Table of contents for May 25, 2022 in Autocar

BMW has revived the hallowed CSL tag for the first time in nearly two decades for a highly strung, stripped-back variant of the M4 coupé – arriving exactly 50 years since the legendary E9-generation 3.0 CSL was launched. Priced from £128,820, the M4 CSL will be limited to 1000 units – just 100 of which will come to the UK – and is more powerful than any M3 or M4 variant yet produced, gaining a boost of 40bhp over the current, range-topping M4 Competition. It’s the fastest BMW road car yet to have lapped the Nürburgring, recording a time of 7min 15.677sec. “Its power-to-weight ratio of 334bhp per tonne is only slightly inferior to the Porsche 911 GT3’s” The M4 CSL is powered by the familiar ‘B58’ twin-turbo straight six,…

SKODA’S MAIN PRODUCTION facility in Mladá Boleslav is likely to build cars for other Volkswagen Group brands in the coming years as the company ramps up its electrification programme. Mladá Boleslav currently produces the Enyaq iV and Octavia, and the Czech firm has just opened a new plant there to assemble battery systems for the MEB EV platform – the first such facility outside Germany. It can assemble more than 255,000 battery packs per year, which will be used for EVs built at Mladá Boleslav and sent to other factories for use in Audi, Cupra and Volkswagen EVs. There are already plans to increase annual production capacity by 125,000 packs per year by 2023. But Skoda bosses also want to produce battery cells and develop a recycling facility in the…

Gordon Murray Design (GMD) calls iStream “a fundamental rethink on the way cars are designed, developed and manufactured”, claiming that its implications for mass vehicle production are on a par with Henry Ford’s pioneering efforts in the early 20th century. It centres on improving efficiency of manufacturing outlay, operating costs and the environment, and it could be especially attractive for car manufacturers as they move to a modular platform-based EV product strategy. GMD claims an iStream production line can produce multiple variants on the same platform, requires 80% less investment than a traditional plant, produces vehicles with a 40%-smaller CO2 footprint and drastically reduces vehicle weight. A supermini designed to the iStream principle would supposedly weigh some 200kg less than a conventional equivalent.…

When car makers search for help to develop new, powerful performance engines, one of their first phone calls might be to Mahle Powertrain, formerly known as Cosworth Technology, a firm that has long been one of Britain’s engineering powerhouses. Audi, Ford and Nissan have all entrusted important new performance engines (for the RS6, Focus ST170 and GT-R) to the company, while countless other engines have been tested and developed on its dynamometers and high-temperature and high-altitude climatic test cells. These days, like every car industry supplier, Mahle Powertrain is refocusing on battery-electric powertrains. This month, it completed the first stage of its transition with the opening of a £1.5 million battery-electric powertrain test facility, taking investment in the site since 2018 to £14.9m (£3.6m from the government). The pouring of…

JOSH COOK BECAME the first double winner of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid era, as the BTC Honda driver swept the opening races on the Brands Hatch Indy track. Four-time champion Colin Turkington led a BMW one-two-three-four in qualifying, but on a rain-affected race day, the rear-driven 330e saloons struggled on Goodyear wets, and Cook came from fifth to take an impressive victory. He then led all the way from pole position to win race two. Turkington recovered in the final race of the day with a full-wet set-up to score his first win of the season, having overcome reverse-grid pole-sitter Tom Chilton, while new WSR BMW team-mate Jake Hill followed him home in second. But Cook was the star of the day. “I’m knackered,” he said. “That was…

And so to the serious stuff. After months of anticipation, a circus of static launches and an elaborate US-based international media drive programme, we’re at last able to test the new Range Rover where it matters most. This week we’ve driven Land Rover’s brand-new flagship on the ancient, pockmarked roads of Britain, widely acknowledged as the most difficult in Europe, and also on the steep, rutted, muddy slopes of the Eastnor Castle estate, where both this latest Range Rover and every one of its four predecessors, reaching back to 1970, was developed. It is the essential evaluation. Happily, we have the right Range Rover for the job. Our test car is a standard-wheelbase D350 HSE diesel, a version selected several weeks ago by our man Matt Prior as potentially the…

It’s just possible that the arrival of this new M60 derivative means a murine aesthetic is no longer the most shocking thing about the BMW iX. You can decide for yourself. On the one hand, well, look at it. On the other hand, know that in M60 form, the electric SUV’s dual-motor powertrain makes a combined 611bhp and 749lb ft. Monstrous figures both, and enough to fling this 2584kg car to 62mph in just 3.8sec, making it not only the most powerful BMW EV so far but also the most accelerative. The next-best i4 M50 saloon is all of 0.1sec slower, despite having 7bhp per tonne more to its name and less drag. The flagship iX will cost just under £117,000 when it goes on sale next month (deliveries start…

This new Volkswagen looks like a van (albeit the coolest one you’ve ever seen), has the interior space of a van and even has ‘van’ in its name, but it very much drives like a car, thanks to its Golf platform. That also opens it up to a full range of Golf powertrains, of which this petrol-electric plug-in hybrid is one. We recently tried the 200mm-longer Long variant in the highest of two trim levels, Style. This time, we’re sampling the standard 4973mm-long van in basic Life guise. There’s little difference between the standard and Long Multivans. Chiefly you get a bit more ‘boot’ space (it’s more a large storage area behind the third row of seats), as the extra length comes after the rear overhang. The incredibly flexible interior…

It’s early afternoon on a sunny spring weekday, and the Smit brothers are waiting for me beside the Pacific Coast Highway. It’s one of the world’s most famous road trip destinations, and I’m prepared to argue they’ve made one of the more glamorous cars to have ever rolled along it. BMW never made a Z8 coupé, which, if you’re a fan of coupés (as I am and I think the Smits are) is perhaps a shame. This car looks like one. It isn’t one, but it looks like one. Kaess and Willem Smit are both engineers and between them have spent time with high-tech manufacturers and tuners, working in aerospace and for Tesla and Porsche 911 modifier Singer. They clearly work well together and are unashamed BMW fans. They’ve also…

Talk about building the suspense: even though I know where I’ve come today, a nondescript building and car park in Woking is gloriously understated. A single personnel door leads to a typically light-industrial-building corridor, ladies and gents bogs off to each side. The paint on the walls is a bit knackered in places, the carpet worn here and there, as the rabbit-warren hallway continues to weave around, 1980s-style strip lights overhead. There are literally no clues as to what we’re about to see, not even a poster on the wall. And then wham… through the final unremarkable door and holy moly: what a sight! Racks and racks of whole Formula 1 cars, stacked three high and gloriously hidden from view under dust sheets but with obvious aero features giving the…

Disappointment at Rover’s return THE VITESSE VERSION of the Rover SD1 arrived in 1983 with a bold bodykit, a lower stance, stiffer suspension and weightier steering to go with an uprated V8. It was a success, so in 1988 Rover applied virtually the same formula on its next fastback, the main difference being its vee had only six cylinders. “There is surely a place in the market for a large, well-equipped luxury car with the versatility of a hatchback – and the 800, with its refinement, ride, quietness and room, is a good basis for such a car,” our road testers reported. “Whether or not the Vitesse is the best model in the range is another matter. Make no mistake, it’s not a bad car. It has strengths, including a…

Mitsubishi i 2007-2012 No one has ever seen one, but they do exist. Like a Smart with a couple of extra doors, plus an interesting layout that puts a tiny 660cc turbo in the back. That means rear-wheel drive, but it’s still very stable. Not that economical considering it’s so titchy, but 55mpg overall isn’t bad. You can get four inside quite comfortably, but there’s just 246 litres of luggage space at best. It is, though, a proper city-centric K-car regulation-compliant tiddler with plenty of equipment. You get electric windows, air-con, twin airbags, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, alloys, remote central locking and Isofix rear child seat mounts. Being a ’Bishi, it has proved to be pretty reliable, but you’d struggle to get second-hand body parts, or indeed many mechanicals unless…

The Ford S-Max has everything you need from a multi-purpose vehicle because it’s spacious (with seven seats), comfortable and practical, but it also has something you, as an Autocar reader, probably want and seldom find in an MPV: driver’s car characteristics. We say ‘MPV’ because that’s what it is. However, at the second-generation S-Max’s launch in 2015, Ford instead labelled it as a ‘sports activity vehicle’, to differentiate it from the larger Galaxy MPV. In line with that more sporting remit, the S-Max was fitted with Ford’s adaptive front steering system, optional all-wheel drive and some brand-new engines. At launch, a 2.0-litre turbo diesel (TDCi) was available with four power outputs. The 118bhp version used a six-speed manual gearbox and was the most economical option (56.5mpg WLTP combined) but lacked…

We recently spied a heavily modified Land Rover Defender testing at the Nürburgring, and we reckon it will go on sale as a hardcore variant with flared arches, raised suspension and all-terrain tyres. We believe it will herald a new SVX sub-brand, with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class clearly in its sights. It will join a surprisingly long list of far-out SUVs, including this lot… Mercedes-AMG G63 6x6 Despite all the changes made to it, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is still recognisably derived from the G-Wagen (short for Geländewagen, meaning ‘off-road vehicle’) that was launched way back in 1979. But there have been many interesting developments along the way. The wildest of all was the AMG G63 6x6, which had six driven wheels. With a 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, it…

“We’ve created a very low car but it will be a proper four-seater” Mercedes-AMG has previewed its plans for a new stand-alone electric performance saloon to rival the Porsche Taycan with the unveiling of the Vision AMG. The production version, due in 2025, will be the first AMG model to use the company’s dedicated AMG.EA electric car platform – a structure conceived around a compact battery designed to allow a lower and more sporting shape than that permitted by Mercedes-Benz’s existing EVA electric car platform, as used by the EQS and EQE saloons. “We’ve taken full advantage of the new platform in both the design and proportions,” said Robert Lesnik, head of Mercedes-Benz exterior design. “The Vision AMG shows what we are planning: a low and sleek saloon with outstanding…

Renault will revive the Scenic in 2024 as a bold electric SUV, which it has previewed with a concept car featuring a radical hydrogen-electric powertrain. Taking up the baton from the MPV built from 1991 to 2022, the new Scenic will sit above the Mégane E-Tech Electric SUV in Renault’s EV line-up. It will be launched with a conventional battery-electric powertrain, but the hydrogen-electric system in the concept reflects Renault’s “broader vision”, with the company citing that the hydrogen propulsion system would become more prevalent beyond 2030 for use in light commercial vehicles. DESIGN At 4490mm long, 1900mm wide and 1590mm tall, the Scenic Vision concept is 280mm longer, 120mm wider and 85mm taller than the Mégane E-Tech Electric and has a 135mm-longer wheelbase. Unlike previous generations of the Scenic,…

The automotive industry’s role in society “It doesn’t get enough credit. It consistently democratises progress because of its scale and the consequences that has of lowering costs, and when it gets hold of an innovation, it always makes it solid and reliable, because the consequences of getting it wrong can cost a life.” Why Renault’s electric car business could be hived off “Look at it as a sports team: we have a new stadium with new players and different approaches. We have to create a new game – and the best way to do that is to take a few thousand people and put them in a new organisation that isn’t set on doing things the same way it has for 123 years.” Renault’s EV reputation “EVs are one of…

TYRES HAVE AN amazing impact on the way any car performs, affecting not just handling and grip but also safety, noise and energy consumption. What a pity, then, that they are also such a problem when it comes to sustainability. This time last year, we reported on how tyre manufacturers were looking at ways to ease the environmental burden of tyres by replacing unsustainable materials with ecologically sound alternatives. Examples include the use of natural latex from the roots of dandelions as a substitute for natural rubber and soybean oil to replace petroleum-based oil in tyre compounds. Now those projects are beginning to bear fruit as Goodyear announces the release of its first tyres made using a sustainable soybean compound as part of its mission to ditch petroleum oils in…

Mahle is a German company, but its Northampton-based subsidiary, Mahle Powertrain, is protective of its British heritage, retaining strong emotional ties to its origins as Cosworth. The business came to be owned by Mahle after a couple of changes of ownership, first in 1980, then in 1990, when engineering conglomerate Vickers (then also the owner of Bentley and Rolls-Royce) took over. After eight years of ownership, Vickers sold Cosworth to Audi in 1998, at which point the famous race engine operation was separated from the road engine operation, which was renamed Cosworth Technology. Ford took on the race engine business, then sold it on in 2004. Mahle acquired Cosworth Technology from Audi in 2005 and rebranded it Mahle Powertrain. Still linking to the glory days of Cosworth founders Mike Costin…

PAUL WILLCOX, A veteran industry executive who has had successful stints at car makers including Nissan and the Volkswagen Group, took the reins at Vauxhall in spring 2021. On 1 June, he will become the UK head of Stellantis, leading not only Vauxhall but also Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Jeep and Peugeot. Here, he talks to us about his vision for Vauxhall’s future. How do you define Vauxhall? “We’re a mainstream accessible brand, a British brand that’s proud of our heritage but not rooted in history. It’s a progressive brand with electrification.” What’s the current status of Ellesmere Port and Luton? “There has been a €100 million [£84.7m] investment for a huge transformation of the Ellesmere Port plant from ICE to EV. It’s a big investment, and I…

So single-minded is any Seven that every model in the range feels like a would-be racer missing only an opportunity. But Caterham does offer dedicated racing cars, with none more focused than the cage-bedecked, slick-shod, windscreen-less Championship UK Racecar. Ignore the unromantic name: we’ve driven one and adored it for its remarkable ability to be fun and forgiving while feeling grittily raw and millimetre-precise. Alas, it’s solely for the track, which is where the new 420 Cup comes in. Caterham wants you to think of this car as the ultimate road-legal track-day Seven, inspired by the single-seat racer but with solid concessions to comfort and versatility. Inside, you duly find Alcantara trim on the transmission tunnel, and even the optional composite Tillett seats are heated. The roll-cage is also an…

MODEL TESTED 1.2T PURETECH 130 GT Price £29,920 • Power 129bhp • Torque 170lb ft • 0-60mph 9.5sec • 30-70mph in fourth 11.7sec • Fuel economy 40.3mpg • CO2 emissions 130g/km • 70-0mph 44.8m It’s been a long time since Peugeot used TV, radio and magazine advertising to crow about the strength of its lion-like models, but those of us who can remember when it did might well see a parallel between its relative commercial tidings of the late 1980s and early 1990s and today. This company is incrementally shifting itself closer towards pseudo-premium brand territory by launching ever more chiselled-looking cars with inviting, materially appealing interiors, powered by modern engines that keep them relevant. In the UK and elsewhere, it has reclaimed much of the market share that it lost…

The 308’s handling poise survived the test of the Millbrook alpine Hill Route well. The outright lateral grip and performance of a hot hatchback are predictably absent here, but there is balance and agility in any case, and a natural fluency from turn-in to apex to exit that makes the car both easy and enjoyable to drive quickly. The car’s suspension allows initial vertical body movements of a fairly large amplitude, and your worry is that the suspension may run out of travel through compressions – but it doesn’t. Body roll is permitted up to a point, but both roll rate and lean angle are contained long before either builds sufficiently to undermine grip levels. Peugeot’s stability control system is always active; there’s no physical switch to disable it, and…

From now until late autumn, many places, from car parks to stately homes, will be hosting groups of people with embossed hoodies and identical cars, separated from casual visitors by some fluttering flags. It’s the owners’ club meet; that highlight in the car enthusiast’s social diary when fellow fanciers bond over a Penguin. At least that’s the chocolate biscuit ‘Two-hour Pete’ offers me when I arrive at the Easter meeting of the Abarth Owners’ Club Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire (AOCSSH), held in a corner of the car park at the popular Rykas cafe, near Dorking. Fortunately, I’ve brought an Abarth along for the occasion, specifically an F595C whose significance would be explained to me by members later. Arriving in it meant I could confidently enter the club zone and, under…

Two interesting quotes in the 4 May issue: Steve Cropley’s “we ordinary people have ordinary cars” and Matt Prior’s “it’s nice to drive a car of tremendous potential that delivers it at a pace at which you can enjoy it”. To Prior, I would say: forget your Gunther Werks 993 Speedster and buy a Mazda MX-5, which was designed from day one to deliver pleasure at modest (ie road-legal) speeds. Few of us travel on unrestricted autobahns or indulge in circuit-based track days, so we need to have our “fun” on ordinary roads. You will save a shedload of money, too. Admittedly, you won’t win any brownie points on the high street in Chelsea, but “ordinary” folk don’t venture there either. As an “ordinary car for ordinary people”, the MX-5…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 5395 WHY WE RAN IT To see whether this electric family hatchback has the versatility to be Volkswagen’s new people’s car If I’ve learned anything from watching Bridgerton on Netflix, it’s that as far as British nobility is concerned, duty comes first. And when titles are passed on to the next family member in the line of succession, the new lord of the manor has to take those duties seriously, with any failure to do so resulting in scandal and possible ostracism. Volkswagen has had its share of scandal over the past few years, but it has survived and is moving swiftly into the electric era with the likes of the ID 3. The ID 3’s duty is eventually to take over from the Golf as the…

It’s hard to utter the words ‘Range Rover’ without feeling a little smug. The iconic nameplate conjures images of wealthy country folk and Hollywood celebrities. In saying that, ownership isn’t as exclusive as you might think: the L322 generation featured here is arguably the bargain of the century. Travel back to the late 1990s and you’ll find Land Rover under BMW ownership and this third-generation Range Rover in development. The posh high-rider was revealed in 2001 featuring a 281bhp 4.4-litre V8 petrol and a 174bhp 3.0-litre diesel made by BMW, despite the British brand having been bought by Ford that very year. It retained those two engines until 2005 – a year after its BMW E39 5 Series electronics had been ditched for Jaguar ones. Speaking of Jaguar, its 296bhp…

‘Superstevie’ “To me, the solution is simple. Euro NCAP needs a better scoring system for buyers to better understand the cars they are buying. “They need to make it easier to differentiate between tests from various years, as well as the individual elements that make up the score. “A car without all these safety systems can be better in an accident at protecting its occupants than one with them, but the ratings do not reflect that.” Dan Wright “[De Meo is] absolutely correct. Have two ratings: one for impact protection in the event of an unavoidable incident, and another rating for preventative technology. Lane keep assist isn’t going to help you when a car comes barrelling towards you on the wrong side of the road.” William Dunlop “I totally agree…

The Gordon Murray Group is developing a pair of mass-market-friendly electric SUVs for launch after the V12-engined T50 and T33 supercars, signalling the start of the company’s shift into the mainstream. The SUVs will be the first vehicles to ride on a bespoke new EV architecture currently under development at Gordon Murray Design (GMD), while the closely related Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) division readies the supercars for customer deliveries over the next two years and works on a “very noisy” hybrid follow-up along similar lines. Giving the first details of the SUVs after accepting Autocar’s Mundy Award for Engineering earlier this month, Gordon Murray promised they would “change the way we think about range anxiety and vehicle dynamics”. This suggests that, despite their consumer-friendly billing, the SUVs will follow the…

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It would perhaps be a bit of an understatement to suggest that the automotive industry is struggling a little at the moment. Still reeling from the pandemic, it’s now dealing with supply chain chaos and a cost-of-living crisis. However, it appears that nobody bothered to tell Kia about these problems. You see, while many have been toiling, the Korean brand has been soaring. Last year, it increased its sales in Europe by more than 20%, growing its market share from 3.5% to 4.3%. More importantly, at some points during 2021, nearly half of all its sales were electrified – and a chunk of those were the e-Niro. The original electric Niro wasn’t the most exciting car, but it offered decent practicality, loads of kit and a seven-year warranty. Crucially, it…

Peugeot has rediscovered its touch for sweet-handling family cars with the subject of this week’s road test (see p34), the new 308 hatchback. However, much of its dynamic success seems to depend on its lightness and relative compactness, with which a heavier powertrain and an extra-practical estate body might seem incompatible. So is a 308 with a bigger boot and an unfashionable diesel engine still a car with a particular driver appeal? Just as with the previous two 308 generations, the SW gets a longer wheelbase, although this time it’s only 55mm longer, which is about half the extra that it used to enjoy. The seven-seat option hasn’t returned, but boot space has jumped by nearly 50% over the hatch (when measured behind the back seats and under the load…

VERDICT We started this test wondering if we might see a return of the dynamic mojo with which Peugeot made its modern reputation in the 1980s and 1990s. More than any of its other recent introductions, this 308 suggests that could be a realistic hope. That, in a family car configured to be sufficiently lean and simple, this company can still set a standard on ride and handling that only a world-class family car can beat. In a market flooded with unnecessary weight and complexity, that’s heartening news. The third-generation 308 isn’t quite complete enough as a product to top its class overall, but where its priorities lie, it delivers. It’s smart looking and appealing both outwardly and inwardly; refined and agreeable to drive on both good days and bad.…

There was no fanfare inside the sober portals of the Oxfordshire civic boardroom when the big decision was handed down in early January, but there was plenty of cause for jubilation on the outside. The Cherwell Planning Committee, an all-powerful local body whose authority encompasses the century-old former RAF Bicester air base – better known nowadays as Bicester Motion – gave its backing to the last and most controversial tranche of an ambitious redevelopment plan for the site, named the Experience Quarter. The decision gave an instant green light to the long-term development of three miles of driver experience and car handling tracks, of an active airfield and of a network of exhibition centres designed to be occupied by a variety of automotive, cycling and aviation brands. Electric karting and…

FIRST DRIVE Toyota GR86 We were blown away by a pre-production GR86. Now we get to drive the finished version of the deliciously old-school driver’s coupé ROAD TEST BMW 2 Series Coupé This car also made a great first impression. Now it meets our road testers FEATURE Vincent Cobée Delayed by a week, we bring you our interview with the man running Citroën EVERY WEEK CULT HERO Vauxhall VX200 The Vauxhall sports car with Lotus DNA heads into our inspection bay FIRST DRIVE Audi S8 First test of the hottest version of Audi’s revised range-topping saloon SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p22…

“Its wheelbase is almost as long as its name, denoting that it sits at the top of the pile” FIRST REPORT WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a plug-in hybrid S-Class can be as convincing an ultimate long-distance luxury saloon as its diesel ancestors Thirty years ago, there was another S-Class Benz on this very fleet. It was an S500 of the W140 generation: silver paint, V8 motor, keys guarded very closely by one S Cropley Esq, who remains of this parish to this day. But I was able to wrench them from his grip once, because Jaguar was launching the new Daimler Double Six and we had to do a twin test with the world’s best luxury car. Which the S-Class was. The good news for me was…

These look smart – not P1800 smart, but at least the C70 wasn’t a house brick. A full-on four-seater with luggage space for all. Five-cylinder engines, some with turbos, were good, and eventually a cheaper 2.0 arrived. There was also the rather exciting T5. Value-for-money spec included air-con, electric most things and a decent stereo. Most had leather, or at least partially. For many, the GT was the pick of the packages, with a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, stereo upgrade, stability control and sunroof. Not only did we get the cool coupé but there was also the classy cabriolet with an advanced electric roof that took just one button press to make it work, plus a proper glass rear window. Incredibly, four roof colours were available to complement the bodywork,…

Volvo 850R £9995 IN THE MARKET for an uncommon estate that can outrun the average hot hatchback? We’ve got just the car for you – and it might not be one that you expect. It comes from Volvo, a brand that now epitomises premium comfort and technology. Dramatic, exuberant special-edition models? Not so much. We’re focusing on the Volvo 850, which was introduced in 1991 as the successor to the Volvo 240. Available in both estate and saloon bodystyles, the 850 is practical and classy in equal measure. But we’re more interested in the performance version – the second one, to be precise, which is the aptly named 850R. Introduced in 1996, the 850R followed the limited-edition 850 T-5R, which itself produced 18bhp more than the standard 850 Turbo. The…