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Aston

Peugeot

Diesel’s

Solid-state

Luxury

brands bucking sales trend 12

Renault backs dealers It says ‘non’ to agency model 14

TESTED

Porsche Cayenne Facelifted SUV prototype driven 20

Honda Civic Type R Is it even better than before? 24

Hyundai Ioniq 6 The 5’s streamliner sibling hits UK 26

Citroën ë-C4 X All-new saloon-hatch-crossover EV 28

Toyota Yaris Hybrid GR Sport This is no GR Yaris 29

Toyota bZ4X AWD Vision ROAD TEST 30

FEATURES

Tonale v Q3 It’s an Alfa by name – but by nature? 40

Hyundai Casper We test Korea’s friendly crossover 46

Lambo’s V12 era As told by the men who made them 48

Charity climb Car industry leaders scale Kilimanjaro 54

OUR CARS

Dacia Jogger Final verdict on bargain seven-seater 62

Volkswagen Multivan New T7 joins long-term fleet 64

Kia Sportage Getting to know our SUV’s clever tech 65

Peugeot 308 SW A fact-finding mission to Cornwall 67

EVERY WEEK

Jesse Crosse A warm welcome to heated seatbelts 11

Jim Holder Why all EVs are not created equal 13

Matt Prior Ami EV or electric Hummer – or both? 15

Steve Cropley Ford’s ‘corrected’ Mustang Mach-E 17

Damien Smith Andretti F1 return; Bicester Scramble 18

Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 38

Your Views Abandoned Hispano-Suiza H6C; EV ire 58

On this day 1979 visit to the Lotus production line 61

Slideshow Seven cars and – count ’em – 42 wheels 82

DEALS

As good as new Audi’s under-the-radar A3 Saloon 68

James Ruppert Bangers to beat the winter blues 69

Cult hero Mk2 Merc CL: lots to love and little to pay 70

New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenvo 72 Road test index Track down that road test here 81

COMMENT

NISSAN LOOKS READY TO RESUME EV LEADERSHIP

SOLID-STATE batteries are “the game-changer to come” in the world of electric cars and, according to Nissan Europe R&D boss David Moss, they are finally coming (p10).

Nissan has put a time stamp on their introduction in a car for 2028 and will have completed advanced engineering of them by 2026. The company is working with world-leading material scientists from Oxford University on the batteries’ development and expects them to halve costs, double energy density and triple charging speeds over today’s lithium ion packs.

Each of these improvements would be remarkable enough on its own, but together they will mark a breakthrough moment in opening up electric cars to the masses, making them more affordable and charging more akin to what we’re used to today when refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

Nissan was first to market with an electric car, the Leaf, more than a decade ago. By waiting until now to launch its second, the Ariya, the firm failed to build on the advantage it gave itself over the rest of the industry.

Achieving the breakthrough in solid-state batteries, which have long been held up as the holy grail in EV development, would mean Nissan has gained an advantage once again.

Mark Tisshaw Editor

mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com

youtube.com/autocar facebook.com/autocarofficial twitter.com/autocar autocar_official

DBS dials V12 up to 759bhp for hardcore finale model

The new Aston Martin DBS

770 Ultimate has arrived as a radically enhanced swansong for the firm’s brutish V12 grand tourer – as well as an enticing statement of intent for the marque’s future sports cars.

Launching as Aston Martin celebrates its 110th birthday in 2023 – and the 75th anniversary of the DB nameplate – the 770 Ultimate is “the most powerful production Aston Martin ever”. Its 759bhp puts it some way clear of the standard DBS, which has 715bhp.

There have been more potent road cars to leave Gaydon in recent years – not least the 1160bhp Valkyrie hypercar and 836bhp Victor coupé – but they have been highly limited and ultraexpensive propositions.

The 770 will receive an extended build run made up of 300 coupé and 199 convertible variants, priced from £314,000 and £337,000 respectively. Each has already sold out ahead of deliveries starting in late summer.

The 5.2-litre, quad-cam engine’s extra grunt comes primarily from a 7% increase in turbo pressure and tweaks to the air and ignition pathways, as well as careful fettling of the power and torque delivery curves.

Armed with a 0-62mph time of 3.2sec (in coupé form) and a top speed of 211mph, the 770 comes close to Ferrari’s ferocious final-edition 812 and the commemorative Ultimae version of the Lamborghini Aventador for outright speed, but it has not been conceived simply to offer dazzling

straight-line pace. As with the similarly outrageous Vantage V12 launched last year, its added firepower arrives alongside an extensive chassis and drivetrain overhaul aimed at bolstering engagement and tightening up the handling.

The adaptive dampers have been recalibrated at all four corners, for example, to give improved control without denting rolling refinement (Aston has sought to preserve the DBS’s long-distance appeal) and a new solidmounted steering column has been fitted, “allowing the driver to enjoy a more precise connection with the road”.

Aston also claims frontend stiffness is up by 25%, courtesy of a tougher new crossmember, while a thicker undertray at the back is said to increase rear-end rigidity by 3%. Even the eight-speed ZF gearbox has been retuned to give quicker shifts and to better convey a whopping 664lb ft (available from just 1800rpm) to the rear axle.

The company’s product and marketing boss, Alex Long, told Autocar that “from a dynamics point of view, the DBS is our most prodigious performance car in the frontengined range” and that this hardcore new version aims to cement its legacy while offering a taste of Aston’s strengthened commitment to engaging handling in future models.

“The focus on performance as a pillar of the brand is critical,” said Long.

“Historically, we’ve been a performance brand as well as a luxury marque, and we’re

moving back to that. So rather than having products with two levels of power output and performance – and that includes dynamics and braking and all the other aspects of what makes a proper performance car – we now have to bring these power levels that give our cars the edge.”

But the 770 has not been conceived explicitly with a focus on shaving lap times. Long said “a lot of our customers say the DBS is the supercar for touring”

Added driver engagement lies at the 770’s core

Aston Martin’s DBS 770 Ultimate will be its most potent production car yet

and so the outright aim was to enhance “the emotional connection engagement” between car and driver. “In a world where there’s so much driver assistance, increasing electrification and so on, there’s a place for that. I think what people are looking for from us is that thrill,” he added.

As with the similarly uprated DBX 707 – a fire-breathing performance version of Aston’s V8 SUV – the run-out DBS is told apart from its standard sibling by an aggressive design makeover with “an authentic level of function”. A substantial horseshoe-shaped bonnet vent

enhances engine cooling, while a newly designed splitter, increasing downforce at the front, is flanked by a pair of larger new air vents that boost airflow and nod to the previous-generation DBS.

Other core differences over the standard DBS include a raft of carbonfibre body components, a bespoke rear diffuser and a new 21in wheel design modelled on those worn by the Valkyrie and Victor.

The interior is less radically reworked but comes furnished as standard with top-rung leather and Alcantara sports seats, a unique colour split for the cabin trim and stitching, and laser-etched DBS 770 Ultimate badging.

Aston would not be drawn on

specifics of a successor to today’s DBS. Long went only so far as to confirm that “this is the end of the DBS – the last DBS produced”, but stopped short of confirming whether or not the nameplate could be redeployed in the future.

He did confirm that Aston

“will always have a flagship”, and ex-CEO Tobias Moers’ affirmation last year that “there’s still room for a V12 in our sports car generation” suggests that Aston is not yet ready to retire its largest engine, opening the door for a new generation of 12-cylinder, front-engined grand tourers.

The V12 is “synonymous with the brand”, according

MIGHTY V12 BOWS OUT IN STYLE

“People still love the ‘twelves’. As much as the electrification revolution continues, it’s a different use case. And it’s still very much a huge emotional connection for our customers.”

FELIX PAGE

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae

Rolls-Royce Boat Tail Limited to three examples, the yacht-inspired V12 limo is the world’s most expensive new Price £314,000 Engine V12, 5204cc, twinturbocharged, petrol Power 759bhp Torque 664lb ft 0-62mph 3.2sec Top speed 211mph Kerb weight 1845kg

car at £20m. ASTON MARTIN DBS 770 ULTIMATE COUPE

IMAGE

Radical rethink for Peugeot 508

Inception-inspired design and a new platform in play for its EV-only third generation

The 508 is set to be reinvented for an electric-only third generation as Peugeot prepares to embark on its most drastic and wide-reaching shake-up in decades.

From 2025, the French firm’s electric cars will switch from legacy PSA Group architecture to the new-era Stellantis STLA modular EV platforms that are being introduced to Peugeot and its 13 sibling brands.

As previewed by the stunning Inception coupé concept earlier this month, these platforms will bring about a step change in the technical make-up of Peugeot’s EVs, introducing trick new wireless steering hardware, advanced autonomous driving functions, much more powerful motors and longer-range batteries with faster (and potentially

wireless) charging capacity.

Peugeot was careful to clarify that it has no plans to build a production version of the Inception itself, but its sharp, squat propositions and low-slung silhouette naturally make it closest in conception to the Mk2 508, which has been on sale since 2018 and will therefore be due for replacement roughly when the first STLA-based EV arrives.

The 508’s future has long been uncertain as sales in the traditional D-segment saloon and estate markets have plummeted in light of increased demand for SUVs, with rivals including the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and Volvo S60 all recently bowing out.

However, Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson said the brand has no intention of axing model lines as it reinvents itself.

VW UP TO ITS NECK IN GTI ORDERS

Volkswagen has stopped taking orders for the Up GTI, as demand has “exceeded expectations”. The company wouldn’t say if or when the popular baby hot hatch, which was priced from £17,950, would return to its UK line-up.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, Jackson said: “We’ve got some great models, and we want to keep the same-sized range, the same number of models. So it’s all about refreshing each of our models as we come along.”

While the 508’s replacement is likely to keep the same name, it will be heavily restyled and subtly repositioned in a bid to bolster its popularity and link it more closely to its future stablemates, all of which will take heavy design inspiration from the Inception.

Most obviously, the 508’s successor is likely to be higherriding in order to account for the global market shift towards crossovers but will keep its conventional saloon silhouette.

Jackson said this straddling of segments (first explored

with the freshly launched 408) will provide the best balance of efficiency and practicality for next-generation EVs.

She explained: “I don’t think anybody is saying that SUVs are going to disappear, because they’re still as popular as ever, but we’re all looking for ways to make them more aerodynamic, and therefore you start to move into slightly different silhouettes.”

Jackson acknowledged the higher driving position and enhanced ‘modularity’ offered by SUVs as chief factors in their appeal but said experimenting with new bodystyles in this segment could bring about improvements in efficiency, thereby boosting range and cutting CO2 emissions per car.

Notably, fellow Stellantis brand Vauxhall’s similarly conceived and sized Insignia

SAME FURY, LESS VENOM IN REVOLUTION

Hennessey has stripped out its blistering 1817bhp Venom F5 supercar to create the Revolution, a £2.3 million track-only speed demon that’s gunning for lap records. The 6.6-litre Fury V8 engine returns, joined by a huge new rear wing.

will return with electric power (and more ground clearance) in around 2025, raising the possibility of it and the next 508 effectively being twinned.

Peugeot product director Jérôme Micheron summed up the company’s vision for future product segmentation concisely by saying: “There’s life besides SUVs.”

He acknowledged that Peugeot is “very successful” with its 2008, 3008 and 5008 but added that “low-roof” cars such as the 208 and 308 remain strong-selling mainstays of the line-up.

“In the coming portfolio,” he said, “we will still have a balance between SUVs and other concepts. I’m not saying this is going to be exactly the Inception, but we want to have this balance.”

FELIX PAGE

Mk2 508 has been sold as saloon and estate since 2018

Straddling

Why does the Inception concept take the form of a car that you won’t build?

“What we’re saying is that all of the technologies that you’ve seen will appear on Peugeot models across the range. So, if you like, it’s a manifesto. It’s really a showcase of technologies, as opposed to simplistically saying: ‘This is a great concept and we’re going to bring it to the market.’”

Why invest in wireless charging technology when there’s no infrastructure to support it?

“We’re investing for the future. And we have to remember that the speed of development of all

aspects of electrification is so rapid. We’re saying these technologies will be introduced from 2025 onwards; we’re not necessarily saying that fast charging is [coming in] exactly 2025. We need to move forward and we need to find clever, easy solutions for our customers.”

Will the Inception’s advanced technology make it even to entry-level cars?

“We need to make sure of which technologies we’re going to put on the B-segment cars, C-segment cars or whatever, and it’s really choosing and making sure that the cars we make are affordable.”

Suzuki goes electric

SUZUKI HAS PROVIDED a first look at its maiden EV with the eVX concept, an SX4 S-Cross-size crossover intended to “carry forward the brand’s 4x4 legacy”.

Revealed at the Delhi Auto Expo in India, where Suzuki has a major presence, the concept features a 60kWh battery, giving it a range of 342 miles.

Suzuki’s budget-friendly billing means a single-motor, two-wheel-drive

powertrain is expected to feature in most of the production eVX variants.

Slated for 2025, it is likely to be priced from around £30,000 to take on the Citroën ë-C4 and MG ZS EV.

NEXT 5 SERIES HAS ELECTRIC SIBLING

BMW has confirmed that it will launch the electric i5 later this year alongside the eighth-generation 5 Series saloon and estate. It is likely to be offered with outputs ranging from 335bhp to 536bhp and a top-end range of around 350 miles.

CHINESE SUBSCRIPTION SPECIALIST LYNK&CO PLANS UK LAUNCH

Geely-owned Chinese brand Lynk&Co, a pioneer of car subscription, will come to the UK in 2024 with a new electric SUV. Currently without a name, the EV will be underpinned by the same SEA platform as the Smart #1. At launch it will replace the brand’s single model in Europe, the 01 plug-in hybrid SUV, which costs from €550 (£490) per month.

NEW RANGE-TOPPER FOR JAGUAR I-PACE

Jaguar has updated the I-Pace EV with design tweaks, upgraded tech inside and a new rangetopping trim. Priced from £79,995, the 400 Sport gains a bootlid-mounted spoiler and adaptive air suspension to enhance the ride and handling.

segments will provide the best balance of efficiency and practicality

Q&A LINDA JACKSON, CE0, PEUGEOT

Jackson unwrapped stunning Inception concept at CES

The eVX points to Suzuki’s EV future

Pump prices put another nail in diesel’s coffin

Diesel is 22p

How the forecourt price of diesel has outstripped petrol

For anyone filling up their diesel car this month, the news that 2022 registrations of purediesel models fell by almost 40% and mild hybrids by almost 27% will come as little surprise because the financial benefits of opting for diesel over petrol have eroded.

In the first week of January last year, a litre of diesel cost just 4p more than petrol (£1.49 compared with £1.45). Give or take a few pennies, this difference in their prices had persisted since 2003. Because the typical diesel car is around a third more fuel-efficient than its petrol equivalent, diesel’s modest price premium gave the vehicles an attractive running costs advantage.

However, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine last February, this price difference increased by 10p. Fast forward to the first week of 2023 and a litre of diesel cost £1.74 compared with £1.52 for petrol, a difference of 22p.

If these prices are maintained, the driver of a new BMW 320d Sport automatic doing 60,000 miles over the next three years will spend £1290 less on fuel than someone driving a 320i Sport automatic. However, at January 2022’s prices, they would have spent £2046

less. Add the fact that the 320d is more expensive to buy (£41,870 compared with the 320i at £38,990) and to tax (£1270 compared with £560) and the case for buying a 320d over a 320i has become harder to make now than it was 12 months ago.

The current high price of fuel also continues to attract attention. The RAC has accused retailers of not passing on recent reductions in wholesale costs: a litre of petrol sits at £1.06 and diesel at £1.23. Were they implemented, and allowing for the likes of a 10p-per-litre retailer margin, the RAC says petrol should sit at £1.40 and diesel £1.60. However, even at these lower figures, the price difference between the two fuels would still be around 20p, which is 16p more than it was 12 months ago.

The reason diesel has become so much more expensive than petrol has its origins in the Ukraine war and the UK’s tendency to favour petrol over diesel production, according to Simon Williams, fuel spokesperson at the RAC.

“The UK’s refineries are geared towards petrol production,” he said. “As a result, we’ve always imported a lot of diesel. Until last year, our biggest source – supplying one-

third of the country’s needs – was Russia. With its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, our imports of Russian diesel ceased. Now, the UK is reliant on other suppliers and their higher wholesale prices.”

Fortunately, there is good news for diesel car owners in the form of the vehicles’ rising second-hand prices. Although values of used diesels fell in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and higher pump prices, consumer demand for the vehicles has remained resilient, according to Dylan Setterfield, head of forecast strategy at Cap HPI. The result is that during the past three months, diesel car values have once again outperformed those of petrol cars, in the process recovering more than half the ground they lost between April and August last year.

“Diesel remains a sensible choice for high-mileage drivers,” said Setterfield.

He believes diesel’s resurgence will be sustained by recent and ongoing declines in the registrations of new diesel cars, meaning that what diesel owners lose at the pumps today, they may claw back in the future with strong resale prices in what is likely to become a seller’s market.

JOHN EVANS

a litre dearer than petrol and the new cars that use it cost more to buy and tax. No wonder diesel sales are diving

As road testers, we can only road test what’s come fresh from the assembly lines and through the garage doors at Autocar HQ, and to say diesels have become an uncommon sight is an understatement.

Genuinely, in any given June, you’re now more likely to find a Huracán in our basement car park than you are something whose redline sits below 5000rpm.

Do I miss them? Not especially. Turbocharging had made even tiny petrol motors surprisingly torquey and even the very best four-pot diesels

can still sound a bit rattly, which if nothing else feels anachronistic in the era of

Tesla and a pure-electric RollsRoyce. It seems wild that Audi once seriously considered

mainline production of an R8 endowed with a 6.0-litre 740lb ft V12 TDI.

And yet diesel does still have a place: long-haul travel. Not very exciting, admittedly, but worthwhile and convenient and actually pretty stirring when you experience it, as I did last year.

Having brimmed the 66-litre tank of a 2021-model-year Skoda Superb Estate (2.0 TDI, 150PS) in London and aimed the car at the Med, the Skoda went 1113 miles before we rolled onto a forecourt near Lyon on the way home.

In the UK, with typical commutes, you might go eight weeks between fill-ups. And while diesel costs more than petrol, the result of fewer trips to the fuel station would usefully lower the perceived cost of running the car. It’s one reason why people don’t like trains, even if, for them, it’s cheaper than car ownership. Paying every time you travel feels expensive. In an efficient petrol car, things are a lot more simple, and in something like the diesel Skoda? Well, it almost feels a little like free

Solid-state Nissan EVs due 2028

Japanese

battery technology

Nissan is committed to launching an electric car with a solid-state battery, believing itself to be in a “class-leading position” regarding the technology.

The Japanese firm, which was first to launch a mass-

market electric car (the Leaf) in 2010, plans to have a pilot solidstate battery production plant up and running by 2025; to have completed engineering on the initial technology by 2026; and to then ramp up towards mass production in 2028 with

NISSAN TO STOP ICE INVESTMENT

Nissan won’t be investing in pure Euro 7 combustionengine technology, its senior vice-president for R&D in Europe has confirmed.

David Moss told Autocar he believed a crossover point between the prices of Euro 7 engines and lithium ion batteries for EVs was near.

“From a mass-production point of view, EV is coming down, EU7 is driving petrol the other way,” he said. “So one cost goes up, the other

goes down, and we’re not that far away from where they will cross in cost.”

The news comes after EU law makers published a list of rules to make ICE and hybrid cars “as clean as possible” before they are banned from sale next decade. Due from July 2025, these include new electrically heated e-catalysts to mitigate cold-start emissions and live on-board monitoring of key pollutants.

the first application in a car.

David Moss, Nissan’s senior vice-president for research and development in Europe, said: “We think we have something quite special and are in a group leading the technology. We want to get the cost down [compared with lithium ion batteries] by 50%, to double the energy density and to offer three times the charging speed.”

Moss said that Nissan had gone from small button cells to larger (10cm) square cells at the current stage of development in Japan. Final cells end up the size of a laptop.

He added that Nissan was working with leading scientists at the University of Oxford on developing the technology, and that Nissan’s solid-state tech was “all solid-state”, in that it removes all liquid elements from the battery.

“Can you delete the liquid electrolyte out of the battery? This is where we think we’re leading,” said Moss. “Some solid-state batteries still have the liquid electrolytes, and this is an issue, as that liquid boils. The efficiency of that energy in storage and transfer and the power you put into it will be impacted.”

Moss said solid-state tech “opens up electric mobility to sectors that you can’t today”,

such as the largest pick-up trucks and SUVs.

There’s no indication of which model would bring the tech to market in 2028, but it would have to be based on all-new architecture and most likely built in a new factory, because the impact on almost every element of the car’s development and manufacturing is so dramatic.

Nissan previously showed a trio of future-looking concept cars (the Max-Out, Surf-Out and Hang-Out, pictured above), hinting at the diverse variety of market segments that stand to benefit from its nextgeneration EV hardware.

“When you commit to something like solid-state, you have to change the whole mechanism and architecture of the vehicle,” said Moss.

The tech is being developed separately from any vehicle project to ensure that it is not introduced prematurely or does not cause any specific project to be delayed.

Charging speeds will be key to reducing costs, because faster, more stable and more consistent charging will in turn mean smaller batteries can be fitted to vehicles.

“If you can put in energy three times faster, is it any different to filling a [petrol] vehicle?” said Moss. “We don’t know yet [about battery size], but we might have two sizes of battery – one for really heavy users who need massive range, but if you can put energy in like petrol, do you need the size?”

Tripling charging speeds would take Nissan from around 130kW to 400kW as an example given, but the charge would be more consistently delivered at those speeds, rather than speeding up and slowing down depending on temperature.

“That’s what the [solid-state] cells can do,” said Moss when asked about 400kW charging speeds. “They can accept it. The liquid cells of today can’t.”

Moss added that Nissan remained committed to

firm claims it’s a leader in developing transformative

❝

We want to get the cost down 50%, to double the energy density and to offer triple the charging speed

Nissan’s current big-sellers, Juke and Qashqai, burn petrol

developing lithium ion battery technology, confirming that at least two more generations were coming – one within the next couple of years, then in 2028 a cobalt-free one, which is already at an advanced stage of research and could reduce costs by as much as 65%.

“Lithium ion is constantly changing, with better energy density, [better] efficiency and lower cost,” said Moss. “The cost is key, as this opens up EVs to even more customers. We believe there are a couple of steps left in lithium ion. A big drive for us is to go cobalt-free. We expect this to be on the market in 2028.”

It’s important to keep developing lithium ion battery tech, believes Moss, because

it will coexist with solid-state tech for a while to come.

“We’ve had four changes since [the original] Leaf,” he added, recalling that the first battery make-up developed for the car never actually made it to production, because the tech advanced so quickly between its unveiling and market launch.

“Batteries will continue to evolve,” continued Moss.

“We will continue to research battery technology as it moves so quickly. What we do today and plan today won’t be the same as in a few years.”

Nissan has committed €15.6 billion (£13.8bn) to EV development over the next five years, on top of the €7.8bn (£6.9bn) it has spent so far.

MARK TISSHAW

UNDER THE SKIN JESSE CROSSE

WHY HEATED SEATBELTS ARE NO GIMMICK, OR AN EV RANGE DRAIN

EVEN IN THE fuel crises of the 1960s and 1970s, which were far worse than anything we’re experiencing today, little effort was made to explore ways of making cars more energy-efficient. It has taken this long, global warming and the world waking up to the need for sustainability to get companies to look into ways of making cars more efficient. On the face of it, some of these might seem unlikely to be worthwhile, but the science suggests otherwise. One of the most recent ideas to emerge is the heated seatbelt from ZF.

Direct heating in the cabin is something that manufacturers and suppliers have been seriously considering as a way of heating occupants’ bodies directly, using radiant heat rather than heating cabin air, which consumes masses of power. That’s okay when the car has a combustion engine, which generates lots of waste heat, but not so good with electric cars. In that case, cabin heating scavenges energy from the battery, which in very cold weather significantly reduces the range of the car.

Some methods of direct heating have already crept in. The heated seat has been around since the 1960s, and today it and the heated steering wheel have become firm fixtures on options lists. EV drivers will notice that while the available range drops dramatically when cabin heat is turned on, the same isn’t true of these two direct heating options, yet they both significantly improve comfort in cold weather.

ZF claims its heated seatbelts can increase the range of an EV by up to 15% by reducing the energy required to heat cabin air. They are made from a new webbing with embedded electrical conductors that only marginally increase the thickness compared with standard items, a specially developed textile process weaving the conductive elements into the material.

Although ZF hasn’t given specific detail, the electrical connections to the heating elements are designed not to conflict with

the way in which the seatbelts are drawn out of their casing when the occupants put them on or in the way they retract again. In fact, the idea is that, save for some extra electrical circuits, the car manufacturer doesn’t need to make any significant changes to fit them.

ZF says there’s also a safety benefit in reducing the bulk of the clothing occupants will need to wear to keep warm and thus letting the seatbelts lie closer to the body.

Of course, effective though they may be, especially in conjunction with heated seats, allowing the body’s core to be heated from both sides, they won’t do much for cold feet. But as these new heating methods evolve from individual one-offs into systems, the addition of strategically placed radiant heating panels in cars’ footwells will take care of that too.

Direct heating is an approach that we can expect to see more of in cars. And if you’re still in doubt, look no further than the motorcycle community, which has been using heated clothing, gloves and grips to keep riders warm in winter for years.

One of the keys to green energy looks no more exciting than this polymer exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser, which will create green hydrogen at a 15MW plant set up in Germany by industrial group

Schaeffler and hydrogen maker Lhyfe. Hydrogen generated at the rate of 3.7 tonnes per day will be supplied to other Schaeffler sites,

Max-Out, Surf-Out and Hang-Out EV concepts hint at Nissan’s future

local authorities and vehicle filling stations.

ZF’s new heated seatbelts will reach 30-40deg C mere minutes after you start driving and work in conjunction with heated seats.

Nissan has sold more than 600,000 Leafs since launch, half of those in Europe.

Leaf will soon make way for crossover with next-gen battery tech

HYDROGEN’S POSITIVE CHARGE

Luxury brands defy market dip

Car sales hit a 30-year low in 2022 yet upmarket makers still achieved record success

As the dust settles on the Covid-19 pandemic, the automotive landscape does not present a pretty picture. From the semiconductor shortage to repeated lockdowns in China, various factors have conspired to strangle manufacturers’ production capacities over the past two years.

Such is the magnitude of the problem that new car registrations in the UK reached a 30-year low in 2022. The 1.61 million sales tally is 700,000 short of 2019’s total, the most recent ‘normal’ year.

Yet at the very upper echelons of the car market, luxury brands went ever upwards.

Among the marques to achieve record sales in 2022 were Bugatti, MercedesMaybach and Rolls-Royce, plus plenty more. Not only did they set new benchmarks for volume, but rocketing demand for extensive customisation also drove profitability to new heights for many.

CHARLIE MARTIN

Lamborghini set a new annual sales record of 9233 cars, an increase of 10% compared with the previous year.

Unsurprisingly, the Urus SUV – the firm’s highest-volume car ever – topped the rankings with 5367 deliveries, a 7% increase on 2021’s total.

Huracán volumes rose by 20% year on year to 3113 units, while 753 examples of the stalwart Aventador were

Having broken its annual profits record by July, Bentley went on in 2022 to sell more than 15,000 cars for the first time. Its

final tally was 15,174. The Bentayga led the charge, accounting for 42% of the brand’s deliveries (around 6370 cars), followed by

the Continental GT and GT Convertible with a further 30%. The Flying Spur made up the remaining 28% of deliveries, with the

Hybrid comprising around 30% of the model’s global sales. However, this was significantly higher in the UK, at 66%.

Stuttgart’s

delivered as it bowed out after a decade on sale.

The US was by far Lamborghini’s strongest market, with 2721 sales, which was more than double the 1018 delivered to the secondplace Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau region.

Germany, the UK and Japan rounded out the top five markets with 808, 650 and 546 deliveries respectively.

improvement on the previous year, thanks to demand from Japan, Korea, the Middle East and China – the last of which received 1100 cars per month.

With the addition of a new model based on the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Maybach’s first EV is likely to promote further growth for the brand this year.

Customisation was the name of the game for Rolls-Royce in 2022 as every car that left Goodwood went through the marque’s Bespoke programme. This meant its average car sale topped €500,000 (£430,000), although some Phantoms exceeded €2 million (£1.8m).

Overall, Rolls-Royce sold 6021 cars in 2022 – the second consecutive year in which it set a new record for deliveries. As expected, its SUV – the Cullinan – took the top spot, followed by the

Ghost and then the recently refreshed Phantom.

Pre-orders for the first electric Rolls, the Spectre, also got off to a strong start as they exceeded the company’s “most ambitious expectations”.

STANDOUT SALES STATS

Bugattis delivered during 2022, the brand’s highestever annual output.

Mercedes-Benz EQS models sold during the car’s first year on the market.

Examples of the Oxfordbuilt Mini Electric delivered, to make it the Brit brand’s best-seller.

Record number of BMW M cars sold, in the sporting division’s 50th anniversary year.

Cars on Jaguar Land Rover’s order books as high demand outstrips supply.

reinvigorated ultra-luxury brand posted its second consecutive record year in 2022, with 21,600 sales – a 37% (5870-unit)

Mazda rotary returns for MX-30

THE MAZDA MX-30 crossover has gained a new powertrain that marks the company’s first use of a rotary engine since the demise of the RX-8 sports coupé in 2012, bolstering the model’s range.

Revealed at the Brussels motor show and labelled by the Japanese car maker as a “unique series plug-in hybrid”, the MX-30 R-EV partners a 17.8kWh battery with an 830cc petrol rotary engine and an electric motor, producing a total power output of 167bhp and 191lb ft.

The innovative 830cc rotary petrol engine acts as a generator for the MX-30’s battery, while the electric motor sends power to the wheels.

Combined, the model’s 50-litre fuel tank and battery offer a driving range of more than 400 miles, with CO2 emissions of 21g/km. That represents a big range increase over the 130 miles

MX-30 R-EV uses a rotary as a generator for its 17.8kWh pack

provided by the current, EV-only model, which has a 35.5kWh battery.

The MX-30 R-EV can travel up to 53 miles on pureelectric power per charge, says Mazda, which ranks ahead of much larger plug-in hybrids such as the Suzuki Across, Toyota RAV4 and Mercedes-Benz A250e.

Four specification levels are available at launch and orders are open now, with deliveries set to begin in the

summer. Prices start from £31,250 for entry-level Prime-Line cars, while an Edition R trim, limited to just 400 units, costs £37,950.

A spokesperson for Mazda told Autocar it hopes to sell around 3100 R-EV and 1500 EV MX-30s over the next year. The firm has sold 2950 units in the UK over the past two years – every car it could physically sell in the UK, with the model affected by supply constraints.

AS THE GOVERNMENT ponders how to tax electric cars, I’m surprised by how little debate is being directed at rewarding efficiency – a glaring omission, considering the industry’s focus (driven in part by customer demand) on prioritising both bigger and higher-riding cars, which in both cases are typically more profitable but more consumptive.

Why is this important? Achieving zero tailpipe emissions is merely a step in the right direction until our vehicles are powered entirely by green energy. Pretty obviously, burning coal to create the electricity to move a car creates large amounts of CO2, whereas using electricity from a wind turbine doesn’t. At the risk of forcing a utilitarian agenda, you might also argue that we should be seeking to conserve the energy that we create regardless of its source, too.

It’s why for now EVs make more sense in renewableloving Norway than coaldependent Poland or China; and why the UK, a mid-table performer for CO2 output from its energy generation in European terms, must remain relentlessly focused on investing in renewable energy if its push towards the 2030 EV mandate isn’t to be contradictory.

Just how unequal samesized electric cars can be is highlighted by EV Database, using real-world data. While the Tesla Model 3 (a very efficient saloon) uses 245Wh of electricity per mile on average, the Toyota bZ4X (a decently efficient SUV) consumes 312Wh per mile.

While battery technology

most likely plays a part, that difference of more than a quarter is largely down to aerodynamics and weight, and to my mind is reason enough for legislators to incentivise slipperier, more svelte shapes.

That argument only snowballs if you look at the efficiency of some of the bigger EVs on sale, too. The BMW iX uses 351Wh per mile, the Mercedes-Benz EQS 361Wh per mile and the Volvo EX90 375Wh per mile.

Fully laden and utilising every inch of their girth, they might be able to make a case for being nearly 50% less efficient than the Model 3, but we all know how rarely cars of any size are used to full capacity.

Highlighting again the benefits of shape, it’s also notable that the Rolls-Royce Spectre coupé comes in at 351Wh per mile. It’s hardly a model of restraint, yet it’s better than even the (admittedly quite old) Jaguar I-Pace (pictured), which consumes 360Wh per mile.

Luxury (and therefore the price) is less the enemy of efficiency than our obsession with SUVs, it seems, although it’s likely that the combination of the two represents the worst-case scenario.

The premise of taxing less efficient cars has underpinned road tax for ICE cars for many years, and it should do so again into the electric era.

Left to their own capitalist devices, humans will usually strive to have more than they need. It’s the legislators’ jobs to encourage better decisions and penalise those who don’t heed them.

An efficiency-based tax for electric cars makes a lot of sense

MX-30 R-EV’s rotary extends its range beyond 400 miles

New 830cc engine is 840mm wide; rotor has a 120mm radius

Renault rejects agency model

UK boss says he “loves and respects the job dealers do” as rival firms plan direct sales

Renault UK boss Guillaume Sicard has ruled out following rivals into an agency retail model, whereby the car maker rather than the dealer handles sales.

Earlier this year, MercedesBenz became the first brand to move to an agency model, centralising the sales process (including pricing) and using dealers only to hand over sold cars for a fixed fee.

Stellantis-owned Alfa Romeo and DS are expected to follow suit soon, and many others

have committed to making the transition, arguing that it improves the customer experience as well as profits.

However, Sicard, who took over running Renault UK one year ago and grew sales by 8.2% in 2022 to take a 2% market share, cautioned: “I’m not in favour of agency. I love dealers, I love and respect the job they do in the market, how they communicate with customers and how they manage relationships with manufacturers. I think we

need to respect that.”

However, he conceded that he would watch developments with interest, saying: “I also have to remain open-minded. I’m not saying we should never do it, but the challenge of talking to customers directly is enormous, and we aren’t able to do that today.

“Maybe in a few years, we will reconsider. Today, I prefer to optimise my network. I like my dealers, I need my dealers and I need them to be profitable.”

JIM HOLDER

SICARD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, RENAULT UK Q&A

Are you happy with Renault’s 2022 performance, given the overall market shrank?

“Yes. If I look at all the constraints that we had in terms of components, logistics, pricing and launching, I have to say that in the end we had a good year, increasing the market share.”

How long are waiting times for new customers now?

“As an average, a few months for passenger cars – about the same as rivals but really too long. Sure, it’s nice to have more customers than cars, but the optimum point is when you have one more customer than you have cars, not like it is today.

By the second half of 2023, I expect to see supply starting to open up nicely again.”

Will your profits be eroded as supply opens up and you have to fight for sales again?

“It will get more competitive, that’s for sure. But I doubt anyone wants to go back to having an overflow of cars again. That’s when the market goes into panic mode: it sparks a rush to find customers, which

erodes [profit] margins and trust, because customers lose the confidence of knowing that the price they’re paying is the best one. We also have a product range coming that we believe will be naturally in high demand, so this will give us an edge in the market as supply returns.”

How will the arrival of the 4 and 5 compact electric cars change perceptions of the brand?

“Because we’re small in sales terms, we need to be bold, and these are the perfect cars for us to do that. In the past four months, 80% of our sales have been electrified. By the end of this year, that

will be 100%. I want Renault to be known for that, for being a leading electrified brand. When your market share is 2%, you can’t be everything; you have to focus and be known for what you’re best at.”

If 2023 goes well, what will you be reflecting on?

“Above all else, I want the brand to be recognised more and more for being electrified, and leading in that from the customer’s perspective. I want to be recognised for being a leader in commercial vehicles; we’re seventh in the market today, but fifth or sixth is possible with our [product] range.”

Renault UK has around 150 dealers, who grew sales by 8.2% in 2022

Sicard expects high demand for reborn 5

GUILLAUME

Matt Prior

TESTER’S NOTES

AND THERE’S MORE

The new Huracán Sterrato off-road supercar arriving this year will be the last-ever V10-engined Lamborghini – or will it? When we asked head honcho Stephan Winkelmann recently, his immediate response was to laugh and reply: “You nearly got me there.” The twinkle in his eye seemed to suggest that he had something up his sleeve…

CROSS EXAMINATION

The Toyota Corolla Cross was due on sale in the UK in 2022 as a rival to the Skoda Karoq, but it remains unavailable here two and a half years since its unveiling. European product boss Andrea Carlucci told us it’s because Toyota GB has “decided to hold on” to stop wait times for existing models becoming “beyond reasonable” in light of the global supply chain crisis. “I think the decision is very wise,” he said.

Right, I need to take myself outside and have a quiet word with myself. I’m in a photographic studio having a nose around a GMC Hummer EV, the first in the UK, and to my considerable surprise and even disappointment, I don’t hate it.

I know. There’s no excuse really. It’s 2.2 metres wide, it’s 5.5 metres long, it weighs 4.1 tonnes and, once you’ve paid over the odds to a dealer in the US to buy one, the import duty, the legal gubbins it needs to get it onto the road in the UK and a premium to the importer who supplies it (Clive Sutton of London in this case), it will cost you £300,000.

It’s obscene. It’s brash. It’s tacky. It’s horrific. And wouldn’t you know it, I almost like it ❞

MAPPING THE FUTURE

Next-generation mapping from Google will make its debut in the Volvo EX90 as part of a push towards autonomous driving. The high-definition upgrade for Google Maps will work with the EV’s exterior sensors, such as its lidar, to detail its surroundings, whether immediate or “beyond the twists and turns ahead”. Volvo said this enables it “to create a more predictable, safe and comfortable drive”.

It’s so heavy that if you passed your driving test after 1997, your standard driving licence won’t cover driving it. It makes 1000bhp, a big number that gives it faintly astonishing performance figures. It will do 0-60mph in 3.0sec and its top speed is governed to 106mph –although I don’t fancy trying that.

It’s obscene. It’s brash. It has a 212kWh battery – more than four times bigger than the one in the Citroën ë-C4 X (driven, p28). It’s tacky. It’s horrific. And wouldn’t you know it, I almost like it. Not here, maybe. Here I like cars like the Suzuki SJ, because green lanes are small and so is that old 4x4. But in wide open spaces, I (almost) get this new Hummer. Almost. I like machines built for a purpose, and the Hummer, hate it or mildly hate it, probably is one of those. You can see how they got here: somebody said they wanted to make the most capable big electric off-road truck in the world. Righty ho. It’s for America, and that’s large, so it needs a long range. And that inevitably means the battery pack to enable it to go 350 miles weighs 1328kg alone. To protect that, it needs a heavily reinforced underside. To climb over things, it needs variable-height air suspension. To crab around obstacles it can’t climb means it needs rear wheels that change direction. And to put torque where it wants when it wants, it needs three motors –one at the front, two at the back. By the time somebody said they wanted it luxurious and to have a decent payload, there you had it: 4.1 tonnes of astonishing capability

with some technology that will filter later onto other, smaller trucks.

Context is everything. The fact that it’s occupying a large portion of Leighton Buzzard isn’t its fault when it should be out in a desert, right?

No, I’m not sure I’m convincing myself, either. But this is the path we’ve chosen. I’m not sure it’s the right one, but that’s not the fault of the Hummer, whose engineering, if not the outlook that has brought it into existence, I can admire.

n At the opposite end of the motoring scale, there’s the Citroën Ami. A way to downsize and ease the planet’s burden? How it’s being bought suggests not.

I’m told that it’s tending to be an extra car for wealthier suburban families. Parents like that it gives their teens more safety than a scooter or public transport. It’s an addition to, not a replacement for, a bigger and more consumptive vehicle.

Plus it’s not narrow enough to reduce congestion and it doesn’t really help ease parking. But as a way to extend the Citroën brand, it’s invaluable.

Electric Hummer is offered in both SUV and pick-up forms

Not all Citroën Ami buyers are downsizing

SATURDAY

For weeks my preoccupation has been to discover whether Ford has fixed the Mustang Mach-E’s suspension. Early tests shockingly revealed the electric SUV’s good attributes were largely negated by a god-awful ride, particularly a disconcerting pitching on anything but a billiard table. Dearborn has taken an age to tackle this, and the company’s European experts (whose work we’ve often admired) have been oddly mute. Still, the springs and dampers have now been revised. A “corrected” car has come our way, and I’ve been driving it.

It’s better. Now it’s often enjoyable. You can tackle the bumps and wrinkles of the Fosse Way without being flung about like a pea in a barrel. On unthreatening roads, especially in the tautest driving mode, called Untamed, the body control is more effective. But the Mach-E could still be better. Many rivals are better. I can’t believe Ford insiders reckon this car now meets their previous class-topping standards. One day we will hear the truth of this strange affair, but in the short term I suspect the job of revealing the Mach-E’s true potential will have to fall to a topclass damper maker, such as Koni or Öhlins.

SUNDAY

The sun shone on us and all the others who zipped across Oxfordshire to Bicester Heritage, the unique old-car hub based in a pristine former Royal Air Force base of 1920s vintage. Just one week into the new year, this was the third car event that the Steering Committee and I had attended, which shows that organisers don’t fear winter any more – and attendees are glad about that. The January Scramble was packed out, and despite the concerns that classic car owners traditionally have about driving their treasures on salted roads, the quality of display

MY WEEK IN CARS

Steve Cropley

cars was top-notch. Even greater than the joyous sights and sounds was the feeling of fulfilment as we drove back home mid-afternoon. The uniquely cheerful, sociable and unthreatening atmosphere of Bicester Heritage is ideal for offsetting some of life’s other difficulties.

WEDNESDAY

A few years ago, Renault chief Luca de Meo told me that he had come up with his game-changing Renaulution plan one morning in the shower. It strikes me that he must have had a pretty inspired Christmas break, given that one of his earliest announcements this year has been to set profit targets for the Alpine performance brand (currently selling 2500 A110s annually) of 150,000 sales by 2030 across five or six models, all EVs.

AND ANOTHER THING

…

Here’s another candidate for storage in the notional barn where I mentally keep cars that seem certain to become classics. The Mini Roadster was made only between 2012 and 2015 and was apparently too expensive and slow-selling to earn profits.

But the day is fast coming when rightthinking collectors will want them.

Mark my words.

At first I was concerned about how this might affect me as an owner of a current A110, but now I’ve decided that I can’t lose. The car perfectly suits me and Herself for fun and comfort. It has a high reputation among my colleagues, so the market will always like it, but to judge by the sales trajectory, it will always be rare. It’s easy to own (affordable insurance and servicing) and it’s frugal (40mpg) for when petrol gets expensive. I’ve always tended to quit cars that I should have kept, as you may have twigged, but I reckon this A110 is a keeper.

THURSDAY

Wandering about in Kensington, I noticed that the old Bristol Cars corner showroom, just down the road from the Olympia exhibition centre, is now inhabited by an agency for Indian motorcycles. This is a place where I used to go to meet Bristol’s long-time custodian, the late, legendary Tony Crook, who took great pains over many years to ‘save’ it from being overtaken by the Hilton hotel that surrounds it on nearly every side. Crook moved out many years ago, to his acute regret, but I think he would be at least a little bit pleased to know that it’s now being used by purveyors of expensive, singular, performance-minded machinery made only for enthusiasts.

It’s ideal for offsetting some of life’s other difficulties

Mach-E is suppler now but still not up to Ford’s usual lofty standards

One classic car event that won’t intimidate youngsters

MOTORSPORT

Damien Smith

RACING LINES

GIVE ANDRETTI THE KEYS TO F1

New team backed by General Motors should be on grid by 2026

Andretti and Cadillac teaming up to press for a Formula 1 entry is fabulous news. Surely it’s a no-brainer for the FIA, F1 and the 10 current teams to welcome them with open arms, no? Judging from the initially cool and cautious response, apparently not.

It’s well documented that Michael Andretti, son of 1978 F1 champion and allround racing superhero Mario, has been working hard for some time to gain an F1 foothold.

Michael, who raced in F1 briefly and unsuccessfully for McLaren back in 1993, has been empire-building in recent years in a manner to rival Roger Penske. He now has interests in the Indycar Series, Indy NXT, the IMSA Sportscar Championship (with Acura), Formula E, Extreme E (with United Autosports), Australia’s Supercars Championship and Mexico’s Super Copa package. He clearly doesn’t need F1. But because it’s the global pinnacle, he’s called Andretti and he

perhaps still craves a balm for the open wounds left by partnering Ayrton Senna in 1993, he still wants in. Now in harness with a General Motors behemoth that has its own global expansion ambitions, Andretti’s proposed F1 entry should be both enticing and irresistible. But that’s not necessarily the case – which says more about F1 than it does Andretti or Cadillac.

TAKING THE MICHAEL?

At the end of 2021, Andretti came close to buying Sauber, only for the deal to fall over late in the day over matters of finance and team control. In the wake of his failed bid, amusingly broken to the world before it should have been through sheer enthusiasm by his pumped-up old man,

Mercedes-AMG team boss Toto Wolff was among those to question the value that Andretti could bring to F1. It seemed astonishing and disrespectful, considering what Andretti has achieved outside of the grand prix bubble. Then there’s the timing. F1 is expanding to three US grands prix this year and enjoys a Stateside profile that hasn’t been so oversized since Mario’s salad days at Lotus. Plus there’s that name: for many Americans, Andretti is motorsport. A case of ‘yeah, but what have the Romans ever done for us?’, eh Toto?

To be fair, Wolff wasn’t the only one to pour cold water – and the reticence inevitably revolved around what always matters most in F1: money. During the latter years of Bernie Ecclestone’s

F1 reign, the teams were in a constant struggle for a greater share of revenues as CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm that held the media rights, were perceived to strip out what most felt should have been going back in. Nowadays, under Liberty Media, F1 is far more equitable and sustainable for all – not just those with the biggest coffers. The budget cap, introduced these past two years, has only improved the teams’ financial model.

THE POWER BALANCE

The problem is that the F1 structure now amounts to a franchise system (some might uncharitably call it a cartel), and new grid additions will only reduce individual portions of the meaty financial pie for those who have been investing in grand prix racing for years.

A $200m (£164m) new-entry fee, split between existing entrants to offset the prize money lost by a new one coming in, should soften attitudes, but it’s still not really within the interests

F1 asked Andretti to move a mountain –and he’s done just that

❝

It’s time for the existing teams to see the bigger picture over selfinterest. What are the chances? ❞

of team bosses to welcome new entries, no matter who is behind them.

This is precisely why too much power wielded by the teams is a dangerous thing.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, heading into his second year in office, walks a fine line between working in alliance with F1 and the teams to keep up the current momentum – while also ensuring that they know it’s still the governing body’s championship. He has publicly encouraged “expressions of interest” from potential new teams, just as he should.

It is likely to be 2026 at the earliest before Andretti and Cadillac can make it onto the F1 grid (if the entry is accepted), to coincide with the next-generation engine rules and Audi’s all-in entry after its purchase of Sauber. If it happens, Cadillac’s presence will echo Alfa Romeo’s current deal with Sauber rather than Audi’s future one, essentially as a sponsor rather than a technical powerhouse. But its presence still answers those ‘value’ questions over Andretti once and for all, so it’s time to see the bigger picture over self-interest. What are the chances?

FIA FOLLOWS FIFA

Sport and politics shouldn’t mix? It’s an old ideal but one considered increasingly archaic to certain modern sports stars who refuse to exist in a bubble and feel compelled to fully engage publicly with troubling aspects of our world. The problem for the likes of Sir Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel is when a cause focused on a human right is judged to have become politicised, such as racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s murky territory, which is why the FIA’s decision to follow the example set by football’s governing body Fifa is predictable – and depressing. From now on,

F1 ACADEMY

The new F1-backed, femaleonly single-seater feeder series has announced the five teams that will run three cars each in the inaugural season, with Britain’s Carlin among them. The seven-event, 21-race calendar has yet to be confirmed, though.

Bicester Scramble TOP STEP

FRENCH MOTORSPORT

Michel Ferté, second at Le Mans for Jaguar in 1991, has died aged 64. This news follows the loss of Philippe Streiff (pictured), who died just before Christmas at 67. He showed great promise in F1 before a crash in testing in 1989 left him paralysed.

racers are unequivocally banned from making nonneutral “political, religious or personal” statements without FIA sign-off. Echoes of rainbow armbands at the Qatar World Cup.

It’s a tired cliché that F1 drivers had more personality in the good old days. Back then, sporting heroes knew their place, and most didn’t question, for example, racing in apartheid-era South Africa. No hindsight judgement here on that, but at least they had a choice. Today, if a driver wants to voice an opinion on something a little deeper than tyre graining when racing in, say, Qatar or Saudi Arabia, they must ask permission or risk a punishment. But that’s not going to (sports) wash. Just as in Fifa’s case, the FIA’s hardline stance won’t necessarily muzzle the deafening silence.

THERE’S

LITTLE SPORTING

action in early January, so we visited Bicester Heritage – at the start of its 10th-anniversary year – for 2023’s first Scramble to blow away the cobwebs. These quarterly Sunday morning events are a gentle joy for enthusiasts of cars old and new, with gems of all vintages scattered randomly around the grass verges. We were drawn to a pair of pristine

Renault 5 Turbos (horses for courses, eh?) and an ex-Klaus Ludwig Ford Capri Cologne (genuine, apparently).

Classic Performance Engineering was one of many Bicester residents to open its doors, so we popped our head in to see the unique Ferguson P99, the only four-wheel-drive F1 race winner. Sir Stirling Moss used it to conquer the Oulton Park Gold Cup in 1961.

Then over in hangar 113, the excellent Young Driver initiative offered kids aged 4-17 a chance to get behind the wheel, many for the first time. The little electric Firefly Sport was a popular draw for the youngest, while for those a little older (and who could reach the pedals), a charming old Morris Minor gave them a memorable first taste of motoring life. Just lovely.

FIA president Ben Sulayem has to walk a fine line

FERRARI MOTORSPORT GREATS

Enzo Ferrari is such an obvious choice for membership of this club that he has been overlooked. So let’s set that straight. Ferrari couldn’t be further removed from the current breed of motor racing team bosses. In fact, he would probably dismiss most of them as inconsequential mayflies, much as he did the British ‘garagistes’ team owners who learned to beat him from the 1960s. It should always be remembered how Ferrari’s first love was Alfa Romeo, which he joined as a works racing driver in 1920. Even when he formed his own Scuderia in 1929, he was fiercely proud to represent Italy’s greatest marque – until he vanquished and surpassed his alma mater post-World War II, then wept at the thought. The record number of grand prix wins (242 versus the next-best 183 of McLaren), the world titles, the endurance racing victories and the roll call of stunning cars for both road and track… Il Commendatore represents everything that we love about motorsport – but also its worst excesses and most brutal characteristics, as reflected in the name of his autobiography: My Terrible Joys. Has a book ever been more aptly titled?

Brooklands record car or Koenigsegg? Choice is yours here

5 Turbos and racing Capri still look mint after all these years

ENZO

t’s early morning as a fleet of camouflaged new Porsche Cayennes leaves a Los Angeles hotel’s underground car park. They join the traffic and run in convoy along the back roads of Venice Beach and Santa Monica, before reaching the Pacific Coast Highway and heading farther north beyond Malibu in search of challenging canyon roads.

These early-build prototypes, both in conventional SUV and coupé bodystyles, have been at the centre of a demanding test programme along the California coast and in Nevada’s Mojave Desert for almost a month.

Now, before they’re all flown back to Germany, where they will be torn down to study the wear and tear on various components or pushed into further testing duties, it’s our turn to discover

how Porsche has tried to raise the Cayenne’s appeal against evergrowing competition from the likes of the BMW X5, MercedesBenz GLE and Range Rover Sport.

This ‘facelift’ is clearly more than just a token update. In fact, the changes are quite extensive, due to the decision to continue production well beyond what was planned at launch in 2017.

Model line director Stefan Fegg explains: “The Cayenne’s future is secure. With the investments we’re making in adding EVs to the line-up, we’ve decided to extend the life of many of our ICE cars. We’ve been given greater freedom than is usually the case at this point in the model cycle.”

Porsche won’t go into detail on what’s in store for the Cayenne after 2025, when the Mk4 was meant to arrive. What we can 

 tell you, though, is that the facelifted Mk3 we’re driving here in prototype form certainly carries some rather significant changes.

While perhaps not quite as transformative as Porsche would have us believe, they subjectively make it a yet more compelling ownership proposition.

Porsche is a master in evolutionary design, and this is fully reflected in the stylistic updates introduced here. Look past the light camouflage and you will see the subtly reprofiled front bumper, the revised front wings and the slightly altered shape of the new matrix LED headlights, plus a series of similar changes at the rear.

As is usual at facelift time, there will also be new paint colours and optional wheel designs incoming. Furthermore, the base model and the S adopt larger, 20in wheels.

More significant revisions are concentrated beneath the bonnet, Porsche having introduced more potent versions of existing engines and new engine options altogether.

On the petrol side, the entrylevel turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 now develops an added 14bhp and 37lb ft, at 349bhp and 369lb ft. The Audi-developed twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 in the S is replaced by Porsche’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, bringing an added 35bhp and 37lb ft, at 469bhp and

443lb ft. And the more heavily tuned version of that V8 in the range-topping Turbo GT gets a 20bhp increase, lifting it to 651bhp (although torque stays at 627lb ft).

Due to tightening emissions rules, though, the Turbo GT will no longer be offered in Europe and other markets that adhere to Euro 6AP regulations.

Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrids adopt a revised gearbox-mounted electric motor, which develops 40bhp more, at 174bhp.

The turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 in the E-Hybrid has actually been detuned slightly, from 335bhp to

300bhp, but the increase in electric reserves gives it an added 8bhp in overall output, at 464bhp (although also 37lb ft less torque, at 479lb ft).

The PHEVs also receive a new 25.9kWh battery, giving them an extra 11.8kWh of energy storage.

They support faster rates of AC charging too, the limit rising from 7.2kW to 11kW. Revised software also brings a new charging strategy with a higher initial rate of charge.

Porsche says the new battery and software have increased the electric-only range of the PHEVs by up to 80%, which should ensure close to 50 miles for the E-Hybrid.

Along with successors to today’s E-Hybrid and S E-Hybrid, there will also be an additional PHEV, details of which remain under wraps.

Porsche is eager to discuss the Cayenne’s suspension, however, this having been “fundamentally revised and further developed”.

Included is the adoption of Porsche Active Suspension Management with new twin-tube variable rate dampers on the steel suspension. The optional air suspension also returns to dual-chamber plungers from the current tri-chamber units.

Buyers will also be able to choose from a new range of tyres that have

Coupé bodystyle gives sportier look for only small practicality compromise

❝

Its ability to carry substantial speed into corners while continuing to deliver masses of grip makes it a special drive here ❞

Sparkling chassis and brawny engine combine to great effect in canyons

TESTER’S NOTE

Studies revealed that owners were happy with how the Cayenne drove. Their criticism was focused on the interior, which they perceived as behind rivals’. The result is a brand-new dash and control layout – a big step for a facelift. GK

taller sidewalls for claimed improvements in ride comfort.

Additionally, there are tweaks to the rear-wheel steering system on higher-end Cayennes. It’s claimed to provide a greater turning angle for the rear wheels at lower speeds for added agility in urban settings.

The braking system has also been reworked, with a new electronic booster providing kinetic energy recuperation all the way to a stop.

Inside, the Cayenne has been given a Taycan-like makeover. We can’t show you it yet, but we can tell you that there’s a heavily restyled dashboard housing a 12.7in curved

digital instrument display, a revised version of the 12.3in infotainment touchscreen and an extra 10.9in display for the front passenger.

The gearlever has been removed from the centre console and replaced by a toggle like that in the Taycan, mounted high up within easy reach of the new steering wheel, which itself receives a rotary controller for the driving modes.

The head-up display unit has also been reworked to incorporate new augmented reality graphics.

Additionally, the door trims have been restyled, the wireless phone charging pad has been boosted to 15W and there’s vastly improved air conditioning and ventilation.

All these changes to the interior certainly give the Cayenne a more contemporary feel and a greater dash of digital flair from the firmly cushioned driver’s seat.

The S prototype soon proved that the decision to replace the Audi V6 with a more potent Porsche V8 will raise its appeal. With a 0-62mph time of around 5.0sec and a top speed close to 168mph, there’s added punch to the performance. It’s clearly stronger and more determined than before.

With greater torque at lower revs, the V8 also provides the Cayenne with a more relaxing gait and added calmness at motorway speeds, this in combination with a revised set

of ratios for the standard eightspeed automatic gearbox.

The V8 is also smoother across a wider range of revs, adding to the impressive mechanical refinement in everyday driving conditions. It all makes you wonder if it’s worth paying the extra for the Turbo.

It isn’t just quick and refined in a straight line, either. The current S is already one of the most engaging SUVs in its class, yet this reputation has now been enhanced. It points remarkably well, its electromechanical steering being superbly precise, the rearwheel steering ensures great agility and the four-wheel drive system delivers outstanding traction.

Granted, it’s no lightweight, but its ability to carry substantial speed into corners while continuing to deliver masses of grip makes it a special drive on challenging roads.

Could we tell the difference made by the suspension modifications? Not without direct comparison to the existing Cayenne. Porsche’s engineers are, however, adamant that moving back to dual-chamber air suspension gives the car better body control and ride compliance (the latter in combination with new larger-profile tyres, which they say better isolate road shock). The arrangement is a new development sharing little with that used on the old Mk2 Cayenne, we’re told.

IT’S THE PORSCHE THAT PEOPLE WANT

How important is the Cayenne to Porsche? In 2022, it was once again the German car maker’s most popular model. With 95,604 deliveries worldwide, the Cayenne was even more popular than the Macan, which came in second with 86,724 deliveries. And the others? The 911 was a distant third with 40,410 deliveries, followed by the Taycan (34,801), Panamera (34,142) and 718 Boxster/Cayman (18,203).

Porsche has hardly transformed the Cayenne in terms of driving characteristics, but then very little was needed to keep it ahead of the in-class competition in this regard. As for the area in which it could have taken a stride forward, namely the interior, it has done precisely that. Ever since its introduction two decades ago, Porsche’s luxurious large SUV has continually outshone its rivals, and we now wouldn’t be surprised if this leadership isn’t maintained by the facelifted Mk3.

GREG KABLE

PORSCHE CAYENNE S COUPE PROTOTYPE

Taycan-inspired cabin and return to V8 lift its appeal yet higher. Potent, luxurious and outstandingly agile

Price £85,000 (est)

Engine V8, 3996cc, turbocharged, petrol

Power 469bhp

Torque 443lb ft

Gearbox 8-spd automatic, 4WD

Kerb weight 2150kg (est)

0-62mph 4.9sec (est)

Top speed 168mph (est)

Economy na CO2 , tax band na

RIVALS BMW X5 M50i, Jaguar F-Pace R, Mercedes-AMG

Body control is better, but we couldn’t feel claimed improvements in ride comfort

Lights have new shapes and tech

TESTER’S NOTE

It has three driving modes (Comfort, Sport and +R) plus a new Individual mode. Keeping the dampers and steering in Comfort but upping the powertrain works nicely on the road. RL

TESTED 11.1.23, THRUXTON, HAMPSHIRE ON SALE NOW

HONDA CIVIC TYPE R

Thruxton isn’t the easiest circuit on which to get comfortable with a new performance car. Even in the wet, it isn’t a place where traction will be your problem: it’s too fast for that. Instead, the loss of grip at three-figure speeds and when weight transfer is really emphasised will be your concern.

That does, however, make it a good place to find the difference between the old Honda Civic Type R (FK8) and the new (FL5), which has just arrived here with a price that might genuinely make you gasp. Note, though, that while the FK8 was made in considerable volume in Swindon, the FL5 is made in Japan (its 325bhp engine arriving from the US) and only a few will be sent here.

Undoubtedly this is quite a hike for what’s fundamentally the same front-driven five-door hot hatch as before, even down to the platform, which has been stretched, widened and cloaked in a body usefully more rigid but is very much an evolution. However, outright cynicism isn’t

deserved, even though, once we’ve fitted the £3265 Carbon Pack, we’re talking about a £50,000 Honda Civic. Study the details and it’s obvious an unusual degree of love has gone into this car. The flywheel is 18% lighter than the FK8’s for sharper blips when rev-matching, which

you can do yourself on the lovely aluminium pedals or let the car execute for you perfectly. Camber rigidity (basically the suspension’s ability to keep the wheel positioned just as intended) is 25% up on the original FK8 and 16% up on the facelift for better handling stability

and consistency. The cooling ducts have been reworked such that after five laps of an unnamed circuit, the temperature of the front brake pads is 10% cooler than it would’ve once been, despite the FL5 being roughly 50kg heftier than the FK8, at 1429kg. The steering column is some 60%

Performance is heightened, although it no longer feels quite so fizzing

There’s more stability when you need it but slicker adjustability when you want it ❞

The FL5 has lots to live up to. Can a wet Thruxton expose any chinks in its armour?

stiffer, and the track-rod ends also flex less. The wheels (down an inch in diameter but wider) deform less. The reworked turbocharger spins with 14% less inertia. Exhaust flow is up 13%. And play in the gearshift is reduced, while the movement straight across the ’box has been lengthened for extra satisfaction.

Fact is, Honda could’ve got away with making the FK8 less visually challenging and nicer inside. But the FL5 isn’t that car, and reasonably its maker wants us to know this.

Anyway, to greasy Thruxton. The experience of lapping the FK8 feels just as expected: invigorating, raw, mobile. This is the all-conquering hot hatch of the past seven years, and as such it can’t fail to excite even in retirement. Accuracy, control and one of the finest driving positions in the game are its calling cards, while the engine’s capacity to take on an animalistic edge as it closes in on the redline is the finishing touch. A good degree of throttle discipline is needed in these conditions, as too much torque and the tightly wound limited-slip differential will lock up

sharply, resulting in understeer, but part of the fun is judging precisely where that limit is, and there’s precision enough in the controls to allow you to do exactly that.

It is a stiff car, though. You realise just how stiff when you get into the FL5. The new car’s contact patch is comfortably bigger and its tracks are wider, so of course there’s more grip, but it’s the way this chassis really nestles into the track surface that breeds confidence. (A short jaunt also demonstrates the B-road benefits of this softer set-up: there’s a level of compliance and civility here the old car could never match.)

Through Thruxton’s endless righthander, it’s less skittish yet perfectly happy and easy to rotate into the tight final chicane. The movement of mass is controlled more closely and can be manipulated more neatly. In short, there’s more stability when you need it but slicker adjustability when you want it.

It will be interesting to see if this also rings true in the dry and how it manifests on the road, but clearly the FL5 is a more rounded and

capable product than the FK8, and by an unexpectedly wide margin.

The interior – red-floored, Nissan GT-R-like in its plethora of readouts and with an attractive dashboard –is also more hospitable and grownup than before, if also more fun and engaging. A Mk8 Volkswagen Golf R owner couldn’t rightly complain.

Has the very best just got better, then? Objectively, no doubt about it. Subjectively? I’m not so sure. In certain areas, the FL5 runs a bit of a charm deficit after the FK8. A new particulate filter has robbed the top end of that rampant final surge of revs and performance, which FK8 owners will miss. And increased isolation has heightened civility but lessened the sensation of speed, so more commitment is needed to unlock the same excitement.

These aren’t deal-breakers, more things to consider in light of that price. And let’s not be hasty: a full road test will come soon. Next to its competitors, expect this latest and perhaps greatest Type R to excel.

RICHARD LANE

HONDA CIVIC TYPE R

A

Price £46,995

Engine 4 cyls in line, 1996cc, turbocharged, petrol

Power 325bhp at 6500rpm

Torque 310lb ft at 2200-4000rpm

Gearbox 6-spd manual, FWD

Dry weight 1429kg 0-62mph 5.4sec

Top speed 171mph Economy 34.5mpg CO2 , tax band 186g/km, 37%

RIVALS Audi RS3 Sportback, Mercedes-AMG A45

Capability to corner confidently at speed amazes even more than before

Dashboard and screen are much smarter; seats are supportive and superbly sited

❝

TESTER’S NOTE

Beware if you have short arms: the far side of the touchscreen, where a lot of functionality is placed, is a long stretch. PW

HYUNDAI IONIQ 6 RWD

Sleek Ioniq 5 sibling finally reaches the UK to take on the Tesla Model 3

Last year, the Toyota GR86 famously sold out in just 90 minutes, giving Glastonbury a run for its money in the popularity stakes. But there was another fast-selling in-demand car that slipped under most people’s radar: the Hyundai Ioniq 6 First Edition, which was all gone in just 24 hours.

Granted, that’s not quite Billie Eilish fast, but for an electric car, and a Hyundai at that, it’s still some statement. As a result of its global popularity and the (yawn) ongoing supply problems, we’re only just getting into a car in the UK, despite it being available in Korea back in October. The proper dealer allocation won’t even come through until March.

What can people expect when it does finally arrive? Certainly one of the more individually styled cars on the road. I was in the design preview briefing for the Ioniq 5 with Hyundai chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke and thought at the

time that car was punchy, but on the road the 6 is arguably even more distinctive, with its streamliner profile and twin-deck rear.

It’s based on the same E-GMP platform as the 5 and comes with the same 77kWh battery that has

recently been dropped into its sibling. Thanks to its reduced drag coefficient of 0.21, the rear-wheeldrive Ioniq 6 can do a claimed 338 miles between charges. That’s not only a useful bit more than the 5 but also within a whisker of the Tesla

Model 3 Performance. Like all EVs, though, that drops in winter and our test range was 230 miles.

Adopting the same 800V architecture as the 5, the Ioniq 6 can use 350kW fast chargers (if you can find one) to go from

It’s not entirely one-dimensional in its dynamic character so you can have a little handling fun

It’s the sort of car that would do very well churning through motorways ❞

10% to 80% in 18 minutes.

There is also a twin-motor allwheel-drive 6, which gets 16 miles less range but lops 2.3sec off the 0-62mph time. Our rear-driver manages a reasonable 7.4sec, which is more than adequate for most situations, even if it can’t compete with Tesla’s clickbait figures.

The 6 is available in two trims (if you ignore the limited First): Premium from £46,745 and Ultimate, tested here, at £50,245. Interestingly, these figures aren’t too dissimilar to the 5’s, a ploy by Hyundai to offer two solutions depending on needs and tastes.

Normally, I’d stick to the lower trim but in this case the Ultimate makes more sense because it gets the kit you’d want: plush Relaxation front seats with ventilation, improved audio, an excellent headup display and a 360deg camera.

One thing: I have a feeling the car could be quite colour sensitive as the black loses some of the streamliner detail on a dull day in Surrey. Choose wisely, even if the vast majority of options look like

shades of grey on the configurator. Build quality inside is top-notch and the layout light and airy. You sit slightly higher than I was expecting, but the position itself isn’t uncomfortable and the view forward is dominated by the twin screens, mercifully also with physical buttons to take you to items like the nav or favourites. Take note, Volkswagen.

Rear knee room is impressive, although the skateboard battery and sloping roofline mean the floor is quite high and the head room tight. The 5 is better if you carry tall people. Both cars get a set of controls that enable the front passenger seat to be moved by someone in the rear. Beware of that if you’ve got kids who fiddle.

Out on the road, the Ioniq 6 accelerates as you’d expect – swiftly from a standstill and then tailing off as the speed rises. As the headline figures suggest, it’s not whip-crack fast but I can’t see many instances when you’d need much more.

As befits the smoother styling, this is more of a lounge driving

experience than in the edgier hatchback 5. It’s the sort of car that would do very well churning through motorways, quiet and largely comfortable. The primary ride is good, tied down and not floating, while the steering is of the right sort of pace and feel to make long journeys effortless.

The trouble is that it’s not as good over the UK’s rougher roads. Here, the dampers struggle to control the 20in wheels and unsprung weight, making it a bit too lumpy. You can feel that the fundamentals are largely correct because the 6 rolls over a bump with a certain degree of suppleness, but the control isn’t there when you hit several in a row. It’s a pity that the 6 can’t nail the comfort angle entirely.

Weirdly for an executive EV, there is the occasional hint of amusement. I gave it a bootful on a wet roundabout, and although the resulting action could hardly be called drifting, it definitely needed a slight steering correction.

It’ll be interesting to see which of the 5 or 6 fares better in the UK.

I suspect it will be the 5, but the 6 deserves its place and should also be considered alongside cars like the Model 3 and Polestar 2. Hyundai’s brave new world expands.

PIERS WARD

HYUNDAI IONIQ 6 RWD ULTIMATE

More

Price £50,245

Higher-spec Ultimate trim is the one to choose if your budget will stretch

Streamliner shape enables a Cd of just 0.21, which contributes to a claimed 338-mile range

TESTER’S NOTE

There’s plenty of room around the screen and on the dash for more physical buttons if Citroën is so inclined. Hopefully it will be. MP

The new Citroën ë-C4 X is as straightforward a proposition as its name suggests. The ‘ë’ is because it’s electric-only, the ‘C4’ because it’s derived from the C4 hatchback and the ‘X’ because there’s more besides: a fastbackstyle rear end with a saloon boot.

It is longer than the C4, at 4.60 rather than 4.36 metres, but keeps its 2.67m wheelbase, so everything new is hanging out the rear. It’s very much a saloon version of the hatch, and it’s the longest car on Stellantis’s CMP platform, meant for little’uns.

Of significance is that the rear seats have a more reclined back angle and the boot volume is 130 litres bigger, at 510 litres, although less versatile, as the opening when you drop the bench is shallower.

We Europeans are offered only one powertrain option: a 50kWh battery pack that gives a 222-mile official range and can be charged at rates of up to 100kW, plus a 134bhp motor driving the front wheels.

In other markets, buyers can

CITROEN E-C4 X

get a diesel or petrol engine (as we can in the C4), but CO2 emission pressures – and I suspect a more niche audience, because Brits have never been mad on saloon versions of hatches – have prompted Citroën UK to keep things simple.

The ë-C4 X will arrive here in the spring. For now, though, we’ve driven a left-hooker down the road from the Spanish factory where it’s built alongside the regular C4.

First impressions are C4-like, you will be utterly stunned to read. The front cabin is the same as that which we gave a solid three-and-ahalf-star rating in the C4’s road test two years ago, and it stacks up just as well today. The seats are broad and attractively finished, if on the flatter side, and the steering wheel is hugely adjustable.

There’s a 10in touchscreen for most major controls with only a few physical shortcut buttons, which is a pity, but at least the climate controls are real and separate.

Material quality is mostly pretty

strong, and in the areas where it isn’t, the design and finish choices are interesting.

The rear has the same amount of knee room as in the C4, but there’s a little extra space in front of your noggin, because the seatback is more reclined. This presumably also does the head room a favour, although it’s by no means generous.

Like the C4, the ë-C4 X is meant to have SUV-like proportions with few of the downsides, like a big frontal area giving poor aerodynamic efficiency. In fact, this car must be cleaner of back, because it will go five miles farther on a charge. It carries 50kg extra, at 1621kg, but that’s less of an issue for range, thanks to regenerative braking.

Citroën aims to major on comfort these days, and indeed the ë-C4 X is a mature drive. The steering is smooth and relaxed, consistent in weight and response. The ride feels isolated, too.

You’ve probably heard about Citroën’s Progressive Hydraulic

Cushions, components that smooth out bumps in certain damping phases (between compression and rebound and/or vice versa, depending on set-up). Fitted with them as standard, the ë-C4 X feels smooth and resists the quick pitches and rates of roll that I find an issue in the ICE C4 but less so in the ë-C4. Weird, given it’s heavier, but there you go. It’s a pleasing consistency that’s shared by the ë-C4 X.

Also shared with the hatch is pricing – from £31,995 to £35,495 –and equipment. There are three trim levels, with the same prices between the hatch and the saloon. Whichever suits you best, then. It’s a likeable car, either way.

MATT PRIOR

@matty_prior

The ë-C4 X is just a longer ë-C4, so if that car appeals but you want a saloon boot, then fill your, er, boots

Interior is interestingly designed, airy and comfy; chassis’ manners are inoffensive

TESTED 11.1.23, MADRID, SPAIN ON SALE MARCH

AAABC

TOYOTA YARIS HYBRID GR SPORT

Naming conventions for modern cars can be a bit complicated, so let’s be clear from the start: this isn’t the GR Yaris, Toyota’s beloved rally refugee hot hatch. No, the Yaris GR Sport is instead Toyota’s hybrid supermini in its new rangetopping trim. Costing £25,070, it is powered by a 1.5-litre hybridised petrol engine making 114bhp and 88lb ft. No Torsen differentials here.

Despite its sporty looks, the GR Sport isn’t particularly quick, then, taking 9.7sec to get from 0-62mph and topping out at 109mph.

It’s well equipped, though, with standard equipment including an 8.0in touchscreen system; sports seats; LED headlights with automatic high beam; a rear-view camera; and Toyota’s Safety Sense pack, which features pre-collision assistance, lane keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control.

It also looks rather sharp, the visual differentiation from other Yaris models including an updated mesh front grille, black trims, a set of scuff plates and 18in alloy wheels.

Underneath is where the key changes have been made, though, as Toyota has attempted to sample a bit of sporting flavour from its Gazoo Racing division. Retuned springs and upgraded dampers are claimed to improve ride comfort, steering response and body roll, while the underfloor bracing has been bolstered in order to sharpen the handling.

We really weren’t fans of the old Yaris GR Sport of 2018, because its ride was far too firm and unsettled, even on the smoothest of roads, and it was left wanting for performance. We had hoped things might have improved after the Yaris’s shift to Toyota’s excellent TNGA-B platform but the overly firm ride has been carried forward into this car too, and again there’s no power boost.

The GR Sport lumps and bumps its way both through the city and on faster roads, and the stiffness is off-putting. Drivers would perhaps forgive such firmness in a hot hatch, but it’s additionally disappointing when there’s little reward from the powertrain for your pains.

It’s also noisy over bumps, plus the engine is unpleasantly loud under load, because the CVT makes it rev like mad yet for little return in regards to performance. Both the throttle response and acceleration

lack punch, even if you floor it.

Although the GR Sport is pretty agile and nimble in the turns, in general the dynamics don’t live up to the GR name either.

It’s clear this car is destined for far more subdued driving. At least there are benefits to this: we returned upwards of 50mpg in everyday driving, in line with the official combined economy of 57.6-64.2mpg. This is helped by EV mode being effective at speeds of up to 25mph.

The old GR Sport cost £19,835, and this one ambitiously raises the price by more than £5000. The Ford Fiesta ST offers some proper performance personality for very similar money, while the Vauxhall Astra Hybrid provides comparable power and similarly impressive fuel economy along with a more relaxing driving experience and greater practicality.

The Yaris may be an excellent

supermini, but this specification definitely doesn’t represent its best. JACK

TOYOTA YARIS 1.5 HYBRID GR SPORT

Better than the old one, but that’s hardly saying much. Still lacking in key areas, especially at this price

AAACC

Price £25,070

Engine 3 cyls in line, 1490cc, petrol, plus electric motor Power 114bhp

Torque 88lb ft Gearbox e-CVT

Kerb weight 1160kg 0-62mph 9.7sec

Top speed 109mph Economy 57.6-64.2mpg

CO2 , tax band 99-112g/km, 24%

RIVALS Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza

TESTER’S NOTE

Inside, the GR Sport gains eye-catching gunmetal-colour trim on the side air vents, door cards and steering wheel. JW

Toyota’s first sportified hybrid supermini left much to be desired. Lessons learned?

Sporty makeovers inside and out add appeal not matched by performance or handling

@jackwarrick

WARRICK

Toyota has mostly stayed out of the early electric car melee. After all, with its range of efficient hybrids, it didn’t need EVs to meet fleet CO2 targets. To the contrary: it has enough wiggle room to happily continue churning out GR Yarises and naturally aspirated V8 Lexus LC 500s. For that, we salute them.

But combustion-engine bans are coming and Euro 7 emissions regulations are looking tough, so Toyota has finally come up with an EV, the bZ4X. It arrives in the impossibly crowded medium SUV segment. How’s this for a list of direct rivals: Skoda Enyaq iV, Audi Q4 E-tron, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Genesis GV60, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Ariya, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Volvo XC40 Recharge, Volkswagen ID 4, Mercedes-Benz EQB and BMW iX1.

You would think a catchy name would be a priority to stand out, but instead it’s called the bZ4X. There is a logic to it: ‘bZ’ stands for beyond zero, so it’s a battery-electric car; ‘4’ refers roughly to the size (it’s similar to the Toyota RAV4); and X signifies it’s an SUV. We’ve already seen the China-only bZ3 compact saloon, and other derivatives are on the way.

The long wait for a full-scale Toyota EV was made even longer by a very un-Toyota-like calamity. Shortly after the bZ4X went on sale, an issue with the wheel hubs was discovered, meaning there was a chance the wheels could detach. It wasn’t a simple fix, either. It took three months – during which the handful of customers who received their cars couldn’t drive them and Toyota couldn’t make any more.

Now the car’s fixed, the question is whether Toyota has been able to use that time to watch and learn, or whether it’s simply behind the curve.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AAABC

The bZ4X isn’t actually Toyota’s very first electric car. Back in 1997, it converted an original RAV4 to electric and it did the same a few years later for the second generation. Those weren’t full-scale production cars, of course. Lexus has had the UX 300e for two years, but even that was more of a toe in the water compared with the bZ4X’s fullscale attack on the EV heartland.

Toyota’s big EV plans are based on the new e-TNGA platform. As the name suggests, it is distantly related to the combustion-engine TNGA architecture, but unique enough not to be compromised.

The platform defines the position of the front and optional rear motor, the driver’s position relative to the front wheels and the width of the battery unit, but leaves most other elements variable. The bZ4X was developed with the help of Subaru, which is marketing a four-wheeldrive-only version as the Solterra. Both cars come with just one size of battery, but it stands to reason that there will be future Toyota EVs

Range at a glance

ENGINES POWER PRICE

2WD 201bhp £45,710

AWD 214bhp £52,110

TRANSMISSIONS

1-spd reduction gear

Toyota offers just one battery size (71.4kWh), but there is a choice of single-motor/front-wheel drive or dual-motor/four-wheel drive. There are three trim levels: Pure, Motion and Vision. For a dual-motor bZ4X, you must upgrade to at least Motion.

with bigger and smaller capacities.

The battery pack lives neatly in the structure of the floor, inside the long wheelbase, and in the case of the bZ4X has 71.4kWh of capacity. That’s a bit smaller than most rivals, which are in the high 70s.

As a result, the bZ4X lags behind a little on range. A front-wheel-drive entry-level Pure is rated for 317 miles, but go for Vision trim with its extra equipment and 20in wheels and the range drops to 277 miles. A dual-motor Vision model, like our test car, is rated for just 259 miles, whereas the equivalent Kia EV6 – an AWD GT-Line S – musters 300 miles.

Toyota’s battery technology may not be revolutionary, but it’s trying to grab headlines with a different innovation. Later this year, the bZ4X – together with its Lexus sibling model, the RZ 450e – will be the first production car with full steer-by-wire. Infiniti offered a similar system eight years ago but kept a steering column as a back-up. Toyota’s One Motion Grip supposedly has enough redundancies that it won’t need any mechanical connection to the wheels. Whereas Infiniti just simulated normal steering, Toyota goes one step further and replaces the wheel with a yoke. And unlike Tesla’s yoke steering, it’s only 150deg lock to lock, so it won’t require you to navigate the not-awheel while manoeuvring.

INTERIOR AAACC

Whether it’s the Corolla, RAV4 or C-HR, there is a certain consistency with Toyota interiors, so you know what to expect: not the last word in material richness and a slightly more disjointed design than German manufacturers tend to deliver, but you can count on 

 ‘Hammerhead’ design for the front end will become a signature for electric cars from Toyota. The slim LED matrix headlights are standard on all trims. On close inspection, the inconsistent panel fit isn’t typical of Toyota.

 Charging port is located on the passenger-side front wing. We would have preferred a rear charging port, but we do appreciate that the CCS port has a mechanical flap, rather than an awkward rubber cover.

Converted RAV4 was very first Toyota EV

 Pure- and Motion-spec bZ4Xs get 18in wheels, though they can be upgraded to 20s on the latter. Vision trim, as pictured here, is fitted with 20in wheels as standard. Bridgestone Alenza tyres aren’t the grippiest, but the chunky sidewall offers generous cushioning.



Split roof spoiler comes on Motion trim and up, and has some aerodynamic effect, according to Toyota, but does little to keep the rear screen free of rainwater. A rear wiper would have been more useful.

Weights

DIMENSIONS

PARKING

WHEEL AND PEDAL ALIGNMENT

Floor-hinged throttle pedal and suspended brake pedal are positioned normally. Steering could do with more reach, and a bigger wheel would be more comfortable and wouldn’t obscure the gauges.

HEADLIGHTS

LED matrix headlights are standard. Power is okay, but the automatic function seemed to dazzle oncoming traffic, judging by the number of flashes.

 form-follows-function ergonomics and impeccable build quality. It’s surprising, then, that the bZ4X is the opposite in many ways.

Toyota’s designers have employed fairly sober shapes to nonetheless create a distinctive, likeably futuristic design. Thanks to the fabric on the dashboard and the convincing synthetic leather, it even feels quite plush on first impression. Spend a bit more time in here, though, and you discover a mixed bag of materials, with plenty of hard plastics and disparate textures. None of it is offensive, but little of it stands comparison to the Skoda Enyaq iV or Nissan Ariya.

What you won’t find is that flawless build quality and ergonomics that Toyotas are known

for. Some components, like the instrument binnacle and door handles, feel downright flimsy, most of the buttons have been replaced by a gloss black touch-sensitive panel, and the adoption of a Peugeot-style tiny steering wheel creates more problems than it solves.

The driving position is clearly set up for the drive-by-wire steering yoke. Regardless of how high you sit, for the top of the steering wheel not to block your view of the instruments, you have to set the steering column very low, which isn’t especially comfortable and makes the car less intuitive to drive.

With the high-set gauge cluster being such a feature, you might imagine Toyota would have injected a bit more theatre. Instead, it’s

very basic, with few customisation options and some slightly dated graphics. It’s clear enough, with the exception that there’s no way of displaying the battery percentage – only the remaining range in miles.

Things aren’t much better in the back. As is typical for skateboardplatform EVs, even adults won’t struggle for knee room, and head room is adequate, too. If the bZ4X feels plusher in the front than Toyotas traditionally do, you certainly don’t feel like you’re in a £50,000 car in the back. You get the essentials – a pair of USB-C ports and air vents – but everything else feels gloomy, barren and cheap.

While the rear seat space is competitive, the bZ4X’s boot space is disappointing. Some useful

hooks and a square shape can’t compensate for the tight total space. At 452 litres, it offers less room than even the Kia EV6, let alone the cavernous Skoda Enyaq iV. There is a useful multi-purpose cubby under the floor, as well as some extra cable storage, but the front bonnet just hides the electronics.

PERFORMANCE AAABC

According to the spec sheet, the 4WD bZ4X makes do with dual 107bhp motors to propel two tonnes. For an electric SUV of this size, 2023kg is relatively light, but even so, that makes for a power-to-weight ratio of just 107bhp per tonne. For comparison, the single-motor Kia EV6 has 114bhp per tonne and

Depending on the trim level, the bZ4X features either an 8in or 12.3in touchscreen, but both versions run the same software that Toyota is rolling out across all its cars. While the 8in option isn’t starved of features, its small screen sits in the same bezel as the bigger screen, which makes for a very ‘poverty spec’ look.

We first tried the new infotainment on the Aygo X and praised it, because as a basic system it suits a basic car. In a £50,000 car, it doesn’t impress, however. The bZ4X lacks the Aygo’s physical buttons to switch between the native interface and smartphone mirroring, making this very cumbersome. We also experienced issues with the wireless Apple CarPlay. The native menus are logical enough, the screen responds well and the voice activation is surprisingly perceptive, but the navigation can take some unorthodox routes and doesn’t react to traffic too well.

Finally, it has a sound system where the bass guitar and kick drums feel and sound

prominent.

overwhelmingly

Turning down the bass just makes the rest of the music sound very thin.

 This will be the view for most drivers, with the bulk of the gauge cluster cut off. Pod on the steering column monitors driver attention and works moderately well.

Gear selector is unusual but works intuitively enough. Centre console has buttons for off-road functions but a touch-sensitive panel to heat the seats.

 Smallish boot claws back some usability with a handy space under the floor that will easily swallow the charge cables and more besides.

 dual-motor EV6 154bhp per tonne, so the Toyota’s figures shouldn’t make for particularly sprightly performance.

On the road, it feels faster than we expected, and on the test track it proved half a second quicker to 60mph than the single-motor EV6 we tested last year. It’s possible Toyota underrates its motors, but it also uses a shorter reduction ratio (13.8 versus 10.7), which may explain why it isn’t faster to 100mph, or from 30-70mph, than the Kia.

The front-wheel-drive bZ4X has a 7.5sec claimed 0-62mph time – only 0.6sec slower – so it’s clear the dualmotor version is intended for those who need four-wheel drive, rather than a performance model. That may look somewhat disappointing on paper, but for a family SUV, the bZ4X is more than quick enough.

When it comes to braking and regen, Toyota has kept things

simple. As standard, the car slows gently when you lift off the throttle, or if you press the ‘regen boost’ button in the centre console, it slows down quite strongly. That’s where your choices end, though: there’s no coasting mode, no true one-pedal mode (you still have to press the brake pedal to come to a complete stop) and no adaptive mode. Different drivers prefer different styles of regen and other manufacturers cater to that, so it’s odd Toyota doesn’t, particularly since the bZ4X’s sibling car, the Subaru Solterra, does offer paddles.

The brakes are a by-wire system with a mechanical back-up, which gives a very firm, slightly artificial feel. However, it’s very well judged, making it easy to modulate and to achieve smooth stops in normal driving. In our emergency stop test, however, most cars are more composed than the bZ4X. The

Toyota briefly locked up one of the front wheels, had a very loud ABS pump and pitched quite a lot on its suspension. It achieved a respectable 48.1m stopping distance from 70mph and there was never any danger of a loss of control, but it could be more reassuring.

HANDLING AND STABILITY AAAAC

The chassis tuning of the bZ4X has echoes of the Corolla in the way it is quietly talented. Neither car is what you would call sporty, dynamic or engaging to drive, but they do feel carefully tuned for the job.

You can clearly feel how the bZ4X’s low centre of gravity helps give it tight roll control without making the ride needlessly hard. With the rear unloaded, it will gently rotate into a corner without doing anything as dramatic as fall into oversteer. The traction and

stability control works quickly and smoothly and therefore unintrusively, though given the limited grip of the Bridgestone Alenza tyres, the systems do have to work a bit harder than in other cars.

The steering itself is moderately weighted, and while there’s no real feedback to speak of, that’s not especially critical in this type of car. The rack is geared relatively slow by modern standards. In other Toyotas that just makes the steering nicely calm and intuitive. However, the bZ4X’s tiny steering wheel simply feels dissonant with the car’s otherwise relaxed demeanour. Such a thing works on a Caterham because it delivers hair-trigger responses, but on a big SUV with some body roll and slow steering, it seems rather out of place.

It feels like a slightly half-hearted alternative to the One Motion Grip steer-by-wire system, which wasn’t

 AWD bZ4X is punchier than its 107bhp per tonne suggests; cornering is composed but in no way engaging; drivers are isolated from road bumps better than road noise.

❝

The chassis tuning has echoes of the Corolla in the way it is quietly talented ❞

With its latest generation of active safety systems, Toyota has taken a considerable step forward. Aside from the blindspot monitoring, driver monitoring, safe exit assist and automatic braking during parking, every system is standard even on the lowest trim level. None of the systems is especially intrusive or liable to false positives, and lane keeping assistance can easily be disabled using a button on the steering wheel. However, if you want to adjust any of the settings or sensitivities, you have to do so through the gauge cluster, whose menus are not especially user-friendly to navigate.

The adaptive cruise control, in particular, is much better than in most existing Toyotas, as it’s more responsive and anticipates better, while the lane following no longer ping-pongs within the lane. We have yet to experience a flawless speed limit recognition system, but Toyota’s is better than most.

on the test car but which we have had a taste of on an event. The constantly variable system has two very distinct feels: an almost aggressive turn-in at low speeds to tackle tight manoeuvres and then a more relaxed movement at higher speeds and softer corners. Both feel weird at first, but you soon get used to them. The system felt like it could still use some fine-tuning but the technology shows a lot of promise.

COMFORT AND ISOLATION

AAAAC

The quiet talent evident in the bZ4X’s handling continues in its comfort. Toyota has resisted making the suspension on its do-itall SUV too stiff, and even the 20in wheels have fairly chunky 50-aspect tyres. As a result, it isolates you from the worst road imperfections. It’s not perfect, and over some bumps it can feel slightly bouncy,

ACCELERATION

Toyota bZ4X AWD Vision (15deg C, dry)

AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY

BRAKING 

Does the system avoid false activation well? ✓  Can it be deactivated? ✓ 

Does it have pedestrian/cyclist detection? ✓

LANE KEEPING ASSISTANCE 

Is the system tuned to keep the driver engaged at all times? ✓ 

Is it adjustable for sensitivity? ✓  Does it allow you to drive around a pothole/obstacle within your lane easily and without deactivation? ✓

INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL 

Can the system consistently recognise and automatically adopt motorway gantry-signed variable speed limits? ✗ 

Does it prevent undertaking? ✗ 

Does it have effective audible or visual alerts, or steering intervention, to prevent changing lanes into the path of an overtaking car? ✓

but overall this is one of the more comfortable-riding cars in the class.

As long as you can deal with setting the steering column very low so you can see the gauges, the driving position is comfortable as well. You sit relatively high, in broad, fairly softly padded seats with plenty of adjustment.

Noise isn’t a particular strong point of the bZ4X, a mix of road and wind noise making it 1dBA louder at 50mph than the Skoda Enyaq iV and 2dBA at 70mph. Thankfully, it doesn’t have the irksome resonances that you get from the Tesla Model Y’s echo-chamber boot.

BUYING AND OWNING AAABC

Prices for the bZ4X start at £45,710 for a front-drive Pure, rising to £49,510 for a well-equipped mid-range Motion. That roughly splits the difference between the

equivalent Kia EV6 and Skoda Enyaq iV with the optional heat pump, which Toyota fits as standard.

A heat pump is more efficient than a resistive heater in warming up the car in winter. Confusingly, when we turned on the heater, the estimated range could easily drop by 40 miles. Toyota says that is a worst-case scenario. Similarly, the range indicator will currently indicate zero miles when there is actually still 8% of the usable battery capacity remaining. An incoming update is set to make the range estimate more realistic and show the battery percentage in the gauge cluster.

Toyota quotes a battery capacity of 71.4kWh, but won’t say whether that’s usable or total. In our time with the car, the bZ4X averaged 3.1mpkWh – a very decent result for a dual-motor SUV in winter. Assuming a usable battery capacity

of 67kWh, that means it could stretch its relatively small battery to a range of 208 miles. Even so, it does lag behind most direct rivals.

The bZ4X may have suffered some teething problems, but Toyota still has a reputation for reliability. Since last year, it has advertised a manufacturer warranty “up to 10 years” and 100,000 miles. In reality, though, it gives just three years and 60,000 miles as standard, and adds a year and 10,000 miles every time it is serviced at a Toyota dealer.

The battery is warranted for 70% of its capacity for a minimum of eight years and 100,000 miles, and up to 10 years and an interstellar 600,000 miles. That is a lot, but it’s bad news if you prefer to use an independent garage.

The bZ4X also wants servicing every year or 10,000 miles, which is rather a lot for an EV with no engine oil or filters to change. 

Standing quarter mile 15.0sec at 93.6mph, standing km 28.0sec at 104.8mph, 30-70mph 5.9sec, 30-70mph in fourth na

Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 AMG Line Premium 4Matic (2022, 15deg C, dry)

Standing quarter mile 16.1sec at 89.7mph, standing km 29.8sec at 98.7mph, 30-70mph 6.8sec, 30-70mph in fourth na

BRAKING 60-0mph: 2.61sec

Toyota bZ4X AWD Vision (15deg C, dry)

Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 AMG Line Premium 4Matic (2022, 15deg C, dry)

TOYOTA BZ4X AWD VISION

On-the-road price £54,010

Price as tested £54,975

Value after 3yrs/36k miles £30,500

Contract hire pcm £763

Cost per mile na

Insurance 39/£947

TYPICAL

EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

20in alloy wheels

Roof spoiler

Matrix LED headlights

Keyless entry and start

Foot-operated tailgate

Heat pump

Dual-zone climate control

12.3in touchscreen display with voice activation, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto

Heated, ventilated synthetic leather seats with memory function

One USB-A and four USB-C ports

Heated steering wheel

Adjustable rear backrest

Blindspot monitoring

‘Precious metal’ pearlescent paint £965

Metallic paint £645 Light grey synthetic leather nco

Options in bold fitted to test car = Standard na = not available nco = no-cost option

CHASSIS & BODY

Construction Steel monocoque Weight/as tested 2000kg/2023kg Drag coefficient 0.29 Wheels 7.5Jx20in Tyres 235/50 R20 104V, Bridgestone Alenza Enliten 001

Spare None (mobility kit)

TECHNICAL LAYOUT

Together with the mechanically almost identical Subaru Solterra, the bZ4X is the first car to use Toyota’s new e-TNGA electric vehicle platform. It concentrates most of the inverters and control modules up front, and single-motor models are frontwheel drive. The weight distribution of our dual-motor, four-wheel-drive test car was 54:46, front to rear.

MOTORS

Installation Front and rear, transverse, four-wheel drive

Type Two permanent magnet synchronous motors

Power 214bhp Torque 249lb ft

Battery type Lithium ion Battery capacity 71.4/67.0kWh (assumed total/usable, est)

Battery voltage 355V

Power to weight 107bhp per tonne Torque to weight 125lb ft per tonne

Type 1-spd reduction gear Reduction ratio 13.8:1 mph/1000rpm 6.3 Motor rpm at 70/80mph 11,100/12,700

BRAKES

Front 328mm ventilated discs

Rear 317mm ventilated discs Anti-lock Standard Handbrake type Electronic, switch Handbrake location Centre console

SAFETY

ABS, ESC, AEB with pedestrian/cyclist detection, LKA, lane following, blindspot monitoring (Motion and Vision trim), centre airbag Euro NCAP crash rating 5 stars

Adult occupant 88% Child occupant 87% Pedestrian protection 79% Safety assist 91%

CAP forecasts the Enyaq’s residuals to be very strong the first year. After that, however, the Toyota is unbeatable.

hen a company like Toyota, which makes some of the best everyday cars like the Corolla and Yaris, as well as some of our favourite enthusiast’s cars like the GR Yaris and the GR86, takes its time to enter a hot new segment, you expect it to do so with something special.

The bZ4X isn’t. In most respects, it’s fine. It’s quite nice to drive, its assisted driving features are tuned well and it’s priced in line with its rivals. Its range and charging performance are about average, too.

Those plus points are dragged down by a few areas where it lags behind competitors, however. Inside, it has neither the welcoming ambience of a Skoda Enyaq iV or Nissan Ariya nor the ‘hewn-from-rock’ feel or faultless ergonomics of most Toyotas. It’s also not exceptionally roomy for the class and the in-car tech is behind the curve.

None of these failings is especially aggravating, making them low-level annoyances rather than deal-breakers, but the bZ4X also lacks any real standout features to etch it into the minds of buyers.

ROAD TEST RIVALS

ILLYA VERPRAET

Car prices just keep rising. I was in the middle of writing the ‘Buying and owning’ section when Toyota’s configurator crashed. Once it had refreshed, all prices had gone up by almost £2000.

RICHARD LANE

Getting the AWD version unlocks a suite of off-road modes. We tested these on the launch and were impressed by the 500mm wading depth and the way it finds traction on a muddy slope. It’s ultimately limited by ground clearance, but it will get further off road than other EVs.

Testers’ notes Spec advice

Unless you really need four-wheel drive, the single-motor bZ4X is the better choice. Pure trim misses out on a lot of equipment, so Motion is worth paying more for.  Increase the battery capacity and optimise the efficiency to give the mid-range models a comfortable 250-mile real-world range. 

Jobs for the facelift

Fit a normal steering wheel to cars without steer-by-wire.  Bring the in-car tech up to date.

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES

et me start this exercise as I mean to go on, with a couple of general observations that I hope can be agreed on no matter where on the love-’em-or-hate-’em Alfa Romeo scale you happen to sit.

Older, longer-established car brands are, we know, generally less agile than younger ones. They can find it difficult to move with the times. Every new model seems to have a certain friction or inertia to overcome before it can be launched. Sporty car brands, meanwhile, often have trouble crossing the Rubicon with cars that find big commercial success at volume. We all wish there were more car enthusiasts in the world, but some car brands have learned the truth to their considerable cost. Both key problems have afflicted Alfa Romeo over the decades. Between them, they might even explain why the Italian brand has never reached the potential that so many executive decision makers have seen in it so very many times before.

If you can’t beat the automotive mainstream, you join it, by building a car like the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Milan’s latest is a compact SUV of the kind that has dominated sales statistics for a decade or more now. So, unlike the expensiveto-engineer Giulia saloon ever was, it’s a smart commercial bet.

Yet it isn’t the kind of car that we expect from the Alfa we know. In my experience, fully paid-up members of the Alfisti tend to have long enough memories (or sufficiently deeply buried pain) that the latest thing from the company doesn’t swing their affection either one way or the other. But might the Tonale be different, I wonder? How much ‘real Alfa’ is there in this car, exactly? Could there have been any more baked in? And, in the broadest of senses, is it likely to be a force for good or one for ill for its maker? 

PHOTOGRAPHY LUC LACEY

These are the questions to which we look to a Tonale, a close rival and a chilly winter’s day on the Chilterns for answers. Our Tonale is a left-hand-drive, range-topping PHEV Veloce – which costs £48,495, so frankly it had better be as good as they claim. And the rival is from a brand that doesn’t need to ‘aspire’ to be an established modern premium operator. The Audi Q3, here in 45 TFSIe S Line specification, is a bit shorter at the kerb than the Tonale. A little oddly for an Audi, it isn’t the car bringing four-wheel drive to the table here. And it doesn’t quite make as convincing a tax-saving PHEV business case as the Tonale, for reasons we will come to. But it is available from several grand cheaper – and it isn’t far behind in terms of on-paper power or performance.

Dispassionate, rational reasons haven’t tended to sell Alfa too well in the past, but the company clearly wants to turn over a new leaf here. The Tonale is pricey compared with some plug-in hybrid competitors, but because it comes with a 15.5kWh battery and officially up to 43 miles of equivalent electriconly range, it gets itself into the 8% company car tax bracket, whereas many others are still stuck at 12% or even 14%.

That fact, delivered in a car with a roomier four-seater cabin than some and plenty of equipment for the money, stands to get the Tonale into buying conversations, both private and fleet, in which Alfas have seldom if ever featured before. It might win some showroom attention. Get it onto a shortlist. Win it a test drive, even.

So what will it do from there to convert? On the uppermost of top levels, I’m not sure

the Tonale has the same kind of distinguishing design appeal the Giulia and the Stelvio SUV brought a few years ago. As far as compact SUVs go, it’s sort of nice looking, but it doesn’t rise above the noisy visual quagmire of its rivals like great Alfas tend to.

Compact SUVs with transverse engines just don’t give designers the stance, volumes and angles that they need to make appealinglooking cars, I fear. (And, as we keep on buying them, we continue to tell anyone who will listen how little we care and discount any right of complaint.) So while you might have an inkling that you prefer the Tonale’s look to the Q3’s, I doubt that you could point to anything about it that’s objectively a better bit of design. I actually prefer the Q3’s slightly squatter, more tightly packaged proportions. If only it had less fussily ‘technical’ Audi detailing.

The Tonale definitely offers more cabin space than the Q3, plus a boot with more usable space than the relative difference between the on-paper cargo volumes of these cars (380 litres versus 385 litres) would suggest. With a family to transport, you would feel notably more reassured with the Tonale’s practicality, while the Q3’s marginally tighter interior gives it a little bit more of a hatchback vibe.

Well laid out with a decent quality feel and sporty touches

Which brings us onto broader cabin appeal. Without wishing to reopen old wounds, might this be where the case for the Italian begins slowly to peel, unravel and disintegrate? Well, no, actually. If this were Alfa taking a swing at Audi’s A6 or Q7 (as it’s promising to do come 2025), it might be. But, mostly because Audi’s smaller cars don’t have the inscrutable sense of richness and built-in quality of its bigger ones, the Tonale gets away with one here. Its premium feel and perceived quality aren’t selling points, but they’re good enough.

Its digital technology is slightly less crisply rendered and intuitive than the Q3’s. Its material finish and feel is a little less consistent, with shinier mouldings and

Milanese biscione with plug for head is quite a neat touch

cheaper-looking decorative trims and ambient lighting features. Its seats are bit less adjustable and supportive. And there’s no excuse for failing to line up the centre of the steering column with the corresponding point on the instrument binnacle, especially on a left-hooker, is there? That isn’t okay on an Italian car – in fact, on any car – in 2023. For OCD’s sake, Alfa, sort it out.

However, the overall impression the Tonale’s interior gives you is one of a car with a generally sensible ergonomic layout, a passably appealing finish, a little bit of material lustre and design intrigue here and there (the famous ‘biscione’ grass snake from the Alfa crest has been redesigned

quite artfully with a power plug for a head and used as a decorative motif).

The Q3’s fittings feel more robust and its materials look a shade more expensive, but the difference isn’t large or that significant.

The Alfa’s battery may give you more electric-only range, but the Audi’s hybrid modes, which allow you to empty, save and recharge the battery so easily, make up a lot of the shortfall in normal motoring.

Where the difference between these cars ought to loom large is in the driving. Most Alfas that could stay in touch with a German rival in any Autocar group test where ‘static’ respects are concerned would, traditionally, waltz off into the sunset at this point. But this is new territory, remember. And while the Tonale tries to do the same, its success in creating a really clear 

❝

It stands to get into buying conversations in which Alfas have seldom if ever appeared before ❞

Audi’s 1.4 engine is very familiar; Alfa’s 1.3 from Jeep 4xes

It is no A8 but is still solidly made; digital tech beats Tonale’s

 dynamic selling point is limited, to say the least.

That big battery and the weight it imposes (1835kg all in versus 1740kg for the Q3) is part of the problem, but it’s by no means all of it. Again, in a strictly rational sense, the Tonale might be the right car for you because it offers real-world electric-only range: a dependable 30 miles of it even in near-freezing temperatures, according to our testing, compared with more like 20 miles for the Q3. But it’s a surprisingly disappointing driver’s car, weedy-sounding, clunky-shifting and unresponsive with its electrified powertrain,

Getting the Q3 up to the Tonale Veloce’s equipment level means spending a few quid on options. Adaptive cruise control with all of the active safety systems, for example, costs £800 extra.

2nd

decidedly reluctant and disinterested-feeling in its throttle calibration and heavyfeeling with its body control when you do get some speed up.

The Tonale does at least steer like an Alfa: quickly, lightly and with that initial sense of zip and keenness that augurs so well. Its lateral body control is good, too, although vertical control is less good. By comparison, the Q3’s wheel is slower and heavier (albeit not without feel) and it turns less smartly and rolls a tad farther.

It’s what happens after you’ve got the Alfa committed to a corner, and as you’re making off down the road ahead, that lets it down. Even in Dynamic driving mode, the PHEV powertrain is slow to

Low BIK tax ratings will deliver fleet appeal, but there’s not nearly enough old-fashioned driver appeal to go with it.

rouse. The accelerator pedal’s tuning feels as if it’s saving any electric motor boost for the very bottom of its extension, rather than feeding it in right at the top. Hiding it away, almost.

Also, because the Tonale’s petrol engine and electric motors operate independently of each other (one is in the front and one is in the back, whereas the Audi’s are teamed up upstream of the gearbox), they often don’t combine very cleverly under wider pedal applications. In order to get the electric rear axle to really drive the car out of a bend, you can’t avoid overworking the front one and making the six-speed gearbox shift quite clunkily and hastily.

So after exploring the Tonale at its most exciting, you can only

1st

Plenty of premium features in an appealing compact SUV, with great drivability, comfort and refinement.

conclude that it’s best when moving along more gently.

In the strictest of objective terms, when you flatten their pedals and just witness what happens, you can’t mistake that the Tonale is clearly faster than the Q3. But the Audi’s slicker, smoother tuning and greater drivability make it markedly easier to drive, as well as more pleasant. Its petrol engine is also considerably better isolated than the Tonale’s and doesn’t sound nearly so meek and underwhelming when it’s running.

And so the Q3’s better value proposition, its less wallowy and

heavy-feeling back-road ride and its all-round stronger credentials as a compact luxury car end up giving it a pretty clear win in the end. The Tonale may have a better electric-only range and moments of dynamic spiritedness with it, but they’re just too few, too far between and too often accompanied with other cues for driver frustration for it to really challenge its German rival.

Customers will excuse it, of course, forgive it and allow for its shortcomings. Plenty won’t even care how it compares with rivals. Nor need they, because if the closely related Jeep Compass 4xe PHEV is good enough to do its maker a power of commercial good, this Tonale certainly is likewise.

Is it really a proper Alfa, though, or is it a filler, a tick in an important box? I doubt whether even the most passionate Alfa devotee, if they were honest, would ultimately need telling. L

Audi is slower than the Alfa, but its powertrain is much better resolved

GHOST IN

MACHINE

just a car, but Hyundai has created a whole backstory filled with mention of ‘character’ and ‘personality’ to explain how he – sorry, it – will appeal to young urban buyers, so let’s just roll with it. Besides, Casper really is quite adorable.

The Hyundai Casper was launched last year as the smallest car the firm offers in its gargantuan domestic Korean line-up, and is best described as a crossover version of the i10 city car. It uses the same platform (also shared with the Kia Picanto), but at 3595mm long is actually 100mm shorter than its sibling. It’s narrower too, although predictably higher.

that description than the Fiat 500X, a car that actually is a mix of a 500 and a Jeep. It’s distinctive too, with split front headlights, a sleek rear LED light panel and even a smiley face moulded into the C-pillar. Casper likes to smile, it seems.

The interior perhaps isn’t quite as slick, with designers unable to hide the relatively cheap plastics and basic materials. But there are some dynamic flashes on the trim and a decent infotainment screen, even if it does look slightly ungainly poking out the top of the dashboard.

The Casper isn’t just a beefed-up hatchback like, say, the Toyota Aygo

X but a ‘proper’ crossover – and its small size is to meet Korea’s ‘light car’ class. There certainly isn’t much like it in the UK, save for perhaps the Suzuki Ignis. And, yes, you can’t buy a Casper in the UK. But why? After all, the Brits and other Europeans love small cars, and crossovers are hugely popular.

It’s not like Hyundai has abandoned the city car market,

commitment to the class.

One reason the Casper isn’t offered in the UK is revealed somewhat when you get behind the wheel. Because its cuteness and charm can’t hide the fact that it’s hardly the most refined thing going. It’s offered with a choice of 1.0-litre engines, and in Korean spec it won’t win any awards for refinement – even with our top-spec test car featuring the T-GDi turbo engine. Casper might be friendly, but at speed he’s a bit of a whiner.

Still, the Casper’s charm does hold up. Once you’ve adjusted to the slightly unrefined powertrain and reached a decent speed, it retains

its pace reasonably well and has that enjoyable small car pep that comes from positive handling and a short wheelbase. It lacks the finesse, polish and plentiful kit of the European-spec i10, but then the cheapest Casper in Korea costs roughly £8665. The entry-level i10 in the UK costs £14,995.

It’s got some neat features, too. Remove the headrests and the front and back seats both fold flat, effectively turning the entire interior into a flat bed. Loasby claims Casper owners use it to sleep in when going camping. How hashtag lifestyle.

The issues with bringing the Casper to Europe are the same reason so many car firms have turned away from small cars in recent years: safety regulations, Euro 7 emissions regulations

Price £8665 (Korea only)

Engine  3 cyls, 999cc turbocharged, petrol

Power  99bhp at 4500-6000rpm

Torque  127lb ft at 1500-4000rpm

Gearbox 4-spd automatic, FWD

Kerb weight 986-1060kg

0-62mph  na

Top speed  na

Economy  34.7-36.1mpg

and so on. Basically, it’s hard to make small cars profitable. The cost of all the kit the Casper would most likely need in Europe would probably push it beyond the reach of its intended target audience.

In Korea, its target audience is more youthful than that of many other Hyundai models, which explains why the Casper is only sold online. And this brings us to another reason we don’t get the model: it’s really popular in Korea.

The country’s car market is unusually broad, a melting pot of American- and Chinese-influenced saloons with European-influenced hatchbacks and SUVs. Electric cars, denoted in Korea by a light blue numberplate, are still relatively rare. And as the de facto national car firm, Hyundai straddles all of it – and the Casper is the model it’s using to capture young city dwellers.

Spend any time in traffic in Seoul – and if you’ve spent any time in Seoul, you’ve spent time in traffic – and you’ll see a significant number of Caspers on the road. The diminutive size, modern styling and neat LED lighting help it to stand out, and there’s not much else like it. The only real class rivals come from within the Hyundai Motor Group, with the Kia Morning (née Picanto) and Ray, an even boxier crossover built on the same platform.

Undoubtedly, the Casper feels more at home in urban traffic than larger crossovers do, and it’s a cinch to place on busy roads. But just as you’re picturing it threading through London traffic, you press the accelerator and hear the whine of the slightly rough three-cylinder petrol engine.

But there is hope, with suggestions of an electric reworking potentially reaching Europe. Priced right, that could be an absolute smash hit. After all, in an era when the future of the city car is at risk, the Casper is a reminder of how adorably fun they can be. Sadly, for now, we’ll have to wait for a chance to make firm friends with Casper. L

THREE OTHER KOREAN CARS WE’D LIKE ON UK ROADS

HYUNDAI STARIA

The Staria’s styling may be super-modern, but strip that away and you’re left with a Volkswagen Multivan-rivalling van-based MPV that drives very much like a van. You can get a camper version with a built-in kitchen, mind.

HYUNDAI POREST

Speaking of campers, Hyundai also offers a proper van-based camper. It’s based on the Porter truck – Porest is a portmanteau of Porter and rest, apparently – and features a built-in kitchen and three separate sleeping areas.

KIA RAY

Kia’s long-running model is similar in overall dimensions to the Casper, but takes the form of an even boxier minivan, with a sliding door on the passenger side. It’s offered with petrol or LPG powertrains, and in 2011 spawned an electric variant – Kia’s first-ever production EV.

Cheery notes abound both inside and out

It’s shorter in length than an i10 and not nearly as refined

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Casper might be friendly, but at speed he’s a bit of a whiner ❞

The fondest farewell

Ever since it arrived on the scene in 1963, Lamborghini has offered supercars powered purely by a V12, but that’s soon to change. John Simister meets the men who engineered these soul-stirring engines and relives their past glories

This year, there will no longer be a Lamborghini supercar powered by a V12 engine and nothing else. Purity of power production will cease. From then on, it will be hybrids until either they too are outlawed or legislators have a change of heart, possibly involving synthetic fuels. Magnificent as the forthcoming hybrid-V12 Lamborghini probably will be, something will be lost.

The essence of that something was in full flood late last year when we reacquainted ourselves with a Diablo, a Murciélago and a pair of current-model Aventadors (an Ultimae and a hardcore SVJ) at Sant’Agata Bolognese, where we also met four key creators of the Lamborghini V12 story in a reminiscence-filled reunion.

Oliviero Pedrazzi was an engine designer at Lamborghini from 1962 to 1975. Tiziano Benedetti, who joined in 1968 from the technical school in nearby Modena, left in 1974 to set up Tecnostile, a design and engineering consultancy, where he was later joined by Pedrazzi and they together worked on the Cizeta-Moroder V16T and the Bugatti EB110. Giancarlo Barbieri, the longest-serving of all, was a leading light in the research and development department from 1968 right through to 2005, having previously worked in the engine workshop. And then we’re brought up to date by Maurizio Reggiani, 40 years an engineer with Italy’s

automotive aristocracy. With Lamborghini since 1995, he recently retired as chief engineer to become vice-president for motorsport.

We know the bones of the V12 story: who designed it (Giotto Bizzarrini, with final honing by Gian Paolo Dallara), its basic specifications (a four-camshaft, 60deg V12) and the cars to which it has been fitted (the 350GT, 400GT, Miura, Espada, Countach and, in heavily revised form, the LM002, Countach QV, Diablo and Murciélago). We also know that the V12 was completely redesigned for the Aventador and that the hybridised unit will be different again. But how about the flesh? What was it like in the factory at the beginning?

Pedrazzi came to Lamborghini fresh from working on Ferrari’s 250 GTO engine with Bizzarrini. “It was just grass and a cornfield here,” he recalls. “First I was based at the Lamborghini tractor factory, 20 minutes away in Cento, while we were waiting for the new buildings here to be ready. Then I had to do military service, so I drew the first engine while I was away and sent the drawings to Bizzarrini.

“The important thing is that it had four camshafts when Ferrari’s V12 had only two. We designed it together. Many say that Bizzarrini had the engine ready when he joined the company, but it’s not true.”

Company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini is famously said to have told Bizzarrini that the more power the new engine developed, 

Our three retired Lambo engineers spent their working lives with supercars, but today their transport tastes are more prosaic. Benedetti drives an Audi Q5 TDI, Pedrazzi a BMW 320d and Barbieri a Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI. Any tasty classics tucked away? It’s a no in each case.

Benedetti (left) and Pedrazzi joined Lambo in the very early days

Barbieri checks the factory’s youngsters haven’t messed it up

Diablo (gold) made way for Murciélago (white), followed by Aventador

 the more the engineer would be paid – and that if it made less than 350bhp, he wouldn’t be paid at all. Pedrazzi remembers it differently: “Mr Lamborghini made a bet: if the engine could get to 350bhp, Bizzarrini, who had a lot of land, would get a tractor. On the first test, it wasn’t up to 350. The engine test bed has a measuring arm which moves a needle. If you put some weight on the arm, it alters the balance, maybe to 350 or more. Also, to help you, there’s a manual with figures to correct for humidity, pressure and so on. Maybe with a 5% alteration… Anyway, Bizzarrini got his tractor. Mr Lamborghini wasn’t a dumb guy. He knew when something was done well and in the right spirit. It was a fine engine.”

Lamborghini’s first car (the 350 GTV prototype) was revealed at the 1963 Turin motor show with the very first engine exhibited next to it, although the unit had already been displayed three days earlier at the opening of the new Lamborghini factory. The engine wasn’t installed in the show car because it wouldn’t fit, mainly because the intakes of its vertical carburettors were too tall.

“So the engine bay was filled with boxes of small red ceramic tiles so

the car would sit correctly,” explains Pedrazzi. “Mr Lamborghini locked the car, kept the key in his pocket and said to anyone who asked to see under the bonnet: ‘Oh, the idiot who drove the car in didn’t leave the key.’

“We had to cut two air intakes down to make the engine fit when the time came,” he continues, “and for the production version we used side-draught carburettors instead.”

The Miura, however, returned to down-draught carburettors, the better to exploit the engine’s vertical inlet ports set between each cylinder head’s camshaft.

A murmur of appreciation fills the room at this point as the engineers agree that this is the most beautiful engine Lamborghini has ever made.

The V12 continued in various guises, having grown from its original 3465cc to 3929cc for the Miura, Espada and early Countach models, but 1982 brought a major refresh.

“This was the first real redesign,” says Barbieri. “We put a spacer between the block and the heads to allow a longer stroke, so the capacity went up to 4754cc with no need to redesign the block. It was very powerful and it never broke down.”

Modern Lambos have a different V12 but a similar attitude

Reggiani was chief engineer from 1995 to 2022

These wonders were hand-assembled

Original V12 was used right up to 2010

First major redesign was for Countach

Uniquely for a Lambo car engine, the Miura V12’s crankshaft rotates anti-clockwise. So it was perfect as one half of the first Lambo boat’s powertrain, the other half an equivalent Espada V12, each having its own propeller. The result was a directionally stable and very rapid craft.

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LAMBORGHINI’S OTHER V12 s

In 1984, Lamborghini supersized the V12 idea. The plan was to use it in powerboats, and it proved a highly successful one.

The first engine had a capacity of 7.2 litres, but later versions grew to 8.0, 8.2 and 9.3, the earliest with six Weber 44 DCNF carburettors, the later ones with fuel injection and, for the final 8007cc version of 1989, four valves per cylinder and an output of 880bhp. A 7.2-litre version was tried in the LM002 but considered overkill.

Another Lamborghini V12 was used by a series of middling Formula 1 race cars between 1989 and 1993 and came close to powering McLarens before Ron Dennis opted instead for Peugeot’s V10. The 3.5-litre Lamborghini LE3512 engine had an unusual 80deg vee angle and was designed by exFerrari engineer Mauro Forghieri.

“It had nothing at all to do with Lamborghini’s road cars,” Barbieri says, “but I did get to meet Forghieri.”

Diablo leapt forward from old Countach, but V12 remained

Next came 1985’s 5.2-litre, four-valves-per-cylinder remake for the Countach QV and LM002. This, says Barbieri, was practically a completely new engine: “The block, heads and pistons were all new, and it was our first V12 with a central air filter.”

That’s a roundabout way of saying that the engine no longer featured those vertical inlet ports, inspired by the V12 racing engine that Giulio Alfieri had designed for Maserati, and instead positioned the intake side conventionally within the vee. The interesting thing here is that it was Alfieri who masterminded Lamborghini’s new QV engine. There’s a lot of cross-pollination in the world of Italian supercar creation.

“That engine used Weber 44 DCNF carburettors until we changed to fuel injection,” observes Barbieri.

Benedetti interjects: “I was always proud to use Webers on the V12s. I never liked the Solexes we used on the Urraco’s V8. On the prototype engines, they made a huge column of fuel mist above the intakes, which would catch fire.”

“We called that engine Nerone,” adds Pedrazzi, “after [emperor] Nero, who set fire to Rome.”

Barbieri did a lot of testing as the engines evolved. “In the very early stage of developing fuel injection, we used a Kugelfischer system,” he remembers, “so we couldn’t use Weber’s factory any more for emissions testing. We found a laboratory in Milan, so every day I was commuting. My favourite pastime was driving at 150kph or 160kph [93-99mph] in the LM002 when no one knew what it was. All they could see was a truck, but when they tried to get away from it, they couldn’t.”

Mr Lamborghini made a bet: if the engine could get to 350bhp, Bizzarrini would get a tractor ❞

HOW DIFFERENT ARE THEY ON THE ROAD?

We drove from Sant’Agata down to Tuscany in four V12-powered Lamborghinis, and although all were mightily rapid, the differences in their engines’ characters was intriguing.

The Diablo SE (the last but one to be built) has a deep and dirty beat to its engine note, taking on an almost vintage-aircraft quality in the mid-

range before an angry, sore-throated howl takes over.

What’s broadly the same unit in the Murciélago is smoother and purer in its note but still complex in its high-revs harmonics.

The Aventadors, with their changed firing orders and reduced rotational and reciprocating masses, are

super-snappy and, the 770bhp SVJ especially, manically shrieky when revved towards (or even beyond) 8000rpm, crackling theatrically with each upshift. ‘Explosive’ is probably the most suitable word, yet they’re both surprisingly well mannered when asked to amble, with a smooth and even baritone blare.

Initially the move to fuel injection was driven by the need to meet US regulations, especially after Chrysler acquired Lamborghini in 1987. Lamborghini settled on a Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical system until designing its own one for the Diablo, launched in 1990.

During this car’s life, the V12 would be offered in 5.7-litre and 6.0-litre guises, and it would grow yet more for 2001’s Murciélago, with 6.2-litre and 6.5-litre capacities. And there, by then well into Lamborghini’s ownership by the Volkswagen Group, the fraying thread of Bizzarrini’s original engine finally snaps.

“You usually have a window of 12 to 14 years for a new engine to be developable,” says Reggiani, and clearly even the QV version of the original V12 was well outside that window when, in 2008, work began on an entirely new one for the Aventador, which was slated for a 2011 launch.

“It complies with every country in the world with no change in specification,” says Reggiani proudly. “To have many

different versions would be difficult for a small company.”

There were similarities with what went before, of course. “For engineering reasons, the 60deg V12 is the best possible engine,” he continues. “This one has the same bore centres as before, so we can use the same machine tools, but we reduced the distance between the crankshaft and the bottom of the engine, reduced component weights and casting thicknesses and changed the firing order to decrease some harmonics and tailor the sound.”

This engine, too, is now reaching the end of the road. The next V12 will be entirely new and focused on high-end power, the lower reaches to be filled in with electric energy.

Asked which is his favourite Lamborghini V12, Reggiani predictably replies: “The next one.” But then he calls to mind the 1998 Diablo GT, the first fuelinjected Lamborghini V12 with a throttle for each cylinder. “It was a moment of sophistication but also heritage,” he says wistfully. “It was like having carburettors…” L

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The Diablo GT’s V12 was a moment of sophistication but also heritage ❞

L-r: Benedetti, Pedrazzi, our man Simister and Barbieri discuss the good old days

Lambos never fail to attract attention It looks futuristic but feels old-school

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Fifteen walked up and 14 down, an unfortunate slip and an urgent appointment at the local hospital for 19 stitches necessitating a helicopter evacuation for one. Ouch. But how does a walk up a mountain find itself worthy of coverage in Autocar? The key is the people who undertook the trek and where they worked, and the charity that they sought to support in doing so.

The British car industry has a long, often proud and sometimes turbulent history, with the colourful stories behind it shaped by an army of workers operating from the shop floor to the very highest management offices across the land.

In order to look after its own, in 1905 the automotive charity Ben was set up, and today it seeks to provide support for anyone associated with the industry suffering physical, mental, social or financial hardship. In the first year of Covid, calls to its helpline hit record highs – which today are being surpassed by a further 25% as the cost of living crisis bites.

“Our work has never been more in demand, but of course that brings added pressures of funding it, which is why we decided to set up the Industry Leaders Challenge as a way of senior figures being able to highlight our work and raise significant sums,” says Matt Wigginton, the charity’s director of partnerships, engagement and income.

The 15 intrepid explorers from across the retail, supply and charity networks tackled a seven-day climb up (and back down) Mount Kilimanjaro, seeking to raise £300,000 to keep Ben’s helpline running for a year, supporting around 15,000 people and their families.

Snow, hail, rain and blistering sun combined with tiredness and altitude sickness to make it the challenge of a lifetime. Amazingly, despite a typical success rate of just 80%, everyone involved made it to the top. Here’s how it happened.

More visually terrifying than actually threatening, the Barranco Wall still wouldn’t be on the itinerary in a country more concerned with health and safety. It includes the famous ‘kissing stone’, which climbers get so close to as they stretch across a chasm that they often take the opportunity for a quick life-affirming smooch as they dangle in mid-air.

The sweetest sunrise: after five and a half days of trekking up, starting at midnight from around 4600m the team climbed another 1200m or so in darkness for just under six hours to reach Kilimanjaro’s summit, enduring temperatures of -15deg C during the night. The dormant volcano in Tanzania is the highest single free-standing mountain in the world – and this is the view.

How else do you start your trip to the base of a dormant volcano than in a Toyota Land Cruiser? In fact, the vehicles are largely beloved by tour groups because of their suitability for neighbouring safari excursions – but they look the part ahead of the climb, too.

of automotive employees say stress affects their work

Jim Holder joined industry leaders on a gruelling car charity expedition up Kilimanjaro, where oxygen and mobility solutions proved to be in short supply

The team followed the seven-day Machame Route, which is popular for allowing three nights at high altitude to help adjust to the lack of oxygen. It starts in the rainforest – home to colobus monkeys – and quickly climbs above the clouds, before hikers edge east around the mountain. A support team roughly three times the size of the group helped carry equipment, guide on routes, cook and more.

No, that’s not a cake but rather a mountain of rice prepared by one of the support crew. Cooking from a tent, they produce copious soups and carbohydrate-rich meals to keep the team – and its support crew –moving in even the most inhospitable conditions.

One of the tricks employed by guides is to walk visitors up as high as possible each day and then head down again, tricking the body into prepping more oxygen-carrying red blood cells than it needs immediately. That’s great science but hard on the legs, and inevitably meant early encounters with heavy snow.

Once out of the rainforest, overnight temperatures always dipped below zero. That meant damp tents on the inside and frozen ones on the outside. Heavy-duty sleeping bags and hot-water bottles helped, but rest was hard to come by.

On our route, the trek up Kili takes five and a half days, and for the vast majority of the time the peak looms large. With sleep averaging at about two hours a night, tough terrain, wild weather and large altitude gains, progress erred towards slow and steady.

Autocar’s Rachael Prasher and Jim Holder were joined at the summit by James Tordoff and Andy Bateman (JCT600), Adrian Wallington and Clive McGregor (Marshall Motor Group), Leon Bosch (Partners&), Joel Combes (Lawgistics), Neil Grant and Spencer Grinham (Hella), Andy Hamilton and Anthony McAteer (Euro Car Parts) and Zara Ross, Rachel Clift and Matt Wigginton (Ben).

YOUR VIEWS

Call to arms

The dislike of ‘feelsome’ expressed in Steve Cropley’s 21/28 December 2022 column caught my attention. I don’t share this particular phobia, but another word has made me increasingly uncomfortable over the past couple of years, that being describing cars as ‘weapons’. I would dearly love to see this stop.

Weapons are designed to injure or kill. A car in the hands of a drunk or drug driver could reasonably be called a weapon, but otherwise it’s horribly inappropriate to describe any (but usually exciting) vehicle.

Across your two December double issues, ‘weapon’ was used to describe the Audi TT RS, Audi RS3 Sportback, Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica, Porsche 911 Sport Classic and Ford Focus ST. My daily driver is a 450bhp 6.2-litre V8-powered coupé with awesome capability, but I would be mortified if anyone regarded it as a weapon, and I’ve no intention of using it as such.

Autocar isn’t the only offender in the use of this provocative noun in this context, but it would be terrific if it led the way in banishing it. After all, it does make those who deploy it seem a bit less than fully grown-up.

Jamie Buchanan Via email

Less is more

How refreshing to read that Piers Ward thinks the Kia Picanto is so rewarding to drive (‘The one that I want’, 21/28 December 2022). Having to buy and pay for my own car, I commend his thoughts.

I’ve driven (but not owned) many cars in the 200-500bhp range, and I’ve always been left disappointed.

Having learned to drive in a 1964 Fiat 500 and then owned a Daf 33, a Volkswagen 1200 and a Citroën 2CV, the pleasure of keeping momentum has never left me. Now I own a 66bhp Hyundai i10 (the Picanto’s sister), which is always fun to drive, as I can use most of its performance without driving like Mr Toad.

David Pickard Via email

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Not the be-all and end-all

Bravo Autocar for at last stepping back from the din of EV evangelism to offer an article that goes some way to acknowledging the longevity of ICE cars (‘Happy days’, 7/14 December 2022).

Andrew Frankel did sail perilously close to the familiar insinuation that any enthusiasm for internal combustion is synonymous with Luddism (Graham Samways’ letter of 30 November was spot on in cautioning against this all too convenient caricature). However, he at least observed that ICE cars will be around for decades (a seemingly obvious point, but one that’s scarcely examined by the press) and that driving such cars for fun shouldn’t be dismissed as a heretical transgression.

In our current era of ecological sanctimony, when responsibility for ‘destroying the planet’ is often devolved onto the individual’s habits, it has become hard for car journalists to afford airtime to perspectives that don’t dutifully align with the fanciful notion that mankind has found a technological solution (EVs) that will reverse climate change.

We need a more pluralistic, equitable vision of alternatives to fossil fuels, and Frankel is right to speculate that synthetic fuels will extend the life of ICEs well after the guillotine falls in 2030. If indeed it does fall, for as Jim Holder’s column in the same issue revealed, the glacial pace of EV charging infrastructure expansion reinforces the case for creating more adaptable policies for maintaining existing ICE vehicles.

Governments and the industry must recognise that we drivers are clocking all the ways in which their monodirectional fixation on electrification is looking seriously untenable, just as we’re also clocking the fact that EVs themselves are hardly environmentally immaculate.

David James Oxford

There went my inheritance

In ‘Hammer time’ (7/14 December 2022), I saw that an Hispano-Suiza H6C sold for £7.8 million. Gosh!

Between the wars, my great-uncle Arthur lived in Paris and had one.

My uncle Pat remembered being taken for a spin in about 1936, my grandfather in the passenger seat,

Arthur driving and his butler and Pat in the dickie seat. Come June 1940, Arthur had to leave Paris in a hurry. The roads were in chaos, blocked by like-minded escapees. So, using knowledge gained on the battlefields of northern France as an artilleryman, he drove his H6C west across fields and small bridges

and over ditches until he reached a sea port and secured a passage back to Blighty in a coal boat.

Here’s my point. Today’s £7.8m car was on the quayside. He was aboard. And as the boat cast off, he threw the keys to the crowd below. That’s life!

John Impey Via email

What a superb story, John. That H6C’s unique bodywork and heritage earned it such a price, but still you might have missed out on £350,000 or more – KC

Lambomission

Why doesn’t Lamborghini appear in your annual ‘Winners and losers’ (21/28 December 2022)? According to the UK car sales data for 2022 on howmanyleft.com, Alpine (171), Genesis (301), Lotus (126) and RollsRoyce (260) were all outperformed by Lamborghini, which is listed at 430, exactly the same as Maserati.

Colin Charlesworth

Via email

Fair point, Colin. We’ll include them next time round – KC

Leave them to rest

Your article about reviving old marques (‘Too good to stay dead’, 21/28 December 2022) made entertaining reading but unfortunately little commercial sense. First, most of the brands you suggested died decades ago and are of scant relevance to most of today’s car buyers. Worse, several died with

WIN

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

John’s great-uncle had to abandon H6C

cars of little or even negative image. Second, markets have changed, particularly considering the fashions for SUVs and EVs.

Furthermore, when brands are revived, the new cars usually bear little resemblance to earlier glories. At the Chantilly Arts & Elegance in September, I saw the Delage D12, a track-day special closer in concept to a Formula 1 car than the elegant grand routiers of the past. Similarly, the recent revivals of Borgward and Hispano-Suiza paid scant acknowledgement to their heritage.

Gareth Tarr Chertsey, Surrey

Reimagine Reimagine

JLR’s next CEO should consider reviving Daimler as its Bentleyrivalling flagship brand, leaving Jaguar in its traditional position of a premium but affordable brand.

Peter Saunders Bristol

Nice idea, but launching a new brand is a resource-draining exercise – KC

Pressing charges

Three months ago, I took the plunge and bought an EV. It was primarily a head-over-heart decision, but I’ve been happy with my Kia Niro EV. Being able to charge at home is good, and I’m saving on fuel, despite rises in domestic electricity costs.

However, driving to see relatives over the festive period highlighted how poor our charging network is and how far behind the recent rises in EV sales charging availability is.

My Niro’s range, especially now the weather is colder, isn’t enough to reach South Wales in one go. So I stopped at three motorway services, but all the chargers were taken. Not only that, but also there was a queue of people waiting to charge next.

I ended up waiting over an hour just to plug in, meaning it took me over 90 minutes longer to get there than my wife in her petrol Peugeot.

It was also surprising to calculate, given the far higher cost of energy at public chargers, that it cost her only £10 more over a 400-mile trip.

Sorry, but unless things change drastically before my next purchase is due, which seems unlikely, I may be going back to petrol.

Stuart Hermiston

Via email

It’s hard to believe that both of these are badged Delage

REASONS

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The original car magazine, published since 1895 ‘in the interests of the mechanically propelled road carriage’

ON THIS DAY IN 1979

How to make a Lotus

LOTUS PUSHED UPMARKET and away from its kit car roots in the 1970s, launching the Elite, Eclat and Esprit coupés, designing its own engines and upgrading its production techniques to match.

“In the sort of markets Lotus is in today, design brilliance is not enough. Quality of construction and reliability must match the exotic alternatives from the bigger manufacturers,” we said

as we headed to Hethel to see how the latest Lotus cars were made.

The machine shop was “clean, tidy and efficient, thanks to a series of modern tape-controlled machines” (computers). Only one alloy casting wasn’t done there.

In the engine shop, ‘907’ units were built up by hand, the spec differing per market. Valves had recently started to be ground in by hand to improve reliability.

Each engine was then run on a test bed for 75 minutes, attached to its (also hand-built) gearbox.

Metal sheets and tubes became chassis in the fabrication shop, then were sprayed with a rubber compound to protect against rust.

The Elite and Eclat bodies were made by pressure-injecting resin into vacuum moulds; the Esprit bodies by the old way of laying up material into open moulds.

Each chassis was mechanically built up and had an interior fitted before a body was fitted on top.

The final assembly mechanics would test the car on track before giving it to quality checkers and subjecting it to an emissions test.

Lotus still ‘hand-builds’ sports cars, but the complexity of them and the sophistication of Hethel’s production have come a long way.

KRIS CULMER

As Lotus confidently grew in the road car market (albeit still on a small scale and a shoestring budget) and enjoyed another period of big success in Formula 1, we interviewed the man who had founded the firm as a student just 31 years prior.

Could somebody replicate Colin Chapman’s story? “I don’t think it would be impossible,” he said. “I was helped by the times: just after the war, everything was new, business was starting again and everything was a lot more fluid. But there’s plenty of scope for young people who work hard to start a business now. It’s just that there aren’t enough engineers – or well-trained people – about.” Had he been lucky, then? “Oh, l think so. Where l’ve been lucky is in having a number of opportunities presented to me which l’ve been able to take. You make a lot of your own luck in that respect, in that you’ve got to be quick.”

Turning to F1, he wasn’t happy: “There should be no regulation other than perhaps one parameter governing performance; the rest should be confined to providing maximum safety. Engineers should be given free rein.”

And finally, what of the future for Lotus? “l think you have to be [really excited]. Once you start being interested in the past and start living in the past, then you stop making progress.”

Motors Corporation was always the smallest of the ‘big four’ in the US, and by the late 1970s it was really struggling, losing money on everything but Jeeps yet facing huge bills to achieve compliance with new emissions standards and seeing its US market share fall below 2%. It therefore struck a deal with Renault whereby AMC and Renault dealers could sell and service each other’s cars, the 18 would be sold in the US from 1980 and work would start on new cars for the US. The end result? Renault losing a lot of money, its boss being fired, it leaving the US and AMC being swallowed up by Chrysler. Oof.

In late 1978, we were bewildered by a photo of a six-wheeled Renault 5 Alpine hot hatch. It turned out to be a creation of engineer Christian de Léotard, who was convinced that the layout had safety benefits: “With six wheels instead of four, he says, braking power is increased almost 50% and directional stability is vastly improved so the car won’t swing out of line, even when – as he vividly demonstrated – it’s braked heavily on corners.” The Frenchman made several such conversions, the best known being on a Range Rover.

American

Lotus boss Chapman gives some interesting insights

Six-wheeled supermini

Renault buys into AMC

OUR CARS

DACIA JOGGER

just a few months. So the Jogger told me it wanted servicing.

WHY WE RAN IT

TTo see if this humble but capable sevenseater is slick enough in day-to-day use hanks to modern oils and metallurgy, today’s cars don’t need servicing as often as they used to. At least that’s what the manufacturers say and prescribe. As a result, a lot of our long-term test fleet never sees a service bay from the inside before they go back to their makers. However, as a result of several jobs up north, plus a big holiday to the south of France and the big distances I usually cover for work anyway, I’ve managed to rack up more than 18,000 miles in

I rang my nearest Dacia dealership, City Motors in Bristol. They managed to get me an appointment in a matter of days, which was helpful, because with the mileage I do, it would be easy enough to stray over the service interval. Normally, the first service involves only an interior filter change and a general checkover, but for high-mileage drivers like me, Dacia recommends also doing the oil change at the same time. Normally, it reckons this can wait until the second year.

So that’s what they did. They were very friendly when I dropped the car off and I just went to a cafe around the corner to do some

work, but it didn’t take long for the car to be done. All in, a good experience, although £299 does seem on the high side for a simple oil and filter change on a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine.

But with that, my time with the Jogger has come to an end. A budget estate car is not the sort of thing I’d naturally gravitate towards. The extra height of an SUV, let alone something van-based, is quite useful for loading all the stuff I often need to transport. But while I was more resistant to the Jogger’s charms than some of the journalists I work with, it did prove a practical and easy-going companion.

Let’s cover some of the

annoyances first. Over time, some of the cheapness did start to grate. Not so much the interior materials, which were cheerful, but the lack of USB ports and the flimsy yet springy load cover were daily irritations. Above all, the driving position isn’t as well resolved as you’d hope in a modern car: there’s not enough reach in the steering wheel, the seats don’t have enough thigh support and the headrests are too far forward. No big deal if you just take the kids to football practice once a week, but rather tiring if you do big miles.

The seating arrangement also isn’t as flexible as on MPVs of old.

Its three-pot’s 148lb ft proved sufficient in the French mountains

DACIA JOGGER KIA SPORTAGE PEUGEOT 308

VAUXHALL ASTRA SKODA FABIA ALPINE A110

INTEGRATED ROOF RACK

‘PROPER’ SPARE WHEEL

INTERIOR AMBIENCE

It’s no Rolls inside, but the pieces of fabric and ‘metal’ liven it up and stop it feeling bargain basement.

LOATHE IT

SECOND OPINION

I was sceptical of the Jogger hype that seems to live among my fellow motoring journalists, but then I drove Luc’s and just found it an elegant piece of design. Not in a Jaguar E-Type kind of way, but in the sense that it has everything you need and nothing you don’t, and it’s so fit for purpose. It’s even quite decent to drive. IV

The rearmost row can be taken out or flipped forwards, but they don’t fold neatly into the floor, and because I don’t have much use for seven seats, I had to choose between them taking up space in the boot or in my lounge. Most of the time, they stayed in the car. Aside from those niggles, though, the Jogger ticked a lot of boxes. Even with the seats folded, the boot offered plenty of space for all my kit. Removing seats liberated all the space we needed for a four-person climbing and camping holiday to the south of France.

Then we discovered possibly the

Jogger’s best feature: the integrated roof rack. Most estates have roof rails, but in the Jogger you can undo them, turn the bars 90deg and create a roof rack for surf boards, or anything else that’s too long to fit easily inside. It’s such a simple but effective feature.

On the road, the car simply got on with the job. I had some concerns that a 1.0-litre three-pot with 109bhp might be underpowered for a car like this, especially when loaded with people and luggage. However, it was absolutely fine, even when driving in the French mountains. You need to work the manual gearbox, but it’s a precise, light shift, so it even introduces a bit of fun into what could be a very prosaic sort of vehicle.

On the whole, I think I liked the Jogger more for what it stands for than what it is. Some of my other long-term test cars have been even more practical and even more comfortable. But the Jogger is such an unpretentious car. It’s not about the biggest wheels, the fastest 0-62mph time or the most tenuously racing-inspired styling. It just does what you need it to.

And yet it actually got compliments. One of my friends, who’s not into cars and would make no assumptions on seeing the Dacia badge, commented on what a nice car it was. And it’s true: away from any snobbery, it’s a sharp-looking car with (almost) all you need, such as Apple CarPlay, cruise control, climate control and enough power.

In the end, you just can’t get around the value of the thing. Annoyingly, the Jogger has gone up in price by £2150 since it was launched, but so have all other cars, and there’s nothing else on the market with anything like this car’s space or utility for similar money. That makes it quite unusual, and the sort of car I might buy if I needed a do-it-all everyday load-hauler.

LUC LACEY

SEATS ON LONG JOURNEYS

The seats just get a bit tiresome on long drives – particularly the headrest, which sticks out too far.

LUGGAGE COVER

It’s the one element of the interior that really feels cheap. There’s no handle, it’s flimsy and it’s springy.

VOLKSWAGEN MULTIVAN

FIRST REPORT

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT

To see if the latest VW ’bus has all of the charms of its predecessors

There’s potential for confusion here. This is the Volkswagen Multivan, which you could consider to be the latest in the long line of VW vans stretching back to the original Type 2.

The generations that followed have been dubbed Transporter in T3, T4 and so on forms, right up to the recent T6. Each base Transporter generation has been used for a van and a camper and, more recently, a big comfortable passenger car too.

The T6 has just given way to this, the new T7 Multivan. But this time there’s more, because there’s also the electric ID Buzz, plus an

upcoming ‘proper’ van based on a joint venture with the Ford Transit, another year away.

So one van will become three. And while VW calls the Multivan the T7, will that necessarily mean it becomes considered by VW aficionados as the ‘proper’ seventh-generation van, the one for living the van life?

The Multivan is the most car-like of the new breed. It’s based on a VW passenger car architecture and comes with seven seats as standard, with two forward-facing ones in the middle row and three in the very back. That’s what’s fitted here, but there’s a seven-seat Conference seat package (the middle row faces backwards) and a six-seat package (only two in the back and they get armrests), but whichever way, each individual seat can slide or be removed, so it’s a flexible interior.

I left it to Max Edleston, our

photographer, to find out just how flexible. As soon as the T7 arrived, I handed it to him to use as a tour bus for some musician friends. For 10 days, he was groupie, roadie, driver, technician, gopher and more as he took them nearly 2000 miles around the country.

The Multivan is 5m long, 1.94m wide and 1.91m tall and they say there’s 3672 litres of space behind the front seats. What Max says this translates to is (deep breath): four guitars, three amps, one keyboard, one full drum kit, three pedal boards, one synth pad, three large merchandise boxes (Abbie Ozard, by the way), guitar stand, keyboard stand, five overnight suitcases and two camera bags, plus three seats left in place and occupied by three tired musicians.

Then there’s the two people up front. Max thinks that’s rather good going, and since its return, I’ve

VW launched the Multivan and Buzz at roughly the same time, and the retrofuturistic EV holds the limelight. Shame. In many ways the Multivan is the more impressive proposition: more handsome, more flexible interior and much more obviously car-like in its dynamic behaviour. FP

SECOND OPINION

Van-style seven-seater arrives with much to prove to us, VW fans and in-house rivals

Tray bonne: breakfast is now served

First task was as tour bus for Abbie Ozard: 10 days, 2000 miles

taken all the seats out to help some friends move and I’m inclined to agree. With a sliding door each side and a big swing-up tailgate, access is great too.

Those chairs – all five of which are in my shed as I speak, along with a sliding storage box – are heavy, mind, at around 20kg each. My guess is a family will work out what arrangement suits them best, then largely leave them alone.

The Multivan starts at £43,720 for a Life variant with a standard petrol engine but it’s £50k by the time you’ve fitted it with the 215bhp plugin hybrid with an electric motor and 1.4 turbo petrol, with a six-speed dual-clutch auto and front drive.

That’s what also sits in the front of this particular upmarket Style derivative, which is £59,545 before options. A generous helping of those means this is a £66,000 passenger car, which – with a swanky hi-fi that’s among the best sounds on sale and a panoramic glass roof – is about as expensive as you can make a Multivan. So rivals are not an old Transit with some benches in the back but expensive SUVs and estates with part-time third-row seats.

It looks the part, I’m told. It certainly turns T6 owners’ heads.

And in the front cabin, it feels as well assembled as most VWs, right down to the frustrating infotainment screen; though there are real buttons on the steering wheel, and it’s two quick clicks –indicator stalk and wheel button –to turn off the lane keep assist.

That done, it steers smoothly, and the drivetrain is slick. With a charged battery, I’m getting over 20 miles (officially, it’ll do 31 on the WLTP test cycle) in EV mode before it’s depleted, but I’m on fast roads as soon as I leave home. I’d do better in town. Because there’s always some regeneration and oomph left in the battery to electrically assist the engine under acceleration, it doesn’t feel overwhelmed in this 2240kg wagon. As an unplugged hybrid, it’ll return 35mpg.

If you’re plugging it in for the typical daily commute, you might use no fuel on normal days. And there’s the regular 2.0 petrol (31.4mpg) or a 2.0 diesel (42.8mpg) if your life doesn’t work like that.

Whatever the driving mode, it’s quiet, and with nothing in it there’s space for the hi-fi’s sounds to develop nicely. It is a little van-like boomy when empty and rides more smoothly and quietly when it’s full of kit, but either way it’s a pleasingly refined and easy machine to drive. The definitive T7? We’ll see, but I’m enjoying finding out.

TEST DATA

KIA SPORTAGE

MILEAGE 2987

WHY

WE’RE RUNNING IT

Does Kia still hold its own among the throng of affordable crossovers?

It might not be all-new technology, having already made outings on the Kia Sorento and EV6, but the blindspot view monitor, which appears on the instrument panel in our Sportage, is a major talking point with any passengers I have. “Oo, what’s that? Fancy!”

In essence, it supplements the existing, old-school door mirrors by using cameras to display a real-time rear-side image of the car when the driver indicates to cover off the blindspot.

I found the images disconcerting at first but quickly came around to them. This is a great example of tech that is genuinely useful. I’ve been driving long enough that I’m not quite willing to give up my now innate tendency to check a blindspot by turning my head, but this is an excellent addition to my process that makes me feel safer.

If there is something in my blindspot, the car beeps loudly. That’s fine, but it isn’t intelligent enough to know when I’m speeding up to get over to an exit junction, for example, and therefore can’t judge that the vehicle will be out of my blindspot before I am in that lane.

LOVE IT

ANOTHER PAIR

The only time I’ve found it a distraction is during torrential rain. It’s a scenario that requires heightened concentration to start with, and when you have a screen with a moving image on the instrument panel that provides no aid whatsoever, it’s disconcerting.

Another piece of tech that has grabbed my attention is an air filter inside the car. These have become more and more common, but as I drove into the Hatfield tunnel, a message appeared at the top of the infotainment screen: ‘Blocking outside air for comfort.’

It’s a very simple message yet it instantly made me feel better. It’s an excellent psychological play: here’s my car looking after me when fumes are at their worst.

The Sportage also has Remote Smart Parking Assist, which means it can navigate in and out of tight parking spaces remotely. I remember when this feature first launched in cars years ago and it was a great novelty. Yet, purely on anecdotal evidence, it doesn’t seem to be used very much. It’s a system that would suit my London life, yet I just don’t quite trust it. Nothing to do with Kia –simply a fear of losing control and the worst happening. But that said, it’s only right I test it. Watch this space…

RACHEL BURGESS

OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE matt.prior@haymarket.com

LOATHE IT

RAIN CHECK …unless the weather is bloomin’ awful.

It steers smoothly and the drivetrain is slick

Two bits of tech are making life easier but courage and trust will enable a third

OF EYES Blindspot monitor makes you feel safer…

Blindspot camera and cabin air filter (below) are useful features

LIS TEN TO THE

BMW M AUTOCAR

PO DC AS T

PEUGEOT 308 SW

Estate sounds perfect for a long cargo haul, but a PHEV one?

Skoda Fabia

MILEAGE 3910

LAST SEEN 4.1.23

I was enthused to learn from Skoda publishing its 2022 results that the Mk4 Fabia put in a strong first year, and special reference was made to “a good start” for the sporty Monte Carlo. It pleases me to know people still want such sensible little hatches. Even so, while I can’t deny this trim further enhances the smarter new design, I think a Dacia-rivalling spec would be the wisest pick for most. KC

has a place in a world of OUR CARS

I’m starting to get to know my Peugeot 308 SW a lot better after a few weeks of ‘ownership’, and as mentioned in my last report, the stylish wagon’s first mission was to ferry me and a boot full of stuff down to the south coast of Cornwall.

In my mind, it would be the ideal test of the plug-in hybrid estate’s long-range economy, with a mixture of electric, petrol-electric and petrol power, while simultaneously taking on Cornwall’s varied terrain.

I left Berkshire with a full tank of unleaded, prompting the digital display to show a range of 485 miles, along with 18 miles of EV range, so I opted for hybrid mode to make the most of that measly figure.

My doubts were allayed somewhat by those miles lasting all the way to Exeter (after some very conservative driving).

When you stop and switch off the engine in the 308, you’re given

WHAT WEIGHT?

The 1659kg 308 SW is a dream in the corners, seemingly not suffering from the addition of an electric motor and battery.

APPLE’S NICER

a handy readout that tells you the percentage of zero-emissions driving you did on that journey, along with your MPG and miles per kWh economy figures.

I stopped just after Exeter for a quick break, which prompted a readout of 127 miles travelled, 52.2mpg, 22.1mpkWh and 20% of the journey using zero emissions.

While I wished those EV miles had lasted a bit longer, I left Exeter feeling fairly satisfied that I was saving ever so slightly on fuel costs.

That optimism was short-lived, however, as finding a suitably fast charger in Cornwall proved to be no easy task. I did eventually locate one at a chocolate factory (sadly without an Oompa-Loompa in attendance), but the supposed 11kW charging speed was really rather pitiful – nowhere near as tasty as the treats on offer.

Our 308 SW, however, is definitely most satisfying to drive when you can set off and cruise in EV mode.

Cruising in eighth gear is usually fine, but should you drop to below 60mph, the 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine produces a rather unpleasant growl.

I often find myself dropping down to seventh gear using the handy paddle-shift system just to avoid the noise, but the gearbox decides to jump back up to eighth anyway after a few seconds, frustratingly.

What I can’t fault, though, is the 308 SW’s ride comfort. It’s thoroughly pleasant and handles most road surfaces with absolute ease. Exactly what was needed for a relaxing winter break.

Vauxhall Astra

MILEAGE 3643 LAST SEEN 11.1.23

I’m still not entirely on terms with the extent of the Astra’s screen functions, even though it has builtin tutorials for Luddites. But the bits I use I like, and it tells me everything I need. The traditionalist in me misses a tachometer, but it wouldn’t make any difference to the way I drive this eight-speed hybrid. Whenever I drive it, I enjoy it, which is a big plus. SC

JACK WARRICK

LOVE IT PEUGEOT 308 SW HYBRID 180 ALLURE PREMIUM Price £35,650 Price as tested £36,345 Faults None Expenses None Economy 54.2mpg Last seen 11.1.23

Peugeot’s touchscreen infotainment system isn’t straightforward to navigate, meaning I always opt for CarPlay.

I went on to spend the rest of the holiday driving around on petrol-only power, which I imagine ends up being the case for many rural-based PHEV drivers who don’t have a charger at home. Thankfully the economy was respectable, the car consistently cracking out around 45mpg.

Alpine A110

MILEAGE 4822 LAST SEEN 4.1.23

I’m not sure what Alpine makes its brake discs from, but after standing for only a week, those on my A110 had corroded enough for one to weld itself to the caliper. That’s not such a problem if the car is parked on grippy Tarmac, but on gravel it took a lot of to-ing and froing on three rotating rims to release. Made a right mess of my drive… AF

MILEAGE 6841 TEST DATA 18 JANUARY 2023 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 67

USED CARS

What to buy, where to buy it and how much to pay

AUDI A3 SALOON

Even nine years after it first went on sale, some people might still be unaware that the Audi A3 Saloon even exists. While the A3 hatchback is ubiquitous in many parts of the country, the saloon has always been much lower in profile, the sales ratio roughly 3:1.

We think that’s unfair, because the Mk1 saloon is handsome to look at, easy to drive, usefully practical and, being fairly small (only 146mm longer than the hatch), pretty easy to manoeuvre in tight confines, too.

The most obvious rival when it was new (2013 to 2020) was the Mercedes-Benz CLA. It’s for you to decide which looks smarter, but the A3 objectively has the nicer interior. As with the hatch, it has materials and equipment usually reserved for

much pricier cars, with high-quality plastics, fabrics and switchgear in abundance.

OUR TOP SPEC SPORT

S Line has lots of goodies and looks great, but the stiffer ride could be a deal-breaker. Entrylevel Sport has pretty much all the standard kit you will need and will be easier on your back.

The A3’s infotainment is top-notch as well, being clear to see and intuitive to use, thanks to a screen that pops out of the dashboard on start-up and a rotary controller down to your left.

The A3 Saloon has an engine for everyone, but the sweet spot is the clever and smooth 138bhp 1.4-litre turbo petrol, which turned from a four-cylinder into a two-cylinder when appropriate, delivering excellent economy and

low emissions. It’s refined, barely audible at idle and a great match for Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox –although, as on most of the other engines, a six-speed manual was also available.

The 1.4-litre engine produced 148bhp from the 2015 model year and was replaced by a 1.5-litre unit in 2017, although we don’t like that engine quite as much, because it feels more sluggish to pick up.

There’s also a 178bhp 1.8-litre turbo petrol, the only engine you could have along with Quattro four-wheel drive (apart from the go-go S3 and RS3 variants, which made 296bhp and 395bhp).

Black-pump fans got a 113bhp 1.6-litre and a 148bhp 2.0-litre.

BUYER BEWARE

AUTOMATIC GEARBOX

The S Tronic ’box is a delight to use, but it features a Mechatronics control unit that has a nasty habit of packing in and costing £1500 or so to repair.

TIMING BELT

A3’s cabin is good to look at and to use

Diesels need a new timing belt at five years or 75,000 miles, while petrols need one at five years or 60,000 miles. Budget about £750 here.

WATER PUMP

The water pump’s plastic housing can degrade and crack, springing a leak. If left as such, the whole unit will need replacing for several hundred pounds.

DIESEL FILTER

Diesels dislike regular short journeys, and the DPF can get clogged up as a result. Unless you do major miles, a petrol should serve you just fine.

If you think this is little more than a tarted-up Volkswagen Golf with a boot, Tom Evans has news for you

AS GOOD AS NEW

A facelift came in 2016, bringing a new 114bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that was sprightly yet could surpass 50mpg overall if treated delicately. Other changes included redesigned lights at both front and rear and the availability of digital dials, called Virtual Cockpit.

The two trim levels were simple but upmarket. Sport had 17in alloy wheels, sat-nav, climate control, cruise control and rear parking sensors. S Line added part-leather seats, LED running lights, xenon headlights, a subtle bodykit and smart 18in alloys that, along with firmer suspension, ensures a harsher ride over scarred surfaces.

Options worth looking out for include heated seats and a very useful adaptive cruise control system that works all the way down to a stop and up again.

The saloon shape is slightly less practical than the hatch, with a smaller boot opening, but this is rather compensated for by an extra 45 litres of capacity (at 425 litres) and 40/20/40-split folding rear seats.

The rear leg room isn’t amazing, especially when tall people are in the front, but head room is reasonable enough.

Overall, this A3 looks as good and drives as well as larger Audi saloons but is cheaper to buy and easier to park into the bargain.

NEED TO KNOW

Audi’s baffling new naming system came to the A3 in 2018. A ‘30’ very much doesn’t mean a 3.0-litre engine, rather a 1.0-litre.

Prices start near £6000. Spend £7000 to £10,000 on good 2014 and 2015 cars, up to £12,000 on 2016 and 2017 cars, up to £17,000 on 2017 and 2018 cars and up to £22,000 on the last examples.

The A3 Saloon came second out of 26 executive cars in What Car?’s latest Reliability Survey. Audi as a brand was 21st out of 32, though.

James Ruppert

’m writing this when there’s snow about. Well, it does happen in winter. The big debate concerns just what you should be driving to get you through these cold, dark months. For my money, the simple answer is obviously a roadworthy, recently serviced car with a set of decent winter tyres.

Once upon a time, a motorcyclist who didn’t want hypothermia or had a missus who was reluctant to endure another sidecar Christmas and New Year bought something cheap with a tin lid on it. I wonder if we could still do the same?

1.4 TFSI 140

Annual road tax will be just £30 for one of these registered before 1 April 2017 – impressively low for a petrol, but then it will get 40mpg overall in the real world. The later 150 version is equally impressive.

OUR PICK

By far the best way to tackle ice and snow is with something light and agile. Not necessarily pretty or cool, but reliable certainly helps. This is why I’m looking at a Nissan Micra, specifically a nice, drivingschool-favourite Mk2. This 2002 car has the usual 1.0-litre engine but is a Vibe limited edition. This seems to amount to a deeper front spoiler and non-matching plastic wheels. It has a full service history that covers its relatively modest 72,000 miles of motoring life. You can’t charge a lot for this, so £795 for a car supplied by a dealer with a year’s worth of MOT is reasonable enough. It’s a manual, it weighs virtually nothing and it will be great in ice and snow, unless someone’s out-of-control SUV comes into contact.

They’re asking £1995, which seems fair enough with a year’s MOT. Better still, though, we could combine the small and light with four-wheel drive. The only truly sensible option here would be the Fiat Panda. Even though the standard model will certainly do, trading up to the 4x4 might increase your odds of getting home in adverse conditions.

I found a 1.2-litre example from 2010 with 48,000 miles that will cost you just £3990 and had only one previous owner.

BANGERNOMICS

Buying a car with loads of keys? That means its locks have been changed. Modern machines have blippers, and there should be at least two of them. If a battery is absent, get the seller to put one in. And check whether they need to be synced up at a main dealer.

1.8 TFSI QUATTRO

Aside from the obvious S3 and RS3 tearaways, consider hunting down a 1.8 TFSI with four-wheel drive, which will give you the security you might need during the winter – plus 0-62mph in 7.3sec performance.

WILD CARD

Four-wheel drive is absolutely no guarantee that a car will go well in winter weather (that’s still a question of tyres and restraint), but it’s definitely no hindrance. How about a 4WD Jaguar, then? The X-Type is a bit hard to justify sometimes, and its quality is variable, but I would take a chance on one I stumbled across that seems solid enough. It’s a 2007 2.0 V6 Sport Premium with a full main dealer history and 75,000 miles under its four driven wheels.

Your only option for combining small and light with 4WD would be the Fiat Panda 4x4

A January bargain is a great idea, so long as you fit winter tyres

CULT HERO MERCEDES-BENZ CL (C215)

anaging at the same time to look both butch and graceful, the Mercedes-Benz CL has always been such a handsome thing that it has been able to overcome its obvious drawback: it’s charging you more for less.

Based on the contemporary fourdoor S-Class, the CL gives you just two doors and less commodious rear accommodation, but what the heck. It looks rakish and it still glides down the road like little else.

Making its debut at the Geneva motor show in March 1999, the Mk2 CL presented a new generation of luxury motoring to the world with the help of never-before-seen technologies from Mercedes, such

as its Active Body Control (ABC) suspension, included as standard on all models. Not only did this innovation improve safety through the prevention of body roll, thus reducing driver fatigue, but it also improved comfort and handling, allowing for more predictable cornering and a more stable ride quality.

The pre-facelift CL was offered with a range of different engines. The CL 500 had 302bhp from a

naturally aspirated V8 and there was 362bhp from the CL 600’s V12. Both engines came as AMG variants, too: the 355bhp CL 55 (V8) and the 434bhp CL 63 (V12).

Although the engine configurations were on the meaty side, the CL always managed to stay true to its luxurious and comfortable nature.

In 2002, the CL was facelifted, which improved the performance figures of the CL 600 thanks to a

new bi-turbo V12 engine that now pushed 493bhp. The updated CL 55 AMG matched the performance stats of the CL 600, but the V8 powertrain was sportier and arguably more entertaining than the CL 600. As a last new entry into the C215-generation CL range, Mercedes introduced the 603bhp CL 65 AMG in 2003. At the time, the CL 65 AMG and its S65 saloon sibling were two of the most powerful production cars built by Mercedes.

Those in the market for a CL knew they were getting not only a high-powered car but a featurepacked daily coupé too. Apart from the new ABC chassis, the CL had loads of cutting-edge tech that really stood out at the time. From driver-

❝

You’re getting not only a high-powered car but a feature-packed daily coupé too

WHAT WE SAID THEN

14 JUNE 2000

“The ride quality’s superb. The CL 500 simply isolates its occupants from just about every road irregularity. But there’s the slightest hint of fragility in the new car’s construction that’s totally at odds with the ‘tough as nails’ Mercedes image. This aside, the new CL 500 acquits itself brilliantly in almost every area. Superb straight-line performance blends with a fine chassis – in non-Sport mode – to create a supremely refined super-coupé.”

assisted safety features such as the Electronic Stability Programme, Brake Assist and Acceleration Skid Control to luxurious goodies such as an almost entirely leatherwrapped cabin, wood inserts, Mercedes-Benz Designo stone trim, a tyre pressure monitoring system (unusual back then) and even

CL 600 has a V12; V8 cars are more sporting in nature Check

HOW TO GET ONE IN YOUR GARAGE

An owner’s view

STUART TARRANT

“I bought my CL 500 at a year old and kept it for over 100,000 miles. I’ve bought other Mercs since but I haven’t been as impressed by them as I was by this one. It was lovely to look at and sit in and it was so smooth, especially on the autoroutes. It wasn’t faultless, though, and it cost a fortune in petrol and servicing. Be careful, because a bad one can be a real money pit.”

Buyer beware…

ENGINE

Some of the V12s were susceptible to oil cooler O-rings failing, causing the vehicle to leak oil. Check the engine number for balancer shaft problems, which affected the V8 engines produced from 2005 onwards, and if ignored could lead to total engine failure as the shafts prematurely wear. Check for an oil weep from the rubber bung on the back of the rocker cover. Early versions of the V8 and V12 suffered from water in the fuel caused by fuel tank condensation.

TRANSMISSION

The speed sensor can play up on autos, causing the gearbox to hold on to gears. If this occurs, the engine management light should come on. There’s a repair kit for later gearboxes but older ones may need a new valve body.

BODYWORK

A sign of good servicing is that the rainwater drain holes are clear; blockages can let water into the cabin and disrupt the electrics and ECUs. Look for signs of rust around the rear wheel arches, door bottoms, rear windscreen surround and lower edge of the bootlid.

AIR CONDITIONING

keyless entry. The car truly made you feel important.

The CL was a part of racing history too: the CL 55 AMG was used as the official Formula 1 safety car for the 2000 season, and Mercedes celebrated this by building just 55 limited-edition versions of the car, calling the vehicle the Formula 1 Edition. Only a handful were sent to the UK. Some Formula 1 Editions included exclusive equipment such as internally vented ceramic brakes, sporty racing seats, a special AMG steering wheel and the centre console signed with the wording ‘F1 Limited Edition’, although UK variants unfortunately didn’t receive all of these unique features.

The C215-generation CL can sometimes experience air-con failure due to water damage of the evaporator temperature sensor.

SUSPENSION

The CL’s biggest problem is its Active Body Control suspension. Basically, a pump sends oil around the car’s four interconnected dampers, varying the pressures in each to maintain a stable ride and improve body control. At high speeds, it lowers the car by up to 25mm, too. It’s a brilliant but unreliable piece of kit and costs a fortune to put right. Owners report many issues with the ABC suspension system, so be sure to check the suspension before making a purchase because this will be a costly repair.

PARTS COSTS

The C215 is now getting on a bit, but there are plenty of independent specialists that will supply you with most parts. Expect to pay a lot for them, though. Also beware that even seemingly minor issues can escalate in cost quickly, leading to mighty bills.

Also worth knowing

Remember that issues with the car will most certainly be costly to rectify due to its age, and possibly even fatal. All versions have a colossal appetite for petrol as well.

The V8-engined models have twin-spark heads, with one coil pack per pair. The coils are reliable and not too expensive. The V12 has a set of six coils per bank, and they are expensive. They tend to fail when the plugs are changed.

Signs of damp in the passenger footwell are not uncommon and can lead to electrical problems as much of the CL’s control systems are positioned here.

How much to spend

£3500-£4999

Some great-looking cars here but be careful: parts are very expensive so expect to spend as much again on getting the car into top condition.

£5000-£9999

Some cracking low-milers at this price, like our chosen one below. Be prepared to spend on smaller items but most should have had major work done. Buy the best you can afford.

£10,000-£20,000

Excellent-condition and fully restored later models with lower mileages. Buy from a specialist dealer.

One we found

MERCEDES-BENZ CL 500, 2001, 44,000 MILES, £7975

With under 50,000 miles on the clock, this Japan-sourced car is being sold by an independent dealer who says it has 10 Mercedes main dealer service stamps. It certainly looks in good condition from the photos. The black leather interior comes with a slew of features including heated seats and an electric sunroof.

Power(bhp)Topspeed(mph)0-60/62mph CO2(g/km) Economy(MPG/range)

Between the various figures produced on the old-style NEDC, transitional NEDC Correlated and new-style WLTP laboratory emissions and fuel economy tests, it has become tricky to compare manufacturers’ claimed efficiency on the latest new cars. When you see a fuel economy and CO2 figure reference elsewhere, it’s often without explanation.

So, to provide as fair and clear a basis for comparison as possible, you’ll only ever read WLTP combined fuel economy and CO2 figures in Autocar’s first drive reviews, features and comparison tests – and on these data pages. Those are the aggregated results of four lab tests carried out across as many different cruising speed ranges – although they’re sometimes expressed as a range rather than as one specific figure to show the different results recorded by the heaviest and lightest available examples of the car in question (depending on optional equipment).

In road tests, you’ll also see our own independently produced real-world fuel economy test results for comparison with the lab test claims. We produce an average, track and touring figure for each car we test, as often as possible on a brim-to-brim test basis.

While ‘average’ represents the overall economy returned by a new car over a full road test and ‘track’ is relevant only to intensive performance testing (the length and conditions of which can vary slightly), ‘touring’ gives the best guide of the kind of economy you might see from a car at a steady 70mph motorway cruise.

We do real-world efficiency and range testing on electric cars, too, expressing the former in terms of miles per kilowatt hour, as manufacturers do increasingly widely by convention.

CCCCC Inherently dangerous/unsafe. Tragically, irredeemably flawed.

BCCCC Appalling. Massively significant failings.

ACCCC Very poor. Fails to meet any accepted class boundaries.

ABCCC Poor. Within acceptable class boundaries in a few areas. Still not recommendable.

AACCC Off the pace. Below average in nearly all areas.

AABCC Acceptable. About average in key areas, but disappoints.

AAACC Competent. Above average in some areas, average in others. Outstanding in none.

AAABC Good. Competitive in key areas.

AAAAC Very good. Very competitive in key areas, competitive in secondary respects.

AAAAB Excellent. Near class-leading in key areas and in some ways outstanding.

AAAAA Brilliant, unsurpassed. All but flawless.

a riot to drive. LxWxH 3215x1850x1425 Kerb weight 670kg 2.4 K24 i-VTEC 235 125 3.4 na na

ASTON MARTIN

Vantage 2dr coupé/2dr open £133,920–£158,420 AAAAB

The faster, cleverer, more hardcore entry-level Aston tops its class. LxWxH 4465x1942x1273 Kerb weight 1630kg 4.0 V8 510 190-195 3.6-3.8 25.7 264 4.0 V8 F1 Edition 535 195 3.6 24.3 264

DB11 2dr coupé/2dr open £166,070–£180,420 AAAAA

The stunning replacement for the already seductive DB9 is tyreshreddingly good. LxWxH 4739x2060x1279 Kerb weight 1875kg 4.0 V8 528 192 4.0 25.1 254 5.2 V12 AMR 630 208 3.7 21.1 303

DBS 2dr coupé/open £259,420–£279,920 AAAAA

Effortlessly fast, intoxicating to drive: the big Aston is better than ever. LxWxH 4712x2146x1280 Kerb weight 1693kg 5.2 V12 715 211 3.4 20.9 306

DBX 5dr SUV £168,420–£192,420 AAAAB Doesn’t try to be the biggest, fastest SUV, and may be all the more appealing for it. LxWxH 5039x1998x1680 Kerb weight 2245kg 4.0 V8 550 181 4.5 19.8 323 4.0 V8 DBX 707

Power(bhp)Topspeed(mph)0-60/62mph CO2(g/km) Power(bhp)Topspeed(mph)0-60/62mph CO2(g/km)

201 150 7.1 41.5-47.1 141-154

quattro 242 155 4.8 34.9-38.8 180-184

163 162 8.2 51.4-55.4 133-144

40 TDI quattro 201 146 6.9 50.4-54.3 135-146

V6 S5 TDI quattro 339 155 4.6 39.2-40.4 184-188 A5 Sportback 5dr coupé £40,045–£91,750 AAAAC Refined, good-looking four-door coupé is sadly short on charm and finesse. LxWxH 4733x1843x1386 Kerb weight 1425kg

35 TFSI 148 139 9.1 40.9-44.8 144-158

40 TFSI 201 150 7.2 40.9-44.8 143-158

45 TFSI quattro 242 155 5.6 34.4-35.3 183-187

V6 TFSI RS5 quattro 448 174 3.9 28.5-28.8 222-224

35 TDI 148 135 8.4 50.4-54.3 135-147

40 TDI quattro 201 146 7.6 49.6-54.3 137-149 3.0 S5 TDI quattro 345 155 4.6 39.8-40.4 183-187 A6 4dr saloon £40,205–£80,640 AAAAC Supremely well constructed but a bit soulless to drive. A smart office on wheels. LxWxH 4939x1886x1457 Kerb weight 1645kg 2.0 40 TFSI 201 152 7.3 37.7-39.2 163-171 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 6.0 35.3-37.2 172-182 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 299 155 6.2 217.3 31 3.0 55 TFSI quattro 335 155 5.1 32.8-34.9 184-196 2.0 40 TDI 201 152 8.1 47.9-51.4 145-155 2.0 40 TDI quattro 201 153 7.6 45.6-47.9 155-163 3.0 50 TDI quattro 282 155 5.5 38.7-40.4 183-191 3.0 S6 TDI quattro 344 155 5.0 36.2 203-205

A6 Avant 5dr estate £42,355–£116,624 AAAAC A capable and high-tech throwback that’s a timely reminder of what Audi does best. LxWxH 4939x1886x1467 Kerb weight 1710kg 2.0 40 TFSI 201 149 7.5 36.2-38.2 168-178 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 6.2 34-36.2 177-189 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 294 155 6.2 217.3 31 4.0 RS6 quattro 596 155-174 3.6 21.9-22.6 283-294 2.0 40 TDI 201 149 8.3 45.6-49.6 150-162 2.0 40 TDI quattro 201 150 7.6 44.1-46.3 159-167 3.0 S6 TDI quattro 344 155 5.1 35.3 209

A7 Sportback 5dr coupé £54,265–£121,805 AAABC Easy on the eye and to live with, but let down by stolid dynamics. LxWxH 4969x1908x1422 Kerb weight 1880kg 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 6.2 35.3-36.2 177-183 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 294 155 6.3 134.5-141.2 46-47 4.0 RS7 quattro 596 155-174 3.6 22.2-23.0 280-287 2.0 40 TDI 201 152 8.3 47.9-49.6 150-156

153-166

2.0 40 TFSI quattro 187 136 7.4 30.7-32.1 197-207

2.0 45 TFSI quattro 243 147 5.8 32.5-32.8 195

2.0 45 TFSIe 243 130 7.3 141.2 44-45

2.5 RS Q3 quattro 396 155 4.5 27.7-28.5 223-231

2.0 35 TDI 148 126 9.3 48.7-51.4 14552

2.0 35 TDI quattro 148 131 9.3 40.4-44.8 133-139

2.0 40 TDI quattro 197 139 7.3 38.2-39.8 173

Q4 E-tron 5dr SUV £43,290–£57,410 AAABC

Practical, pleasant and efficient – if not quite a superior premium product. LxWxH 4588x2108x1632 Kerb weight 1890kg 35 125k 168 99 9.0 201 0 40 150kW 201 99 8.5 307 0 50 quattro 220kW 296 111 6.2 298 0

Q4 E-tron Sportback 5dr SUV £46,190–£63,005 AAABC

Fastback variant of Audi’s mainstream electric SUV is agile and terrifically refined. LxWxH 4588x2108x1614 Kerb weight 1895kg 35 125kW 168 99 9.0 211 0 40 150kW 201 99 8.5 318 0 50 quattro 220kW 296 111 6.2 302 0

Q5 5dr SUV £47,045–£74,645 AAAAC

Appealing combination of Audi allure, affordable SUV practicality and attractiveness. LxWxH 4663x1893x1659 Kerb weight 1720kg

2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 147 6.4 31.0-33.6 191-206

2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 249 148 6.1 128.4 49

2.0 40 TDI quattro 187 136 8.1 41.5-44.8 165-179

3.0 SQ5 TDI quattro 344 155 5.1 32.8-34.4 216-224

Q5 Sportback 5dr SUV £48,495–£77,095 AAABC Reduced accommodation and practicality, but still a refined and solid steer. LxWxH 4689x1893x1660 Kerb weight 2010-2150kg

2.0 45 TFSI quattro 263 149 6.1 31.7 - 33.6 192-202

2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 297 148 6.1 176.6 -188.3 36-38

2.0 40 TDI quattro 201 137 7.6 42.2 - 44.8 166-176

3.0 SQ5 TDI quattro 336 155 5.1 33.2 - 34.4 216 -222

Q7 5dr SUV £62,155–£99,840 AAAAC Unengaging to drive and light on feel, but the cabin is both huge and classy. LxWxH 5052x1968x1740 Kerb weight 2060kg

3.0 V6 55 TFSI quattro 338 155 5.9 25.4-27.4 233-253

3.0 V6 55 TFSIe quattro 376 149 5.9 108.6-113 56-58

4.0 SQ7 quattro 500 155 4.1 29.4-30.1 232 3.0 V6 45 TDI quattro 228 142 7.3 32.1-34.0 217-230 3.0 V6 50 TDI quattro 282 150 6.5 32.1-34.0 217-230 Q8 5dr SUV £70,340–£128,465 AAAAC Striking and effective coupé-SUV range-topper leaves us wanting more. LxWxH 4986x1995x1705 Kerb weight 2145kg 3.0 V6 55 TFSI

Alfa Romeo Giulia

On sale April, price £42,614

Alfa Romeo has updated its enthusiasttargeted compact saloon again. Changes include a new front grille with improved air ducts and upgraded LED headlights in a newly configured triple arrangement, while inside there’s now an improved 12.3in dial display. The Giulia line-up has been cut to three trims, including a launch edition with bespoke design cues, and just the 276bhp petrol engine.

JANUARY

BMW i7, M3 Touring, Z4 update, Ineos Grenadier, Jaguar F-Type 75, Lamborghini Urus Performante, Urus S, Mercedes-Benz A-Class update, B-Class update, Morgan Plus Four update, Plus Six update, Polestar 2 BST Edition 270

FEBRUARY

Ferrari SP3 Daytona, Kia Soul EV Urban, Mazda CX-60 diesel, Mercedes-AMG C63, S63, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Peugeot 408

MARCH

Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV, Audi Q8 E-tron, Q8 E-tron Sportback, SQ8 E-tron, SQ8 E-tron Sportback, BYD Atto 3, Citroën ë-C4 X, DS 3, 3 E-Tense, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lexus RX, Mazda CX-5 MHEV, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Peugeot e-208 update, Vauxhall Astra GSe, Grandland GSe

APRIL

Alfa Romeo Giulia update, Stelvio update, Audi R8 GT RWD, TT RS Iconic Edition, BMW XM, Dacia Jogger Hybrid, Honda CR-V, Lexus RZ, Mercedes-Benz CLA update, Peugeot 3008 PHEV update, Porsche 911 Dakar, Porsche Cayenne update, Cayenne Coupé update, Skoda Enyaq iV vRS, Toyota Corolla update, Corolla Touring Sports update

MAY

Aiways U5, Alpine A110 R, BMW 7 Series PHEV, M2 Coupé, X5, X6, Honda e:Ny1, Maserati MC20 Cielo, Mercedes-Benz EQT, Noble M500, Peugeot 508 update, Vauxhall Mokka Electric update

JUNE

Abarth 500e, Aston Martin DB11 update, BMW M3 CS, Honda ZR-V, Lamborghini Aventador successor, Lexus UX 300e update, Lotus Eletre, Ora Funky Cat GT, Peugeot e-308, e-308 SW, Praga Bohema, Vauxhall Astra Electric, Astra Sports Tourer Electric

JULY

Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, Maserati Granturismo, Munro Mk1, Peugeot 5008 Hybrid, Volkswagen ID 3 update

AUGUST

Ferrari Purosangue, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lucid Air, Pagani Utopia, Smart #1, #1 Brabus

SEPTEMBER

Ford Mustang, Mustang Convertible, Jeep Avenger, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Vauxhall Corsa update, Corsa Electric update

OCTOBER

Ford Puma ST Hybrid, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Maserati Granturismo Folgore, MG 4 EV AWD, Nio ET5, Porsche Panamera, Rolls-Royce Spectre, Volkswagen ID Aero, Touareg, Volvo EX30

NOVEMBER

Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate, Bentley Mulliner Batur, BMW 5 Series update, Czinger 21C, Ford E-Tourneo Custom, E-Transit Custom, Kia EV9, Koenigsegg CC850, Maserati Grecale Folgore, Mazda MX-30 REx, Ora Next Cat, Polestar 3, Renault Clio update, Ssangyong Torres, Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota bZ Compact, C-HR, Volkswagen ID Buzz GTX, ID Buzz LWB, Volvo C40 Recharge update, XC40 Recharge update

DECEMBER

Citroën C3, Ferrari SF90 VS, Fiat supermini, Ford electric crossover, Maserati Grancabrio, Mercedes-AMG GT, Mini 3dr, 5dr, Polestar 4, Renault Scenic, Skoda Superb, Suzuki Swift, Volkswagen Passat Estate, T-Cross update, Tiguan

Power(bhp)Topspeed(mph)0-60/62mph CO2(g/km)

(MPG/range)

Power(bhp)Topspeed(mph)0-60/62mph CO2(g/km) Power(bhp)Topspeed(mph)0-60/62mph CO2(g/km)

(MPG/range)

VOLKSWAGEN

weight 1105kg 1.0 80 78 106 15.4 51.4 125 1.0 TSI 95 93 116 10.8 48.7-53.3 120-127 1.0 TSI 110 108 121 9.9 53.3-54.3 118-119 2.0 TSI GTI 204 149 6.5 39.8-41.5 155

Golf 5dr hatch £25,340–£42,190 AAAAB New strengths and familiar ones carry it back to the class lead, but only marginally. LxWxH 4284x1789x1492 Kerb weight 1231kg

1.0 TSI 110 108 126 10.2 53.3 121 1.5 TSI Evo 130 128 130 9.1 51.4-53.3 121-124 1.5 TSI Evo 150 148 139 8.9 50.4-51.4 124-128 1.4 TSI eHybrid 201 137 7.4 235.4 21-26 1.4 TSI GTE 242 140 6.7 235.4 27-28 2.0 TSI GTI 242 155 6.4 38.2 169 2.0 TSI 300 GTI 296 155 5.6 38.2 167 2.0 TSI 320 R 4Motion 296 155 4.7 36.2 177 2.0 TDI 115 113 126 10.2 67.3-68.9 107-110 2.0 TDI 150 148 139 8.8 64.2 116-117 2.0 TDI 200 GTD 197 152 7.1 54.3 137

Golf Estate 5dr estate £26,690–£44,535 AAAAC Wagon puts on a growth spurt and adopts the eighth-generation hatchback’s tech. LxWxH 4633x1789x1497 Kerb weight 1295kg 1.0 TSI 110 108 126 10.5 51.4 124 1.5 TSI 130 128 133 9.4 52.4 123 1.5 TSI 150 148 139 8.7 49.6 128 2.0 TSI R 4Motion 316 155 4.9 35.8 178 2.0 TDI 115 113 126 10.5 64.2 114 2.0 TDI 150 148 139 9.1 61.4 121 2.0 TDI 4Motion Alltrack 198 142 7.1 50.4 147

ID 3 5dr hatch £33,835–£40,550 AAAAC A very mature electric car whose substance of engineering is central to its appeal. LxWxH 4261x1809x1568 Kerb weight 1730kg 107kW 58kWh 143 99 9.6 263 0 150kW 58kWh 201 99 7.3 261 0 150kW 77kWh 201 99 7.9 336 0

Passat 4dr saloon £28,205–£40,820 AAAAC Lands blows on rivals with its smart looks, civilised refinement, quality and usability. LxWxH 4767x2083x1476 Kerb weight 1367kg

1.5 TSI Evo 150 148 137 8.7 46.3-47.9 139-146

1.4 TSI GTE PHEV 215 138 7.4 217.3 30 2.0 TDI 122 120 127 11.3 58.91 125 2.0 TDI 150 148 139 8.9 58.9-60.1 124-127 2.0 TDI 200 197 147 7.4 53.3 138

Passat Estate 5dr estate £32,215–£43,770 AAAAC All the Passat’s redeeming features in spacious, practical estate form. LxWxH 4767x2083x1516 Kerb weight 1395kg

1.5 TSI Evo 150 148 133 8.9 44.8-45.6 144-151 1.4 TSI GTE PHEV 215 138 7.6 201.8 33 2.0 TDI 122 120 123 11.5 57.6 129 2.0 TDI 150 148 130-132 9.1 56.5-57.6 128-132 2.0 TDI 200 197 145 7.6 52.3 143

Arteon 4dr saloon £38,255–£55,210 AAABC VW’s flagship saloon is well made and luxurious but rather bland to drive. LxWxH 4862x1871x1450 Kerb weight 1505kg 1.5 TSI 150 148 137 8.9 42.8-44.8 144-151 2.0 TSI 190 187 149 7.9 36.2-38.2 168-178 1.4 TSI eHybrid 218 138 7.8 217.3 30-31 2.0 TSI R 4Motion 316 155 4.9 31.0 207 2.0 TDI 150 148 137 9.5 55.4-58.9 126-134 2.0 TDI 200 197 147 7.9 51.4-54.3 137-145 2.0 TDI 200 4Motion 197 145 7.4 46.3 159

Arteon Shooting Brake 5dr estate £39,485–£56,085 AAABC Hybrid option and estate bodystyle’s extra versatility enhance the Arteon’s appeal. LxWxH 4866x1871x1450 Kerb weight 1529kg 1.5 TSI 150 148 135 8.9 42.2-43.5 145-153

Kerb weight 1407kg

1.0 TSI 95 95 114 11.1 51.4 124 1.0 TSI 110 110 119 10.4 51.4-52.3 124-125

1.5 TSI 150 150 132 8.3 47.9 138

T-Roc 5dr SUV/open £25,810–£41,750 AAAAC VW’s junior SUV is beguiling and sophisticated. It drives rather well, too. LxWxH 4234x1992x1573 Kerb weight 1270kg

1.0 TSI 110 108 115 10.8 43.5-46.3 133-146

1.5 TSI Evo 150 148 127 8.3-9.6 40.9-47.9 144-158

2.0 TSI 4Motion 188 135 7.2 36.2 177-178

2.0 TSI R 300 4Motion 298 155 4.9 31.7 201

2.0 TDI 115 113 116 10.4 56.5-60.1 137-146

2.0 TDI 150 148 124 8.8-10.8 50.4-53.3 140-146

Tiguan 5dr SUV £29,550–£48,540 AAAAC An improvement on the previous model and will continue to sell by the bucketload. LxWxH 4486x1839x1654 Kerb weight 1490kg

1.5 TSI Evo 130 128 119 10.2 44.1-44.8 143-146

1.5 TSI Evo 150 148 126 9.2-9.3 38.2-42.2 143-168

1.4 eHybrid 242 127 7.5 148-176 36-44

2.0 TSI 4Motion 188 133 7.4 33.2-34.0 187-192

2.0 TSI R 316 155 4.9 28.5 225

2.0 TDI 150 148 125-127 9.3 47.1-50.4 146-157

2.0 TDI 150 4Motion 148 124-125 9.3 43.5-45.6 163-171

2.0 TDI 200 4Motion 197 134 7.5 42.8 172-177

Tiguan Allspace 5dr SUV £33,785–£45,520 AAAAC Has all the Tiguan’s sensibility and refinement, now with the bonus of seven seats. LxWxH 4486x1839x1654 Kerb weight 1490kg

1.5 TSI Evo 150 148 123 9.5-10.0 37.2-39.2 164-176

2.0 TSI 4Motion 188 132 7.7 32.5 193 2.0 TDI 150 148 126 9.7 44.8-47.1 164-165

2.0 TDI 150 4Motion 148 123-124 9.8 41.5 177-179

2.0 TDI 200 4Motion 197 132 na 40.4-41.5 176-184

ID 4 5dr SUV £36,550–£57,270 AAAAC Impressively refined and versatile SUV marks VW out as a maker of fine electric cars. LxWxH 4584x1852x1640 Kerb weight 1890kg 109kW 52kWh 148 99 10.9 213 0 125kW 52kWh 170 99 9.0 213 0 150kW 77kWh 204 99 8.5 317 0 220kW GTX 299 112 6.2 301 0

Touareg 5dr SUV £59,690–£71,170 AAAAC Hints of ritziness and sportiness don’t impinge on this functional luxury SUV’s appeal. LxWxH 4878x2193x1717 Kerb weight 1995kg 3.0 V6 TSI 340 335 155 5.9 25.2-25.7 249-252 3.0 V6 R 4Motion PHEV 462 155 5.1 97.4 66-68 3.0 V6 TDI 231 228 135 7.5 33.6-34.4 214-219 3.0 V6 TDI 286 282 148 6.1 33.6-34.9 213-219 VOLVO

S60 4dr saloon £44,580–£56,480 AAAAC Fresh-faced saloon now sits comfortably among the ranks of its German peers. LxWxH 4761x1916x1437 Kerb weight 1616kg 2.0 B5P 246 112 6.7 41.5 153 2.0 T8 Recharge PHEV 384 112 4.6 122.8-176.5 42

V60 5dr estate £41,325–£55,630 AAAAB Spacious and comfortable, with a characterful, Scandi-cool design. LxWxH 4761x1916x1427 Kerb weight 1729kg 2.0 B3 161 112 9.1 40.9 155 2.0 B4 197 112 8.0 41.5 152 2.0 B5 246 112 6.8-6.9 37.7-40.4 157-170 2.0 B6 297 112 6.0 36.2 175 2.0 T6 Recharge PHEV 335 112 4.6 362.6 18 2.0 B4D 197 112 7.6 47.0-50.4 146-156

V60 Cross Country 5dr estate £46,105–£50,595 AAAAC Brings extra ride height, all-wheel drive and off-road body cladding. LxWxH 4784x1916x1499 Kerb weight 1792kg 2.0 B5P 248 112 6.9 35.8 180 2.0 B4D 197 112 8.2 47.9 155

S90 4dr saloon £63,075–£67,825 AAAAC Volvo’s mid-sized exec majors on comfort, style and cruising ability. LxWxH 4963x2019x1443 Kerb weight 1665kg 2.0 T8 Recharge PHEV 384 112 5.1 na na

V90 5dr estate £44,725–£68,525 AAAAC Luxury estate takes on the 5 Series and the E-Class. Comfy and a good cruiser. LxWxH 4936x2019x1475 Kerb weight 1679kg 2.0 B4P 197 112 7.9 40.9 158 2.0 B5P 246 112 6.9 36.6-40.4 159-175 2.0 B6P 297 112 6.2 34.4-36.2 178-184 2.0 T6 Recharge PHEV 335 112 5.9 na na 2.0 B4D 197 112 8.8 44.8-49.5 149-164

V90 Cross Country 5dr estate £53,590–£59,860 AAAAC Volvo’s large comfy estate given a jacked-up, rugged makeover. LxWxH 4936x2019x1543 Kerb weight 1826kg 2.0 B5P AWD 250 140 7.4

WELLS

(MPG/range)

LxWxH na Kerb weight na 2.0 VTEC S2000 240 na na na na

ZENVO

TSR-S 2dr coupé £1,300,000 AAAAC Danish supercar employs a hammer-blow V8 and extreme aerodynamics. LxWxH 4815x2038x1198 Dry weight 1495kg 5.8 S/C V8 Auto 1177 202 2.8 na na

ROAD TEST

ROAD TEST INDEX

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model. It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week.

Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while benchmark lap times are sometimes taken, they’re never an end in themselves.

We record and publish stopping distances, too, as well as taking cabin noise measurements at various cruising speeds and benchmarking either indicated or brim-to-brim fuel economy. We independently measure leg room, head room, boot space and certain key exterior vehicle dimensions, and we also weigh every car we test.

Just as every new car is different, however, the road test has developed to be versatile enough, week by week, so as to best assess and reflect the suitability of each test subject to its intended purpose. It now includes modular sections describing in detail the limit handling of a new car, or its semi-autonomous assisted driving technologies or its off-road capability.

All of this goes to bringing you the most thorough, relevant and fair test of a new car we can produce. The scores from the most recent road tests reproduced here are the ones we gave the cars at the time so they don’t necessarily represent what those same cars might score today were they rejudged using current class standards. But you can dig deeper into their attributes by using the magazine publication dates listed here to look up an old test in your own collection or you can order a back issue by phoning 0344 848 8816.

As with the Beta Saloon on which it was based, the Beta Coupé’s twin-cam Fiat 1600 engine was mounted on a separate subframe. Suspension was by MacPherson struts front and rear, and all-round disc brakes used floating calipers.

Rapid starts produced a fair amount of wheelspin, but acceleration to 60mph mixed the Beta with rivals such as the Fiat 124 Coupé and Volkswagen Scirocco TS. The five-speed manual gearbox had a positive action and used well-spaced ratios, while the brakes were strong and free of fade.

The steering proved accurate enough but suffered torque steer and was heavy when cornering hard or parking.

Despite the relatively soft suspension set-up, roll was well contained and impressive frontend grip allowed swift progress

on twisty roads, with less understeer than expected.

The cloth seats were squashy and comfortable, and the driving position good, albeit one that suited shorter legs best, in the true Italian way. Rear leg room and head room was tight but the boot was surprisingly capacious.

FOR Decent performance, strong brakes, handling AGAINST Torque steer, rear accommodation

Matt Saunders, road test editor

The latest and greatest rated as only Autocar knows how

GREATEST ROAD TESTS OF ALL TIME

LANCIA BETA 1600 COUPE TESTED 22.2.75

Back when Lancia was flying high under the wing of Fiat and before the marque’s rustravaged decline, this handsome coupé impressed our testers.

SLIDESHOW

Six-wheeled sensations

he more wheels the better? That certainly seemed the thinking when the designers of these multi-axle machines put pen to paper. Whether it’s form, function or just non-conformity you’re after, nothing says it with more gusto than half a dozen wheels on your wagon. Here, then, is our pick of the best tri-axle machines from the past and the present.

ALISDAIR SUTTIE

Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6

If you want to look down on every other school-run SUV, the Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6 is the car you need. Not only does it sit on half a dozen 37in tyres, it’s also 272mm taller than a standard G63 with a mere four wheels. And it’s 225mm wider and 1106mm longer to boot, so it dwarfs just about anything that you will encounter on the road. As for off-road driving, all six wheels are powered and there are five differential locks to make sure you keep moving on even the worst terrain. That’s the least you could expect, given that this six-wheeler cost from £370,000 in the UK. Despite it never being officially sold in America, one was up for nearly $1 million in 2016.

Range Rover SLT

If owning a superyacht isn’t ostentatious enough for you, then the Range Rover SLT (for Superyacht Land Tender) is just the sixwheeled ticket to get from ship to shore-based destinations. Based on the Range Rover Mk4 and offered with all of the original car’s engine options, this extraordinary-looking stretched behemoth was launched at the Monaco Yacht Show back in 2018 and was built by German luxury boat designer T Fotiadis.

Tyrrell P34

Project 34 caused a sensation in Formula 1, due to Derek Gardner’s innovative twin-front-axle design. Gardner worked out that four small wheels at the front would offer increased grip and reduced lift, so the car could run with less downforce and thus less drag. Goodyear made the 10in tyres secretly and the P34 made its debut in the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix. It won in only its fourth outing, in Sweden, but a lack of tyre development brought an end to it in 1977.

Citroën CX Loadrunner

In the pre-internet days, newspapers needed to be distributed fast over France’s long distances, and this stretched six-wheel Citroën CX was ideal, thanks to its strong diesel engine and smooth suspension. Coachbuilder Pierre Tissier was charged with producing the Loadrunners, and he did it by cutting the CX in half and making a bespoke chassis to carry the extra axle. They were a common nocturnal sight across France throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.

Foers Ibex 6x6

Foers is well known in 6x6 circles for its amazingly able Ibex models. Many are used by fire services, foresters and farmers who need the go-anywhere traction of six-wheel drive, while the long load bed is ideal for all manner of working needs. There have been a variety of Land Rover engines used in the Ibex over the years, but recent models have a Ford 2.4-litre turbodiesel and a six-speed manual gearbox with low-ratio transfer transmission.

Hennessey Velociraptor 6x6

The Ford F-150 pick-up is the best-selling vehicle in the US, but Hennessey took it to an altogether more exclusive level with the Velociraptor 6x6. For starters, there’s six-wheel drive with 20in wheels and bespoke Fox off-road suspension. It also has a 600bhp twin-turbo V8, Brembo brakes and a hand-stitched interior, as well as additional lights and bull bars to complete the intimidation of all other road users. Yours for $349,000.

Devel Sixty

For fans of six-wheelers who might have concerns about personal security, the Devel Sixty is an armoured off-roader sporting three axles. It uses military-spec kit for the wheels, tyres, bodywork and two winches, plus it gets night vision as standard. Inside, it’s kitted out like a private jet and comes with seating for the driver and five passengers. A 6.7-litre V8 turbodiesel helps this US-made monster hit 60mph from rest in 5.8sec.