Tabla de contenidos para March 2024 en CAR UK

NOD TO A CLASSIC Not for the first time, Ford is resurrecting one of its most fondly remembered names. Images from our spy photographers show the new Capri will not be a two-door (and later three-door) fastback like the late-’60s-to-mid-’80s original but a lifted EV with a low roofline, ready to rival the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3. ONE DOOR CLOSES The arrival of the Capri looks likely to usher the Focus towards the exit. With no electrified versions to extend its life, or any other car makers keen to buddy up and share the costs, the Focus’s margins are likely being squeezed like the now-departed Fiesta’s. We’re expecting the Focus to end its run in 2025. FACTFILE POWERTRAIN Single- and dual-motor versions, up to 300bhp (est) CHASSIS Steel…

IN DETAIL It seems you can’t move these days without discussions, debates and dog whistles surrounding generative AI. The car industry, like many others, is looking into how the technology can be used in the future – whether that involves the design and manufacture of cars, or improving the experience of the driver and passengers. What exactly is generative AI? Acollection of algorithms that can be used to generate new content, including text, images and audio. Tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard respond to prompts from users in text form. DALL-E, a tool that’s recently been incorporated into Microsoft’s Bing search engine, is one of many generative AI programs that can create images. It’s these tools that are rapidly becoming more common in the automotive world, chiefly to augment a…

MUSTANG DARK HORSE The 300-mile test NEW CAR MEETS REAL WORLD Honestly, I didn’t expect this new UK-bound Mustang to drive so well. Sixty years since it kickstarted America’s boom in pony cars – the muscle car’s more affordable, compact and sporting cousin – it’s back for more. It long-time rivals, the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, have thrown in the towel, and regulatory headwinds say three-pin sockets not eight-pot engines are the way to go, but the Mustang is back for one last petrol-fuelled waltz, and it comes in a variety of versions. It must’ve been tempting for Ford to simply stick the old one in the microwave for 30 seconds, not least because the 2014 Mustang was the first to get right-hand drive and a multi-link rear, helping…

Talk about winning the DNA lottery. While some of us are pleased to get a parent’s winning smile or bright eyes, Ford’s newest and smallest van-ish MPV is surely laughing its way to the dealership knowing it has the same heart, head and overall athleticism as the rather brilliant Puma crossover and the dearly-departed Fiesta hatch. You sit low in supportive seats and instantly get to grips with a lot of classic Ford traits: juicy, accurate and well-weighted steering, bitey but potent brakes and a durable-feeling clutch pedal linked to a slick and tactile manual shift (if you spec it). All the while listening to a buzzy and eager three-cylinder petrol engine. Ford’s also built a lot of clever details into the Tourneo Courier (many of those details derived from…

THE DEFINITIVE VERDICT How many impossible things can I reasonably be expected to believe before breakfast? In Through the Looking Glass, the Red Queen tells Alice that she often manages six. Today I’m giving her a good run for her money as I attempt to get my head around some improbable truths. The three cars I’m driving are head-spinningly ambitious, all of them high-powered premium SUVs with plug-in hybrid powertrains aiming to be various incompatible things: luxurious, roomy, heavy, yet also agile, dynamically rewarding and, at least sometimes, clean and silent. And the car I begin in, the refreshed Cayenne, adds to the Mad Hatter levels of implausibility by seeming to be some kind of hot hatch. I must confess that I nabbed the keys without my usual high level…

National Route 9, an awe-inspiring mountain road wrought from an old caravan trail by the French military, is so narratively perfect it’s as though this place were created not by time and pressure but by ascriptwriter. For travellers heading south it begins in Marrakesh, the ancient fortress city, and snakes high into the Atlas mountains, the Sahara’s northern boundary in this corner of Africa, before tobogganing down to the bleached, sun-baked sprawl of Ouarzazate, gateway to the desert. Stretched between contrasting locations, spellbinding in its scale and scope and so beautiful it makes you weep for the fragile beauty of this planet, it is a storyteller’s dream. And a Ferrari’s. We slink out of Marrakesh before sunrise, climb the foothills as dawn begins to turn the sky luminous and hit…

When so much is wrong in the world – proper life-and-death wrong – it can seem rather absurd to be worrying about the fine degrees of difference that separate a good car from a great car. None the less, that’s pretty much our job here, so that’s precisely what I’m going to do. To put everything in some kind of context, I need to stress that the Cupra Leon Estate is quick, comfortable and easy to get on with. On a cold, wet day it will keep you warm and safe. On a hot, dry day it will keep you cool and entertained. Its ample boot will happily absorb bicycles, guitars, tents and whatever else you wish to transport. It’s happy pootling around town, and it’s a willing workhorse on…

Dacia Jogger Extreme Hybrid 140 Month 6 The story so far Simple, keenly priced estate with the option of seven seats, or five and a vast boot + A hugely practical car -Mild-hybrid system and gearbox aren’t perfect Logbook Price £24,645 (£25,295 as tested) Performance 1598cc four-cylinder, 140bhp, 10.0sec 0-62mph, 103mph Efficiency 57.6mpg (official), 50.3mpg (tested), 109g/km CO2 Energy cost 13.8p per mile Miles this month 1120 Total miles 7995 ‘Good, aren’t they?’ whispers the middle-aged gent as I load the Jogger at the supermarket. He’s just pulled up in a Dacia Duster, and it feels like we both know the same secret. During my six-month tenure with the Jogger I’ve generally come across two types of folk. If you’ve ever been in a Dacia you tend to admire them.…

When Opel pulled the covers off its wacky Manta GSe ElektroMOD coupe, many of us were immediately drawn to its wheels. Black and diamond-cut, they were futuristic and massive. I was pleased to see they crossed the bridge from concept to production GSe. My Astra GSe’s sporty bodykit is relatively understated, so the wild wheels and the low-profile tyres really help set it apart from the regular Astra, which is already a really good-looking car. It’s a shame, then, that Vauxhall has prioritised fuel efficiency rather than any sporty feel here – the Michelin Primacy 4 rubber on my car provides little confidence in hard cornering or in wet weather. JAKE GROVES Vauxhall Astra GSe Month 2 The story so far Hot GSe keeps concept touches including the wild wheels…

Range Rover D350 HSE Month 7 The story so far Farewell luxury 4x4, you remain the benchmark + Sublime to drive and passenger in -The planet cannot tolerate 207g/km of CO2 Logbook Price £113,120 (£128,180 as tested) Performance 2997cc turbodiesel six-cylinder, 345bhp, 516lb ft, 6.1sec 0-62mph, 145mph Efficiency 37.2mpg (official), 34.2mpg (tested), 207g/km CO2 Energy cost 22.0p per mile Miles this month 397 Total miles 18,235 Gliding down the motorway, three slumbering kids piled atop each other like fallen dominoes, the six-cylinder diesel murmuring gently as it drinks a gallon every 40 miles – this is a Range Rover’s comfort zone. But our time in the D350 in HSE spec is nigh. Having not run a solely combustion-engined car since a 2018 Skoda Kodiaq, the prospect of a 2430kg SUV…

GIANT TEST WINNER 1 PORSCHE 911 THE GOOD: Style, like 911s, never goes out of fashion THE BAD: The base Carrera now costs almost £100k – yet that’s not enough to stop it being a clear class winner; road noise now up to 11 THE UGLY: 992 ‘wide body’ no longer the lithe sports car of old; canny options list pushes you to spend like a lottery winner THE ONE TO BUY: Carrera S with the PDK gearbox for £110k on the nose; the Sport Chrono package is bundled in, but you’ll still pay for the Porsche badges on the wheels to be coloured in GIANT TEST WINNER 2 ARIEL ATOM THE GOOD: A beautiful object as well as a thrilling drive; think of it as a modernised Lotus Seven…

GIANT TEST WINNER 1 LAND ROVER DEFENDER THE GOOD: Reboot brings untold dynamic improvements wherever you drive THE BAD: Second-row access is a pain in the 90; expensive; 130 in particular is very big, so parking can be tricky THE UGLY: Alternatives to white steel wheels are offered. Why? THE ONE TO BUY: Range spans 90, 110 and 130 bodies, with significantly different dimensions but remarkably similar character and the genuine off-road ability that Land Rover always delivers so convincingly. Heart says petrol V8 90, head/wallet say diesel-six D250 110 GIANT TEST WINNER 2 PORSCHE MACAN THE GOOD: Handles better than any other SUV. And some hot hatches THE BAD: Hardly an original choice – but then there’s good reason for that THE UGLY: Be patient – there’s an all-new…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT The all-new, all-electric Porsche Macan might follow the trail blazed by the Taycan in 2019, but where Porsche’s first EV supplemented existing sales, the new Macan must replace a combustion-only predecessor whose near-100,000 sales came a close second to the Cayenne in 2022. So this newcomer has to hit the ground running when it finally launches –after various delays –later this year. A family resemblance eases the abrupt transition from an incumbent that doesn’t even offer mild hybridisation to a full EV future, but only inconsequential clips and fixings are shared between the two. The new Macan moves away from the clean-sheet J1 architecture developed for the Taycan and – unlike bet– hedging BMW or the collective of Stellantis brands – leaves no provision for internal-combustion derivatives…

LOOKS LIKE A VINDALOO, IS A MASALA See? This is what we want, isn’t it? Except it isn’t really, despite Nissan’s best efforts. The visually dramatic Ariya family EV has been injected with a little more drama and performance pedigree to create the Ariya Nismo. Skin deep? Mostly, but a version with 429bhp available under your right foot tries to convince you otherwise. NEED TO KNOW What is it? A hotter, angrier Ariya SUV I Tech specs Two punchy twin-motor versions, Formula E-inspired soundtrack, racy interior details, bespoke Nismo mode with hidden power boost I Aimed at? Keeping the Nismo name alive I When can I get one? Very soon, provided you live in Japan THE SLIGHTLY STALE SAUERKRAUT We’re a little way off an entirely new,…

Alfa Romeo’s Giulia and Stelvio replacements. Jeep’s new super-powered Wagoneer S SUV and Recon 4x4. Dodge’s first all-electric Charger, the SRT Banshee. Maserati’s future replacements for the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante. All these new models will, believe it or not, share the same backbone: STLA Large. It’s one of four new architectures being rolled out by the Stellantis group (alongside Small, Medium and Frame) designed to lowering the cost of making electric cars through economies of scale. ‘Our goal is to ensure we never say no to any product requests [from Stellantis brands],’ says the Stellantis vice president in charge of STLA Large, Marc Issner. ‘If you want a curve-hugging, track-ready performance car, a smooth-riding luxury car or a rock-clearing off-roader, we’ve addressed all these needs.’ STLA Large delivers those…

As many other car makers seemingly aim to make their offerings look more and more alike, Hyundai is steadfastly ignoring the memo. The latest Santa Fe joins both the Ioniq 5 and 6 as a vehicle you won’t lose in the supermarket car park, thanks to its boxy, angular lines and H-pattern headlight signature. The styling won’t be to everyone’s taste, but Hyundai’s decision to go bold will likely pay off in its attempts to stand out from an ever-swelling crowd of large SUVs aiming for the ‘premium’ buyer. The same goes for the cabin. Previously solid and hard-wearing but with little in the way of imagination, the fifth-generation Santa Fe gets a major upgrade with expensive-feeling materials and a plush, clean design with even a hint of Range Rover…

Christian Horner’s Red Bull Racing team is on top of the world. It obliterated long-standing Formula 1 records last year by winning 21 of 22 grands prix. Max Verstappen buried the opposition, and expectations are it will also dominate this new season. Horner – who took the helm in 2005 when Red Bull acquired the failing Jaguar team from Ford, who no longer wanted any part of it – is arguably the smartest man in F1. He’s deftly drawn together the myriad elements that make up a top-level 21st-century racing team. Horner has masterminded a combined total of 13 drivers’ and constructors’ titles, with Red Bull in the midst of its second spell of F1 dominance. Last season was a potential banana skin given the extra restrictions it faced on…

Getting to North Wales from the East Midlands is one of my favourite routes ever, with a decent motorway stint followed by an epic B-road run that former Jaguar man Mike Cross showed me about 15 years ago. He thought it such a fantastic test of a chassis that he signed off the XJR-S there. This time a 5.30am start helps beat Birmingham traffic, and my miles in darkness on the M6 and M54 melt away courtesy of the M3’s compliant ride in its Comfort setting, unerring stability, Harmon Kardon surround-sound audio, laser lights, and juicy torque from that unstressed turbo six. The M3 makes almost identical power to the old E61 M5 Touring – the one with the V10 and lumpy gearbox – but that car always felt a…

Things are changing for Genesis in the UK, with the previously standalone brand now run by the UK division of its Hyundai Motor parent, and a small network of dealers being appointed instead of online sales, and home delivery and collection for test drives and servicing. Genesis is currently selling only modest quantities of cars here in the UK but these changes should help improve that: in an increasingly virtual world, seems there are some things for which we still prefer a bricksand-mortar solution. In the meantime, it feels like I’m doing my bit to spread the Genesis word while piling up the miles in this GV70 Electrified. It reminds me a little of how it felt to drive an early Tesla in the UK. Electric cars are far more…

For 20 years I’ve been left-foot braking in two-pedal cars. Passengers would hate the first week, but smoothness and enhanced safety followed. The ID. 5, though, isn’t happy. Approaching a roundabout I lift off the accelerator and then left-foot brake. Near the junction, I come off the brakes (left foot) and accelerate (right foot) when a gap presents itself. This confuses the electronics. When I need instant zip, the accelerator at most delivers a trickle of juice, and I limp into the path of oncoming vehicles. The solution? Come off the accelerator, then stab it again. This seems to reset things and fire the VW across the junction. But my whiplashed passengers are unhappy again. BEN WHITWORTH Volkswagen ID. 5 Pro Performance Tech Month 5 The story so far More…

While I’ll miss the Taycan – it is a Porsche, after all – it’s what it represents that I’ll miss more. The ease of use over many guiltfree miles will be my abiding memory. Because while every non-EV owner obsesses about range and charging and cold weather and weight and cost, the reality is that a good EV is brilliant at making your life easier. As an item of personal mobility, that gets you from A to Bwith no fuss, it’s great. I’m lucky in that I have a charger at home and at the office. The car has to fit your lifestyle, but then that’s no different if you need a diesel – what the Taycan offered me personally was a superb car that covered 99 per cent of…

GIANT TEST WINNER 1 FERRARI ROMA THE GOOD: Style, speed and sensuous lines; a car for, and from, a bygone age THE BAD: An age in which we no longer live, tragically THE UGLY: Baffling steeringwheel touchpads; strangled exhaust note THE ONE TO BUY: The cabrio. Arguably even more beautiful, until you sit in it, that is 2 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT THE GOOD: Epic interior; thumping performance THE BAD: Feels too big for UK roads, and can be uninvolving THE UGLY: Weirdly patchy air-con may spoil your summer by the Med THE ONE TO BUY: 230k GT Speed is the sharpesthandling Bentley there’s ever been; V8 also appeals W GIANT TEST WINNER 3 PORSCHE 911 TURBO S THE GOOD: Hypercar-bothering pace, any road, any weather THE BAD: Only fun…

GIANT TEST WINNER 1 BMW X5 50e THE GOOD: Massive 67-mile official e-range; horizon-eating performance THE BAD: Hybrid hardware cuts into boot space to the tune of 150 litres; no seven-seat option THE UGLY: Not much now that the facelifted 50e model with more e-range and power is here THE ONE TO BUY: This one, for £81k 2 PEUGEOT 308 THE GOOD: Bravely avant-garde design; decent fuel economy; different THE BAD: Still persisting with the infernally small steering wheel THE UGLY: Interior layout looks fab but can be a stressfest to use day-to-day THE ONE TO BUY: Starts at £399 per month for the 180. Stretch to 225 spec with extra power and kit if you can 3 PORSCHE CAYENNE THE GOOD: Handling; driver focus; choice of body styles; 0-62mph…

Back in 2009, I was chatting to some Formula 5000 racers who were panicking that the Chrysler 5.0-litre V8s they ran in their single-seaters might cease to be available as the manufacturer had gone into liquidation. Fortunately, the Chrysler V8 was so ubiquitous that it would need several very bad seasons to get through the millions of engines in existence. For 2009 and F5000, read 2024 and Britain’s small but vital sports car industry. The issue of supply is one that faces Morgan, Caterham and Ariel today, as they all rely on engines from manufacturers that will build fewer combustion engines as the transition to EV continues. Morgan uses Ford threes and BMW’s fours and straight sixes, while Caterham goes for Suzuki and Ford, and Ariel has a long history…

If you drive a car, chances are it uses at least one component from Bosch. The company is a giant in the automotive world, developing everything from fuel injectors and spark plugs to sensors, brake components, batteries and even wiper blades – and much more besides. But the automotive landscape is changing, and so is Bosch. After its involvement with Dieselgate, for which it was heavily fined, the German company says it ‘has taken further steps to considerably improve its already existing compliance policies and procedures.’ Bosch says it is now ‘looking ahead, focusing our attention and resources on shaping the future in our areas of business.’ As that future will involve fewer engines and more EVs, the company is becoming increasingly involved in software and digital technologies. The person…

Mercedes seems determined to go right up to the limits of what’s legal when it comes to automated driving. There’s more tech waiting in the wings while legislation is agreed, but right now cars can be installed with a new feature for Merc’s semi-autonomous driver-assistance. It’s called Automatic Lane Change (ALC), and that’s what it does. If you specify a C-Class, E-Class, S-Class or any EQ model with Merc’s Active Distance Assist and Active Steering Assist in its Distronic cruise control, ALC is included. It’s been available for a while in the US and Canada, and now it’s arriving in Europe. Previously, sophisticated adaptive cruise systems have had the ability to change lane but needed prompting by the driver, usually by tapping the indicator stalk. With ALC, the car makes…

For such a compact unit, the sheer feist and bandwidth of the engine is remarkable CAR’s small wish list for the updated Toyota GR Yaris didn’t extend to a torque-converter eight-speed automatic, but that’s what we’re being offered from this summer – and what we’re testing as a lightly camouflaged prototype at Jarama race circuit, Madrid. Thankfully a manual gearbox remains available for a much-improved car that goes beyond the usual facelift box-ticking. Reasons to trade up include enhanced performance, tweaked suspension, a more rigid bodyshell and a new variable torque split for the all-wheel drive. The popular Circuit pack (Michelin Pilot 4S tyres on BBS alloys, uprated suspension, Torsen diffs front and rear) is now standard, as is the previous Japanese-market cooling pack with its driver-controlled intercooler spray. Toyota…

Audi is close to making a final decision on how besttoreplacetheTT,nowthatitsquarter-century is up. It’s been a long, complicated process, and a decision Audi must get right or risk having a line-up short of a high-performance halo model just as it enters the high-profile arena of Formula 1 for the first time. Our inside sources tell us four options are still in play, all of them drawing heavily on one or more of the plethora of acclaimed concepts displayed but not turned into production cars over the years. Many of those concepts in turn draw on the game-changing 1980 Quattro and 1998’s original TT. The most likely outcome –but certainly not the only possibility –is a more expensive, more powerful TT-style 2+2 electric coupe, drawing on EV expertise from around the…

Hello Alpine A110 Month 1 The story so far With its updated tech and an extended model range, we aim to make the most of the Alpine A110 while it lasts + Compact, lightweight and great looking, the A110 remains a real head-turner -Small interior and minimal luggage space will make it a challenge to live with Logbook Price £54,490 (£59,515 as tested) Performance 1790cc turbo four-cylinder, 249bhp, 4.5sec 0-62mph, 155mph Efficiency 40.3mpg (official), 27.8mpg (tested), 130g/km CO2 Energy cost 23.2p per mile Miles this month 662 Total miles 1452 It’s seven years since Renault resurrected the Alpine brand with the A110 and this car still feels joyously peculiar and unlikely. As the rest of the automotive herd migrates towards battery-driven SUVs, the reborn Alpine brand swerved left in 2017,…

Lexus RX 450h+ Premium Plus Pack Month 5 The story so far I’ve switched from Mazda CX to Lexus RX, and I’m wondering if they’re more different than they look at first glance + Impressive refinement -Missing those hard keys Logbook Price £73,100 (£73,350 as tested) Performance 2487cc fourcylinder plus two e-motors, PHEV, 304bhp, 6.5sec 0-62mph, 124mph Efficiency 256.8mpg (official), 108.8mpg (tested), 26g/km CO2 Energy cost 9.2p per mile Miles this month 1135 Total miles 7098 Contributor Ben Pulman’s departure left us with a bit of a hole, but conveniently filled the car-shaped gap on my drive. Ben was vacating the RX at the same time my CX-60 was returning to Mazda, so we engineered a last-minute swap that had me jumping from one grey luxury Japanese PHEV SUV to…

We’re all getting used to the things EVs excel at and a few they don’t. So put fast acceleration in the positives column, and towing in the best-avoided list. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, but my ID. Buzz has… drum roll please… a towbar! Yes, it’s hardly cutting edge, but many EVs shun them because of the harmful effect on range. I intend to take advantage by using it to mount my natty Thule towbar bike rack that lets me take a family of four’s bikes wherever we please. The retractable towbar is a pricey £980 option, but it brings electric operation and ease of use. The ID. Buzz’s unbraked payload is 750kg, so it’s well suited to making cycling trips easier and more sustainable. TIM POLLARD Volkswagen ID. Buzz…

The Tonale must conquer a new type of customer, one not swayed by the romance of the Alfa badge. So, how’s it going? To find out, I asked my mother Grace to drive it for a few weeks. She’s owned everything from a Volvo 850 T5 to a 1978 MG B. Now, she just wants a car that’s ‘fun to chuck around’ while also feeling luxurious and with an exterior that looks premium. She likes the styling and the colour. The interior, however, is ‘disappointing for the money’ while the boot is ‘tiny’ but the most damning verdict concerns the gearbox: ‘Sometimes it lurches forward – and sometimes it sounds like a truck.’ The Tonale’s biggest issue? ‘I’d never have even thought of considering an Alfa.’ CURTIS MOLDRICH Alfa Romeo…

HOW DOES GBU WORK? CAR’s road testers highlight what’s so good about the best cars in every class… and what could be better 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 frontdrive 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 due to high demand; now has optional auto...…

GIANT TEST WINNER 1 PORSCHE TAYCAN THE GOOD: Still the best EV to drive; fast, responsive, fluid and even practical THE BAD: You can get better range and efficiency for less money THE UGLY: That Porsche options list can still drain your wallet THE ONE TO BUY: Choose your body style from saloon, estate or the borderline SUV-ish Cross Turismo. Prices start at £79k; the sensible Taycan 4S is £91k, sharper GTS is brilliant and Turbo just bonkers; top models cost upwards of £149,300 PCM (per calendar month) figures are typical prices for PCP (personal contract purchase) deals available at the time of writing. For guidance only 2 TESLA MODEL 3 THE GOOD: New lights, new colours, new aero and improved interior: it’s had a refresh, but remains good to…