Autocar magazine 26 August - on sale now
This week: Two new Renault EVs detailed, Honda E road tested, modern classics special and much more
Renault is preparing two new EVs as part of a wide-reaching overhaul - and Autocar has all the details.
More extensive platform sharing with Alliance partner Nissan will spawn a production version of last year’s Morphoz concept and another, more mysterious model.
New boss Luca de Meo, who joined Renault from Seat, is the driving force behind the brand’s SUV focus and is also pushing a renewed focus on C-segment models. Pick up this week’s mag to find out more.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Land Rover has updated the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque for 2021 with new engines, revamped infotainment and a special-edition trim. But JLR-fans will probably be more excited by the news that the company will take over production of Ford’s AJ supercharged petrol V8, securing the future of the engine used in everything from the Jaguar F-Type to the Range Rover (and set to be used in the new Defender).
Lotus has pushed back the launch of its Evija electric hypercar by at least five months, due to delays in the testing programme caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, we get an early look at the renewed Volkswagen Golf R Estate.
In other news, although fully-automated cars are still a significant way away from appearing on UK roads, semi-autonomous tech is coming to fruition, especially new automated lane-keeping systems. We report on what the UK government is doing to regulate the technology.
What will the first UK gigafactory mean for the industry? In the Autocar Business section, we take a look at new start-up Britishvolt, which plans to open such a factory in 2023, and consider the debatable economic arguments for producing more SUVs, which make the most cash, but also emit more CO2.
-Reviews-
No one can accuse BMW of failing to offer sufficient choice. Not with the X3, at least. Is the plug-in hybrid xDrive30e the one to go for? We drive one for the first time to find out.
Then, we get behind the wheel of the new Toyota Highlander to discover if the latest addition to the hybrid SUV segment will bring practicality and economy to Europe when it arrives next year. Elsewhere, the Kia Sportage gets most big-ticket items right, including a new mild-hybrid engine, and the facelifted Mercedes E450 Cabriolet swaps a twin-turbo straight six for a mild-hybrid single-turbo V6.
In the road test, we turn our attention to the Honda E. Honda has waited while the electric car segment has grown. Has it delayed too long? Finally, we wind back the clock to when we tested Peugeot’s maiden hybrid - in many ways it was a taster of the future, but it didn’t feel like it in 2012.
-Features-
The Audi A3 created the posh family hatchback class with a classy interior and mature manners. But does it remain ahead of the BMW 1 Series and Mercedes A-Class in its new generation? We find out.
Then, it’s time to delve into the world of second-hand modern classics. As cars become ever more complicated, expensive and stoic, the fun, frugal and friendly fraternity of modern classic ownership beckons.
But which should you buy? we predict which cars will follow the rise of the Jaguar E-Type and go from unwanted to unattainable, and which you should sink your wallet into. Toyota and Lexus’s heritage fleet has plenty of gems in it, as we discover.
We also turn our attention to a very particular modern classic - the E39-generation BMW 5 Series. Here’s how to ensure you sort an absolute bargain from a well-disguised duff.
Our modern classic bonanza ends with opening the floor out to the Autocar team, who weigh with their own modern classics: the cars we have in our garages, on our driveways and in our secret bunkers that we think will one day be remembered as the most as among the important models of their time.
Opinions
Bugattis don’t come tinier than the Baby Bugatti 2 that Steve Cropley spied at the Bicester Heritage on Monday. Tuesday brings an absorbing few minutes listening to Marshall Motor Group boss Daksh Gupta reveal how lockdown has affected his dealerships, then later in the week talk turns to modern classics. Meanwhile, Matt Prior wonders whether Aston Martin might be milking its connection with James Bond a little too heavily in its latest round of Bond-themed special editions.
-Deals-
If you want the best of comfort and a comfortable conscience without grappling with the practicality issues that beset some EVs, then you want a hybrid, says James Ruppert, and a 2015 BMW i8 fits the bill. If a family car is more what you’re after, then maybe you should plump for a good-as-new Skoda Karoq - it’s the star of this week’s nearly new guide. Finally, in the used guide, we show you how to buy a previous-generation BMW Z4.
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