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NISSANʼS NEW ELECTRIC SUV: THE 300-MILE VERDICT! SEPTEMBER 2022 I ISSUE 722 SEPTEMBER 16-PAGE SHOOTOUT 2022 Sports Car ISSUE 722 Giant Test 2022 £5.25 FERRARI 296 GTB New Honda Civic Type R + Sports Car Giant Test 2022 + Ferrari SP3 Daytona V12 + Nissan Ariya EV: the 300-mile test LOTUS EMIRA MASERATI MC20 McLAREN 765LT SPIDER PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN GT4 RS DRIVEN! FERRARIʼS MIND-BLOWING SP3 DAYTONA ALFA ROMEOʼS EVOQUE vs THE REAL THING WWW.CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK TYPE RNEW HONDA CIVIC Flat-out on track in Hondaʼs last-hurrah hot hatch





ISSUE 722 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 84 Civic Type R: has Honda worked its magic once more? justm£4e.m99baermshoinpthfrom GET MEMBER- ONLY EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT AND REWARDS SEE P68 OR VISIT WWW.MEMBERS.CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Insider 94 Five amazing new sports cars meet on Britain’s best roads 8 Aceman kicks off Mini’s next generation 76 Ambitious Alfa Tonale meets 14 The Scoop: Alfa’s secret V6 supercar the Range Rover Evoque 15 Bronco or Wrangler? And kit for M fans 16 How Herbert Diess transformed 58 Ferrari SP3 Daytona driven 70 Think you know all about Volkswagen – and why he had to go 17 Inked In: Hyundai design chief the Renault 5? Think again SangYup Lee on his pivotal moments 76 Giant Test: Alfa Romeo Tonale vs the 18 Fresh thinking at Citroën benchmark Range Rover Evoque 18 Hyundai’s bold retro-futurist concept 19 Tamiya reboots remote control classics 84 Honda Civic Type R: secrets of the hot 20 Inquisition: Anthony Lo, Ford design chief new version of the 11th-generation Civic 22 Watches: colourful timepieces 94 Sports Car Giant Test 2022: Lotus Emira 20 vs McLaren 765LT vs Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS vs Ferrari 296 GTB vs How Maserati MC20 Anthony Lo will give OurCars Ford fresh design flair 110 Great in pictures, impressive on a test drive – but what’s it like to actually live Tech with the Kia EV6? 24 Forget the hype – here’s the truth about solid-state batteries 26 NFTs: innovative use of tech reaches the car world – but is it all a bit of a con? 28 Does It Work? Mercedes’ sophisticated new rear-wheel steering system First Drives 30 300-Mile test: finally the Leaf’s bigger sibling has arrived. We take the Nissan Ariya on an adventure in Sweden to find if it’s worth the wait 38 Porsche 911 Sport Classic: more than just a great-looking and pricey special edition 40 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica: quite possibly the best Huracan ever made 44 Alpina B4 Gran Coupe: performance meets five-door practicality 46 Morgan Super 3: a breath of fresh air 30 The Nissan aiming to beat the Euro EVs at their own game Opinion The big reads 110 The car everyone wants to talk about, the all-electric Kia EV6 49 Letters: the greatness of the Cayman 58 Ferrari SP3: a new V12 drawing on 54 Gavin Green: over-ambitious electronics decades of experience to create a 56 Mark Walton: Stephan Winkelmann’s style stunning new limited-edition 123 GBU: the best cars in every class 138 Hall of Fame: Ferrari turbo V8 70 Renault 5: the pace-setting supermini hatchback is now 50 years old, and gearing up for its electric rebirth

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CAR magazine insight with vivid descriptions to create For our 300-mile test (p30), Ben Whitworth will launch its some of the finest automotive prose, drove and photographer John Wycherley explored 60th birthday one back from the factory in what remains a Sweden in Nissan’s high-stakes Ariya. celebrations CAR staple: the adventure drive. And Miura next month. begat Countach, then Porsche 959, Ferrari When you drive a Ferrari, you don’t just drive F40, McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron, LaFerrari. a car – you engage with the whole heritage. Sixty years old! 1962 saw the birth of the Now the Lotus Evija and Rimac Nevera are James Taylor decodes the SP3 on p58. Ferrari 250 GTO, Lotus Elan, Alfa Romeo turning the supercar electric. Giulia and the Ford Cortina. The Renault 8 – a boxy rear-drive saloon some 7cm shorter CAR has lived through the 1970s oil crisis, than today’s Ford Fiesta – was the cover the age of the hot hatch and its wild Group star of the first issue of Small Car and Mini B rally spin-offs, and witnessed the SUV’s Owner, as the mag was then called. transformation from workhorse/expedi- tionary vehicle to plaything of the masses. Such was the cultural influence of the And now they’re going electric... mighty Mini, even before it won the Monte Carlo Rally at the hands of Paddy Hopkirk To me, a 19-year CAR veteran, the beauty (who sadly died in July) or starred in The of this magazine – one with the UK’s biggest Italian Job. In fact, the magazine didn’t autos circulation – is its readers’ open-mind- assume today’s name until 1965, but by edness. You’re hungry for our opinion of the then its pioneering ways were established, latest cars, but you’re as interested in car introducing scoops of upcoming cars and design, new technology, the people behind uncompromising comparison tests to the the cars and the industry’s ups and downs. previously staid UK motoring press. And showing readers the glamour of Formula 1 And the industry – the fascinating car in glorious black-and-white print! makers who’ve infuriated and delighted and powered this magazine for six decades – is CAR is blessed with having lived through what will underpin our 60th anniversary some of the greatest ages of motoring. coverage. We’re working with our favourite Lamborghini’s Miura, which sowed the car manufacturers to deliver a raft of ex- seed for today’s supercars, arrived in 1966. clusive multi-media content over the next Leonard Setright, who mixed technical three issues. We’ll drive yesterday’s icons and tomorrow’s heroes, bring you amazing adventure stories and spend time with some motorsport and industry greats. Its breadth is encapsulated by our 60th anniversary logo above. From the humble Renault 8 to the thrilling electrified per- formance of the Porsche Taycan, we will celebrate our 60 greatest car makers of the past 60 years. Editor Ben Miller has been away working on all this, but he’ll be back next month. We hope you enjoy it. Phil McNamara Group editor An expert on things small, odd and French, Alan Taylor-Jones drives some Renault 5s that aren’t always what they seem on p70. SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 7

CARS I PEOPLE I SCOOPS I MOTORSPORT I ANALYSIS – THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR All-electric Aceman is a rugged five-door, smaller than the Countryman 8 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

IN THE SPOTLIGHT ISSMTTIANHRIIST4T.O0HF?E The new Aceman concept car gives us our first glimpse of not only Mini’s new design direction, but also its entire outlook as it enters a new era. By Georg Kacher SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 9

THE ACEMAN LOOKS FRESH, MODERN AND DIFFERENT FROM ITS RIVALS Typographically, the new Mini base Cooper E will pack a 40kWh Rack above themes have been modified. Like the Aceman differs by a single letter from battery and a 184bhp e-motor, the SE glass roof may Countryman’s, the headlamps are the brand’s biggest flop, the three- features a 50kWh energy cell and a not make it to not circular but oblong, the octago- door Paceman. With five doors, that 231bhp power unit. All-wheel drive is nal grille no longer is a closed unit, sporty crossover might have been a not on the cards for the Aceman but production the conventional door handles give hit, but it was not to be. will be offered for future Minis: the way to flush ones, and the diagonal 286bhp John Cooper Works and the cutlines that used to run from the The Aceman, the next all-new 300bhp-plus GT. foot of the A-pillar across the front addition to the Mini family, wants wings to create that clamshell bon- to right that wrong. It’s not a classic The design is clearly Mini but net look to have been ditched. SUV, more a pumped-up five-door shaped by a new strand of style and hatchback – a Mini ‘Allroad’ of sorts. zeitgeisty innovation; the brand calls Heilmer and his team beefed up the new ethos Charismatic Sim- the posture with a bunch of mature To be built in China by the plicity. ‘We stick to tradition where design elements like the more Spotlight Automotive joint venture it makes sense, and we never break upright front end, the sculpted front BMW has with Great Wall (along- with tradition without a very good wings – which stick out like the but- side the electric version of the new reason,’ says head of design Oliver tocks of a 911 – plus a shapelier rear three-door hatch), the Aceman is Heilmer. end paired with an extended spoiler a crossover that’s much shorter and, irritatingly, a much taller load- than the current Countryman. The ‘The Aceman is our first 100 ing lip. Broader and more emphat- newcomer measures 4050mm long, per cent leather- and chrome-free ically flared sheet metal cascades 1990mm wide and 1590mm tall, and proposal. Not because we don’t like over the larger wheel apertures, and sits on a new platform with a longer leather and chrome, but because there’s lots of dark plastic cladding to wheelbase than today’s Mini hatch. there exist planet-friendlier alter- underline the car’s rugged appeal. natives which offer more variety, And the big news is it’s going to more creative freedom and a more Although beauty is always in the be electric. CAR can reveal that the emotional user experience.’ eye of the beholder, the Aceman Aceman will drive the front wheels looks fresh, modern and sufficiently via a choice of two powertrains: the Some long-running styling 10 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

Insider THE DEBATE: MINI ACEMAN ‘Mini should be much bolder in phasing out combustion engines’ different from the rival Nissan Juke, JG: What does the Mini grille LEDs are becoming JAKE VW T-Cross and Renault Captur. brand stand for? The increasingly common: GROVES The most outlandish exterior fea- Aceman is striking, with I have to admit I was a Unbeliever ture is the adaptive freeform lighting more personality than sucker for my Merc EQC’s who should be interplay between the grille, the anything else we’ve seen illuminated dance when the Aceman’s headlamps and the front graphics. from the brand (even the it woke up. And I love the young target In Companion mode, the car senses Urbanaut concept). But idea of the digital disco consumer the user’s approach, illuminating spy shots of the next Mini ball throwing light with the the path to the driver’s door and hatch show it’ll be simpler sound system. Maybe I’m PHIL giving a welcome of interactive and purer than previous the oldest swinger in town, McNAMARA colour burst and a double LED wink generations. I know the or are you a young fogey? followed by a four-tone M-i-n-i Aceman is an exaggerated Old cynic jingle – dubbed Earcon – from four concept, but either Mini’s JG: If I’m such a young whose Mini bright orange speakers. Solitude- future range won’t gel or fogey why do I want to see Countryman lovers can eschew it. it’ll need to dilute this for Mini be bolder in phasing melted his cold production. out combustion engines Pleasant as the exterior may be, and embracing electrifi- heart it’s the five-seat interior that breaks PMc: I seriously hope they cation? The UK, Germany, new ground, bringing surprise and don’t water it down! Our China and the USA are Aceman is BEV delight with clever technologies and last family car was a hybrid Mini’s top four markets: all only, but Mini’s elaborate details. The three-spoke Mini Countryman, and my of those places are pretty steering wheel’s circular rim is wife chose it because she serious about cutting car not done with covered in green velour embossed loved its character, so often emissions by growing the combustion with a quadratic pattern. Instead lacking in other cars. BMW’s charging network, and its engines of buttons on the spokes, there are second- and third-gen Minis youngish customers should now touchpads. On the left, the pad were criticised for being too be at the e-vanguard, right? governs cruise control, while ⊲ evolutionary: as it extends the brand, it can amp up the PMc: You’ve got me there. differentiation, I reckon. The Mini tells me one-third hatch could stay true to its of hatch sales were pure roots, but it’s time for Mini electric in 2021, and 22 per 4.0 across the board I say. cent of Countryman sales were hybrids. That’s way JG: The winking headlights above the UK adoption rate sound cringey, but I’m for either drivetrain. Cities getting used to the Union have the biggest air-quality Jack rear light motif. But issues and Mini should take extended into the grille?!? a stand. Its target is 50 per cent EV by 2027: you can PMc: Animated lights and do better than that, Mini… SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 11

IT’S IMMERSIVE, CUSTOMISING MOODS, ROUTES AND ENTERTAINMENT the one on the right lets you scroll THE RIVAL There’s still an iDrive-type controller through the menus, adjust the between the seats with some switch- volume and confirm input. Mounted Is Mini smarter gear grouped around it, though the on the soundbar-style dashboard than Smart? familiar row of toggle switches has trimmed in recycled fabric is the sole been cut down to five. instrument, a fully digital iteration Of the many baby crossovers already of Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis’ available or soon to arrive, the one we In the middle sits the prominent original circular speedometer. know Mini has its sights truly set on is the key-shaped crystal starter blade. To new Smart #1. It has a similar youthful its left, we find the pushbutton park- You can operate it by direct touch, outlook, is battery-electric only and carries ing brake and the volume control, via the steering wheel, or with voice on its shoulders the weight of a brand while to the right is the gear selector control. Mini claims it’s the car trying to reinvent itself… again. But while flanked by a so-called ‘experience world’s first circular OLED display the Mini has gone all in-your-face with the mode’ device. and it’s a multi-colour eye-catcher Aceman’s (and indeed the brand’s) new which uses every millimetre of its design direction, Mercedes group design The what? This is where the new considerable surface area. director Gorden Wagener has gone for Mini goes immersive by offering Personal, Pop-Up and Vivid modes The choices offered by the screen flowing, aerodynamic restraint. which customise moods (by making and its Android open-source oper- virtual clouds or waves drift across ating system are manifold. The in- the instrument panel), routes (by dash wizard can enlarge the sat-nav pointing out shopping opportuni- map or stream music, spin a virtual ties, historic town centres and other wheel to access one of 12 sub-menus, places it thinks may be of interest) and scan the web for places to eat or and entertainment (by mixing music nearby tourist attractions. If you’re and visuals). stationary it can show pictures or play a film, dial a Facetime number, The slim centre console houses select a game or hook up to a video a couple of charging cradles as well conference. as the orange central synchroniser which operates the ‘beamer’ light Mini has been caught between projector in tandem with making two stools with the controls, though. soundscapes for the interior and ex- 12 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

Insider FA M I LY T R E E MINI’S NEXT GENERATION EV and combustion will live side by side until 2030 Hatchback The new-generation hatch is coming in 2023. It should have a smaller footprint than the current car, and the combustion and EV versions will share a look. terior speakers. The on-demand pro- Central speedo Convertible jection system is a real breakthrough. is a recurring The ceiling-mounted beamer is Mini theme Mini’s busy experimenting with a drop-top EV. This will loaded with an impressively diverse – but it’s now make production in next-gen guise, and will likely be array of colours, patterns and images fully OLED – moving or static – which can be assembled in Plant Oxford, not China. projected onto areas of the cabin that Spy shots: Carpix would more typically be clothed in Aceman leather or wood. Production version of this concept car arrives in 2024, to The gizmo can also mix in digital battle the armada of dull baby crossovers. Electric power acoustic sequences like a profession- al DJ, or mute the journey except for a only, with two battery sizes and two power outputs. distant e-motor whine and subdued tyre noise. It all means owners can Countryman compose their own cabin ambience complete with bespoke soundtrack. To make room for the Aceman, Countryman grows and And it should make production. gets EV and petrol power. Two more models could follow: Just about the only item unlikely an electric, five-door coupe and the Urbanaut van. to progress beyond the concept car is the attention-grabbing roof rack SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 13 whose stylised Union Jack structure can be viewed through the full- length glass roof. We’ll find out for sure by June 2024, when the Aceman enters production. ‘Mini is all about excitement, emotion and electrifica- tion,’ says brand boss Bernd Körber. The Aceman looks set fair to deliver all three.

THE SCOOP A LAST HURRAH POWER OF SAUBER ALFA’S Alfa Romeo is working on a Alfa CEO Jean-Philippe SUPERCAR new supercar as a swansong Imparato is passionate about for its brilliant twin-turbo V6 motorsport: ‘F1 is in parallel IS BORN engine. Set to break cover next with where Alfa wants to be AGAIN! year, the halo car needs to hit today and new product.’ Alfa’s the market by 2024, because design team collaborate with An Alfa supercar was shelved from 2025 all new Alfas will be Sauber, and road cars are a few years back. But the new pure electric. It will showcase tested in its wind tunnel. That regime wants to fire it up as a Alfa’s new design direction will be great for honing the and forge a clear link with its aerodynamics of the likely last hurrah for the V6, Formula 1 team. carbonfibre flagship. says Phil McNamara FACTFILE INSPIRING HISTORY DARING DESIGN Illustration: Avarvarii POWERTRAIN Both Imparato and design boss Expect the V6 to be mid- 550bhp twin-turbo V6, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos mounted, with four-wheel drive cite the beautiful, mid-engined via an electric front axle in electrified front axle, 33 Stradale (pictured) from 1967 keeping with Alfa’s electrified all-wheel drive as inspiration. It influenced the push. And the design? ‘Our CHASSIS design of the carbon 4C, which cars are going to be daring,’ ran a four-pot engine. Work says Mesonero-Romanos, Carbonfibre monocoque began on a V6 hybrid carbon who’s promising clean surfaces DUE supercar in 2018 but was then and a great stance. ‘But don’t 2023 shelved – sounds like Alfa is expect retro cars. Our cars are rebooting the project. going to be full Alfa Romeo!’ No retro, says Alfa, but expect shades of the fabulous 33 Stradale 14 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

D E B AT E CHECKLIST Ford’s Bronco is coming to BMW M Europe: does that matter? AT 50 Two of CAR’s team argue over Ford’s TOP PICKS FOR THE decision to bring the icon to the Continent BIGGEST FANS ▼ MUST BUY Puma BMW M X Ray Speed trainers BMW has a huge set of branded clothing with Puma. Show off the M colours in style with these. How much? £81 THE SCEPTIC THE OPTIMIST ▼ MUST DRIVE JAKE GROVES, JAMES DENNISON, DEPUTY NEWS HEAD OF M2 Coupe A great entry into M life. Straight-six, EDITOR CAR VIDEO manual, rear-drive. Everything an M car should be; a car anyone can enjoy. FORD IS ONLY doing left- WHERE’S YOUR SENSE of How much? £32k for a 2017 model hand-drive models, and adventure, Jake? Not only that’s the clincher here. At is the Bronco a superb off- ▼ least with the Mustang it was roader, it’s also brimming with MUST GO done properly with right- character and charm. BMW Museum hand-drive UK-spec imports, Events and tours are on constantly at but this just seems like an The term ‘off-roader’ has BMW’s Munich home. The Museum attempt to glean a few more been diluted by all those soft has an M at 50 exhibition right now. sales with minimal effort. SUVs that can barely clear a How much? Around £11 for a tour kerb, so now that Ford has And after the two of us made a real off-roader that SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 15 drove a Bronco back-to-back also happens to be perfectly with the Jeep Wrangler I’m nice to drive (in hardtop spec) running on CAR’s long-term on the open road, then surely test fleet, I just don’t think the we should welcome it? Ford coming or not coming here is that big a deal. The Yes, the fabric folding build quality isn’t as good as roof looks crap and the the Jeep’s and the one we resulting refinement issues tested had what looked like a are unfortunate, but as a badly fitted tent for a roof. product it’s pretty well suited for Europe, and I’d love to see Worth the bother? I’m not Ford go one step further and so sure. bring it to Britain.

Insider GEORG KACHER MR RADICAL RUNS OUT OF ROAD Herbert Diess set in motion VW’s revolutionary switch from diesel to electric. But now he’s been forced out. Why? And will VW come to regret his sudden exit? Former VW supremo Ferdinand Did Diess mastermind’s unconditional push IMPLEMENTING ALL Piech was a genius and a man of really have for EVs and self-driving vehicles. THOSE GREAT IDEAS action. He hired Herbert Diess, who nursed even grander ideas. VW to go? At the peak of his tenure, Diess HAS TURNED OUT needed a ruthless cost-cutter, a high controlled the group and the TO BE HARDER THAN priest whose transformation mantra ▼ Volkswagen brand. He was in charge CONCEIVING THEM would wipe out the embarrassing There’s a of R&D and the all-important China diesel fraud, someone who could school of business, and he also saw himself as own battery production plant. learn from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a thought that chief strategist and senior Although the big picture looked steely character who could wrestle Diess could string-puller. the world’s most ungovernable have survived quite glorious for a while, the share car maker as well as Europe’s most if he’d been He declared Tesla, not Toyota or price failed to double as projected by powerful trade union. prepared to Hyundai/Kia, to be the industry’s the eternal optimist, and in mid-2019 play good new role model, signed deals with reality finally kicked in. Since then, When VW hired him as its new cop, bad cop: Ford (which wanted VW electric implementing all those great ideas chief technology officer in December Diess as the platforms) and autonomous start-up has turned out to be a whole lot 2014, Diess had fallen from grace at visionary, Argo. He launched the cool Cupra harder than conceiving them. BMW in an all-or-nothing shootout reined in by a brand destined to replace Seat, had against CEO-elect Harald Krüger. loyal sidekick Bentley join forces with Audi and The most critical stumbling He was still hungry, ambitious and empowered Lamborghini, and made VW the first clever enough to impress VW’s to implement German car maker to establish its conservative owners. workable decisions. Given free rein, Diess wasted no A software time in positioning himself for the genius or two top job, which he clinched after would have several boardroom battles in early helped, as 2018. Raiding the BMW ranks for talent and installing former allies in well. strategic positions throughout the VW Group, Diess quickly made more ▼ enemies than friends. Or perhaps Diess could He never took ‘no’ for an answer, have stayed and in a series of widely publicised on to work high-level clashes he snubbed union as an adviser leaders and alienated top managers to new boss by hogging the limelight and Blume: Diess acting as if he had absolute power. as Mr Radical, The supervisory board was not Blume as Mr amused, but until last year even his Pragmatic. But opponents implicitly supported the with Diess it’s all or nothing. 16 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

blocks were tiny, light as a feather, least four more years to complete the INKED IN more precious than gold, tricky to overdue E3 2.0 matrix. In addition, deal with and increasingly hard to the glut of new electric architectures My career in come by: semiconductors and the – MEB, PPE and SSP, the latter boast- three sketches related software issues. Pressed for ing six sub-modules – costs the time and desperate for success, Diess company dearly, fully self-driving SANGYUP LEE launched the Golf Mk8 and the ID.3 cars remain a myth, and the over- Senior vice president as unfinished products while at the staffed, overly complex and same time autonomous driving over-administered organisation is of Hyundai design dropped down the feasibility scale, still poorly prepared for a leaner, and the grand one-for-all operating faster and more flexible future. ▲ system crash-landed shortly after FIRST DESIGN take-off. Although Diess had kept his fight- CHEVROLET C6 CORVETTE Z06 ing spirit intact, he began losing one ‘The first job where I was lead designer Although panicking is not in his battle after another. The unions was the Corvette. I had no experience blood, Diess must have realised over forced him to apologise for even of designing American icons – but they two years ago that something was mentioning the need to reduce the trusted me. I have never forgotten that.’ going seriously wrong. Even today, workforce. In the wake of the mush- Cariad, the multi-billion software rooming software dilemma, the ▲ subsidiary he instigated, needs at responsibility for the highly digital FAVOURITE DESIGN DETAIL Chinese market was taken away GENESIS GV60 CRYSTAL SPHERE from him. The core think tank was ‘This swivels when the car is on. It looks transferred from Diess in Wolfsburg cool and has a safety purpose: I was once to his no-longer-best-buddy, Audi nearly killed when a Porsche hybrid rolled chairman Markus Duesmann. The away – I hadn’t realised it was running.’ new hope, Thomas Schäfer, was empowered to run the VW, Seat and ▲ Skoda brands. LATEST DESIGN Diess was being deprived of power IONIQ 6 in small instalments, but the board ‘The Ioniq 5 and 6 are about nostalgia, but was still reluctant to let him go – in they’re also futuristic: our swooping new part because designated successor saloon is a blend of 1930s streamliner and Oliver Blume was in no hurry to 1980s digital aero meets Minecraft pixel.’ abandon his role at Porsche. SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 17 In the end, however, it was Blume himself who pushed the emergency button because the exploding soft- ware crisis suddenly threatened to cripple all players. The Macan E is already over one year late, the Audi Artemis flagship is two years behind schedule, the allegedly game-chang- ing VW Trinity has dropped back 26 months, the planned electric Lam- borghini is currently on ice, the five electric Bentleys won’t meet their collective 2030 target date, Skoda and Cupra are adjusting their portfo- lios in bi-monthly intervals… The stock market responds gruffly to horror stories like that. Blume – who will continue to run Porsche too – is a seasoned smooth operator, a confident corporate veteran with a powerful network. Respected and appreciated, always open to consensus and highly com- petent, he is perceived by the owners as notably less risky than Diess, who recently became a social media star. Debate was Diess’s daily stimulant, confrontation his life elixir. Unlike his successor, he never even pretended to be a team player. And now he has no team.

SOUNDBITES This month’s conversations with CAR LAURENCE Profile carries HANSEN, traces of CITROËN Giugiaro’s Pony PRODUCT Coupe from ’74 STRATEGIST IN THEIR WORDS ▼ ‘If we stick to normal GET READY FOR 1974 car segments, the Hyundai design chief’s bold retro-futurist look for N division future will stay the same as the present. The N Vision 74 is more than ‘just thought, I’ll make this dream come ‘Parametric The SUV is not future another concept’ for SangYup Lee. true. Now it has.’ Pixel’ lighting compatible – it’s my The senior vice president of Hyundai links concept job to invent what global design is out to persuade the PRODUCTION DREAM to Ioniq 5 doubters in his own company that it ‘As a designer I will always dream, comes next!’ should go into production. and when you dream, dream big. No ▼ one else wanted to do the Ioniq 5 [in KING OF CHESS the company] but now you see it on ‘Sometimes we are ‘I’ve done countless design presenta- the streets. too early with ideas, tions over the years but I’m most sometimes we are too excited by this one. This concept is ‘There’s no production intention late – but at least we are the “king” in our chess set. with the N Vision 74, but there’s a still here. Take the Ami fully running fuel-cell prototype – it’s polarising, people ‘The 1974 Pony Coupe concept as well as this full-size show-car were throwing tomatoes was a true inspiration and part of mock-up and it’s based on the same at us shouting “Come Hyundai’s legacy, but we’re not mak- package as the Genesis X Speedium on, it’s awful!” But ing a retro design with the N Vision Coupe. look now – everyone is 74. It’s a completely contemporary talking about it! With the statement.’ ‘My dream is to make this through Ami Buggy, we made a to production. No one agrees with batch of 50 that got sold KOREAN RETURN me in the company. For us, the Ioniq in 17 minutes – people ‘It has to do with my story. When I 5 is the [current] icon for the brand tried to buy three!’ grew up in Korea in the ’70s there and hopefully this can be the halo.’ was no car culture. I left when I was ▼ 18 and lived for 26 years outside of ‘Our customers, we the country – for 15 different brands say they’re less likely and 84 cars. to be petrolheads, more family oriented ‘Then six years ago on the way back to Korea to work for Hyundai and maybe even I remember sitting on the aeroplane more financially and did a lot of sketches based on the Pony Coupe. constrained. That gives us an ‘Some time in the future, I environment where we can actually be more creative’ 18 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

Insider THE SCORECARD ’80s SUPERMODELS Tamiya’s busy mining the nostalgia seam with a stream of radio-control re-releases. But which to go for? ⊳ Monster Beetle, £265 Huge fun on huge (lugged and spiked) tyres. Twinned with the F-150-bodied Blackfoot, the original Monster Beetle was a triumph; easy to build, sturdy, stunning. This re-release doesn’t mess with the formula. Perfection. 10/10 The wheels are gold ▲ ▲ ▲ Clod Buster, £363 Hornet, £199 Tyrrell P34, £225 (kit only) An awesome exercise in excess; two The Tamiya R/C buggy blueprint at Enjoy fitting model tyres to wheels? electric motors (each with its own its most dazzling and accessible; You’re in luck. A convincing scale gearbox), four-wheel steering and no gorgeous box art, a breezy and model of the maverick six-wheeler fewer than eight shocks. Not quick, educational build and a finished car and massively quick – your brain may more fun than mud wrestling. but colossal. 9/10 Keep is simple, stupid struggle to keep up. 6/10 Massive shelf-space stealer 8/10 Weird then, weird now. Cool ▲ ▲ ▲ Vanessa’s Lunchbox, £195 Thunder Shot, £275 Lancia Delta Integrale, £210 Another rampantly popular monster The ’85 Hotshot was Tamiya’s truck, originally launched in 1987, gets first shaft-driven four-wheel-drive One of a raft of hugely successful the re-issue treatment. Expect yellow buggy, and the company soon Touring Car and rally kits based on over-spray everywhere and wheelies doubled-down on the concept. Funky the breakthrough Manta Ray buggy Thunder Shot a blast to drive. chassis. Fiddly to finish but stunning – under acceleration. 8/10 Forgiving to build and drive 7/10 Who the hell’s Vanessa? until the inevitable first shunt. 7/10 Fast left over cat, maybe SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 19

ANTHONY LO FORD CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER THE CAR INQUISITION Saab’s advanced design studio in the early 2000s, creating a string of JOB 1: FIND FORD’S awesome – if tragically unrealised – DESIGN MOJO concepts including the 2001 9-X and 2006 Aero X. From there Lo headed Ford design used to be From the outside looking in, 57-year- to General Motors Europe to work Illustration: Chris Rathbone a world-beater. But not old Hongkonger Anthony Lo comes on more mainstream products – his lately. One year into his across as a designer who quietly gets Opel 2007 GTC concept led directly job, Anthony Lo explains the job done. In person there’s no big to the 2008 Vauxhall Insignia. his re-boot. By Guy Bird ego, but his track record warrants more than a little trumpet-blowing. More than a decade at Renault as head of exterior design saw Lo trans- Starting at Lotus in the late ’80s, form the French brand’s range with he went to Germany via Audi (1991 design boss Laurens van den Acker. Avus Quattro concept; on the right Off the back of some innovative con- of the illustration) and Mercedes’ cepts they created the new Clio, Japanese design studio in the ’90s Captur, Scenic and Espace. And since (1997 Maybach concept). He then led 2021 Lo’s had the top Ford creative job, taking over from the retiring Moray Callum as chief design officer. With more than 800 design staff across US, European and Asian studios and a portfolio that includes 20 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

Insider IN THE PAST WE ‘I’m not saying there won’t be THE CAR CURVEBALLS WOULD JUST another Fiesta or Focus,’ he says. ‘But REPLACE ONE in the past we would just replace one Six questions GENERATION generation with another. In the only we WITH ANOTHER. future we will question that. Do we WE’RE QUESTION- do the same? Or do we need to create would ask… ING THAT NOW a new product instead?’ Tell us about your first car? everything from the Fiesta Beyond package and aesthetics, he ‘At Lotus in the late ’80s, supermini to the F-150 pick-up – plus also wants his team to think more I bought a Giugiaro-designed Ford’s upmarket Lincoln range – his about sustainability. ‘It’s something Fiat Uno Turbo and raced [then remit is vast. And there’s a lot to do. we are looking at very seriously, from Lotus design boss] Julian Thom- Since its design heyday in the mid materials and simplifying interiors son in his Renault 5 GT Turbo ’90s with the Mk1 Focus, Ford design to making vehicles easier to build, between Hethel and Norwich. has failed to replace its innovative creating less waste and also easier to His “chipped” engine New Edge and Kinetic design move- disassemble at the end of their lives.’ was faster, but I ments with much of note, especially always overtook in Europe. Thankfully, if his latest Lincoln him in the corners.’ Star concept (on the left of the illus- I ask Lo where he thinks Ford tration), unveiled at the April 2022 What’s the best thing you’ve needs to place its design emphasis New York Auto Show, is any guide, ever done in a car? now. ‘As designers we try to look at those changes won’t be at the ‘At Audi in Germany, I took an how Ford’s image is perceived and expense of aesthetic innovation. An air-cooled 911 over the Alps to how can we create products to fit attention-grabbing piece of work Switzerland. I never realised you that,’ he says. ‘Ford has a unique that combines elements of sporting could have so much fun driving.’ line-up of iconic nameplates. The SUV and shooting brake with great Mustang coupe is probably the most versatility of function, the Star – like What achievement makes you well-known sports car in the world, so many of Lo’s previous concepts most proud? and the biggest in sales terms. We from the Saab 9-X to the Opel Flex- ‘From concept to production car also have the Bronco – although you treme – is much more than just a on the road, it’s amazing seeing don’t get that in Europe yet – and the pretty shape, with neat interior how your work can influence F-150, the US pick-up market leader. touches like hidden drawers and flip- people’s lives.’ out seating. ‘And don’t forget the Transit van. Tell us when you screwed up? I love commercial vehicles as an Expect his first Ford-badged con- ‘When I was younger and industrial designer – understanding cepts to follow suit, in months, not naive I would get management how people use products and making years. They’ll likely offer a number of feedback but I wasn’t always them functional. The challenge is to equally eye-catching and thought- willing to change, and so take these nameplates people love provoking ideas relevant to future sometimes my work wasn’t and move them forward to the elec- production vehicles. ‘Concept cars chosen. I learned to be more tric and connected world.’ are a tried and tested method,’ says open-minded.’ Lo. ‘But we avoid the classical ap- Ford recently announced that it proach of just pure styling. We set a Supercar or classic? would separate its line-up into com- timeline, consider the technology ‘Classic cars are so bustion-engined cars (Ford Blue) and and ownership model, and think inspiring.’ electric (Ford Model E). ‘There will about all the experiences the cus- be products that have a grille and tomer could have with the exterior, Name the ones that don’t need one,’ Lo contin- interior and user interface. That all early-’60s ues, but he also recognises the need influences the design. Electrification Ford concept to ask whether some nameplates and connectivity are giving us a lot of futurist Syd Mead should continue at all. things to think about.’ was involved in? ‘That’s a tough one. Hopefully through that process, I can’t.’ (It was the 1961 Lo can put Ford on a high once again. Ford Gyron, pictured.) Miss Saab? You do now SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 21

Insider WATC H E S BRIGHT IDEAS Time to step out of the shadows. By Ben Oliver A watch with a black dial and steel case and brace- let is the horological equivalent of a silver car: safe and ubiquitous, but timeless and easy to sell on. Three recently launched watches encourage you to reject conformity and choose something brighter… though one of these doesn’t reveal its true colours until after dark. Ball Roadmaster Marvelight Bronze From £2080 Choose the rainbow version of the Ball Roadmaster Marvelight and at night its tiny tritium gas tubes light up in a riot of colours, indicating both the hour markers and the scale on the outer bezel. The mineral glass tubes shine far more brightly than the luminescent paint more usually used on dials, and take on the colour of the phosphor powder coating their inner walls. TAG Heuer Monaco Purple Dial Breitling SuperOcean Limited Edition £5950 Kelly Slater £3900 Heuer’s square-cased Monaco is not The redesigned SuperOcean is universally popular, and a version with based on Breitling’s ‘slow motion’ dive a purple dial isn’t going to win it many watches of the ’60s with their extreme more followers, but the cognoscenti simplicity and legibility, including a will know that late-’60s blue-dial big, square-tipped minute hand and a Monacos sometimes fade to purple, high-contrast minute scale. The idea is and this new dial references that. The to focus solely on what divers needed: inside of the black crocodile-leather a countdown in minutes that’s easy to strap is finished in purple too. read underwater. tagheuer.com breitling.com 22 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022



THE INNOVATIONS TRANSFORMING OUR DRIVING WORLD IN DETAIL IS SOLID STATE THE BATTERY HOLY GRAIL? They’re smaller, lighter and more efficient, but solid-state batteries remain just over the horizon – and all the time, lithium-ion tech is advancing. By Ben Barry 24 SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

It’s the future! It’ll save the EV industry! These are the Nissan aims claims we’ve heard for years regarding the next big devel- to open a pilot opment in battery technology: solid state. But the tech production line isn’t quite arriving as planned. for solid-state In (relatively) simple terms, a solid-state battery is a batteries in lithium battery with a solid rather than liquid electrolyte. 2024 Lithium ions travel through this solid electrolyte (which uses mainly ceramic compounds), flowing from a positive WHILE SOLID-STATE TECHNOLOGY cathode to a negative silicon anode. HAS GREAT POTENTIAL, SIGNIFICANT The big win is higher energy densities, because the CHALLENGES REMAIN solid electrolyte can be very thin, allowing it to provide equivalent energy to today’s lithium-ion batteries in less space. Advocates promise a reduction in weight, increases in range and vehicle interior space, as well as improved safety, lower prices and faster charging times. ‘[Solid-state batteries] represent a real quantum leap over how we currently conceive of batteries,’ says VW board member for technology Thomas Schmall. ‘The first car maker to bring solid-state batteries to series produc- tion will enjoy a crucial competitive advantage.’ But not everyone CAR interviewed was so sure, including Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot, an EV battery specialist working with Volvo among others, and investigating semi-solid-state solutions alongside other alternative technologies. ‘Solid state has great potential, but… people are coming to the realisation that there are a lot of challenges, there are many unknowns to this big promise,’ he tells CAR. Fast charging is a major hurdle, and currently impossi- ble due to excessive heat build-up, according to Myersdorf. SOLID STATE: WHO’S DOING WHAT? ‘When you’re trying to move the ions from solid to solid… by definition you have higher friction… more heat, and NIO STELLANTIS therefore fast charging is not possible,’ he explains. As The Chinese car maker is Carlos Tavares, head of the auto- things stand, customers would potentially gain 10 per cent introducing a semi-solid-state motive mega group, announced energy density but trade that against longer charge times. battery with its ET7 saloon as part of the conglomerate’s US solid-state specialist QuantumScape claims a charge (pictured), claiming 620 miles on enormous electrification plans from zero to 80 per cent in 15 minutes on its prototypes. a single charge. It hits the home that its first solid-state battery is market first, towards the end due in 2026. Finally, the cost of production is also a consideration of 2022, and could be fitted to – Myersdorf predicts it will take four years from introduc- European ET7s in the future. TOYOTA tion for the technology to reach a reasonable production It could bring a solid-state hybrid cost, though Stellantis counters that its solid-state batter- MERCEDES car to market from 2025, but a ies would be ‘drop-in compatible for easy integration into Stuttgart has partnered with full EV using solid-state batteries existing lithium-ion manufacturing infrastructure’. ProLogium to develop solid- is some way off. ‘It was going to state batteries, but CTO Markus be 2020, then 2022, then 2024 Semi-solid-state batteries look set to be a bridging Shäfer admits to CAR that ‘it’ll and now they are saying maybe technology, using a gel or liquid electrolyte alongside a probably take until the mid-’20s 2028 for mass production,’ says solid electrolyte interface. Although Chinese maker Nio until we see the first battery.’ StoreDot’s Doron Myersdorf. originally announced its ET7 electric saloon would debut in 2022 with a solid-state battery, for example, a semi-solid alternative is actually being used for production. StoreDot offers a lithium-ion battery that replaces graphite normally used for the anode with silicon, mar- keted as ‘100in5’ – a reference to 100 miles of range after five minutes of charging. Panasonic has developed the 4680 lithium-ion battery for Tesla, said to be 56 per cent cheaper to produce and up to half the size of the 74kWh battery pack in the Model Y, yet developing equivalent energy. It’s now one to two years from production. So while there’s a lot of buzz around solid state right now and the technology has great potential, significant challenges remain – not least that conventional lithi- um-ion technology continues to develop apace. SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 25

An exploding Huracan, filmed to create NFT videos CAR EXPLAINS NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS Car makers are getting involved in one of the biggest trends in digital history. But what are NFTs for? By Jake Groves If you’ve managed to avoid knowing anything about the letters N, with an edgy artist to promote its Black Badge Ghost. But there are F and T put together, congratulations. They’re spreading fast in other uses, too. Potentially the most practical is deploying block- the worlds of finance, art and social media. But now car makers are chain technology to create a digital logbook that securely records a getting in on the trend, so it’s time we got to grips with them. car’s service history, with the option for the owner to add pictures, trip details and so on. NFT stands for ‘non-fungible token’. It might mean a unique artwork that has no physical form but can be owned in the digital But NFTs are not without problems. Blockchain tech requires universe. It’s stored as a collection of data on a blockchain (which continuous computing power, consuming so much energy that it is essentially a digital register that isn’t controlled or influenced by has a similar carbon footprint to the whole of Hong Kong. And some one person, organisation, or government) that marks who owns it. analysts suggest we have already seen the peak NFT transactions, Think of it like buying a real painting; the artist may still control the and the market is waning. Even so, automotive brands see it as an- copyright, but a buyer has the actual artwork, and a receipt proves other revenue stream. Anything for a quick buck, eh? their ownership. NFTs have exploded into a multi-billion-dollar pursuit with all the Wild West peaks and pitfalls of the stock market, and it’s got trendsetters and cryptocurrency zealots hooked. Most of the car makers who have so far got involved seem to view it as a way of making money and getting talked about, generally by tapping into the vast world of NFT art. Porsche has commissioned artwork to be digitally applied to images of its Taycan, Alpine de- signed five racing liveries for its GTA Concept, and Rolls-Royce went DIGITAL MEETS PHYSICAL: THE CAR WORLD EMBRACES THE NFT ▲ ▲ ▲ LAMBORGHINI CHEVROLET ALFA ROMEO Hunks of carbonfibre composite Buy this artwork, get a free Corvette The new Tonale comes with some- were taken into space in 2019 and ZO6 in this colour – the first ZO6 thing akin to a digital trading card, upon their return they had QR codes produced. At least that was the plan logging the vehicle’s data. Having engraved on them. Each ‘Space Key’ but, at the time of writing, no one’s the entire service history registered shows an exclusive digital artwork. bought it at auction. Ouch. securely could help resale value. 26 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

à ”ÃʤŸ–ʤŸ»›Ã” »ÊŸ÷∕∕ËŸ÷◊Ã Ê »Ÿ…÷’±’ˤŸ»” There should be no borders when it comes to electric travel. Thatís why IONITY operates charging stations along European motorways that are open to electric vehicles of any brand. With several charging points at each location. With ultra-fast charging stations that recharge your vehicleís batteries for the next stretch of your journey in the shortest time possible. And with electricity generated exclusively from renewable energy sources. So, you are not only travelling emission-free: the journey really is carbon-neutral. Find out more here: weareonit.biz ‹ ”¤ Ÿ »± Õ» ∕ ¤ NEARLY 2,000 CHARGING 100% RENEWABLE CHARGING POINTS IN 24 COUNTRIES ENERGY à ’ » … ” – ’ Œ  à ” ÃÊ ¤ Ÿ – Ê  ¤ Ÿ »› à ”  Õ÷ Ÿ  à › à Ÿ ‡÷ ’ à  WE ARE ON IT.

GUARDIAN ANGLES HOW IT WORKS At a standstill, rear ▲ wheel’s deviation is DIALLING IT UP visible to the naked eye Rotating the right-hand dial on the steering wheel changes the DOES IT WORK? driving mode, the steering getting sharper as you scroll from Comfort MERC’S EXTREME through to Sport+ ANGLE REAR-STEER ▲ Rear-wheel steering is nothing new, but the EQS’s wild PIVOTAL MOMENT angles move the game forward. By Alan Taylor-Jones The 4.5º and 10º systems use the same hardware, employed to a The concept of four-wheel steering (4WS) The 4.5º version is effective but familiar – different extent depending on on a powered vehicle is nothing new. After the Prelude system achieved similar results. what the software deduces from all, inventor Bramah Joseph Diplock patent- It gives a slight boost in manoeuvrability inputs via a variety of sensors ed a four-wheel-drive and 4WS system for around town and a subtle stability improve- traction engines in 1893. Although there was ment at speed. It’s impressive… until you ▲ much experimentation over the decades, it experience the higher-angle alternatives. BEHIND THE SCENES wasn’t until the 1980s that you could buy a An electric motor drives a spindle car fitted with such a system. For Europe- These more extreme versions reduce the on the rear axle via a belt. This ans, that car would be the third-generation turning circle of this giant electric limo to is a more efficient solution than Honda Prelude. around that of a VW Golf, the rear wheels hydraulics and far more adjustable starting to resemble those of a forklift than a mechanical set-up A few other manufacturers dabbled truck. A few low-speed laps of our car park briefly, but by the early 2000s 4WS was out and some town driving reveal what a big of vogue. However, with cars getting ever difference it makes, the EQS feeling like it’s bigger and heavier and electronics getting pivoting around a stake driven through the ever smarter and more powerful, there has front armrest. been a resurgence over the past few years. Indeed, the Mercedes EQS has four-wheel It also helps boost turn-in during slower steering as standard, although confusingly cornering. It doesn’t fling the tail around there are two different systems offered, one like a Megane RS in Race mode, but it cer- of them using two different angles of turn. tainly helps the EQS feel shorter and more wieldy. Working in harmony with the active All work in the same way, by turning the anti-roll bars and air suspension, it contrib- rear wheels the opposite way to the fronts utes to making 2.5 tonnes of luxury EV feel below a certain speed to boost agility, and considerably smaller and lighter. the same way as the fronts at higher speeds to improve stability. The difference is that DOES IT WORK? on entry-level EQS models the maximum angle applied to the rear wheels is 4.5º, Yes. You’ll really appreciate it in a tight with higher trim levels boosting this to 10º multi-storey car park during a swift (or it can be purchased as an over-the-air U-turn, and it makes town driving upgrade). The AMG EQS 53 has its own generally less daunting. There’s only so version, and manages up to 9º. much it can do in the twisties, though. 28 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

NEW! Optimum driving control and a comfortable ride

NISSAN ARIYA Clean break A bigger Leaf? An electric Qashqai? Or a fresh start for Nissan? We drive the Ariya in Sweden to see if it has anything special to offer in a crowded market Words Ben Whitworth Photography John Wycherley 30 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

The 300-mile test NEW CAR MEETS REAL WORLD SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 31

You’re never far from water – and some fine civil engineering – in the Stockholm area 32 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives 300 mile test B eneath Stockholm’s warm blue caliper action. Road rumble, powertrain hum and trans- Panoramic skies, the Nissan Ariya looks mission whine are notable by their absence. Noise levels in sunroof, part of great. How many electric cars the cabin are impressively low. So far, so impressive. the higher do you find yourself admiring? Evolve spec, So many look oddly blobby or Except we don’t seem to be getting very far. I’d forgotten makes the most awkward, but not the Ariya. Born about Sweden’s slo-mo speed limits, reinforced by camer- of the cabin at Nissan Design Europe’s head as that seem to pop up every few hundred yards. How can office in London and built at Sweden have given us so many racing drivers? Still, we can Tochigi alongside the GT-R and Z, it’s the most resolved regard this as an opportunity to be awed by the landscape. and striking Nissan in a very long time. Endless combinations of Insta-ready lakes, harbours, fa- Just look at how clean and pared-back the Ariya is. lu-red barns, sweeping bridges and lush forests of spruce, The balanced proportions, the muscular stance and the pine and birch roll slowly by. Everywhere and everything is restrained detailing – it’s sleek, fresh and confident, just immaculate, including the many ageing Volvo estates we what a 21st century electric car should be. Everything real- pass, the ferries we take and the numerous summer fruit ly hangs together. And check out those unadorned flanks. stands we stop at. What a welcome alternative to the horrific current trend of slashing, slicing and creasing every possible square inch This tardy progress makes you wonder quite how much of surface metal. use buyers will be able to make of the more powerful It looks ace, but I’m itching to drive it to see if it can version due to arrive before the end of the year. At the mo- bring anything that drivers cannot get from a Kia, Hyun- ment, you have a choice of 63kWh or 87kWh battery, and dai, Volvo, Tesla, Ford or Skoda. Will it rejuvenate Nissan a single motor making either 215bhp or 239bhp. They ⊲ by putting it on the front foot in the EV sector like the pioneering Leaf did 11 years ago? And will it carry on the commercial momentum of the Qashqai, its non-electric equivalent? We have a weekend and 300 miles of Sweden’s finest roads to cover as we go in search of answers. We plot a roughly north-easterly course from the out- skirts of Stockholm, looping us out to Klacknaset, then Vaxholm, up to Åkersberga, and spearing out to Gräddö. We’ll do this outbound leg on country roads before heading back on the E18 motorway. We’re driving the higher-spec £47,840 Evolve model fitted with the smaller 63kWh battery – good for a theoretical 250-mile range – so we should be able to complete the first day’s driving without recharging. We fill the boot rather too easily with our weekend bags and photographic gear. In fairness, there is a very useful hidden lower compartment beneath the boot that swal- lows the charging cables, which any driver of an electric car will know usually lie tangled in the boot taking up a huge amount of space. Route plumbed into the intuitive sat-nav, we quickly familiarise ourselves with the key controls, and head east. The Ariya’s qualities begin to shine almost immediately. Over Sweden’s unbelievably smooth roads – how do they do it? – it glides along with a composed and polished sophistication. The steering may be free of feedback, but it’s surprisingly quick, very direct and well weighted with no signs of nervousness. Brake feel and modulation are ex- cellent, with imperceptible transition between regen and Pick-up: 0 miles 5 miles 8 miles In Sweden’s late- It’s immediately A 30mph limit on a night setting sun the apparent even main arterial road. Ariya looks fresh, after a few miles Really? With more clean and taut. We that the Nissan is a speed cameras than have all weekend refined and poised pine trees we’ll need to see if its driving steer, and twin to drive all day and dynamics match its touchscreens is a night at this pace to chiselled lines. neat idea. cover 300 miles. SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 33

First drives 300 mile test No need for legacy clutter like transmission tunnels with an EV-only platform ‘Falu’ red paint – Track is where originally a the RS comes by-product of alive and copper mining makes sense – is everywhere 25 miles 110 miles 192 miles Not sold on the so- Excellent burger Icy climate control is called ‘magic box’ and fries at the a blessing on a hot button-controlled Solbrännan Café day, and the Bose cubby. Would swap (it means ‘suntan’) audio is phenome- electrical assist in Åkersberga, nal. Talking Heads’ for more robust followed by a long Stop Making Sense construction and drive up the 276 to never sounded or better fit and finish. Gräddö. felt cooler. 34 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives 300 mile test It’s easily Nissan’s most are 33 per cent slimmer than those in the Leaf, while the desirable cabin layout to battery housing is an integrated part of the chassis struc- date, with a welcoming ture and the tailgate ring has been further reinforced to lounge-like character boost chassis rigidity. will be followed by an all-wheel-drive, twin-motor version CHAdeMO charging has been ditched in favour of the with the 97kWh battery and 302bhp, good for a 0-62mph now more widely used CCS connectors, and Nissan has time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 124mph, rather than also switched from its traditional permanent magnet the 100mph limit of our test car. motors to new externally excited synchronous motors (oohh, sexy), as favoured by Alliance partner Renault. The There are also intriguing rumours of a Nismo-badged Ariya’s 130kW DC charging capability means a 20-80 per hot version. That performance division may be most cent fast change in 28 minutes for our 62kW model, and strongly associated with hand-built, high-powered GT-Rs, 30 minutes for the 87kW variant. That charging capability but then again its badge has also been slapped on a Juke. seems pretty modest when Kia and Hyundai rivals can ex- And, more relevantly, there was a Nismo electric racing ceed 200kW but Nissan claims the Ariya will enjoy better concept based on the Leaf. You never know. But for now, long-term battery health. our car’s 215bhp is more than we know what to do with. It’s the CMF-EV’s skateboard structure that gives the As the roads open up and traffic turns from light to Ariya its flat floor, a key element of the cabin’s welcoming non-existent, we switch from Eco to Standard and then to lounge-like character. And for a Nissan cabin, it’s a design Sport using the backlit haptic controls for the drive modes transformation. Waiting for the ferry that will take us from on the centre console. It’s enjoyably easy to maintain mo- Rindö to Vaxholm gives us time to fully appreciate the mentum because the Nissan can be hustled along neatly interior. It’s easily the sharpest looking and most desirable and tidily, slicing through corners keenly and flatly, with cabin layout from Nissan to date. The sense of space in the little in the way of understeer. already well-proportioned cabin is enhanced by the lack of centre console, the slimline dashboard with low-level The combination of the quickest steering fitted to any screens, and the thin blade of grained composite ⊲ Nissan in Europe, instant and plentiful torque, and 52:48 front-to-rear weight distribution means sewing together a ARIYA, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? few miles of smooth, serpentine road is far more engaging than you’d expect for a 1952kg electric SUV. It’s brisk, too. In October 2019, at the forward. Then Covid hit us, We may be in the version with the lower power output but Tokyo motor show, Nissan’s followed quickly by the the Ariya’s performance is way more than adequate for a design boss Alfonso Albaisa semiconductor shortage. family-orientated SUV. It snaps off the line to hit 62mph revealed the ‘production- Production was also very in 7.5 seconds, pulling strongly to above 80mph, when the ready’ Ariya and declared it challenging. The whole surge of acceleration wanes. It’s limited to 100mph. the start of a new era in project was a challenge. But design and performance, we make the Leaf and the The tied-down strut front and multi-link rear suspen- moving on from the plunging GT-R so we know all about sion delivers an excellent primary ride quality on these profits, job losses and challenges.’ wonderfully smooth roads, but – and it’s a big but – when scandals of the Carlos Ghosn we do succeed in finding some acned and ridged surfaces era. And then for two years The delays have put the Ariya’s ride feels surprisingly stiff-jointed and abrupt, and eight months… nothing. Nissan behind in a field it even though we’re on the standard-fit 19-inch aero alloys once led with 2011’s Leaf shod with generously-sidewalled Bridgestone Alenza What happened? (below) – so the Ariya has a 235/55 tyres. We’ll have to wait and see how the Nissan Alexander Pasternak, the lot of ground to make up. deals with UK roads. Ariya’s product manager, says: ‘We did a very early The Ariya is underpinned by the Renault-Nis- reveal of the Ariya over two san-Mitsubishi alliance’s CMF-EV platform, the same years ago to show that architecture used by the Megane E-Tech. Flexible enough despite the difficulties we to accommodate single-motor front-wheel-drive and were going through, once twin-motor all-wheel-drive layouts, the structure features again Nissan was moving water-cooled and actively pre-conditioned batteries that 208 miles 267 miles Drop off: 389 miles Calling them Zero Economy is holding Sweden has been Gravity (because steady at 3.9 miles a delight, and we they were devel- per kWh – bang on walk away from the oped in a weightless the official figure – Ariya with a long environment) is just for a 246-mile range list of likes, and a silly but the cooled on a route mixing very short number and heated seats motorway, A-roads of must-try-harders. are very comfy. and urban crawl. Worth the wait, then. SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 35

First drives 300 mile test ▲ that houses the backlit haptic climate controls. PLUS Everything you touch is covered in a tactile material Concept-car looks; safety and tech most Nissan drivers will find completely alien; the thin equipment; cabin bead of copper-accented trim that fronts the air vents; style and quality the powered centre console that can be whirred back MINUS and forth by up to 150mm to reconfigure front and rear accommodation; and the more compact electric motor ▼ that allowed Nissan’s engineers to push the heating and Rivals charge ventilation units into the stubby nose rather than in front quicker and go of the front passenger – they all work to physically or further; firm low- visually create space in the cabin. speed ride; ho-hum With the sun still high in the sky – sunset is around boot size 10.30pm, sunrise at 3.30am – we turn south west and A LT E R N AT I V E S begin the return drive. On arrival we’ve covered 208 miles of motorway, A-road and urban driving, with 15 miles in ⊳⊲ reserve. That’s 27 miles off the official 250-mile range. Not bad, but we’ll see what tomorrow’s leg does to the figures. Hyundai Ioniq 5 Combines sci-fi Sunday morning and we’re off early into central Stock- style with excellent holm. To get to the stunning old town we first must nav- range and plenty igate a maze of roadworks, tunnels and one-way streets. I of kit. Still hugely switch on e-Pedal, which scrubs off speed very effectively when you release the accelerator, but has been calibrated desirable to deliver low-speed creep rather than bringing the car to a complete stop. The rough and broken city-centre roads Kia EV6 again show up the Ariya’s firm ride. It’s not as intrusive as a Shares almost all big-wheeled Audi, but it’s jarring for family transport. of the Ioniq 5’s Driving in old Stockholm tests your spatial awareness goodness, but with and attention. Cars are outnumbered 50 to one by bicy- added dynamic flair cles, electric scooters and pedestrians. With the help of the Nissan’s good visibility, a decent 11.8-metre turning circle and quick-witted sat-nav, we wend the Ariya down to the capital’s photogenic waterfront. Stockholm demonstrates a lot of Swedish pride, but it’s nothing compared to the Jap- anese traditions referenced in the Ariya’s design. A pattern that nods to Kumiko, a form of delicate woodworking, is found beneath that deep front grille and echoed in the covers of the cabin’s ambient lights, as well as decorating the speaker jackets, rear-view mirror surround and dash endcaps. The floor lighting is inspired by Andon paper lanterns, and dainty Sakura flowers are embossed into the plastics. It’s all very clean and unfussy, with a precise attention to detail. As we silently cut through Stockholm’s more modern shopping precincts, in the many glass-fronted buildings the Ariya’s reflection is impressively sleek and fresh. It looks and feels special and distinctive, qualities not nor- mally associated with Nissans. Reliable and dependable, sure – the Leaf has an impeccable reliability record – but Nissans are rarely desirable, Z and GT-R aside. A new flagship for a new chapter in the company’s story? Concerns about low-speed urban ride quality aside, it delivers. Visually arresting, dynamically engaging, sumptuously equipped with safety, connectivity and driv- er-assist technologies, and displaying a fine combination of versatility and functionality, the Ariya joins 2022’s top table of desirable BEVs. It’s a very welcome return to form for Nissan. We just wish we were telling you this two years ago, and I’d bet very good money Nissan does too. Next month: VW ID. BUZZ THE ELECTRIC CAMPER VAN IN DENMARK 36 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

It looks and feels special and distinctive, qualities rarely associated with Nissans PRICE POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE R AT I N G £47,840 63kWh battery, 215bhp, 221lb ft 1952kg 3.9 miles per kWh Now ★★★★★ (Evolve 2WD e-motor, front- 7.5sec 0-62mph (official), 3.9 miles per Data 63kWh) wheel drive 100mph kWh (tested), 250-mile range (official), 246-mile range (tested), 0g/km C SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 37

Race number on the door isn’t compulsory Adept at transporting you to mountain roads and showing you a good time while you’re there 38 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives PORSCHE 911 SPORT CLASSIC The houndstooth of love Retro looks, rear drive, manual shift. What’s not to like? The price… In road cycling, a classic is a race character- That cloth, those pedals, a stick, and brown! THE FIRST HOUR ised by certain agreed elements such as a 1 minute historic route, a particularly nasty set of 30-odd bhp. Below 2000rpm there’s a flat hills, or a road surface lined with cobbles. spot where it sounds mechanical and raw, Widebody with no where you can flatten the gas pedal and wait side vents is the 911 A Porsche 911 Sport Classic comes with a for the boost. After this it pulls hard and look I never knew I similar set of defined parameters – namely a unrelentingly to the redline. The rev-limiter ducktail spoiler, Fuchs-alike wheels and a earns its keep in this car. needed very limited-edition badge. 5 minutes With a manual gearbox it’s easy to keep in Cloth seats in a Usually a collectable 911 is as likely to see the power, but navigating the seven forward sports car are just daylight as the sunken city of Atlantis. ratios takes some getting used to – particu- better, especially However, unlike the ultra-rare 997 Sport larly as they’re quite long. There’s an houndstooth Classic, the allocation for the 992 model has autoblip function in Sport and Sport+ 15 minutes been upped to 1250 cars, in an attempt to get modes that you can turn off. It’s not as fast as a at least some onto the road. Turbo off the line Huge rear tyres deliver so much grip that but the way it pulls The Sport Classic recipe is as stripped you’d have to be pushing very hard on the is unbelievable back and easy to love as a jam sandwich – road to find the limit, so in the dry at least 33 minutes 542hp from a flat-six, fed through a manual the power feels very usable. The rear end is The green glowing gearbox to the rear wheels. One of four satisfyingly responsive, and adjustments dials are supposed Heritage Design specials celebrating 60 can be made to your cornering angle with to signal the 356 years of the 911, the Sport Classic draws on great confidence. but to me they’re various 1960s and ’70s elements, but most pure ’90s Ford heavily the 1972 Carrera RS 2.7. It’s an off-the-shelf Singer restomod 59 minutes capable of grand tours and Alpine adven- Wonder whether I You won’t fail to spot the houndstooth tures. Mix the long leggedness of the Turbo could convince fabric (from 1965), or the double-bubble and the driver focus of a manual GTS, and them to make 1251? groove on the carbonfibre-reinforced plastic you get a more planted two-wheel-drive car, bonnet and roof. Less obvious is the green- with the added performance of the larger ▲ ringed revcounter, inspired by the 356. And flat-six. A car that needs to be driven. PLUS the side intakes, normally seen on widebody Classic rear-drive, Turbo and Turbo S cars, are absent. ADAM BINNIE three-pedal thrills MINUS In power terms it sits between the switch- First verdict back-switchblade Carrera GTS and the ▼ claymore Turbo. You can’t get a manual A classically styled celebration of the Too expensive Turbo, but you also can’t get a widebody 911, but this is so much more than the and exclusive Carrera, so it’s a bit of both. Adept at trans- sum of its GTS and Turbo parts porting you to mountain roads and showing ★★★★★ you a good time while you’re there – this is the grand tourer the Turbo thinks it is. While it’s powered by that car’s 3.7-litre flat-six, with no PDK or all-wheel drive it offers an entirely different character. Instead of a tarmac-wrinkling rocketship that you strap into and ignite, the slower shifts and requirement to manually manage traction mean it’s much more about the ex- perience than outright pace – although it’s still a very fast car, and when you’re up and moving you won’t miss the Turbo’s extra PRICE POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE £214,200 3745cc 24v twin- 542bhp @ 6750rpm, 1570kg 22.4mpg, Now turbo six-cyl, seven- 443lb ft @ 2000rpm, 285g/km CO Data speed manual, 4.1sec 0-62mph, rear-wheel drive 196mph SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 39

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN TECNICA Love and thunder This must be the best Huracan ever: thrilling or docile on demand, and built around a raw V10 subtly helped by tech To be honest, I’ve never been much of a THE FIRST HOUR Hexagonal Lamborghini man – which is weird. I had 1 minute tailpipes, diffuser a Countach poster on my bedroom wall as and vertical rear a kid and as a road tester I’ve enjoyed some I climb in feeling window all created stellar drives in Murcielagos, Huracans and like a Master of the for the Tecnica Aventadors. But I’ve never actually wanted Universe then get to own one. It’s pure fantasy anyway – I lost on my way out could barely afford a bull-branded umbrella – but in my head I’ve never seen myself as a of the car park Lambo owner. Maybe they’re a bit too bling; 10 minutes maybe (in the past, at least) a bit crude. In Strada mode it But everything’s changed now: this cruises down the Lamborghini I really want. I want to own motorway like it’s it, I want to look at it every morning, I want to drive it every day and I want the engine an Audi S6 noise as my mobile ringtone. And this isn’t 22 minutes down to the excitement of some sparkly Off the motorway, next-generation launch – this is a late-cycle into Sport and my derivative of a model that’s been around first full-blooded for almost a decade. Launched in 2014, the acceleration. Oh Huracan got its Evo facelift in 2019 and God, the noise! only has a couple of years of production left 45 minutes before retirement. But the new Tecnica is This is turning into simply the finest Huracan yet, combining one of the most the best of the rear-drive Evo with the intense drives of race-inspired STO to slot into the middle of the range. Redesigned and re-engineered, my life the result is absolute magic. 57 minutes Now confident Visually, the Huracan has aged incredibly enough to turn the well: it’s still muscular and poised, the traction control off: intersection between the roofline and the and I discover, this glasshouse full of energy and tension. On is a brilliant, benign this strong foundation Mitja Borkert and his design team have updated it brilliantly. supercar The nose now features the Y-shaped detail first seen on the 2017 Terzo Millennio ▲ concept car, and redesigned air intakes that PLUS improve front brake cooling. The rear has Gorgeous wedge a new vertical window, a new bumper and powered by a diffuser, and hexagonal exhaust pipes. full-volume V10 in a progressive, Much more subtle are the details, like playful chassis a new black area around the base of the MINUS windscreen, giving the Tecnica a more nose-down concept-car look; and the ▼ design team also took some volume out of Expect negative the rear haunches. Sitting on new 20-inch hand gestures diamond-cut wheels, it looks sensational ⊲ from people who hate your choice of car 40 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives It’s the finest Huracan yet, combining the best of the rear-drive Evo and race-inspired STO SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 41

V10 from the STO superbly integrated with the chassis and electronics 42 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives As bold inside as sure this latest iteration of the Audi-Lam- out, and now fitted borghini V10 is very high-tech and very with plenty of truly clever, but it feels wonderfully characterful advanced tech and old-school, a hammering, howling, naturally aspirated force of nature. Driving The V10 feels wonderfully characterful with the ’box in manual mode and keeping and old-school – a hammering, howling, the revs above 4500rpm on the tight and naturally aspirated force of nature twisty mountain road, the throttle response is instant, releasing a savage, gargling and would be an outrageous head-turner if extremely raked back and racy. There’s baritone of engine noise into the cabin. It’s it was launched new today. no doubting you’re in a Gandini-inspired a 1970s supercar sound with a hint of 1950s Italian wedge. Le Mans car, fast-forwarded with a dash of And the redesign isn’t just about styling: unstoppable runaway freight train. as a half-way house to the STO, the Tecnica On the steering wheel there’s a red button also has lightweight parts, in the form of offering three driving modes: Strada, Sport If this sounds scary, it’s really not. Under carbon bonnet and engine cover, and a new and Corsa. Setting off in Strada the Tecnica the surface there’s a ton of software working rear wing that helps increase rear down- is reassuringly docile and smooth. It’s hard: the chassis is being controlled by the force by 35 per cent over the Evo RWD. Drag surprisingly quiet and the auto gearshifts Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata is also reduced by 20 per cent. are seamless. The ride is firm but not crashy (LDVI) system, there’s torque vectoring and and through the first couple of roundabouts a Tecnica-specific Performance Traction Under that carbon engine cover is the the Evo-derived four-wheel steering and Control System (P-TCS). But it doesn’t feel heart of the car, the same 5.2-litre V10 you’ll the quick electro-mechanical steering rack synthetic, like you’re in some PlayStation find in the STO, putting out 631bhp and make the car feel alert and intuitively easy game; instead, the interventions are subtle driving the rear wheels through a seven- to place on the road. and the physical controls – the pedals, the speed paddleshift. Lamborghini claims a steering – all feel beautifully measured and top speed of 201mph and a 0-62mph time Then we turn off the motorway and into linear, and the car’s movements are predict- of 3.2 seconds, a tiny sliver quicker than the the hills above Valencia, switch to Sport able and natural. standard Evo RWD; but raw figures aren’t mode and holy cow, the car comes alive. the point here, it’s the way the car feels. It’s a car you can drive really, really hard The noise – oh my God the noise. I’m and fast. With traction control off, as you Climb inside and you’ll find a slightly re- approach the limit of grip when accelerating vised interior including optional STO-style hard out of corners, the Tecnica is happy carbon door panels and improved tech, with to blur the edges for you, softening the Alexa and What3Words mapping now built transition from grip to slide. It does what in. Lamborghini is also keen to stress how the best Ferraris do: it takes a spiky-looking connected the car is, the app now offering projectile with over 600bhp and offers it to telemetry and video via an onboard camera you in a friendly, approachable way. The car and a digital diary of destinations and track says, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t bite.’ And you say, times. But frankly you won’t care about any ‘Yes please, I’ll take it all.’ of that: you’ll just notice the hip-hugging sports seats, the shapely steering wheel And I did, driving it like a nutter for jutting out at you, and a cabin that feels almost three hours through the Spanish hills, and for that whole time I focused completely on the tactile steering feedback, the dependable front-end bite, the gutsy, confidence-inspiring brakes and, of course, that thundering horsepower avalanche of a V10. The time flew, and I returned the car in a bit of daze, grinning from ear to ear and slightly deaf; and wishing – oh wishing! – I had £212,000 so I could buy one for myself. Now I’ve driven the Tecnica, a poster on the wall just isn’t going to cut it any more. MARK WALTON First verdict A truly great supercar and an incredible driving experience. The noise of this V10 will probably never be bettered ★★★★★ PRICE POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE £212,000 5204cc 40v V10, 631bhp @ 8000rpm, 1379kg 20.3mpg, Now seven-speed 417lb ft @ 6500rpm, 331g/km CO2 Data automatic, 3.2sec 0-62mph, (both est) rear-wheel drive 201mph SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 43

The new damper setting not only enhances the ride but also solidifies stability and control 44 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives ALPINA B4 GRAN COUPE It’s the missing M The body is the sensible 4-series GC; the performance is more M4 There are many things to like and a few to More leather and more gizmos as standard THE FIRST HOUR love about the new Alpina B4. The most sig- 1 minute nificant individual item is perhaps the to accelerate in a super-swift 3.7sec from Comfort+ button, which unlocks a level of 0-62mph. Passing the 125mph mark only Still got the nasty compliance BMW’s M cars cannot match. 9.2sec later, the Alpina is good for an unri- BMW nose. Extra valled top speed of 187mph. stripes and logos This may seem perverse, talking about comfort on a performance-focused car, but Changes include a remapped black box, don’t help that is in fact one of the key distinguishing large-diameter exhaust with reduced back 2 minutes features between Alpina-badged cars – pressure, a pair of flow-optimised monos- Much easier on the always created with BMW’s co-operation, croll turbos, bigger intercooler, more eye inside. Lots of and now under BMW’s ownership – and generous air intake plenum and two extra trad leather, no big those from BMW’s in-house M division. radiators supported by a 1kW cooling fan. changes to the The reinforced eight-speed transmission is instruments or And it makes particular sense in the B4 now even faster acting in Sport+ and a touch controls Gran Coupe, which brings M levels of per- smoother in Comfort+. The xDrive AWD 7 minutes formance to a body style neglected by M, system is mated to an electronically con- Hit some poorly and a body style likely to attract buyers with trolled limited-slip differential. The torque surfaced road; families. On rough roads, the softest split clearly favours the rear wheels which is Comfort + makes it damper setting is an important confi- obvious in Sport+ and can be a real chal- go away dence-inspiring factor because it does not lenge with DSC switched off. 17 minutes only enhance the ride quality but also solid- There’s enormous ifies stability and control. In combination Not every change is so successful. The punch on the open with the strut brace, fatter front anti-roll choice of three steering settings seems to road, even above bar, negative camber and built-to-order answer a question nobody is asking. But 100mph dampers, the Alpina suspension is progres- that’s about it. The end result is cool, 50 minutes sive and balanced. relaxed, confident, always ready to strike. Swap into the diesel D4 version: It would be remiss to get much further This is a multi-talented driver’s car: even more torque, into this test without mentioning that you Sunday racer, long-distance cruiser, better economy, also get more power than any BMW-brand- weekday commuter, you name it. £10k cheaper… but ed 4-series Gran Coupe, and indeed who’s buying performance comparable to the M3 and M4, GEORG KACHER at a competitive price too. diesels? First verdict The Alpina treatment adds beautiful ▲ 20-inch multi-spoke wheels, a highly vocal Adds comfort, style, power and unreal PLUS four-pipe exhaust and bespoke spoilers roadholding to the 4-series Gran Coupe Great ride, front and rear. Inside, we find extra leather, – and it hits the bullseye handling and added convenience features, modified in- ★★★★★ performance; strument graphics and a variety of decent reasonably subtle brand logos. practicality; good value The previous B4 was no sluggard, but its MINUS replacement musters more than 30bhp extra, bringing the total to 488bhp, politely ▼ short of the M3/M4 Competition’s 503bhp. Not a looker; Whereas the top-of-the-line BMW M pointless choice six-cylinder engine produces 479lb ft of of steering torque, the B4 takes it to 539lb ft, available between 2500 and 4500rpm. At 1965kg, the settings B4 is heavier than the M3, yet it still manages Bilster Berg PRICE POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE test track let £79,900 2993cc 24v twin- 488bhp @ 5000rpm, 1965kg 28.0mpg, Now the B4 show it’s turbocharged six- 539lb ft @ 2500rpm, 229g/km CO2 not just family Data cylinder, eight-speed 3.7sec 0-62mph, automatic, all-wheel drive 187mph transport SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 45

MORGAN SUPER 3 The anti-supercar But with its new engine and new body, it’s definitely super The previous Morgan three-wheeler was a Modest triple shines in lightweight Morgan THE FIRST HOUR driver’s machine you didn’t have to drive at 1 minute Mach 3 to enjoy, and that made it a real side, in front of you as you spin the wheel. breath of fresh air. Sadly, an inability to get Overall, it’s still a vintage experience and Quality is massively its emissions close enough to fresh air killed one characterised by rattles and bangs on improved over the off the bike-engined machine, called simply rutted roads, plus a whine from the rear the 3 Wheeler, last year. Don’t waste too bevel box, but things are definitely more old car many tears, though, as this all-new one, the polished this time around. 5 minutes Super 3, is miles better. Worries that Ford As they are inside. The cabin is longer and triple would be dull No, it doesn’t look quite as mad without wider to make it more comfortable, and the after bike motor an S&S V-twin strapped across the nose, but quality is on a different level. There’s no unfounded the jet-age styling is far more sophisticated, convertible roof, only a tonneau to attach 6 minutes as is the substance beneath. The old steel when parked to prevent the Super 3 becom- Briefly hit 85mph, chassis and tin bathtub that passed for a ing an aluminium pond. But the upholstery feels like 135mph body have been replaced by an aluminium (choose from treated leather or smart tech- 30 minutes monocoque with superformed aluminium nical fabrics), the toggle switches and the Stuck behind a lorry panels, the ancient sliding-pillar suspension fabulous Cold War-style digital instruments on an A-road, but makes way for double wishbones, and you are all weather-sealed. And, despite the still smiling get wider (relatively, we’re taking 130/90 limited weather protection, Morgan discov- 60 minutes R20) tyres up front wrapped around stylish ered that owners of the last car drove them Probably the disc-style wheels, rather than wire rims. far further than anyone in the factory could optimum length of have imagined, so the new one has a luggage time for a Super 3 Morgan’s revelation that it was replacing area under the rear lid, and attachments on the bike motor with a Ford car engine made the side for bungees and panniers. blast for the Indian market didn’t exactly have us salivating. I mean, it’d be like making an Losing the bike engine could have been a ▲ electric Ferrari, right? But it’s a masterful disaster, at a stroke spoiling the best thing PLUS swap. There are no turbos to dull the throt- about the Super 3. But the new car is so Charm; just fast tle response or induction noise of the comprehensively better in every respect that enough; not 1.5-litre triple, and with 117bhp and 110lb ft it barely matters. £150k of torque (versus around 90bhp and just MINUS over 100lb ft for the lighter V-twin) it’s CHRIS CHILTON plenty potent given the 635kg kerbweight. ▼ First verdict Best in sunnier Morgan says zero to 62mph takes around climes than ours 7.0sec, although it feels much quicker, and Beautifully built, and much more fun we didn’t try to verify the claimed 130mph than a supercar at real-world speeds. top end: by 80mph things are more than ex- And it can do 40mpg citing enough, and handily, given UK speed ★★★★★ limits, 50-60mph is actually its optimum cruising speed. The updated suspension copes much better with bumps than before, and there’s significantly more grip from the front end, which you get to feel through the beautiful- ly direct and tactile steering. One quirk though is that roundabouts and sharp right turns are awkward because you can’t bring your right elbow, which is draped over the PRICE POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE Same spirit as £41,995 1432cc 12v 117bhp @ 6500rpm, 635kg 40.0mpg, Now the 3 Wheeler, (£51,824 three-cylinder, 110lb ft @ 4500rpm, 130g/km CO2 but different in Data as tested) five-speed manual, 7.0sec 0-62mph every detail rear-wheel drive (est), 130mph (est) 46 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022

First drives We didn’t try to verify the claimed 130mph top end, because by 80mph it’s more than exciting enough SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 47



Opinion SPONSORED BY UNBEATABLE CAYMAN + FORECOURT FAUX PAS + AUTOPILOT Letter Walk the walk better at bringing a bit of magic to of the Further to your Hall of Fame in the the mass market, and they’re wasting month July issue, I met Murray Walker on their time with anything fancy. two occasions, on both of which he Sorry, DS, but there it is. The bitter end was quite the gentleman: happy to chat with both me and my young It’s good now and again to think of I have taken CAR since January 1985 and am son, and clearly full of the knowledge cars not just as toys for enthusiasts, thus old enough to have had the proper stuff – and enthusiasm your refer to. Yes, it but also as transport for families and Ur Quattro, an E30 M3 plus Alfasuds when was dialled down a bit away from the working people; and good to remem- they were fighting fit and 300 quid or so. One of cameras, but clearly his love for mot- ber that the car industry is a major the things I’ve most enjoyed recently in CAR is orsport was deep and enduring. Top employer, with all the responsibili- Gavin Green’s common-sense attitude to elec- bloke, and a neat tribute. ties that brings. tric cars. His July column in particular struck a chord – if only everyone could take Gavin’s Lee Gillespie Ian Norris anti-waste argument on board. True colours Van second life I use everything until it’s absolutely finished Your Behind the Headlines piece in Loved Ben Oliver’s piece in the July and often find its replacement a step back- the July issue, about how car manu- issue about the new VW Multivan. I wards. I used my 2012 iPhone 4S until the bitter facturers have responded to the particularly admire the way he end, and hate its 2020 replacement. compound problems of Covid, war clearly had a good time, but didn’t let and supply shortages, was fascinat- that blind him to the fact that this is I have owned and lovingly maintained a ing. I was particularly struck by the a rather expensive, and far from 1989 BMW 730i since 2003 and do not feel a contrast between what Mercedes perfect, vehicle. shred of guilt about its 20mpg – not that I do CEO Ola Källenius was saying about many miles in it. Ditto the 1994 318ti Compact I focusing on making those cars with I guess I’ll have to wait a few years use every day. Their debt was paid many years higher profit margins, and what Re- for used prices to come down to a ago. Anything less than four miles and I walk. nault’s Luca de Meo was saying, sensible level, at which point I won’t about wanting to keep on making worry about the ‘odd dynamics’ and The consumption may be higher than ‘affordable’ cars. the ‘often stiff and noisy ride’. average and largely uncatalysed, but the foot- print is low. Use everything until the very end I guess they were simply saying out Although of course by then the to reduce the pollution of manufacture, and loud something that’s been going on fine styling will probably have been the world is automatically a better place. Too for decades. The premium German messed up by ‘amusing’ stickers. often, people think buying electric is the cars were always intended for the answer, when it’s in fact a panacea. better-off, and the fact that recently Paul Ferguson Andy EverettBOTB-CAR-Mar-2021-65x40mm.pdf 1 10/03/2021 they’ve been selling in huge numbers is actually a blip. And the French Enduring ICE makers have always been much Gavin Green has undone the myth regarding EVs. In his July column he You hear the writes: ‘Don’t go “green” by buying a one about the two-tonne-plus electric car with its ⊲ £60k MPV? 16:07 YOURCADRREAAWMAITS! 2 GUARANTEED WEEKLY WINNERS ALL CARS IN THE DREAM CAR COMPETITION NOW COME WITH £50,000! SEPTEMBER 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 49

Congo cobalt and its Chinese-mined How do you AVs still have to be proven. Their across Milton Keynes’ roundabouts lithium and its Chinese-made replace benefits are manifold , but there are is always full of fun. battery cells and a likely carbon something definitely concerns which need to be Paul Sayer manufacturing footprint of circa 20 this good? overcome . tonnes, often higher.’ Let battle Hy anxiety recommence Faisal Rafique I was interested in the piece in Tech To my mind, the colossal problem every 30 years (July 2022) about Renault using hy- of range is perhaps less of a dilemma or so Great days drogen to create range extenders for than the logistics of charging. The Reading and enjoying the test of EVs. I applaud the idea of range ex- network is a joke and will only get Porsche vs Lotus vs Alpine (Giant tenders, like my BMW i3: a modestly worse as more EVs come on stream. Test, July) made me think back to a sized battery, so it’s light and quick to Giant Test involving these three charge, and a small petrol engine We are all aware that rechargeable great marques in the 1980s when I generator. Mazda is about to intro- batteries have a finite life; one does was the proud owner of a Renault duce a similar arrangement on the not replace the battery in a mobile GTA Turbo, which for trademark MX-30 using a rotary engine. phone or calculator. By contrast, reasons could not be badged as an doing a top-end overhaul of a 15-year- Alpine. Every drive was an occasion. But using hydrogen to augment old internal-combustion car is not a the battery power through a fuel cell? big deal. Gavin suggests keeping our Then as now three great cars with If the aim is to reduce emissions and ICE motor cars and he is correct. little between them. increase efficient usage of available energy, EVs are significantly more Derek Sharp Great to know that exciting cars efficient. such as these are still being made. Force the issue Both batteries and fuel cells suffer Jeff Simpson’s letter (July) in regard to Alan Conrad from some kind of energy losses: pointless and unnecessary features with fuel cells these losses are in the in modern cars made me chuckle, Irreplaceable region of 60 per cent, through the but not as much as the g-force indica- Like Andrew Donovan (Used Car conversion process into electricity. In tor on my Suzuki Vitara. Stars, July) I have a Porsche Cayman broad terms this is only slightly more S. I purchased it new in 2014, intend- efficient than petrol, although the David Coombs ing to trade in after my usual three emissions are zero. In contrast BEVs years of ownership. Eight years and run at 75-80 per cent efficiency. Blame game 70,000 miles later I’m still driving The article by Jake Groves (Tech, this great car. It proved to be far more I can see the logic of utilising hy- June), gives a succinct summary of practical than I expected, as easy to drogen for heavy plant/commercial the state of play with autonomous drive as a family Fiesta and most of installations. I am not convinced, vehicles. As electronics and semicon- all it always puts a smile on my face. though, that hydrogen offers the ductor technology changes, the speed of the CPU calculations will Buying new I had the chance to Have your say: no doubt be enhanced – and allow build the car of my choice. If you even faster decisions to be made, to want a Cayman S that’s usable daily I VIA EMAIL avoid/detect possible collisions. consider climate control, adjustable [email protected] dampers and a rear wiper essential; But even with improved technolo- all optional extras! I also added a full VIA TWITTER gy, the many legal ramifications still leather interior and electric seats to @CARmagazine need to be resolved. Where does the make it more comfortable. blame lie: a CPU issue, or the driver VIA FACEBOOK selected AV mode at the wrong time, If you live in a snow-prone area facebook.com/CARmagazine or was the other road user at fault? buy winter tyres – it runs rings And what about animals running around Chelsea tractors. Adaptive VIA POST out into the road? It seems impera- cruise control makes city, and con- CAR, Media House, Lynchwood, tive to have an override option. gested motorway, driving a doodle. Peterborough, PE2 6EA Above all you’ll always enjoy the Mercedes seem to be saying it will engine and handling. My daily dash take full responsibility for any of its AVs, but surely there will be some caveats. 50 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2022