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43 Articles

‘Dealers have been spooked by losing money on EVs’ There are some at CAR who can tell you what the thread pitch is for the cylinder head nuts on a Citroën AX, but not me. Numbers are not a strong point. But even I will struggle to forget the figure I've just calculated for the running costs of our Mercedes EQE long-term test car. The final report, which will be in next month’s magazine, notes that if you include depreciation the cost per mile is £15.78. Blame a part-exchange value of £45,235, a loss of 48 per cent. It’s an extreme case, but is far from being the only example of cars that have a high purchase price when new and horrendous residual value. We hear of dealers simply refusing…

MONEY, MEET MOUTH

‘The real hot-hatch EV is in town,’ smiles Alpine’s product performance VP Sovany Ang as the covers come off Alpine’s first electric production car: the A290. That’s fightin’ talk, Alpine – particularly when the similarly-sized Mini Cooper SE, Abarth 500e and much larger, much more expensive but utterly fantastic Hyundai Ioniq 5 N are already on the road and surprising everyone with how successfully they capture the classic hot-hatch spirit in EV form. The concept looked great, but the worry was that Alpine, when it came to the production A290, would phone it in. The Alpine team were starting with the fundamentals of the electric Renault 5, and our early intel – now proved to be correct – had suggested it would simply use the e-motor from the larger Megane…

MONEY, MEET MOUTH

‘Wouldn’t adding another electric motor be un-Alpine?’

JG: ‘There were winks and nudges from product chief Sovany Ang and CEO Philippe Krief about a twin-motor, all-wheel-drive A290. Makes sense, right? After all, you’re launching this with GT and GTS specs already, the Ampr Small platform can handle it because of its multi-link rear suspension set-up. Was that always the plan?’ CB: ‘I don’t think it was designed for that reason, the focus was more on ride and handling. But it is a nice surprise…’ JG: ‘And let’s not forget, the A110 gained S and R versions later in its life with more performance…’ CB: ‘I can’t say whether or not we’re doing a twin motor version, but what I can say is we’re working on pushing the boundaries even further. We look years in the future.’ JG:…

‘Wouldn’t adding another electric motor be un-Alpine?’

A110 + R5 = A290

Renault 5 The imminent electric reboot of the classic supermini uses the same platform and base structure as the A290, but Alpine has changed the suspension and front subframe. Alpine A524 Engineers claim the A290’s steering wheel and on-the-fly ‘OV’ overtake and regen buttons have a link to the Formula 1 car. Rather tenuous. Renault Megane E-Tech Alpine’s lifted the motor for the more powerful version of the A290 from the Megane and squeezed it into the Ampr Small platform. The software work is pure Alpine. Alpine A110 The A290 steals the coupe’s dampers and has been engineered to echo its brake and steering feel. The A110 itself will soon evolve into an EV.…

A110 + R5 = A290

VW’S ELECTRIC CITY CAR CONFIRMED

IT’S OFFICIAL Volkswagen deliberated long and hard on how to progress with an electric city car to replace the Up, having four proposals on the drawing board in early 2024 – including one with Renault, which fell apart in May. VW promises a city EV ‘from Europe, for Europe’ with a planned price of under €20,000 (around £17,000). A FIERCE RIVAL The planned partnership would have looped VW into Renault’s project to revitalise the Twingo. Instead, the French supermini will be its closest competition, promising a similar price and launching more than a year before. ‘Why is it taking so long? Because we need to make cars that fit to the VW DNA without compromises,’ says Schäfer. SOME EARLY STATS Brand boss Thomas Schäfer says VW is exploring a 300km…

VW’S ELECTRIC CITY CAR CONFIRMED

AT THE EXTREMES

THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY ONE BMW’s designers have had the belt sanders out, with this new-generation X3 sporting a much less creased design. The interior’s had an overhaul with the latest tech pulled from the 7-series and the OS 9 infotainment from the 1-series. The M50 version benefits from the most powerful straight-six engine ever fitted to an M Performance car. NEED TO KNOW What is it? A new-generation best-seller I Tech specs 56-mile plug-in hybrid, interior tech from 7-series I Aimed at? Keeping us busy before Neue Klasse arrives I When can I get one? Order now from £46,800; first deliveries in the winter THE POWERFUL ONE Jeep’s new Wagoneer may not look all that Jeep-y, aside from the ‘architectural light’ grille arrangement at the front, but it’s hiding technology and…

AT THE EXTREMES

‘STYLING? I HATE THAT WORD’

The way Tobias Sühlmann talks about McLaren is so enthusiastic and knowledgable that you could easily assume he’s a lifer. But in fact he’s worked for several car makers: VW for almost a decade, designing the B7 Passat, Arteon and current-generation Touareg, and Bugatti, then to Aston Martin where he helped craft the Vanquish and Valhalla concepts. That’s a lot of experience at companies that embrace brilliant design. And now he’s back at McLaren as design chief, taking control of the design team and the brand’s direction. He previously joined the Woking company in 2020 as Special Projects chief designer, before being lured by Bentley to work on the Batur with Andreas Mindt. ‘The thing that brought me back was something my wife said. She told me I was really…

‘STYLING? I HATE THAT WORD’

Six questions only we would ask…

Tell us about your first car ‘A Golf Mk3! It had 60 horsepower.’ What’s the best thing you’ve ever done in a car? ‘Well, with my Golf you could fold down the rear seats… I certainly had my moments in that car!’ What achievement makes you proudest? ‘Being able to understand the brands I work for. That’s what I love finding out and where my strengths lie, and I’m happy that my mind ticks like that – you can shape the future better that way.’ Tell us about a time you’ve screwed up… ‘I forgot my wife’s birthday one year. I don’t know why I did – I would never do that! But, that took a while to fix… and definitely won’t do it again!’ Supercar or classic car? ‘I…

Six questions only we would ask…

HOW FERRARI GOES ELECTRIC

Ferrari has just let us into the new ‘e-building’ in which it will make electric cars, motors and batteries for the first time. It’s the largest expansion of the famous old factory complex on Maranello’s Via Abetone for a generation, increasing its footprint by a quarter and easily allowing Ferrari to increase its annual output by a similar amount or more should it wish, from the 14,000 or so cars it makes now each year, to above 20,000. But don’t worry. Ferrari will still be Ferrari, and some things don’t change. While I am there I see Piero Ferrari arrive for work at the same ground-floor office with its five tiny windows which his father once occupied. He looks more like the Old Man than ever: more stooped now with…

HOW FERRARI GOES ELECTRIC

BRITAIN’S BAJA BLASTER

We all know the score with Defenders, right? Virtually unstoppable on the dirt but not particularly fast if you’re traversing the countryside by road. The current model has upped its tarmac game considerably, but it’s not something you’d drift around the Nürburgring at speed. But that’s exactly what the Defender Octa has been doing during testing, with some very impressive numbers to show for it. At the heart of it all is a healthy boost in power, up to 626bhp and 553Ib ft of torque. Sound familiar? That’s because it shares its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with the Range Rover Sport SV, not to mention its ‘6D’ interlinked adaptive dampers. These resist roll strongly enough to avoid the need for anti-roll bars, helping to give an additional 119mm of suspension articulation…

BRITAIN’S BAJA BLASTER

MINI’S CIRCULAR INFOTAINMENT

In case you hadn’t noticed, Mini has been rather busy. A new-generation petrol and electric Cooper hatch, a MASSIVE new Countryman and a completely new model in the shape of the Aceman baby crossover. All of these cars run new infotainment that uses a circular screen. The screen itself is 240mm (9.4 inches) in diameter, and its OLED display is super crisp and bright in all weather. Mini says the new Android-derived Operating System 9 tech that powers it also introduces some firsts for the brand: new ‘Experiences’ (which are, effectively, drive modes attached to colour themes and specific sounds inside and out of the car), an AI-enhanced voice assistant that interacts with the driver via an animated dog character called Spike, augmented-reality tech and a new-generation app store. Mini’s…

MINI’S CIRCULAR INFOTAINMENT

DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW

An Empire Digital subscription includes all the latest movie reviews as well as exclusive interviews and incredible imagery, providing you with insight on all the latest news in the movie world. With exclusive access to all the best new releases, interviews with filmmakers, there’s something for every film and TV fanatic. From interviewing Tom Cruise to being on set with Quentin Tarantino to shooting videos with Ryan Reynolds, our access is unparalleled and we’re the world’s most influential film and entertainment brand. Get Members-only benefits including: ■ Digital Edition access via Members-only app and website ■ Past issues archive ■ Fortnightly Insider Empire email FIRST MONTH ONLY 99P FIND OUT MORE greatmagazines.co.uk/empire-mag TERMS & CONDITIONS: *99p refers to a trial offer available for a Empire Digital only subscription which will…

DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW

Surrogate rebirth

If Ford thought the whole EV thing was going away it thought wrong You’re driving between bright green meadows, hills to one side, mountains to the other, sturdy bridges crossing lively streams, past exquisite old churches and angular new homes, on well-surfaced roads that have benefited from European investment. But then you turn a corner and you’re faced by blocks of Communist-era apartments. Chances that they smell of decay and bodily secretions? High. Propensity to stop and check? Low. Slovenia seems to be a mix of the svelte now, the tatty old and the got-a-story-to-tell very old. Which is not far off being a neat analogy with the new Ford Explorer. The air here is lovely and clean, cool from the Alps, untroubled by stinky factories. We’re in the more…

Surrogate rebirth

XX gon’ give it to ya

Here we go, then. It’s a limited-run XX car but, unlike every previous XX car, it’s road legal. The SF90 XX is also the fastest Ferrari yet (two seconds faster around Fiorano than the LaFerrari) but, where the coupe almost makes sense, this is the more expensive and structurally compromised Spider. And while its hybrid powertrain and electric-only range might tempt you to consider it an exotic GT, don’t. There is nowhere to put anything and no carpets. Heading south from Modena a couple of hours ago, the ride was glassy-smooth even when the battered tarmac wasn’t, the cockpit comfortable despite the serious seats and the powertrain – operating here at about 2.7 per cent effort – made mincemeat of the dawdling morning traffic. Now, though, the XX-ness is bubbling…

XX gon’ give it to ya

To the ends of the earth

So what? Who cares about the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, even if it has had a few changes? After all, rich people with questionable taste have been with us for a long time. But the vexed question of what the Cullinan represents pales next to the reality of what it is. Which is a car that’s very well made, lovely to be in, and thoroughly engrossing to drive. Everything you touch and sniff is exquisite. Everything moves with a well-damped fluidity, from the bootlid and the vents to the accelerator and the steering wheel. The stress-easing back seats are enhanced by the lavish carpet, the multi-adjustable climate control and the sense that everything around you is beautifully made. This is one of those limo-adjacent cars that is also fun in the front.…

To the ends of the earth

3 at last, 3 at last

There’s no getting away from this car’s links with the EX90, electric replacement for the trusty, roomy XC90 Planting the throttle out of a tight hairpin, I feel the torque-vectoring rear diff do its stuff as the back tyres take a very different line to the fronts. Lively oversteer in a 2.7-tonne electric crossover? Yes, although not as easily or comfortably delivered as it is in a similarly sized Porsche Cayenne. The Cayenne – soon to go electric – is a high target for the Polestar 3 to be reaching for. The new Polestar range-topper may fall short of that lofty aim, but there’s no faulting the ambition. Quick recap for anyone confused by the arrival of two new Polestars at around the same time. The 4 is the relatively…

3 at last, 3 at last

A win for late adopters

It doesn’t explode off the line, but builds speed with conviction It’s in the corners where the Cooper SE really impresses, feeling keener and more agile than an Abarth 500e yet also more settled and comfortable. Fine damping ensures you’re aware of every ripple, but not upset by them, adding to the information that trickles up from the tyres to the steering wheel. Exactly what you should expect from a Mini? Maybe so, but it’s not what you got from the previous Mini Electric, which was a bit of a hack job. With its modified combustion-engine platform dictating a tiny battery and a raised rear seat, it was fast but not for long. I never got more than 100 miles out of one, and that’s driving sensibly. A new bespoke…

A win for late adopters

Newer than it looks

You have to hand it to Audi: it knows how to do logical model nomenclature. You understand exactly what the Audi Q6 e-Tron is before you even clap eyes on it. That transparent naming convention effectively positions this new model in body style, footprint, likely cost and powertrain. The Q6 straddles the middle ground amid Ingolstadt’s assault on the electric SUV market, slotting between full-size Q8 e-Tron and Q4 e-Tron junior crossover. It’s Audi’s challenger to the BMW iX3, Tesla Model Y and Jaguar i-Pace, priced from £64,200 when UK sales begin in September. What is less obvious is the hardware underpinning this 4.8m-long newcomer. The Q6 is based around the group’s latest PPE architecture; it stands for Premium Power train Electric and it’s been co-developed by Porsche and Audi.…

Newer than it looks

Making an electric car cheaply in Europe is challenging – you only have to look at Dacia making its Spring in China. But Citroën wants to change that and claims its new e-C3 is the first affordable EV to be made in Europe – in Trnava, Slovakia, to be precise. It’s a fully kitted supermini that kicks off from £21,990, undercutting anything China sells in the UK (at least for now) and a Vaux hall Corsa Electric by around £5000. You’ll still be able to get a Citroën C3 with a petrol engine, and there’s a new mild hybrid too, but it’s the electric model that shakes things up. At launch, there’s one model available, using new hardware not currently employed anywhere else in the Stellantis group. Cheaper versions with…

Strange new worlds

THUNK. What the blazes is that? Has a low-flying bird just struck the Emeya’s roof at 75mph? A glance in the mirrors reveals no trail of feathers, and there’s no obvious damage to the large glass roof. This is all slightly troubling. Have I somehow broken the new Lotus electric luxury saloon? Then I recall that the Emeya has an advanced lidar system that involves sensors popping out of the front wings and the roof. As I’d triggered the adaptive cruise with steer assist moments before the mystery noise, it seems our culprit has been found. The remainder of our autobahn stint is a peaceful one, bar a little more wind noise than is ideal. The automated systems work well and the ride of our S version impresses, even on…

Strange new worlds

Destiny, delivered

The steering is delicately weighted, affording you huge confidence WATCH THE VIDEO! GET CAR’S DIGITAL EDITION – SEE PAGE 88 On the face of it, the launch of the McLaren Artura Spider is all about the retractable hardtop roof panel that weighs just 4.28kg and takes a mere 11 seconds to switch between al fresco and al coperto. But in reality, it’s so much more than that. With the introduction of the Spider also comes an update to the Coupe, giving McLaren a second chance to get its plug-in hybrid supercar right. Woking has revised the suspension, brakes, exhaust and power train. There’s a modest increase of 19bhp that brings total output to 690bhp – still far short of the Ferrari 296 GTB, but more than the Maserati MC20. The…

Destiny, delivered

SPONSORED BY Big legacy Alec Issigonis must be spinning in his grave. To call that thing in the May edition’s Giant Test a Mini is an insult to his memory. Brandon Mack Maybe. Or perhaps he’d be quietly pleased that the car he created has led to generations of other very good cars wearing the same badge. We need answers: paging Doris Stokes… CO Scratching the surface Ben Miller’s ‘if not today, then when?’ point in Our Cars (June issue) about convertible owners who don’t lower their roof when the sun comes out hit home because it vaguely annoys me too; it’s the wasted opportunity that grates, I think. But I suspect most of us must admit to parallel shortcomings. For instance, the 4x4 drivers who never go off-road, the…

‘There are worse examples of vandalising heritage than moving a number plate a few inches’

Another quirk bites the dust. Alfa Romeo’s off-centre front number plate is no more, the victim of new European legislation that demands positioning neither to the left nor the right but resolutely in the middle. It’s safer for pedestrians, apparently. The off-centre plate – typically on the left, but, like Italian politics, occasionally on the right – goes back to the lovely 1955 Giulietta Spider and is seen today on the Giulia, Tonale and Stelvio. It was originally placed off-centre so as not to impede airflow to the radiator. It also became a design signature, an asymmetric quirk that helpfully avoided scarring the distinctive scudetto grille. A big chunky UK plate, mounted low and central over the comely visage, would look as unsightly as a Ted Lasso mo on Taylor…

‘There are worse examples of vandalising heritage than moving a number plate a few inches’

‘All Porsches smell like the lobby of a fivestar boutique hotel. It’s like driving a 468bhp jacuzzi’

I’ve decided I don’t want to be a billionaire. Nah, not for me. Elon Musk can keep them all (the billions, I mean). My thinking is this: familiarity with rare and expensive things spoils them. As a car journalist, I’m in the incredibly privileged position of getting to drive the cars that others only dream of, cars that are way beyond my means, and I’ve noticed something disturbing. If I get to drive a Ferrari or a McLaren for a tantalising hour or two, they maintain their exotic, bewitching appeal. But if I drive something for longer – three or four days perhaps – it’s amazing how quickly you get used to all the noise and acceleration and the sports seats and leather interior, to the point where you almost…

‘All Porsches smell like the lobby of a fivestar boutique hotel. It’s like driving a 468bhp jacuzzi’

ʻWe f ***ing did it all’

Although it’s meant as a compliment it can so easily land like an insult. For ‘I was a huge fan of yours when I was a kid’, read ‘I’m really, really young – young in a way that you, in your middle age, can barely conceive of.’ Recently Griff, a singer, was announced as a support act for Taylor Swift’s massive Wembley show. ‘Eight-year-old me wouldn’t believe this!’ she gushed. ‘Taylor’s nearly old enough to be my mum!’ was an interpretation. The eight-year-old Mate Rimac didn’t have a poster of the Bugatti Veyron on his bedroom wall because, outside of Ferdinand Piëch’s febrile imagination, the car did not exist. But just as soon as it did exist, he did. Who could have known that, two decades later and still only…

ʻWe f ***ing did it all’

THREE DAYS WITH THE VEYRON, SEPTEMBER 2006 It remains one of the most inspired covers in more than 60 years of CAR – a starkly lit double garage, a random ladder and, right there, a Bugatti Veyron. Equally inspired was the headline – ‘Right car, wrong planet’ and the story, a postcard from another world as European editor Georg Kacher tried to make sense of it all. FLAT-OUT IN THE CHIRON, OCTOBER 2016 2016 and Georg is at it again, wrangling a ride in the box-fresh Chiron with then CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer (the man’s CV also includes Porsche’s Carrera GT and 918 Spyder – ridiculous). Together the two of them put the car’s 1479bhp and 1180lb ft to good use, regularly messing about at speeds in excess of 200mph and…

The enemy within

Pre-production G90 M5s in stealth-black camouflage are scudding past our second-storey panoramic window, accelerating like armoured vehicles pushed from the back of a heavy transport aircraft. Up here, seated, air-conditioned and with a Joe Wicks-approved lunch of various salads in front of us, M boss Frank van Meel and I can’t hear the e-boosted S58 V8s hard at work. But their potency is clear (717bhp and 738lb ft, for 0-62mph in 3.5sec and 189.5mph), as are the vortices of dust that burst from fast-spinning front wheels whenever the by-wire brakes are pressed into service. So, Frank, this is it: the first true part-electric M car (permit me to use the word ‘true’ to put the XM SUV to one side for a moment). Talk us through it. A forkful of…

The enemy within

THE EVER-RISING BAR

F90 (2017-2023) The recently departed F90 is the first M5 with (switchable) all-wheel drive and the first with a torque-convertor auto. Second-gen 4.4-litre V8 bi-turbo gets 592bhp minimum, making this bonkers rapid point-to-point. Competition spec is now about £40k. CS is best – 70kg lighter, slightly more potent, stickier Pirellis and 0-62mph in 3.0sec, tweaked dampers. Best driving M5 ever. E39 (1999-2003) First mass-produced M5 (actually cheaper than its predecessor when new), first with multi-link suspension, first with V8 power. New 395bhp 4.9-litre adds 60bhp over E34 with only 50kg ballast, but it’s the 74lb ft torque bonus served much lower that’s transformative. Pick of the lot if you want modern usability with classic cool. Prices still sensible, typically £20k-£45k. F10 (2011-2017) The first to go turbo, the F10 is…

THE EVER-RISING BAR

ACCELERATE INTO SUMMER WITH CAR

TRY 3 ISSUES FOR £5* WHY SUBSCRIBE? • Read every new issue first in the CAR app with digital access • Access past issues, videos & bonus content in the CAR app • Digital Subscribers can unlock discounts and rewards including money off motorsport events • Save over 70% on shop prices* and get free UK delivery • Receive the exclusive monthly CAR Supercharged e-newsletter from the editor Choose a subscription option to suit you: ORDER NOW greatmagazines.co.uk/car 01858 438 884 OR SCAN HERE Terms & Conditions: *Saving applies to initial trial term. 3 issues for £5 applies to the initial trial term on a CAR Print, Digital or Print + Digital subscription. The minimum term is 12 months. Offer closes at 11:59pm 31/08/24 UK only. Subscriptions will start with…

ACCELERATE INTO SUMMER WITH CAR

RIDERS ON THE STORM

Once you start noticing Dacias in France, you can’t stop. They’re everywhere. Dusters, Sanderos, the old Logan, Lodgy and Dokker, the new Jogger. But the Dacia we’re on our way to see is unlike any of these sensible, low-budget, utilitarian family cars. The Sandrider, Dacia’s first works entry in the dream-crushing Dakar Rally, is a bold step. Whether it all turns out to be the start of a new chapter, or a footnote to the last one, or a complete red herring, only time will tell. I pick up this Shadow Grey Duster from a nondescript side street in south-west Paris and almost immediately I’m in an urban sea of Dacia. It’s no illusion. Dacia is one of the biggest automotive success stories of recent times. The latest sales figures…

RIDERS ON THE STORM

PANIC OVER. IT’S STILL GREAT

1 IT STILL DRIVES LIKE A 911 I’m a 911 GT3 purist/bore. I’ll tell you about 9000rpm redlines and throttle response and how turbocharged 911s can’t compete with their lag and lower revs. But it takes precious little seat time in the new Carrera GTS to imagine future GT3s putting a twist on this new T-hybrid technology. The electric turbo, the e-motor in the eight-speed PDK gearbox and the tiny extra battery combine to give this 3.6-litre turbocharged flat-six far more of a ‘naturally aspirated’ edge than the previous 3.0-litre. It’s so seamlessly integrated too. Think sprinkles of spicy garnish, not platefuls of sustainably sourced sides. Squeeze the throttle through town and there’s instant juice. Floor it on the autobahn and performance just keeps coming – 534bhp isn’t only 60bhp…

PANIC OVER. IT’S STILL GREAT

Europlug and play

If phase one of the journey of electric cars into the mainstream involved odd-looking hatchbacks like the first Nissan Leaf, and if phase two was dominated by crossovers such as the Jaguar i-Pace and Audi e-Tron, it looks like we’re now in phase three, which has room for all sorts, from supercars and GTs to sports saloons and a few hot hatches, with the Abarth 500e among the first. Fiat knows a thing or two about making small cars punch above their weight, and its in house performance division is expert at turning the dial up. Power goes up from 117bhp in the Fiat to 152bhp here. The Abarth version of the Fiat 500e has a more powerful motor, a butch bodykit and a smattering of engineering changes to go…

Europlug and play

Them’s the city breaks

The weather has improved but the SQ8’s range hasn’t much – a full charge yields about 220 miles. Not quite enough to drive to Stratford-upon-Avon and back, including a visit to Cadbury World. The whispering SQ8 is great on the motorway: it weighs 2.7 tonnes but evidently most of that is in sound-deadening. It’s efficient at 70mph too: we covered 93 miles at 2.3 miles per kWh, better than its official figure but way off acceptability. The big boot swallows weekend kit for five people, especially if you use the bonus spare wheel well space. For the journey home I made a meticulous plan to charge using 7kW BP chargers in Market Place, Warwick, while we visited the castle. But alas the Audi’s erratic slow charging scuppered that: the car…

Them’s the city breaks

It is what it is

It’s easy to find gaping holes in the F-Type’s armour. It’s in the V8 departure lounge, knocking back a second Martini and catching the waiter’s eye for a third. No hybrid, cylinder deactivation or electric assist technologies to be found here. Its D6a platform traces its roots back to the 1996 XK, which explains its compromised packaging. And while it’s still visually striking, the 11 years since its debut have softened the impact. These challenges instantly disappear every time I thumb the starter button, drop the hood and rumble onto the road. The F-Type creates a sense of occasion, exuding an invaluable combination of presence, style and authority – intangibles that elevate the already engaging and vivid driving experience onto an altogether loftier plane. I have the unshakable feeling that…

It is what it is

Green on the outside

It feels as on-point today on a twisty road as it did in 2018 when I ranked it above a Macan Turbo WATCH THE VIDEO! GET CAR’S DIGITAL EDITION – SEE PAGE 88 For a car with such an outrageous turn of pace, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio doesn’t like to be rushed. I originally drove one in the Middle East in December 2017, and almost seven years on, at a point when most car makers would be introducing a whole new model, it’s just been facelifted… a tiny bit. There’s a smart new set of darkened LED lights up front that look a bit like the SZ-inspired ones on the Tonale, and another set of LEDs out back, these the same shape as before but this time with a…

Green on the outside

The science of slip

Electric cars are hugely reliant on being able to carve cleanly through the air, maximising efficiency so they get an acceptable number of miles per charge. In pure energy terms, our EQE’s 89kWh battery contains 320,000 kilojoules of fizz. A 60-litre tank of petrol has about 2,000,000. Join me as I attempt to improve my rather poor grasp of aerodynamics – a journey illustrated not by pie charts and line graphs, but by photos of my EQE with a rather more attractive Mercedes. The W196 R you see here is not the real thing from the mid ’50s but a life-size model on display at Mercedes-Benz World in Brooklands. It shows how glorious a car can be when shows exactly what happens to car shapes when aerodynamic efficiency is at…

The science of slip

Chasing Horizon

WATCH THE VIDEO! GET CAR’S DIGITAL EDITION – SEE PAGE 88 I once tagged along with Martin Brundle for a ride. The F1 driver turned broadcaster likes to ride to a couple of the European rounds, to break up the endless flying and to give him a chance to properly exercise his motorcycle. The BMW K1600GT is to bikes what the Bentley Continental GT is to cars; a big, weighty and charismatically over-engined triumph of technology capable of majestic progress across the face of this earth. It’s a very fast, very comfortable machine built not for local hops but for intercontinental epics, and Martin told me of the trouble he sometimes has stopping. He’ll leave, say, Imola, with every intention of breaking for a night’s rest somewhere in France,…

Chasing Horizon

Remember that string 0f daft B-movie alien films with silly or contrived titles in the ’50s? ‘THOSE!’ ‘The Thing From Mars!’ ‘Aliens Stole My Baby!’ That sort of thing. If we were to create one now, Smart’s quirky #1 could make an appearance in the role of a mobility solution from another world. It really does look different, doesn’t it? And that’s enhanced – for better or worse – by this Lumen Yellow paint (which, depending on the light, can look green). Everything’s very rounded and sculpted, soft and sleek – though, to my eye, it doesn’t quite manage to pull it all off. But at least it doesn’t look blandly anonymous. It stands out in the city, which has traditionally been Smart’s home turf, and doubly so when it…

Ideas above its station

The Astra is a well-designed, well-thought-out and good-value family hatch that can hold its own against even the posher stuff like a BMW 1-series or Mercedes A-Class, in my opinion. Vauxhall’s design team have played a blinder; and the recently unveiled Grandland shows their run of good form is continuing. And industry-watchers will be impressed by how original and distinct the Astra feels, despite using a whole skip full of Stellantis common parts. It’s a handsome car inside and out, and some serious logic has been applied to the interior. It avoids all the traps that so many car makers stumble into with their interiors: massive screens replacing physical buttons, weird driving positions, form-over-function layouts… The Astra handles sweetly, too, with accurate steering and good body control. The rear of…

Ideas above its station

As old as you feel

I always hoped I’d turn 50 in a Ferrari. Turns out it’ll be in a Skoda. Still, at least I’ll be driving the most powerful, fastest-accelerating production Skoda ever when I hit the half-century, and one that’s winning the approval of people half my age. Nathan the barman at our local pizzeria knew its impressive headline stats, and was rather more excited about it than I’d expect anyone in their twenties to be. He’s right to be, of course. This Enyaq Coupe iV vRS is now a 335bhp car – power having leapt 40bhp with a recent revision – and will crack 62mph in 5.5 seconds. It’s also claimed to be more efficient and has had a bunch of tweaks made to steering, handling and the infotainment systems too. Although…

As old as you feel

Put the ’Ring in Touring

Not since Audi’s RS2 has a fast estate been more hyped than the M3 Touring. After six months of living with one, that hype seems justified. The Touring does so much so well I’ve loved driving this big-booted M3, which switches from planted and flexible motorway cruiser to super-responsive B-road weapon at the press of a button. Switchable all-wheel drive is key to that. It’s standard on the Touring, but not the saloon. I mostly left it in Sport for its blend of extra rear bias with massive traction and next-to no steering corruption. Even with power flowing entirely to the rear it’s surprisingly composed – plus adjustable traction control lets you ease into its flamboyance. Any dynamic compromises versus the saloon are so inconsequential and the practicality gain so…

Put the ’Ring in Touring

Enjoy every mile

The world’s most respected automotive magazine featuring fearless verdicts, exclusive interviews and stunning photography of the latest cars Britain’s longest established classic car magazine, packed full of great cars with inspirational stories of pursuing, owning, driving and restoring classics The UK’s leading classic car magazine is packed full with the very best hand son classic car maintenance and restoration experience Featuring the latest news from the classic car world including auctions and events plus inspiring features written by the nation’s classics experts Go digital and get your first month FROM JUST 99P Immediate access to magazine content on your desktop or digital device Past Editions archive Member-only rewards, discounts, and prizes Read or listen to all articles on your device at home or on the go Control your digital reading…

Enjoy every mile

TOP 5 HOT HATCHES GIANT TEST WINNER 1 HONDA CIVIC TYPE R THE GOOD: Feel, feedback, focus: a phenomenal full-sized hot hatch THE BAD: Nearly £50k for a front drive hatchback with barely any more power than before THE UGLY: Probably the last of its kind; good job it’s one of the best THE ONE TO BUY: There’s just the one model; expect to pay around £470 on a PCP with a £14k deposit GIANT TEST WINNER 2 TOYOTA GR YARIS THE GOOD: A modern-day rally homologation special THE BAD: Road noise like a death-metal gig; joke rear seats THE UGLY: Long waiting list, even with some versions priced at £60,000 THE ONE TO BUY: Now has optional auto but go for the manual; opting for secondhand will be quicker GIANT…

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