Motoring News
Yesterday, 16 December 2016Mini Clubman JCW driven – bloated 148mph estate gets too big for its boots
First look at the Rolls-Royce 4x4, and are they suicide doors?
read moreMini Clubman JCW – in pictures
First look at the Rolls-Royce 4x4, and are they suicide doors?
read more2017 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace confirmed for Detroit motor show
We’ve already driven a prototype but the final version of VW’s lengthened SUV will be shown for the first time next month
The 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace will make its world debut at the Detroit motor show next month, ahead of going on sale in the UK in May 2017.
The more practical Tiguan sits on a wheelbase that’s 11cm longer than the regular car and its body is 22cm longer. It features seven seats and is expected to be offered with the same 2.0 TDI diesel options and a choice of 1.4 and 2.0-litre petrols as the standard car.
The car’s design, which was all but completely revealed when Autocar drove a prototype earlier this month, sticks to the look of the regular car, however, enlarged dimensions of the cabin and the lengthier wheelbase give the Allspace less taught proportions.
Pricing for the Nissan X-Trail rival is yet to be revealed.
read moreFirst Ford GT customer car rolls off production line
More than 6500 people applied to own one of the first batch of Ford GTs; the first car is being built in Ontario today
The first Ford GT customer car has rolled off the production line today, almost two years after the initial pre-production car was revealed in Detroit.
The GT is being built at Canadian race engineering company Multimatic's Ontario plant, where the GTE racing cars that contest at Le Mans are also prepared.
Ford hasn't confirmed whether it will be finish its second customer before the close of 2016, but it said the first should be with its owner later this month. The Ontario plant will produce up to 250 models per year, with total production so far capped at 1000.
Only the first batch of 500 cars has been allocated. Applications for the remaining 500 will open in 2018.
Ford CTO Raj Nair drove the first GT off the assembly line. "When we kicked off 2016, we had two primary objectives for our Ford GT supercar - to excel at Le Mans, and to start deliveries before year-end," he said. "We've achieved both.
"For everyone involved in designing and developing this car, including all of our employees and suppliers, this is a moment to celebrate," he added. "The
read moreAlcoSence Excel breathalyser: peace of mind for the morning after the office party
First look at the Rolls-Royce 4x4, and are they suicide doors?
read moreMercedes S-Class Coupe Night Edition revealed for Detroit show
News
16 Dec, 2016
Special edition luxury coupes get dark styling tweaks to stand out from the crowd
read moreMercedes reveals S-Class Coupe Night Edition for Detroit - pictures
read more2017 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC - new pre-season testing pics
Aggressive-looking three-door rally hatch is a favourite for the title following Volkswagen’s departure
The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC has taken to gravel and tarmac already ahead of its entry into the 2017 World Rally Championship.
The car, which was revealed earlier this month at Italy's Monza racing circuit, is expected to be a front-running contender in next year’s rejuvenated season. It replaces the now-retired i20 WRC.
The new three-door i20 Coupe WRC is described as a heavy evolution of the outgoing car, using the same basic structure as 2016’s five-door i20 but conforming to the WRC's less restrictive engine and aerodynamic regulations for 2017.
The i20 Coupe WRC has a much larger rear wing and the front bumper works the air significantly harder than before with large, swooping winglets. The car's 1.6-litre engine also has a larger restrictor – up from 33mm to 36mm in diameter – so produces 376bhp, significantly more than the 2016 car’s 330bhp.
Drive is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed paddle-shift manual gearbox as before, but the drivers can now adjust the percentage of torque sent to each end using a new active central differential.
When asked how much difference the upgraded drivetrain of the 2017 car would have on performance at the car's launch, both the drivers and team leaders said straight-line speed wou
read more2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class - 4x4 pick-up variant spotted
Wider body suggests new G-Class will have a roomier cabin; E-Class's six-pot diesel also likely to be added
The Mercedes G-Class has been spotted testing again ahead of its expected debut next year, but this time it has been seen wearing a boxy cover for its rear section.
This suggests the latest car is a 4x4 pick-up, which will be offered alongside the regular car. It looks to have the same widened track as earlier development cars with the fitment of extended wheel arches, as well as minor cosmetic tweaks to its front.
Like all previous generations of the G-Class, aka G-Wagen, the future model will feature the same basic retro body mounted on a frame chassis with a live rear axle. The enlarged width of spotted development cars suggests the 2018 G-Class could be widened to allow for more cabin space.
This increase in room will likely be joined by an updated interior, evidence for which comes with the new door cards fitted to the car below, as well as Mercedes’ latest infotainment system.
Changes are also likely to be made to the G-Class’s engine line-up, which currently comprises a turbocharged six-cylinder diesel and turbocharged eight-cylinder petrol engines in the UK, with a turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 and 4.0-litre ‘hot-vee’ turbocharged V8 available in other markets.
The ‘hot-vee’ V8 and V12 units are expected to remain unchanged, and our sources also believe the other V8, an older 5.5-litre unit, will still be offered with the AMG G 63, which can be
read more2017 Porsche Panamera 4S UK review
Not only a superb GT car next to its rivals, but also the pick of the new Panamera range
There they were. All three lined up neatly in the car park and a man from Porsche shouting: "Which one do you want first?" Oh dear. Four decades of trying to purge the gluttonous juvenile within, and still he lives on; without a moment’s hesitation, the reply was: "The red one, please." The red one was the mighty Panamera Turbo. In an instant, the eyes had clocked the silver Panamera 4S and blue 4S Diesel sitting next to it and the frontal lobe had dismissed them as underlings. You can read about the Panamera Turbo here, but for now, let’s look at why it was so wrong to poo-poo the petrol 4S. Compared with the outgoing 4S, the V6 engine has shrunk to 2.9 litres but has a couple of centrally mounted ‘hot vee’ turbos plumbed in. So not only is the new engine 14kg lighter than the outgoing 3.0-litre unit - not to mention considerably more efficient - but it also produces an extra 20bhp and 22lb ft more torque. Which results in zero to 62mph (with the optional Sports Chrono package) in just 4.2sec. The 0-100mph sprint takes a mere 10 seconds.
read moreToyota and Daihatsu create small car company for emerging markets
Following Daihatsu’s absorption into the Toyota Group earlier this year, the newly formed company won't sell models in the UK
Toyota and Daihatsu have announced that the two companies will create a new budget brand on 1 January 2017 for emerging markets.
The company, which is named the “Emerging-market Compact Car Company”, will only be internal, meaning that the two brands will not be spinning off a separate budget brand like Dacia is to Renault, but will instead produce a range of small, cheaper cars under the Daihatsu brand.
Read about Toyota's buyout of Daihatsu here
As the name suggests, the brand will deal with emerging Asian markets such as Indonesia and Thailand, while Toyota’s operations across mature markets such as the UK, USA and Japan will remain as they are. Wider emerging markets across the world will not be targeted by the move.
A Toyota spokesman confirmed that no new badge would be created from the deal, but the two companies would pool knowledge on small cars. He added that Daihatsu’s models would benefit from Toyota's global TNGA platform. The first new cars to be made under the scheme will emerge within a few years.
The internal brand will be chaired by Daihatsu president Masanori Mitsui while Toyota’s managing officer Shinya Kotera will be the company’s president. Daihatsu will have responsibility of pro
read more2016 Renault Zoe R90 Z.E.40 Signature review
Much-improved range and same suite of strengths make the Zoe an EV that more people than ever before can now consider
When the groundbreaking Nissan Leaf appeared in 2010, we were fed statistics that should, on paper at least, have alleviated a number of common fears and misconceptions that surrounded all-electric motoring. For example, the claim that a 100-mile range is enough for more than 75% of all journeys undertaken made the Leaf, with its 124-mile range, look positively practical.However, what these statistics failed - and still fail - to take into account is that the car as a concept has been such a success over the past century thanks to its unparalleled flexibility. Having the freedom to go where you like, when you like and with a minimum of inconvenience is something the public simply don’t want to give up. In short, people care about that extra 25% of journeys.Over the years a number of manufacturers have responded to the public’s fear of range anxiety, with BMW and Nissan recently taking steps to increase the performance of their pure EVs. However, as of yet, only Tesla offers an ‘entry-level’ EV capable of true long-distance motoring, in the form of the Model S P60D with its 267-mile range.Thankfully, Renault now claims to have rectified this situation, with its new mass-market Zoe R90. Despite costing a whopping £34,345 less than the Tesla, the R90 is theoretically capable of travelling up to 250 miles on a charge – only 17 miles short of the premium US saloon. Granted, in real-world driving conditions that astonishing figure is predicted to fall to just 186 miles, but that’s still 80 m
read moreMazda reveals MX-5 Arctic special edition for 2017
News
16 Dec, 2016
New limited edition MX-5 gets exclusive design tweaks and plush additional equipment, but only for the 1.5-litre model.
read moreMazda reveals MX-5 Arctic special edition for 2017 - pictures
read moreFiat 500L 2017 facelift spies - pictures
read moreFiat 500L 2017 facelift spotted testing
News
16 Dec, 2016
Our spy photographers catch Fiat's updated 500L mini-MPV in disguise ahead of launch next year
read moreNew Kia Sportage updated with GT-Line S and KX-5 models for 2017
News
16 Dec, 2016
Two additional trim levels, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto coming to new Kia Sportage SUV. Order books open now.
read moreMore emotion and tech for VWs, starting with new Polo on MQB A0 platform
News
16 Dec, 2016
New MQB AO small car platform to underpin exciting new small car range as Volkswagen puts its products and customers first
read moreOpinion: Why the future of driving is safe for now
Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio
Most of the 2017 Car of the Year contenders have impressed me on previous acquaintance, but the winner has been announced
As I write, the 2017 European Car of the Year (CotY) shortlist has been announced. CotY is a pan-European contest of which Autocar is a sponsoring member. I’m Autocar’s representative and one of six UK judges.
It works like this: if a car is on sale in enough places in Europe in 2016, then it goes onto the long list, which totalled 30 cars this year. Cars have to be sufficiently new – so a facelift usually doesn’t make it.
There are 58 judges from around Europe, and they pick their seven top cars from the long list at the end of November. The seven cars with the most votes make the shortlist.
In alphabetical order, this year’s shortlisted cars are the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Citroën C3, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Nissan Micra, Peugeot 3008, Toyota C-HR and Volvo S90/V90.
It’s a decent enough shortlist. Some jury members I’ve spoken to would rather the Skoda Kodiaq ha
read moreSnowkhana 5: Time for Tea?
Mental Block and his Fiesta are back for some festive fun, this time with a movie-inspired caper
read moreEvolve BMW M2 'GTS'
UK tuners create their vision of a faster M2 with more power, more carbon and ceramic brakes
read moreReader's Car Of The Week: Mercedes CL600
What to buy when comfort and torque are all you need? A big (quite) old Mercedes, of course
read moreShed Of The Week: Mitsubishi FTO
Well as we're celebrating rare 90s coupes this week, here's one that falls into Shed's clutches
read moreBroadspeed Jaguar XJ12C: Pic Of The Week
Well now there's one for sale you can have a real go at imitating Derek Bell!
read moreVW Up GTI prototype: Driven
Small hot hatches a thing of the past? Not if VW has anything to do with it!
read more
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