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13 NOVEMBER 2013 3.30 | AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 NOVEMBER 2013 3.30 | AUTOCAR.CO.UK
Worried Jaguar cant make
an SUV work? Dont be
Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley
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Good, but its no Porsche Cayenne
Good, but its no Porsche Cayenne
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Hardcore 458 Speciale on the limit
Hardcore 458 Speciale on the limit
NEW QASHQAI
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Why Nissan
has pushed
upmarket
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8-PAGE ROAD TEST
STEVE SUTCLIFFE
Used Mercedes E-class from 500
James Rupperts car auction tips
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New eco specials put to the test
13 NOVEMBER 2013 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5
DEALS
Used buying guide Mercedes W210 E-class 78
James Ruppert Posh-car auction action 82
New vs used New Radical or used Ferrari? 85
New cars A-Z All the latest models rated 86
Road test results Autocars data archive 99
Classifieds Cars, number plates, services 102
78
NEWS
Nissan Qashqai Second-gen crossover revealed 8
Nissan Bladeglider Concept previews sporty EV 12
Mercedes S65 AMG Saloon to get 621bhp V12 15
Tokyo show preview Home-grown show stars 16
BMW i5 Electric family car in the pipeline 19
Skodas large SUV All-new model here in 2016 22
Spotlight Whats up with the Volkswagen Up? 24
TESTED
Ferrari 458 Speciale Hardcore and high-tech 28
BMW i3 Range Extender Slick urban solution 33
Range Rover Sport SDV8 Polished diesel SUV 35
Kia Soul EV Quirky battery-powered five-door 37
BMW X5 xDrive M50d ROAD TEST 62
FEATURES
Jaguar C-X17 We drive compact SUV concept 38
Frugal hatches face off Golf vs Focus and Auris 48
Eco challenge Targetting 1000 miles on a tank 52
Hyundai WRC Korean firm outlines rally plans 54
Coventry Transport Museum We pay a visit 56
OUR CARS
Jaguar XKR-S convertible Drop-top signs off 72
Audi RS4 Avant Fast estate needs a firm hand 77
EVERY WEEK
Steve Cropley Down to business in Dubai 21
Matt Prior Familiarity breeds contentment 23
Joe Saward Why the WRC needs to change 27
Your views The gearshift direction dilemma 70
Colin Goodwin The endorsing of undertaking 71
Richard Bremner Chevrolet Astro 1 revisited 106
Mercedes W210 E-class from 500
Jaguar C-X17 driven:
Steve Cropley gets behind
the wheel of Gaydons
crossover concept
38
THIS WEEK
New Nissan Qashqai: full details, official pics Steve Sutcliffe drives Ferraris 458 Speciale
BMW i3 Range Extender first drive: premium EV impresses
8 28
33
62 Third-gen BMW X5 road tested
54 Hyundais WRC plans revealed
The cars you remember
most fondly are beautifully
displayed in Coventry
COVER
STORY
COVER
STORY
Steve Cropley, p56
Thriving new era of
British car making
JIM HOLDER EDITOR
jim.holder@autocar.co.uk @Jim_Holder
DESIGNED IN BRITAIN, engineered in Britain and built
in Britain: the Nissan Qashqai is an unlikely yet shining
example of all that is good about the record-breaking levels
of car manufacturing in this country today.
Why Britain? Because every time Nissan invests here, it
wins a big return, be it through the burgeoning creativity
of the Paddington design office, the expertise of its class-
leading technology and engineering centre in Cranfield
or the world-beating quality standards of its Sunderland
production line, which built over half a million cars in 2012.
Nissans bosses cannot speak highly enough of the
benefits of operating here. Other car makers such as
Honda, Toyota, Vauxhall, Jaguar, Land Rover and many
more are similarly thriving British car manufacturers,
irrespective of where their financing comes from.
Nissan and the Qashqai, then, are standard-bearers of an
automotive renaissance in this
country. The British car industry
may not be as British as it once was,
but there are very few reasons for
thinking it is not better off being
what it is now.
Issue 6074 | Volume 278 | No 7
ON AUTOCAR.CO.UK
THIS WEEK
Ferrari 458 Speciale
Steve Sutcliffe drives Ferraris new thriller
Mercedes-Benz
E-class
The entire
E-class range
evaluated
James Ruppert
Mr Bangernomics
on the weeks news
History of Lambo
50 years of Raging
Bull in pictures
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BLOG GALLERY
VIDEO
REVIEW
Nissan Qashqai
is a thoroughly
British product
THIS WEEK
8 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 NOVEMBER 2013
THIS WEEK
New Qashqai ramps up
Q Extra kit, more tech, higher-quality trim for Nissans second-gen crossover Q More space
N
issan has revealed the
second generation of its
smash-hit Qashqai, the
model that defined the
family crossover class in its
best-selling first generation.
Designed in London,
engineered in Cranfield
and Barcelona and built in
Sunderland, the new Qashqai
will reach UK showrooms next
February. It will be armed with
a smart new exterior look,
more fuel-efficient engines and
a more premium interior.
Despite the significant
rise in quality and equipment
levels, prices are set to rise
only modestly compared with
todays model. The entry-level
model costs 17,595, rising to
27,845 for the range-topper.
The first-generation Qashqai
has been the most successful
model in Nissan Europes
history. It has sold about
1.5 million units in Europe
since 2007 and more than
two million worldwide.
The first car had to make a
real wow when people saw it,
said Stewart Callegari, Nissan
Europes product planning
chief. It needed a big impact
and it has done that. With the
second generation, weve
already made the segment
and are the market leader. So
rather than make one big wow
with the car, we took a more
mature approach and made a
lot of improvements in small
areas to appeal to a wider range
of European customers.
With the new Qashqai,
Nissans main areas of
focus were enhancing the
level of technology and
design and improving the
dynamic performance, while
maintaining the package,
News to share? Call 020 8267 5782/5796 email mark.tisshaw@autocar.co.uk
OFFICIAL
PICTURES
Is evolving
a market
leader like
the Qashqai
so much
of a risk?
No. The fact
that it is a market leader and
we invented the segment
means that customers
already believe in Qashqai,
which gave us a freedom to
be bold. Refining the old car
was never a consideration.
We set our parameters based
on if we were entering the
segment fresh. We wanted to
reset the bar.
What are the new Qashqais
stand-out features?
More interior and boot
space was the overriding
request from customers;
weve delivered that. Then
we wanted improved interior
material quality, the latest
safety equipment and for the
car to be connected to the
internet. Its all there, at an
affordable price.
How will it drive?
It will be comfortable and
planted. Those are the
characteristics customers
want in this segment, and
weve attained both to a
higher level than ever.
Any range highlights?
Watch out for the diesel
CVT. Its pioneering in two
ways: firstly, because it
mates CVT with diesel,
and secondly, because on
the first two-thirds of the
throttle it delivers power as a
linear auto would, and in the
final third the software offers
a shift shock, making it feel
like a DCT box.
premium feel
inside Q On sale next February Q Priced from 17,595
price and size of the current
car, according to Callegari.
The new Qashqai broadly
shares its proportions with
its predecessor, growing by
49mm in length and 20mm
in width but dropping 15mm
in height. The new car has a
sportier silhouette than the
previous model, but cabin
space has been improved
despite its lower height.
We were tempted to do
radical again, but it was more
sensible to do what weve
done, said Darryl Scriven, the
lead exterior designer. We
have a huge customer base and
a responsibility to them. If we
went radical again, wed leave
other brands to collect the
successful elements wed leave
behind and our customers.
More distinctive front
and rear ends feature on the
evolved look of the new car,
along with more sculpted body
sides. Front features include
Nissans latest V-shaped grille,
wraparound front headlights
and a clamshell bonnet. At the
rear, theres an evolved version
of Nissans boomerang lights.
Its inside where the biggest
improvement over the previous
Qashqai lies. Higher-quality
materials are used in a cabin
that gets an all-new look.
We had to improve on the
premium element, said Paul
Ray, the interior design leader
on the project. Understanding
all the products out there,
theyve caught us up and we
want to lead again.
Top-spec models get
leather and Alcantara trim to
emphasise a premium feel,
but a greater use of soft-touch
materials extends down to
the bottom of the range. The
Q&A Andy Palmer, Nissan tech chief
The sportier-looking
profile is part of its
more upmarket bid
Improved cabin
space was a main
design priority
The boot is 20 litres
bigger than current
cars, at 430 litres
Whats it like to drive?
THIS WEEK
five-seat cabin has also
been made more functional,
with improved storage space
and room for passengers,
plus a bigger, more accessible
430-litre boot, 20 litres larger
than the previous Qashqais.
The engine range for the
cars launch will include a base
113bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol
unit with 50.4mpg economy
and CO2 emissions of 129g/km,
a 108bhp 1.5 dCi turbodiesel
with 74.3mpg and 99g/km,
and a 128bhp 1.6 dCi with
64.2mpg and 115g/km. A
148bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol
will arrive in autumn 2014.
Front-wheel drive is
standard, with all-wheel drive
offered on the 1.6 dCi. All-
wheel-drive models also have
multi-link rear suspension.
Front-drivers get a twist beam.
MacPherson struts are used at
the front.
A six-speed manual gearbox
is standard, with a CVT auto
offered on the 1.6 dCi. Nissan is
calling this CVT Xtronic.
On the dynamic front,
Nissan claims that agility has
been improved, with comfort
being retained. The model
is the first European Nissan
to be based on Renault-
Nissans new corporate CMF
platform. A weight loss of up
to 40kg, model for model, is
claimed, despite an increase in
standard equipment.
A new Chassis Control
system features, derived from
the GT-Rs and said to give
the function of a limited-slip
differential. An Active Ride
Control system is said to boost
ride comfort.
The equipment and
technology levels on the
Qashqai have also been
significantly increased. The
Nissan Connect 2 infotainment
system is offered and includes
sat-nav and a full suite of
connectivity options.
A whole host of safety
technology is offered under
the Nissan Safety Shield
banner, including traffic sign
recognition, automatic braking,
moving object detection for
parking, and park assist.
The seven-seat Qashqai +2
has been dropped from the
range, in effect being replaced
by the new X-Trail.
MARK TISSHAW
SO BIG A revolution was the Qashqai when it
first arrived in 2007 that Nissan didnt need
another one six years later with Qashqai
Mk2. Evolutionary improvement works for
the Volkswagen Golf, after all.
That evolution also extends to its road
manners. Ive already had a quick go in
various development mules in the build-up
to the new Qashqais launch, and it feels a
stiffer, less brittle and much more polished
performer than its predecessor, one with
a commanding driving position and good
visibility of the road ahead.
On the roads around Barcelona where
I tried the test mules, the ride was, on the
whole, comfortable and smooth. Even
without the final NVH (noise, vibration,
harshness) package, it was a quiet and
comfortable motorway cruiser. Around town
on bumpier surfaces, though, there was
some bump-thump from the suspension.
The handling is now more involving. You
wouldnt call this new Qashqai a fun car to
drive, but it turns in neatly and the controls
are all nicely weighted. The inevitable body
roll is well controlled. A bit of tyre squeal is
possible if you really push, but theres always
an abundance of grip.
As for the engines, the entry-level 113bhp
turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol unit is smooth
but a touch sluggish in a car of this size
and weight. The 108bhp 1.5-litre diesel is
also smooth and much more driveable. The
range-topping 1.6-litre diesel feels the most
grown-up here. Its more tractable and even
more driveable than the 1.5 dCi and oozes
refinement on the motorway.
The standard six-speed manual gearbox
is a slick shifter, but the real news is the
new CVT gearbox. Nissan claims that it
performs like a conventional auto and has
the connected feel of a dual-clutch box. In
the not-quite-finished version that we tried,
you can still tell that its a CVT rather than a
conventional auto, but it is improved. Theres
still a bit of CVT drone, but it has quicker
responses than the previous CVT.
Its early days, but nothing Ive
experienced in the new Qashqai so far
suggests that its going to be anything
other than a best-seller for Nissan.
MARK TISSHAW
Nissan is aiming for
a more premium feel
inside the new Qashqai
Nissan plans
radical EV
sports car
DeltaWing-inspired BladeGlider concept previews 2016 production model
T
his Nissan BladeGlider
concept is the blueprint
for an anti-establishment
small electric sports car
based on the principles of the
radical DeltaWing Le Mans
racer, and will make production
within three years.
Underlining Nissans
commitment to making
the rear-drive car, senior
executives confirmed a test
mule, based around a modified
Ariel Atom, is already running,
and that DeltaWing designer
Ben Bowlby is heavily involved.
When I was growing up,
the principle was that young
people wanted a sports car
and their parents hated the
idea of them. The problem with
all of todays sports cars is
that they are actually owned
by parents, said Nissans
engineering chief, Andy
Palmer. We are exploring
ways of getting back to a
sports car that is affordable,
challenging and appealing for
young people.
The BladeGlider will be
revealed at the Tokyo motor
show, and is one vision for the
production model. Styling
of the road-going car is
expected to change, with the
BladeGlider being described by
design chief Shiro Nakamura
as an extreme interpretation
of how the car could look.
Like the DeltaWing, it has an
extremely narrow front track
of just one metre and a much
wider rear track, which Nissan
only describes as stable.
Technical details are scarce,
but the deltoid body shape
is wrapped in carbonfibre-
reinforced plastic, with the
three-seat cabin placing one
passenger either side of the
driver, like the McLaren F1.
The narrow front end aids
aerodynamic efficiency, while
the carbonfibre underbody
creates downforce without
the need for drag-enhancing
wings. Weight distribution is
30/70 front to rear, thanks
largely to the low and rearward
positioning of the lithium ion
batteries and low weight of
the in-wheel electric motors,
which have been confirmed for
production a first for Nissan.
Ive driven the prototype
and it is unlike anything I have
sampled before, said Palmer.
This is the car that takes
advantage of all the packaging
benefits of an electric
powertrain. All that weight and
the set-up of the front track
mean that the car is incredibly
pointy, but the rear track and
downforce mean that you
can catch the oversteer with
amazing ease.
The production model will
sit below the more traditional
370Z sports car in the firms
line-up and in price, meaning it
will cost significantly less than
30,000, despite its high-tech
electric powertrain.
JIM HOLDER
NISSANS MOTORSPORT AND
performance vehicle division, Nismo,
is leading the development of the next
generation GT-R Godzilla due in 2016.
The move is a fundamental change
from the development process of the
current R35 GT-R, which was created
in a quarantined area of Nissans
road car engineering division by GT-R
godfather Kazutoshi Mizuno.
Mizuno recently left Nissan, partly
because he had reached retirement age
but also because of dissatisfaction with
Nismos increasing stake in GT-R.
Nismo is in the final stages of
developing a flagship version of the
current GT-R that will be launched at
next weeks Tokyo motor show. The
Nismo GT-R has been spied testing at
the Nrburgring and is expected to take
the twin-turbo V6, all-wheel-drive R35
to new heights; a 0-62mph time of well
below three seconds is mooted.
Following that cars launch, Nismos
attentions will shift to the next GT-R.
As we come to the next GT-R, you
will probably see a lead coming from
Nismo and a follow coming from the
passenger car company, Nissan
technical chief Andy Palmer said.
GT-R is somewhat the halo car of
Nismo, so it is natural that they would
lead its development in the future.
The Nismo GT-R is understood to
have had input from Williams Advanced
Engineering on the aero, chassis and
ABS set-up. Williams will be more
closely involved in the next GT-R and
other new Nismos from next year.
Palmer confirmed the next GT-R will
feature hybrid drive. Electric systems
can fill the gaps in the torque curve and
offer genuine performance gains, as
well as lowering emissions, he said.
Its win-win. Id expect some form of
hybridisation on the next GT-R.
Nismo leads development of next-gen hybrid GT-R
Concept shows an extreme design route for the production car
SPY SHOT
NISMO GT-R GERMANY
Smaller, turbocharged engine for next 370Z
A NEW 370Z is expected
to be revealed at the Tokyo
show and will remain true to
its more traditional roots as
Nissan looks to differentiate it
from the BladeGlider.
Although the next 370Z
is likely to bow to emissions
pressures and feature a
downsized, turbocharged
engine, Nissan development
chief Andy Palmer has said it
will have no less power than
the current car.
There is room for two
types of sports car in
our range, he said. The
BladeGlider challenges
convention, but there is
also room for more classical
sports cars in the mould of
the GT-R and 370Z.
Palmer also confirmed
that there would be Nismo
versions of all future Nissan
sports cars and most cars in
the Nissan range. Typically,
Nismo cars will be sold as
both tuned R models and
more hardcore RS versions.
He also intimated Nismos
growing influence could
extend to the mooted Infiniti
sports car expected by 2020.
CONVENTIONAL LOOKS FOR NISSAN HATCH
The first full-body mules for Nissans upcoming Volkswagen
Golf-rivalling hatchback have hit the road. The new five-door
model will be built at Nissans Barcelona plant from July 2014,
and is tipped to revive the Almera name.
Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura said: We cannot just
be a crossover brand. We can make the Almera work. Getting
it right is not an easy or quick answer, but the results of the
Qashqai have bought us time.
We can get it right, and that means standing up to some of
the toughest opposition. Beating the Golf wont be a styling
challenge; it is more complex than that. These kinds of cars
need to look conventional.
AUTO BOX FOR FRUGAL FIESTA
The 99bhp 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol version
of the Ford Fiesta can now be ordered with the
six-speed dual-clutch Powershift automatic
transmission. Combined economy is rated at
57.7mpg, and CO2 emissions are 114g/km.
TOYOTAS NEW TAXI CONCEPT
Toyota will preview its vision for a next-
generation Japanese taxi with its JPN Taxi
concept at next weeks Tokyo show. The hybrid
carries five passengers and Toyota says it takes
design cues from Londons famous black cabs.
THIS WEEK
ZEOD RC, follow-up to DeltaWing, provides further inspiration for road car
Golf-rivalling Nissan five-door is poised to revive the Almera nameplate
SPY SHOT
NEW ALMERA SPAIN
OFFICIAL
PICTURES
Fuel consumpflon llgures lor Clvlc 1.4 l-vTEC SE ln mpg (l/100km): rban 42.2 (.7), Exfra rban 0.1 (4.7), Comblned 52.3 (5.4).
CC
2
emlsslons: 12g/km. Fuel consumpflon llgures sourced lrom olllclal E-regulafed laborafory fesf resulfs, are provlded lor
comparlson purposes and may nof rellecf real-llle drlvlng experlence.
ModeI sbown: Clvlc 1.4 l-vTEC SE ln Mllano Red Solld af 1,5 Cn The Road. Terms and Conditions: New refall Clvlc 1.4 l-vTEC SE reglsfraflons lrom 1 Ccfober 2013 fo 31 December 2013. Sub|ecf fo model
and colour avallablllfy. Cllers appllcable af parflclpaflng dealers and are af fhe promofer's absolufe dlscreflon. Honda Aspirations (PCP): 18 per monfh example shown based on Clvlc 1.4 l-vTEC SE Manual ln
solld palnf af 1,5 fofal cash prlce (and fofal amounf payable) wlfh 37 monfhs 0% AFR Represenfaflve (lnferesf rafe per annum 0% lxed) wlfh 4,185.3 (25%) deposlf, Guaranfeed Fufure value / Cpflonal Flnal
Faymenf ol ,005.75, annual mlleage ol 10,000 and excess mlleage charge: 5p per mlle. You do nof have fo pay fhe Flnal Faymenf ll you refurn fhe car af fhe end ol fhe agreemenf and you have pald all ofher
amounfs due, fhe vehlcle ls ln good condlflon and has been servlced ln accordance wlfh fhe Honda servlce book and fhe maxlmum annual mlleage has nof been exceeded. lndemnlfles may be requlred ln cerfaln
clrcumsfances. Flnance ls only avallable fo persons aged 18 or over, sub|ecf fo sfafus. All lgures are correcf af flme ol publlcaflon buf may be sub|ecf fo change. Credlf provlded by Honda Flnance Europe Flc.
470 London Road, Slough, Berkshlre SL3 8OY. 5ervicing: Flve years' servlclng or 2,500 mlles, whlchever comes lrsf, lor 4 lncludlng vAT and lncludes a maxlmum ol lve manulacfurers' scheduled servlces.
Civic 1.4 SE
18 a month

Fepresenrarive
Ligbtning. They say lf
doesn'f sfrlke fwlce.
So when you see an
oller fhls good on
fhe Clvlc, don'f walf.
Acf. Because qulck as
a lash, lf'll be gone.
honca.co.uk/li_hrnin_
THIS WEEK
New V12-powered S65 AMG cracks 0-62mph in 4.3sec, Mercedes-Benz claims
M
ercedes-Benz
has crowned the
performance side of
its new S-class line-up
with a mighty V12-powered
S65 AMG. The new model will
reach the UK next April, priced
from about 160,000, after
simultaneous launches at the
Tokyo and Los Angeles motor
shows next Wednesday.
Powering the S65 AMG is a
twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 with
621bhp and 737lb ft of torque.
The long-wheelbase-only S65
covers 0-62mph in a claimed
4.3sec and its top speed is
governed to 155mph.
Mercedes claims that it is
the worlds most efficient V12.
The S63 returns a combined
23.7mpg and CO2 of 279g/km.
The engine is hooked up to
AMGs Speedshift Plus seven-
speed automatic gearbox,
whose three driving modes
include Sport and Manual.
The gearbox replaces the five-
speed auto of the previous S65.
Mercedes has yet to quote
a weight for the new S65, but
the model has weight-saving
technology, such as a part-
carbonfibre bonnet, a lithium
ion battery and lightweight
20-inch alloy wheels. Carbon-
ceramic brakes are optional.
An AMG-tuned version of
the new S-classs Magic Body
Control suspension system is
fitted as standard. This system
reads the road ahead and
adjusts the suspension to suit
upcoming road conditions.
Other standard kit includes
ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist,
which reduces understeer
when turning in to corners.
The 5246mm-long S65 has
unique styling details, such as
a new front grille, larger front
air intakes, revised side air
intakes, a front splitter, new
front and rear bumpers, twin
sets of exhaust tailpipes and
new badging.
An AMG-fettled interior, with
sports seats and a bespoke
steering wheel, also features.
MARK TISSHAW
VW GOLF R STARTS AT 30K
Volkswagens new 296bhp Golf R has been priced
from 29,990. This buys a three-door version
with a six-speed manual gearbox. A five-door
is also offered, as is a six-speed DSG gearbox.
Deliveries start from February.
GHOST GETS 2014 MAKEOVER
Rolls-Royce is planning a light nip and tuck for
its Ghost saloon in 2014, judging by this test
mule caught on the streets of Munich. The minor
changes include a revised front bumper and new
LED front headlights.
Confidential
ALFA ROMEO DOESNT
intend to fit much advanced
safety equipment, such as
adaptive cruise control and
emergency braking, to its cars.
Alberto Cavaggioni, Alfas
marketing boss, said: We
can look at our cars from an
emotional point of view or
from a technical point of view.
We give the Alfisti all thats
needed [in electronic aids],
but not more.
ALFA HAS ALSO confirmed
that it has cancelled the Mito
GTA project. It had initially
unveiled a concept (below)
at the 2009 Geneva motor
show that used the same 1750
TBi engine as the Giulietta
Cloverleaf. The model was
deemed as not being right
for the engine, with a source
suggesting that the car would
struggle to harness the power.
CITROEN IS TRIALLING
ways to advertise eco driving to
new drivers as a competition,
challenging them to use the
least energy on their journeys,
in order to enthuse them about
the current generation of cars.
An insider said: We know
young people like competition
and computer games, and if we
can give driving cars that kind
of challenge, then we know we
can capture their interest.
VAUXHALL IS MULLING
over new plans for the Ampera
and its Voltec range-extender
driveline, say insiders. One
option could be to offer a fuel-
cell version of the driveline,
as originally suggested by its
GM parent in 2011. GM is also
debating whether to offer a
range of Voltec models in the
manner of BMWs i range, or
offer the option in some of its
mainstream cars. Meanwhile,
it is working hard to reduce
the cost of the Voltec system,
which has been the main cause
of slow Ampera and Volt sales.
THE DESIGN AND
marketing of future
Chevrolets will draw
more on the range-
topping Camaro and
Corvette, according
to GMs design chief
and Chevrolets
European CEO.
Design boss Ed
Welburn said the
Camaro and Corvette
are used as inspirations
in many of the GM global
design studios that work
on Chevrolets. Youll
see more of it in the
future, particularly the
front surface treatment
of the Corvette, he said.
Chevrolet Europe
boss Thomas Sedran
said the company isnt
averse to using its two
halo cars to market other
models but would use
innovative techniques
to make the connection.
The biggest challenge
is low brand awareness.
Getting on the shopping
list is the single biggest
challenge, he said.
Once you mention
the name Chevrolet,
there are a lot of positive
associations with it.
The Corvette has
expressive design and
value for money; its a
bargain. Thats true for
all of our cars.
Chevrolet to harness Vette, Camaro
AMG tops S-class line-up
Corvettes look will influence other Chevrolets
S65 AMG has unique
styling features to go
with its 621bhp V12
OFFICIAL
PICTURES
Cabin gets sports seats and a leather/Alcantara steering wheel
Home-grown stars of th
Japanese car makers set to reveal a raft of innovative new concepts at next weeks Tokyo motor show
DAIHATSU WILL RENEW its
rivalry with the Honda Beat
with a new Kopen roadster
concept at the Tokyo motor
show next week. The Kopen
follows Hondas new S660
concept, which is also set to
star at the Tokyo show and is
expected to spawn a new Beat
production model.
Two Kopen concepts will
be shown. The standard car
will be seen alongside a more
rugged version, reportedly
dubbed XMZ, which gains
extra body cladding for a
chunkier appearance.
Featuring a retractable
metal roof, the Kopen
measures 3395mm long by
1475mm wide, with a height of
1275mm. Power comes from
a 660cc engine mated to a
CVT automatic gearbox. The
specification means that, like
the original Copen, the new car
conforms to kei-car rules.
Like the Kopen, Hondas
S660 is also a kei-car, but it
features a scalable platform
that means it could be sold in
international markets.
Previously, Daihatsu sources
have confirmed to Autocar that
a return of the Copen roadster
was planned.
The original Copen was
built between 2002 and 2012
and was, unlike the Beat,
officially imported into the UK.
Production of the Copen was
halted in August last year, with
the final 500 cars produced
being sold as limited-edition
10th anniversary models.
A TRIO OF new Mitsubishi concepts will star in Tokyo. The
GC-PHEV (centre) is a plug-in hybrid all-wheel-drive SUV that
previews a replacement for the Shogun. Power comes from a
3.0-litre V6 engine mated to an electric motor.
The second concept, named XR-PHEV (on right), is
a Range Rover Evoque-style plug-in hybrid SUV. It uses a
direct-injection, 1.1-litre turbocharged engine, again coupled
to a high-output electric motor.
Finally, Mitsubishi will reveal a new MPV called Concept AR
(on left). It marks a return to the MPV segment for Mitsubishi
following the discontinuation of the Grandis in 2011. The AR
uses the same hybrid powertrain as the XR-PHEV.
DAIHATSU KOPEN
MITSUBISHI CONCEPTS
THIS WEEK
e Tokyo show
The Viziv Evolution concept one of several offerings due from
Subaru is a development of a concept first seen at the Geneva
motor show but made to look more production-ready. It is a
4320mm-long, all-wheel-drive compact crossover that mixes a
1.6-litre petrol engine with three electric motors. An autopilot
feature is included.
Subarus main show star will be the Levorg concept. The firm
has yet to confirm details or release pictures of this sporting
estate, but it will spawn a production version next year, Subaru
has confirmed. A compact urban SUV called Cross Sport Design
Concept and a seven-seat, jacked-up estate called Crossover 7
Concept will also feature on Subarus stand.
SUBARU VIZIV EVOLUTION CONCEPT
TOYOTA WILL SHOW an evolved, closer to
production version of its FCV concept in
Tokyo. The new model previews Toyotas
work with hydrogen fuel cell technology and
is planned for launch in 2015. The car has a
reported range of at least 300 miles and a
refuelling time of three minutes.
The exterior shape of the FCV is extremely
aerodynamic in order to reduce drag and
improve efficiency. Numerous references to
water have been incorporated into its design,
says Toyota, a reminder of the only waste
product to be produced by hydrogen-powered
vehicles. The FCV is designed to carry four
people. Two hydrogen tanks provide power to
the compact 134bhp electric motor.
TOYOTA FCV
SUZUKI CROSSHIKER
SUZUKI X-LANDER
DAIHATSU FC DECO DECK
THE CROSSHIKER CONCEPT is a compact crossover
described by the firm as an alternative to the 2011 G70
supermini concept, which previewed a production car
due in 2015-2016. The Crosshiker shares a platform and
similar footprint to the G70 but weighs just 810kg. Power
comes from a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine.
THE OPEN-TOP Suzuki X-Lander concept rides on the
same platform as the Suzuki Jimny. It gets four-wheel
drive and is powered by a 1.3-litre engine in combination
with an electric motor, all linked to an automated manual
gearbox. Suzuki wants drivers to use the car in the city
as well as sometimes go out to play in the field.
DAIHATSUS KOPEN CONCEPT will be joined in Tokyo
by the FC Deco Deck concept. The FC Deco Deck is a
3395mm-long, fuel cell-powered truck built to kei-car
rules. The firm has also developed a mobile generator that
can be fitted to the back of the truck to provide power.
ALSO ON SHOW IN TOKYO
THIS WEEK
BMW i3 to spawn family car
New i5 electric car is set to use a stretched version of the i3s platform to give it greater practicality
The i5 promises
lots of space via
clever packaging
Twin-Up uses hybrid
components from
the fuel-sipping XL1
A SUPER-EFFICIENT new
Volkswagen Up will star at next
weeks Tokyo motor show.
Using a modified version of the
plug-in diesel hybrid drivetrain
from the high-tech XL1, it
boasts spectacular combined
economy of 257mpg and 31
miles of electric-only range.
The Twin-Up is described
by VW R&D chief Hans-Jakob
Neusser as an engineering
prototype with production
potential. Various components
of the futuristically styled
XL1s hybrid system have been
modified to offset the compact
hatchbacks added weight.
Tipping the scales at 410kg
above the XL1 at 1205kg, the
Twin-Up receives an upgraded
electric motor, a larger battery
with an additional two modules
to raise its capacity to 8.6kWh,
and a 33-litre fuel tank (23
litres more than the XL1s).
Power comes from the same
turbocharged 800cc, two-
cylinder diesel engine used in
the XL1. Mounted transversely
in the nose, it produces
47bhp and 88lb ft of torque.
It is supported by an electric
motor also developing 47bhp
20bhp more than the XL1s
and 103lb ft of torque.
Combined, the Twin-Up
has an output of 74bhp and
158lb ft. Drive is channelled
through a seven-speed dual-
clutch automatic gearbox.
VW claims a 0-37mph time
of 8.8sec, 0-62mph in 15.7sec
and a top speed limited to
87mph in hybrid mode.
With claimed combined
economy of 257mpg, the Twin-
Up has CO
2 emissions of just
27g/km. An e-mode allows
pure electric propulsion for up
to 31 miles and at up to 78mph.
Plug-in hybrid VW Up prototype promises 257mpg
HOTTER 208 GTI IN PROSPECT
Peugeot bosses are mulling an even hotter
version of the 208 GTI, badged the 208 R,
according to CEO Maxime Picat. A source
confirmed that customer feedback has shown
demand for a lighter, more powerful model.
CAR SALES FORECAST RISES
The forecast for full-year new car registrations
in the UK has risen from 2.23 million to 2.25
million units. Last month 157,314 cars were
registered, a four per cent year-on-year rise.
The Ford Fiesta remains the UKs best-seller.
Hilton Holloway
The luxury appeal of EVs
As the veteran of a year behind the wheel of a Nissan Leaf and
a year in a Chevrolet Volt, Im convinced that car makers are
missing the most appealing aspect of electric car ownership.
The refinement, seamless torque, off-the-line pace and
absence of gearshifts make most EVs more of a luxury
proposition than many conventional executive cars.
Building a bigger electric car (as Tesla seems to be proving)
makes more sense of the price and plays to the greater
strengths of being driven electrically. Why wouldnt a future
i5 with a range extender become a more enticing proposition
to an affluent urban family than the bigger X3?
B
MW is working on a
stretched version of the
new i3 electric city car,
according to insiders,
probably to be called the i5. The
new model would be notably
more family friendly, with extra
legroom in the rear cabin and a
bigger boot. BMW admits that
it has already trademarked
the monikers i1 through to i8,
making it clear that it intends to
expand its new i sub-brand.
The i3 is just four metres
long and Autocar understands
that BMW engineers think that
by adding just 100mm of extra
legroom and another 150mm of
rear overhang, they can create
a spacious family EV hardly
longer than a Mini Countryman.
Creating the i5 is potentially
a much cheaper and simpler
operation than stretching a
conventional steel monocoque
car, as the i3 uses a separate
chassis. Lengthening it is
mostly a matter of extending
the chassiss longitudinal
aluminium extrusions.
Likewise, because the
body is made of carbonfibre-
reinforced plastics, extending
the pillarless passenger cell
is mainly a case of stretching
the roof and floor sections.
Only the rear door structure
would have to be completely
re-engineered, although the
hinge and clamp systems would
be unchanged.
Its not clear yet whether the
i5 would need a more powerful
range extender unit because of
the cars greater load-carrying
capability. The model is unlikely
to appear before mid-2015.
HILTON HOLLOWAY
OFFICIAL
PICTURE
THIS WEEK
Steve Cropley
MONDAY
To Dubai overnight to get
behind the wheel of Jaguars
SUV concept, the C-X17,
which, as well as flagging the
companys historic intention to
launch a soft-roader, publicises
Jaguars all-new, ultra-flexible
aluminium chassis system
(note my struggle to ditch
the inadequate buzzword
architecture) that will underpin
practically everything Jaguar
will sell in the future. Whether or
not a Jaguar SUV is a good idea
seems still to be exercising a few
at Jaguar. But the way that Im
hearing it, theyre the only ones
bothered. To the rest of us, a
Jaguar SUV is a no-brainer.
TUESDAY
After a gentle trundle in the
C-X17 (see p38), there was time
for a visit to the Dubai motor
show, impressive for its space
but somewhat devoid of new
models. Yet it was fascinating.
Rich locals buy their cars off
the showroom floor and hate
to be kept waiting, so McLaren
scored a notable victory over
Ferrari by turning up with a
production-spec P1, plus chief
test driver Chris Goodwin to
explain its intricacies. Maranello
had the 458 Speciale but should
also have had LaFerrari, the
P1s million-pound adversary.
Maranello claimed that as the
mega-Fandango is sold out, its
absence hardly mattered, but
thats nonsense. Will LaFerrari
be absent from forthcoming big
motor shows? Of course not.

WEDNESDAY
Back in London for dinner with
Ford chief operating officer
Mark Fields, here for 48 hours to
conduct a European business/
product review. His breakneck
schedule was to include, believe
it or not, visiting a typical Essex
pub called the Shepherd &
Dog, where, it was reckoned,
hed be able to unwind. Hope he
managed it, but I have to say the
picture of a jetlagged, besuited,
overworked, preoccupied super-
exec relaxing with a foaming
pint at lunchtime was something
my mind failed to produce.
Fields sheer normality was
as impressive as ever, given
that hes poised to take over
Fords biggest job when its
high-achieving incumbent, Alan
Mulally, retires in a years time. I
hadnt appreciated it before, but
Fields own Ford revival plan,
called The Way Forward and
produced before Mulally arrived,
contained many of the elements
of the One Ford plan that has
been so successful at righting
the ship. Fields is modest about
this, pointing out that it took
his bosss clear-mindedness,
consistency and presidential
authority to sell the idea to
stakeholders and make it work.

THURSDAY
If you visit the same bookshops
as I do, youll have seen the
Murray Walker Scrapbook, a
sell-out. Now, to commemorate
the great mans 90th birthday,
his publisher, Porter Press
International, has launched
a pioneering e-book edition
for Apple phones and tablets.
It features 45 interviews with
Murray himself plus as many
video clips from his brilliant
career. There are interviews
and comments from no fewer
than 70 prominent admirers,
yet the whole thing costs less
than a fiver. Buying it is surely a
no-brainer, but if youre harder
to convince than I am, you can
download a sample 10 pages via
iBooks or the App Store. Ive got
my complete copy already, so I
know youll like it.
FRIDAY
The late journalist LJK Setright,
whom I greatly admired, never
took notes as a reporter because
he reckoned that if a thing didnt
stick in the memory, it cant
have been important. If I applied
that principle to my own work,
Autocar would have significantly
more white space, but I have
applied it while recalling
last weeks greatest five-car
comparison. The car that has
stayed with me is the one I drove
home from Wales, the Mercedes-
Benz S500, a car so beautifully
developed and resolved that it
seemed to anticipate my every
requirement and halve the
effects of every bump I saw. I
wasnt around when it earned
its five-star road test rating, our
ultimate accolade. I only know
that it deserves it.
Rich locals buy their cars
off the motor show floor
and hate to be kept waiting
A week in cars Two no-brainers and a Ford chief with considerable brainpower
P1 was at the Dubai show, but LaFerrari wasnt
Now available as an e-book edition for less than 5
A C-X17 drive
was a taster of
Jaguars future
steve.cropley@autocar.co.uk @StvCr
Another great snap decision
Did you clock this magic
photo of the five cars in last
weeks mega-saloon test,
used on the contents page?
It says so much about its
creator, chief snapper Stan
Papior. As the image was
coming to life, the rest of us
were stowing gear in cars,
eager to get in, get warm
and go home. Not Stan. As
he always does, he was still
seeing great images.
Skoda confirms SUV for 2016
A new large SUV is on the way from Skoda; company boss also confirms new Superb saloon and estate
The new 2 will look less muscular than todays car to appeal to female buyers in its main, Asia market
S
koda plans to launch a big
new SUV in 2016, company
chief Winfried Vahland has
confirmed to Autocar.
The new model is based
on the largest version of the
Volkswagen Groups MQB
platform and is set to be a
version of VWs own CrossBlue
SUV, due to be launched in 2015.
The as-yet-unnamed Skoda
SUV will be a class up from
the VW Tiguan in size. It will
be offered with five-seat and
seven-seat configurations,
and with front-wheel drive and
all-wheel drive.
Skoda technical chief Frank
Welsch described the new
SUV as the right concept for
Skoda; it works perfectly with
our brand values.
The new SUV currently
exists as a full-size clay model
in Skodas design studio and
early engineering work is now
under way. Welsch said engine
capacity is likely to be capped
at 2.0-litre, four-cylinder units,
with diesel-electric hybrid
technology set to be offered. A
1.6-litre turbodiesel will be the
base unit.
Skoda design chief Josef
Kaban said: Larger Skodas like
this will employ bolder, more
provocative styling slightly
different from the mainstream.
There had been suggestions
that the big SUV would replace
the Superb in Skodas line-up,
but that car will also be
replaced in 2016 or 2017,
Vahland confirmed.
The new Superb will, in
terms of styling and execution,
be a revelation, he said. For
the next 10 years, the Superb
will be the top of the line.
It will again be offered as a
saloon and an estate, although
the saloon will drop the dual
saloon/hatchback tailgate boot
opening. It is too expensive,
said Vahland.
As with the SUV, a 2.0-litre,
four-cylinder engine will be
the largest offered in the
Superb as part of Skodas
pursuit of lighter weight and
better fuel economy. Skoda
is also focusing on improving
aerodynamic efficiency.
HUGH HUNSTON /
RICHARD WEBBER
NEW MAZDA 2 GETS SOFTER LOOK
MITSUBISHI IN RENAULT TIE-UP
Mitsubishi will launch a small family saloon
based on an unspecified Renault in global
markets, plus a larger saloon in North America,
as part of wider Renault-Nissan tie-up. EV tech
and new platforms are also set to be shared.
NEW DESIGN CHIEF AT FORD
Fords global design boss, J Mays, is retiring after
16 years at the firm. He will be replaced by Moray
Callum (right) on 1 January. The recent work of
Callum, younger brother of Jaguar design chief
Ian, includes the Ford EcoSport and Lincoln MKZ.
The new Mazda 2, due in European
showrooms next autumn, is intended to
have a softer, more feminine appeal than
todays car. Mazda Europe design chief Peter
Birtwhistle said: The car is much more
profitable in Asia than it is in Europe and
has therefore been designed to appeal to a
predominantly feminine customer base.
Its prevented us from putting too much
visual muscle into the styling, for fear of
scaring people off, he said. But its a good-
looking car, and Im happy with the result.
The new 2 is also set to spawn a compact
SUV, a model that is new to Mazdas line-up.
Skodas big SUV will share much with VW CrossBlue
Skoda plans Evoque-style SUV, Octavia CC
THIS WEEK
Caterham Sevens
to get new names
A
h, yes, your car. They put
it through an MOT when
you bought it, did they?
These are not the
words you want to hear from
a trusted mechanic when you
arrive to collect your car from the
service he has just performed on
it. Especially when its combined
with that pitying, incredulous
expression. You know the one.
There are holed ships that sink
more slowly and less deeply than
your heart when its pulled.
I shant dwell on the specifics.
What I want to talk about is
familiarity. Did you notice
the ride from the back end
was crashy? I was also asked,
while preparing for a larger-
than-anticipated bill. Well,
yes, of course I did, but this is
a 100,524-mile Land Rover
Defender, so I didnt expect
anything else. Apparently, I
should have.
Elevating the car on a ramp
showed the rear damper bushes
were shot through. New ones
have transformed the ride to
the state where it is now merely
mildly uncomfortable.
More experience of leggy
Defenders would have told me
it wasnt quite right. And now
that I know, I am a step closer to
understanding the whole, and I
feel rather better about things. It
is progress. Knowing the signs,
knowing the pitfalls, knowing
the cures and slowly, gradually,
becoming more of an expert. I
feel more attached to my car.
It doesnt just apply to cars.
When my family first kept
chickens, we didnt understand
why one would eat and drink
but still be giddy and clearly
unwell. Its a nasty feeling, being
out of your depth. Having sour
crop is worse still for a chicken, I
suppose, but once youve held a
bird upside down and massaged
its gullet until it vomits on your
shoes, and then it recovers, you
both feel rather better about
things. And now I know better, I
know how to prevent its onset in
the first place. I am undaunted.
O So is contributor Colin
Goodwin by the aeroplane he
has just built (more on which
in a future issue, I believe). The
other month he was faced with
fixing a couple of hundred rivets.
Once, that would have been a
sigh-worthy experience. But once
youve done tens of thousands
already, he said, its no big deal.
This is a concept that doesnt
sit well with a high-consumption
society one whose apparent
success is dictated by the
amount of new things that
are built and sold, and where
things are chucked out and
replaced rather than repaired
and nurtured. And even though
I can see the appeal of changing
a car before its warranty expires,
so you never own its problems, I
prefer the idea of understanding
its foibles so well that you
can prevent problems from
occurring in the first place.
The saying goes that
familiarity breeds contempt. Not
from where Im sitting.
Its a 100k-mile
Defender, so I
didnt expect
anything else.
Apparently, I
should have
matt.prior@autocar.co.uk @matty_prior
Matt Prior
Testers notes In pursuit of familiarity
Goodwin now knows
his plane inside out
Matt now feels more
attached to his old
Land Rover Defender
CATERHAM IS TO simplify its
naming strategy for the Seven
line-up to make it easier for
new customers to understand,
according to company boss
Tony Fernandes.
The company currently
offers 10 variants of the Seven,
ranging from the entry-level
Roadsport 125 to the high-
performance 620R. However,
with the new Suzuki-powered
160 adding a new low-cost
model into the mix, and the
AeroSeven Concept taking the
Seven CSRs underpinnings
in a new design direction,
Fernandes wants to ensure that
newcomers to the brand can
readily comprehend the range.
By simplify, I mean make it
so any Tom, Dick or Harry can
understand what each one is,
he said. Were not changing
the car and I think we can keep
it for another 50 years.
Caterham wants to make it easier to see where each model slots in
OTHER NEW MODELS in the pipeline at Skoda include a
sporty SUV in the style of the Range Rover Evoque and a
swoopy Volkswagen CC-style four-door saloon version of
the Octavia. Few details are known, but Skoda boss Winfried
Vahland confirmed that both models were in development.
On the sporty SUV, design chief Josef Kaban said: It is
being designed and will do something different from the norm,
like the Yeti did. But it wont be too faddish. It will be a more
expensive car, so it needs to still look good in a few years, as
customers will probably keep them for a while.
Before any news of these forthcoming Skoda models is
launched, the firm will replace its staple supermini, the
Fabia. The replacement is likely to be previewed at the Paris
motor show next September before going on sale in 2015,
according to Vahland.
The next-generation Fabia will be far more youthful and
have styling cues from the current S2000 rally car much
lower, much more squat and emotional in its look, said
Vahland. It will be the first VW Group supermini to utilise the
NVQ [Skodas internal name for MQB] small car platform.
Although we are keen not to alienate our older clientele,
who traditionally buy Fabia, the next generation will major on
features like connectivity to give it a more youthful appeal.
Like the Yeti, the junior SUV will differ from the norm
VW Cargo up
SPOTLIGHT
Whatever happened to
VWs Up family?
VW Buggy Up
VW up Lit
VW Space up
VW eT v
CONCEPT CARS
VW In 2dr
VW Up Taxi
VW Cargo Up
VW Space Up
VW Up Lite
VW eT Van
VW Space Up Van
VW Up GT
VW Buggy Up
VWs vision for an Up family looked
big, but the reality is proving more
modest. Hilton Holloway asks why
VW u
THIS WEEK
W
hen Volkswagens Up
concept was revealed
in 2007, at the
Frankfurt motor show,
the auto industry was wowed.
Volkswagen was going back
to its roots with a notably well
engineered but still decently
affordable city car that could
take four passengers and was
only 3.5m long.
The slick and futuristic
styling was clearly influenced
by Apple and the rear-
mounted boxer engine was
a clear nod to the original
Peoples Car. However,
despite the desire of Ferdinand
Piech, the VW Group supremo,
to have a car that echoed the
Beetle (which was designed
by his grandfather, Ferdinand
Porsche), the Up lost its rear-
mounted engine early in the
prototype process.
Nevertheless, in the four
years between the unveiling
of the first concept and the
early 2012 launch of the more
conventionally engineered
production Up, VW also
showed a number of intriguing
concepts, based on variations
of the Up platform. Clearly, the
company had an ambitious
vision: to attack the booming
global market for city cars,
with typical attention to detail.
From a potential Smart
rival to a super-spacious van
and baby SUV and a suite
of advanced transmissions
that included such upmarket
options as pure electric power
and a super-frugal plug-in
hybrid drivetrain the Up
family seemed to be in tune
with an automotive world that
was seeing buyers moving to
the cities and downsizing.
Six years on from the
original concept, the Up mega-
plan seems to have fizzled out.
The petrol-powered three-door
and five-door versions (under
Skoda, Seat and VW badges,
with Audi version to follow)
and a low-production-run
all-electric version are all that
have come to fruition so far.
Even the sporty GT, promised
by VWs boss at the 2012 Paris
show, has been put on ice.
In 2012, the VW Group sold
about 165,000 Ups, Miis and
Citigo models. According to
estimates culled from IHS
Global Insight and analysis
by Bernstein, the Up family
should grow to 219,000 sales
in 2013 and 339,000 in 2014.
The trouble is that these
are very small numbers,
especially given that the Up
is based on a bespoke and
relatively expensive platform,
is built in eastern Europe and
is in the most hard-fought and
profit-thin sector in the global
automotive world.
Officially, Volkswagen
insists that the Up franchise is
on course. Peter Thule, head
of VW Group communications,
says: The Up is successful
and that success will grow. It
leads its segment in terms of
sales in Europe and signs are
it will increase its leadership
when deliveries of new
variants such as the CrossUp
begin later this year.
Thule also revealed that
the Up will be introduced to
the Brazilian market and
possibly the Chinese markets
(prototype testing is already
under way). However, the
Brazilian launch has caused
VW to spend more money on
the Up platform, engineering
a modified front end to
house a bigger four-cylinder
engine with flex-fuel ethanol
compatibility. One advantage
is that the new version of
the platform should provide
the basis for the potentially
successful Taigun SUV.
Makers competing in
the global city car segment
are hampered by the price
sensitivity of buyers and the
need to build one car that will
satisfy both developing and
Western markets (something
that the 2010 Nissan Micra
arguably failed to do). But
that isnt all. Makers are also
hampered by having, so far,
failed to build a business
model that enables a single
city car platform to underpin
production approaching one
million models per year.
Indeed, it is suggested
Audi Version of up
2013 2014 2015 2016
A-segment
(city cars)
B-segment
(superminis)
C-segment
(compact family cars)
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that VWs failed alliance with
Suzuki (the Germans took a 20
per cent stake in the Japanese
maker) is the missing link in
the Up family story. Suzuki
sells small cars such as the
Alto and its spin-offs in big
numbers (about 600,000
units per year), and mixing
them on to the Up platform
could have eventually sent
annual volumes towards a
million units.
Meanwhile, it is Ford that
is quietly showing the way
ahead for the adoption of
global mega-platforms. This
year Ford is expected to sell
747,000 Fiestas and 914,000
Focus models, creating huge
economies of scale. Ford is
also gearing up to take on the
global city car market with the
B562 project.
Using a new platform,
the project will spawn a
hatchback, a small saloon
and a replacement for the Ka,
all built in India. A medium-
size saloon is also possible.
Ford thinks that it can hit
200,000 units in the first
full year of B562 production.
But like everybody else in this
sector, it needs B562 output
to eventually hit 750,000
units annually if this is to be a
decently profitable project.
PRODUCTION CARS POWERTRAINS
VW Up/Seat Mii/Skoda Citigo 3dr
VW Up CNG
Audi version of Up VW Up electric
VW Up/Seat Mii/Skoda Citigo 5dr
VW Taigun
Petrol
Plug-in hybrid Electric
Gas
Global sales by sector
Six years on from the first
concept, the Up mega-plan
seems to have fizzled out
THIS WEEK
Unearthing the juiciest stories from the world of motorsport
T
his is a big week for British
rally fans, with the Wales
Rally GB kicking off on
Thursday. The event is
the last of 13 rounds of the FIA
World Rally Championship. The
titles have already been settled
with Volkswagen Motorsport
sewing up the manufacturers
crown and Frances Sbastien
Ogier taking the drivers title
with eight wins in 12 events.
That may not sound awfully
exciting, but it is better than
another season dominated by
Sbastien Loeb, who won the
nine previous titles. Any sport
will struggle with that kind of
domination and it was hoped
that this year would give the
WRC the chance to reinvent
itself after years without much
interest. This has had knock-on
effects, with the promotion of
the series suffering so much
that late last year both Ford and
Mini quit the WRC (although
their machinery is still used).
This meant that this years
fight was between Loebs old
team the tongue-twisting
Citron Total Abu Dhabi World
Rally Team and newcomer
Volkswagen Motorsport.
The good news is that, after
an 11-year absence, Hyundai is
returning. The team has hired
Thierry Neuville, who has
been competing this year with
Malcolm Wilsons non-factory
Ford outfit, the Qatar World
Rally Team. Neuville, 25, is an
exciting prospect and, along
with 24-year-old Andreas
Mikkelsen, currently the third
driver at VW, and 23-year-old
Russian Evgeny Novikov,
another Wilson driver, theres
hope that fans will get excited
about the new generation. Also
in the mix is former F1 driver
Robert Kubica, who won this
years WRC2 title and will
make his full WRC debut this
weekend in a factory Citron. In
addition, the older generation,
who were stuck in Loebs
shadow, still want their day in
the sun, so theres no shortage
of interest on the driver front.
The calendar is solid with big
events such as Monte Carlo and
the Acropolis Rally in Greece,
plus Mexico, Argentina and
Australia. The cars, too, are
what is required, with high
street models that have been
souped-up to impressive levels
of performance. The class
structures may be complicated,
but the new Group R rules,
which replaced Group A and
Group N this year, have helped
make the sport easier to follow.
The manufacturers, however,
need more return on their
investment, and that requires a
lot more visibility. It was hoped
a new series promoter, WRC
Promoter GmbH, a German
company that is owned by Red
Bull Media and Germanys
Sportsman Media Group, would
get things rolling, but they
argue that the sport needs to
change in order to make it more
saleable. Rallying is exciting
TV, but following single cars
over long stages is expensive
and there is more potential in
hosting stadium stages to draw
big crowds and to make easier
TV. The new promoter wants
the format to change so the
event winner is decided by a
Live TV Power Stage at the end
of each rally. Traditionalists
are bristling at that idea and
VW recently walked out of a
meeting when it was suggested
that the running order of the
competitors should be changed.
The opportunity to reinvent
the sport is one that needs to be
grasped in order to get the WRC
back into the space that has
been invaded by the X Games
and rallycross. The promoter
says that the audience has
changed and so must the sport.
How to raise the profile of WRC
Volkswagen
has taken the
2013 WRC title
Hyundai is coming
back to WRC after
11-year absence
Can new drivers
replicate the fan
appeal of McRae?
joe.saward@autocar.co.uk @joesaward
L
A
T
Rallying is exciting, but
following single cars over
long stages is expensive
Joe Saward
KIMI TO MISS END OF F1 SEASON
Lotus F1 driver Kimi Rikknen will miss the final
two races of the season because of a need for
urgent surgery on a recurrent back problem. The
Finn, who was involved in a recent dispute over
unpaid wages, will drive for Ferrari next season.
MCNISH IS NEW WORLD CHAMP
Allan McNish is Britains first sportscar world
champion in 21 years. Along with co-drivers Tom
Kristensen and Loc Duval, the Audi driver took
third place in China, taking the World Endurance
Drivers Championship with only a race to go.
This weeks new cars
FIRST DRIVES
Ferrari 458
Speciale
8.11.13, Bologna Maranello unleashes a lighter, faster, harder-hitting
version of the Italia, but it features a user-friendly trick up its sleeve
QUICK FACTS
PRICE 208,000
ON SALE FEBRUARY
THE 458 SPECIALE is not only
the fastest and most advanced mid-
engined V8 sports car that Ferrari has
ever built, but its also the most fun
to drive. And those arent my words
but Ferraris, so they kind of mean
something when you have the F40
in your portfolio.
This car will cost 208,000 when it
reaches the UK in February, and when
it lands it will, without exaggeration,
be one of the most exciting road cars
there has ever been, at any price.
Why? Because the Speciale can do
pretty much everything that a regular
458 Italia can do which, lets face it,
is rather a lot and then adds a good
20 per cent of extra kaboom where
it really counts. So its faster, louder
(inside, although not outside), goes
round corners with more precision
and, subjectively, makes the hairs
SO GOOD
NO GOOD
TESTERS NOTE
Q Side slip angle control system
works a treat, on road and track
Q Performance borders on biblical
Q Gearchange speeds need to be
experienced to be believed
Q Give us normal seatbelts, please
New SSC system is
genuinely clever. It
makes you feel like a
hero but also keeps
things safe. SS
FIRST VERDICT
One of the great Ferraris and
we dont say that lightly
AAAAA on the back of your neck not simply
stand up straight but snap clean off.
Beneath its mildly redesigned
but still achingly beautiful skin,
the Speciale is bubbling with new
technology, most if not all of which is
there to enhance rather than inhibit
the interaction between driver, car
and road. Truly, this is one of the great
Ferraris, and there have been quite a
few of those over the years.
Perhaps the Speciales most
outstanding party trick arrives
courtesy of its new side slip angle
control system, or SSC. Its basically a
new setting within the now-familiar
manettino set-up that allows you to go
slightly sideways in the car but with
the ESP system still fully engaged.
SSC will do its best to save you, in
other words, if you push things too far
by deploying too much power at the
exit of a corner, which is easy
to do with 597bhp at 9000rpm
available to you.
You can still turn everything off if
you wish to go completely sideways
and ultimately risk spinning the
car but with SSC engaged, Ferrari
says, the Speciale is actually faster
and more thrilling to drive for the vast
majority of drivers. And even those
who are as useful as ex-F1 driver Marc
Gene reckon the system is at least as
good as me in most corners, especially
in fast ones, where the electronics can
really make a difference.
The 4.5-litre engine in the Speciale
is the most potent non-turbo V8
that Ferrari has yet produced, and
The intensity of driver thrills have been ramped up by a raft wide-ranging revisions
WATCH THE VIDEO
http://ow.ly/qHjYg
although its fundamentally the
same as the Italias, it has been heavily
massaged. With an incredible 14:1
compression ratio and a rev limit of
over 9000rpm, it thumps out not only
more power than the regular 458 but
also more torque, right across the
entire rev range. That makes it feel
quite different in nature to the Italias
engine. Its more urgent in its delivery
and a lot more gutsy everywhere.
Dial in a 90kg reduction in overall
weight everything, from the racing
bucket seats to the rear screen glass,
has been preened to shave kilograms
and you end up with a car that
can run rings around the standard
458 Italia, on road or track. Those
upgrades, incidentally, include
changes to the braking system, which
is lifted almost unchanged from
LaFerrari, the gearbox, which now
offers 20 per cent quicker upshifts
and a scarcely credible 44 per cent
quicker downshifts, the aerodynamics
(theyve improved the airflow above,
below and across it to reduce drag
THE SPECIALES NEW side slip angle
control system (SSC) is far more
sophisticated than a clever version of
traction control. And the results that
it can bring in terms of improving fun
while reducing the lap times of even the
most competent drivers are not to be
underestimated. In the words of Ferrari
boss Luca di Montezemolo, SSC is
the element that distinguishes the
Speciale as one of the great Ferraris.
It works by effectively predicting
what the optimum levels of tyre slip,
steering angle, throttle position and
engine revs might be at any given
point in a corner, and then trimming
back the engine revs and opening and
closing the E-diff to deliver the most
effective cornering posture. Its not
predictive and there is no use of GPS
tracking. Instead, the car monitors
what it is doing every couple of
milliseconds and reacts accordingly.
In Race mode, it wont allow any slip
from the rear tyres whatsoever. But
in CT Off mode, it will allow a fair bit of
oversteer at the corner exit if it senses
that you have the right amount of
opposite lock applied, and that not too
much throttle is being applied. Yet at
the same time, if you go too far and the
car senses that not enough corrective
lock is being applied or that the throttle
is too far open, it will then trim back the
flow of torque, albeit smoothly.
However, it never feels like the car is
taking over. Most of the time, it simply
feels like you are catching the slide
rather sweetly.
It wont anything so intrusive as
brake for you on the way into corners,
and its still entirely up to the driver to
get the car to where it needs to be at
the apex of any given corner. But once
you reach that point, you can use the
system to get on the throttle harder
and faster than you otherwise would,
without fear of turning the car around.
You can still switch everything
off if you want, but remember: even
Ferraris sharpest test drivers claim
that theyre faster around the Fiorano
test track with the SSC system
engaged. That has never previously
been the case with Ferraris other
driver aid traction control systems.
SSC: a bit on the side
Dynamically speaking
at least, the Speciale
makes the regular 458
feel like yesterdays car
FIRST DRIVE
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Price 208,000
0-62mph 3.0sec
Top speed 202mph
Economy 23.9mpg (combined)
CO2 275g/km
Kerb weight 1395kg
Engine V8, 4497cc, petrol
Installation Longitudinal, mid, RWD
Power 597bhp at 9000rpm
Torque 398lb ft at 6000rpm
Gearbox 7-spd dual-clutch automatic
Fuel tank 86 litres
Boot 230 litres
Wheels 9Jx20in (f), 11Jx20in (r),
forged alloy
FERRARI 458SPECIALE
and increase downforce) and the
suspension, and to top it all off Ferrari
has fitted bespoke new Michelin Pilot
Sport Cup 2 tyres.
The result is that Speciale makes
the regular 458 Italia feel like
yesterdays car, dynamically at
least. Its so much more lit than the
standard Italia when youre going
for it, yet still damn near as civilised
when youre not. The ride quality is
stiff but not unacceptably so, certainly
not on the Italian backroads on which
we drove it, although the damper
stiffness can be knocked back to a
ride-softening bumpy road setting
via a wheel-mounted button.
The 200 or so people in the UK
who will take delivery of a Speciale
next year will not be buying this car
to revel in its soothing ride quality,
though. Instead, they will want this
car to take them to the next level when
it comes to pure driver involvement,
without scaring them in the process.
And thats what the Speciale is about:
allowing drivers to feel like they are
sailing closer to the wind than ever
before, even to the point of allowing
them to indulge in a touch of digitally
controlled opposite lock, but without
frightening them at the same time.
Which is probably this cars
greatest trick of all: being epically
fast and exciting to drive but also easy
to operate and interact with, all at
once. Theres no fight to be had when
driving this car, only pure, undiluted,
albeit electronically enhanced pleasure.
It makes you wonder what they will
come up with next at the increasingly
indulgent sweet shop that is Ferrari.
STEVE SUTCLIFFE
The Speciale is 90kg lighter than the regular 458 Italia. Purposeful-looking bucket race seats contribute to the weight loss
The revised 4.5-litre V8 delivers extra torque at all revs and more power. It makes the Speciale feel gutsier and more urgent
Extensive aerodynamic work on the car has created more downforce yet less drag
FIRST DRIVE
SO GOOD
NO GOOD
TESTERS NOTE
Q Crisp handling
Q Vivid acceleration
Q Fine range extender installation
Q Difficult access to rear
Q Tiny fuel tank
Q Preset brake regeneration level
BMWs chassis
teams now carry out
testing on UK roads.
Judging by the i3, it
is paying off. HH
FIRST VERDICT
Top of the urban EV class. Real
verve but less practical than rivals
AAAAC
The interior feels airy and functions well; its also a quiet place, even when the i3 is showing off its impressive accelerative ability
NEARLY ALL CAR enthusiasts
will be familiar with BMWs radical
i3. Based on a separate aluminium
chassis, topped with a carbonfibre-
reinforced plastic bodyshell, the rear-
drive i3 has a rear-mounted electric
motor, which is good for 167bhp and
184lb ft of torque from standstill.
The model driven here is the
i3 Range Extender (3150 more
expensive than the pure-EV i3), which
gets a 647cc two-cylinder petrol
engine/generator to act as back-up to
the 18.8kWh lithium ion battery.
The i3s tiny engine/generator gets
an equally tiny nine-litre fuel tank
and what one BMW engineer told me
was real-world economy of between
40mpg and 50mpg when driving the
i3 purely on the engine alone.
Weight rises from the 1195kg of
the pure-EV i3 to 1315kg. This very
slightly blunts performance, with
this models 0-62mph time raised to
7.9sec from 7.2sec and the 0-37mph
time going from 3.7sec to 3.9sec.
The styling is alarmingly modern,
but few people will dislike the interior
and the undeniable effectiveness
of the twin-screen dashboard, the
airiness and the quality, detailing and
logic of the switchgear.
The i3 has remarkable pace off
the line and can be positioned with
a directness that leaves most other
traffic stumbling. The i3s semi-
elevated driving position is also a
particular advantage in town, as is
the 9.8-metre turning circle.
It is also surprising how well the i3
copes with Londons cratered streets,
feeling tautly sprung and yet not
crashing across broken surfaces.
On quicker A-roads, the i3 has
very impressive pace under full
acceleration. It also handles adeptly,
as a series of driving exercises at
Brands Hatch proved. Sharp lane
changes and even a stretch of hilly
circuit in pouring rain failed to ruffle
it, even though it has skinny 155/70
front tyres and 175/70 rears.
When the range extender was
activated, allowing it to cut in and out
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Price 28,830 (after govt rebate)
Top speed 93mph
0-62mph 7.9sec
C02 13g/km
Drivetrain Synchronous electric motor
with 2cyl, 647cc generator
Power 167bhp (electric),
36bhp at 4500rpm (petrol)
Torque 184lb ft (electric),
40lb ft at 4800rpm (petrol)
Gearbox Single-speed auto
BMWi3RANGE EXTENDER
BMW i3 Range Extender
6.11.13, London BMWs radical electric city car gets a two-cylinder generator to boost its range
QUICK FACTS
PRICE 28,830
(AFTER GOVT REBATE)
ON SALE NOW
as required by the conditions, it was
just possible to hear it running the
sound was of a very distant thrum
and then probably only because the
cabin of the i3 is very quiet. The i3
also has preset levels of regenerative
braking. Its quite an aggressive
setting that slows the car quickly once
the driver lifts off the accelerator.
With a full battery and fuel tank,
BMW predicts a realistic range of
between 150 and 186 miles.
The main downsides (after the
price) are the restricted space in the
back, the tightish boot and the fact
that the rear suicide doors cannot
be opened without the front door
being opened first. The front seats
are rather flat, too.
Theres no doubt that the i3 is the
sharpest-handling, quickest and most
premium-feeling EV currently on the
UK market, if not the most capacious
or family friendly. Despite being
different in every possible way, the
i3 is clearly a real BMW.
HILTON HOLLOWAY
FIRST DRIVE
SO GOOD
NO GOOD
TESTERS NOTE
Q Excellent handling manners
Q Comfortable and refined with it
Q As desirable as 4x4s come
Q Performance could be stronger
Q Unspectacular 25mpg
real-world economy
Youll need the
optional Dynamic
Pack to access the
last 10mph of top
speed potential. MS
FIRST VERDICT
Hot diesel Sport has Land Rover
polish; only lacks a bit more pace
AAAAB
The latest Sports luxurious cabin borrows much from the Range Rover; the SDV8, like any Sport, isnt averse to getting stuck in
LAND ROVER MUST be among the
greatest places anywhere in the UK to
work right now. The wave of success
that the firm has been riding these
past two years is showing no signs
of slowing and few will wonder or
even care how the company might
be different today if it was still part
of the BMW Group. The irony is
that, if that were the case, this new
performance diesel version of the
Range Rover Sport might have been
almost perfect. Instead, Land Rovers
customers will have to settle for class-
leading and very good indeed.
A 2014-model-year update for
the Range Rover Sport adds a few
options, driver aids and connectivity
systems, but no exterior or interior
design changes. The headline
introductions are engine derivatives.
Orders can now be placed for the
335bhp, 169g/km diesel-electric
Range Rover Sport hybrid if you
want to or this 334bhp, 140mph
SDV8 diesel instead. In an interesting
pricing tactic, either one will cost
you precisely 81,550 on the road.
Deliveries of both will start next year.
Powering the SDV8 is the 4.4-litre
twin-turbocharged diesel V8 from the
larger Range Rover. It makes for a car
thats a little shy of the horsepower
and performance standard set by
the likes of the BMW X5 M50d (road
tested on p62) and the Porsche
Cayenne S Diesel, but it still promises
sub-7.0sec 0-62mph acceleration and
better than 30mpg combined.
As in every Sport, youre aware
of the SDV8s weight and height
during a cross-country drive and
not only because both are present,
but because Land Rover doesnt try to
disguise either. The car has a smidge
more body roll than its immediate
competition, but that makes it
easier to drive. Its more natural,
communicative and consistent in its
handling, and easier to place, sweeter
and more trustworthy as a result. The
cars steering precision is excellent, its
balance of grip likewise, and it feels a
fluent and entirely flattering device.
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Price 81,550
0-62mph 6.9sec
Top speed 140mph
CO2 229g/km
Kerb weight 2398kg
Engine V8, 4367cc, turbodiesel
Power 334bhp at 3500rpm
Torque 516lb ft at 2000rpm
Gearbox 8-spd automatic
RANGE ROVERSPORT SDV8
AUTOBIOGRAPHYDYNAMIC
Range Rover Sport SDV8
5.11.13, Zurich Twin-turbo V8 aims to mix diesel muscle with wallet-pleasing economy
QUICK FACTS
PRICE 81,550
ON SALE NOW
Although brisk, it isnt eyebrow-
motivatingly quick, mind. Despite the
516lb ft of torque, the performance
gap to the supercharged petrol
version is still big enough to notice.
Overtaking is very easily achieved
and refinement is strong, but the
V8 doesnt rev with the freedom or
ferocity of BMWs tri-turbo six-pot
diesel and doesnt feel as flexible.
In spite of all that, though, youd
take this Range Rover Sport over
either the X5 M50d or Cayenne S
Diesel, for the honesty, polish and
poise that it shows on the road, for
its excellent rolling comfort, for the
warmth and luxury of its cabin and
for its superiority over the rough stuff.
MATT SAUNDERS
Who do car
makers trust?
askcont|.co.uk
about the
manufacturers`
cho|ce
FIRST DRIVE
SO GOOD
NO GOOD
TESTERS NOTE
Q Smooth and hushed to drive
Q Comfortable interior
Q Competitive claimed range

Q Sharp deceleration when you
lift off the throttle
Q Pricing may limit appeal
Below 12mph, to
warn pedestrians, it
emits a sound like the
chime of a distant
ice cream van. MB
FIRST VERDICT
Kias first global EV has quirky
charm but wont be a big seller
AAABC
The Soul EV is lively off the mark and has light steering so is easy-going in urban use, but it isnt the smoothest motorway cruiser
THE BOLD, FUNKY looks of the
second-generation Soul dont stray
too far from its predecessors, and
this electric version shares the new-
for-2014 cars basic dimensions.
The new Soul has adopted the
same platform as the Kia Ceed. It is
wider and longer than the first-gen
car, with a 20mm-longer wheelbase,
at 2570mm, as well as revised
suspension geometry and a bodyshell
thats 29 per cent stiffer.
The platform was designed to take
battery packs under the rear seats, so
little of the new Souls 354-litre boot
has been sacrificed. However, it does
bring a penalty of about 200kg.
The key visual differences between
the standard Soul and its electric
sibling include subtle aerodynamic
tweaks, different lights, a revised
bonnet and grille, and low-rolling-
resistance 16-inch tyres.
In the grille are two charging
points, one each for standard and
rapid charging. From a standard
household electricity supply, a full
charge will take about five hours,
Kia estimates. A rapid charge can
replenish a depleted battery to 80 per
cent capacity in 25 minutes.
The Soul EV prototype that we
drove was heavily disguised but
offered some hints as to the design
and ambience of the new car. It has
sharper, cleaner exterior styling than
its predecessor and a more upmarket
interior, albeit one that is more akin to
the standard Soul than the futuristic
Renault Zoe or Nissan Leaf.
It has bespoke dials and gauges,
and there are some neat energy-
saving touches, such as the option to
turn off the climate control to empty
passenger seats. Forward visibility is
mildly improved by slimmer A-pillars.
The Soul EV moves quickly away
from a standstill, and the smooth,
linear power delivery and very light
steering make it an effective tool for
driving in built-up areas.
Kia estimates that the Soul EV
will sprint from 0-62mph in less
than 12sec and go on to a top speed
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Price 25,000 (est)
0-62mph 12sec (est)
Top speed 90mph (est)
Range 124 miles (est)
Weight 1550kg (est)
CO2 0g/km
Motor 81.4kW electric motor, 27kWh
lithium-ion battery pack
Power na
Torque 210lb ft
Gearbox 1-spd
KIASOUL EV
Kia Soul EV
24.10.13, Namyang, South Korea Second-generation quirky Korean five-door appears in EV form
QUICK FACTS
PRICE 25,000 (EST)
ON SALE AUTUMN 2014
of 90mph, although it feels less at
home on faster roads, where a lack
of positive steering feel is evident
and theres aggressive deceleration
upon throttle lift-off. Although
the regenerative system charges
the battery, it means that the Soul
EV doesnt coast under its own
momentum particularly effectively.
On the strength of this prototype
drive, it rides comfortably but feels a
touch ponderous in faster cornering.
The Soul EV will come to Britain
in modest numbers at a price in
the region of 25,000 before any
government grant is applied. The
Soul EV wont be a huge seller here,
but it is a positive shop window for
Kias broadening ambitions.
MATT BURT
GOING UP IN
Jaguar C-X17 | Drive
THE WORLD
Jaguar is keen to make an SUV, but can such a car distinguish itself from its Land
Rover cousins? Steve Cropley drives the C-X17 concept in Dubai to find out
F
rom the drivers seat, you look over the lumpy
bonnet, rather than down it as usual, yet
this car could only be a Jaguar. It may offer
a different view of the road from that of any
other Jaguar ever built, but theres enough
evidence in those shapes over which youre
seeing the road to remove the need for any label.
The middle of the bonnet has a reassuring
power bulge, not identical to any other Jaguars but
strongly related. At either side, two gentle curves
gracefully intersect at the cars frontal extremity,
one pair gliding across the top of each headlight,
the other describing the muscle that runs above
each front wheel. This is the latest iteration of the
C-X17, the concept version of the all-wheel-drive
sports crossover that Jaguar will surely launch
in two or three years time off the enormously
expensive all-aluminium architecture in which it is
pouring every earned pound and then some to
build a viable future among the worlds premium
car manufacturers.
As journalists, were at the familiar cat-and-
mouse stage with Jaguar. It always happens with
important new cars. Through us, the company
wants potential buyers to perceive the fascinating
possibilities of its new manufacturing system
such as a whole new suite of cars, including
a viable SUV. Thats why today were having a
cursory drive-about on a vast car park near Dubais
enormous horse racing track before the prototype
gets a wash and brush tonight and reappears
tomorrow at the local motor show.
In the meantime, however, the company also
has BMW-3-series-challenging saloons to launch
off the very same architecture and doesnt want
anyone getting too carried away with the minutiae
of the SUVs specification. Everyone knows that
the solitary silver C-X17 prototype will be the star
of tomorrows Dubai motor show. But it is also why,
when I ask whether the new aluminium structure
lurks beneath the elegant skin of this particular
prototype, Graham Wilkins, vehicle engineering
manager for the cars that will use this new
architecture, tells me that it is not much more than
an engineering lash-up.
It has a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 [as found in
the XF and XJ], he says, and it has four-wheel
drive. Its not the real thing, but more of a bespoke
experiment. Whats important is it proves the car
can look this good, yet all the new stuff would fit.
Thats as important as having it in place.
Jaguar high-ups have been in two minds about
how to treat the C-X17 ever since it broke cover with
a mighty fanfare two months ago. For some, its a
way of showing that the F-types design style can
extend from one automotive extremity (sports
You look over the bonnet, not down it, yet this could only be a Jaguar
C-X17 is transported under wraps to the drive location
The seats evoke the E-types; materials are upmarket
FROM F1 TO P1
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2
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cars) to the other (SUVs) while encompassing
saloons and estates on the way. Ergo, Jaguar can
build whatever cars it reckons the market will take.
Others feel that this concentration on design
style obscures the significance of the wholesale
change to aluminium, a programme costing many
millions that will affect every Jaguar ever made
from now on. It is becoming apparent that this is
not merely a compact architecture that Jaguar is
building but the basis of its entire future range
looking ahead for two decades and more.
I know it sounds rather corporate, says
Wilkins, but this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime
project for someone like me. We are configuring
the architecture for maximum flexibility of
suspension choice, wheelbase, width and height.
The only thing it might not cover is the sports
cars, because theyre low, their wheelbase is short
and their proportions are unusual compared
with the rest. But for me, this is the future Jaguar
architecture. Im 39 and I expect to retire before we
need to do things in this kind of detail again.
Gingerly, we climb in to the car. I know from
experience how fragile concepts can be in 35deg C
heat; on one famous motor show occasion, a model
had to spend her afternoon posing on the bonnet
of a certain sports car because the surface, made
of clay, had opened up like a crevasse. First thing
you see through the cabin door are the elegantly
simple seats in saddle leather, reminiscent of
those from the original E-type, whose beauty
and simplicity has stayed with us for 50 years.
There is brightwork, but the effect is simplicity: a
generously proportioned pair of round dials ahead,
a high centre console running right through
the car that, fascinatingly, can turn itself into
a screen, a louvred light shade above that plays
patterns on the lower interior, and a simple raked
fascia with a metal trim-piece at its trailing edge,
with JAGUAR embossed above the console. The
essential volumes of the interior are as they might
be in production, says Jaguar advanced design
chief Julian Thomson, who is proud of what his
team has achieved, but the colour and trim are,
in essence, experiments.
The car may look slick, but the crudity of its
The new architecture will be the basis of Jaguars entire future range
Jaguar has been keen to avoid a jacked-up saloon look
The C-X17 applies Jaguars telltale cues to a new niche
The front has a strong
production feel; note
the lights and mirrors
Q&A JULIAN THOMSON
Is the C-X17 an advanced design project?
It was, although it has left the building now. My
departments job is to create concepts and model
proposals that might go into production in a
minimum of four or five years time, so were now
working in 2017-2018.
The car was at Frankfurt. Why show it again?
A new model is a huge investment, a really
big deal. Its important that people should get
to understand it, to know what it is and who it
appeals to even before a decision is made to
build it. Thats what concepts do. If it proceeds,
the production design group will take it on and
really get stuck into the nitty-gritty.
But concepts are pretty realistic these days,
arent they?
They are. The thing designers hate is hearing
people say theyd have bought the concept but
cant get excited about the production version.
The last thing we want to do is disappoint people
for a concept to be used as a set of excuses.
Youve done so many saloons and sports cars. Did
this help you appreciate SUVs?
Dont forget I was involved with the Land Rover
LRX, which became the Evoque. That model
broke the Land Rover paradigm, but while that
was going on, I drove production Land Rovers
for several years and enjoyed them. But I do
generally prefer cars that are well attached to
the road. You dont want an SUV that looks
like it disobeys the laws of physics.
Is this why you had such trouble getting the C-X17
to look as good as you wanted?
It was partly that, but it was also because our
design chief, Ian Callum, likes design with as
close to a perfect level of execution as he can.
He always wants to start from scratch, whereas
others are inclined to take a car and jack it up in
the air. At Jaguar, we seek a sense of purity and
precision. Thats how something as elegant as the
iPad comes about.
What does this new aluminium architecture
give you?
It lets us go back to first principles with a car and
to control its critical dimensions. With C-X17, we
needed the weight sitting in a certain way and we
needed to control the way the driver sits in the
car, too. If you start with a jacked-up saloon, you
can never make it work. For this one, we moved
all the volumes about a lot. The glasshouse went
back and forth a lot, until it was right. If Jaguar is
going to design a crossover, it has to be the best-
looking, best-driving example on the market.
Why do your concepts wheels have to be so huge?
Because we think they look good, I suppose. This
one has 23-inch wheels. But we make plenty of
clay models with smaller wheels, to prove theyll
work if they go into production.
What are your favourite C-X17 interior feature?
At Jaguar, were very respectful of materials.
We try to use them the way they want to work.
Some people torture wood in car interiors. Not
us. We use a lot of saddle leather, which is a very
straightforward material that reflects the effects
of craftsmanship well. In particular, were very
proud of the seat, which draws on the beauty and
simplicity of the original E-type seat, even though
seats are so fearfully complicated nowadays.
Finally, how do you feel when people say that the
C-X17 has features reminiscent of the F-type
sports car, which is so different?
I think its fine, as long as I feel it works in the
new application. I can think of one company that
seems too willing to cover its bigger cars with
sports car styling cues and it can look really
cheap if it is overdone. You have to take a lot of
trouble and be sure it works, and thats what we
have done here.
Jaguars head of advanced design whose credits include penning the original Lotus
Elise and leading the Land Rover team that produced the LRX concept (ne Evoque)
has been heavily involved with the Jaguar C-X17 concept. Here he explains the process
that produced Jaguars embryonic SUV and how it is likely to progress.
I am left with absolutely no
This concept is four-
wheel drive and has a
supercharged 3.0 V6
The C-X17 has 23-inch
wheels and steers
better than it rides
Thomson: At Jaguar,
we seek a sense of
purity and precision
If you enjoyed this feature, go to
autocar.co.uk/puredriving, where weve
teamed up with Dunlop to celebrate some
of the worlds best driving experiences
under-bits become instantly into focus as we
begin to roll. Prototypes are usually like that.
Before we go, an engineer lurking in the rear
selects Drive with a tommy bar mysteriously
inserted into a hole in the console. The car growls
forward with a will, but how strange to drive a
Jag without an engineered exhaust note. Its too
loud and, somewhere along the pipe, the exhaust
is blowing. The suspension reacts alarmingly
to the most modest bumps these are 23-inch
wheels, chosen for visual impact, not stability
and there is some disconcerting clanking from the
transmission on the overrun.
Oddly, the steering feels pretty good. I briefly
wonder why, then remember that Wilkins has
confirmed this cars use of double wishbone
front suspension (deemed better for precision
than MacPherson struts) because it allows the
low bonnet line that the designers seek and the
superior steering and ride that the engineers know
a compact Jaguar needs. Now its time to pull up
and let the next bloke have his go. I doubt we have
hit 40mph, and there is more chuntering from
the brakes as we pull up. The ghostly rear-riding
engineer again does his stuff with the tommy bar
and all forward motion ceases. We alight, and
because were in a Jaguar with a feet-out driving
position, I almost fall out of the car, forgetting that
you sit a good 10cm higher than in any other Jaguar.
This has been anything but a sustained drive,
or even respectable progress, yet we have learned
two important things. Sitting in the drivers seat,
enjoying its sight lines and the view over the
bonnet, I am left with absolutely no doubt that this
SUV is on its way to becoming a distinguished
production Jaguar. The interior details arent
right, but so much more is spot on. And why should
they not be? This is the fastest-growing premium
sector going, Audi and BMW have been making
good money in it for years, and the growth wont be
stopping any time soon.
Jaguars people on the ground in Dubai maintain
their discretion to the end. Their conversation is
peppered with if we were to make a car like this
and were we considering a crossover, but despite
these superhuman efforts at polite obfuscation,
the truth is clear. As someone said, you can see it
in the specially designed and engineered exterior
mirrors. And lights. In a couple of years time, after
the saloons have had their day in the sun, there
is going to be a production C-X17 certainly not
named thus and it is going be a terrific car. L
doubt that it is on its way to becoming a distinguished production Jaguar
SI88tM|8I
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n a Subaru grllle badge you'll see slx stars

representlng the Plelades formatlon, the brlghtest
star cluster ln the nlght sky.
Por those ln the know, those slx stars also rather
neatly descrlbe the Subaru ownershlp experlence.
Over the last slxty years, forty of themhonlng all-wheel
drlve systems, Subaru has bullt a global reputatlon for a
level of hard-edged englneerlng quallty, robustness and
performance that's brought slx world Pally Champlonshlp
trophles to the company's Tokyo headquarters.
Trlckllng Subaru rally car strength and rellablllty
down to roadgolng Subarus has kept whole-llfe costs
low for owners, but there's no gettlng away from the
fact that the yen-pound exchange rate has recently
made the brand rather more asplratlonal than many
8rltlsh people would llke.
8ut here's some good news. 8lg prlce drops pushed
through by the company's UK operatlon have brought
these excellent products rlght back wlthln the reach of
8rltlsh fans.
One such product ls the Xv, a splrlted and sharply-
styled crossover that needs to be on the wlsh-llst of
anyone looklng for a top-quallty 1apanese-bullt SUv
at a senslble prlce.
HowsenslbleI Howdoes l8,995` soundI
"Cnnl leek nr rhe liIreenlense?"
Subaru dealers are patlent types. They wlll always smlle
when they're asked thls amuslng questlon.
Then they'll tell potentlal customers that the Xv ls
the llghtest car ln lts class, wlth class-leadlng ground
clearance, petrol fuel economy and petrol emlsslons.
They'll also mentlon the equlpment levels, whlch are
remarkably hlgh. Check the comparator on thls spread to
see what you get for your money - or what you don't get
for lt, lf you choose somethlng else.
Ask a Subaru dealer 'what's the Xv llke to drlveI' and
they'll most llkely stop talklng and slmply hand over the
key. After a weekend trlp towales ln the 2.0 SL dlesel you
see here, the answer we came up wlth for thls questlon
was'brllllant'. The'boxer' dlesel englne has real character
and genulnely meaty thrust ln the l500-2500rpmrange
that, lf we're honest, most of us drlve ln most of the tlme.
Havlng slx speeds ln the gearbox means you're barely
tlcklng over at a 70mph crulse.
One of the unexpected beautles of the Xv ls that lt's
not too blg. |f that sounds welrd, maybe you need to
ask yourself [ust howblg you need your SUv to be. The
Xv's door openlngs are pleaslngly wlde. we shoved an
unwanted omce chalr ln through the nearslde rear door
wlthout touchlng the sldes.
The Xv has the hlghest Luro NCAP safety score for
chlld occupant protectlon ln the class. we had no chlldren
on our welsh trlp, but the Xv dld have to move ve ladles
fromthelr remote seaslde ldyll to a town onerlng more
shopplng opportunltles, along some pretty rural slngle-
track Pembrokeshlre roads.
The three ln the back made a polnt of compllmentlng
the space and comfort of the nlcely textured cabln, whlle
the two up front posltlvely purred once the heated seats
began to work thelr back-easlng maglc.
The drlver loved the rear-vlewcamera. "| dldn't
knowwhat the llnes on the dlsplay actually meant,
she confessed. "|t [ust seemed to work wlthout me
thlnklng about lt.The abundance of stowage spaces was
unlversally pralsed too, as was the t and quallty of the
materlals lnslde and out. "| thlnk even my brood would
have thelr work cut out trashlng thls car,sald another.
At the end of our welsh trlp, the central readout
lnformed us that we'd averaged 45mpg, whlch
was really very lmpresslve conslderlng the mlx of load-
lugglng and fast motorway work we'd asked lt to do.
we even took lt on road. wlth full-tlme four-wheel
drlve, blg ground clearance, bounce-on bumpers and
slll protectors and chunky wheels, lt was hard to lgnore
the feellng that the Xv's ldea of 'on-road' was a blt more
challenglng than the sllghtly sloplng eld we drove lt on.
|n our defence though, lt was qulte wet.
ADvLPT|S|NG PLATUPL
Subaru Xv range fuel consumptlon ln mpg (l/l00km): Urban from32.l (8.8) to 4l.5 (6.8). Lxtra Urban from47.9 (5.9) to 56.5 (5.0). Comblned from40.9 (6.9) to 50.4 (5.6). CO
2
emlsslons froml60 to l46 (g/km). MPGgures are omclal LUtest gures for comparatlve purposes and may not renect real drlvlng results. Prlce shown ls for an
Xv l.6l S manufacturers on the road prlce l8,995. vehlcle shown ls the Xv 2.0DSL ln Satlnwhlte, manufacturers on the road prlce 23,995. On the road prlces lnclude vAT, dellvery,
number plates, l2 months road fund llcence and rst reglstratlon fee. Metalllc palnt extra. Prlces correct at tlme of publlcatlon. Por bullt-ln peace of mlnd, every vehlcle marketed by
Subaru (UK) Ltd ls covered by a 5ear/l00,000 mlle (whlchever ls sooner) Llmltedwarranty. www.subaru.co.uk.
.0 w0 |tmjt| I,115 I8
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SUARUXV VW7ICUAN HYUNDAI
ix35
MI7SUISHI
ASX
NISSAN
ASHAI
2.005l 5 8luemot|on
7echnoloy 2.0 70l
140P5 4VO7lON
2.0 Ck0| 136
Ptem|um4w05Jt
1.8 0OlC A5\ 3
4w0Vonuol
1.6 JC| 7elno 5Jt
4w0j5tott 5toj
DN7H RDADPRIC 23,995 24,215 23,980 22,929 26,445
Features
SateIIite Navigation - - - -
Leather seats - - - -
Auto on/o headIamps -
Pop-upheadIampwashers - - -
Sunroof - - -
Roof raiIs - -
Iront seat heaters -
Push button start - - -
RetractabIe cargo cover -
DuaI zone cIimate controI - -
WindshieId wiper de-icer - - - -
Auto rain-sensing wipers -
8Iuetooth -
Steering wheeI controIs -
Rear vision camera - - -
Cruise controI -
HiII start assist - -
7echnicaI Specications
WheeI l7" Alloy l6" Alloy l8" Alloy l7" Alloy l8" Alloy
Power (PS) l47 Q 3,600 rpm l40 Q 4,200 rpm l36 Q 4,000 rpm ll6 Q 3,500 rpm l30 Q 4,000 rpm
7orque (Nm) 350 320 320 300 320
0 - 62 mph (seconds) 9.3 l0.2 ll.3 l0.6 l0.9
7op Speed (mph) l20 ll6 ll2 ll5 ll8
uro NCAP Rating 5 Star 5 Star 5 Star 5 Star 5 Star
Combined MPG 50.4 48.7 47.9 54.3 55.4
Combined CO
2
(g/km) l46 l50 l54 l36 l35
Warranty 5 ears /
l00,000 mlles
3 ears /
60,000 Mlles
5 ears /
UnllmltedMlleage
3 ears /
UnllmltedMlleage
3 ears /
60,000 mlles
ADvLPT|S|NG PLATUPL
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''S|t mtt|et |r| 0t|| |ett||tJ W||| t| r1 || +x+.||e XV |t ||t | ppe|.''

8W1et ||e S|t XV tmpte W|| ||t retet| t|r|t!
ITS THE ECONOMY,
STUPID
T
imes change. The average
family hatchback buyer
today is far more likely to
boast about his or her cars
maximum mpg than its
maximum mph, such is the
burden of high fuel prices.
The latest super-economy family
hatchbacks a growing segment
that includes the new Volkswagen
Golf BlueMotion, Ford Focus
Econetic and Toyota Auris Hybrid
gathered together today claim to
address criticisms of previous fuel-
sippers by delivering not only better
economy but improved performance
and driveability to go with it.
Weve taken the three cars for a
150-mile test drive on motorways,
A-roads, B-roads and town centres to
see which returns the best economy.
Rather than drive fastidiously with
a beady eye on the fuel gauge, were
driving them normally.
Having brimmed the fuel tanks
of all three cars at the southbound
M3 services at Fleet and reset the
trip computers, I jump into the Golf
BlueMotion first.
Some car makers sacrifice the
desirability of their eco specials
in pursuit of achieving headline
economy figures that will appeal
to company car fleet runners and
show the EU that theyre doing
something about tightening fuel
efficiency regulations. However,
VWs BlueMotion models are
designed as technical showcases for
the efficiency potential of internal
combustion engines in a package
that is still desirable.
The BlueMotion series started
with the Polo in 2006 and has found
its way on to the rest of the VW range.
Now technology such as stop-start
and brake energy recuperation
have migrated from BlueMotions
to regular models, improving the
economy of more basic Volkswagens
in the process. A standard new
Golf 1.6 TDI, for instance, has CO2
emissions of 98g/km, better than the
previous Golf BlueMotions 99g/km.
Youd be hard pressed to tell this
new BlueMotion apart from the
standard 1.6 TDI. Only on closer
inspection do you notice the external
changes, including a drag-reducing
roof spoiler, filled-in grille and
15mm lower suspension. Each is
tasked with making the Golf as
aerodynamic as possible and helps
reduce the drag coefficient to 0.27.
Its much like any other 1.6-litre
diesel Golf to drive, too. Perhaps the
biggest mechanical change is longer
gear ratios. Which means that, from
Fuel economy matters more than ever,
but not at any cost. Mark Tisshaw
picks the drivers eco champion
PHOTOGRAPHY STAN PAPIOR
Fuel tank 50 litres
Potential range 726 miles
VW Golf BlueMotion
Eco warriors | Comparison
Auris shows little verve;
its happiest at a cruise
behind the wheel at least, you dont
have to adapt your driving style to
eke out the best economy.
Below 1500rpm, there is a torque
vacuum before the turbo spools
up and peak thrust arrives and,
in this rev range, there are some
vibrations through the steering
wheel. But otherwise its a smooth,
refined engine and is never really
found wanting for performance and
overtaking punch, even in sixth gear
at a steady 75mph cruise.
It rides and handles much like
any other Golf, despite the lower
suspension and tyres with low
rolling resistance. That means a
comfortable ride and safe, steady
handling, without it ever being fun.
With a nodding approval about
how uncompromised the Golf
BlueMotion feels, I swap to the Focus
Econetic. Straight away, one eco
feature is easy to spot: those wheels.
Aerodynamic the trims may be,
but they certainly arent pretty. On
first visual acquaintance, the Focus
Econetic is a car where the headline
figures are put above the desirability,
a theme that continues inside, where
the Focuss fussy dashboard is in
stark contrast to the simple, classy
and intuitive layout in the Golf.
Ford offers two versions of the
Fuel tank 53 litres
Ford Focus Edge Econetic
Fuel tank 45 litres
Toyota Auris Hybrid Excel
Focus Econetic, one with a CO2
output of 99g/km and the 88g/km
version tested here. Changes between
the two amount to an aerodynamic
pack, of which those wheels and
low-resistance tyres are part, along
with active front grille shutters and
underbody shielding.
The engines remain unchanged
between the two Econetic variants,
so you largely get the same amount of
punch to match the Golf on paper
at least but its delivered in a more
workmanlike way. The Focus lacks
the smoothness and refinement of
the Golf. The engine note is gruffer
at start-up, and while the vibrations
of the Golf fade away after 1500rpm,
they never really leave in the Focus.
The car can feel a bit overwhelmed
by its lack of low-end grunt below
2000rpm, before the punch returns.
But the Focuss trump card is
its chassis. It has a supple ride and
handles with a level of involvement
that you might not expect from
an economy-focused diesel
hatch. Although theres more of a
compromise in refinement and low-
end grunt in the Focus than in the
Golf, its not found wanting in the
way that it rides and handles.
So thats two largely
uncompromised contenders so far.
Can the Auris Hybrid, perhaps a
wildcard with its petrol-electric
drivetrain against diesel-powered
rivals here, make it three?
On paper, its a strong package.
Equipment levels outshine those
of its rivals, both of which lack the
climate control and sat-nav that
are standard in the Auris. This
Toyota model is aimed more at the
private buyer and accounts for a
much greater part of the admittedly
smaller Auris range than its Focus or
Golf equivalents do of theirs.
The Auriss biggest problem is
how hard you have to work the
drivetrain which mixes a 1.8-litre
petrol engine with an electric motor
for a combined 134bhp, the most
here to get a desirable level of
performance out of it. Under any
kind of acceleration load, your ears
are punished with a noisy whirr
almost as though the drivetrain is
complaining about you harming the
economy by pushing down on the
throttle pedal.
When youre up to speed, or indeed
making use of its ability to run solely
on electric power around town,
the Auris Hybrid is a much quieter
and smoother companion. But look
for any kind of in-gear (a CVT
transmission is fitted) performance
and the noise and sluggishness are
once again evident.
That it also rides worse, handles
with considerably less verve and
Focus responds more
willingly than the Auris
The Focus interior looks fussy beside those of its rivals; the Auris has a clean look and comes with plenty of equipment; the Golf is a paragon of easy usability and feels classiest
Official economy 88.3mpg
Actual economy 66.0mpg
VW Golf BlueMotion
Toyota Auris Hybrid Excel
steers with less feel that the Golf
and Focus consigns the Auris to the
bottom step of the podium among
this trio in the driveability stakes.
That is unless, when we brim the
fuel tanks again at the end of the
day, the Auris Hybrid can provide
such a pleasant surprise that these
dynamic shortcomings can be
partially overlooked.
Well, when we do, the Auris
Hybrid has also used the most fuel,
placing it firmly in third place on
both economy and performance,
although generous standard
equipment levels are a saving grace.
Driven in a normal way at
everyday speeds on the route (which
its trip computer curiously has
recorded as being about 10 miles
shorter than the other pairs), it has
returned a still-impressive 57.6mpg.
It is also worth noting that the
Auris becomes not only more
economical but also a nicer car
to drive when you try to improve
the economy figure with more
considered use of your right foot.
While beating the Auris Hybrid
on engagement, the Golf BlueMotion
and Focus Econetic have also beaten
it on economy during our real-world
test. The Golf just shades the Focus,
returning 66.0mpg to the Fords
65.7mpg. Trumping the Focus on
both driveability and economy gives
the Golf the nod here, and its almost
2000 premium is partly offset by
that added desirability and better
resale values.
Although the Golf wins and the
Focus also scores points for its
relative lack of compromise over
standard Focuses, this verdict has
to come with a caveat.
You have to do the sums with
these cars. They are more expensive
to buy than similarly powered and
equipped standard models in their
respective ranges, so it will take
many miles to recoup the extra
outlay through economy gains.
For example, a 104bhp, 74.3mpg
Golf 1.6 TDI is 1215 cheaper than
the 88.3mpg BlueMotion, while the
76.4mpg, 99g/km Focus Econetic is
500 less and a 109g/km, 67.3mpg
1.6 TDCi is cheaper still, at 17,395.
Thats before thinking about who
pays for the fuel and company car tax
considerations, as those who drive
these sorts of cars invariably have to.
At this point, the Auris comes back
into the equation, because its annual
tax liability at the higher 40 per cent
rate of tax is 910 to the Focuss 941
and the Golfs 1054.
The best of the economy breed,
then, is the Golf BlueMotion, but its
not so outstandingly economical
that you should buy one without first
reaching for the calculator. L
The Golf and Focus are
the most engaging
Toyota Auris
Hybrid Excel
AAACC
21,475
23,045
10.9sec
112mph
72.4mpg (combined)
91g/km
1425kg
4 cyls in line,
1798cc, petrol, plus
electric motor
134bhp at
5200rpm
na
CVT

139.0 miles
10.97 litres
72.4mpg (combined)
57.6mpg
Minus 14.8mpg

59.4mpg
45 litres
570 miles
59.36 (petrol at
131.9p/litre)
10.4p
Volkswagen Golf
BlueMotion
AAAAC
20,335
21,570
10.5sec
124mph
88.3mpg (combined)
85g/km
1280kg
4 cyls in line, 1598cc,
turbodiesel
108bhp at
3200-4000rpm
184lb ft at
1500-3000rpm
6-spd manual
147.0 miles
10.12 litres
88.3mpg (combined)
66.0mpg
Minus 22.3mpg

62.9mpg
50 litres
726 miles
68.45 (diesel at
136.9p/litre)
9.4p
Ford Focus
Edge Econetic
AAAAC
18,145
18,795
11.8sec
116mph
83.1mpg (combined)
88g/km
1350kg
4 cyls in line, 1560cc,
turbodiesel
104bhp at
3600rpm
199lb ft at
1750rpm
6-spd manual
146.3 miles
10.13 litres
83.1mpg (combined)
65.7mpg
Minus 17.4mpg

62.6mpg
53 litres
766 miles
72.56 (diesel at
136.9p/litre)
9.5p
Ford Focus Edge Econetic
RATING
Price
Price as tested
0-62mph
Top speed
Fuel economy
CO2
Kerb weight
Engine

Combined power
Combined torque
Gearbox

Distance
Fuel used
Official economy
Actual economy
Difference
In-car indicated
economy
Fuel tank
Potential range
Cost per fill-up
Cost per mile
Test data
You have to do the sums with these cars. It
can take many miles to recoup the outlay
Petrol for the Auris,
diesel for the others
1 2 3
Eco warriors | Comparison
MI L L E
MP G - L I A
Last year Mark Tisshaw narrowly failed in his attempt to drive 1000 miles
on a single tank of diesel in his Seat Leon Ecomotive. Now hes back for
another go, armed with Volkswagens ultra-frugal Golf BlueMotion
PHOTOGRAPHY STUART PRICE
OVERNIGHT STOP
END
START
SLOUGH
BRISTOL
NOTTINGHAM
LEEDS
GLASGOW
EDINGBURGH
LIVERPOOL
Tisshaw brims the tank at Oxford services, sticks a note in the back that will explain his steady 50mph pace and heads north, hoping to return 1000 miles later with fuel left
Monday 21 October, 8.30am,
Oxford M40 services, 1000
miles to go
Ive had these feelings before. Hope,
optimism, expectation, the fear of
the unknown, wondering how much
diesel I can get in the fuel tank before
it starts dribbling on my shoe.
Im filling up the winner of the
triple test on the previous pages, the
Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, ahead
of the ultimate economy challenge. I
dont plan on filling it up again until I
return to pump 16 tomorrow, having
done 1000 miles on the tank.
Why are these feelings so familiar?
In early 2012 I took our Seat Leon
Ecomotive long-term test car on the
same challenge and ran dry of fuel
just 75 miles from home. With a new
lighter, leaner, even more frugal Golf,
Im here to finish that business.
1.15pm, Burton-in-Kendal M6
services, 763.3 miles to go
One feeling I never had last time
around was confidence. Im full of it
now, after a mornings run through
the rain up to Cumbria, averaging
85.6mpg and rising. Get the bunting
ready for 5pm tomorrow in Oxford.
With the Leon, there was only hope,
not confidence, instilled by maths.
Multiplying the Leons 55-litre fuel
tank size by the best-case 83.1mpg
extra-urban economy figure resulted
in a potential range of 1005 miles.
And when have 1000 miles on UK
roads ever been best-case scenario?
Do the same sum with the
94.2mpg Golf and its smaller 50-litre
fuel tank, and you get 1036 miles,
and weve picked a route this time of
almost exclusively motorways that
well hit at quiet times.
If we hit the combined figure, well
get to 971 miles before tapping into
whats left in the fuel lines. (And last
time, the Leon gave an extra 75 miles
when it claimed it was dry.)
5.30pm, Heart of Scotland
services, 562.5 miles to go
Hmm. What was that about
confidence? Were not even halfway,
but the fuel gauge needle is now
leaning backwards instead of
forwards and the claimed range
is just 350 miles. Were averaging
85.1mpg, but the rains getting harder
and the hills steeper, so the economy
is now creeping down instead of up.
8.20pm, Shap, Cumbria,
430.2 miles to go
As we reach our overnight halt, it
looks as if the comeback is on. True,
the indicated remaining range is
195 miles and the fuel gauge shows
just three-eighths of a tank. But this
morning we filled the tank with 27
litres of BP Ultimate diesel and the
tank was showing just above where
it is now. So if weve got this far on 27
litres and a bit, why not the final 430
miles on the remaining 23 litres and
whatever is left in the fuel lines? Yep,
were definitely going to do this.
Tuesday 22 October,
midday, Woodall M1 services,
267.9 miles to go
Were definitely not going to do this.
Another morning of horrendous rain
and strong headwinds has dropped
the overall economy to 83.1mpg and
the range to 45 miles. The fuel gauge
needle is now firmly in the red zone.
Its now a question of how soon
the emergency five litres from the
jerrycan (its diesel in there, despite
the green colour of the can) will have
to be fed into the tank, rather than
when well be triumphantly rolling
back into Oxford.
1.12pm, layby off A42, Ashby-
de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire,
218.2 miles to go
Game over. But its on our terms, not
the Golfs. The combination of the
needle being on zero for 10 miles,
more than 200 miles left to travel,
another horrendous storm ahead,
and the prospect of certain death
from a lorry not seeing us filling up
by the side of the motorway in the
gloom prompts us to pull into the
relative safety of an A-road layby, tails
tucked between our legs.
We use the emergency five litres
to get us to the nearest fuel station.
Weve failed, despite averaging
82.6mpg at 50mph over 15 hours
and 45 minutes.
When we make it down the M42
and M40 to refuel the Golf, having
burned off an estimated three litres
(I just had to have an extended blast
above 50mph) of the excess on the
way to the services, the tank is full to
bursting again after just 40.97 litres
from the black pump.
So our 781 miles were covered
using about 43 litres of diesel. Say the
reserve was seven litres, then to use
that at the same average economy
figure wed have managed an extra
125 miles when the range dropped to
zero, pushing us above 900 miles.
Still short of the full 1000, mind.
But close enough to think that with
kinder weather and an even steadier
right foot, we might have got there.
Itd go even further if VW had
stuck with the 55-litre tank that the
previous Golf had. Or if we played
a bit dirtier and over-inflated the
tyres, taped up all the panel gaps,
folded in the door mirrors and shed
every spare kilo from the car (sorry
photographer Stuart).
Did I just volunteer myself again?
It has to be third time lucky, surely. L
The plan: use motorways
but avoid traffic. It didnt
always work (below left).
Kings Arms Hotel (below
middle) in Shap was the
overnight halt, but on
the way back the range
hit zero; jerry can time
Hyundai wants to shake up its image with success
in world rallying next year. James Bolton finds
out how the preparations are going
PHOTOGRAPHY COLIN MCMASTER
READY FOR
A DUST-UP
26 SEPTEMBER 2012 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 55
Hyundais return to rallying | WRC
H
yundai has achieved a lot
in recent years. The quality
of its products has moved
forward dramatically,
and its mantra of offering
generous equipment levels
for sensible prices has found favour
with thrifty consumers.
For the next chapter in its
success story, the South Korean
manufacturer is keen for its cars to be
more dynamic and desirable. Its the
reason why the company established
a 5.5 million road car test centre at
the Nrburgring earlier this year and
also why it is gearing up to enter the
World Rally Championship next year
with a competition version of the i20.
Entering the WRC is a daunting
undertaking, but get it right and the
rewards are plentiful. Volkswagen
has dominated the series this
year with its Polo WRC, winning
the drivers and manufacturers
crowns at the first time of asking.
Stiff opposition also comes from a
phalanx of Citron DS3s and Ford
Fiestas, even if neither manufacturer
fields a full works effort these days.
Hyundais previous attempt at
cracking world rallying in the early
2000s yielded a brace of fourth-place
finishes as the best results from 72
starts with the Accent WRC.
This time around, it is going about
things differently. Hyundai has
spent a year assembling its team and
designing the i20 WRC machine
ahead of its debut on Januarys Monte
Carlo Rally. The timetable has been
tight but right now the car is deep
into its test programme throughout
southern Europe.
The traditional approach to
rallying is to contract a specialist
motorsport company to develop,
build and run the cars. Hyundai is
following the lead of Volkswagen
and Citron by going it alone
to maximise the benefit that a
WRC programme can bring to its
engineers in terms of experience and
to the technology in its cars.
Hyundai has wanted to return
to the WRC since the early 2000s,
says team manager Alain Penasse.
Now the time is right. Weve put
this together very quickly. We had
no existing structure. Now we have
a base near Frankfurt with 75 people
working there. We want to increase
this to 110 by the start of next year.
By having a WRC car, you attract the
attention of younger people. Thats
the aim to make the brand younger
and more dynamic.
Part of the reason for choosing the
WRC as Hyundais motorsport focus
is because the cars look so similar to
the production models.
You can build a Formula 1 or a Le
Mans car but it wont be visually close
to a standard car, says Penasse. The
second reason weve chosen the WRC
is because the sport is the most open
in terms of getting the spectators
close to the action. If you go to a
circuit, they sit a lot further away.
The i20 shells used for the WRC
cars come straight from Hyundais
production plant in Chennai,
India. Each component used on
the competition car has to be
homologated by the FIA, at which
point the cars specification is
effectively frozen. The dossier for the
homologation of the i20 WRC was
completed by the FIA last month.
Every part bar the bodyshell is
re-engineered, replaced or removed.
Anything from the original car that
isnt absolutely vital is binned. Fuel
efficiency and durability crucial
considerations for any road car are
no longer of absolute importance.
The key goals are minimum weight
and maximum chassis strength.
We chose the i20 because you
dont want a big car but you need
to be able to fit everything inside,
explains team principal Michel
Nandan. The regulations stipulate
a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and
four-wheel drive. But once those
systems are in place, you have some
freedom in how to structure the
suspension and other components.
The engine is derived from a
production block and is quite close
to one of the standard engines
used by Hyundai.
Hyundai Motorsport has spent
six months designing the car, during
which information flowed between
the WRC teams base in Frankfurt
and head office in South Korea.
We have a lot of Korean
engineers working closely with
us, says Penasse. We have a
very good co-operation with the
research and development centre in
Yeongnam. They worked a lot on the
aerodynamics. A lot of the engineers
working here report back to Korea
with ideas that can be incorporated
into the design processes there.
Via that process, lessons learned
from the WRC project will filter into
Hyundais production cars. The
idea of Hyundai is to connect the
experience of the sport programme
with the road cars, says Nandan.
That road car link will be further
strengthened in 2015, when Hyundai
Motorsport will roll out a new WRC
car based on the next-generation i20,
which is due to be launched next year.
First, however, the WRC team
has to get up to speed. It has signed
Belgian hotshoe Thierry Neuville
to lead its driving squad, while
experienced campaigners Chris
Atkinson and Juho Hnninen have
shouldered most of the test work.
Penasse is clear about the rest of the
plan. Everyone expects to win, he
says. Thats what we work towards.
Whether that is realistic is another
question. The aim is to build the
team in 2014 and to have some nice
results. It would be positive if we
could get on to the podium. L
Hyundai has wanted
to return to the WRC
since the early 2000s
Michel Nandan (far
left) is the Hyundai
WRC team principal
MORE
THAN
JUST
A PIPE
DREAM
From The Italian Job to Princess
Dis Metro, the Coventry Transport
Museum is a microcosm of the
British car industry. Steve Cropley
discovers some of its treasures
PHOTOGRAPHY STAN PAPIOR
N
ot every car museum has as
one of its exhibits a length
of concrete sewer pipe big
enough to contain a car,
with a Mini protruding from
one end. Coventrys famous
Transport Museum does for the
good reason that back in 1969, when
Michael Caine and friends were
making their famous heist movie
featuring three Minis being chased
through the sewers of Turin by an
Alfa, Coventrys main drainage
system was being refurbished. The
films producers saved a bundle by
staging their underground chase
in the Midlands.
Until recently, not a lot of people
knew this, but as the volume of
visitors to the Coventry museum
has expanded these days it runs
at 450,000 people a year the
knowledge has become common
currency. Luckily, it perfectly
amplifies Coventrys main focus and
collecting policy.
Ninety per cent of our exhibits
were locally made, says senior
curator Steve Bagley, who arrived
25 years ago as a new graduate and
has risen through the ranks. When
I came, the place was a bit like a car
park. The city had decided to combine
exhibits it already owned from
other collections, to tell Coventrys
transport story. It took time to learn
how to do that.
Nowadays, story-telling is what
the museum does best. You can
walk through early car workshops
to understand how grease monkeys
worked at the turn of the 1900s. You
can see how early mass production
worked and how it brought affordable
motoring to ordinary Britons. You
can see how World War 2 German
bombing raids targeted Coventry
industry (and decimated its cathedral,
a few hundred yards away). You can
view more than 100 locally built
vehicles that made Britain the worlds
leading exporter for 15 years after
the war, and even get a flavour of the
vicious union-management disputes
of the 1970s and 1980s that did much
to destroy it. When youve done all
that, you can visit Britains two most
recent land speed record cars, Richard
Nobles Thrust 2 (633.468mph in
1983) and Andy Greens supersonic
Thrust SSC (763.035mph in 1997)
and then ride a simulator to see what
600mph-plus feels like.
Even if youre new to Coventry,
youll find the Transport Museum
easily. Its modern facade sits at
one end of a steel arch dominating
the citys Millennium Place, easily
visible from the elevated inner ring
road. Coventry may only be the
UKs 18th largest city, dominated by
Birmingham a few miles away, but
until 1960 it was the beating heart
of our transport industries, second
only to the USs. For those seeking
to understand how Rover, Hillman,
Singer, Triumph and the rest rose out
of the industrial revolution and
why they faded even faster this is
still the place to start.
On this very site, early Rover
and Ariel bicycles were made in
the late 1800s, their makers soon
turning to motorcycles and cars.
The museum has expanded several
times since opening in 1980 and is
about to expand again, using lottery
funding to envelope an adjacent
historic grammar school, such are the
demands of visitors. Walk in to the
museum, ignoring for the moment
the all-too-enticing shop, and before
you even get to the main displays,
your eye will fall on a common or
garden 1960s Hillman Minx, standing
in pride of place because it makes all
the important points about Coventrys
collection and purpose.
This car was built a couple of miles
away in Ryton, and is displayed as
found in a local garage. Its look and
smell are exactly as many museum
visitors will remember (this was the
Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Golf of its
time) but it also features the Rootes
Groups rare Easydrive transmission,
an early and ultimately unsuccessful
form of automatic gearbox.
A wall plaque near the entrance
reveals that, since the 1890s, Coventry
has been home to no fewer than 143
different car companies, although its
last major player Jaguar of Browns
Lane shut its doors in 2004 and
moved manufacturing to Solihull,
Wolverhampton, Castle Bromwich
and Halewood. Yet Coventrys
relevance to new car manufacture
remains, not least because its
university continues to train many of
the industrys best designers.
Youre lucky if your guide is Bagley,
who knows every car, bike, image and
video frame. Hes at pains to point out
that Coventrys ascent to UK motor
capital starts from a previous status
as the worlds cycle capital, and a big
part of the collection is still devoted
to pedal-powered two-wheelers,
most important of which is the
Starley safety bicycle of 1888, which
remains the prototype for diamond-
frame bicycles today. Dozens of cycle
companies moved to cars in the
early 1900s, but only the healthiest
survived the 1920s transition to
mass production and then the Great
Depression of 1929.
Still, the industry shaped the
modern city. Theres a well founded
story, says Bagley, that before the
coming of transport, Coventry
possessed a beautiful medieval town
centre, second only to York. But such
were the demands of industrialists
that it began to be pulled down well
before the war. The German bombs
of 1940 really only completed the
transition to todays concrete jungle.
Starting near the museum
entrance, you walk past a very early
one-cylinder Rover car of 1904 (their
main business was bicycles, but
they converted the canteen to make
cars) and take in a 1923 Albatross,
so named, legend says, because the
works foreman was called Albert
The museum also exhibits
bicycles from Coventrys past
(above), including the influential
Starley safety bicycle of 1888
This Mini Metro was owned by Princess Diana
before she married Prince Charles; the
museum charts the rise of the British car
industry and the unions part in its fall (right)
Ross. Moving on, you see Calcott
and Cluley, Alvis and Lea Francis,
arriving at the worlds very first
Hillman Minx, a four-square saloon
with both the body and chassis
numbers M1. Further on, theres
another superb Hillman behind
glass and a 1932 Wizard surrounded
by period sales brochures, posters,
handbooks and pamphlets with
selling hints for salesmen.
One display especially relevant
to Autocar is a portrait of its first
editor, Henry Sturmey, who in
1895 was also editor of the thriving
Coventry-published magazines
called Cycling and Photography.
He began noticing smoky, noisy,
self-propelled contraptions, which
he dubbed autocars (for want of a
generic name), and towards the end
of that year he published the first copy
of Autocar. The contraptions came to
be called automobiles and motor cars,
not autocars, so he was wrong on that
score. But his weekly magazine has
prospered ever since.
Soon, were into World War 2:
realistic portrayal of factory bomb
damage complete with sounds
and searchlights, Field Marshal
Montgomerys Coventry-made
Humber staff car, an enormous
armoured car (powered by the
same mighty sleeve-valve engine as
Queen Marys 1935 Daimler limo,
also displayed nearby). Theres a
camouflaged military staff car its
headlights soon to be realistically
lit to demonstrate road conditions
in a blackout and you can even
view an unexploded German bomb,
thankfully defused, that fell on the
Humber works in 1940. Humber
and Hillman, Bagley reminds me,
later combined with Sunbeam in
the Rootes Group, which became
Chrysler, then Peugeot, incorporating
Talbot. Such confusions run right
through Britains motor industry but
you can sort them out in Coventry.
Turn another corner and were into
the post-war export or die era, when
car buyers at home were deprived
of new products while the country
struggled to earn export pounds by
sending its Austins and Humbers,
Triumphs and BSAs to far-flung
markets, principally to America and
the new Commonwealth. My own
grandfather brought a Ford Consul
Mk1 home to Australia in triumph
after an early 1950s holiday in the old
country and it took me to school for
the next 10 years.
Dozens of the cars you remember
most fondly are beautifully displayed
in Coventry: Jaguars, Rovers, a
wonderful Triumph Dolomite Sprint
and even Princess Dianas 1980
Austin Metro. For Bagley, the stand-
out is a magnificent 1963 Triumph
Italia, a coachbuilt coup on a TR3A
chassis, designed by Michelotti and
built by Vignale.
There is much, much more.
One absorbing gallerys walls are
completely lined with screaming
newspaper headlines that illustrate
just how vital this industry was in
the local community. Another
chronicles the rise of badge
engineering, when a Wolseley, Riley,
Morris and Austin were almost
identical. Yet another display, called
Ghost Town, shows how and when
it all went wrong. Go there for a half
day, as I did, and you soon realise a
day would be better. I am already well
advanced on a plan to go back. L
YOU WALK PAST AN
EARLY ONE-CYLINDER
ROVER CAR OF 1904
Henry Sturmey (above), Autocars founding editor,
features; the museums Steve Bagley (below, on
right) has his favourite, this Triumph Italia; Queen
Marys Daimler (top right); Jag C-X75 (far right)
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cuIsde. AphyscsprcIesscr mghI Iakessue
wIhIhecgc, buI Icr mcsI cI us, aIewdaysn
anMG6w carIymaIIers.
EuriQ Evans Qets in the mood: aII smiIes for our MG6 owners after the track session
ADVERTI5EMENTFEATURE
DMCCHIQuruAndy
Kitson(above) andhis team,
the AnQIesey track day is work,
not pIay. !t's the meat ina three-day
sandwichof track androaddrivinQ
desiQnedtorefine the 6's handIinQand
tobenchmark it aQainst other cars.
Not |ust aQainst the obvious
competition, either: MGenQineers are
poundinQGoIf GT!s, Evoques, Fiesta STs
andJaQuar XFs aroundthe scenic but
demandinQWeIshcircuit.
"We want tokeepuptodate withwhat
the best cars inthe market are offerinQ,"
says Kitson. "We'II spendtwodays
drivinQonthe pubIic roads, witha day
onthe track inbetween. !nthe eveninQs
we'II chat about everythinQover a beer.
"We douse Europeanroads as weII as
Britishones, but ! see it as a priviIeQe
that we've Qot rubbishroads here. For a
dynamics enQineer, they're ideaI.
"These cars aren't toys, they're cars you
use every day. We pay a Iot of attention
todamper tuninQandsteerinQtoQive
the cars Qoodinherent stabiIity on
bothurbanroads andthe smoother but
'heavey' WeIshroads.
"!'msocIear nowonwhat a true
modernMGshouIdbe. !t's aII about
accessibIe fun. !t's about somethinQyou
can|umpintoandreaIIy en|oy yourseIf
in, or |ust Qotothe shops in.
"There are a Iot of very cIever younQ
peopIe in the parent company. ThrouQh
their drive and enthusiasm, and our
experience in knowinQ what makes a
decent car, we're aIready deIiverinQ a
Iot of cars in China. The trick nowis to
transfer that success to the UK.
"We've |ust Qot to Qet peopIe to drive
MGs and Iive with them."
C CL LL/L C CLL LC/L Cc CL CC C MG.CO.UK
OFFlCl/L MG6 R/NGE FUEL CONSUMPTlON FlGURES lN MPG (LlTRES PER CCKM): URP/N 27.7-48.7 (C.2-5.8);
EXTR/ URP/N 48.7-64.2 (5.8-4. 4); COMPlNED 37.7-57.6 (7.5- 4.9). CO2 EMlSSlONS (G/KM): 74-29
ROA0STOEXCELLEHCE
MGchassis boss
Kitson: l'msocIear
nowonwhat atrue
modernMGshouIdbe"
DEIEMENFEE
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O This front bumper styling
is unique to the M50d. The
offside intake is fully blanked
off; on the nearside, the lower
half feeds cooling air.
O The M50d gets xenon headlights as standard.
These are the optional adaptive LEDs with high-
beam assistant that actually cuts a moving hole
in the light to prevent dazzling other traffic.
O Aero curtains aft of the front
wheels mean that the wheels and
arches create less turbulence
and contribute to a Cd of 0.35
or 0.31 for the normal 30d.
O The extra grille underneath BMWs
traditional double kidney adds some
welcome distinctiveness and ruggedness
to the front end.
Third-generation SUV packs a big punch in tri-turbo diesel guise
No 5140
ROAD TEST
BMW X5
xDrive M50d
O Price 63,715 O Power 376bhp O Torque 546lb ft O 0-60mph 5.7sec
O Fuel economy 42.2mpg O CO2 emissions 177g/km O 70-0mph 50.0m O Skidpan 0.81g
WE LIKE Huge, torque-laden performance Q Split-tailgate practicality Q High-quality feel inside
T
o appreciate the original BMW
X5s impact on the market,
you have only to consider for a
moment which other SUVs were
available to buy in 1999. The Land
Rover Discovery looked like farming
equipment and had all the durability
of a falling comet. The Toyota Land
Cruiser could brush off a comet strike,
but only because it was the size of
a continent. The Mercedes-Benz
M-class was still a body-on-frame
calamity; the Lexus RX wasnt, yet
drove like it might as well have been.
Only the Jeep Grand Cherokee had the
right image and that was American.
MODEL TESTED
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
AAABC
Although the exterior has submitted
itself to notable reinterpretation, the
X5 is closely related to the previous
model underneath. With a 2993mm
wheelbase, the platform is much as it
was before. Instead, BMW claims to
have focused on cutting some excess
weight from its unibody by making
extensive use of ultra-high-tensile
steels in the structure and introducing
an aluminium bonnet along with
BMW described the first X5 as a Sports Activity Vehicle
HISTORY
There is no antecedent for
the X5. Before the original,
E53-generation X5, BMW
had shown no interest at
all in the market for 4x4
machinery. Then, in 1994,
BMW acquired the Rover
Group and, with it, Land
Rover. The manufacturer
learnt much from its
ownership of the troubled
British brand by the end of the 1990s. But it was still smart enough to mould its
4x4 in its own image, dubbing the first X5 an SAV Sports Activity Vehicle
that prioritised on-road manners over off-road ability.
O The tailgate makes loading long, bulky items
that bit easier. The top half is motorised and
opens on the remote.
O Exhaust styling is chunky
but quite nicely underplayed.
And theres no attempt at
a fake rear diffuser next to
them, which is refreshing.
O Heres another part of the X5s
air-direction bodykit. These are
aero blades and make the airflow
off the roof spoiler a bit smoother.
O The model badge is definitely
not subtle. Or small. Mercifully,
BMW still offers its long-standing
debadge option.
WE DONT LIKE Slightly botched appearance Q Lumpy, misjudged ride quality Q Absurd price
When BMWs newcomer arrived
on the scene, the writing was on the
wall. Over two generations, the X5
racked up 1.3 million sales. With this,
the F15 generation of the X5, BMW
has promised improvements across
the board particularly with a view
to improving efficiency as it plays
catch-up to a new breed of Mercedes
ML, Volkswagen Touareg, Range
Rover Sport and Porsche Cayenne.
The last of these is surely the reason
for our test subject, the triple-turbo
M50d, a thick-necked attempt to
claw back the driver-machine ground
surrendered to Porsche.
O Column stalks are large, solid
and weighty. Theyre pleasant to
touch and suit the X5 well.
O The interior door lock/unlock switch has migrated from
its usual position at the top of the centre stack to each
passenger door, where it is easier to find.
O Cupholders can be hidden by a roller cover. Europeans
may be a bit unsure of the need for an ashtray and
lighter in 2013, but theyre a must for the Chinese.
COMMUNICATIONS
The real pleasure here is not that
the X5 connects seamlessly with
your smartphone, but that it does so
through such a convenient and classy
set of clicks and dial twirls. The latest
incarnation of iDrive dials up the
button damping, feeling more like an
expensive cinema amp than an in-car
menu selector. Combined with the
intuitiveness of the interface, it has
no rival at this or any price level.
ENTERTAINMENT
The standard BMW kit is perfectly
functional. Harmon Kardon and Bang
& Olufsen systems are available as
options and can be supplemented with
the optional Online Entertainment,
which boasts access to 12 million
music tracks. Internet connectivity
also means web radio.
NAVIGATION
Standard sat-nav is always welcome,
regardless of model, and its no
different in the X5, especially when
its largely a pleasure to use. It
does get better if you opt for BMWs
optional ConnectedDrive services,
though, which as well as the online
hocus pocus gives live traffic info.
ON THE INSIDE
2933mm 890mm 1063mm
4886mm
39%
1
7
6
2
m
m
51% 49%
8
3
0
m
m
m
in
1
1
0
0
m
m
m
a
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6
5
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m
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9
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650-
1870 litres
0.35
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1
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m
1662mm 1702mm
190mm
70mm
Centre
HOW BIG IS IT?
VISIBILITY TEST
WHEEL AND PEDAL ALIGNMENT
thermoplastic side panels. The
near-2.4-tonne kerb weight of our
admittedly high-spec test car suggests
that there is still some way to go on
that account, but the five per cent gain
in rigidity is a useful attribute, given
that improving the X5s ride quality
was also high on the fix list.
Entry-level cars will get a fettled
steel set-up as standard, but many
buyers will benefit from the adjustable
dampers and self-levelling air
springs that appear higher up the
trim list. Adaptive Comfort with
two damping modes accessed via
the (new-to-X5) Dynamic Damper
Control will appear in all SE models.
In the UK, where a penchant for M
Sport is predicted, most will have the
Adaptive M Suspension that adds
Sport and Sport+ to the setting list.
Beyond these, there are two more
optional packages: Adaptive Dynamic
(featured on our test car), which
significantly beefs up the active roll
bars resistance to lean, and Adaptive
Professional, which includes all
modes in one integrated bundle.
The engine choice, mercifully, is
a little more straightforward. The
X5 benefits from the evolution of
BMWs TwinPower Turbo line-up,
which has already been upgraded
to forthcoming Euro 6 emissions
standards across the board. This,
along with the use of the latest
eight-speed automatic gearbox,
means that BMW can claim
substantial economy gains for the
4.4-litre petrol V8 and 3.0-litre, six-
cylinder diesel engine available from
launch. That diesel is tested here in its
376bhp, triple-turbo M50d format,
giving the four-wheel drive system
546lb ft of torque to juggle between
axles (see Under the Skin, p67).
The X5 will be available in two-
wheel-drive sDrive format as well, but
not until the introduction of BMWs
impressive 2.0-litre, four-cylinder
diesel engine, scheduled to arrive in
the UK before the end of the year.
INTERIOR
AAABC
The new cars innards dont move the
model away from what will already
be familiar to many as an X5. Thus,
sophistication and a rifle-clean finish
are on the cards, but not necessarily
O The X5 is typically generous with its legroom in the front, but headroom is
only average for a large SUV. The driving position is not as elevated as some.
O There is plenty of space for two passengers back here and its reasonable
for three. The extended sunroof brings in light to the rear quarters.
O A third row of seating is an option that was not fitted to our test car. Likewise,
a spare wheel. As a result, there is extra storage available under the floor.
Height 450-820mm
Length 1000-2000mm
Width 1100-1250mm
Typical rear
legroom 870mm
Front
Good to the front
and back. The
driving position is
not high by SUV
standards, though.
Headlights
Excellent. Optional
adaptive xenons
come close to
dazzling traffic on
auto-dip, though.
Good. More front row legroom than
most, and lots of reach adjustment on
the steering column, which, combined,
mitigate the slightly noticeable right-
sided pedal offset.
Start/finish
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
T7
Start/finish
T1
T2
T4
T3
T5
T6
T7
T8
120mph
31.5s
110mph
24.5s
30mph 40 50 60 70 80mph 90mph 100mph
2.6s 3.8s 9.2s 5.4s 7.0s 19.0s 11.9s 15.0s
30s 25s 20s 10s 0 5s 15s
120mph
23.9s
110mph
19.0s
30mph 40 50 60 70 80mph 90mph 100mph
2.2s 3.1 7.4s 4.2 5.7s 15.3s 9.5s 12.1s
20s 10s 0 5s 15s
30mph-0
30mph-0
50mph-0
50mph-0 70mph-0
70mph-0
50.0m
56.8m 28.3m
26.0m
10.3m
9.5m DRY
WET
20m 10m 40m 30m 0 50m
ON THE ROAD
Track notes
O It begins to adopt a neutral line into T3, but you
cant develop its attitude mid-corner with power.
O The M50d is taut and
stable going fast into T5,
but you can ask too much
of the brakes here.
O A kerb weight of 2.4 tonnes on 20in
rims makes for average wet-weather
braking performance into T1.
O Be smooth and you can carry a lot
of speed in T6. Unsettle it and you
can have a lot of lift-off oversteer.
On the limit
This big, somewhat brutish BMW turns
out to be not without a party trick
when the grip under its wheels begins
to run low and its asymmetrical
driveline is asked to prove its mettle.
In low-grip conditions, the X5s
off-throttle balance is good enough
to allow you to play with the cars
attitude through a long corner. You
can steer the car on the throttle up
to a point, but the X5 will never drive
its way into steady-state oversteer.
You always need positive steering
angle involved to prevent the drive
system wrestling the car out of a slide.
Our experience of equivalent Audis
fitted with the firms sport differential
suggests that theyre a bit more
delicate and controllable in transition,
yet also easier to manage.
In the dry, the X5s handling is more
stable but also more monotone. Grip is
balanced much more towards the rear
axle, with understeer governing your
pace. Body control is very good, but
those optional active anti-roll bars do
seem to put unwanted force through
the front wheels at times.
DRY CIRCUIT
BMW X5 xDrive M50d
1min 22.7sec
Range Rover SDV8
1min 24.2sec
Its stable, punchy, direct
and upright but lacks
final-tenth delicacy.
The clever chassis and
driveline do sharpen
things up, but understeer
eventually limits your
lap time.
WET CIRCUIT
BMW X5 xDrive M50d
1min 19.5sec
Range Rover SDV8
1min 17.5sec
Interesting, if a little bit
unpredictable. Torque
vectoring allows you
some throttle-steering
but straightens the car up
quite suddenly when you
unwind lock.
BMW X5 xDrive M50d
Standing quarter mile 14.4sec at 97.6mph, standing km 26.3sec at 123.9mph, 30-70mph 5.2sec, 30-70mph in fourth 6.1sec
ACCELERATION 12deg C, damp
Range Rover SDV8
Standing quarter mile 15.4sec at 91.2mph, standing km 28.2sec at 115.8mph, 30-70mph 6.7sec, 30-70mph in fourth na
BRAKING 60-0mph: 2.93sec
the special sense of superiority
found in a Range Rover Sport or
Cayenne. As you sit in the captains
seat, the dashboards indebtedness
to what has appeared in the 3-series
and 5-series and the naturally low
command driving position create a
distinct saloon flavour.
This remains a premium product
and, in expensive M50d finery, there
is more than enough aluminium,
polished wood and double-stitched
leather to remind you of that fact.
BMW has introduced two distinct
optional styling packs Design Pure
Experience and Excellence to offer
alternative material choices.
Elsewhere, the X5 remains much
the same package as before. There is
a choice of comfort or sports seats as
an option our M50d test car came
with comfort seats that, by and large,
lived up to their name and its still
possible to spec a third row of seats.
The second row now splits 40/20/40
as standard and there is a sufficient, if
not spectacular, amount of room for
those with longer legs. The calibre of
fit and finish hardly dilutes the farther
you get from the front, and gains
made in noise refinement BMW
claims 2.5dB across the range will
be felt just as keenly from the back.
A 30-litre increase in seat-up boot
space means a competitive 650 litres
for family buyers and a full 1870
litres for part-time hauliers. The split
tailgate remains, offering additional
convenience especially now that
BMW has made the top portion
electrically powered as standard.
PERFORMANCE
AAAAB
BMWs tri-turbo diesel has it all to do
in the 2.4-tonne X5. Given the choice,
we wouldnt have picked such a heavy,
unaerodynamic machine for our first
test acquaintance with the powertrain
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
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BMW X5 xDrive M50d
VW Touareg 4.2 TDI
Under the skin
HOW THE TORQUE IS DISHED OUT
Attempting to stay as true to its natural dynamic as possible, the
X5 was conceived with a rear-wheel-drive bias. The original, E53
generation of the X5 sent about 60 per cent of the torque to the
back axle by default, and so does this new one, the F15 generation.
However, the latest xDrive system is now capable of sending
almost 100 per cent of available power to either end if the Dynamic
Stability Control senses a dramatic loss of traction. In the interests
of efficiency, the set-up which uses an electronically controlled
multi-plate clutch to shuffle drive between nose and stern has
also had 1.4kg subtracted from it. (Every little helps.)
In the case of the M50d, the rear differential is supplemented
by Dynamic Performance Control, the limited-slip-diff-miming
function previously seen on the previous-generation X5 M,
which vectors torque between the wheels as its sensors see fit.
Clearly, this is intended to enhance cornering, but BMW also
provides the X5 with an Automatic Differential Brake, a driver
aid that brakes a spinning wheel so that peak twist only finds its
way to a corner with purchase.
O Getting close to the value
retention of a Range Rover Sport is
an impressive performance.
DEPRECIATION
codenamed N57S. But theres no
right-hand-drive version of the all-
paw 5-series in which it features
and so, for now, no way for us to find
out what kind of numbers it might
produce when less encumbered.
Even in the X5, the motor is
formidable. It feels every bit as
responsive as a typical twin-turbo
oil-burner and every bit as smooth.
Its 546lb ft of torque is the obvious
attraction. Its available from
2000rpm to 3000rpm and is delivered
undramatically enough to make
you wonder if youre really getting
everything youre being promised.
Our numbers suggest that you are,
though. The X5 M50d will rush from
30-70mph in fourth gear more quickly
than an Audi R8 V10. It may never feel
like its pinning your ears back, but
its very brisk indeed. The ZF eight-
speed automatic gearbox is the perfect
partner for the engine, too, picking
a ratio early when you flex your
right foot, allowing the motor to pull
through the mid-range and making
back-road overtaking and motorway
slip-road acceleration absurdly easy.
We dont doubt that this would be a
true 160mph car, given enough space
and a means of disabling its top speed
limiter. But what impresses most
about the engine is its willingness to
rev. You dont encounter the redline
until 5500rpm, and neither do you
feel power tailing off significantly
before the cut-off presents.
BMW has made particularly
sporting diesel engines before, but
here it has achieved quite a coup: a
truly flexible, gutsy six-pot that youd
happily take instead of most V8 TDIs.
RIDE AND HANDLING
AAACC
As the nomenclature would suggest,
this X5 feels much more like a
dedicated performance derivative
than a regular BMW 4x4 with a
hotrod diesel engine. So it should.
But how much this car is dynamically
representative of the much more
ordinary X5 that most will buy
especially given its optionally
enriched chassis specification is
hard to know. We hope the answer is
not very much because between
its fidgeting ride, heavy, interference-
laden steering and unusually wearing
handling, this X5 derivative doesnt
seem a rip-roaring dynamic success.
We liked the introduction that
BMW gave us to its M Performance
line-up (the M135i hot hatch) and
understand why the maker should
choose the fastest diesel X5 to tear
in with another. This time around,
though, it seems to have tried too
hard turned up the volume knob a
notch too far. Perhaps thats because
a baseline X5 will already distinguish
itself as quite a sporty prospect.
Whatever the cause, the result
is a model that doesnt get close to
the combination of comfort and
easy agility of a Range Rover Sport.
Even on the motorway, youll note as
much if youre unwitting enough to
deselect Comfort mode on the Drive
Performance Control. Do this and the
X5 can find irregularities in the road
surface in the most unexpected places,
and over the bigger ones it thinks little
of bump-steering its way off course
and jostling its occupants.
How much added involvement you
get in exchange for the flawed rolling
comfort is questionable. The steering
is certainly direct and the chassis taut,
grippy and capable of soaking up
whatever you can throw at it on the
road. There is, however, little finesse
here. In place of actual steering feel,
the best you can expect through the
rim is wheel-fight as the driveline
shunts all that torque between axles.
BUYING AND OWNING
AAABC
There is an inevitable disconnect
here between the value of the car we
tested and the X5 range as a whole.
The M50d is 63,715 over 4500
more than the Cayenne S Diesel, its
nearest competitor, despite an 80lb ft
deficiency against the Porsches V8.
BMW will point to its straight sixs
far greater claimed efficiency, but we
were able to return only 34.0mpg on
a touring run (and a disappointing
27.7mpg test average), some way
short of the claimed 42.2mpg
combined. The M50ds 41g/km CO2
saving is more substantive but, in the
realms of high-powered, high-priced
SUVs, probably easily overstated.
BMW expects the xDrive30d to be
the X5s big seller, and at 47,895 it
makes considerably more sense than
this model. Its handily cheaper than
an entry-level Range Rover Sport
TDV6 and much better than the
mediocre base Cayenne Diesel.
X5 M50d is certainly a
very quick SUV, but it
lacks dynamic finesse
DATA LOG
85
litres
0 0
2000 4000 6000 0
Engine (rpm)
546lb ft at
2000-3000rpm
376bhp at
4000-4400rpm
P
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100
400
600
700 700
400
500 500
600
100
200 200
300
1
2
3
4
5
32mph 5500rpm
47mph 5500rpm
71mph 5500rpm
89mph 5500rpm
6
149mph 5500rpm
116mph 5500rpm
7
8
155mph 4808rpm
155mph* 3822rpm
* claimed
TECHNICAL LAYOUT
BMW X5 xDRIVE M50D
On-the-road price 63,715
Price as tested 76,830
Value after 3yrs/36k miles 31,300
Contract hire pcm 813
Cost per mile 1.12
Insurance/typical quote 50/1195
EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST
Front, side and curtain airbags Q
BMW Professional CD/radio Q
Cruise control with brake function Q
LED front foglights Q
BMW Professional Multimedia sat-nav Q
Parking sensors, front and rear Q
Powered tailgate Q
Xenon headlights Q
20in M double-spoke alloy wheels 1200
Adaptive Dynamic suspension 2495
Adaptive headlights 540
Comfort seats, front 475
Enhanced Bluetooth telephone 350
Head-up display 995
Instrument panel, leather 1195
Harman Kardon audio system 895
Panoramic glass sunroof 1295
Reversing Assist camera 355
Seat heating, front 325
Surround-view cameras 530
Options in bold fitted to test car
Q = Standard na = not available
RANGE AT A GLANCE
ENGINES POWER FROM
xDrive30d SE 254bhp 47,895
xDrive50i SE 444bhp 60,020
xDriveM50d 376bhp 63,715

TRANSMISSIONS
8-spd automatic Q
TECHNICAL LAYOUT
Construction mixes predominating steel with plastic composite, aluminium and magnesium. Longways engines feed
power to all four wheels, with the option of Dynamic Performance Control to vector torque between individual rear
wheels. Suspension is via wishbones and steel springs up front and multi-links and self-levelling air springs at the rear.
In-gear acceleration, 30-70mph in
fourth gear. Brisk indeed. An Audi R8
V10 takes half a second longer than that.
A near 2.4-tonne kerb weight is
considerable, but it is only this much
heavier than the Range Rover Sport
tested last month.
ENGINE
Installation Front, longitudinal,
four-wheel drive
Type 6 cyls in line, 2993cc,
tri-turbo, diesel
Made of Aluminium block and head
Bore/stroke 84.0mm/90.0mm
Compression ratio 16.0:1
Valve gear 4 per cyl
Power 376bhp at 4000-4400rpm
Torque 546lb ft at 2000-3000rpm
Red line 5500rpm
Power to weight 166bhp per tonne
Torque to weight 241lb ft per tonne
Specific output 126bhp per litre
POWER & TORQUE
BRAKES
Front 385mm ventilated discs
Rear 345mm ventilated discs
Anti-lock Standard with EBD and brake assist
CABIN NOISE
Idle 47dB Max revs in third gear 75dB
30mph 55dB 50mph 61dB 70mph 68dB
SAFETY
ABS, DSC, DTC, EBD, Brake Assist, HDC, Fading
Compensation, Automatic Differential Brake
Euro NCAP crash rating Not tested
EMISSIONS & TAX
CO2 emissions 177g/km
Tax at 20/40% pcm 319/637
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction Steel hybrid monocoque
Weight/as tested 2265kg/2390kg
Drag coefficient 0.35
Wheels 10Jx20in (f), 11Jx20in (r)
Tyres 275/40 R20 (f), 315/35 R20 (r)
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT
Spare Puncture repair kit
TRANSMISSION
Type 8-spd automatic
Ratios/mph per 1000rpm
1st 4.71/5.7 2nd 3.14/8.6 3rd 2.11/12.8
4th 1.67/16.2 5th 1.29/21.0 6th 1.00/27.0
7th 0.84/32.2 8th 0.67/40.5
Final drive ratio 3.15
SUSPENSION
Front Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Multi-link, air springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING
Type Electrically assisted rack and pinion
Turns lock to lock 3.0
Turning circle 12.7m
ECONOMY
TEST
CLAIMED
Average 27.7mpg
Touring 34.0mpg
Track 10.7mpg
Urban 37.2mpg
Extra-urban 45.6mpg
Combined 42.2mpg
Tank size 85 litres
Test range 518 miles
ACCELERATION ACCELERATION IN GEAR MAX SPEEDS IN GEAR
MPH 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
20-40 2.0 2.5 3.8 - - - -
30-50 - 2.4 2.8 3.9 5.7 - -
40-60 - 2.7 2.9 3.7 4.9 6.6 -
50-70 - - 3.3 3.8 4.9 6.2 9.5
60-80 - - 4.1 4.1 5.1 6.3 9.1
70-90 - - - 4.8 5.4 6.8 9.2
80-100 - - - 5.9 5.9 7.3 9.9
90-110 - - - 9.9 7.0 7.9 11.2
100-120 - - - - 9.0 9.2 -
110-130 - - - - 12.7 11.7 -
120-140 - - - - - - -
130-150 - - - - - - -
140-160 - - - - - - -
MPH TIME (sec)
0-30 2.2
0-40 3.1
0-50 4.2
0-60 5.7
0-70 7.4
0-80 9.5
0-90 12.1
0-100 15.3
0-110 19.0
0-120 23.9
0-130 30.9
0-140 -
0-150 -
6.1sec
30kg
Read all of our road tests autocar.co.uk
ROAD TEST
RPM in 8th @ 70/80mph = 1726/1973
THE SMALL PRINT Power-to-weight and torque-to-weight figures are calculated using manufacturers claimed kerb weight. 2013, Haymarket
Media Group Ltd. Test results may not be reproduced without editors written permission. For information on the X5, contact BMW UK Ltd,
Ellesfield Ave, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8TA (0800 325 600, bmw.co.uk). Cost-per-mile figures calculated over three years/36,000 miles,
including depreciation and maintenance but not insurance; Lex Autolease (0800 389 3690). Insurance quote covers 35-year-old professional
male with clean licence and full no-claims bonus living in Swindon; quote from Liverpool Victoria (0800 066 5161, lv.com). Contract hire figure
based on a three-year lease/36,000-mile contract including maintenance; Wessex Fleet Solutions (01722 322888).
ROAD TEST
BMW X5
AUTOCAR VERDICT AAABC
This diesel-powered go-faster X5 has too much attitude for its own good
MATT
SAUNDERS
Why cant
every
manufacturer
ape BMWs gearbox
control settings? In
manual mode, Sport+
engaged, it wont change
up no matter how many
times you crash the
limiter. In normal mode, it
shifts utterly seamlessly.
Simple and flawless.
NIC
CACKETT
Did the Sport
and Comfort
switches have
to be placed so close
to the buttons for the
parking sensors, rear
camera and hill descent?
SPEC ADVICE
Stick with black leather
and aluminium trim;
wood veneer is likely to
cause a problem at resale
on a sporting model like
this. Have the Harman
Kardon audio, enhanced
Bluetooth and adaptive
LED headlights. Avoid
the adaptive dynamic
suspension.
JOBS FOR
THE FACELIFT
O Retune the chassis for
greater compliance.
O Simplify the cabin
controls.
O Make the at-the-limit
handling manners of the
four-wheel drive system
more predictable.
T
he BMW X5 M50d proves that the diesel-fuelled performance 4x4 has some potential, but its
justifications arent as clear-cut as they might be in a saloon. Weve demonstrated that the X5
M50d can be quick enough to stand credibly next to a Porsche Cayenne Turbo or Mercedes-
Benz AMG ML. It can also consume fuel almost as savagely as a petrol counterpart. Weve
also again found that the active chassis systems that manufacturers like BMW now use to hold
off the laws of physics in such fast, heavy and tall machines need to be very carefully deployed to
make for a coherent, natural-feeling drive.
Mighty powertrain aside, this particular model is a long way from being the equal of our chart-
topping Range Rover Sport. In due course, we hope to be able to report better of X5s further down
the range. But for now, the latest version of the once-defining sports 4x4 still has it all to prove.
No 5140
TESTERS NOTES
MAKE
Model
Price
Power
Torque
0-60mph
Top speed (claimed)
Fuel economy (combined)
Kerb weight (claimed)
CO2/tax band
TOP 5
2nd 3rd 4th 5th
PORSCHE
Cayenne S Diesel
59,053
377bh p at 3750rpm
626lb ft at 2000-2750rpm
5.7sec (claimed, to 62mph)
156mph
34.0mpg
2195kg
218g/km, 35 per cent
BMW
X5 xDrive M50d
63,715
376bhp at 4000-4400rpm
546lb ft at 2000-3000rpm
5.7sec
155mph (limited)
42.2mpg
2265kg
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350 Bluetec AMG Sport
49,600
255bhp at 3600rpm
457lb ft at 1600-2400rpm
7.4sec (claimed, to 62mph)
139mph
39.2mpg
2175kg
AUDI
Q7 4.2 TDI quattro S-line Plus
60,875
335bhp at 4000rpm
589lb ft at 1750-2750rpm
6.4sec
150mph
30.7mpg
2440kg
The fast diesel SUV as it should
be. Handling compromise is far
superior to that of the M50d.
++++C
Not the best set-up choice
on our test car, but
still very nice indeed.
+++BC
No match for the M50ds
dynamite drivetrain. Better
all-rounder, though.
+++BC
Big, creaky and with one foot
in the grave, the Q7s lower
price earns it a look in.
+++CC
Verdicts on every
new car, p86
1st
LAND ROVER
Range Rover Sport SDV8
81,550
334bhp at 3500rpm
516lb ft at 1750-3000rpm
6.5sec (claimed)
140mph (limited)
32.5mpg
2398kg
The daddy. Vastly more
expensive, but then vastly
better too.
++++B

Andrew Frankel believes that pushing an
auto transmission gearshifter forwards
to change down is wrong (in the Infiniti
Q50) and that BMW has correctly
implemented it, pulling it back to change
down (Q&A, 16 October). Everyone has
their preference, but I find it quite odd.
Id assume that Frankel has driven a
racing or rally car with a sequential box.
In these cars, pulling back to change up
and pushing it forwards to change down
is the same direction as the g-forces when
braking and accelerating, so is intuitive.
The BMWs shift pattern doesnt feel
intuitive to me, but that hardly makes it
any more wrong than it is correct.
Patrik Askert
via email
A SHIFT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
STEER CHEER
I loved Steve Sutcliffes article on the
Radical RXC (First drive, 16 October).
It was only his write-up that reflected
the RXCs great steering feedback,
along with the five-way switchable
power steering. Brilliant! Why hasnt
every car got that?
The RXCs combination of a well
engineered chassis and suspension,
along with the downforce, gets my
respect, too.
Regarding entry to the car, you could
also have tried sitting on the wide sill to
get into the cockpit or use a small cloth/
mat to put on the drivers seat first.
Pete Hassett
via email
COLOUR FAST
Having seen pictures of the BMW
2-series in red, at last the manufacturer
has made a nice, sporty-looking small
car. With some of its small cars, such
as the original 1-series hatch, I have to
say that they need a dark hue to avoid
looking repulsive.
Donald MacKay
Inverness
CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH
Is it just me or does the Ford 24.7,
in Richard Bremners Concept to
Completion column (30 October), look
remarkably similar to BMWs new i3?
Terry Lloyd
via email
ON A HYBRID HIGH
Ive just driven a Porsche Panamera S
E-Hybrid demonstrator back to back
with my own diesel model. The new car
is a great performer, and with a silent
sprint on every start in the five-second
range, each time it is sensational. I cant
wait for the promised dealer loan car
for a three-day commute test to see if the
real-world mpg figures are the same.
Your first drive of the hybrid (16
October) quoted the official claim of
91.1mpg combined. Come on, we need a
full road test of the car to know for sure.
Looks like a real-world 60mpg-plus
to me. What else with four doors can
replicate this pace and economy?
David Hemmings
Lymm, Cheshire
LIGHTING UP
Peter Sissons complains about
Christmas light LEDs on new cars
(Your Views, 16 October). I happen to
think that most LED daytime running
lights look pretty good, especially on
most Audis, BMWs and the new Range
Rover. They make moving vehicles
far more conspicuous. What would he
rather have since the EU passed a law
requiring all new cars to have daytime
running lights since 2011?
Colin Duncan
via email
DEJA VU AGAIN
So Andrew Frankel misses a manual
gearbox and hydraulic steering in the
Porsche 911 GT3 (Follow the Money, 30
October). Reading this transported me
to an age before everything was proper.
I recall the furore when ABS was
offered as an option on posh cars.
Younger readers will hardly believe the
column inches devoted to the subject.
One could almost hear thousands of
Werthers falling from dropped jaws,
bouncing off string-backed driving
gloves before hitting the Wilton.
It was as if a whole generation had
their testosterone removed overnight.
The end of cadence braking? How
was a chap supposed to drive when
the car was making the decisions?
Technology is like that. Should I send
the Werthers to the office?
Phil Taylor
Northwich, Cheshire
Panamera S
E-Hybrid: pace
meets economy
Ford 24.7: inspiration for BMWs i3?
WIN
Letter of the week wins a selection
of car care products from
Car-Skin worth over 65.
pro-valets.co.uk
YOUR VIEWS
Write to Autocar, Teddington Studios, Broom Road,
Teddington TW11 9BE or email autocar@haymarket.com
LETTER OF THE WEEK
LETTERS
ARE CARS TOO COMPLEX?
Jim Holders comments about electrical
systems in modern cars (Autocar, 30
October) struck a chord with me.
Electronic systems underpinning the
modern car are unquestionably more
reliable than ever before, but be afraid
when a gremlin strikes.
I have just rejected a three-week-old
Range Rover Evoque when an
intermittent fault struck its electric
memory seat. The dealerships master
technician, Land Rovers Technical
Support Unit and finally a Land Rover
specialist field technician all generated
loads of tests over two weeks but failed
to produce a fix.
The allure of more sophisticated
electronic technology appears
irresistible to the mass of the car-buying
public. However, it clearly has its
dangers, when even a premier league
manufacturer is defeated by the
complexity of a relatively minor fault.
Ian S Clark
Fife
I PREFER THE X3
Regarding Autocars Top five premium
SUVs (23 October), you say: The
BMW X3 would be king if it hadnt been
blindsided by the Evoque.
I seem to have made the error of
purchasing an X3. But wait; for the price
of a reasonably priced mid-spec Evoque,
my X3 M Sport has a stonking 3.0-litre
diesel engine mated to a seamless eight-
speed box. It obliterates the Evoque for
performance, emissions and economy.
Whats more, I have a much larger
vehicle capable of transporting bulky
loads and five adults in comfort.
If only Id bought the Evoque
GP Narey
Llandudno
I WANT TO BE ALONE
Im on the verge of placing an order for
a BMW M135i, an Audi S3 Sportback or
a Mercedes A45 AMG. Im keen to try
each one for a couple of hours without
a sales person at my side talking to me
constantly about how great their car is.
This hasnt been a problem at my
local BMW and Audi dealers, but my
Mercedes dealer refuses to let me try an
A45 AMG on my own. And in case youre
wondering, Ive just reached my half
century with a clean licence supposedly
a good risk in insurance terms.
Sorry, Mercedes, but you will to have
to do better than that to get my business.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Don Collins
via email
The Evoque is
obliterated by
X3 in some ways
I OFTEN READ the driving advice that
the Institute of Advanced Motoring
puts out on several automotive news
wire services: how to drive safely in
windy conditions, driving in storms
and similar iffy situations. Youre
billed as Britains top advanced driver,
which must be a bit intimidating
because it rather puts pressure on
you to not make a blunder behind the
wheel. Even a little one.
Anyway, I wanted to quiz you about
driving habits on the motorway. As
you know, transport minister Stephen
Hammond recently announced that
the fuzz can issue on-the-spot fines
for lane hogging and tailgating. I
dislike both habits but, as everyone
knows, it is completely unenforceable.
But is it realistic, with the density
of traffic on our motorways, to expect
people to neatly move lanes or stay
in the correct one? Its like herding
lemmings. Tailgating is a different
matter. If more people had driven old
cars with wonky brakes or, even more
focusing, motorcycles in wet weather,
Goodwins Email to the management
To: Peter Rodger, chief examiner, Institute of Advanced Motoring
Subject: Lane hogging and undertaking
Dear Peter,
Yours sincerely,
C Goodwin
theyd leave a sensible gap. But the
issue of tailgating will eventually sort
itself out thanks to intelligent cruise
control and autonomous braking. How
about if we just abandoned the lane
thing and made undertaking legal (as it
seems to be in Los Angeles)?
Fed up with someone driving at
65mph in the middle lane, I occasionally
undertake. Perhaps people would
pay more attention if they knew
that they could be passed on both
sides. They might not like it and
decide that the best thing to do would
be to stay in the left-hand lane unless
they were overtaking. What do you
think? When motorways like the M6
are chockablock and the traffic is
moving at 20-30mph, most people
are doing it anyway.
GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS? Contact Colin at colin.goodwin@autocar.co.uk
Is it time to allow
drivers to undertake
on the motorway?
FIRST DRIVE
Peugeot RCZ R
A true sports car? Steve Sutcliffe
rates the hot new Audi TT rival.
INSIGHT
F1 and road cars
Why car makers are beating a path
to the Williams F1 teams door.
ONLINE
Los Angeles motor show
Launches of the new Mini, Jaguar
F-type coup and Porsche Macan.
LIVE
Tokyo motor show
All the reveals, pictures and news
and views direct from Japan.
NEXT
WEEK
INSIDE THE MAGAZINE
On sale 20 November
C
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A week in the life of Autocars fleet
OUR CARS
Jaguar XKR-S
D
ont for one moment think that I
didnt enjoy being a temporary
owner of a black Jaguar XKR-S
convertible. In just over one year
and after just under 14,000 miles, I truly
did bond with this car. Every journey I
did in it, no matter how short, was an
event to savour, an experience that
felt special. Different. As an everyday
companion, it felt a bit like how Id
imagine being married to a supermodel
might be like.
But and in but terms, this one is
about as big as it gets there is one
almighty caveat to XKR-S ownership,
and its a factor so significant that it
cant help but dominate this end-of-year
report. And it is this: for every mile that
I drove in this car, it cost 3.58. Yup,
you read that correctly. And the reason
why it has been so incredibly expensive
to run is not merely its hefty 19.9mpg
average fuel consumption, or its heinous
insurance costs, or its tax. It is the
depreciation that it has suffered from
during the past 12 months.
Having been listed at 103,430 when
it was brand spanking new (it came to
us with just 525 miles on its odo), it is
now worth no more than 60,000 in the
trade, which means that it has dropped
over 40,000 in value in just 12 months.
If you then factor in approximately
6000 of fuel, tax, servicing and
insurance costs, youre not far away
from 50,000 in overall costs in just
one year. And that puts the XKR-S in
an elite band of company when it
comes to running costs, right up there
beside the Bentleys and Maseratis of
this world. A new Ferrari, for example,
wouldnt cost anything like this much to
Sonically, the
Jag held its own
in any company
FINAL REPORT After a year and almost 14,000 miles,
this heroically fast and entertaining Jag has proved
heroically expensive to run. So has it been worth it?
CATERHAM
SEVEN
AUDI
RS4
JAGUAR
XKR-S
JAGUAR
F-TYPE
FORD
FIESTA ST
DACIA
SANDERO
MERCEDES
CLS SHOOTING
BRAKE
KIA
PROCEED
MAZDA
6
MG
6
Nic Cackett Allan Muir Andrew Frankel Steve Sutcliffe Matt Prior Richard Bremner Lewis Kingston Gary Lord Jim Holder Steve Cropley
OUR CARS
run for a year because the depreciation
that it would suffer from would be
minuscule by comparison.
So what were talking about in real
terms is one of the most expensive (and
therefore, youd have to say, exclusive)
cars that it is possible to drive. But if
you can somehow ignore or look past
the elephant in the room that is the XKs
frightening rate of depreciation, theres
actually a very good car to be talked
about here, one that grew on me hugely
over the 12 months, and not necessarily
for the reasons youd expect.
Of course, I loved the thundering
performance from the supercharged
5.0-litre V8. Who wouldnt? And,
likewise, I never tired of the noise that
would erupt out of the four tailpipes
every time I opened the throttle wide.
Same went for the light but super-
accurate steering and the body control,
which was always better than I expected,
bearing in mind that the quoted kerb
weight is 1795kg, so probably nearer two
tonnes with a boot full of gear, a tank full
of unleaded and two people on board.
But in the end, it wasnt just the tidal
wave of acceleration or the Nascar
soundtrack that endeared me most
towards this car. Instead, it was its
relative ease of operation and its ability
to feel so very special to use on a
daily basis. Most cars that have a
186mph-plus top speed arent that
simple to get on with during the daily
grind, but the XK felt as natural ambling
around in town at 30mph as it did wafting
along the M4 at 80mph or howling across
a deserted Welsh mountain road at full
tilt. And I really did come to love it for
that for its go-anywhere, do-anything
kind of flexibility.
It was also a sight more practical than
at first I feared it might be. The boot was
big enough to swallow two sets of golf
clubs and all sorts of shopping detritus
on numerous occasions; I didnt think
that would be possible before I tried. Not
a single fault developed on the car during
the 12 months, except for a weird engine
misfire that went as fast as it came and
was almost certainly down to a dodgy
Kicking the tail
out was only ever
a toe flex away
Everyone had
a soft spot for
this soft-top
I really did come to love the XKR-S for
its go-anywhere, do-anything flexibility
HOOD
Feels to all intents and purposes
like a fixed-head with the hood up
but is all but wind-free with it down.
STYLING
RS mods might be a touch bling for
Jag traditionalists but, personally, I
think the car looks wonderful.
BOOT
I expected it to be rubbish, what
with electric hood gubbins, but its
pretty decent for a convertible.
ENGINE/EXHAUST
Supercharged 5.0-litre V8 delivers
monster performance and sounds
fantastic into the bargain.
ECONOMY/RANGE
Theyre a bit ridiculous, with a
19.9mpg average and just 300 miles
possible on one (90) tank of fuel.
LOVE IT
LOATHE IT
MORGAN
PLUS 8
RANGE ROVER
TDV6
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
RENAULT
CLIO
Steve Cropley Jim Holder Allan Muir Darren Moss Stuart Milne Stuart Price
LANDROVER
DEFENDER
Matt Burt Mark Tisshaw Tim Dickson Matt Prior James Ruppert Lewis Kingston
RENAULT
TWIZY
TOYOTA
AURIS
SEAT
LEON FR
VOLKSWAGEN
CC GT
VAUXHALL
ADAM
MAZDA
MX-5
SKODA
OCTAVIA
BMW
728i
Hilton Holloway
U
S
E
D

C
A
R
S
+IE LL+I/+E I
FEFFCF/CE LFCF/LEE.
/+ LE /L+CC+I\E
VE'\E EEE LLE/EIIC
/L+CC+I\E FEFFCF/CE
FCF C\EF E `E/FE.
POP5CHE
7 TFB/S 3.8 NC FDK c11 BHF
7 TFB 3.c c25 BHF
7 GT2 FS c70 BHF
c TFB/GT2 c00 BHF
7 CAFFEFA S FDK 400 BHF
7 CAFFEFA S 37c BHF
7 CAFFEFA FDK 3c8 BHF
7 CAFFEFA GTS 435 BHF
7 GT3 F 43c BHF
BXSTEF 3.4S 33c BHF
CAYMAN S 342 BHF
CAYENNE GTS 440 BHF
CAYENNE TFB 4.5 5c5 BHF
CAYENNE TFB 4.8 578 BHF
CAYENNE TFB S 4.8 c00 BHF
CAYENNE 4.2 DESEL 450 BHF
CAYENNE DESEL 300 BHF
FANAMEFA TFB c00 BHF
FANAMEFA DESEL 305 BHF
MW
M5/Mc F10 c20 BHF
M5 v10 548 BHF (205 MFH)
X5M / XcM c18 BHF
1M 411 BHF
M3 E0/2 445 BHF (DELMT)
M3 E4c 370 BHF (DELMT)
F10 520D 221 BHF
F10 530D 2c BHF
F10 535D 358 BHF
335i/135i/Xc 370 BHF (DELMT)
123D 252 BHF
330D E0 2c BHF
320D E0 215 BHF
730D 20 BHF
X5 4.0D / 740D 370 BHF
X5 3.0D 2c BHF
Xc X50 4.4 500BHF
535D / 335D / X5 SD 355 BHF
M135i Flease call
MEPCEDE5-ENZ
'c3' 5.5 BiTFB ALL MDELS c00BHF
'500' 4.7 BiTFB ALL MDELS 48BHF
SLc5 BLACK 720 BHF (DELMT)
SLc5 AMG c0 BHF (DELMT)
'55' AMG KMFFESSF 580BHF
Cc3 AMG 530BHF (DELMT)
SLc3 AMG 5c0BHF (DELMT,
FEMAF & LWEF ABC SSFENSN)
CLc00 BiTFB 580 BHF
SLK55 AMG 38 BHF (DELMT)
SLK 350 328 BHF
220 CDi ALL MDELS 210 BHF
250 CDi ALL MDELS 25 BHF
320 CDi vc 274 BHF
350 CDi vc 312 BHF
420 /450 CDi v8 358 BHF
EXOTIC / MI5C
FEFFAF CALFFNA 487 BHF
FEFFAF 5 c47 BHF
FEFFAF 430 525 BHF
GALLAFD 54c BHF
LF5c0 c00BHF
LFc40 707 BHF
MFCELAG LFc40 707 BHF
MASEFAT GT/FFT 438 BHF
MASEFAT GT S / MC 47 BHF
ALL 2014 MASEFAT'S Flease call
AD FSc 4.0 T v8 Flease call
AD FSc v10 c80BHF DELMT
AD F8 v1 52BHF
AD FS4/F8 B7 43 BHF DELMT
AD FS3 420 BHF
AD 7/A8 4.2 TDi 400 BHF
AD 3.0TDi (ALL MDELS) 300 BHF
AD S3 / GLF F 317 BHF
ALL 2014 FANGE FvEFS AvALABLE
FANGE FvEF 4.4 TDv8 35 BHF
F FvEF SFFT 3.0D 305 BHF
EvE 2.2 DESEL 240 BHF
BENTLEY 4.0 T v8 c00 BHF
BENTLEY CGT / FSFF (NC 2013) cc0 BHF
GT SFEED / SFEFSFFT c80 BHF
FOR ALL OTHER MAKES AND MODELS,
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OUR CARS
batch of fuel that I filled it with on the
way to Anglesey one day.
The major service came as a mildly
pleasant surprise after 11,000 miles, at a
cost of just 385. For some reason, Id
expected a bigger bill than that for the
annual inspection of a car as complex
as this. And when it was carried out by
Harwoods of Brighton, they collected
the car at the beginning of the day
and delivered it back a few hours later,
having preened and polished it from top
to bottom. Which was a nice touch.
In March, when it snowed, I had a
set of Pirellis excellent but, again,
expensive Sottozero winter tyres
fitted, and on one night in particular I
think they more than justified their cost.
There was an ice storm down on
the south coast and cars were getting
stuck left, right and centre. But not the
Sottozero-equipped XK. I saw hundreds
of people walking home that night,
having abandoned their cars at the side
of the road, and I admit to feeling quietly
smug when I put the key in the front door
a couple of hours later.
The Sottozeros were so good, in fact,
that I kept them on for the rest of the
year. I did nearly 10,000 miles on them in
total, and there was still a fair bit of tread
left when the car went back to Jaguar.
They made the ride smoother on all
surfaces, and although there was a small
trade-off in body control and increased
road noise, I actually preferred the way
the car behaved on these tyres overall.
It felt calmer and less uptight, somehow,
and of course it would go sideways at the
twitch of a big toe.
Trying to eke out as many miles
between fills became an amusing kind
of pastime as the year went by, and it
was also a good way of burning a bit less
fuel. My best-ever tank was 341 miles
with a not-actually-that-horrendous
23.9mpg to show for it. But, on average,
I would see 21-22mpg on longer hauls,
with occasional forays down into the
mid-teens when going for it across
country. And at the advice of the cars
designer, Ian Callum, who also runs an
XKR-S convertible, I filled it with regular
95 unleaded for most of the time and
encountered no problems whatsoever
(other than the aforementioned wonky
Welsh fuel incident).
And so, yes, when it was collected
by the nice man from Jaguar recently,
I was desperately sad to see it go. We
went everywhere together, me and that
Jaguar, and every time I drove it, it felt
special. And that, in a nutshell, is the holy
grail when it comes to judging cars as
esoteric as this.
They need to deliver that extra
something on the move, or even just
when you climb aboard, in order to
justify their vast expense. In this case,
the expense is indeed monstrous
unacceptably so to most who live in the
real world but the payback is also huge.
You feel great when you drive this
car, basically, and in the end thats
what matters most to those who can
afford this sort of luxury in a vehicle. I
feel very lucky indeed to have borrowed
its keys for a little while.
steve.sutcliffe@autocar.co.uk
There was an ice storm and cars were
getting stuck left, right and centre.
But not the Sottozero-equipped XK
The XKR-S was
always eager to
oblige like this
Winter tyres proved extremely effective
Whatever the journey and whatever the roads, the XKR-S always felt special to drive
TEST STARTED 25.9.12
Mileage at start 525
Mileage at end 13,917
PRICES
List price then 103,430
List price now 103,465
Price as tested 105,575
Trade value now 55,000
Private value now 65,000
Dealer value now 60,000
OPTIONS
Bluetooth telephone preparation 545, folding
exterior mirrors, Harman Kardon speakers 765,
metallic paint 515, sat-nav 2010, DAB radio 320,
USB audio 210, heated front seats 265, lumbar
supports 205, sun protection glass 240
CONSUMPTION/RANGE
Claimed 23.0mpg (combined)
Test average 19.9mpg
Test best 23.9mpg
Test worst 11.2mpg
Fuel tank 70 litres
Real-world range 300 miles
TECH HIGHLIGHTS
0-62mph 4.2sec
Top speed 186mph (limited)
Engine layout V8, 5000cc,
supercharged, petrol
Max power 542bhp at 6500rpm
Max torque 502lb ft at 3500rpm
Transmission 6-spd automatic
Boot 313 litres
Wheels 20in, alloy
Tyres 255/35 ZR20 (f), 295/30
ZR20 (r), Pirelli P Zero
Kerb weight 1795kg
SERVICE/RUNNING COSTS
Contract hire rate 650-700
CO2 292g/km
Service costs 385 (annual service)
Other costs None
Fuel costs 4125
Running costs inc fuel 4510
Running costs per mile 33.6 pence
Depreciation 43,430
Cost per mile
inc depreciation 3.58
Faults Engine developed mild
misfire at one point, possibly due to a dodgy batch
of fuel, but then cleared itself with a tank of super-
unleaded. Never happened again.
DEALERS
We had the car serviced at Harwoods of Brighton,
who were excellent. The car was collected,
serviced and delivered back on the same day,
having been cleaned from top to bottom. The staff
were knowledgeable, polite and courteous and
the bill of 385 for the annual service wasnt
anything like as drastic as I expected, given what
kind of car were talking about. Overall 10 out of 10.
DEPRECIATION
This is where the reality of XKR-S ownership
jumps up and bites you in the you-know-what. In
12 months and having covered just under 14,000
miles, the Jag has fallen from a lofty 103,430 to
about 60,000-62,000. Its hard to imagine how
a car could cost much more money to run than this.
Dial in the high day-to-day running costs and you
are looking at a spend of almost 50,000 in the
first year, which is astonishing. Of course, once this
initial collapse in value has taken place, the XKR-S
becomes a bargain secondhand not that this can
in any way be regarded as an excuse. Bottom line:
the initial depreciation on this car is horrendous.
PREVIOUS REPORTS
17 Oct 2012, 21 Nov, 12 Dec, 23 Jan 2013, 13 Feb,
13 Mar, 27 Mar, 10 Apr, 1 May, 22 May, 12 Jun, 10 Jul,
24 Jul, 11 Sep
Jaguar XKR-S convertible
TEST DATA TEST DATA
Ive two abiding memories of my drives in
Steves XKR-S. One, it was seemingly always
on winter tyres, which left the steering
and outright precision a touch squidgy
but improved the ride and didnt affect the
handling balance. Which brings
me to point two: its stack of power,
sufficient to squirm the rear tyres
whenever it took your fancy. I
quite liked that. MATT PRIOR
SECOND OPINION
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OUR CARS
H
ard though it may be to believe,
during the first few weeks of RS4
ownership I spent most of my
time grumbling about the cars
perceived flaws. The low-speed ride
seemed wooden and noisy, the handling
balance felt too understeery, the
steering was too heavy for my liking, the
powertrain didnt seem as responsive as
Id remembered from the previous RS4,
and there were more ergonomic quirks
than I was expecting of an Audi cabin. I
felt ungrateful for bitching about a car
that most people would consider to be
pretty special, but I really didnt gel
with the RS4 at first.
Thankfully, those concerns are fading
fast now that Ive become more familiar
with the car, and Im starting to realise
that it is a stonking piece of kit after all.
The perceived faults havent vanished,
but Ive either gotten used to them (the
ride, for example, now seems perfectly
acceptable) or they have become less of
an issue now that Ive figured out how to
drive the car to get the best out of it.
Mileage | 2822 Enjoying a eureka moment on a fast drive back from Brands Hatch
Audi RS4 Avant
Audi RS4Avant 4.2 FSI quattro
Price 55,525 Price ast tested 59,575
Economy 21.4mpg Faults None Expenses
None Last seen 23.10.13
The turning point came when I took
the RS4 to Brands Hatch, where I was
on a McLaren track day with our now-
departed 12C. Still buzzing after 50 laps
of the Indy circuit in the 12C, I jumped
back into the RS4 and drove with some
vigour back to the office, clicking with
the car for the first time as a result.
Then I realised how crucial it is to
have the transmission in Sport mode,
selected by nudging the lever down from
D against its spring-loaded return. The
RS4 really comes alive in this mode,
locking out seventh gear and putting
the 4.2-litre V8 right in the meat of its
power band (rather than feeling like
its always a couple of gears too high).
Not only do you get the full effect of
its growling, whumping exhaust note,
but engine response also improves
beyond recognition, gearshifts are fast
and perfectly timed even without use
of the paddles, and the steering even
feels more naturally weighted (although
this seems to depend on which Drive
Select mode is active). I now think of
the S-tronic box as a six-speeder with a
handy overdrive for cruising on a lightly
THE LOG BOOK
The RS4 needs to
be driven hard to
make the most of it
Sport mode locks out RS4s seventh gear
MG 6
Mileage 4900 Last seen 23.10.13
A tyre warning came on, so I checked
the pressures. They were all low.
Someone said theyd recently
checked them. Maybe theyd used
a dodgy gauge. Then the light came
on again, but the pressures were
fine. Faulty sensor, perhaps? Then
another warning. Nearside front low.
Slow puncture? Dodgy gauge? Faulty
sensor? Maybe its all three. TD
Mercedes-Benz
CLS Shooting Brake
Mileage 16,300 Last seen 16.10.13
Think the CLS is a triumph of style
over substance? Look at this. Its a
four-seat flat-pack sofa that even
IKEAs staff said stood no chance
of fitting in. But it fitted, not just
because the car is long but crucially
because it has a wide, uncluttered
load area. There are plenty of taller
but less well planned estates that
wouldnt have stood a chance. AF
Land Rover Defender
Mileage 100,286 Last seen 9.10.13
A landmark: Lara (dont ask) has
passed 100,000 miles. Shes a busy
old girl so we missed the significant
moment, but here is the odometer
286 miles later. On cue, the clutch
started slipping and, since were busy,
we wanted it booked in immediately.
Two days later the 90 was returned,
fixed. The clutch pedal is much
lighter, as is my wallet by 500. MP
trafficked motorway; the rest of the time
it stays in Sport mode, even if there is a
small fuel economy penalty to be paid.
The final part of the equation is
exploiting the rear differentials torque
vectoring ability to get the car to handle
in a rewarding way. Coasting through
a corner is an exercise in understeer,
but under power the diff shuffles drive
across the rear axle and helps the car
to hold or even tighten its line to an
amazing degree. The earlier you start
accelerating out of a corner, the better
the car turns, and the RS4 has so much
lateral grip and traction that you dont
have to be tentative; you can just nail it.
With these revelations, everything is
clicking into place for me and the RS4 as
the car starts to reveal the full extent of
its talents. Its taken a while, but the wait
could well have been worth it.
allan.muir@autocar.co.uk
Bargain new
and used motors
DEALS
Never mind this E-classs undeserved reputation prices have fallen to 500. Kyle Fortune reports
F
ollowing the now legendary W124
generation of E-class was always
going to be a tough job. That car
was regarded by many as one of the
best Mercedes-Benz saloons ever built,
if not the best. So the W210-generation
E-class was never going to have it easy.
Autocars reservations about the old
four-cylinder engine in the E230 that
we tested in February 1996 was part
of the mixed reception that the E-class
received. The gruff four-cylinder unit
served the E230 for only a short while,
before it was replaced in 1997 by a more
fitting 2.4-litre V6.
That pretty much sums up the W210.
Throughout its life, the car received
numerous enhancements to keep it
competitive, most notably a facelift in
1999, which brought a slightly reprofiled
front grille, revised sills and front lower
grille, new driving lights, new tail-lights
and most obviously reshaped door
mirrors incorporating side repeaters.
As part of the facelift, Mercedes
also introduced its CDI common-rail
turbodiesels, giving real economy
benefits. Revisions to the springs and
dampers improved low-speed ride and
additional airbags added to Mercedes
constant push for greater safety.
The rust lets them down, says Roger
Wilson, Mercedes-trained technician
and owner of Mercedes specialist
Around The Benz (aroundthebenz.co.uk,
01903 719090). Otherwise, theyre
good, solid cars mechanically. That
rust, very obvious on many, has done
nothing to help the W210s reputation
as a poor relation to the car it replaced.
The W120 is regarded as one of the first
cars to be developed with as much input
from accountants as from engineers.
Theres no denying that the W210 felt
less substantial than the W124, with
Autocars testers noting in the original
road test that opening the rear doors
made a similar noise to a soft drink can
being opened. Rust aside, the W210s
reputation is undeserved, because
underneath that pockmarked body
should be a reliable, dependable car.
Servicing is vital. Wilson says that a
10,000-mile/annual service should cost
about 300 on average, or a touch more
on the V8 and AMG cars because theyre
a bit more specialist to work on. Keep
The star that fell to earth
MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS (W210) FROM 500
TRANSMISSION
Manuals were offered, but theyre
very rare. The automatics are
generally strong and require no
servicing, being sealed for life. The
electro-hydraulic plates sometimes
cause issues and cost about 500
to have repaired. Updated post-
1999 automatics featured a tip-shift
manual override for the gearbox.
CHASSIS
Generally robust. The suspension
suffers from age and mileage-related
wear and tear only. Front springs can
break, though, costing about 200 a
side to replace. Lower ball joints are
the weakest area, but from 150 for
a repair, its not going to break the
bank. Left unrepaired, it will lead to
excessive tyre wear.
BRAKES
No real issues with the brakes so
long as you have them serviced
regularly. A set of front discs and
pads will cost about 250 and the
rears about 300, but unless youre
hard on them, theyll need replacing
infrequently. Check that the ABS light
on the dash goes out when driving.
ENGINE
Huge range of engines. The earliest
cars had a lot of carry-over from the
W124 E-class, with 1997 signalling
the arrival of newer, more economical
engines. A 2.4-litre V6 replaced
the E230, and the E280 and E320
received three-valve-per-cylinder
V6s. The E220 CDI and the 194bhp
E320 CDI were introduced in 1999.
USED CAR EXPERT
James Ruppert
Our man checks out some
posh motor action down
at the auction p82
DATA EXPERT
Nic Cackett
Our data custodian keeps his
eye on the new car line-ups
and Top Five rankings p86
NEW CAR EXPERT
Lewis Kingston
New Radical or used Ferrari?
Let us help you spend your
spare 100,000 p85
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The W210s reputation is undeserved
because under that pockmarked body
should be a reliable, dependable car
CABIN
The interior might not be the last word
in style, but everything should work
inside. The LCD displays are prone to
failing, although there are plenty of
companies that can repair them for
a few hundred pounds. If it does fail,
youre looking at about 1000 for
a genuine new part or you could, as
many do, just ignore it.
Dont ignore the red SRS light in the instrument binnacle. It
relates to the passenger seat sensor for the airbag. A repair
can cost in excess of 200, although some companies do
offer a reset for less.
Listen for any blowing or chuffing with the CDI diesels. If
you can hear it, then it means the injector seals are leaking.
If caught early enough, its a few hundred pounds to fix, but
repairs could run up to more than 1000 if left.
Rust is a common problem on the W210 E-class. Usually, its just
cosmetic but check underneath for excessive corrosion and
poorly repaired crash damage.
Any wandering or knocking from underneath is likely to be
related to the lower ball joints. They cost around 150 to repair,
and will also cause uneven tyre wear if left.
Front springs are known to break as cars get older. Itll be
obvious if theyve done so from the clunking noise when you
drive the car. A new front spring fitted costs about 200.
What to look out for
the servicing done and there shouldnt
be any real problems. Issues with early
300TDs leaking fuel from their pumps
should have been sorted. If not, and
your 300TD is having trouble starting,
it could cost about 1000 in repairs
because getting at the fuel pump needs
specialist tools and plenty of time. The
only other known problem is with the
later CDI common-rail turbodiesels.
They can develop leaky injector seals,
which causes a build-up of carbon
deposits that needs chipping off. Wilson
says if its caught early enough, itll only
be a few hundred pounds to sort, but if
left, it could cost as much as a 1000 to
put right. If theres a chuffing sound
from the engine when its running or an
unusual smell, itll be those injectors.
Otherwise, the W210 is very robust.
Wilson says that outside of the usual
wear and tear items, theres little to
worry about. Theres lots of choice, too.
Mercedes built 1,653,437 in total, of
which 279,238 were the estates.
As ever, those load-haulers offer a
huge boot capacity many adding a
pair of seats in the rear to create a
The interiors are
robust; it should
all work perfectly
WHEELS, TYRES AND
BODYWORK
No issues with genuine wheels other
than knocks and parking scrapes. Tyres
should wear evenly, too. The W210s
biggest issue is its bodywork, which
is prone to rust. Its common around
the door tops and bottoms, wings and
bootlid. Mostly cosmetic rather than
structural, but can look terrible.
Look after it
and it should
look after you
www.AUT0CAR.C0.UK !3 N0vEH8EP 20!3 80
DEALS
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Design and engineering
The nose treatment is seen as an improvement, not
least from behind the wheel, where the view down the
rounded guards resembles a 911. Yet the bland, slabby
tail and rear flanks are inconsistent with the retro
appearance at the front. Theres no doubting the basic
structural integrity of the new E-class, but the test car
developed a rattle or two.
Interior
The cabin is as big as that of the previous S-class and
would be ideal for comfortable, relaxed travel if the
engine allowed. An ideal driving position is possible, even
without wheel adjustment. Excellent heating, ventilation
and visibility plus legible dials and a big glovebox merit praise.
Performance
The E230 delivers swift and competitive acceleration
0-60mph in 8.8sec is only 1.2sec behind the 220bhp E320,
but if only the reality matched the figures. Hampered by
traditional initial throttle travel, the driver soon learns that
the E230 must be driven very hard to feel at all lively.
Ride and handling
The ride is slightly thumpy and firm at low speeds but soon
settles down. Excellent high-speed stability combines with
suppleness and body control that surpasses that of the new
BMW 5-series. Yes, it feels big, but it displays a poise and
agility that belies its bulk.
seven-seater and even the saloon
has a generous 520-litre boot.
Trim levels were Classic, Elegance
and Avantgarde, as well as the AMG
model, which was briefly the E36 with
its 272bhp 3.6-litre six-cylinder before
being replaced by the E55 with a
5.4-litre 349bhp V8. Classics were the
basic entry models and lacked even a
radio as standard. Elegance added some
comfort, wood trim and equipment. The
Avantgarde was the sportier model, with
more contemporary interior finishes
and a revised chassis with lower, more
sporting suspension. AMG models came
fully loaded, with AMGs interior and
exterior styling and sporting revisions.
The first W210s featured a four-speed
automatic, but it was quickly changed for
a five-speed unit. Mercedes sealed it for
life but its not unusual for specialists to
recommend changing the fluids on them
today. Manuals were offered a five-
speed initially, and then a six-speed from
1999 but theyre rare.
The W210 is an unloved model in Mercs
history and its priced accordingly,
with the earliest, highest-mileage ones
available for comfortably under 1000,
and even less if that rust has really taken
hold. Its largely cosmetic, but repairing
it is a bodyshop job and could cost you as
much as the car is worth.
The W210 may not have the reputation
of its much-praised W124 predecessor,
but it will do much the same job, with a
bit more sophistication. Befriend a local
bodyshop owner, find a W210 bargain,
eradicate its teenage pimples and it
should do you good service for little
outlay even if youre brave enough to
opt for an AMG model. L
ONES WE FOUND
Price 1195 (1998, 75,000 miles)
E320 V6 Elegance. Five-seat model
with two previous owners. Five
months MOT and eight months tax.
Usual rust around the rear arches
and the air-con needs regassing.
Call 07599 479450
Price 1295 (1999, 117,494 miles)
E36 AMG saloon in silver with black
leather. Needs some cosmetic work
to the paint but has a full service
history and an MOT until next June.
Call 07837 219791
Price 450 (1997, 102,000 miles)
Black E230 Classic manual saloon
with a long MOT and in a tidy
condition. HPI clear. Trade sale so
part-ex welcome. Cruise control and
electric windows and mirrors.
Call 07801 916000
Price 595 (1997, 108,000 miles)
E280 auto Avantgarde saloon in
metallic green with black leather
interior. Drives well. Long MOT and
some service history. Bodywork in
need of a bit of attention.
Call 07742 780734
Price 895 (1997, 110,000 miles)
E320 Elegance in champagne silver
with full Merc service history and
seven months tax. One owner from
new. Cream leather with sports seats.
Excellent condition and HPI clear.
Call 07799 867257
Mercedes-Benz E-class E230 (W210)
Years produced 1996-2003 Total made 1,653,437 Price 27,403
Engine 4 cyls in line, 2295cc, petrol Power 148bhp at 5400rpm
Torque 162lb ft at 3800rpm 0-60mph 8.8sec 0-100mph 25.6sec
Top speed 131mph Fuel economy 25.2mpg
Buying and owning
Its disappointing that a third head restraint and central
three-point seatbelt are a 166 option. Equipment is sparse
on Classic trim even the radio is a 528 option.
Verdict
Until this E-class gains new small, modern engines and a
modern auto transmission, its status is under a serious cloud.
This example is
unblemished but
check for rust
What we said then Test date | 07.2.96
Theres plenty of space and a stylish front end, but can it match a BMW 5-series on the road?
Head to autocar.co.uk
for more used car
buying advice
Okay, so its top-flight LWB Rangie money, but used 12Cs are under 140k
T
he wonderful thing about car
auctions is that you really do get
to see what a vehicle is worth on a
particular day, be it a leggy 500
Ford Focus or a road-rash-free 127,000
McLaren 12C. So thanks to British Car
Auctions (BCA) for holding posh sales
from time to time that enable us to find
out just what these sorts of cars are
actually changing hands for.*
It is notoriously difficult to find out
what McLaren-type cars sell for. Theirs
is a world of dealers who bandy about
POA on the classified ads, so its
something of a relief to see just what the
cars we crave have actually been selling
for at auction a few years down the line.
So a McLaren 12C, then. A standard
car costs 176,000, but
this one at BCA had the
optional Stealth Pack,
which doesnt exactly
make it invisible but
adds a Carbon Black
finish to the exterior
trim and wheels. There
were 6400 miles on
the clock and it came
with a full service
history, of course. So
losing about 50k is
par for the supercar
course. Then again,
look at whats on offer
in the retail arena and
a 2011 example with a broadly similar
mileage is just a shade under 135,000.
So I think that we have established
the bottom line.
The McLaren was the most exciting
thing on offer, but other cars that went
under the hammer that day included
a Jaguar F-type. Apparently, it was
a range-topping V8, which is of huge
interest to car fans everywhere. So,
as with all Jags, at what point does it
become truly affordable? Brand new,
the V8 F-type is 80,000 or so, but this
one sold for 62,400. No premiums
there, then. The going retail rate for
2013 examples with marginal mileages
seems to be about 72,000 at the entry
level. Thats at Jaguar dealers, too.
While were in the ring, you may be
interested to learn that a couple of 2011
Bentley Continentals went for, give or
take 700, 83,000.
So what have we learnt? Well, cars
at auction are cheaper than going to a
dealer, but because they are still really,
really expensive, they will have a full
service history and are likely to be in
mint condition. So you really cant go
wrong. However, I do urge you to read
the disclaimer below.
* Plus sellers fees. Buyers fees do
apply except that BCA wont tell me
what they are
James Ruppert Used car bargains
For more used car advice, go to
jamesruppert.com
High-spec McLaren for 135k
This 2011 McLaren 12C looks a fine specimen. It has
done 6900 miles, comes with a long list of extras
and has had the latest factory upgrades. It has
also just had its major second-year service. The
specialist dealer wants 134,850 for it.
Call 01926 691000
Low-mileage Bentley is 79k
You cant question the pace, comfort and all-
weather capabilities of the Bentley Continental.
This 602bhp W12-engined GT Speed is on sale at
an official dealer for a reasonable 78,950. Its a
2010 model, but it has covered only 1353 miles.
Call 01242 501068
Nearly new Jags a smart buy
Jaguars F-type has gone down a storm thanks to
its presence, feel and noise. If you dont want to
spend a fortune on a supercharged one, you could
consider this entry-level 2013 V6 model. It has
done 1000 miles and its up at a dealer for 54k.
Call 01423 500017
A McLaren 12C for
Range Rover cash
Three that caught my eye
Brand new, a V8
Jaguar F-type
is 80,000 or
so, but this one
sold for 62,400
THE ORIGINAL ASTON Martin Virage
is a brute of a sports car. Its powered
by a 330bhp 5.4-litre V8, weighs
almost two tonnes and is capable of
0-60mph in 6.8sec.
When it was shiny, working and
new in 1989 it cost 125,000,
but these days you can pick up a
serviceable example for 25,000.
Ideally, youre looking for one with a
decent amount of service history and
less than 60,000 miles on the clock.
It shouldnt prove entirely difficult
to care for, provided the engine and
structure are in good order, and
with some titivation you could
have yourself a very clean and
presentable Aston.
Aston made fewer than
400 examples of the first-
generation Virage. If you keep
yours in a good condition, you
should hopefully see its value
increase. But dont overlook the
scale of the running costs.
AUDI A5 TDi 2.0 SPORT - 2009, metallic
aruba blue with black leather, 39,000 miles,
6 speed, turbo diesel, FSH - 16,995
T: 01489 589 898 www.peternashcars.co.uk
MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E200 CDI SPORT
BLUEEFFICIENCY - 2010, metallic black with
half black leather, 20,000 miles, turbo diesel,
automatic, FSH, AMG body styling - 19,995
PORSCHE BOXSTER 2.9 24V - 2009, cream
white with black leather, 10,000 miles,
6 speed, 18 Alloys, FSH - 21,495
BMW 3 SERIES M SPORT STEP 2.0 CONVERT
2008, metallic blue water with charcoal
leather, 40,000 miles, turbo diesel,
automatic, FSH - 16,995
DEALS
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And another thing
WHY IS ANYONE surprised that Kias approved used sales
are hitting 121 per cent of their September target? Actually,
that sounds like a load of mumbo-jumbo marketing speak,
so well just ignore it. The simple fact is that if the new cars
are worth buying, then the
chances are that the used
versions are even better
value. The secret is that this
manufacturer, which offers
a seven-year warranty on
all its cars, has put in place
a decent approved used
programme. Thats it, really.
THE McLAREN F1 is still one of the
worlds greatest and most notable
supercars. At its launch, it staggered
drivers with its 3.2sec 0-60mph
time and top speed of over 230mph.
It was launched in 1992 and
produced until 1998. McLaren made
just 106, so as well as an incredible
performer, its also incredibly rare.
Values have skyrocketed as a result
and will continue to climb.
Originally, an F1 would have set
you back 540,000. Now youll have
to pay around 5 million, assuming
you can find one for sale.
If you can afford to get your hands
on an F1, though, youre guaranteed
a good return. One went to auction
in 2012 and sold for 3.4 million.
A year later, another went for the
aforementioned 5 milion. Thats
a hefty jump, even if you allow
100,000 for any maintenance,
repairs or storage.
A McLaren for the real collectors
Just 25k bags a rare Aston Martin
Dont like those? Try these...
CAUGHT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS More quality used cars and cherished numbers on p102 | To advertise here, call 020 8267 5706
A McLaren 12C at
auction recently
sold for 127,000
MANEAMEMMY
MMTMM&PMMT
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A track car for the road, or a road car with competitive intentions?
A high-performance road-legal track car. When Radical set
out to design the RXC, the brief was effectively to build a
Le Mans car for the road. So the RXC features Le Mans-
style bodywork, an adjustable rear wing, a 3.7-litre V6, a seven-
speed sequential transmission and a kerb weight of 900kg.
Remarkably sensible at lower speeds, with a good ride and
accurate power steering. Theres no ABS or traction control
though, so some care is required. Predictably, its also devastatingly
quick and ferociously fast through corners. The faster you go, the
better the aerodynamics work, further improving stability and grip.
Inside youll find a suitably small steering wheel, racing bucket
seats, a roll cage and a smattering of switchgear. A centrally
mounted instrument cluster relays the vital statistics, and thats
about your lot. Getting in and out isnt particularly elegant;
whatevers on your shoes will usually end up on the seats.
Into a car that drives like nothing else available at this
price point. Itll do 0-62mph in just 2.8sec, hit 175mph
at the top end and go around corners far faster than
many other infinitely more costly machines. Itll even
return sensible economy if driven gently.
Because you want a completely bonkers road car. Or an insanely
capable track car. At 97k the Radical is far from cheap, but given
the performance on offer its price tag is entirely justified. Despite
its looks, you should be able to drive it to and from events,
and it should prove pretty reliable if cared for.
Ferraris hot version of the 360 coup. It was designed to offer
buyers something that felt closer to a race car, and benefitted
from more downforce, standard carbon-ceramic brakes, weight
reduction and other myriad minor tweaks. For 105k youll get
into an exceptional 2004 car with 35,000 miles on the clock.
Ferraris racer for the road is powered by a naturally aspirated
40-valve 3.6-litre V8 that sends 420bhp to the rear wheels via a
paddle-shifted automated manual transmission. The 360 Challenge
Stradale is fast, totally raucous and utterly engaging, with poise
and steering that inspires much confidence in its capabilities.
Predictably plusher than the RXC. You get neatly trimmed bucket
seats, a relatively elegant-looking and clutter-free dashboard and
some neat alloy details. Kit levels are good, with climate control,
electric windows and a CD changer. It feels the part, looks the part
and more importantly seems to resist wear well.
A Ferrari of this era is never going to be cheap to run, but
depreciation is incredibly slow and the cars are actually
quite durable. Major problems are uncommon and servicing
is relatively inexpensive. Only 116 Challenge Stradales were
imported into the UK, so its a rare and desirable car.
Because its a Ferrari, and a much sharper one at that. If you can
afford the costs, itll prove a very capable and rewarding track car,
but itll also be relatively comfortable and capable of undertaking
longer trips. Many will no doubt appreciate its elegant looks, as
well as the prestige attached to the prancing horse badge.
Radical RXC Ferrari 360 CS
WHATS IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
WHAT IS IT?
WHATS IT LIKE INSIDE?
WHERES MY MONEY GOING?
WHY SHOULD I BUY ONE?
Lewis Kingston New vs used
Radicals RXC is undoubtedly a phenomenal performer, but few will be solely looking for
a car that only really looks and feels at home on the track. The Ferrari has a lot more in
its favour usability and looks, for a start so the Italian wins.
WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Let us know at autocar.co.uk/facebook
NEW: 97,000
AND THE WINNER IS USED
Power 380bhp Torque 320lb ft 0-62mph 2.8sec Top speed 175mph Economy 32.5mpg Power 420bhp Torque 275lb ft 0-62mph 4.1sec Top speed 186mph Economy 32.8mpg
USED: 105,000
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www.twistedperformance.co.uk | +44 (0)l845 574 990
Has your Car Warranty expired'
Take out an extended car warranty with Warrantywise and you'll benefit from the
UK's highest level of used car warranty cover - bar none.
Mr Stallard
Customer Testlmonlals
7||s was m, seco|d s0ccess/0| c|a|m w||||| a
|wo mo||| oe||od a|d was |a|d|ed e//|c|e|||,
w||| m|||m0m o/ ||o0| /|om me.
Mr 8lrtwhlstle
Mlss Peyburn
Wise aboul warranlies
Warrantywise cover is available for vehicles up to 12 years old & 120,000 miles at warranty inception and all cover levels include unlimited repairs up to the retail price of your vehicle and no mileage restrictions. lf calling from a mobile please call our landline number 01254 355100, or email us at sales@warrantywise.co.uk Terms &Conditions Apply.
We cover more parts of your car than any of our competitors and include unlimited
repairs up to the retail price of your vehicle, cover for wear & tear, no excess to pay
on claims and recovery expenses as standard. We also cover you throughout the
EU and pay for the garage labour charges too!
Quentin Willson has been instrumental in the design of the Warrantywise car
warranty, so you can be sure it's genuinely on the side of the consumer.
We don't use complicated insurance jargon and everything is completely
transparent, just as you'd expect from Quentin.
Oa|| us on 0800 121 4750 for a quote today.
warrantywlse.co.uk
or go on||ne for an instant quote, just enter your reg number at:
Lesigned by uentin WiIIson
7|a||s /o| ,o0| co0||eo0s a|d e//|c|e||
se|.|ce, 7a|||g o0| ,o0| wa||a||, was o|e
o/ ||e oes| ||||gs
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/a|, ||a||s |o |,||e a|d Gemma /o| ||e||
|e|o, a|d || c|a|g||g me /|om a oess|m|s| |o
oo||m|s|.
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L2
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We specialise ih the acquisitioh ahd sale of high quality Sviss
vatches both moderh ahd vihtage, uh-vorh ahd pre-ovhed.
where time meets passion
www.watches.co.uk
Rolex * Panerai * Tag Heuer * Audemars Piguet * Omega * Breitling * Zenith * IWC * Jaeger Le Coultre
Free Watch Valuation On-line
IN8TANT CA8H PAID
by appointment only.
+44 (0)20 8994 4567
474a Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, London, W4 5TT
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ASTON MARTIN SPECIALISTS
Trinity Engineering has a well established reputation for superb engineering
and attention to detail at affordable prices on the older range of Aston Martins
from 1950 onwards, and we now give this same level of service to modern
Aston Martin Vanquish, DB9, V8 Vantage and DBS owners.
Service Diagnostics Parts Repair
Contact: Tim Butcher Tel: 01932 862040 Fax: 01932 868747
Email: timbutcher@trinityastonmartin.co.uk
MAINTAINING THE FUTURE WITH TRADITIONAL ENGINEERING
Bramley Hedge Farm, Redhill Road, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 1EQ
CLASSIC AND MODERN IN PERFECT HARMONY
Keep Your Car Interior In Showroom Condition
Powerful & Compact
Always Ready To Go
01270 291050
Unique 40`(12m) Stretch Hose
7 Tools & Integral Storage
www.garagevac.co.uk
Mercedes-Benz CL 600 2dr Auto Coupe 5.5
|co||oot Cooo|t|oo. |o. ooo| 20+0 C|6S /|C atoa'ot
|aco||t oa 8 oot bubo aoo o|aust, +0 oot|s oao ta, u||
sov|co ||sto, |o|oss |ot, |o|oo Stat/Stoo 3uttoo, 22' a||os,
L||ta| Suouoo Souoo, 6-L|sc CL C|aoo, LVL /uo|o ||ao,
TV, L/3 C|aooo|s, |||t V|o. /ss|st |||t V|s|oo. L29,995
(07931) 591299 o (01472) 235738
POR5CHE 996 CARRERA 2, 200+, |o. ||oao 28,600,
tota|| oaoooo .|t| ota .|oo +8' Tubo |oo'
.|oo|s, /ct|c s||vo, |osc|o obossoo |otooo|o
b|uo u|| |oat|o |ot. c||ato, c|oo ta||o|oos, Ta/|ot,
a|.as aaoo aoo |o |acu|ato cooo|t|oo, L17,500
T: 01722 742843 (e) or 01980 615915 (w)
jAGUAR XjR 4.0
Supercbarger, 1996, green, lvory leatber, same
owner 10 years, 77k mlles, wltb gooo blstory,
long Mot/Ta, lovely conoltlon. L2,500
T:07973 453466 (Kent)
1aguar X1S Coupe 5.3
Lynx Conversion
including s/wheel, 80k miles, fsh,
Mot/tax, regularly maintained
by 1aguar specialist, new
headlining 2011, lovely cond.
deceased estate sale,
2,300
T:01924 443651
(West Yorkshire)
1aguar X140 Sport LPG
1994, auto, all original paint
save bootlid & new back
lights,dual fuel runs 55 mpg,
good condition, 95 of work
done
1,000 must sell
07877 151492 (Wigan)
MGB Roadster
1972, 62k miles, solid reliable
example, long history, same family 20
years, overdrive, 123 electric ignition,
Kenlowe fan, marine quality boot
rack, sale due to illness
4,300
T:07815 551952
Dorset
TRlUMPH 5TAG
1977, recent etenslve rebullo & respray,
pbotograpbs, many new parts, |ull blstory,
L16,000
T:07771 504131 - N. Yorks
BMW Z4 AUTO 2.3i
17,000 mlles, 09 reg, 2.5L, 1 year MOT, petrol,
wblte, 17 alloys, lumbar support, reo lnterlor,
FSH, per|ect conoltlon. L19,500
T: 07903 525192
MGB Roadster 1950 cc
1973, total rebuild, engine fully
balanced, tartan red, wire wheels,
s/s exhaust, early Banjo axle,
Pirelli P2000s, T/choke Weber,
chrome bumper, investment at
7,250
T:07779 241726
01422 201209 (W.Riding)
Alfa Romeo
Twin Spark 16v CUP 2.0 Lt
2001, 1` previous owner, light met.
blue, blue leather trim, 4 yr G
battery, spoilers & body skirt, rare
CUP varient, full history,
2,700
T:01843 586649
(Kent)
Jaguar XJ8 3.2
Auto, originaI Seafrost
paintwork &, oatmeaI Ieather,
Mot, new airow, new fueI
pump, 78k miIes, IoveIy
condition, too many Jaguars
in the famiIy,
2,100
01392 467289
(Exeter)
MERCEDE5 C63, 2010/60, 4 or auto, 6.2, 5 or saloon,
11 mtbs Ta, |sb, 18k mlles, petrol mlonlgbt blue,
llgbt grey lnt. ecellent conoltlon, cllmate,
more pbotos avallable. L29,000
T:07949 931091 - waIid@anwIondon.con
ROLL5 ROYCE 5lLVER 5PlRlT, |||, May 2000, 6750cc,
29,889 mlles, vGC, well malntalneo by
prlvate owner, taeo Aprll '14, Mot May '14,
5 spo manual, blue met. L22,500
T: 07917 005248
ROLL5 ROYCE 5lLVER CLOUD lll, 1964,
46,484 mlles, manual, lncreolble conoltlon, |ull
worklng oroer, saloon, blue, Mot 4/14, L65,000
T: 07917 005248
BENTLEY ARNAGE
2002, LW8, 100,495 mlles, blue, speclal rear
wlnoow |or prlvacy, FSH, Malntalneo to blgbest
stanoaro, auto, saloon. L25,000
T:0791 7005248
BENTLEY ARNAGE, 2005, per|ect worklng oroer,
|sb, speclal carbon & brusbeo alumlnlum oasb, F8SH,
almost brano new conoltlon, Ta/Mot May '14,
L45,000 T:07917 005248
jAGUAR 3.2 5PORT LPG, 1998, 8lue, cream
leatber, 5 Celtlc re|urblsbeo alloys, 111,500 mlles,
Ta Marcb '14, Mot May '14, englne rebullo 2010,
4 new Plrellls, L4,250 ono.
07530 871718 - kurt.webster@taIktaIk.net
AUDl A5 TDi 2.0 5PORT - 2009, metalllc
aruba blue wltb black leatber, 39,000 mlles,
6 speeo, turbo olesel, FSH - L16,995
POR5CHE BOX5TER 2.9 24V - 2009, cream
wblte wltb black leatber, 10,000 mlles,
6 speeo, 18 Alloys, FSH - L21,495
BMW 3 5ERlE5 M 5PORT 5TEP 2.0 CONVERT
2008, metalllc blue water wltb cbarcoal
leatber, 40,000 mlles, turbo olesel,
automatlc, FSH - L16,995
MERCEDE5-BENZ E CLA55 E200 CDl 5PORT
BLUEEFFlClENCY - 2010, metalllc black wltb
bal| black leatber, 20,000 mlles, turbo olesel,
automatlc, FSH, AMG booy styllng - L19,995
LAND ROVER DEFENDER 4X4
200+, aoua|, o|oso|, '2,000 ||os, c|a.too .||to,
taoo uot|| /u 20++ / |CT uot|| |ob 20++, co|ou-
coooo ac|os, |S, + o.oo, a|a |ob|||zo, L9,500
01278 285130 or 285131 (Soosot)
jAGUAR E TYPE, 4.2, FHC, S||, 1969, 30k mlles,
substantlal booy & mecbanlcal restoratlon,
|ltteo wltb orlglnal rebullt englne, large blstory |lle,
lmmaculate tbrougbout, L65,000
T:07779 323193 or 01268 750602 (Essex)
royandjennywiIIians@hotnaiI.con
ALIA RUHLU
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!0Z www.AUT0CAR.C0.UK !3 N0vEH8EP 20!3
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Audi A3 53Tfsi Quattro 5 Line BIack
Edition - 3o, 20++, |b|s \||to .|t| 3|ac'
|oat|o, +S,000 ||os - L24,995
Mercedes-Benz E CIass E200 Cdi 5port
BIueefciency - 20+0, ota|||c b|ac' .|t| |a|
b|ac' |oat|o, 20,000 ||os, autoat|c, /|C
boo st||o - L19,995
BMW M3 Dakar Linited Edition - 200`,
oa'a o||o. .|t| b|ac' aoo o||o. |oat|o,
+2,000 ||os - L31,995
Mercedes-Benz CL CIass CL63 Ang
- 200, ota|||c |ot o .|t| o |oat|o,
S6,000 ||os, autoat|c - L31,995
BMW 5 5eries 530d 5ETouring - 20+0,
ota|||c soaco o .|t| b|ac' |oat|o, 22,000
||os, autoat|c - L26,495
Audi A5TDi 2.0 5port - 200`, ota|||c
auba b|uo .|t| b|ac' |oat|o, 3`,000 ||os,
6 soooo, |S - L16,995
BMW 3 5eries M 5port 5tep 2.0 - 2008,
ota|||c b|uo .ato .|t| c|acoa| |oat|o,
+0,000 ||os, autoat|c, |S - L16,995
Abarth 500 C Esseesse - 20+0, ||sta Co
ovo Caoovo|o Co .|t| 3|ac' |oat|o,
+S,000 ||||S, so|-auto - L13,495
BMW 1 5eries 120d 5E - 2008, ota|||c
ootoo b|uo .|t| coa |oat|o, 28,000
||os - L13,995
Land-Rover Range Rover 5port Tdv6
5port Hse - 200, |ota|||c Stooo.a Co
.|t| 3|ac' |oat|o, 2`,000 ||os, autoat|c,
|S - L24,995
Mercedes-Benz C CIass C220 Cdi
BIueefciency 5E Edition 125 - 20++,
ca|c|to .||to .|t| b|ac' |oat|o, 26,000 ||os,
- L19,495
Mercedes-Benz E CIass E350 Cdi
BIueefciency 5port - 200`, ota|||c
oa||ao|u s||vo .|t| b|ac' |oat|o, 2S,000 ||os,
autoat|c, ||LS - L20,995
Porsche 911 Carrera 2Tiptronic 5 -
200S, |ota|||c |oo||t b|uo .|t| savaooa|
|oat|o, +S,000 ||os, autoat|c - L22,995
The (umly run busness (or (our generutons
0!489 589898
vlew all our stock onllne at
www.peternushcurs.co.uk
1 Warsasb Poao,Warsasb,
Soutbampton, Hampsblre, SO31 9HW
ChevroIet Corvette stingray CoIIectors Ltd Edition - +`82, s||vo/bo|o ota|||c, S66 ||os oo|, auto, |L........L39,995
jaguar XF 3.0 DieseI V6 Luxury - 20+0, ota|||c o .|t| b|ac' |oat|o, S+,000 ||os, auto.......................................................L16,995
Toyota Hi-Iux HL3 D-4D NOV.A.T - 200, ota|||c s||vo, 2+,000 ||os, a||o .|oo|s. |CV./.T............................................L15,995
Audi A3 53Tfsi Quattro 3dr - 2008, a|u|o|u s||vo, S`,000 ||os, 6 soooo...........................................................................................L14,495
Mercedes-Benz 5LK 5Ik280 - 200, |ota|||c Cbs|o|ao 3|ac' .|t| 3|ac' |oat|o, ++,000 ||os, auto......................................L14,495
Audi TT fsi - 2008, |ota|||c La'a 3o|o .|t| 3|ac' a| |oat|o, S,000 ||os, autoat|c, ||LS..............................................L13,995
Mercedes-Benz CLC Coupe 200 Cdi 5port - 2008, |ota|||c Cbs|o|ao 3|ac', 30,000 ||os, auto........................................L12,495
Audi A3TDl 5port 1.9 - 200`, |ota|||c Looo Soa 3|uo, 38,000 ||os, aoua|...........................................................................................L11,995
Mercedes-Benz 5LK 5Ik200 Konpressor - 200S, Coa| |oo, 3S,000 ||os, 6-soooo.....................................................................L11,495
Fiat 500 C Lounge - 200`, |asooab|o |oo, 20,000 ||os, S-soooo............................................................................................................................L9,995
Mercedes-Benz B CIass B170 5E - 2006, |ota|||c o|zoo 3|uo, 3+,000 ||os, auto............................................................................L8,495
BMW 1 5eries 116i 5port 5dr - 2006, |ota|||c Saoo||o 3|ac', 3S,000, 6-soooo......................................................................................L8,495
HarIey-Davidson 1200C Custon LTD Edition 100thAnn - 2002, |ota|||c /|u|o|u s||vo/b|ac', S,000 ||os....L6,950
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Tel 020 8267 5574 or Fax 020 8267 5312 PUBLICATION DATE: Every Wednesday DEADLINE: Friday 17:30 prior to publication
!05 !3 N0vEH8EP 20!3 www.AUT0CAR.C0.UK
SELL YOUR
CHERISHED NUMBER
THROUGH
CLASSIFIED
0800 289209
Astro was based on the rear-engined Corvair, with an uprated version of its flat six
No 90 Chevrolet Astro 1
This low-slung two-seater took the idea of a canopy-covered cabin to extremes
NEXT WEEK Renault Zoom
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oors: theyre the way into almost
every car ever made, unless it doesnt
have any at all. But occasionally
there have been far more radical
ways to gain access to the cockpit. GM
wowed American car nuts with a 1962
Corvair-based Monza GT concept and its
canopy-covered cockpit, and lucky Brits
could actually buy a car with this feature
when the gloriously orange wedge of a
Bond Bug appeared in 1970.
And the Chevrolet Astro 1 took the
canopy concept a mad step further in
1967, the entire rear half of its body
hinging skywards and taking the seats
with it. Short of being ejected through
the roof, this was just about the most
dramatic means imaginable of exiting
a car. There was a good reason for this
arrangement, apart from the spectacle.
The Astro 1 stood less than three feet
high at 35.5 inches, and with fixed seats
and conventional doors, you might
have been able to perform a bum-first
half-tumble into the car. But youd have
had little chance of extricating yourself
from this Chevy with much dignity. So a
mechanism was contrived in which the
entire rear clamshell of the car pivoted,
using an electrically powered screw
system to drive it. It was complex, but it
certainly gave the Astro visual impact,
and when you were the one occupying
the descending seats and the closing
clamshell, it felt like you were being
swallowed alive by a car.
There could have been worse fates.
Apart from the excitement of descending
into it, the cockpit presented aircraft-style
handgrips rather than a steering wheel,
an offset control pod to the drivers
left and seats that supported you from
calf to cranium. The forward vista was
dramatic, too, the windscreen an extreme
wraparound into reverse-raked A-pillars.
The Astro looked mid-engined, but
its motor actually hung out at the back.
Thats because the concept was based
on the rear-engined Corvair, whose
palpitation-promoting road manners
had been tamed by a facelift not long
before the Astro made its debut. An
experimental version of its air-cooled flat
six was bored out to 2.9 litres from 2.7
and was given belt-driven overhead cams
mighty fashionable, back then as well
as hemispherical combustion chambers,
inclined valves and a pair of ingenious
triple-barrelled carburettors. That was
enough to yield 240bhp at 7200rpm, an
output that would certainly have given
fellow air-cooled flat six manufacturer
Porsche something to chew on. The Astro
had modified independent suspension
from the Corvair, much of it aluminium,
and a dramatic Can-Am-style airbrake
that erupted from the rear deck.
But it was the Astros proportions
and manta-like character that were
most striking when its canopy wasnt
opening, this thrustingly sharp and
voluptuous sculpture appearing in the
third-generation Corvette and the Opel
GT. But the Astro itself never made the
grade, despite the repeated attempts of
GM designers to create something ultra-
sporty out of the Corvair. Instead, the
name ended up on an MPV.
For the occupants of
the descending seats,
it felt like you were
being swallowed alive
Richard Bremner
THEY WERE THE FUTURE, ONCE
Got an opinion? Email us at autocar@haymarket.com
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from sustainably
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since 1895 in the interests of the
mechanically propelled road carriage
Haymarket is certied by BSI to
environmental standard IS014001
EDITORIAL
Tel +44 (0)20 8267 5630
Fax +44 (0)20 8267 5759
Email autocar@haymarket.com
Editor Jim Holder
Editor-in-chief Steve Cropley
Deputy editor Matt Burt
Managing editor Allan Muir
Digital editor Stuart Milne
Senior editor (news and features) Mark Tisshaw
Associate editor Hilton Holloway
Chief sub-editor Tim Dickson
Production editor Gary Lord
Road test editor Matt Prior
Deputy road test editor Matt Saunders
Road tester Nic Cackett
Deputy digital editor Lewis Kingston
Digital reporter Darren Moss
Art editor Amar Hussain
Deputy art editor Sarah zgl
Chief photographer Stan Papior
Photographer Stuart Price
Picture editor Ben Summerell-Youde
Videographer Andrew Coles
Group editorial manager Olivia Pina
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Editor-at-large Steve Sutcliffe
Senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel
Industry editor Julian Rendell
Senior contributing editors Richard Bremner, Colin Goodwin
European editor Greg Kable
Grand prix editor Joe Saward
Used car editor James Ruppert
Special correspondents Mauro Calo, Keith Howard,
Peter Liddiard, Richard Webber
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Tel +44 (0)20 8267 5553
Contact Karen Parry (karen.parry@autocar.co.uk)
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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E-mail autocar@servicehelpline.co.uk
SYNDICATION ENQUIRIES
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Contact Simon Fox (syndication@autocar.co.uk)
LICENSING ENQUIRIES
Tel +44 (0)20 8267 5024
Contact David Ryan (david.ryan@haymarket.com)
BACK ISSUES
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Email autocar@servicehelpline.co.uk
ADVERTISING
Classified +44 (0)20 8267 5574 Display +44 (0)20 8267 5715
Production +44 (0)20 8267 5219 Fax +44 (0)20 8267 5312
Sales director Julia Dear
Commercial director creative solutions Mark Hanrahan
Commercial brand manager Ashley Murison
Senior display sales executive Fiona Bain
Display agency sales Kylie Mckie
Motoring retail sales manager Marcus Wincott
Motoring retail sales leader Sam Liggett
Retail sales executive Nabila Moughal
Classified sales executives Adrianna Haynes
PRODUCTION
Tel +44 (0)20 8267 5219
Production manager Suzanne Wiseman
Senior production controller Katie Walton
Production controller Lee Brister
PUBLISHING
Marketing manager Darren Pitt
Publishing executive Niki Sorabjee
Direct marketing manager Karen McCarthy
Newstrade marketing manager Nick Lyon
Head of events Wendy Stonebridge
Special projects director Derek Redfern
MANAGEMENT
Group publisher Alastair Lewis
Group director Patrick Fuller
2013, Haymarket MediaGroupLtd. Autocar, Motor, Autocar &Motor are registered
trademarks. Circulationenquiries: Frontline Ltd, Park House, 117Park Rd, Peterborough
PE12TR(01733555161). ReprobyFMG, LondonN1. PrintedbyWyndehamPeterborough.
Registeredas anewspaper withthe Royal Mail. Member of the ABC. ISSN1355-8293. No
part of this magazine maybe reproduced, storedinaretrieval systemor transmittedin
anyformexcept bypermission. The publisher makes everyeffort toensure contents are
correct but cannot accept responsibilityfor errors or omissions. Unsolicitedmaterial is
submittedtoAutocar entirelyat the owners risk; the publisher accepts noresponsibility
for loss or damage. Withregret, competitions andpromotional
offers, unless otherwise stated, are not available toreaders
outside the UKandEire. NorthAmerica: Autocar, ISSNnumber
135589X, is publishedweeklybyHaymarket MediaGroup,
TeddingtonStudios, BroomRoad, TeddingtonTW119BE, United
Kingdom. The USannual subscriptionprice is $249. Airfreight and
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ADDRESS
Autocar is published by
Haymarket Consumer Media
Teddington Studios, Broom Road,
Teddington, Middlesex TW11 9BE, UK
haymarketgroup.com
Tel +44 (0)20 8267 5000
Editorial director Mark Payton
Creative director Paul Harpin
Strategy & planning director Bob McDowell
Managing director David Prasher
Chief executive Kevin Costello
0pea 9a - p Meaday te |r| day | A| | pr| ces cerrect at t| e ef ge| ag te press P|ctures are for |||ustrat|on purposes on|y * F|gures are from the |atest manufacturer ||terature ava||ab|e. A|| pr|ces quoted refect the 20% vAT.
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