This week: Audi’s tech-laden electric flagship, Ford Kuga road tested, ultimate EV buyer’s guide and much more
Autocar
24 June 2020

Audi is plotting a high-tech assault on the executive class with a new flagship model expected to be called the A9 E-tron.

The Mercedes EQC rival is scheduled to be on the road as early as 2024, and should arrive with autonomous driving, car-to-x functionality and augmented reality features. Further down the range, a successor to the A2 hatchback is reportedly on the way.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Vauxhall has radically overhauled its Mokka crossover. The ‘X’ suffix has been ditched, while a bold redesign and an EV version available from the start complete the key changes. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG E63 siblings gain a range of upgrades intended to improve comfort, the Lexus IS gets a revamp but is withdrawn from sale in Europe and Volkswagen gives its Arteon a svelte Shooting Brake model, as well as a raunchy 316bhp R flagship.

Also in this issue, Cupra upgrades its Ateca hot SUV. The car receives a makeover inside and out as the marque seeks to fortify the model in the ever-more-competitive performance SUV segment. Jaguar’s popular I-Pace gets a boost in the form of faster charging and a revised infotainment system. However, it’s bad news for TVR fans: the reborn brand requires £25 million in investment to build its delayed Griffith sports car.

Synthetic fuels are the subject of this week’s Autocar Business section, as we report on the oil industry’s desire for a greener future, while telling you all you need to know about the new technology. We also explain how Tesla’s success is connected to the playground.

Reviews

This week’s first drives get underway with the Lotus Evora. Is the legendary Lotus aging like fine wine or economy milk? We find out. The Dacia Duster gains a factory-fit LPG system that promises even cheaper motoring, and the Mercedes-Benz GLA gets fully-fledged small SUV status - but is it better for it?

In the road test, the feline Ford Kuga aims to combine SUV practicality, Focus underpinnings and plug-in hybrid tech. Then in the road test rewind, we wind back the clock to the car that went above and beyond for Blackpool-basd TVR. What else? It’s the TVR Sagaris.

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Features

With car makers and legislators thrusting EVs out of their niche and into the mainstream, the time to buy an EV is now. And we’ve put together a 10-page guide to help you secure the right one.

What makes an ideal road for tuning, where do Britain’s top chassis developers go to find the best ones and what influence do they have on how a car drives? We talk Tarmac with the industry’s leading dynamicists to find out.

Next, Autocar’s staffers reveal the dream road trips they’ll do when the brakes finally come off lockdown restrictions. We’ve got a mix of more adventurous trips and routes closer to home, so there’s something for everyone.

In this week’s motorsport section, we ponder the role of artifice in F1, provide your one-stop nugget of motorsport news and we ask if the iconic Lancia Stratos (well, a reworked version of it) could return to the WRC. Finally, we plug into the matrix and examine how successful F1 esports has been since Covid-19 forced motorsport to go online.

Opinions

Sentimental? Nah, just appreciative of history. Steve Cropley gets misty-eyed when he meets Roger Crathorne, AKA ‘Mr Land Rover’, on the 50th birthday of the Range Rover. Then, a trip to the Darkside of the Moon… (it’s not what you think!). Elsewhere, Matt Prior is talking tyres. If you’re looking for a high-performing track day tyre, then our man reckons you could do worse than the Nankang AR-1.

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Deals

This week’s brief for James Ruppert is: a sports car for a big bloke. If you’re wide or tall, an E-Class will likely accommodate you. There’s also the Toyota GT86, and not forgetting the BMW Z4. All are available at sensible prices.

Speaking of big bodies - what about a Land Rover Mk3 Discovery? Felix Page explains why you shouldn’t panic at the Disco. Instead, stay calm with our used guide and net a huge amount of car for your money. Finally, in our nearly new guide, we show you how to get your mitts on a Porsche 718 Cayman, which are now a third cheaper than new, even in current-shape form.

Where to buy

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Autocar magazine is available through all good newsagents. You can also buy one-off copies of Autocar magazine from Newsstand, delivered to your door the morning after.

Digital copies can be downloaded from Zinio and the Apple iTunes store.

Join the debate

Comments
9

5 April 2018

As usual, this week's edition (dated 04APR2018), is a very good read, and well worth the investment. The road test of the eighth generation of Roll-Royce Phantom - with its "mahogany panelling" - illustrates that moneyed wealth, should NOT be confused with good-taste!

The sales pitch for next week's issue (to be dated 11APR2018), whets our appetite with the Used Buying Guide  . . .  "Mercedes-Benz CLS. Can't afford the new one? Then read our guide to Merc's original style icon".

The original CLS certainly was a style icon, with all the svelte elegance of a Parisian - or Italian - chic designer item.

That streamlined elegance was lost when the original's "facelift" incorporated the bluff, Teutonic, more upright, corporate Mercedes radiator grill.

The new, current, incarnation of the CLS (page 29, of this week's magazine), shares all the style, delicacy, and substantial "presence" of a rugby prop forward!  It is not a case of "Can not  AFFORD  the new CLS?".  More a question of why would anyone wish to purchase such a vulgar and brutish vehicle?

It is (again) a reminder that the ownership of wealth, is NOT the same as the possession of good taste.

RCT(V)

 

 

 

 

289

18 July 2018

....totally agree!

19 July 2018

Why the GT2 RS isn't  a five-star Porsche?

Well, according to the German car magazine Sportauto the McLaren 720 S is the better supercar.

The 720 S is razor sharp and yet poised, while the GT2 RS is a bit unhinged.

22 July 2018

Good overall read this week, except for the iPace vs Tesla review, which is a biased storyline developed clearly ahead of the cars being reviewed.  Essentially, the premise looks to convey an analogy between two passenger jets and how the second to market - the Boeing 707 - went on to lead it. Unfortunately, much like his story, he apply's 20th century motoring thinking to a 21st century ownership problem. In other words, he clearly doesn't get what the shft to electric is about. Not only that, many of the facts are just incorrect, like 0-60 time that amongst the others if they had been published correctly, would make the reader question how the author could possibly have reached such a conclusion. This disregards the fact that the iPace is better compared with the Model 3 (same size). Not only that, but the test cars were over 25% apart on costs - with the iPace being more expensive. Really dissappointing journalism. 

8 August 2018

Oh good... Another JLR product takes the cover spot.  Must be at least an issue or two since the last one. 

8 August 2018

Oh good... Another JLR product takes the cover spot.  Must be at least an issue or two since the last one. 

3 September 2018

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