinthecarbonfibre tub,storing5.4kgofgasat700bar) asstructuralchassismembers, eliminatingtheneedforanestimated 100kgofcrashprotectionframework andaddingtostructuralrigidity

Anotheristoemployalight,6kWh battery(asuitcasesizedpackunder thelowerwindscreenframe)whose F1honeddesigngivesitdeployable powerof800kWjustover1070bhp Thebatterycanbedischarged(to aidacceleration)orcharged(from regenerativebraking)inunder1min

Attownspeeds,thecarispropelled byitsbatteryalone,whereasata faster,steadystatecruise,itstwin engines(onefront,onerear)require onlyfuelcellpowerFormaximum performance,batteryandfuelcell worktogether.TheApricale’stwo enginesmakearound535bhpeach, and370lbftoftorque,butthecar’s innatelightnessmeansitcanreach its200mphtopspeedwithouthelp

fromatwostagegearbox,common inhighperformanceEVs.

Viritechplanstodeliverthefirstof itscarsinearly2024andwillbuild therestofitsplannedbatchover threeyears,usingspeciallydedicated premisesatMIRA.Meanwhile, researchintothewiderneedsof hydrogenpropulsionwillcontinue

AftertheApricale,Faulks“could imaginedoingotherinteresting

Viritech’shypercarfirstmetthe publicatthisyear’sGoodwood FestivalofSpeed,parkednearthe entrancetotheSupercarPaddock. MattFaulks,whowasthere,citesa greatresponsefromthecarloving public,whosegenuineinterest andknowledgeofhydrogenand itsadvantageshedescribesas “phenomenal”

Whathewasn’tpreparedfor, hesays,wastheresponsefrom highlevelGoodwoodattendees whoworkedformajorcarmakers andsuppliers.“You’dseethem approachthecarandthink,yes, it’sjustanotherconcept,”hesays “Thenthey’dspotthewipersand roadtyres[MichelinisaViritech technicalpartner]andEurospec headlightsandrealiseitwasfor realWe’vehadalotofoffersof seriousdiscussionsfromthat”

Whythislevelofinterest?Faulks isconvincedit’sconcernaboutour electrifiedfuture“Theyfearit’s notaviableoptiontodoatamuch greatervolumewhatthey’redoing withbatteriesrightnowSowhen techlikeoursappears,theyknow theyneedtolookintoitForthem, it’saninterestingprospectthat couldevenbelifechanging”

thingsinthehypercarline”,although hebelievesit’smuchmorelikelyby thenthattheywillbeworkingwith otherbrandsalreadyestablishedin thatbusiness.

“Sportscarmanufacturersare intheworstpositionofanyoneas electrificationproceeds,”hesays “Theygenerallyoperateonhigh marginsbutarelookingatbig developmentcosts.Theysellon theirhistoriesandthingslikesound, performance,compactnessand designflairallelementsthat havebeenpushedawayinthis currentemissionsera.

“Fuelcellswillbeinteresting tothesepeoplebecausetheyhave personalityTheymakenoiseThey havebig,highspeedcompressors andtheyproducestufflikewastegate chatter.Peoplewilllikethat.Ireckon we’llhaveplentytodo”L

Hybrid health check

TheBritishTouringCarChampionshipthisyearbecame thefirsttintopseriestointroduceanelectricalelement. MattJamesinvestigateshowsuccessfulithasbeensofar

TheBritishTouring CarChampionship enteredabravenew worldthisseason, mandatingitsmost significanttechnicalchange inadecade:theintroductionofan electricalelementtothepowertrain CosworthElectronicswasengaged toprovidethehybridsystem,which deployspowerthroughthegearbox, boostingacar’sperformancebyupto 40bhpforapredeterminedamountof timeFansareawareofwhichracers areusingtheirboostviaabluelight flashingintherearsidewindows.

Previously,theBTCCusedaroster

ofsuccessballasttoreininthe mostsuccessfulmachinesand maintainalevelplayingfield Now,withtheintroductionof theelectricalboost,it’sthis systemthat’susedtocapany givendriver’sperformance Forexample,thepointsleader comingintoeachmeetingisn’t permittedtopushthebuttonon theirsteeringwheelatall.There’sa slidingscaledownthetop10andall driversfrom11thonwardsgetafull 15secondsperlapofextragrunt Inthefirstraceofameeting,the top10driversinthechampionship havelimitedaccesstotheelectrical boostduringeachlapThiscanbe uptotwothirdsoftheracedistance Againthere’saslidingscaledown tothe11thplaceddriverandthen allofthosebehindcanusethe 48Vsystemoneverylap

Forracestwoandthreeofa meeting,theamountofpermitted boostisdeterminedbythefinishing positionsintheopener.

BTCCbossAlanGowsaidatthe outsetoftheinitiativewhichwasa globalfirstforatintopseriesthat itwasbeingmadetokeeptheseries relevantwiththeroadcarmarket. Itwasn’tsomuchaboutthrowing

aspotlightontheBTCC’s greencredentials(althoughit nowusesamoresustainable fuel,too)butmoreabout bringingtheseriesinto linewiththetypesofcar thatarenowbeingbought forroaduse.

Themovewasmadein fullconsultationwiththe teams,andthehardwarethatwas createdwasdesignedsothatitcould befittedontotheexistingcarsonthe grid,ratherthanforcingtheteamsto completelyreengineertheirchassis

PowerMaxedRacingrunstwo VauxhallAstrasforMichaelCrees andAshHand.TeamownerAdam Weaversaysthatthepracticeof

adaptingthecarstotakethenew systematthebeginningof2022was asimpleprocessbuttheinitiative hastaxedthegreymatterofthe engineersmorevigorously

“Thekitboltedontotheexisting systemswehad,sothatwasrelatively straightforward,”saysWeaver.“The biggestchallengehasreallybeen

Weaver’steamhavebeentest

Hybriddevelopmentwasplacedinsafehands

Fromtheallactionrollercoasterof Knockhilltotheflatoutsweepersof Thruxton,theBTCCpliesitstrackall overtheUK.Thesetracksdifferhugely intheircharacteristics,andthatcan alsohaveabigimpactonhowdrivers deploytheirelectricalallocations

Thesystemcanbeactivatedbythe driversoncethecarsaretravellingat morethan120kph(75mph)andafter theopeninglapsofeachrace,butthe driversmustalsobewarethatover eageruseofthebuttononthesteering

deploymentforacoupleofseconds.

Eventhebestcangetcaughtoutby thatlastbitReigningchampionAsh Suttonexplains:“Thathappenedtome fiveorsixtimesatthefirstmeeting IsoonlearnedthatIneededtonot getoverexcitedonthebutton.”

Suttonandhisteam’sengineers havedevotedalotofbrainpower tofiguringouthowtogetthemost fromthehybridsystem,anditcan

Δfromtheguysstudyingthedata andseeingwhere’sbesttodeployit. There’sdefinitelyanengineering elementtothatsideofitButithasn’t changedhowtheengineersapproach engineeringthehardware.It’sstill basicallythesameintermsofset upcambers,toe,thingslikethat.”

Thesystemwastrialledbyatest mulefor18monthsbeforeitwas fullyintroduced,butthehotbed ofcompetitionsharedbythe29 driversintheBTCCwasalways likelytothrowupsituationsthat hadn’tbeenexperiencedbefore Gowsaysthatthejourneyhas beeninterestingforeveryone involved.“Idon’tthinkthere’sa carouttherethathasn’thadan issueofsometypeandatsome

stageoftheseason,butyougetissues withanynewmajorcomponent,” explainsthebossof19years“Any timeyouintroducesomething substantialandwithnewtechnology, youwillgetissues.That’sthenature ofmotorsport.Thetechnologythat wewereintroducingwasbrand newIthadn’tbeentriedinanyother championshipbeforeButIdon’t knowofanycarthathaslostarace

winthroughahybridproblem. Whenissuesarise,theyget resolvedbyCosworth”

Oneoftheissuesthatcreptup wasthedesiretorunthecarson electricalpowerwhentheyarein thepitlane,sothatplanhasbeen parkedwhileasolutionisfound

“Thatwasourintention,”explains Gow“Wehadtopausethat,because therewasaproblemwhenengaging theenginewiththerearwheeldrive carsattheendofthepitlane

Butthatdoesn’tmeanwewon’t solvethatinthefutureandbe letoreintroduceit.”

Sowhiletherehavebeen allengesonthetechnical de,ithasalsoalteredhow iversbattle

TomIngramisintheheartof thepointsbattlethisseasoninhis Excelr8MotorsportrunHyundai i30NAtthetimeofwriting,hehas wonthreeraces,includingthevery firstoneoftheneweraatDonington ParkinApril.Havingoftenbeen hamstrungbytheprevioussuccess ballastsysteminpastseasons, he’scertainlyafan

The29yearoldsays:“Ireallylike thefactthatwedon’thavesuccess ballastWhateverreplacedtheextra weightwasalwaysgoingtobeanice thingIfeltthatthesuccessballast thatweusedtocarryjustmade thingsabittoofalse[interms oftheresults]

“Thehybridsystemhascome withitsquirksinunderstanding

Hybridrulescould changetomakeaction evenmorecompelling

Buttononsteeringwheelactivatesboost

Eachcarusesidentical48Velectricalsystem

wheretogetthebestoutofit,butit’s definitelyeffectiveYounoticeitin theracescenariosandyouhaveto thinkaboutthetactics.Ithasadded tothedriverhavingtothinkalittle bitmoreaboutwhereandwhento deployitorwhetheryouholditin reserveuntiltheendoftherace”

ItwasnoticeablethatforIngram’s maidenvictoryoftheseason,he hadsaveduphisextraelectrical deploymenttothefinalstages,when theothershadalreadyuseduptheirs Hewasthefirsttoboxclever,but itwasastrategythatsoonbecame prevalentamongallofthedrivers.

SpeedworksMotorsport’s flyingScotsman,RoryButcher, whoracesaToyotaCorolla,is anotherwhohasspenttime tryingtoworkoutthebestway ofusingthesystem,andhesays thatcanalwayschangeinany givenracesituation;there’s nohardandfastrule

“Ithinkthewayyouuseit dependsonwhereyouarein termsofhowcompetitiveyou areinthatweekend,”hesays“For example,ifI’mfeelingparticularly confident,I’mprobablygoingtobe usingalittleatthestart,savingsome inthemiddleandthencomingback onstrongwithitattheend “IfI’mlookinginmymirrors andIhave[theWSRrunTeam BMW330eof]JakeHillorColin Turkingtonbehindme,Iwillbe tryingtouseeveryounceofhybrid onthefirstlapoftheracejustto protectmygapandthenjusthang on.Therearesomanydifferent waysofdoingit,andthat’swhat makesitsoexciting”L

YOURVIEWS

WRITETO autocar@haymarketcom

Grossoverestimation

Iwouldliketoclarifythatinhisreply tomyletterabouttheToyotaYaris Cross(10August),JohnPopplewell quotedthegrossweightofthecar (1690kg),notthekerbweight (1175kg)asIhaddone.

RichardLofthouse

Viaemail

Incompetenceornegligence

IwholeheartedlyagreewithAndrew Bailey(7September)I’mfedupwith motorwaygantrieshavingreduced spendlimitswhenthere’sabsolutely nojustificationbasedonthetraffic.

Alltoooften,Iseethesameones ontheM62nearLeedsandonthe M60inManchesterpermanently lit,nomatterwhattimeofdayor conditions.Thisclearlysuggests thatthepeoplewhoaresupposed tobemonitoringthemotorways andmanaginglivetrafficevents can’tbebotheredtodothatand justleavethemonregardless.

NodoubtNationalHighways willcounterthatatsomepointthe carriagewaywillgetbusyandsoit leavesthesignsoninanticipation That’snottheirpurpose,though: they’retheretoupdateroadusers onlivesituations,notprobabilities

Also,howoftendoweseethe smartmotorwaygantriesincrease thespeedlimitfrom,say,50mphto 60mph,yetattheverynextgantry, some200yardsuptheroad,itdrops backdownto50mphoreven40mph? Thattomeiseitherincompetenceor negligence,andonedaythere’sgoing tobeaseriousaccidentcausedbythis grossmismanagement

Perhapsiftheseoperatorswere heldpersonallyresponsiblefortheir actions,therewouldbeasignificant improvementinthe‘service’.

KeithForster

Viaemail

NationalHighwaysistoblameforthis mismanagement,notitsoperators AnundercoverreporterfortheDaily Maillastyeardiscoveredthatmany cameraswerebroken,thereweremany camerablackspotsandthecomputer systemsforcontrollingthegantries wereoutdatedandunreliableKC

IlovewhatIcan’thave

OnmyvisittothefascinatingCenexLCV show,Iwasfortunateenoughtotestdrive aFordMustangMachEandaToyotaMirai aroundtheMountainCircuitQuiteapart fromthepureenjoymentof(relatively) unfetteredaccesstosuchafantasticpiece ofTarmac,thedriveswerearevelation.

TheMachEwasunderwhelmingI didn’tlikethemassivetouchscreenorthe interiorgenerally,theridewasrockhard anditdidn’tfeelasfastasexpected.Italso wouldn’tfitmyusecaseasahighmileagedriver, usuallyagainstadeadline,whichmakescharging anxietyandhypermilingnotreallyanoption

TheMiraithereforewasarevelation.It’salovelylookingsalooncar that’srefined,comfortableandabsolutelynormaltodrive.Itevenhas properbuttonsfortheclimatecontrol.Itmaynothavebeeninitsnatural habitatonahandlingcourse,butIsuspectthatanycarwouldbefun onthere,soIenjoyedthedriveMoreimportantly,it’sazeroemissions vehiclethatwoulddropstraightintomylifewithoutcompromiseIthas a400milerange,thenittakesfiveminutestorefuelandgetgoingagain.

IwouldhaveoneinaheartbeatexceptthatIcan’t,becausethere’s virtuallynohydrogenfuellinginfrastructureintheUKandabsolutely noneinthestickswhereIliveTogetpeoplelikemeoutoffossilfuel burners,weurgentlyneedtogiveachoiceofzerotailpipeemissions vehicles,ratherthancontinuewiththisirrationalobsessionwithBEVs.

toabout£570todayOnesummer, Idroveitallthewayfrommyhome inBerkshiretothesouthofSpainto meetupwithfriendswhohadavilla there.Eventually,myfriendFrancis andIhadfiveofthelittleAustins, takingpartsfromthreeofthemto keepourtwodailydriversrunning Itwasaverysimplecartomaintain andfix,entirelyunlikemoderncars althoughthePeugeot407SWthatI drivetodayisalotbetterontheroad!

RoyS France

Officertraining

LikeSteveCropley,I’venottravelled inanAustinSevenHowever,back inthe1960s,theywerepopularas anaffordablefirstcar.An‘officer’in myschool’scadetunithadanupright littlesedanOneafternoon,after parade,hewastakingsomemates homeandlostcontrolonaslippery road.Inmostcars,thiswouldhave resultedinarollover.Instead,with thedistinctlyrectilinearshapeof thesedan,itfellonitssideThelads clamberedout,putthecarbackon itswheelsandresumedtheirjourney. Youcouldn’tdothatinaFordFiesta…

AlanLee

Viaemail

Affordablefun

Ihadaninterestingweekendof automotiveexperiencesearlierthis monthOn3September,Imadea120 miletriptoSalonPrivéatBlenheim

Kerbappeal

Whileemptyingadrawer,Ifound averyamusing1964Autocararticle aboutproliferatingcarsspreading fromtheroadsintolivingareas,an allegoryofhowAtlantiswassunk bytheweightofitsresidents’iron donkeysCarsarenoweverywhere, fillingemptyresidentialspaces It’sgettingincreasinglydifficultto findaspot.Notsoin1954,whenI photographedmy1935AustinSeven NippyoutsidemyflatinBalham

Therewerenoothercarstobeseen. Nowadays,itappearsthatthesame streetisalwaysabsolutelypacked ChristopherEverett Petersfield,Hampshire

MagnificentSeven SteveCropleywassorighttosay “howfantasticitmusthavebeen toacquireanAustinSevenasyour veryfirstcar”(MyWeekInCars, 7September).Inthelate1950s,I paid£35formySeven,equivalent

WIN

ChrishadasupertimeatAmericanDay

RoyandAlanhave fondmemoriesof theAustinSeven

NickSmith Viaemail

PalaceinmyVantageIparkedin thededicatedAstonMartinpaddock infrontofthemainpalaceentrance with100plusothersagreatsight. Unsurprisingly,minewastheonly CosmosOrangecarthereandrather stoodoutinaseaofpredominantly greyandblack.Ispentsometimein thedisplayarenamarvellingatthe stunningbutunaffordablesupercars

On4September,Imadea50mile triptoBrooklandsAmericanDayin my10yearolddieselFordMondeo Estate.Therewasafantasticdisplay ofsuchvarietyandarealbuzzof enthusiasmIgotchattingtosome interestingownersandmarvelled atthesheerqualityofsomeofthe customisedvehicles.

Reflectingonmyweekend, whichdaywasmoreenjoyable? Surprisingly,Sunday!Blenheim wasallaboutexcessivewealth, Brooklandsaboutaffordablefun.

ChrisFoss Steyning,WestSussex

Lastorders

Idon’tknowwhat’sgoingon inGermany,butMercedesBenz seemstohavelosttheplotI’ve beeninformedbymydealerthat myorderplacedbackinNovember foranAMGE53Cabrioletwillnot nowbehonouredIndeed,Iwastold thatnonewcarswillbedeliveredthis year,regardlessofwhentheywere ordered.Instead,ordersfornewcars willbeacceptedonlyonlinefromthe turnoftheyearandtherewillbeno negotiationoverpriceThisisapretty shoddywayforMercedestobehave HughBladon

Viaemail

MercedesBenzUKsaid:“We’resorry tohearaboutMrBladon’sexperience Theongoingglobalproductionand supplyissuesthatmanyindustries arefacingunfortunatelymeanswe’re unabletosecurefactoryproduction oftheE53CabrioletthatMrBladon orderedAsaresult,hisdealerandour customerservicesteamhavebeenin contactwiththreealternativeoptions:

“1.TheE53AMGCabriolet remainsonorderbutdeliverytime andpricingcan’tbeguaranteed

“2Sourceanalternativemodel alreadyinproduction.

“3.Canceltheorderwithafull refundofthedeposit

“WeunderstandthatMrBladon haschosenoptionthree”

NEXTWEEK’SISSUE

EDITORIAL

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FEATURE

Theoriginalcarmagazinepublished since1895inthenterestsofthe mechanicallypropelledroadcarriage

Twingoreplaced4and wassimilarlylonglived, soldinEuropeuntil2007

ONTHISDAY IN1993

Twingoandcomakesmallcarsfunagain

SUPERMINISFACEANuncertain futuretoday,duetoSUVsandever risingpricesThingswereentirely different29yearsago,astheFiat Punto,RenaultTwingo,Mk2Seat IbizaandVauxhallCorsaarrived cheaplyandcheerfullyofcourse elicitingatesttorevealthebest Namedafterapartyislanditmay havebeen,buttheIbizawasabit ofabore.“Supremelyspaciousand

feelingrobust,ithasthepotential tobeasgoodasthePunto,butits gutless,noisyengineletsitdown

“NextupistheCorsa,which looksthepartinsideandout.A strongengineisn’tenoughtomake itadriver’scar,thedisappointing steeringandshiftpreventingyou fromwantingtotakeitforablat.

“TheMicraclaimsthirdbythe skinofitsteeth.It’stheleastroomy

MOTORSPORT

Prostannouncesretirementaheadofwinningfourthtitle

AlainProstisoneofthealltimegreatsinFormula1,withfourtitles,yethe’s rarelymentionedinthesamebreathasAyrtonSennaorMichaelSchumacher. Probablythat’sduetoapersonalitythatwasdifficulttowarmtoandhiscool, calculatingdrivingstyleMaybealsotoblameistherelationshiphehadwith Senna,whichwealludedtoatthe1993PortugueseGPatEstoril,when‘The Professor’announcedhisretirementaheadofwinninghisfinaltitlewithWilliams Wereported:“Inacalmanddignifiedpressconference,Prostsaidthetime wasrighthewantedtoquitwhileontop.Fewbelievedhim,sinceit’sexpected thatWilliamswillshortlyconfirmthatSennaistojointheteamfor1994”

ProsthadsharedahappyrelationshipwithrookieDamonHillandsurely wouldhavecompletedhiscontract besidetheBritbut,wespeculated, thetoxicitybetweenthebitterrivals ledhimtotriggerhisbreakclause

Prostalsosuggestedthatunfair treatmentfromtheFIA,bothon andoffthetrack,wasafactor.

Didhehaveanyregretsabout thewayhewasretiring,though,we asked?“Noneatall,”heanswered immediately“ThetimeisrightI willnotbedrivinganF1caragain”

andhastheworstrideHowever, ithasaterrificengineandan excellentgearboxandfeelsthe mostsolidlyscrewedtogether.

“ThePuntoisthemostrefined newFiatinyearspossiblyever Ithasaninvigoratingengine,a precisegearboxandwelljudged steering;itridesandhandleswell; anditoffersaspaciouscabin.

“TheTwingo’slackofpretension

isrefreshingan interiorisimmenselypractical Ithasafirstratechassisand adequateperformance.Butit alsohassomethingspecial:infive years,thePuntowillstarttolook passé;theTwingowillbeviewedin thewayonelooksataBeetletoday” Indeed.Whatashametheidea ofBritishsaleswasnevertakenup.

KRISCULMER

BMW’selectricsupermini

TheE1concept,anelectricsupermini revealedin1991,immolateditselfin testing,butthatwouldn’tstopBMW whenMercedeswassoontolaunch theAClass.Rather,itbuiltanew E1,thistimewiththreeoptions:an electricmotorandabattery;afour potmotorbikeengine;orahybrid systemcomprisingamotoratthe backandasmallerengineupfront, althoughsadlywithoutagenerator functionThisissomethingthat wouldappearonBMW’sfirstEVbut thatwasthei3RExof2013,theE1’s promised1997launchnotoccurring

GermanislandtrialsEVlife

Germanyreallydidseemkeenonan electricfuture,asnotonlywasBMW developinganEVbutalsoDAUG,an R&Dfirmowned50:50byMercedes andVolkswagen,wasconductingthe world’slargestEVfieldtrialtodate ResidentsofRügen,a358m2island intheBalticSea,wereloanedcars, vans,busesandpickups,inwhich werefourtypesofbattery.Opel’s AstraEstateprovedthebest,butall theEVshadashortrange(around 4060miles)andlongcharging times(sixmilesperhour).Things havecertainlyimprovedsincethen.

bestinfotainmentsystemyet.It’s alsoincrediblycomfortablewithout

hybridistheEPaceatitsbestfor that,beingpositionedasthesporty variantinthemodelrange

I’vealwaysbeengladtogetbehind thewheel.It’safamiliar,cosseting spot,whichisexactlywhatIwant fromluxurycomfortpackagedin adesirableandqualitywayThat extendstothedesignoftheinterior anditsintuitivefunctionality, rangingfromtheeasytomanage knobsforvolume,climatecontrol andheatedseatstothePiviPro infotainmentsystem,whichis aestheticallypleasingbutalsoallows youtofindwhatyou’relookingfor withrelativeeasenotsomething that’swidespreadontouchscreens HavingwirelessAppleCarPlay connectivityisanotherboon.

Drivingaroundtownonelectric power(34mileswasthetypical rangecomparedwiththeofficial 39miles)inthiscompactSUVisa relaxingexperiencethatlovely refinementfromthepowertrain

setupfortheinevitablespeedbumps encounteredThesteeringisonthe lightsidebutstillhasrespectable feedback,soit’ssatisfyingtodrive atlowspeedsinurbanareas.

Putthecaronsomewinding roadsandit’salsoapleasureto feedthewheelthroughyourhands becausewhilethesteeringdoesn’t havethefeelof,say,aBMWX3,the bodycontrolissuchthatpointing theEPaceintocornerscanstill bearewardingexperience

Andthentherearethelong journeys,ofwhichIdidplentyinthe EPace,mostnotablytwoseparate

tripstoCornwallandDevonItis anexcellenttourerthankstothat comfort,lappingupthemotorway milesandthenremainingcomposed onthequestionablesurfacesinthe narrowlanesofdeepestCornwall Thosetripsalsoallowedmethe rareluxuryofhavinganafternoon snoozeinthepassengerseat, wherethearmrestpositions arejustrighttofullyrelax

Therearetwoareasinwhichthe carfelldownduringourloanOneis poorpackaging,whichcausesalack ofspaceinthebootandrearseats.It isworkableforafamilyofthree,but

DVOLKSWAGENID4GTXBACIAJOGGER MWiX

CUPRABORN

FORDMUSTANGMACHE

SECONDOPINION

kickedin,Ifeltincrediblyuneasy.The otherbroaderissueoftheelectrical systemsseeminglyshuttingdown(no electricpower,nostabilitycontrol,no regenerativebraking)didn’trenderit unusable,butstill,it’snotideal,isit?I leftitawhilebeforetalkingtoJaguar abouttheproblembecauseIhoped itwouldrightitself,butifIwerethe ownerofthiscar,I’msureI’dhave takenittoadealermuchsooner.After returningfromJaguar,itworked seamlessly,solet’sbeoptimisticand hopethiswasablipratherthana recurring,underlyingissue.

Listpricenew

Listpricenow£48,795 Priceastested£51,645

HakubaSilvermetallicpaint£670,20insplit spokesatingreywithcontrastdiamondturned finish£1240,12wayheatedelectricdriver memoryfrontseatswithtwowayheadrests and40/20/40foldingwithcentrearmrest£350, Technologypack(includingClearSightinterior rearviewmirror,wirelessdevicecharging withphonesignalbooster,headupdisplay andinteractivedriverdisplay)£1220,cabinair purification£335,Meridiansoundsystem£600, heatedsteeringwheel£205,privacyglass£370, blindspotassistandreartrafficmonitor£360, homechargercable£300

FUELCONSUMPTIONANDRANGE

Claimedeconomy1410mpg

Claimedrange39miles(electric)

Fueltank576litres

Testaverage454mpg Testbest563mpg Testworst382mpg Real-worldrange575miles(total), 34miles(electric)

TECHHIGHLIGHTS

Engine3cyls,1498cc,turbo, petrol,pluselectricmotor

Battery15kWh(total) 062mph61sec

Maxpower305bhp(combined)

Maxtorque398lbftat16004500rpm

Gearbox8spdautomatic Boot494litres

Wheels20in,alloy Tyres245/45R20

2670kg

None

£80335(petrol), £65(electricity)

£86835

19pence

faultsrecentlyreported(14

those,rightlyorwronglyheld, preconceptionsofJaguarLand Rovervehiclesnotbeingthemost reliableWhenthethrottlefailedto movethecarforafewlongseconds ataroundaboutortrafficlightsona coupleofjourneysbeforethepower

Eitherway,thatproblem inevitablyhadamajorimpacton thecar’sfuelconsumptionWhile it’swellknownthatpluginhybrids hardlyeverdelivertheirclaimedfuel economyunless,presumably,one runsonzeroemissionsfor90%ofthe time,theEPacewasusingelectric powerlessthandesiredandthatis reflectedinthenotsogoodMPG figures.ItmightbebetterthanPiers Ward’sMk1DiscoSport(seeSecond Opinion)butthat’snotsayingmuch Butdespiteallthat,Iwasvery sorrytoseetheEPacego:itreallyis adelightfulcompanionforeveryday life,bothintownandforlong

journeys.It’sashametothinkthatit willbenomorewhenJaguar’snew hyperexpensiveeraarrivesinafew yearsTherearemanypositivesthat canbetakenfromitandI’mhopeful thosewillbeincorporatedinto Jaguarsofthefuture

OWNONE?SHAREYOUREXPERIENCE rachelburgess@haymarketcom

CUPRABORN

Havingspentmostofits earlytimeinmycustody pootlingaroundtownor onshorterlocaljourneys, ourCupraBornhasrecentlyhada changeofscenery,poundingupand downtheM3andA303foraseries oftripstoSomersettovisitfamily

UnlikeanICEcar,whichisusually atitsmostfrugalinthesesortsof conditions,theefficiencyofasmaller EVsuchastheBorntendstosuffer atsustainedhighspeedsThathas meantplentyofplanningahead, ensuringthatI’vescheduledina fewpitstopsatprudentintervals tokeepthebatterytoppedup.

Overallefficiencyhastakena slighthit,from37to36milesper kWhovermytimewiththecar,but I’vealsonoticedachargingquirk thatIhadn’tanticipated.

Beinganimpatientsort,I’vetaken

andlessprecisethanhomecharging

totrackingdownthemostpowerful chargingstationsIcanfind(forthis journey,the120kWInstavoltunits atSolsticeParkservicesareideally placed)sothatIcanchargetheBorn atitspeakrate(100kW)anddon’t endupspendingforeversittingand invariablysnackingwhilewaiting forthebatterytoberefreshed.

Quiteapartfromthesebeing moreexpensive(at66pperkWh,as opposedto28pperkWhonaverage athome),I’veneverfeltthatthe energygainedatarapidcharger seemstolastquiteaslongaswhen I’vetricklechargedthecarathome

“Imustbegoingmad,”Ithought tomyself,butjusttocheck,Iasked myfarmoretechnologicallysavvy brotherinlaw,andhepointed metowardsabrilliantarticleon LinkedInbyrenewablesandenergy storageengineerPeterStratford ofconsultancyEveroze.Itturns outthatI’mnotcompletelywrong: theamountofenergyyoucanget

outofabatterydoesindeeddepend onhowyouuseit

Stratfordisparticularlygoodat simplifyingcomplicatedconcepts. Herehecallsonabottleofketchup. Ifit’sflungaroundatakids’party, itwillbeconsidered‘empty’within minuteswhenthere’sstillplenty left,whereaswhenleftupside downathome,theketchupwill slowlytrickletothebottle’sneck andyouwillprobablygetallbutthe lastdregsout.“Soitiswithbatteries,” hewrites.“Ifyourapplicationisa kids’partytype,youcanexpectto haveasignificantlylowerusable capacity,whereasifyourapplication isslow,youcangetallofit”

Sothehigherdischargeratewhen I’mroaringalongthemotorwayat highspeedsinfullkids’partymode invariablywiththeairconditioning onresultsintheBorn’sbattery appearingtobenearlyemptyata levelwhenitwouldstillhaveplenty oflifeleftfortowndriving

Thesameistruewhencharging, althoughhereStratfordswitcheshis tchupbottleforabucketofgravel “Shovelthegravelinquicklyuntil ebucketisfull,thenshakethe cket,anditwillsettlesoyou ngetabitmorein,”heexplains. “Howquicklywegetthegravelinto ebucketaffectshowmuchwecan tinSlow(trickle)charginga tterycangetmoreenergy toitthanfastchargingit.”

Afastchargerwillracetowards stateofchargeofaround80%but enautomaticallyreduceitsoutput, causethebatterycan’ttakethe gherrateallthewaytofull.

Thisisanissuethathitsusinthe wallet,too,becausetheproviderstill chargesthatpremiumratepriceper kWhevenaftertheoutputhasbeen reduced.Stratfordsays:“Asasociety, we’re(unfortunately)entirelyused topayingformorethanweuse”

It’scertainlysomethingthatIwill bemoreconsciousofwiththelifting oftheenergypricecap,andIplan toinvestinahomechargerinthe nearfuturealongwithplanning myjourneysmorecarefullytotake advantageofslower(andcheaper) chargingstations.

TESTDATA

Whygoingforthequickfixofafastchargerdoesn’talwaysleaveyoufeelingawinner

VolkswagenID4GTX

MILEAGE6891LASTSEEN14922

Theredstitchingontheseats,the dashboardandthedoorcardsisa nicetouch,butIfeelVolkswagen couldhavedonealittlebitmore tomaketheGTXstandoutfrom standardID4variantsinsideThere areafewGTXbadgesdotted about,buttheinteriordoesn’t lookparticularlyspecial Itcertainlydoesn’tscream ‘performance’atme

BMWiX

temptatanelectricluxury

V,andit’sthisgoodalready

Oneofthemajorconcerns thatcarloverslikeus haveaboutelectriccars ishowtheycanbegiven theirowndistinctivepersonalities Aren’ttheyalljustgoingtobe differentlystyledyetultimately characterlesswhitegoodswhen theysharecommonelectricmotors andbatterypacksthatdon’tallow forbespoketuninginthewaythat agoodoldcombustionenginedoes?

Foralotofearlyelectriccars, andevenplentyonsaletoday,that mightbetrueYetincreasinglynow we’reseeingthosethatofferplentyof characteroftheirownsomething theBMWiXtakesevenfurtherby creatingadrivingexperiencethat doesn’ttrytomimicthatofanICE carinanyway

Itouchedontheunique noise(orrathertheHansZimmer composedscore)thatitmakesunder accelerationinmyopeningreport,

andevenafewweeksin,thenovelty ofthishasn’twornoffIt’ssomething thatpassengersinstantlypickupon, too,eggingmeonupsliproadsor awayfromtrafficlightssotheycan hearitagainThebestdescription ofitsofarhasbeenacomparison tothenoisethataslidingdoor toascifivillain’slairmightmake whenopeningorclosing.

I’vealreadytakentheiXon somebigjourneys,includinga latesummerexcursionagood fewhundredmilesintoFrance (fullreportonthatnextmonth) andhavefoundittobethemost comfortable,calmingandrelaxing carthatI’vedriveninrecentmemory

Therearenoquirkstoit:itgets everythingbangon,fromtheseat paddingandpositioningtojust howsupersmoothandquietitis atspeed,withacomfortableride toboot.Electriccarsarearefined speciesanyway,butit’stakento thenextlevelbytheiX

ImadetheRangeRover comparisonlasttime,andthatcar hasgottobeasquietandrefinedas ithaseverbeenafterfivedecadesof developmentTheiXisBMW’sfirst

Whatatantalisingprospect justhowmuchbetteragain ectriccarscangetinthisfield thasimilartimeframeof velopment

Thedataalsosuggeststhatthis acardispellingthe‘allelectric torsandbatteriesarethesame’ thandshowingjustwhat eycandoforperformanceand ficiencywithadecadeormore velopmentbehindthem.

TheiXusesapairofBMW’sfifth generationmotors,andI’vebeen staggeredbyjusthowefficientithas been,evenwith516bhpontap.

IrantheHondaEcitycaracouple ofyearsbackandwouldgetclose tofourmilesperkWhonawarm dayandthreemilesperkWhona coldone,andI’veusedthatasgood barometersincetoaccountfor journeyswithhigheraveragespeeds

TheiXgetsclosetothosefigures despiteweighingaroundhalfas muchagainandhavingaboutfour timesthepower,showingjusthow efficientBMWhasmadeitwithout compromisingonperformance

Thedevelopmentofelectriccars continuesapace,then,andtheiX isattheforefrontofit.

MARKTISSHAW

FordMustangMachE

MILEAGE15,289LASTSEEN21922

OneofthethingsIloveaboutthe MachEisthelightsteeringatlow speedsInfact,it’snotjustlightbut palmofthehandlight,totheextent thatyoucangofromlocktolockin milliseconds.That’sgreatfortight parkinganddifficultturnsandgives theMachEalevelofpracticalityand easeofusethat’saworldawayfrom therootsofitsMustangmonikerJH

DaciaJogger

MILEAGE12338LASTSEEN

Photographingdetailsincarsoften makesmesuspiciousofthosethat trytodistractyoufromlowerrent materialswiththeoddflashydetail Funny,then,thatIliketheJogger’s shiny,knurled-effectclimatecontrol knobssomuchIt’spartlybecause they’resobigandeasytogethold ofbutalsobecausetheylooklike somethingfoundinanAudiTT.

EVsareallthesame,eh?Clearlyyou’venottriedthisone,then

ASGOOD

D C A R S

W h a t t o b u y , w h e r e t o b u y i t a n d h o w m u c h t o p a y

tmayhavebeenaround sinceGodwasachild,but theAudiTTisstillareal forcetobereckonedwith, especiallyifyou’retalkingusedcars.

Takethelatestversion,theMk3, thrillingusskinnysince2014You canexpectlivelyperformanceand eagerhandling,ofcourse,butyou willrecoilinpleasureatthemodest stickerpriceWhereelsecanyouget somethingsosuaveandpremiumin feelforasmidgenover£10,000?

Theallturbochargedenginerange isprettystraightforward.Initially, theTTcamewitha178bhp18litre fourcylinderpetrol,a227bhp20 litrefourcylinderpetrol(or306bhp intheextrasportyTTS),a395bhp

RECALLS

ReportedproblemsarefewThe fueltankcouldbedamagedoncars madebetweenApril2014andMay 2019FindoutfromanAudidealer ifyourexampleisaffected,because itwillneedtohaveashieldinstalled betweenthebracketandthetank itselftopreventitgettingdamaged.

RELIABILITY

InthelatestWhatCar?Reliability Survey,theTTfinishedfirstinthe

25litrefive cylinderpetrol (exclusivetothe supersportyTT RS)ora181bhp 20litrediesel, witheitherfront orfourwheeldrive

In2019,theTTwas updated,withthedieselbeing dropped,thepetrolsrevisedand newnomenclatureintroducedNow thelineupconsistsofthree20litre petrols:onewith194bhp,badged the40TFSI,andanotherwith 241bhp,calledthe45TFSIThe TTSremainedbuthaditsoutput droppedto302bhp,whiletheTT RScarriedonmuchasbefore.

BUYERBEWARE

coupéclass,withmostreportedfaults beingminorandrelatingtointerior trimandnonengineelectrics.Most carswerefixedinlessthanaweek.

INSURANCEANDSERVICING

Consideringthesportynatureof theTT,itsinsurancegroupingsare reasonable.Servicingcostsare reasonable,too,andyoucanoptfor Audi’sfixedpriceservicingforcars thataremorethanthreeyearsold Atthetimeofwriting,aregularTT

tofindacarthathasclimatecontrol, frontparkingsensorsandsatnav, asthesewereoptionalwhennew. ThethirdgenerationTTsimply buildsonthesoundfoundations laidbythefirsttwo,meaningit’s amazinglyagile,offerssomestrong enginesandisfastinastraightline andquickincorners.It’seasyto

withanengineof20litresorsmaller costs£200foraninterimserviceand £345foramajorone,whiletheTTRS isthemostcostlyat£260and£395.

GEARBOXFLUID

Makesurethatifyou’rebuyingaTT equippedwithanSTronicautomatic gearboxthatthefluidhasbeen changedattherecommended 38,000milelimit,otherwiseyou couldbelookingatanexpensive gearboxreplacementinthefuture

drive,too,andrefinedatlowspeeds, andthewholethingfeelssolidand durable.Indeed,it’sthisclassyfeel thatreallyseparatesitfromitsrivals.

Oftheearlierengineoptions,even thesmallest18TFSIhasverylively performanceandisgreatvaluefor moneyThe20TFSIthenprovidesa fineblendofeffortlessperformance, refinementandeconomy,beingable tocrack060mphinlessthan60sec Thehigherpowered20TFSIinthe TTSisabelter,butit’spriceytobuy andrun.TheTTRSgivessensational performance(060mphin3.7sec) butisactuallyveryheavyforwhatit isandisn’tmuchfuninthecorners Alternatively,the20TDIengineis punchy,economicalandsurprisingly refined,soitmakesagoodusedbuy.

Theinteriorhasahightechand userfriendlylayout,evenifitdoesn’t seemquiteasgroundbreakingnow astheoriginaldidin1999,andit’s madefromsumptuousmaterialsthat wouldn’tlookamissinaluxurycar

It’sevenprettypractical,with plentyofspaceforthoseupfrontand adecentnumberofstoragecubbies. Adultswon’tbeabletofitintheback withoutthoseinfrontslidrightupto thedash,andeventhentheywon’t beabletositupstraight,duetothe lowroof.Theboot,however,iseasyto accessviaalargehatchandtheback seatsfoldflattoincreasecapacity

NEEDTOKNOW

Pricesstartat£10,000.Around £12,000shouldfindaclean2016 or2017carBetween£18,000and £25,000getsagood2018or2019 carwithminimalmileageQuattro versionscarryaslightpremium

The1.8TFSIgot47.1mpgonthe oldNEDCtest,withthe20TFSI notfarbehindThelater40TFSI gets463mpgontheWLTPtest, the45TFSI435mpgThe20TDI getsanexcellent60.1mpg(NEDC).

20TFSI230

JamesRuppert

ForgetyourBMWX1: thisiswhatRuppert wantsinhisgarage

Motoringhacksworldwide (includingsomeofour own)arehardatwork testing2022’shottest newmetaltodeterminetheircarsof theyearButinsteadofgivingagong toanewmodel,whatifwesuggested analternative,customerprovenone?

Onecarthat’ssuretobeon everybody’sshortlististhenewBMW X1(seep28)Backin2009,youcould justgettherearwheeldrive,high rise1SeriesorthexDrive,whichwas onlymarginallyusefuloffroadYou wouldbebestadvisedtosteerclearof the20ddieselengine,whichbreaks timingchains.Withthatinmind, let’sconsidera20142.0iSExDrive petrolmodelwith87,000milesand twopreviousownersIt’syoursfor £9500fromadealerwithawarranty

Whatcouldlast foreveristhe trulywonderful ToyotaCrown

andridersareelectriccarswithout anybangerfriendlypredecessors. Whatcouldlastforever,though,is thetrulywonderfulToyotaCrown, whichhasneverofficiallycometo ourshores.Hugethankstothegrey importerswhobothered,aslessthan £10,000canbagyoua2003AthleteV 1JZGTETurbowith109,000milesIt wouldbeanexcellentwaytooutlast justaboutanymoderncontender

Iarguethatalltheseusedstersare asgoodifnotbetterthannewcars. Goodenoughtowinanaward

OUR PICK

Ourfavouriteengineis theearlier2.0litrefour with227bhp,becauseit provesagreatblendofeffortless performance,refinementand economy.Damnwellturnsthe TTintoabitofahumdinger.

TTRS

Thenthere’stheCitroënC5X, theSUVcumestatethat’sjust impressedAutocar’stesters(p32). Youhavetobecarefulwiththe originalC5,ofcourse,andthe Hydractive3suspensionistrickyif itneedstobefixed.However,they willdobigmileageswithproper careA20HDiExclusivefrom2007 withfewerthan60,000milescanbe boughtfor£2500,whichseemsvery reasonabletome.Itcomeswithlotsof equipment,includingcruisecontrol, alloysandrainsensingwipers

WILD CARD

It’snolightweight,but bygumisitquick.The Quattrosystemcan shuffleupto100%oftheengine’s powertothefrontorrearwheels asrequiredItsoundssuperb,too, thankstothatbutchfivecylinder.

Somemarketshavealreadytried thenewHondaCRV,too,aheadof itsUKlaunchnextyear.Buyinga usedoneisacaseofchoosingwhich generationwouldbetheleastbother Idon’twanttobeacheapskate,but this200620VTECSportupfor £1495isverycleanandtidy.Ithasan MOThistoryrelatingtotyrewearand suspensionpartsoverthepastfew yearsAHondawith118,000milesis onlyjustrunin,andoverallthisisa greatadvertforusedcardurability, withplentyofusefulyearsleftinit. Beyondthose,mostoftherunners

here’sagoodreason whyLamborghini’s signaturecolouris yellowIt’sbecause suchanexuberantcolourworks perfectlyonexuberantcarsthe marque’sspecialty.TheGallardo isaprimeexample,althoughnot anarmandalegexpensiveone Infact,youcannowbuyoneforless thananewtopendBMW5Series.

Introducedin2003,theGallardo firstreceivedamidmounted 50litreV10with493bhpItsends powertoallfourwheelsthrougha singleclutchautomatedmanual forthosewhodesireflappypaddles oraconventionalsixspeedmanual

forpurists.Eitherway,youwill berenderedpositivelyspeechless afterexperiencingtheGallardo’s 10cylinderspeedandsound Youwon’tmistakeitsnoisefor anythingelseontheroadexcept maybeanAudiR8.Ofcourse, having10cylindersalreadysetsit apartfrommostcars,butyouwill alsofindithasadeeper,angrier tonethanthehowlingLexusLFA

andPorscheCarreraGT.

Tohearitsglorioussymphonyat fullvolume,youwillneedthedrop topSpyderthatarrivedin2006That cargainedanupratedengine(the coupémadetheswitchayearearlier), withamighty513bhpatitsdisposal.

Inadditiontothispowerupgrade, someotherelementsoftheGallardo wererevisedatthesametime, includingthesuspension,exhaust

Powercomeshighupintherevrange,grip isstrongandthehandlingissuitablysharp

systemandsteeringrack.Thebiggest change,though,waslowerratiosfor thesixspeedgearbox

Fastforwardto2008and theGallardounderwentanear generationaltransformation.Its fighterjetdesignwasmodernised and,tomatch,Lamborghiniputa morepowerful,5.2-litreV10inthe old50litreunit’splaceInessence, itwentthroughTopGuntraining andcameoutasharpermachine.

Thissecondincarnationofthe Gallardohassomenoteworthy specialeditions,includingthe ValentinoBalboni.Namedafter Lamborghini’slegendarytestdriver, itkicksout542bhpandisrearwheel

whetheryouoptforalaterorearlier

exampleofeitherstandardorspecial

asthrillingpower(highupinthe revrange),stronggripandsharp handlingapplytoallGallardos,albeit todifferingdegrees.Onthedial, theserangefrom10to11.Getitona trackandyouwillneverwanttostop Driveitontheroadanditstillfeels incrediblyspecial,evenatlowspeeds Itsimplyhasthatmuchtheatre. EntryintoGallardoownership nowadaysstartsatlessthan£60,000 That’sarealbargain,considering themodelcost£120,000plusfrom new,andespeciallybecauseit wearsoneofthemostprestigious badgesinthebusiness

HOWTOGETONE INYOURGARAGE

Anexpert’sview

RUPESHJETHWA, LAMBORGHINIBRAND DIRECTOR,HROWEN “I’vedrivencountlessGallardos andseenmanyofourcustomersget yearsofenjoymentfromowningone TheV10engineisnotoriouslyrobust, especiallygiventheperformance onoffer,andifyoucanfindonethat hasbeenservicedandmaintained regularly,it’sarelativelyaffordable wayintosupercarownershipIt’s oftenagoodideatogoforaSelezione LamborghiniCertifiedPreOwned car,whichcomeswiththepeaceof mindofupto24months’warranty andguaranteeofafullservicehistory byqualifiedtechniciansThenyou canworrylessaboutreliability andfocusmoreonenjoyingthe razorsharphandlingandthat beautifulV10enginenoise”

Buyerbeware

■ENGINE

Early50litreenginesareprone tooilpumpproblems,sohave thecompressionandoilpressure checked.Someownersoverfillthe drysumpengine,sodipandcheck. Theenginemanagementlight canindicateoverheatingafter thedisablingofexhaustnoise reductionvalves.Lowmileagecars canhavestickingthrottlebodies, causingtheenginerevstohunt

■TRANSMISSION

Withtheautomatic,overheating theclutchcancausetheactionto feelalittlestickyandsomeclutch slipThistendstoberesolvedonce theclutchcoolsdownThe’boxcan beinterrogatedbyalaptop,which shouldrevealifupdateshavebeen performed.Theraremanualscan suffercablestretch,butthat’sall

■SUSPENSIONANDBRAKES

Thefrontpadsanddiscstakea hammering;theballjoints,anti rollbarbushesandtrackrodends tooOnpost2005cars,checkthe optionalfrontendliftsystemworks Checkthehandbrakeholds,too.

■BODY

Thealuminiumbodyishardtofix, soavoiddentsCorrosiononthe sideoilcoolervents’seamsisn’t unknown.Astonechipfreenoseis eitherprotectedwithfilmorhasbeen repainted;ifit’sthelatter,checkfor blowoverareasCheckthesidevents forstonechipsAnonfunctioning hoodcouldbeasimplesolenoidfail.

■INTERIOR MostcontrolsoriginatefromAudiand aretroublefreeThetrimistough,

buttheAlcantarawrappedsteering wheelcanweartoashineandthe driver’ssidebolsterscanlookscabby

Alsoworthknowing

TheSuperleggeramodelappeared inbothpreandpostfaceliftforms Regardingthelatter,itupspower (overthestandardGallardo)to 562bhpanddecreasesweightby 70kgThishelpslowerthe060mph timeto35sec,whilehandlingand overallagilityareimprovedaswell. In2010,Lamborghinistatedthat618 Superleggerashadbeenproduced andsoldinjustoneyear

Howmuchtospend

£50,000-£64,999

CoupésandSpydersfrom2007and 2008,allfeaturingtheautomated manual.Mileagesfluctuateheavily.

£65,000-£74,999

Mileagesstillfluctuate,thoughthere aremore,generallybetterexamples Theoddsixspeedmanualappears.

£75,000-£89,999

Updated52litrecarsstarttoappear andinexcellentconditionMileages dipintotheteensinsomecases

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20BueHD18017513191473164166

PININFARINA

AAAAC

Betterlooksbettervaueandbetterrangefromthissecondgen eectrchatchLxWxH4387x1768x1520Kerbweight1245kg 40kWh14790791680 62kWh2149869732390

Juke5drhatch£20420£26920 AAABC Secondgeneratoncrossoversmpressvensomerespectsbut outstandngnfewLxWxH4135x1765x1565Kerbweight1605kg 10DiGT114141210747913439

Qashqai5drSUV£25505£40005AAAAC TickstheimportantfamycarboxesbutICEpowertranacks renementLxWxH4425x2084x1625Kerbweight1435kg 13DiGT140138122102443143144 13DiGT1581561239941544445

XTrail5drSUV£30955 AAABC Shortfasonrenementanddrvabtypusaslghtackofthe orgnalscharacterLxWxH4640x1820x1710Kerbweight1505kg 13DiGT160158123115378385166173

GTR2drcoupé£88485£184185 AAAAC

MonstrousyfastNssanhasbeentweakedandsharpenedStla buntobectthoughLxWxH4710x1895x1370Kerbweight1725kg 38V656219629202316 38V6Nismo59219628197325

NOBLE M6002drcoupé£248000£287600AAABC Decousynaturaandnvovingabtergonomcaylawed LxWxH4360x1910x1120Kerbweight1198kg 44V866222530168333

ORA

FunkyCat5drhatch£31995 CuriousystyledeectrcsuperminfromChinesecompanyGreat WalMotorLxWxH4235x1825x1603Kerbweght1540kg 126kW48kWh16999821930

PEUGEOT 2083dr/5drhatch£18655£33910AAABC AbgmprovementforPeugeotifnotforthesupermncass LxWxH3475x1615x1460Kerbweght1065kg 12PureTech7572106149589124 12PureTech100981799530124126 12PureTech13012812987519128 50kWhe20813693811942170 15BlueHD100991710270109110

3085drhatch£25270£39460

AAAAC Bringselectricatonanddesignarbutretanstheodmodes dynamccharacterLxWxH4365x1850x1441Kerbweight1288kg

12PureTech13013113097521122 16Hybrid180140762132812330 16Hybrid225225146802132662430 15BlueHD131129106654113114

308SW5drestate£26470£40670

AAAAC Bendscharacterandpractcatywithoutcompromsngonthe hatchbacksstyeLxWxH4635x2062x1442Kerbweight1345kg 12PureTech13013113099521122 16Hybrid180139772132812530 16Hybrid225225146762132662630 15BlueHD131129109650113114

5084drsaloon£29635£54665

AAAAC

Stylshandkeablebutackingtheposhofmorepremumrvas LxWxH4750x1859x1430Kerbweght1535kg 12PureTech13013112781491129

16Hybrid22315583166023502738

16HybridPSE35515552141242 15BlueHD130126126100620124

508SW5drestate£31235£56465AAACC Bodystyetakestheedgeoffthe508sstyeyetdoesntfuly addresspractcatyLxWxH4778x1859x1420Kerbweight1430kg

12PureTech13013112783491129

16Hybrid22315583166023502738

16HybridPSE35515552141242 15BlueHD13012612910620127

20085drSUV£22,735£38850 AAAAC

Compactcrossoverhasmostrvasckedbutclassisstwatng foragamechangerLxWxH4300x1770x1550Kerbweght1205kg

12PureTech1009815109520125127

12PureTech13012812289506132

12PureTech1551531298246641 50kWhe20081369385192060 15BlueHD9815114627118120

Battista2drcoupé£2000000 AAAAC

Consderingtsrdculouspowerthattssuchaoytodrvesa marventsefLxWxHnaKerbweght2200kg 1417kW120kWh1900217203110

POLESTAR

25drhatch£41900£47900 AAAAC

HighrsesaoontakestheEVoffnadevelopmentdirectonalof tsownLxWxH4607x1859x1478Kerbweght2048kg

63kWhStandardRange22199742730

78kWhLongRange22899743170 78kWhLongRangeAWD402127422980

PORSCHE

718Boxster2dropen£50475£81070AAAAB OurdeaofdroptopheavenExceptonatodrivewhethercrusng orhurryngLxWxH4379x1801x1280Kerbweight1335kg 20 2901704951325198 20T 2961704753325199 25S 3391774446291229 40GTS39618245259247 40Spyder41418944254251

718Cayman2drcoupé£48475£114420AAAAA Scapebadencisvenesssupremebalanceandoutstandng drverinvovementLxWxH4379x1801x1295Kerbweght1335kg 20 2901704951328197

20T 2961704953355198 25S 3391774446291228

40GTS39618245259247 40GT441418844257251 40GT4RS4931963424299

9112drcoupé£89400£211960 AAAAB Wdereighthgeneraton911isstlemnentyfastandcapabeat aspeedsLxWxH4519x1852x1300Kerbweight1565kg

30Carrera38018240274233 30Carrera438018040269238 30CarreraS44419137274234 30Carrera4S44419034269239 30CarreraGTS47319334248264244258 30Carrera4GTS47319333248266240259 30Targa438017944269239 30Targa4S44418938264244 30Targa4GTS47319334248271236258 40GT35031993427219283304 37Turbo5721992823527

37TurboS6412052723527 SportCassc54220541224285

911Cabriolet2dropen£99200£176870AAAAC Fewercompromsesthaneverifrewardngonyatfuattack LxWxH4519x1852x1297Kerbweght1585kg

30Carrera38018044272236

30Carrera438018044269238 30CarreraS44419044274233 30Carrera4S4441883626624 30CarreraGTS47319236269239 30Carrera4GTS47319135250244 37Turbo57219929233275 37TurboS64120528233275

Panamera4drsaoon£73530£143190AAAAA Revampedbigsaoonsanabsolutebeltermakngtamostthe perfectgrandtourerLxWxH5049x1937x1423Kerbweight1815kg 29V6 32516856277232 29V6432516753272235 29V64S43418343274234 29V64EHybrid4561744478585660 29V64SEHybrd5521853778585660 40V8GTS47318639233275 40V8TurboS62119631221289 40V8TurboSEHybrd6901963297410466266

32516353264242

43418043264242 29V64EHybrid4561744478585660 29V64SEHybrd5521823778585660 40V8GTS47318139228280

62119631217295

690196329429746569

TaycanCrossTurismo5drestate£83,055£140,055

AAAAB

Meldstogethertwovehcetypesandsomehowhangstogether

brantyLxWxH4974x2144x1409Kerbweght2320kg

93kWh4472137512422830

93kWh4S563149412412810

93kWhGTS590155372730

93kWhTurbo670155332452810

93kWhTurboS751155292412600

Macan5drSUV£51040£68170

AAAAB

Spookygoodhandlngmakesthsasportsutityvehclenthe purestsenseLxWxH4696x1923x1624Kerbweight1770kg

20 26314464264228

20T 26314464264224239

30V6S37716148254251

30GTS43816945250255

Cayenne5drSUV£64870£132065

AAAAB

RefreshedookmprovedenginesandnterorandabetterSUV

overalLxWxH4926x2194x1673Kerbweght2175kg

30V633515262226246259283

30V6EHybrid45615750763917183

29V6S3401526229239268292

40V8GTS45316848200212301219

40V8Turbo54217841200209305319

40V8SEHybrid671183386897438692

CayenneCoupé5drSUV£69,520£149930

AAAAC

Lttedfferenttodrvefromthestandardcarbutcertanyhasan appeaalofitsownLxWxH4931x1983x1676Kerbweight2030kg

30V633515060226244263283

30V6EHybrid456157517638837385

29V6S4281635029235271292

40V8GTS45316845202212302318

40V8Turbo53317839200209307319

40V8SEHybrid671183386897438792

40V8GT6321863120039

RADICAL

Rapture0dropen£110000

AAABC

Notaswemanneredassomeghtweghtsbutspectacuarints

trackdayeementLxWxH4100x1790x1130Kerbweght765kg

22Turbo36016531nana

RXCGT2dropen£145000 AAABC

Designedforpoundngaroundatrack;outofitseementonthe roadLxWxH4300x1960x1127Kerbweight1125kg 35V640040017928nana 35V665065018027nana

RENAULT

Clio5drhatch£18795£23595

AAAAC

PushersmootherandmuchmorematureAcarofsubstanceas welasstyleLxWxH4047x1728x1440Kerbweight1148kg

10TCe9088112122544117

16ETechHybrid1381129965796

Zoe5drhatch£29095£31995

AAABC AfarmorepractcazeroemissonsoutionAttractveprcetoo LxWxH4084x1730x1562Kerbweight1470kg

50kWhR110107841142330

50kWhR13513287952320

Captur5drSUV£22195£32895 AAAAC

JackedupCosamongthebetterdownszedoptonsStyishand uentrdingLxWxH4122x1778x1566Kerbweght1184kg 10TCe908910487479133134 13TCe14013812292487134135

16ETechHybrid140106106565113114 16ETechPHEV15610710121733033

Kadjar5drSUV£26295£27,895

AAABC

Fnevauepractcadecenttodrveandgoodookngbutthe QashqascasserLxWxH4449x1836x1607Kerbweight1306kg 13TCe14013812498456143147

Arkana5drSUV£26395£32295AAABC

Showystyingcothesanemnentlysensbebutunspectacuar carLxWxH4568x1820x1576Kerbweight1435kg

13TCeMldHybrid14013812798487132

16ETechHybrid145143107108589108

MéganeETechElectric5drSUV£35995£39995AAAAC

MorefunthanmostEVswheasoefcentcomfortabeand techsavvyLxWxH4200x1860x1505Kerbweight1708kg EV60160kW60kWh

SEAT

Ibiza5drhatch£17755£21895 AAAAB

Renvgoratedbzasmorematureandtakesthecasshonours

fromtheFiestaLxWxH4059x1780x1444Kerbweight1091kg

10MP8079106146504523122128

10TS959313109523124125

10TS110109121103514123124

Leon5drhatch£22225£33905 AAAAC

Acredtableeffortandanotabemprovementnformwthpenty ofncheappeaLxWxH4282x1816x1459Kerbweight1202kg

10TS110108122109514523123126

10eTSI10819108504514124129

15TSIEvo13012812994496514124128

15TSIEvo15014813587487133

20TSIEvo19018814474422131154

14eHybridPHEV2011377523542628

20TD15013124102642657113115

LeonEstate5drestate£23500£35445AAAAC

Goodlookngandresponsvehatchbackturnedestate LxWxH4549x1816x1454Kerbweight1236kg

10TS100108124112496514126129

10eTSI108124109496130

15TSIEvo13012813097496514125128

15TSIEvo15014813589479487132133

20TSIEvo18814576422151152

14eHybridPHEV2011377523542628 20TD 13124105642657114116

Arona5drSUV£20730£26630 AAAAC

SeatssecondSUVdoesntdisappontwthttakingchargeofthe cassdynamcalyLxWxH4138x1780x1543Kerbweight1165kg

10TS9593107112514124

10TS115131398100479533121134

15TSIEvo15014812783448456140143

Ateca5drSUV£26085£37835 AAAAB SeatsrstSUVsverygoodSogood,nfact,tsaQashqaibeater LxWxH4363x1841x1601Kerbweight1280kg

10TS1101081211444146313946

15TSIEvo15014812485422435149152

20TSI19018813370349353181183

20TD116141510954355413537

20TD15014812693554589141166

20TD1504Drve14812287471487141166

Tarraco5drSUV£31890£44185AAAAC SeatsargestSUVbrngsahntofyouthfuexuberancetoa practcacategoryLxWxH4735x1839x1674Kerbweight1845kg

15TSIEvo150148124993874515566

20TSI4Drve1901881308031031720207

20TSI24524214262321328195200

20TD150148124102496523144150

20TD2004Drve19713078415428172178

SKODA

Fabia5drhatch£17800£20,935 AAAAC

Strongergonomicsandneroadmannersfyoubuyoneofthe morepowerfumodesLxWxH4108x1780x1459Kerbweight1119kg

10MP6563106159554589114

10MP807811155554116

10TS 93121106554115116

10TS11010912797576113127

Scala5drhatch£18715£26040 AAAAC

Undercutsrvalsonprceandushersnasharpnewdesgn anguageforSkodaLxWxH4362x1793x1471

9418110533119120

1081231051453312024

14813782504514125128

SuperbEstate5drestate£29585£42,630AAAAC

Evenmorecommendabethanaboveprimarythankstots enormousbootLxWxH4856x1864x1477Kerbweight1365kg

15TS15014813292409456141157 20TS19018814377398409162168 20TS2804x427615553332340188194

14VPHEV21514078148718833342

20TDI15014813392533577129140

20TDI20019714579496514140144 20TDI2004x419714273479157

Kamiq5drSUV£21805£27315

AAABC

Skodassupermnipatformhasbrthedapractcabutpredictabe compactcrossoverLxWxH4241x1793x1553Kerbweight1251kg

10TSI959311211496129 10TSI1151121209947496130136

15TS15014813283463479133139

Karoq5drSUV£26255£37295

AAAAC

Yetreplacementmaynothavetsforebearsqurknessbutts brlantotherwiseLxWxH4382x1841x1603Kerbweight1265kg

10TSI11010811711448479133143

15TS1501481268183428448143149

20TSI1904x418813273332191

20TDI116114118106589126

20TDI15014812790504523142148

20TDI1504x414812188428172174

EnyaqiV5drSUV£36,605£47875

AAAAC

PractcarangyandweprcedHitsasweetspotintheEVmarket LxWxH4649x1879x1621Kerbweight1917kg 62kWh6017799872560 82kWh8020199853310 82kWh80xSportlne26399693030

EnyaqCoupéiV5drSUV£52305AAABC MorestyeedEVsthersttowearSkodasperformancebadge LxWxH4653x1882x1660Kerbweght2204kg

82kWhvRS299111653120

Swace5drestate£27499£29,299

AAABC

RebadgedToyotaCoroaTouringSportsservesasausefuaddtion toSuzuksneupLxWxH4655x1790x1460Kerbweight1420kg 18Hybrid1201121164299

Vitara5drSUV£23749£29299

AAABC

Utteryworthyaddtontotheclassdrvesbetterthanmost LxWxH4175x1775x1610Kerbweight1075kg

14Boosterjet48V12711895527128

14Boosterjet48VAgrip127118102452140

SX4SCross5drSUV£24999£29799AAACC

Latestroundofupdateshepkeeptadecentbudgetofferng LxWxH4300x1785x1593Kerbweight1305kg

14Boosterjet48V127121102532120

14Boosterjet48VAgrip127118102463139

Across5drSUV£46629 AAABC

RebadgedToyotaPHEVpungesSuzukconvncngyntosevera newsegmentsLxWxH4635x1855x1690Kerbweght1915kg 25PHEV18211260282422

TESLA

ModelS5drhatch£91980£118980AAAAB

LargerangemakestnotonyastandoutEVbutasothefutureof uxurymotorngLxWxH4978x1963x1445Kerbweight2108kg

AWD 670155314050

Plad 1020200203960

Model34drsaoon£42990£59990AAAAC

LowestprcebiggestvolumeTesayetarrvesntheUKafter woongtheUSLxWxH4694x1849x1443Kerbweight1726kg

RWD 320140532670

LongRange434145423600

Performance522162313520

ModelY5drSUV£54990£64990AAAAC

Acompengpropostonwthrespectabedynamcsandaong rangeLxWxH4751x2129x1624Kerbweght2072kg

LongRange434133503150

5631555152186188341344

13129105108543565115117

14814385523533121123

20113677235421

24213973233527

24215568409157

14131103689109

14814387642673109115

19715474565130

19715068514145

1312510610953354311819

14813984504523123126

20113678256830

24213973217327

24215568404159

14128104673111

14813988628657112118

19715274554132

19714768504147

4869x1864x1469Kerbweight1340kg

1481379092404448142157

18814877382392162168

Kodiaq5drSUV£33100£46225

Performance563155353030

AAAAC SkodasrstsevenseatSUVsavabealternatvetoatradtona MPVLxWxH4697x1882x1676Kerbweght1430kg 15TS15014812393372392164172 20TS1904x4188nana321325196200 20vRS24214466325198 20TDI15014812398463479154161 20TDI1504x414812096448479155165 20TDI2004x419713784542517578

SMART

EQFortwo3drhatch/open£22225£27995AABCC PrceyEVonytwoseaterhasurbanappeabutisshorton performanceLxWxH2695x1663x1555Kerbweight1085kg 17kWh79811611981840

EQForfour5drhatch£22295£23445AABCC Fourdoorsbrngmoremanstreampracticatybutsthobbedby owrangeLxWxH3495x1665x1554Kerbweight1200kg 17kWh798127840

SSANGYONG Tivoli5drSUV£15125£22645 AAABC TralstheDusterasthebestvauesmacrossoverbutnotby muchLxWxH4195x1795x1590Kerbweght1270kg 12P128126112106479158 15P163160112na428161164 16D136130108na504145

Korando5drSUV£21,095£33445AAACC Compettivetowngcapabtesandgenerousktbutstllacks dynamcsLxWxH4450x1870x1629Kerbweight1610kg 15GDTurbo160119120372172 16D2WD133112120452159164 16D4WD13311212045178 eMotion140kW615kWh18797902940

Musso5drSUV£28128£37728 AAACC Practcapckuphasarenedengneanddrectsteerngbutrde needsrenementLxWxH5095x1950x1840Kerbweight2155kg 22d181178115121122282318231261

Rexton5drSUV£38070£40780AAABC AvastmprovementBetterontheroadbutwthoutdtchngts argcuturarootsLxWxH4850x1960x1825Kerbweght2102kg 22d181178115113119329205227

SUBARU

Outback5drestate£34070£39499AABCC Acceptabensoatonbutnoclasseader LxWxH4815x1840x1605Kerbweight1612kg 25i 172130102330193

Forester5drSUV£36410£39410AAACC SodspacousandwlfulyunsexyAcapabe4x4nonetheess LxWxH4610x1795x1735Kerbweight1488kg 20eBoxer148117118347185

XV5drSUV£28410£33,730 AAACC Nononsensecrossoverdoesntqutemakeenoughsense LxWxH4450x1780x1615Kerbweight1355kg 16 112109139na180 20 154120104357180 20eBoxer148120104357180

Solterra5drSUV£49995£52995

ModelX5drSUV£98,980£110980AAAAB

AgenuneuxurysevenseatelectrcSUVthatasohasaarge rangeLxWxH5036x2070x1684Kerbweight2459kg

AWD 670155383480

Plad 1020163253400

TOYOTA

AygoX3drhatch£15095£19650AAABC

CtycarreturnsfromSUVbootcampreadyfortheutmateseres ofspeedbumpsLxWxH3700x1740x1525Kerbweght1360kg 10VVT719814957610

Yaris5drhatch£21080£24040 AAABC Styshnterorbututmateyascaeddownversionofbgger ToyotasLxWxH3495x1695x1510Kerbweight1310kg 15VVTHybrd114109976576899298

GRYaris5drhatch£31070£34670AAAAA

Focusedexharatngalwheeldrvehothatchisthemostexctng ToyotanagesLxWxH3995x1805x1455Kerbweght975kg 16AWD25314355na186

Corolla5drhatch£26365£32115AAAAC Rebrandedhatchhasrolngreinementnterorambenceand affabehandingLxWxH4370x1790x1435Kerbweight1340kg 18VVTHybrd1221110957662810212 20VVTHybrd180117953357611120

CorollaTouringSports5drestate£27635£34,025AAAAC Morepractcaestatebodystyeprovesustascapabewthhybrid powerLxWxH4650x1790x1435Kerbweight1440kg 18VVTHybrd122111156562810313 20VVTHybrd180118153356512121

Prius5drhatch£24890£35400AAAAC

BetteraroundcomparedwthtspredecessorsChaenging ooksthoughLxWxH4540x1760x1470Kerbweight1375kg 18VVTHybrd12011210658967394109

PriusPluginHybrid5drhatch£32645£34745AAAAC

PluginversonsceverandappeangSeemsmorecomfortaben tssknLxWxH4645x1760x1470Kerbweight1530kg 18VVTHybrd1201011188321732935

YarisCross5drSUV£24065£30375AAABC AcredbecompactSUVbuoyedbygooddrvingdynamcsand efciencyLxWxH4180x1765x1595Kerbweight1175kg

15Hybrid11410612565642100112 15HybridAWD114106na55415

CHR5drSUV£28470£34600

LxWxH4360x1795x1565Kerbweight1320kg

11910510577589109110

1811128253354319

RAV4

19411284504513126131

83103127523110112 12Duaet12VAgrp8310312848612

LxWxH5341x2164x1835

2730kg 675V1256315552173181355370

27615555322340188193

21513877148718833342

14813891543589125136

19715179514533140145

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Swift5drhatch£15499£22570 AAABC Givenmaturelooksmoreequpmentandahybrdpowertrainbut tsnocasseaderLxWxH3840x1735x1495Kerbweight890kg 12Duaet8312V82112131597106

12Duaet8312VAgrp8210613852312

14Boosteret48VSport12913091504125

RenaultisabouttoreplaceitsfamilySUV, theKadjar,withanallnewNissanQashqai cousin,thistimenamedtheAustral,giving itbolderstyling,adrasticallyenhancedkit listandallelectrifiedpowertrainsinabid to“winback”buyersinthevitalsegment. Themildhybridpetrolsfeaturea13litre fourcylinderenginemaking138bhpand 157bhp,whilethefullhybridsusea12litre threecylinderturbopetrolengineandan electricmotortooffer157bhpand196bhp Renaultclaimsanewplatformmakesthe SUV“atruejoytodrive”,whileitsinterior hasbeentakenupmarketwithplusher materialsandenhancedtechnology. TheAustralisalsothefirstRenaultto offeranEspritAlpinespecificationthat givesitasportierappearance(pictured)

GRSupra2drcoupé£46,505£54395

Bringswecomemuscefunandvaretytotheaffordabesports

LxWxH4379x1292x1854Kerbweight1541kg

25015552387167

33515543345188

VAUXHALL

Corsa5drhatch£17340£31160 AAABC mprovedinmanywaysbutackstheappeatomatchitsprceEV smorekeabeLxWxH4060x1765x1433Kerbweight1141kg

1275 72108132533125

121009712199487523126134

50kWhEectric13293812090

15TurboD1029817102700109110

Astra5drhatch£24315£35325 AAABC

Eyecatchingrenedandposhedtodrvebutlesspracticathan tspredecessorsLxWxH4373x1860x1441Kerbweight1341kg

12Turbo110108124102543119

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16Hybrid178140932012562426

15TurboD130128130106642115

AstraSportsTourer5drestate£25515£29410

MorespacousAstrawagonsasattractveasthehatchbackWe haveyettodrvetLxWxH4642x1860x1480Kerbweight1346kg

12Turbo110108124108523533125127

12Turbo13012813099496514127133

16Hybrid17814093201256243

15TurboD128130108628642115119

Crossland5drSUV£19105£26165AAABC

Stionyamdpackpayerinabusycrossovermarketbutsmpe andeasytooperateLxWxH4212x1765x1605Kerbweight1245kg

128381105140471142

12Turbo11010817106471140

12Turbo1301281289144148013646

15TurboD1101071199614120

Mokka5drSUV£22265£31995 AAABC

Radcayoverhauedcrossovernowcomeswththeoptonof batteryeectrcpowerLxWxH4151x1791x1531Kerbweight1750kg

121009915106514124

1213012812591471504126137

50kWhEectric13493872010

15TurboD11010818108642657114

Grandland5drSUV£26720£38125AAACC Doeswetodsgusets3008rootsbuttoobandtostandoutna congestedsegmentLxWxH4477x2098x1609Kerbweght1350kg

12Turbo13012817109111456141147

16Hybrid223140861920210034

15TurboD13012819102543136

ComboElectricLife5drMPV£31110£31710AAABC Vanbasedpeoplecarrersusabespacousandpractcaand noweectrconyLxWxH4403x1841x1921Kerbweght1474kg 50kWh132841171740

VOLKSWAGEN

Up3dr/5drhatch£13940£24085AAAAC tsnorevoutonbutVWshamarksarenabundance LxWxH3600x1428x1504Kerbweght926kg

1065 64100156543119

10115GTI131988514125126 eUp 81801241590

Polo5drhatch£18855£27805 AAAAC AthoroughgongovermakestmorematurebutthePoosstla btboringLxWxH4053x1946x1461Kerbweight1105kg

1080 78106154514125

10TS95931610848753312027

10TS1101081219953354311819 20TSIGT20414965398415155

Golf5drhatch£25340£42190 AAAAB Newstrengthsandfamaronescarryitbacktothecasseadbut onymargnayLxWxH4284x1789x1492Kerbweght1231kg

10TS110108126102533121

15TSIEvo13012813091514533121124

Passat4drsaoon£28205£40,820

AAAAC

Landsbowsonrvaswthtssmartlookscvisedrenement quatyandusabltyLxWxH4767x2083x1476Kerbweight1367kg

15TSEvo15014813787463479139146

14TSIGTEPHEV2151387427330 20TDI1221201271135891125 20TDI1501481398958960112427 20TDI20019714774533138

PassatEstate5drestate£32215£43770AAAAC

AlthePassatsredeemngfeaturesnspacouspractcaestate formLxWxH4767x2083x1516Kerbweight1395kg

15TSEvo15014813389448456144151 14TSIGTEPHEV21513876201833 20TDI122120123115576129 20TDI15014813013291565576128132 20TDI20019714576523143

Arteon4drsaoon£38255£55210AAABC VWsagshpsaooniswemadeanduxurousbutratherbandto drveLxWxH4862x1871x1450Kerbweight1505kg

15TS15014813789428448144151

20TS19018714979362382168178

14TSIeHybrd218138782733031 20TSR4Moton31615549310207 20TDI15014813795554589126134 20TDI2001971477954543137145 20TDI2004Moton19714574463159

ArteonShootingBrake5drestate£39485£56085AAABC

Hybrdoptonandestatebodystyesextraversattyenhancethe ArteonsappealLxWxH4866x1871x1450Kerbweight1529kg

15TS15014813589422435145153

20TS19018714579358372171179

14TSIeHybrd218138782733132 20TSR4Moton31615549310207 20TDI15014813594543576128136 20TDI20019714579504533139147 20TDI2004Moton19714374463161

Touran5drMPV£32735£35730 AAAAC DuloveralbuttsacapabeMPVwemadeandhugeyrened LxWxH4527x1829x1659Kerbweight1436kg

15TSEvo150148118114398409154162

TCross5drSUV£22130£30150 AAAAB CompactcrossoverdeiversaclassysubstantafeeonUKroads LxWxH4108x1760x1584Kerbweight1270kg 10TSI9593112115479132133 10TSI11010811799104428487132149

15TSEvo1501471248546347136138

Taigo5drSUV£23155£30555 AAABC CrossovercoupéSUVtypethngisancheLikeabeenough LxWxH4266x1757x1518Kerbweght1407kg 10TSI95951141154124 10TSI1101101191045452312425 15TS15015013283479138

TRoc5drSUV/open£25810£41750AAAAC VWsunorSUVsbegungandsophstcatedtdrivesratherwe tooLxWxH4234x1992x1573Kerbweght1270kg 10TSI110108115108435463133146 15TSEvo1501481278396409479144158 20TS4Motion18813572362177178 20TSR3004Moton29815549317201 20TDI115113116104565601137146 20TDI15014812488108504533140146

Tiguan5drSUV£29,550£48540AAAAC Anmprovementontheprevousmodeandwcontnuetoseby thebucketoadLxWxH4486x1839x1654Kerbweght1490kg

15TSEvo130128119102441448143146

15TSEvo1501481269293382422143168 14eHybrd24212775148763644 20TS4Motion18813374332340187192 20TSR31615549285225 20TDI1501481251279347504146157 20TDI1504Moton14812412593435456163171 20TDI2004Moton19713475428172177

V60CrossCountry5drestate£46105£50595AAAAC Brngsextrardeheghtawheedrveandoffroadbodycaddng LxWxH4784x1916x1499Kerbweght1792kg 20B5P24811269358180 20B4D19711282479155

S904drsaoon£63075£67825 AAAAC

Vovosmdszedexecmajorsoncomfortstyeandcrusng abityLxWxH4963x2019x1443Kerbweght1665kg

20T8RechargePHEV38411251nana

V905drestate£44725£68525 AAAAC Luxuryestatetakesonthe5SeresandtheECassComfyanda goodcruserLxWxH4936x2019x1475Kerbweght1679kg

20B4P19711279409158

20B5P2461126936640415975

20B6P29711262344362178184

20T6RechargePHEV3351259nana 20B4D19711288448495149164

V90CrossCountry5drestate£53590£59860AAAAC

Vovosargecomfyestategivenaackedupruggedmakeover LxWxH4936x2019x1543Kerbweight1826kg

20B5PAWD25014074325196

20B6PAWD31014063325196

20B5DAWD22814075409181

XC405drSUV£26,515£51,600 AAAAC

VovostakeonthecrossoveramstorvaBMWMercedesand AudLxWxH4425x1910x1658Kerbweight1626kg 15T2 126112109404158 15T3 160112939638740415866

15T4Recharge2081285131354757

15T5RechargePHEV2581127317714114555 20B4P19711284367392162176 20B5P2461126936717476

69kWhRecharge22899742610

78kWhRecharge402112492490

C40Recharge5drSUV£47100£61950AAABC Ktwlappeatomanybuttwinmotorpotencysntanaturatfor reaxeddynamcsLxWxH4431x1910x1582Kerbweight2185kg 69kWhRecharge23199742690 78kWhRecharge402112492730

XC605drSUV£47460£67780 AAABC LookskeasmalXC90andcarresonwheretheodoneeftoffA goodcapablecruserLxWxH4688x1999x1658Kerbweight1781kg 20B5P24611269367381168176 20T6RechargePHEV335125928212364 20T8RechargePHEV3841125528212564 20B4D19411283448455161166

XC905drSUV£61990£81925 AAAAC CeverpackagingsmartstylnggoodtodriveVovoscosestthng toaclasseaderLxWxH4950x2008x1776Kerbweight1961kg 20B5P24611277324198 20B6P2961267907210 20T8RechargePHEV384112582172876 20B5D23211276415178

108126105514124

12813394524123

14813987496128

31615549358178

13126105642114

TiguanAllspace5drSUV£33785£45520

AAAAC HasatheTguanssensibityandrenementnowwththebonus ofsevenseatsLxWxH4486x1839x1654Kerbweight1490kg 15TSEvo15014812395100372392164176 20TS4Motion18813277325193 20TDI15014812697448471164165 20TDI1504Moton1481231249845177179 20TDI2004Moton197132na404415176184

RenaultAustral

GrecaleisMaserati’sPorscheMacan

Aroadtestinanyother magazinemightwell beashort,subjective summaryofanewcar producedunderalmost anycircumstances, buttheAutocarroad testisdifferentSpecific,rigorousanddetailed,it’s theclosestexaminationwecangiveofanynewmodel Itappearsoveratleasteightpagesandiscloseto50 manhoursinthemakingeveryweek.

Mostofwhattheroadtestprocessentailsis designedtobestrictlyrepeatableandfairWe benchmarkstandingstartandingearacceleration atapurposebuilttestfacilityeveryweek.Wecarry 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 ofeachtestsubjecttoitsintendedpurpose.Itnow includesmodularsectionsdescribingindetailthe limithandlingofanewcar,oritssemiautonomous assisteddrivingtechnologiesoritsoffroadcapability

Allofthisgoestobringingyouthemostthorough, relevantandfairtestofanewcarwecanproduce.The scoresfromthemostrecentroadtestsreproduced herearetheoneswegavethecarsatthetimesothey don’tnecessarilyrepresentwhatthosesamecars mightscoretodayweretheyrejudgedusingcurrent classstandards.Butyoucandigdeeperintotheir attributesbyusingthemagazinepublicationdates listedheretolookupanoldtestinyourowncollectionor youcanorderabackissuebyphoning03448488816

VOLKSWAGEN

SLIDESHOW

SUVstheworld

SUVscanbeseenon everystreetcorner in2022,butitwasn’t verylongagothatthey wererarechoices.Manylaunchedin decadespastarehardlyremembered, andevensomeofthosethathada formativeinfluenceontheSUVas weknowittodayareseldomseenin traffic.Sojoinusforalookatsomeof theforgottencarsthatcompetedin theclasslongbeforeitwascool

RONANGLON

Saab97X2005

AlfaRomeo1900M19511955

The‘Matta’(‘mad’)wasdevelopedtosecurea

Campagnolainstead.AlfaRomeodecidednotto scraptheprojectandbuiltsome2060examples ofthe4x4from1951to1955Mostendedupinthe

JeepsterCommando19661973

By1966,Jeephadspentmorethantwodecades makingcivilianversionsofitsfamedwarmachine tovaryingdegreesofsuccess.TheCommando waslaunchedasapickup,convertible,roadster andcoveredwagon,withtheFordBroncofirmly initssightsEventhe‘deJeeped’C104version of1974,completewithstrongnewstraightsix andV8engines,didn’tsolveitssaleschallenges Itwasthusforgotten,whiletheBroncobecamea legendandwasrecentlyreborntogreatacclaim.

BertoneFreeclimber19891995

BertonetookDaihatsu’sFourtrak,gaveitamuch nicerinterior,madeahandfulofdesigntweaks andreplacedtheenginewithsmoother,stronger BMWunits.TheresultwastheFreeclimber,of

IsuzuAmigo19901994

Europeansmayrecognisethiscuriousthreedoor SUVastheOpel/VauxhallFronteraNotforthe firstorlasttime,productplannersdiscovered thattheunforgivingAmericancarmarkethas littleaffectionforSUVsofsmallstatureunless theyhavesomethingspecialgoingforthem Fourcylinderenginesandmanualgearboxes werealsohardlybelovedinthisclass,andso IsuzudroppedtheAmigoafterjustfouryears.

HondaCrossroad19931998

TheonlyseriesproducedHondaeveroffered

competeagainstSUVsliketheJeepCherokeein itsonlymarket,JapanHondaofferedbothtwo andfourdoorvariants,butmediocrereliability andpoorfueleconomygreatlylimiteditsappeal, anditwasreplacedafterfiveyearsbytheCRV.

SantanaPS10Anibal20022011

HavingproducedLandRoversunderlicencefrom 1958to1990,SpanishcompanySantanausedthe Defender110asthebasisforitsownhardy4x4

Itwaslowtech,butcertaincreaturecomforts likepowersteeringandairconwereoptions.The frontwasdesignedtoobviouslysetitapartfrom theLandieandanIvecoturbodieselwasbought inCivilianandmilitaryvariantsweresoldacross EuropeuntilSantanafiledforbankruptcyin2011.