Table of contents for December 31, 2024 in Autocar

The new CLA is the first car on Mercedes’ new MMA architecture for compact cars and will – like the EQA, EQB and CLA Shooting Brake replacements that will share it – be offered with petrol power as well. The ICE-powered cars will use a bespoke 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that has been engineered to occupy as little space as possible because MMA is an EV-first platform so it needs to fit in roughly the same space as an electric motor. Mildly hybridised by a 27bhp motor in the gearbox, the car will send 134bhp or 161bhp through the front axle, or 188bhp to both ends in the range-topping CLA 4Matic - and it is said to be capable of “diesel levels of fuel efficiency”.…

WARWICKSHIRE-BASED car maker Mika has announced detailed plans for its sub-£15,000 electric microcar. The EV, announced on 20 November, will go toe to toe with the Citroën Ami but is said to offer better performance, greater handling and far more crash safety, as well as an additional seat. Created by Robin Hall, whose acclaimed Mika Meon buggy is Britain’s lightest electric car, the EV is officially classed as an L7 quadricycle and has a top speed of 56mph. Its basic structure is an enveloping frame formed from pultrusions, the composite equivalent of the load-bearing aluminium extrusions first used in the original Lotus Elise and since adopted by other weight-conscious manufacturers including Aston Martin. Even lighter than aluminium, these pultrusions form an extremely rigid survival cell for occupants in the Mika…

EUROPE’S THREE LARGEST car makers have been run in wildly different ways. Up until Dieselgate, Volkswagen execs spoke with an air of invincibility, and sometimes arrogance. Not only was it the biggest car company, but it should also be seen as the best. Dieselgate cleared out an era of occasionally quite intimidating leaders. The ones who followed spent their days apologising and getting things wrong in a totally different way, from the interior usability of the Mk8 Golf to the off-putting styling of the core ID range that effectively split the VW brand in two. The VW apologies stopped in 2022 with the arrival of CEO Thomas Schäfer, who famously said “the roof was on fire” when starting to tackle its woes. Schäfer’s right-hand man, R&D boss Kai Grünitz, told…

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com RIGHTFUL RETURN When I first got interested in cars, in the 1970s, Jaguar was a proper upmarket brand. It competed with top-end Mercedes-Benz models, nearer Rolls-Royce than the mass-produced executive cars of the time. Over the past 30 years or so, we have seen Jaguar become all the poorer as a result of trying to be a British alternative to Audi and BMW, moving downmarket in the process. Chasing that market and those sales was, with hindsight, a mistake. I believe what Jaguar is doing now is exactly the right thing: going back to where it should be. As for the pricing, you reviewed a £75k Hyundai, a £100k Audi and a £100k BMW in your 27 November issue. In the Road Test Yearbook, we discovered the…

The all-new Elroq is Skoda’s second bespoke EV after the Enyaq and marks the Czech firm’s assault on the bustling electric compact SUV class. At 4488mm long, 1884mm wide and 1625mm tall, it is marginally bigger than the Ford Explorer and Renault Scenic, so think of it as the electric equivalent of the Karoq. It’s not a reworked version of that ICE car, though: it’s based on the Volkswagen Group’s EV-specific MEB platform, like the Enyaq. But while its underpinnings aren’t anything new, its design very much is, because the Elroq is the first model to adopt Skoda’s new Modern Solid design language. Up front, there’s a distinctive new Tech Deck face, featuring a black bar that spans the width of the front end, and the clamshell bonnet features the…

Last summer, I visited Gothenburg’s World of Volvo. It’s less of a Volvo museum and more of a ‘brand experience’, where you’re browbeaten with performative displays about safety and inclusivity. And diggers. Only about halfway through do you actually see a car. It feels analogous to the EX90, Volvo’s new electric seven-seat SUV: its recent UK launch presentation was more about branding and nebulous safety concepts than about the car-y bits. You get in and you do wonder what happened to the interior. It’s minimalist to the extreme. There are no controls for adjusting the door mirrors or steering column and no buttons for the climate control or infotainment. And was it really worth cutting out the roof handle for the passenger and the blind for the fixed glass roof?…

This is what progress looks like. In 2022, Kia brought us the Niro EV, a very competent electric crossover with strong range, efficiency and space. It went straight onto our list of easy recommendations. Now, just a few years later, Kia has made that car seemingly redundant with the EV3, which is a similar size but has 30% more range, charges faster and costs not more but less. The EV3 will absorb quite a lot of Niro EV sales but doesn’t exactly replace it. The Niro remains on sale, because it also offers a hybrid option, and the EV is expected to remain popular with fleets. For £35,995 you can buy the long-range version of the EV3, capable of a claimed 375 miles – both more range and less money…

BMW has yet to fulfil its potential when it comes to its smallest model, the 1 Series hatchback. For two model generations and 15 years, it tried – and, notably, failed – to make a rear-drive layout work as an outstanding dynamic selling point. Ever since, it’s been trying – and, arguably, also failing – to execute a more conventional, natively front-driven family hatchback with a BMW-typical sporting edge. It’s with a self-aggrandising air, then, that the firm claims this car is “the pioneer of driving pleasure in the premium compact segment” and, similarly questionably, that it announces this road test subject as a fully fledged fourth generation of the five-door hatchback, when it would seem to amount to little more than a heavy facelift. Nevertheless, here we are. The…

Try drawing a pick-up truck with your non-writing hand and I bet you come up with something closely resembling the Tesla Cybertruck – a true automotive alien in just how different it is to every single other vehicle on the road. Maybe Elon Musk did such a thing himself, nobody dared challenge him and it just ended up in showrooms in raw form, so absolute is his power at Tesla. Maybe he’s simply goading legislators in the US who somehow allow a sharp-edged, flat-fronted vehicle that you wouldn’t want to crash into you, however or in whatever you’re travelling, to be legally sold, to check their small print. Maybe he’s an alien and this is just a Ford Mondeo where he comes from. The blurb says it can travel on…

Walk in to the large, light-filled lobby of the Honda Heritage Hall and the six exhibits set out in front of you outline what makes the Japanese firm different from so many of its rivals. There’s a 1958 Super Cub bike, an immaculate S600 sports car, Honda’s first Formula 1 racer, its first motorbike grand prix race winner and, not to be overlooked, a portable generator. Oh, and a jet, of course. You can’t really miss the jet. Few car firms have wider operations that encompass such a diverse spread of machinery. Especially when you consider the location of the hall in Mobility Resort Motegi, an automotive theme park of sorts built on the grounds of one of two Japanese race circuits that Honda owns. The Heritage Hall was opened…

MILEAGE 4519 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether our positive first impression of this affordable new hybrid supermini lasts in extended use Oh no, oh no: I’ve only just got this car and already something has gone horribly wrong with it – and in rush hour on the M25, of all times and places. I’m cruising in the MG 3 when it emits a beeping noise so loud that I jolt with shock. There’s no way any ADAS bong could be so loud, I think in a fluster – this has to be something far more serious than straying too close to a line. It literally sounds like a fire alarm. Yet when checking the instrument display, I see no warning. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Okay, I need to pull…

BMW i5 TOURING Mileage 9830 Last seen 4.12.24 I’ve increased the BMW’s tyre pressures to what they were in the summer: 2.7 bar. It seems to under-report by about 0.1 bar, which is probably a good thing from a safety perspective. I’ve not noticed improved steering response but I immediately felt the secondary ride had taken on a touch more fidget. MP VAUXHALL CORSA Mileage 9342 Last seen 27.11.24 After having a go in some other Stellantis hybrids with the six-speed automatic, I’ve realised that it’s not this slightly slushy gearbox that makes the Corsa so hard to drive smoothly around town (although it doesn’t help): it’s the incredibly aggressive regenerative braking system. It seems to be much stronger here than in any of the Corsa’s cousins, yet it isn’t strong…

It was a scooter that put Richard Reeve onto the Honda City Turbo – a foldaway Motocompo 50cc scooter, to be precise. It was bundled with certain Honda City models as a last-mile solution for commuters. Launched in 1981, the City was a bit too big to be a kei car (those tiny cars that, in Japan, enjoy lower tax and insurance rates) but it was still impressively small. It came in various forms, although the one that attracts enthusiasts today is the rare City Turbo – a 750kg special powered by a 109bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged engine that is good for 0-62mph in less than eight seconds. It was the brainchild of Hirotoshi Honda, son of company founder Soichiro Honda, and the founder of Mugen Motorsports, Honda’s racing arm. In…

HONDA S660 2016, 42,000 miles, £12,690 Kei cars don’t get much cooler than an open-topped S660, and this clean imported car is a fine example with low miles and a long MOT. The seller notes there are a few marks on the bodywork, but it looks mint. Just eight are registered in the UK. HONDA E ADVANCE 2020, 23,000 miles, £15,870 The Honda E is effectively a modern-day City Turbo but with an electric powertrain, and this four-year-old Advance car should make an ideal urban commuter. It’s covered few miles, has been looked after by one previous owner and comes with a 12-month warranty. HONDA CIVIC CRX 1984, 15,000 miles, £19,995 This immaculate CRX is almost as quirky as the City Turbo and is said to be “totally original” and…

Email our news editor will.rimell@haymarket.com Mercedes-AMG’s answer to the Lotus Eletre and upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne will be launched in two years as one of the most powerful cars the brand has ever produced. Currently known as the electric GT SUV – a name it is understood could be carried into production – the super-SUV has hit the road in prototype form for the first time and the production version is set to reach UK forecourts in 2027. It is the first SUV that AMG has developed independent of parent Mercedes-Benz. The EV will sit on the AMG. EA architecture, which will be used first for a four-door production version of the Vision AMG saloon concept in 2026. AMG.EA will feature 800V and advanced axialflux electric motors in both twin…

AS MERCEDES-AMG launches AMG.EA as its breakthrough electric architecture (see p4), Mercedes-Benz will follow suit with MB.EA, a platform that has been called the “backbone” of the brand’s future electric line-up. MB.EA will underpin the C-Class’s move to electric power from 2026, along with its GLC sibling, which is currently the firm’s best-selling model. Based on the platform’s Medium variant, the new C-Class and GLC will slot into the brand’s line-up between the new CLA and the EQE to rival BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse 3 Series and Tesla’s Model 3. With Mercedes heavily developing the efficiency of the next CLA (see separate story, left) to achieve upwards of 5.0mpkWh and ranges north of 400 miles, it is expected that the C-Class will match or better these figures. Power is also…

RECYCLING IS A high priority for car makers – and breakthroughs continue to be made. JLR, for instance, recently announced it has made further progress by successfully recycling polyurethane seat foam for use in the production of new seats. The material is being put through the full production process at the moment and will be trialled first in pre-production cars early next year. JLR claims this is a first in the automotive sector. The company is by no means last to the party when it comes to recycling. With its manufacturing partners, JLR implemented full-scale recycling of scrap aluminium at its stamping plants over a decade ago. It also incorporated 16kg of recycled plastics into the original Range Rover Evoque of 2011. The materials were used in headliners, seat covers,…

Many car makers found ramping up EV sales to meet the UK government’s 22% target a struggle, especially those with a more volume bent. But they’re a resourceful bunch, and those with EVs to sell rose to the challenge. Traditional premium brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo definitely found it easier, thanks to their more wealthy corporate customer bases, while MG continued to satisfy budget buyers with its Chinese-built cars. Next year should be easier, with cheaper EVs like the Vauxhall Frontera coming to the fore, but for many 2024 was a year to write off financially – at least on the EV side – as discounts, needed to entice customers and quash wider scepticism, eroded profits. AUDI Audi continues to rely on demand for its Q4 E-tron compact…

In the 3 December issue, Matt Prior took a drive in the Volvo V60, which has recently risen from the ashes, along with the V90. This is undoubtedly a good thing. I’m a very happy V90 Cross Country driver on a lease, having not wanted to take a punt on ownership of a diesel three years ago, thinking that the market was moving rapidly away from ICE cars. Oh, how I wish I had chosen PCP to give me a chance of hanging onto it. Volvo Financial Services won’t sell me the leased car next year, so I’ll have to find another one. Only, the Cross Country versions haven’t been revived along with their lower-ride-height siblings. If I want a slightly higher but still efficient estate with four-wheel drive in…

We’re truly in the era of the reboot. There’s another Ghostbusters film on the way, Gladiators (the TV show) and Gladiator (the film) are back and now so is the Ford Capri. Unlike those other throwbacks, which follow their original recipes to the letter, Ford’s sports coupé is now a saloon-shaped crossover – a decision that was met with quite the backlash from fans of the original. The new EV is positioned as a family hauler focused on comfort and space and based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, so it’s best compared with the Volkswagen ID 5. This is our first time driving the Capri in the UK as well as in single-motor, rear-wheel-drive form. As standard, it gets full parking sensors, keyless entry, wireless phone charging and heated…

THE GT-LINE VARIANT OF Kia’s new small electric crossover that features in this week’s full road test (p28) is the middle model, while the Air driven here props up the range. Priced from £32,995, it’s the only version of the EV3 offered with the 58.3kWh Standard Range battery, giving it a 270-mile WLTP range – although the 81.4kWh pack is also available for an additional £3000, pushing that figure up to 375 miles. The Air uses the same front-mounted motor as all other EV3 variants, with 201bhp and 209lb ft of torque at its disposal. That in combination with the smaller and therefore lighter battery means it’s also the quickest variant, hitting 0-62mph in 7.5sec. You can read a full breakdown of the EV3’s dynamic character in the road test,…

The fourth-generation 1 Series isn’t the only new ICE model that feels more stopgap than standout. And BMW isn’t the only brand hedging its bets and hoping its regular clientele won’t notice – but there is an unmistakable diluting effect on the end result. The 120 uses its new-found mild-hybrid tech quite well, its digital cabin technology less so. The car’s pursuit of greater driver appeal is clear, but the delivery of it lacks coherence and true efficacy. After 20 years, the fact remains: if BMW wants to become the default choice for keener hatchback drivers, it must commit harder and offer more. RIVALS…

FIVE CARS WE CAN’T WAIT TO DRIVE LAMBORGHINI TEMERARIO Lamborghini’s ability to craft proper driver’s cars has been on an upward trajectory since the Huracán Performante arrived, and it has reached a high-water mark with the recent V12 Revuelto – a supercar that feels not one but two generations evolved from the Aventador in terms of its precision and poise. The Temerario promises to be even better, leveraging a more innate agility, not to mention a 10,000rpm V8 powertrain. It’s unlikely that the new junior Lambo will surpass Ferrari’s mesmerising 296 GTB for sheer synaptic delight, but the fact is that an upset in this respect is no longer beyond the realm of possibility. Expect the Temerario to be outstanding. VOLVO ES90 There’s a sense that EVs have pulled efficiency…

“It does everything really well but in an unshowy, uncomplicated way” WHY WE RAN IT To help us assess whether this B-segment SUV can make a case for petrol-only powerplants in the automotive near-future As a child, I was always told: “You don’t get anything for free.” But, according to Skoda, that’s not true. Apparently, you do get some things for free as a Skoda driver. And it always delighted me how many of these unexpected extras my Kamiq offered, from built-in umbrellas and ice scrapers to a kid-friendly phone holder and even an actual bin (complete with a bin bag). While many such items may never get used by a typical driver, these little things really endeared me to this Skoda crossover and made me feel much more connected…

MILEAGE 9411 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Is Italian the way to go for 500bhp saloons? I bet you own or have owned a classic car or weekend fun car – something along those lines. I certainly have: an NA Mazda MX-5. But eventually life got in the way and I got rid of it when in one year it accrued a measly 200 miles. Sadly, as I get older, I seem to have less time to enjoy cars. But a few weeks ago, something marvellous happened: plans that had been in the diary for months disappeared. Ever since moving into my place in east London a few years ago, I’ve been meaning to find a good driving route relatively close by, and at last I’d been presented with a golden…

A stylish alternative to the mightily successful Nissan Qashqai, the Ateca plugged a conspicuous SUV-shaped gap in Seat’s line-up when it arrived in 2016 and helped to turn the tide for the cash-strapped Spanish marque. The introduction of a crossover was crucial for the future success of Seat. The marque had been absent from the class for far too long and needed a high-riding Leon alternative to recapture the attention of European buyers. Closely related to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the super-smart Ateca was an instant hit, not only for its looks but also for its capable handling, practical interior and affordable price – and now you can buy one for around £6000. And you should. For starters, the Ateca was the class leader in terms of ride and handling, offering…

“In a few countries, money alone is not enough to qualify for car ownership; commissarial consent is needed as well. We see something of the same approach in the anti-motorist policies of the new [Labour-run] Greater London Council (GLC). A campaign is on to wage war against the motorist in the capital, in the hope that if life is made sufficiently difficult for him, he will disappear.” That might remind you of a Facebook rant by someone furious about the ULEZ or ZEV mandate, yet it doesn’t mention ‘Sadistic Khan’ or ‘Keir Stalin’, because it’s really from an Autocar editorial printed half a century ago. “As well as priorities for buses, massive reductions in available street parking and cancellation of road-building plans, there is a deliberate move to cause motorway…

From the passenger seat, the third-generation Mercedes CLA feels – to all intents and purposes – finished. Camouflage cloaks the finer design details outside and the obligatory black bed sheet shields the dashboard from view, but project leader Oliver Zolke says it’s “99% there” ahead of a reveal in March and a launch around the summer. There’s just “some homework” to do on the software and user interface. Even with much still left to the imagination, it’s clear just how similar this car will be to the pleasingly proportioned concept from last year – right down to the full-width digital display we can see peeking through the gaps in the sheeting. Our first taste of Mercedes’ crucial entry-level model – and the new MMA architecture that underpins it – comes…

Toyota has revived the Urban Cruiser name for a new crossover EV. Adding a second electric model to the Japanese brand’s line-up is seen as crucial to it hitting increasingly challenging emissions targets; the UK’s ZEV mandate target rises to a 28% EV sales mix in 2025, but bZ4X crossover sales remain low (7575 in 2024). “The target is 250 miles from the 61kWh battery” An indirect successor to the crossover of the same name that went out of production for Europe in 2014, the Urban Cruiser is positioned as a slightly larger electric equivalent to the Yaris Cross, one of Toyota’s best-selling cars (18,878 in the UK). This makes it a rival to the likes of the Volvo EX40, Peugeot e-3008 and Mini Aceman in an already crowded segment.…

Solid-state batteries have long been touted as the technological breakthrough that EV makers are striving to bring to market. Finally, it now looks like the technology will arrive in the next 12 months. These next-generation batteries are regarded as a holy grail for EVs because they offer greater capacity and more range than similar-sized lithium ion packs used today. Those batteries are composed of an anode and a cathode at opposite ends of the cell, with a physical ‘separator’ preventing them from touching, and a gel-like liquid in the middle. In a solid-state battery, the make-up is simplified. The liquid is replaced by a solid block, which is lighter than its counterpart and can carry more energy within the same capacity. The solid element is also less reactive than the…

EVERY NEW CAR ARRIVING IN 2025 Detailed guide to all the new cars set to make their debuts next year MINI ACEMAN New era or same old, same old? Fun, high-riding Mini – and the firm’s first bespoke EV-only model – undergoes the full Autocar dissection CAR OF THE YEAR FINALISTS The 2025 Car of the Year will be one of these seven finalists. We review each: C3/ë-C3, Duster, EV3, Inster, Junior, R5/A290 and Terramar EVERY WEEK PORSCHE TAYCAN Our final verdict on living with this electric super-GT PORSCHE 911 GT3 Buy the seminal sports car before it becomes a modern classic…

We first met the Rafale full hybrid in Spain and found it was a likeable SUV-coupé let down by its unrefined powertrain and iffy ride. Now we’ve driven it in the UK, and these gripes remain. Its E-Tech powertrain combines a 1.2-litre triple petrol engine with a 67bhp electric motor and a 34bhp starter-generator. All in, it makes 197bhp and 302lb ft of torque, yet its official 0-62mph time is a lengthy 8.9sec. (There’s a more potent plug-in hybrid on the way.) Because the car always sets off in EV mode, its performance feels a bit flat when you jump on the throttle. It does feel more willing and sprightly once the engine kicks in, though. Power delivery is also hampered by the unique ‘multimodal’ gearbox: there’s a slight pause…

THE VOLKSWAGEN ID 7 Tourer arrived earlier this year as one of the only electric estate cars on the UK market. It takes on the BMW i5 Touring and Audi A6 E-tron Avant, both of which it undercuts by some £10,000, starting at £52,270. At 4961mm long, 1862mm wide and 1536mm tall, the ID 7 Tourer is proportionally identical to the ID 7 saloon, but naturally is has a bigger boot. At 545 litres, it’s marginally smaller than the i5’s 570 litres but still more than enough for holiday baggage for five, and it grows to 1714 litres with the back seats folded. Now is our first chance to drive an ID 7 Tourer in the UK, and our test car is the entry Pro Match version. On Britain’s beaten-up…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether a facelift has succeeded in keeping this combustion-engined hatchback relevant Depending on which day you ask, hatchbacks are my favourite kind of cars. But most days I stand by that statement. I suspect it’s my generation – millennials, we’re called – growing up in the hatchback’s heyday. Maybe someone 20 years younger would say the same about SUVs… For me, a hatchback is perfectly practical and the best size for all scenarios: suburban living, tight car park spaces, motorway driving and, most notably, handling on country roads. Driving a Volkswagen Golf R in north Wales years ago still stands out as one of those days of purest pleasures. So when it was revealed that I would be the caretaker of a new Audi…

MILEAGE 2155 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Is there still room for a premium offering in the shrinking supermini segment? Unlike many enthusiasts, I don’t harbour much resentment for SUVs: people buy a car to fulfil a role in their life, and if the criteria for that role include capaciousness, visibility and ease of access, then surely a tall hatchback makes the most sense. But I do wonder if many prospective buyers could be talked down a size or two into something a little more manoeuvrable but barely any less useful in the real world. Last Sunday, I came across a car parking space so tiny, so infinitesimally narrow and so tricky to access that my fellow shoppers weren’t even slowing down to consider it as a viable option. The Ford…

AN OWNER’S VIEW BEN GUNTON “I’ve owned my 1.5 DSG Xperience model since March 2023 and have covered 11,000 miles to date. It drives well, it’s safe, it’s fairly economical for its size and it has a good amount of tech. Other than issues with the infotainment (which have now been fixed via an update), it’s been very reliable with no major issues or expenses. I’d definitely recommend the car to anyone with a small family.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ ENGINE The later 1.5 TSI can be a little hesitant to pull away from cold so check there’s no ‘kangarooing’ (fluctuating revs). It’s a well-known issue and a software update is often the cure. Leaking coolant could be a sign of water pump failure. Such an issue should flag an engine…

1994 ROVER 114 SLi 3DR Minor external redesign, new seats and steering wheel, an optional driver’s airbag and a new name on the back are meant to boost the 14-year-old Austin Mini Metro’s fortunes but it “just doesn’t have the space, style, ride or plain old desirability to match its rivals”. Price £8195 Engine 4 cyls in line, 1396cc, petrol Power 74bhp at 5500rpm Torque 86lb ft at 4000rpm Weight 840kg 0-60mph 11.6sec 0-90mph 34.1sec Top speed 103mph Economy 34.2mpg 1953 FRAZER-NASH TARGA FLORIO TURISMO Small British firm has earned much success in motorsport with bespoke machinery; now it produces a more attainable road car, developed from the 1930s BMW 328 and using a Bristol engine. It’s the most fun we’ve had since before the war. Price £3035 Engine 4…

I’m not sure if it was the Duke of Richmond’s people who coined the term ‘breakfast club’ for the famous enthusiast gatherings at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, but if it wasn’t, they were certainly the first to recognise and harness the power and popularity of these simple events. These days, they stage four breakfast clubs on Sunday mornings during the motorsport season, choosing different themes for entered cars (and motorbikes) and weaving the gatherings around their bigger events. You don’t pay to enter, although you do have to register (and thus provide your details). There’s good but pricey food and drink on offer, while a few stalls can sell you car-flavoured stuff. The demand has grown to the extent that keen entrants arrive before 7am and the organisers have taken…