autocar.uk.13.january.2021

2 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

FIRST FOR NEWS AND REVIEWS EVERY WEEK How to get Autocar magazine amid Covid-19 To receive six print issues for 6, or a six-issue print and digital bundle for 8.50, visit themagazineshop.com/aca/easms20c With more need than ever for engaging, entertaining magazines, we plan to ensure that Autocar will continue to be published in print every Wednesday. Autocar is available digitally on: ?? Apple s App Store ?? Exact Editions ?? Google Play Store ?? Readly ?? Zinio Simply search for Autocar magazine on your device. ? You should continue to find copies in supermarkets and other shops each week, so you can grab the latest issue while doing your essential food shopping. ? ? ? ? We have also prepared some special offers for both print and digital subscriptions to Autocar, so you can continue to receive every issue without leaving your home. We remain committed to bringing you the best motoring magazine every week, to help keep you entertained at this difficult time. For all our best subscription offers, visit themagazineshop.com

THIS WEEK It s 2021: who needs a car that thinks it s still 1995? I think I do 70 Issue 6445 | Volume 307 | No 3 NEWS Rolls-Royce EV Silent Shadow to start electric era6 Bristol Cars saved Businessman resurrects firm EV charging network UK test reveals it s still patchy10 Porsche 718 Boxster 25 Years GTS-based special13 Brexit deal Implications for the industry spelled out14 Latest new car trends What we can learn from 202016 TESTED Ferrari Roma Potent 2+2 V8 coup vs wet UK roads20 Mercedes-Benz S500 L Is it still the best exec limo?25 Hyundai Kona N Early taster of sporty crossover27 Skoda Octavia vRS TDI Hot family hatch sips diesel29 Suzuki Swace Hybrid estate, plus Audi A6 50 TFSIe31 Rolls-Royce Ghost ROAD TEST FEATURES Land Rover Discovery Sport vs rivals PHEV battle42 Classic car restorers Plus tips on finding a good one50 How to top 300mph Chiron driver on his record run52 EVs and the grid Will it take the strain? Full analysis56 Extreme E WRX star Mattias Ekstr m is out to win it63 OUR CARS Vauxhall Corsa-e Last word on electric supermini68 Toyota GR Yaris Does it really live up to the hype?70 Seat Leon How it compares with an entry-level Golf73 EVERY WEEK Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits12 Jesse Crosse Car radar tech enters new dimension15 Jim Holder How Volvo has got the jump on its rivals17 Steve Cropley Lockdown provides an L200 windfall19 Damien Smith Hope springs eternal in motorsport60 Motorsport round-up F1, WEC, BTCC, WRC, Dakar61 Your Views Autostadt theme park, ULEZ, Holden66 Matt Prior Car of the Year insights by a juror (Prior)90 DEALS James Ruppert Budget buys from Far East brands74 As good as new Smart way to snag a Volvo V60 Mk2 77 Spied in the classifieds Drop-tops, 3k to 470k78 Used buying guide Second-gen Porsche Cayenne80 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenos82 Road test index Track down that road test here COMMENT 8 PUBLIC EV CHARGING NETWORK IS SHAMEFUL PLUG-IN DISCO SPORT TAKES ON ITS RIVALS 42 The government s ban on petrol and diesel cars is now already a year closer. Since it was confi rmed late last year, many questions have been thrown up off the back of it concerning just how every corner of the industry - including car makers big and small, legislators, buyers and infrastructure - can meet the 2030 deadline. So many questions, in fact, that there s enough to fi ll 12 pages of this magazine with over 5000 words, which we will do next week. It s quite something, so please look out for it. Perhaps those most ready for 2030 are the electric cars themselves. Their quality, drivability, usability and, increasingly, range are already at the point in a few cases where you d consider them equipped for 2030 now. But what about the charging infrastructure to support them? Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to charge at home or work, or perhaps own a Tesla and have access to its superb Supercharger network, meaning they will be as reliant on public charging infrastructure as they are on fuel stations today. We ve put that network as it stands today to the test (p10). As we discovered, not all chargers or indeed charging companies are equal. In fact, the state of the network, its reliability and its ease of use in some cases are frankly scandalous. This has to change. 32 WHY EXTREME E IS PULLING IN TOP TALENT 62 WHAT THE BREXIT DEAL MEANS IN PRACTICE 14 ?AT 135 METRES PER SECOND, IT S REALLY HARD TO JUDGE BRAKING DISTANCES? 89 Autocar, ISSN number 1355-8293 (USPS 25185), is published weekly by Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP, United Kingdom. The US annual subscription price is $199.78. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Autocar, WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP, United Kingdom. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. Autocar is published by Haymarket Automotive, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 3SP, UK, haymarketgroup.com Tel +44 (0)20 8267 5000 Autocar magazine is also published in China, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. ANDY WALLACE TALKS ABOUT DRIVING A BUGATTI CHIRON AT OVER 300MPH 52 COVER STORY TROUBLE FINDING AUTOCAR? If you struggle to find a copy of Autocar in your local retailer or area, please send an email to connor.chappell@flgroup.co.uk who will investigate the problem for you. Autocar is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). We abide by the Editors Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think we haven t met those standards and want to make a complaint, contact autocar@haymarket.com. For more information, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Haymarket is certified by BSI to environmental standard ISO14001 and energy management standard ISO50001 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE Subscribe p12 ?????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????????? Mark Tisshaw Editor Autocar ?????????????? is a member of the organising committee of Car Of The Year caroftheyear.org mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com @mtisshaw ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST: FULL ROAD TEST 32 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5

NEWS GOT A STORY? Email our news editor lawrence.allan@haymarket.com IMAGE Bespoke Silent Shadow to Electric luxury model will use Phantom platform, BMW i7 motors and huge battery start EV era at Rolls-Royce R that Autocar understands could form an entirely new model line. Set to be detailed in official plans before the end of this year, although not expected to be unveiled fully at that point, the bespoke EV could adopt styling inspiration from the future-previewing 103EX concept of 2016. We need to make smart decisions on where we invest our money. It may be okay for bigger companies to go into hybrids and all sorts of different technologies. We needed to make a certain decision, said M ller- tv s of the move that will result in Rolls-Royce offering an alternative to its traditional V12 petrol engine for the first time since 2003. The Silent Shadow will spearhead renewed efforts to expose the Rolls-Royce brand Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten M ller- tv s confirmed the company would skip over petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrains and concentrate its development budget on fully electric models. It also comes nearly a decade after the unveiling of the rear-wheel-drive 102EX, a one-off electric version of the previous, seventh-generation Phantom that was constructed to gauge customer reaction to an electric Rolls-Royce at the 2011 Geneva motor show. patent office for the name Silent Shadow a play on the name Silver Shadow, used from 1965 to 1980 on the best- selling Rolls-Royce to date. While it is not yet fully clear what form the Silent Shadow will take, the EV is set to draw heavily on the driveline and battery technology from BMW s recently unveiled iX an advanced electric large SUV that is set to go on sale in the UK in the latter half of this year. The decision to push ahead with an EV was made after Autocar has learned of the existence of a battery- powered Phantom prototype at the Munich research-and- development hub of Rolls- Royce s parent firm, BMW. While the British brand has considered putting an electric version of an existing model into production as its first EV, it is now understood to favour an entirely new car, with the prototype being used as a powertrain test bed. Late last year, BMW filed a trademark with the German olls-Royce is preparing a high-profile entry into the electric vehicle ranks with a new luxury car 6 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

SECOND COMING LOOKS TIMELY LAWRENCE ALLAN marque s established customer base just wasn t interested. That s perhaps understandable, given that its customers demand effortless long-distance travel unhindered by detours and long waits for charging. The 102EX couldn t even hit 100mph and its range was estimated at something like 100 miles. But this decade is surely the time. After all, Rolls- Royce s V12 can t live for too much longer in this eco-conscious world, and new petrol and diesel car sales will be banned in the UK in nine years time. The image of EVs has changed noticeably since the Tesla revolution, too, and so have their capabilities. Is there a more natural brand evolution than Rolls-Royce moving to electrification? It seems to fit perfectly. Smoothness, silence and ease of driving are three core attributes that the company s current range offers traits that naturally align with EV powertrains. The drive unit development legwork is being done by parent company BMW, saving costs, and its addition should barely make a dent in the already substantial list prices of its cars. Hang on a minute, though. Remember why the 102EX never became a production reality? Reports at the time said the Goodwood 103EX concept of 2016 could inform the Silent Shadow Depending on supply capabilities, the new Rolls- Royce and BMW could also draw on battery cell technology from Chinese specialist CATL. Specifics of the driveline remain under wraps, although Rolls-Royce is claimed to have developed both rear- and four- wheel-drive layouts together with a battery pack that is claimed to have a capacity of well over 100kWh for a range of at least 500km (311 miles). That s despite a kerb weight that could approach or even exceed three tonnes. The Silent Shadow is likely to be assembled alongside the existing twin-turbocharged V12-powered Phantom and Ghost saloons and Cullinan SUV at Rolls-Royce s Goodwood manufacturing facility in West Sussex. News of the new electric model comes as Rolls-Royce faces a longer-term future without its traditional V12, due to ever-tightening emissions regulations. while the Silent Shadow should be based around Rolls-Royce s new dedicated aluminium spaceframe structure), many of their components will be shared in a bid to maximise production efficiency and economies of scale. Both models are set to feature BMW-produced electric motors and axles as well as battery packs that use cells supplied by Samsung SDI, according to engineers involved in their development. to tech-savvy, high-income customers in key markets such as China and the US. The development of the Silent Shadow has been twinned with that of the BMW i7 a new electric luxury saloon set to rival the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS and based on the seventh- generation 7 Series, which is due for launch in 2022. Although the two cars feature different platforms (the i7 uses a development of BMW s CLAR architecture, Rolls-Royce 102EX explored the potential of a Phantom EV in 2011 electrify the Cullinan. Sources at BMW suggest the electric Cullinan could adopt a layout similar to the iX, with a twin-motor layout providing four-wheel drive. It is also likely to adopt a battery similar in capacity, although developments in technology between now and its launch could allow even greater range capabilities. LAWRENCE ALLAN The addition of a bespoke EV to the Rolls-Royce line-up is the vanguard of an electrification programme that s tipped to result in the Cullinan also offering fully electric propulsion by the middle of the decade. With rivals such as Bentley and Mercedes-Maybach hinting at electric SUVs of their own and new competition in the form of Chinese brand Hongqi introducing its new E-HS9 to select global markets, Rolls-Royce is claimed to have firmed up plans to SPY SHOT BMW i7 ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST: FULL ROAD TEST P32 BMW i7 shares vital electric components with the Rolls-Royce EV 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 7

Autocar imagined a new Bristol grand tourer last year Fighter will be modernised and gain a Chrysler V8 IMAGE EXCLUSIVE Bristol saved from the grave British businessman plans to remaster old Bristols before producing an all-new car B last year, is to be revived by a British entrepreneur. Jason Wharton, an Essex- based property developer and Bristol enthusiast, wants to reinstate traditional manufacturing of Bristol cars quickly, and to build an atelier-style division around the new business that will sell, restore and support Bristol models of all ages. If all goes to plan, the new concern will be based near the company s original home at Filton, on the outskirts of Bristol. Wharton s idea is to launch remastered versions of the The new design will draw much from the crash-safety engineering, running gear, clean-air equipment and electronics package of a suitable donor car, much as Autocar s own Ford Mustang- based bring back Bristol proposal did (20 May 2020). However, the new model s bespoke design, exclusivity and hand-assembly could push its price beyond the 295,000 of the Autocar proposal. Wharton says he s relaxed about the effects of the UK government s planned ban on the sale of new ICE cars in nine years time both because potential customers have so far signalled an overwhelming interest in V8 engines and because he believes suitable donor hybrid and EV solutions will appear comfortably before the ban is imposed. The urgent mission for now, he believes, is to preserve the unique heritage of Bristol, which began as a spin-off from a vibrant post-war aircraft industry, and to do what I can to sustain this country s really wonderful tradition of low- volume hand manufacture . STEVE CROPLEY the Bristol company archive, currently for sale, although he believes that would be better owned and managed by the Bristol Owners Heritage Trust. The remastered Fighter and 411 models will each be hand-built in batches of eight. They will be comprehensively re-engineered where needed for instance, the 411 s old- fashioned live rear axle will be replaced by an independent rear suspension. Both will use a version of Chrysler s 6.4-litre petrol Hemi V8 engine, driving through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Bristol had a long relationship with Chrysler, mostly using V8s, although the original Fighter had an 8.0-litre Dodge V10. Wharton says he is on the brink of appointing a head of engineering ( somebody experienced in low-volume OEM manufacturing ), whose first major task will be to build and develop a prototype of each remastered model ready for the road by the end of 2021. The latest 411 will be dubbed the Series 8. The model had reached Series 6 when production stopped in 2011, Fighter two-seater and the 411 four-seater during 2022, before unveiling an all-new Buccaneer (reinstating a name previous owners used for a stillborn new model) around the middle of the decade. Our all-new car will be a four-seater very much in the traditional Bristol mould, said Wharton, but it will make extensive use of modern technology and materials. Wharton recently completed the purchase of the intellectual property rights needed to begin making his improved versions of existing designs, along with a collection of useful equipment, such as chassis jigs and body parts. He hopes to gain access to ristol Cars, the company that won post-war fame for its fast and plush grand tourers but was liquidated Wharton bought Bristol rights but Wharton feels a two-model jump will best reflect the extent of the car s modernisation. Rumours of Bristol s revival plans have already reached the ears of some owners and enthusiasts, with the result that Wharton has begun collecting expressions of interest even before potential owners have learned much about the price or specification. When the first manufacturing phase is complete, Wharton says he will take time to decide the specification of the new Buccaneer, although some kind of Chrysler powertrain link, a Bristol tradition reaching back to the 1960s, looks probable. The 411, made from 1969-1976, will be first remastered Bristol MERC EQS GOES SERIOUSLY WIDESCREEN The new Mercedes-Benz EQS will offer one of the largest digital displays seen in a production car. Called MBUX Hyperscreen, the digital panel spans the width of the luxury EV s dash, with one of its three screens intended for the front passenger. SPECIALISTS CREATE DAKAR 911 ONE-OFF Porsche specialist Singer has teamed up with rally expert Richard Tuthill to create the Dakar-style All-Terrain Competition Study. The 964-gen 911-based one-off has carbonfibre bodywork and sends 450bhp from a Mezger flat six to both axles. 8 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

NEWS New Grand Cherokee revealed gearlever has made way for a rotary item and optional tech includes a night vision system. In the US, the Grand Cherokee L is offered with 3.6-litre V6 and 5.7-litre V8 petrol engines. European- spec models should receive smaller-capacity motors and a 4xe plug-in hybrid variant will be offered from launch. Prices have yet to be detailed for either the US or Europe. number of revisions to the chassis, including active engine mounts to reduce vibration. Jeep promises a more upmarket feel to the cabin, which does away with much of the switchgear in favour of a 10.1in touchscreen running a new operating system. That is combined with a 10.25in digital instrument cluster with nearly two dozen different display choices. The traditional JEEP S UPCOMING European flagship, the Grand Cherokee, has been previewed with the unveiling of the bigger L variant for the US market. The large SUV, which rivals the Ford Explorer in the US, has been shown in only elongated six/seven-seat form so far, but Autocar understands it will come to the UK and mainland Europe later this year in a shorter, five-seat guise. It will serve as the range flagship, given that the even larger Grand Wagoneer is not expected to be sold here. Replacing today s 10-year- old Grand Cherokee, the new model takes design cues from the Grand Wagoneer, but its squared-off shape retains a familiar identity. As before, it uses a unibody architecture, which is said to have been heavily upgraded to optimise ride, handling and quiet sounds, while also reducing weight and improving fuel economy . There are three different four-wheel-drive configuration options, including a flagship Quadra-Drive II system with a rear electronic limited-slip differential. All have an active transfer case, while an optional Quadra-Lift air suspension package can raise or lower the ride height by 60mm and 46mm respectively. A focus on improving on-road behaviour brings a Digital instrument panel joins a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen OFFICIAL PICTURES New Grand Cherokee mixes trad looks with Grand Wagoneer cues GR Supra gets four-pot for UK SPY SHOT FORD MONDEO 295lb ft mated to an eight- speed ZF automatic gearbox. Its 0-62mph time is quoted at 5.2sec and the top speed is electronically limited to 155mph. It is claimed to be capable of 38.7mpg combined and to emit 167g/km of CO2. The new engine is 100kg lighter than the 3.0-litre model, allowing 50:50 weight distribution and offering agile steering and stable cornering . Alongside the standard car, a Fuji Speedway trim will be sold. Limited to just 45 units, the Fuji Speedway model is priced from 47,395 and features a livery inspired by the firm s Gazoo Racing team colours. Priced from 45,995, it is 7000 cheaper than the 3.0-litre model and is powered by a BMW-sourced 2.0-litre turbo motor with 255bhp and A NEW ENTRY-LEVEL four- cylinder version of Toyota s GR Supra has gone on sale in the UK, a year after its introduction in mainland Europe. REINVENTED MONDEO SHOWS CROSSOVER SHAPE Ford s radically rethought Mondeo has been seen with production bodywork for the first time, giving clues to its new crossover-style shape. As revealed by Autocar in 2019, the family model will be reinvented and is expected in late 2021 or early 2022. A shot of the interior reveals a minimalist design and a display panel spanning the length of the dashboard. New 2.0 model is 45,995; Fuji Speedway trim (above) is 47,395 HYUNDAI BOOSTED BY APPLE EV TALKS Shares in Hyundai Motor Group soared 20% after it emerged the firm is in talks with Apple about building the tech giant s debut EV. Hyundai later downplayed the news, but Apple has recently publicly renewed its ambition to launch an EV. MUSK NOW WORLD S RICHEST PERSON Elon Musk has been named the richest person in the world, with his 136 billion personal fortune nudging him ahead of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. How strange, the Tesla CEO tweeted in response to the news. Well, back to work 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9

Myriad suppliers, complex payment processes and unreliability make it a gamble EV charging still hit and miss T ignored when establishing the UK s electric vehicle charging network. The patchwork of dozens of different operators, each with its own payment system, has long bamboozled the ever-growing number of EV and PHEV drivers. But that s now changing. In July 2019, the government stepped in to say that it wanted all newly installed rapid or higher powered charge points to accept card payment by spring 2020. The goal was to offer a single payment method without needing smartphone apps or membership cards . The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was looking into EV charging to address any competition issues and ensure the sector works well for people now and in the future . The statement that chimed most with us at Autocar was this, from CMA boss Andrea Coscelli: Being able to easily stop off at a petrol station is a standard part of a journey and consumers must trust that electric charge points will provide a similarly straightforward service. We wanted to understand how far off we were from that. So without subscribing or, if possible, downloading any app, we set off to try charging a Volkswagen ID 3 at locations run by six of the UK s best- known charger operators. We centred on Milton Keynes, as it was recently revealed to be one of the best-served towns, at 23 chargers per EV, according to data checked against charger app Zap-Map s locator. Our results were hugely varied. One good experience with a possibly newly installed charger offering effortless card payment doesn t necessarily mean that the company s whole network is great, and the reverse is also true. However, it gives a snapshot of what a first- time EV user could face when charging away from home. We discovered that it s still a gamble and will continue to be until contactless payment is widely available and we have easy access to up-to-date, reliable information showing us whether or not the charger is working and available, plus exactly where it s located. NICK GIBBS he axiom that new technology is created to make our lives easier seems to have been Ionity provides by far the fastest chargers in the UK, at 350kW IONITY BP PULSE (POLAR) Milton Keynes Coachway Type 350kW, CCS Price 69p per kWh Paid Nothing (but 134 of pre-authorisation charges) Ease-of-use rating CCCCC Milton Keynes Coachway Type 50kW, CCS Price 30p per kWh Paid 1.59 (with 15 pre- authorisation charge) Ease-of-use rating AAAAC to Volkswagen s We Charge Plus for 14 per month. site I chose was opened last year with a range of connection options. If I were a subscriber, I would have halved the price of my 50kW charge to 15p per kWh. HOW IT WENT Disastrously. To start with, the pay-as-you-go process is difficult. Ionity wants you to scan a code on your phone, log into a website, input your card number and then start charging. The first charger had a problem, however, showing charging error, communication problem on the screen. It wasn t shown as inoperative initially, and neither was the second one I tried, but that too showed the same error after going through the payment process. The third was out of order, so I didn t bother with the fourth. Yet upon returning home, I found that Ionity had pre-authorised a 67 charge on my card for each attempt. No money left my account, but that was 134 that I couldn t use for several days. Ionity told me it was currently unable to disable this verification process but that it will launch a new app and payment process this year that eliminates those charges. HOW IT WENT Extremely well. Because this is a new site, I could pay using contactless, so I chose the option to charge as a guest. I was informed that there was a minimum 1.50 charge and that my account would be pre-authorised for 15. I tapped my card on the RFID reader twice and tapped to end it. My account was charged 1.59. Pretty much how it should be. Ionity is backed by a number of manufacturers, including Ford and Volkswagen, and is targeting its ultra-rapid chargers along motorway routes, like this one, not far from junction 14 of the M1. Ionity claims only 10-20% of users aren t a member of some scheme. ID 3 owners, for example, can cut the very steep price of 69p per kWh to 25p by subscribing BP Pulse is the new name for both BP Chargemaster and its Polar brand. Users can either download the BP Pulse app and preload it with money, pay via a subscription service costing 7.85 per month or what we re interested in use contactless payment on all the company s 150kW rapid chargers or newer versions of its 50kW chargers. The 10 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

NEWS INSTAVOLT ECOTRICITY Grange Park Services, A45, near Northampton Type 50kW, CCS Price 35p per kWh Paid 3.40 Ease-of-use rating AAAAA Ikea, Bletcham Way, Bletchley Type 43kW, Type 2 AC Price 30p per kWh Paid Nothing Ease-of-use rating ACCCC HOW IT WENT The location of the charger was excellent right near the Ikea front door and brilliantly signposted. Little else went well, however. We had to download the Ecotricity app, input a vast number of details (including the car s registration plate; why?) and then create a profile and a password. We then verified it by email and plugged in the car. After that, it got confusing. It was charging, but the ID 3 flagged up a message saying only emergency charging is currently possible , so we unplugged. Ecotricity didn t take any money, thankfully. or app required, it says. Instead, all you do is tap your card and start charging. This was one of a pair of devices round the back of a petrol station, which meant access to the shop for snacks. CONFIDENTIAL HOW IT WENT Textbook. A big sign tells you what to do, repeated on the screen: Tap payment card, plug in, tap payment card to finish. So we did just that. The modern screen showed us the ID 3 s battery status, price, how many miles worth of juice were added and the charging rate (34.4kW). After we had finished, a receipt appeared on the screen. Of all the chargers, this provided the closest to a petrol station experience (helped by it actually being located in one). I had high hopes for Instavolt, because it s run by Chargepoint, which markets itself as a purely pay-as-you- go service. No subscription, membership, RFID card Ecotricity is best known for its Electric Highway network, which covers most motorway service stations (as well as its chargers generally poor reliability), but it has other locations, including this one at an Ikea. It says that its rapid chargers are accessed via a smartphone app, so I wasn t expecting the process to be quick MATE RIMAC, BOSS of the Rimac EV technology fi rm, is brutally honest about how he sees electric hypercars differentiating themselves from rivals. I don t know; that s going to be a tough one, he told Autocar in a recent interview. Maybe it will come down to little tweaks, like the differences between the Ferrari 488 and the McLaren 720S. RENAULT S FACTORY in Flins, France, which is soon to cease producing cars and be converted into a sustainability-focused re- factory , will in September open an 8500sq m used car factory capable of refurbishing 45,000 second-hand vehicles per year for resale. It s expected to cut the turnaround time of those vehicles from an average of 21 days to just six days. A retrofi t division will also offer conversion of combustion-engine vehicles to other, less carbon-based energies . GENIEPOINT POD POINT Morrisons, Barnsdale Drive, Milton Keynes Type 50kW, CCS Price 30p per kWh Paid 10 (and got nothing) Ease-of-use rating CCCCC Lidl, Countess Way, Milton Keynes Type 43kWh, Type 2 AC Price 23p per kWh Paid 5 Ease-of-use rating AAACC metres) would definitely help, assuming your car s sat-nav also supports this. charger at this brand-new Lidl was occupied by a new Jaguar I-Pace, whose owner was not only charging away from home from the first time but also visiting his first Lidl. Electric cars certainly expand your horizons His home charger was also provided by Pod Point, making this an easier option for him in terms of payment, because he already had the app. I had to download the app, but this was a far less painful process than for Geniepoint and Ecotricity. I preloaded my account with 5 and plugged in. It worked well, but I d have preferred simple contactless payment. HOW IT WENT Badly. Geniepoint suggests you just tap your card, but first you must register the card on its website. So I put in all my details, including my car s registration (again, why?), then paid 10 to preload my account. Oh, and your account automatically tops up when it falls below 10, so after the first second, you re down 20. I was unable to verify my account after a painful few minutes so gave up. Geniepoint couldn t be reached for a statement. Geniepoint, part of Engie EV, markets itself as a pay- as-you-go service and has partnered with Morrisons, claiming to have around 100 50kW chargers installed at its supermarkets. This is a great idea, although the postcode was useless for finding the chargers in the huge car park; a switch to What3Words (which narrows the location to within three Pod Point offers four ways of accessing its chargers, including via an app, a special RFID-enabled card or contactless payment the latter only on rapid chargers. It points out that offering secure card readers makes chargers pricier, so it prefers to keep its options open. AUDI IS FOCUSED on reducing the carbon footprint of its cars supply chains, as it seeks to become entirely carbon-neutral by 2050 in line with the wider Volkswagen Group. If you look at a battery-powered car, up to 50% of its CO2 emissions over the life cycle of the car are incurred in the supply chain, which means we have a huge lever here, said Marco Philippi, Audi s head of procurement strategy. We ve got some 14,000 direct suppliers, and you must think these 14,000 suppliers have sub-suppliers who have other suppliers. If we shift that network in the right direction, then we won t just do something for Audi but also, I d say, for the industry. HOW IT WENT The slightly faster CCS 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 11

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NEWS 357,000 Number of Boxsters that have been built so far during the four generations of the roadster. Red leather matches the colour of the roof; black is also available OFFICIAL PICTURES Roadster marks 25 years with GTS-based special that references original concept New Boxster revisits its roots P The Boxster 25 Years, 1250 of which will be sold worldwide, such as the use of the copper- like Neodyme colour which Porsche used on the original Boxster concept in 1993 for the front apron, side air intakes, badging and 20in is available to order now, priced 72,760 (including 10,000 worth of options). Deliveries will start in the spring. Externally, the mid-engined model receives detail changes, orsche will mark the 25th anniversary of its Boxster with a limited-run variant based on the GTS 4.0. two-tone wheels. As with that concept, the standard colour is GT Silver metallic, with black metallic and white metallic also offered. As standard, the special Boxster has a red fabric top with Boxster 25 lettering. A black roof is also available. Further revisions include high-gloss tailpipes, a black windscreen surround and an aluminium-look fuel filler cap. Inside, Bordeaux leather is specified as standard to match the hood, although black leather is also available. Aluminium trim, unique door HOW THE BOXSTER HELPED TO SAVE PORSCHE Colour scheme is a nod to the concept s PIERS WARD such as using modular headlights because they were cheap and quick to produce. At first, Marchart wanted a four-cylinder engine to separate it from the 911, but Audi quoted such an exorbitant figure to supply a motor that Porsche worked out it could develop its own six-cylinder one for similar money. This also gave Porsche separation from lesser versions of rivals from BMW and Mercedes. But the Boxster designer, Grant Larson, did get one expense past the bean counters: the Boxster s middle exhaust. Larson explains why: I always look for things from the past that you could develop for the future; iconic elements from previous Spyders. So I m happy we kept the show car s middle exhausts. Still, they were under huge pressure to deliver. Larson says: After the demise of the 989, we had to have a hit. We had a responsibility to resurrect the company. It was important to make the best out of the situation and I think we did. sill trims and 14-way electrically adjustable seats also feature. The car s naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six engine puts out 395bhp. Manual and PDK automatic gearboxes are offered, with the PDK enabling a 0-62mph time of 4.0sec and a top speed of 182mph. LAWRENCE ALLAN expensive 989 four-seater, Marchart pushed to go back to the roots. To zero. His plan involved a new 911 (the 996) and the Boxster, two sports cars that could be created with a budget- focused strategy using as many common parts as possible. As Marchart explains: We had to count every single penny. I told the supervisory board we re going to take the 911 and then we come up with a new car which will have an identical front end but we ll vary the design by making it mid-engined. The two model lines had about 50% carry-over parts. Cost was key everywhere, If you think the Cayenne saved Porsche, you re only half right. For while that SUV has meant Porsche is now one of the most profitable car firms on the planet, in reality the company s salvation can be traced back further to the Boxster. It s difficult to overstate how much trouble Porsche was in when the roadster came out. In 1991, Horst Marchart (Porsche s former R&D boss) was elected to the board when annual sales had plunged from 40,000 to just 15,000. The senior people at the company knew they had to do something, but with some of them angling for an SPY SHOT HONDA CIVIC NEW HONDA CIVIC TO DITCH SPLIT REAR SCREEN Honda s 2021 Civic has been seen for the first time in non- Type R hatchback form. Despite the disguise, it s clear that a cleaner design approach will be taken, with the controversial split rear window ditched. While the saloon version goes on sale in the US first, we are unlikely to see the 11th-generation hatch until the second half of this year. Concept made its debut in 1993 and signalled Porsche s intent 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13

We analyse how the UK car industry will be affected by the post-Brexit agreement What the Brexit deal means D agreement should mean for the automotive sector. damage. To avoid incurring tariffs on future electric cars built domestically and exported to the EU, the UK will need to drastically ramp up its battery production capacity to meet those requirements. of 10% on cars and 2-4% on their individual components, amounting to an estimated 2800 premium on an EU-built car for UK buyers. Under the terms of the deal now agreed, tariffs are imposed only on products that fail to meet rule of origin requirements and no quotas have been imposed. SMMT boss Mike Hawes said: It s no substitute to the benefits that we enjoyed under the EU, but the agreement does provide some hope and a platform, limiting some of the any delay at the border could prompt the temporary shutdown of individual lines or even entire factories, as we have already seen at Honda s Swindon plant on two occasions, in December and January. processes and border checks, with some estimates suggesting an extra cost to the UK economy of 15 billion in customs declarations alone. Felipe Munoz of industry body Jato Dynamics said: Costs are likely to grow due to longer processes and more authorisations involved, which will complicate things for the OEMs producing locally, and those exporting to Europe. With modern factories operating according to a just-in-time supply model, eal or no deal, there were always going to be obstacles to post-Brexit trade. Here s what the Bureaucracy Jubilation at the trade deal was tempered by scepticism at prime minister Boris Johnson s assertion that UK industry would face no non-tariff barriers when trading with the EU. The new agreement will result in increased paperwork, Lockdown rules: the UK motorist s guide Supply chain In a normal year, an estimated 13bn worth of automotive parts crosses the Channel, but the rules of origin that were instrumental in securing tariff-free trade in new cars could make that figure shift. Tariffs and quotas In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK would have traded with the EU as a most preferred nation under World Trade Organization rules so would have incurred tariffs vehicle before handover and take measures such as offering walk-through videos rather than in-person demonstrations. Used car retailers are subject to the same rules, but buying privately isn t advisable during the lockdown due to the increased risk involved. as a result and lessons must be with only members of your household and part of essential journeys. Although hand car washes must close, automated car washes can remain open. work from home, to shop for essentials locally, to visit those in your support bubble and for medical or veterinary appointments, for example. Outdoor exercise should be done as locally as possible, but government guidance suggests travelling a short distance to access an open space is allowed. You should not share a car with anyone outside your household or support bubble. Driving tests are cancelled until further notice WITH THE WHOLE of the UK now under another Covid-19 lockdown one that s stricter than November s second lockdown some motorists understandably remain confused about how these restrictions affect them. Here s what you need to know. Can I buy a new or used car? While dealerships must close their doors and test drives are not allowed, such non- essential retailers are able to operate a click-and-collect and contactless delivery service. Dealers are expected to sanitise the entire Can I go for a drive? As before, motorists should not go for a drive just to get out of the house. There are a number of key exceptions that allow driving to travel to a place of work if you cannot Can I visit a garage? Garages are allowed to open and your car must have a valid MOT, but non-essential repairs are best left until the lockdown is eased. 14 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

NEWS HOW BETTER 4D IMAGING RADAR WILL IMPROVE PASSENGER SAFETY UNDER THE SKIN JESSE CROSSE Future of Mini s production plant in Oxford has been questioned 30% EU-derived components, if used in the production of a UK-built car, would count as 100% locally assembled. Professor David Bailey of the Birmingham Business School said it was good news in that there is full bilateral cumulation, allowing UK and EU parts to count towards local content rules . He suggested the agreement will be enough for most car makers in the UK to avoid tariffs , despite the UK s failure to attain a diagonal cumulation with countries including Japan, Turkey and China. Crucially, the trade deal allows for a 12-month grace period for manufacturers to produce evidence of the origin of their products a major win for the industry, according to Hawes. He added: Some members were disappointed at the lack of diagonal accumulation on content with Japan, Korea and so forth. That would have been a really big ask of the UK, so I don t think there was surprise it wasn t in there. But with 30,000 individual components used in the construction of the average car, proving the origin of each was a recipe for chaos. Government guidance states that, under the terms of the deal, once a product has gained originating status, it is considered 100% originating , meaning an engine comprising Investment The deal will come as reassurance for foreign brands with significant manufacturing presence in the UK. Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta previously said the company s UK operations would not be sustainable if tariffs were imposed. Munoz is confident the UK will now still play a role on the global stage. The UK is one of the world s top 10 biggest markets by volume. The fact that it is no longer part of Europe [the EU] doesn t mean that local consumers won t buy cars any more, he said. If you have cases where OEMs open factories in specific markets to supply internal demand, then I don t see why the UK can t continue getting investment. Honda s Swindon plant was already earmarked to close in July 2021, with Brexit not a key factor in the decision. However, BMW and Nissan have both previously suggested that they could move plants post-Brexit. It will take time for the minutiae of the deal to become clear before they determine their long-term plans, though. FELIX PAGE Mounted on the headlining of the cabin, a 4D single- imaging radar chip can cover a wide angle of 170deg to monitor the safety of all rear-seat passengers. IT S BECOMING INCREASINGLY obvious that one of the things right at the forefront of emerging vehicle technology is the robot equivalent of being able to see things clearly. Radar has been in use since the Second World War and in its most rudimentary form transmits a signal that bounces back from an object, revealing its presence and range. It has become a so-far-irreplaceable component in cars for collision avoidance, because it works in the dark and poor weather and sensors are relatively cheap. Now, though, the emergence of 4D imaging radar promises much more. Ten-year-old Israeli fi rm Vayyar will have its single- chip, 4D imaging radar in production cars in 2023, and while it has a role to play in future vision systems for enhanced ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and autonomous vehicles, it should radically improve in-car safety much sooner. From next year, Euro NCAP will award extra points for manufacturers that offer child presence detection (CPD) systems as standard. The value in CPD lies not just in identifying that a child is properly restrained but that it can monitor whether or not a child has been left unattended in a parked car something that has led to heatstroke and fatalities. Vayyar s radar-on- chip (ROC) has 48 transceivers (combined transmitters and receivers) compared with three or four on conventional chips, creating much higher defi nition. Existing radar generates pixels 500mm by 500mm in size, whereas Vayyar s ROC pixels are 50mm by 50mm, giving high enough defi nition to accurately distinguish the size and position of people in the car. Existing weight-based occupant detection systems can only tell if a seat is occupied by some sort of object not necessarily even human. Although 50mm by 50mm still sounds quite large, Vayyar says it s enough to model the shape of individual passengers. Software can analyse each pixel s characteristics and correlate them to fi gure out which pixel relates to which passenger. Even if they re sitting shoulder to shoulder, 4D radar can see each person separately, distinguish between them and even each person s posture. It can tell the difference between an adult or a baby and whether a restraint system is being used. It has other useful tricks, too, such as detecting how close a driver is sitting to the steering wheel to adjust the force of the airbag, deactivate a front airbag because there s a baby seat in the front, then activate it again once the child is removed. It can also detect would-be burglars outside the car and trigger the alarm before any damage is done, rather than after they ve got inside. The single chip does the job of many, reducing cost so the technology is feasible for lower-cost cars, not just premium ones. Although Vayyar doesn t claim to have invented imaging radar, it does claim to be the fi rst to condense so much power onto one chip, lowering cost and providing a one-stop shop for the industry, comprising the whole integrated package needed to make the system work. ONE SPEED FITS ALL Dealers may look shut but still do click and collect Swindon Powertrain, which launched its HPD E all-in-one electric powertrain last year, now offers a ready-to-go single-speed transmission that can accept existing types of motor. Two ratios are available and it weighs a mere 17.9kg. It has a modest retail price of 2500 (thanks partly to passive lubrication, so no need for an oil pump) and is available to conversion specialists and private individuals as well as the industry. 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 15

Covid devastation laid bare Rise of plug-ins a rare bright spot as UK new car sales suffer near 30-year low N annual total since 1992, as the industry was hit hard by the effects of Covid-19 lockdowns. But sales of both electric cars and plug-in hybrids both rose sharply, with plug-in cars now accounting for more than 10% of UK sales. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveals that 680,076 fewer new cars were sold in the UK last year than in 2019, the largest year-on-year fall since 1943. The bulk of the sales decline in 2020 was attributed to the first lockdown, from March to June, when many dealerships were shut. Although sales fell during the second lockdown, in November, dealerships were able to continue offering click and collect online sales which will also be allowed during the current lockdown introduced in England by the UK government. Before the pandemic began, the SMMT estimated that about 2.2 million cars would be sold in the UK last year. The final figure represents a loss to the industry of around 20.4 billion and a 1.9bn loss to the UK government in VAT receipts. There s no surprise it was a very, very difficult year, said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes. These are unprecedented levels and it s challenging the industry continuously. While the overall figures are grim, there are some positive signs for the industry. Sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) both increased substantially. Those rises will be viewed against a backdrop of the UK s intention to ban sales of all non-zero-emission cars, with the exception of certain hybrids, by 2030. on-year increase and rising from 1.6% of the overall UK car market to 6.6%. Meanwhile, PHEV sales rose 91.2% to 66,877, increasing from 1.5% of the market to 4.1%. This means that 10.7% of all new cars sold in the UK in 2020 had some level of zero- emission running capability and could be plugged in. With standard hybrids included, 17.5% of cars registered in the UK last year were electrified. Sales of mild-hybrid (MHEV) total sales last year, but some performed better than others. Sales of superminis showed the smallest fall in total sales and their overall market share grew from 29.7% to 31.2%. ew car registrations fell by 29.4% in the UK last year, with the 1,631,064 cars sold the lowest that those countries had some form of incentive [for buyers, to boost new cars sales], sometimes confined just to PHEVs and battery-electric vehicles. The sales decline was particularly sharp in the fleet and business sectors. While sales of private cars fell 26.6%, fleet sales dropped 31.1% and business sales slumped 43.3%. Aside from specialist sports cars (up 7.0%), every sector of the market declined in terms of EV and PHEV sales increase dramatically The rise in the number of BEVs and PHEVs on sale in the UK helped to significantly increase sales of both last year. A total of 108,205 EVs were sold, representing a 185.9% year- 2020 UK NEW CAR SALES BY FUEL TYPE Fuel type Diesel Diesel MHEV Petrol Petrol MHEV BEV PHEV Hybrid Total 2020 sales 261,772 60,953 903,961 119,179 108,205 66,877 110,117 1,631,064 Change from 2019 -55.0% +79.6% -39.0% +184.1% +185.9% +91.2% +12.1% -29.4% Market share 16.0% 3.7% 55.4% 7.3% 6.6% 4.1% 6.8% How Covid-19 affected the UK industry in 2020 Hawes said the UK car market outperformed Spain but fared worse than Germany, France and Italy, adding: It s notable Source: SMMT Hawes: Very difficult year 16 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

NEWS ? INSIDE INFORMATION Jim Holder Click and collect lessened some of the lockdown sales hit While the overall figures are grim, there are some positive signs for the industry ? MHEV petrol vehicles account for 62.7% of the overall car market, compared with 64.8% in 2019. of banning most internal- combustion-engined cars by 2030. He added that meeting this date requires a strong industrial strategy from government that really ensures the UK remains competitive, attracts investment and remains a strong market [for EVs] . He also said massive investment is needed, both to develop battery manufacturing capability and the infrastructure required for mass EV uptake. We need an investment in infrastructure of something in the tune of 16bn, with a lot of that going into public on-street charging because not everyone has a driveway or designated parking spot with access to their own charging infrastructure, said Hawes. Although they remain the two most popular fuel types, the market share of both petrol and diesel cars declined in 2020. Sales of diesels fell 55.0%, from 581,774 in 2019 to 261,772, while MHEV diesel sales rose from 33,931 to 60,953. Combined, diesel- engined cars now account for 19.7% of the UK market. That compares with 25.2% in 2019 and represents their lowest market share since 2001, when they accounted for 17.8%. The 903,961 petrol cars sold in 2020 represents a 39.0% decline on the 1,482,409 registrations in 2019, while MHEV petrol sales grew 184.1% from 41,955 to 119,179. When combined, standard hybrid and New lockdown casts uncertainty on 2021 The SMMT had originally forecast that the market would recover to sales of around two million units this year, although that was made ahead of the November lockdown. With further restrictions now being introduced and likely to be in place for several months, Hawes said it is highly unlikely that figure will be delivered, and the SMMT is currently working on a revised forecast for 2021. Hawes expects the revised figure to be under two million units. Last year, we lost around half a million units between March and May, and we never recovered it, said Hawes. There was a slight uptick in July, but we never got that original loss back. Private buyers may come back in the market later this year, but fleets just delayed. So any loss that we now see in January and February may come back, but it depends on mitigating factors. It s important we can still click and collect, because that s the minimum we need to keep sales going and to keep the manufacturing going. It will be a rocky few months but we hope as the year goes on it gets more positive. JAMES ATTWOOD Will Nissan benefit from its early move to EVs with the Leaf? IT S HARD to look ahead when you are fi ghting fi res, but for years now, across the automotive industry, yesterday s crisis has been merging into tomorrow s crisis, every perfect storm somehow becoming yet more perfect. The pattern is set to continue. Take a step back and it s interesting to note which manufacturers have had the foresight, resources and brain capacity to invest in communicating their strategy out to the theoretical furthest point, whatever it may be. Electrifi cation, certainly; autonomy and connectivity, too; but also as far out as modelling worlds in which we don t own cars but hire them, or potentially don t even allow cars into city centres or anywhere at all. You might argue that all this change is unimportant until it becomes a money- making reality. A live case study to ponder is whether Nissan, Renault or BMW will enjoy any long-term benefi t from moving early on electrifi cation. The investment in the Leaf, Zoe and i3 plus spin-off vehicles runs to billions, but it s hard to pinpoint any advantages, either in brand perception or profi ts. Maybe in time. Perhaps the key to success here is offering a singularly distilled vision. In some cases, that s simple: Tesla is the world s most desired electric car brand because all it does is make desirable electric vehicles. Most rivals are beholden to profi ts from legacy combustion- engined cars, their heritage suddenly a millstone. Mixed messages abound. But even then, a coherent vision can reap dividends, and Volvo is the most prominent example of the quantum leap that can be made with such forward thinking. Back in 2014, when the XC90, the fi rst of its new-generation cars, was launched, Volvo was marooned somewhere between premium and mainstream brands, a fringe player with a set of unfocused objectives selling around 400,000 cars a year. A succession of new, quality cars has been central to its renaissance but so, too, has its ability to colour in its own road map. Its claims in 2017 to make its entire range electrifi ed by 2020 neatly overlooking that this included mild- hybrid systems landed it perception-shifting headlines. Likewise, its oft- stated vision to ensure that nobody is killed in or by one of its cars. Today, it is selling around 660,000 cars a year. People don t just buy cars for what they can do for them today, but rather what they will say about them into the future. It s remarkable how few car makers are willing to tell that story but just as clear that the smartest car makers are doing just that. petrol and diesel cars both increased. Although that s encouraging, Hawes noted that these figures will need to continue rising, given the UK government s target Battery-electric cars like the VW ID 3 took 6.6% of the market Autocar Business is our industry-focused brand, delving deeper into the business of the automotive world. Sign up for our regular bulletin at autocar.co.uk/business-signup. 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 17

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COMMENT Steve Cropley MY WEEK IN CARS Aston Martin tried F1 in 1959 and 1960 L200 is Barbarian by name but not entirely by nature ? MONDAY Reprieved! Instead of needing to return my latest test wheels, a Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian X pick-up, I ll be keeping it a while longer, because Boris has given us Lockdown III and, as a result, the Mitsu people are happy to leave their big beast with me. It will be especially useful if we strike snowdrifts on forthcoming village-to-town supermarket forays or need to bring home an especially large haul of tinned tomato soup. The UK has had a tax-driven love affair with four-cab pick-ups for years, but this L200 teaches me not to discount the driving enjoyment they also bring. It makes a fascinating mix of crudeness and sophistication: cumbersome 5.3-metre length but accurate steering; rough 2.2-litre diesel but silken torque delivery through a relaxing six-speed auto gearbox; well-equipped cab but enough hard plastic to reassure you about longevity; and busy primary ride but decent long- wheelbase stability. Plus, the enduring benefi t of most body-on-frame machines: low road noise. Shame I won t be doing more driving. It s a fascinating mix of crude and sophisticated ? WEDNESDAY Visited my new Lotus M100, professionally stored near home, to take pictures; it s soon to appear in the Our Cars section of our sister organ Classic & Sports Car and I didn t have any decent images. I ve never had a decent garage (a big problem with our barn is something a neighbour jokingly labels condescension ), so it s comforting at this time of the year to know that your pristine classic car is living in bone-dry, well-ventilated conditions, with its battery connected to a trickle- charger. I m paying 100 per month, which even for a 10,000 car seems a good investment. I did some research before choosing my storage fi rm and discovered that secure car slots are a bit like hotel rooms: some people prefer economy, others like to pay 400 a month to store their Ferrari Daytonas in places with oil paintings on the walls. For me, it s a case of Travelodge versus Ritz: the prices are very different, but both provide you with decent accommodation. FRIDAY It s funny how quickly one forgets the names of retiring Formula 1 teams. While shooting the breeze with friends via Zoom on the prospects of the new Aston Martin F1 project, I found the team s previous handles of Racing Point and Force India were already slipping my mind, and the Spyker and Midland names that it wore before them had gone already. As you might know, the Silverstone-based team had its beginnings fi ve iterations ago as Jordan, which entered 250 races from 1991 and gave Michael Schumacher his fi rst F1 start. And let it never be forgotten that in a fi rst, much earlier F1 foray (1959-1960, six races, no points), Aston Martin signed Jim Clark and would have started him in his fi rst grand prix had the car been ready. He went to Lotus instead and never left. But it s fascinating that a team we regard as brand new for 2021 already has in its backstory the debuts of two of the greatest drivers who ever lived. TUESDAY Of course, if we decide that the Barbarian is too big for the supermarket car park (haven t tried it yet), we will still have on the home fl eet the Suzuki Ignis Hybrid 4x4 SZ5, which is also staying for the duration. This car is closer than any recent arrival to fulfi lling the singular next- car requirements of the Steering Committee (thus replacing her trusty, 85,000-mile Fiat 500 TwinAir), because it fi ts any space, has an amazing cabin package, sports a gearchange worthy of our Mazda MX-5, looks satisfyingly funky and refuses absolutely to deliver less than 55mpg. Automotively, we re in clover. AND ANOTHER THING Redoubtable SMMT boss Mike Hawes has just told us that whereas the UK has 2GWh of battery-making capacity (at Nissan Sunderland) today, it will need 30GWh by the late 2020s to avoid punitive tariffs on electrified models already planned and some 120GWh for the 2.5 million EVs it would like to make beyond 2030. Tall order. GET IN TOUCH ? steve.cropley@haymarket.com @stvcr 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 19

FIRST DRIVES NEW CARS TESTED AND RATED TESTED 18.12.20, WEST SUSSEX ON SALE NOW PRICE 170,984 Is this V8-engined 2+2 coup a sports car or a GT? A wet winter s day on difficult English roads provides an interesting answer FERRARI ROMA

T northern Italy, often at and around the factory, they treat you to superb and almost-always dry roads, the legendary Fiorano test track and, as if that weren t sufficient, dinner at a restaurant called Montana, whose pasta alone constitutes reason enough to get on the plane. It s hard not to feel at least tolerably well disposed towards a car presented in such circumstances. Well, this one was going to be different. A diary clash meant I had to skip the Roma main event in sun-scorched Italy back in August, so if we were to meet at all in 2020, it would be in December in south- he problem with Ferrari launches is that hacks have to try doubly hard to remain objective. Usually held in east England, where the roads could be guaranteed to be busy, the weather as wet as it was cold and lunch a sandwich in a bag. Actually, I wasn t sad at all. Like most people, I m not knocked out by the idea of spending a couple of hours at 35,000ft in a thin aluminium tube in the company of a few hundred strangers right now, and the prospect of being introduced to a brand-new Ferrari in the all too real world was rather compelling: if the Roma could find a way of working here, it would work pretty much anywhere. This was an away game for Ferrari, and I wondered if it would show. Around Goodwood, where I drove it for the very first time, it most certainly did. Any rear-drive car with over 600bhp is likely to keep you busy on a soaking, not- far-off-freezing track, but when that track is one that combines fast and fear like no other in the land, you had better have your wits about you. Or, alternatively, your safety systems on. These days, Ferrari s traction and stability controls are as good as you ll find, and if you keep the manettino controller in either Wet or Comfort mode, that s what you ll find out: the Roma circulates the track very cleanly and rather slowly, the electronics anticipating slip and shutting it down before it has a chance to develop. In Sport mode, it s rather unsatisfactory, because it suggests it s going to allow the car to yaw a little but then doesn t

allow it. So you put it into Race mode and are instantly busier than you would ever want to be in a car and on a track like this. In extremis, it did seem able to step in and save you from yourself, but the earth banks are very close at Goodwood and wet grass so slippery that once you ve left the track, you seem to accelerate towards the scene of your accident, so I didn t pursue the matter further. Once I had discovered that it would spin its wheels in fifth gear, I concluded that there wasn t much more to be learned here other than how one might reduce by one the global Roma population, so I gave up the track work and headed out onto the public road instead. And here, once I had realised that you need to press the manettino to access the Bumpy Road mode so essential to progress on British back roads, I continued my search for a still unanswered question. What I most wished to discover was where on the spectrum between an obvious grand tourer like the Bentley Continental GT and a clear sports car (despite its name) like the McLaren GT the Roma lay. The answer took its time in arriving. On the one hand, this is a front-engined 2+2 and, since the GTC4 Lusso got canned, the only Ferrari coup so configured. So there s a clear role for it filling in as Maranello s mile-muncher until the car it doesn t like calling an SUV arrives in 2023. So it s a GT, right? Well, maybe. It is, after all, a close relative of the Portofino, the most middle-of-the-road car in the Ferrari stable. The interior is quite luxuriously appointed but that, of course, also depends sizeably on how many additional tens of thousands you spend on optional extras, something you can count on being encouraged to do. There s always fun to be had here, considering who pays 1296 to have his or her brake calipers painted black (what colour are they as standard?) or 4416 for ventilated front seats, 2400 for Apple CarPlay (yes, really), 4512 for a brace of weekend bags or, my perennial favourite, 3360 to have the boot trimmed in carbonfibre. There are those rear seats to consider, too: it s not that Ferrari has never done a 2+2 sports car, rather that it did one once (remember the Bertone-bodied 308 GT4 of 1974, the last Ferrari to be badged a Dino?) and decided swiftly thereafter never to do one again. The Mondial was far softer and more stodgy and all the others have been full-sized cars with V12 power, like the 456, 612 Scaglietti, FF and GTC4 Lusso (although, yes, they did use the V8 in the Lusso, too). Is the Roma really to reverse that trend? It seems not. The driving environment is exceptionally user-friendly, at least in theory. I concede that the instrument pack comes direct from the curious SF90 Stradale, but I think it looks Ferrari is still honing the touchpad, but it s otherwise a good set-up more suited to these more suave surroundings. And it s a marvel and quite un-Ferrari-like. While the instrument pack of, say, the F8 Tributo, is actually pretty simple in appearance, because the supporting backstage architecture dates back to the dawn of the 458 Italia, yet infernally complicated to operate for much the same reason, the Roma s is quite the reverse. You can be dazzled, even cowed, by the sheer complexity of the ultra-high-definition display, but its operation is entirely logical, intuitive even. If Ferrari can get the haptics of the touchpads that control it to work properly, it will be a new level for this kind of car. Even as it is, and despite tuition from the man from Ferrari on how exactly to draw one s digit across the surface of the pad, it was still a hit-and-miss affair on the car I drove. Or perhaps that should be a gentle sweep and miss. I m told that Ferrari is working on it. All of which makes it quite tempting on such a dark, drizzling day just to chill out in the Roma, having already concluded that its role in life is evident from its sleek appearance, relaxed demeanour and historical precedent. Tempting, but a mistake. Because the Roma does that other thing, too: the Ferrari thing. The thing that makes you set an alarm for 3am because who would ? You wonder who d ever feel short-changed by this level of acceleration ? TESTER S NOTE Despite the similarity under the skin, Ferrari is positioning the Roma ahead of the convertible Portofino, with slightly more power, higher pricing and eight rather than seven gears. AF It exhibits the kind of road manners that make you set your alarm for a dawn drive 22 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

FIRST DRIVES SPOILER ALERT: IT HAS THREE SETTINGS To retain the grip of the Roma s sleek shape on planet Earth at near 200mph, Ferrari has integrated a neat deployable rear spoiler into the rear screen. It has three positions (including stowed). When partially deployed, it generates 30kg of downforce for a 1% penalty in drag. Fully extended, it creates a 135deg angle between itself and the rear screen enough to provide 95kg of downforce at 155mph, while increasing drag by 4%. The spoiler initially deploys at speeds above 62mph and then decides for itself what to do next, using information such as longitudinal and lateral acceleration values and the manettino setting to determine when to move between medium and high downforce modes. Above 186mph, it is always in medium downforce mode to balance the car and minimise drag. The steering helps make the Roma feel more wieldy than its footprint suggests want to sleep when that s outside? You don t even need to think about the manettino setting, because Sport, so unsatisfactory on the track, is perfect for someone looking to drive a Roma with some purpose on even a wet public road. The only real disappointment is that the car is short of traction in such conditions, although I spoke to someone who knows who tells me that the car is quite tyre-sensitive and that Michelin s Pilot 4S boot is a vast improvement on the Pirelli P Zero rubber fitted to the car I drove. But so long as you re just a little sensitive with the throttle, the Roma will surprise and delight. Surprises include it feeling far more compact than it actually is. This may be a small Ferrari, but it s a big car, yet you can place it perfectly. I was surprised by the steering, too, which takes another step back from Ferrari s once super-aggressive off- centre response, which remains the worst thing about the F8 Tributo. The performance raises eyebrows as well. By Ferrari standards, this isn t a particularly powerful car, nor is it by any standards conspicuously light, but it still feels rapid enough to make you wonder who in their right mind could ever feel short-changed by this level of acceleration. And the delight was simply the way it gets down the road. Ferraris have long been famed for their engines, but I m increasingly persuaded that their true geniuses work in chassis development. It was so fast on frankly some of the most difficult roads a car like this will encounter, yet so deft and reassuring. The new eight-speed gearbox seems unimprovable in the context of dual-clutch transmissions and the way Ferrari has managed the torque delivery, with a different map for every single gear up to seventh, provides magical power delivery for a twin-turbo engine. Its gruff note alone, so suited to a mid-engined application, seems out of place here. So, sports car or GT? The only answer is that the Roma is a master of both. It s actually a more imperfect machine than I had expected from all I had read, but perhaps I have Goodwood, West Sussex and December weather to thank for helping me find flaws that might otherwise have been harder to discern. But with abilities both so broad and so deep contained as they are in a car that looks so good, its failings seem slight by comparison. It s a car with rivals from Bentley to McLaren, with Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Aston Martin between. I hope they realise what a fight they have on their hands. ANDREW FRANKEL FERRARI ROMA A convincing GT and cracking sports car all wrapped up in one unforgettable shape AAAAB Price Engine 170,984 V8, 3855cc, twin- turbocharged, petrol 612bhp at 5750-7500rpm 561lb ft at 3000rpm 8-spd dual-clutch automatic Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 1570kg (with options) 0-62mph 3.4sec Top speed 199mph Economy 25.2mpg CO2, tax band 255g/km, 37% RIVALS Porsche 911 Turbo S, Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Twin-turbo V8 delivers 561lb ft at 3000rpm and 612bhp from 5750rpm 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 23

The all-new, Golf 8 Estate More Golf Than Ever More space, more style, more connectivity, when you need nothing less than a mobile office in a car. What more could you ask for? Official fuel consumption figures for the all-new Golf 8 Estate model range in mpg (litres/100km): Combined 45.6 (6.2)-61.4 (4.6). Combined CO emissions 120-154 g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO figures with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. Data correct at 17/12/20. Figures quoted are for a range of configurations and are subject to change due to ongoing approvals/changes. Please consult your retailer for further information.

FIRST DRIVES FIRST DRIVES TESTER S NOTE You can pick from two door handle types: conventional ones, or those that go flush with the body and pop out for use. MP TESTED 16.12.20, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ON SALE NOW MERCEDES-BENZ S500L New generation of the definitive luxury limo arrives in Britain with a straight six H touchscreen, the seats will begin massaging your back and the stereo will start playing soothing music. Ironically, trying to work out how to control all of these things is what made me stressed in the first place. The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, tested here in the UK for the first time, is a hugely complex piece of machinery from an interior technological standpoint. More so than from a conventional automotive engineering standpoint, at least in this S500 form. Heavily electrified versions of the S-Class are coming, but the S500 has a 3.0-litre turbo petrol straight six, driving via a nine-speed automatic gearbox to, in this 4Matic variant, all four wheels. It makes 430bhp and 389lb ft. Mild- hybrid 48V starter-generator aside, it s conventional technology. You ll still be able to get a diesel too, which will do the meat of UK sales. other is the way that it goes down ey Mercedes, I m stressed is all you need to say. In response, a swirly pattern will appear on the huge central The variant we re testing today is a long-wheelbase car, as are 80% of all S-Classes sold here, because they have tremendous rear leg room and if you re a regular driver, the chances are that you bought an SUV instead. This S-Class is based on a heavily re-engineered version of Mercedes Modular Rear Architecture, which, despite lots of aluminium in its make-up, weighs 1990kg, has air suspension all round and, as an extended variant, is 5.3m long. It also has the option of rear-wheel steering, fitted here, which reduces the turning circle by up to 1.9m up to because, yes, even that s quite complicated. (Depending on the wheelbase, whether your car is rear- or four-wheel drive and even the wheel sizes, the S-Class can have any of 12 different turning circles.) This one s is 10.9m vastly better than the 12.8m it would be without it. It s just one of the things that make the S-Class feel much more wieldy than you would think. The the road. You expect supreme cabin isolation and an unsurpassed ride quality and, by and large, you get those although air springs do give the suspension an occasional sproing over sudden surface imperfections, like thwacking an empty bin. But still, few cars do comfort this well. What s more impressive, though, is that if you select one of the more dynamic driving modes, the S-Class gives very little comfort away yet manages to grab control of its body, steer quickly yet accurately and perform in a way no executive car usually does nor strictly needs to, which gives it a serious advantage over any 4x4. The manoeuvrability offered by its rear-steer is terrific, too. Inside, perceived material quality is strong, with lovely finishing and terrific fit, and there s bags of leg room and head room and great seats in the rear. However, too much has transferred to a touchscreen for me, and although there are quite helpful steering wheel controls, there s no physical controller for the system. Look, I get it. It s the sort of tech that will make specifying features and tailoring models to markets easier, especially when it comes to driving assistance, and it enables over-the-air updates more easily. And there are so many features that you d never fit them all onto buttons. But there are compromises. The mid- cockpit air vents are high and out of reach so that they aren t blocked by the screen. And the temperature controls ought to stay physical and the volume always deserves a dial. Still, I suppose it s what separates luxury from ordinary. It s sweet that it s trying to do so much to help. Even though that does include cooing noises and a back rub while you re trying to concentrate on driving. MATT PRIOR @matty_prior MERCEDES-BENZ S500 4MATIC L The new S-Class provides comfort exceptionally well, but more striking still is how adept it is dynamically AAAAC Price Engine 100,035 6 cyls in line, 2999cc, turbo, petrol, plus 48V ISG 430bhp at 6100rpm 389lb ft at 1800-5800rpm 9-spd automatic 1990kg 4.9sec 155mph 31.7mpg Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band 202g/km, 37% RIVALS Audi A8, BMW 7 Series S-Class can be surprisingly wieldy; interior is luxurious but too techy for us 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 25

The all-new, Golf 8 Estate More Golf Than Ever Official fuel consumption figures for the all-new Golf 8 Estate model range in mpg (litres/100km): Combined 45.6 (6.2)-61.4 (4.6). Combined CO emissions 120-154 g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO figures with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. Data correct at 17/12/20. Figures quoted are for a range of configurations and are subject to change due to ongoing approvals/changes. Please consult your retailer for further information.

FIRST DRIVES TESTER S NOTE The Kona N s Pirelli tyres have Hyundai manufacturer marking, which suggests bespoke development. MP TESTED 16.12.20, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ON SALE SUMMER HYUNDAI KONA N After the brilliant i30 N hot hatch, Hyundai has been working on a sporty crossover upcoming i20 N, which we ve driven before in prototype form, is set to give the supermini class an equally hard time. Hyundai takes it so seriously that the i20 N will even receive additional body structure stiffening and welding over the regular i20. But sporting sub-brands can t live on hatchbacks alone, so inevitably attention now shifts to a crossover: the Kona, a funky-looking vehicle that, shorn of the cladding of this development car, could look quite endearing on 19in wheels and with the right stance, like a pseudo-fierce little action figure or a child yelling raaa! while impersonating a tiger. Go with it. Anyway, if R is good enough for the Volkswagen T-Roc and ST for the Ford Puma, then N is apparently good enough for the Kona, and it gets some suitably impressive hardware. As in the i30 N, there s a 2.0-litre instruments turn red if you push a have a lot of time for Hyundai s N performance cars. The i30 N flirts with being the best mid-size hot hatchback and the turbo petrol engine, driving the front wheels through an eight-speed dual- clutch gearbox. There s no word on a manual version yet. Same for power and torque outputs or performance figures, or price, but you can imagine it in i30 N terms around 250bhp and a similar amount of foot-pounds. The Kona N you see here is a development hack, but I m told the ride and handling, while not finally signed off, are close to representative. The interior isn t even that close, but that s fine; we ve seen the inside of enough Konas to imagine it will look and feel quite good, and it will get added performance touches, like aluminium pedals, coloured highlights and a thick-rimmed steering wheel. There s probably a big handbook somewhere that all manufacturers turn to when specifying performance derivatives: don t forget a nice bit of stitching and even consider a seatbelt highlight . Nothing about the driving position particularly shouts sport , but the button of that name. There s an N driving mode, a configurable mode and a Comfort mode, too. Alas, I m not convinced that either comfort or sport give a true reflection of the Kona N s driving dynamics. This isn t a tall car in absolute terms but perhaps it s not the best place to start, no matter how talented your engineers. The ride, on 235/40 R19 Pirelli P Zero tyres, is exceptionally brittle, especially over bigger lumps and bumps; there s a whole bag of road noise and it s skittish and trampy under hard acceleration. Quite hard work. The steering is moderately weighted and quick, not unpleasant, and if torque steer and some notable self-centring counts as feel, it has that too. But it s in control of a fairly ragged chassis that doesn t seem to change too much if you press through the different driving modes. The ride seemed no harsher around town in Sport to me. The firmness is perhaps the inevitability of trying to keep movements well contained when there s a higher body to contend with than on the i30. Do you remember when Vauxhall had both an Astra VXR and a Zafira VXR? The Kona reminds me of the Zafira: same drivetrain as the lower car, plenty of anger and noise and quite a lot of pace and performance, but fretful and honestly sometimes just quite annoying with it. It s a bit of a shame, this. I get the appeal of widening the N brand, and if there s a market segment in need of enlivening, it s the crossover, too few of which are any good to drive for us to get particularly enthusiastic about. Ultimately, though, this one is frustratingly unsatisfying and curiously raucous. MATT PRIOR @matty_prior HYUNDAI KONA N PROTOTYPE Sporting transformation of the Kona is so far a frustrating result, with it being unsatisfying and raucous Price Engine 30,000 (est) 4 cyls in line, 1998cc, turbocharged, petrol 250bhp (est) 250lb ft (est) 8-spd dual-clutch automatic 1450kg (est) 6.0sec (est) 145mph (est) 35.0mpg (est) Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band 180g/km, 37% (est) RIVALS Ford Puma ST, Volkswagen T-Roc R Chassis is skittish and ride rather harsh; steering doesn t impress either 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 27

Plan Cost efficient with up to All-new Corsa SEARCH NEW CORSA Fuel economy# and CO2* results for the New Corsa range: Combined mpg (l/100km): 45.6 (6.2) 70.6 (4.0). CO2 emissions: 99 85g/km #WLTP figures shown are for comparison purposes and should only be compared to the fuel consumption and CO2 values of other cars tested to the same technical standard. The fuel consumption achieved, and CO2 produced, in real-world conditions will depend upon a number of factors including, but not limited to: the accessories fitted (pre- and post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. For more information, contact your local Vauxhall Retailer. 28 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

FIRST DRIVES TESTER S NOTE The TDI will soon get four-wheel drive as an option, making it unique in the vRS range. As well as raising the braked- trailer towing limit to 2000kg, this ought to make up for the TDI s lack of an LSD for the front axle. RL TESTED 6.1.21, OXFORDSHIRE ON SALE NOW SKODA OCTAVIA vRS TDI Following a four-star rating for the petrol estate, we consider the diesel hatchback A petrol version. Both cars are striking to behold and equally well equipped but, for a premium of just 25, the higher-revving TSI gives you 45bhp more. The fact we re talking about moderately hot hatches here, rather than the 300bhp-plus sharks, makes the discrepancy even more acute. So what does the TDI deliver in return? Superior fuel economy is an obvious one. On paper, the 197bhp TDI (16bhp more than before) is virtually teetotal compared with the TSI, and an indicated average well over 60mpg on 30 miles of motorway elicited a genuine double take at the smart digital instrument readout. On the continuum of real- world pace versus low fuel bills, few sit higher than this Skoda. Unsurprisingly, the diesel engine also makes more torque, although so rounded and capable are the modern Volkswagen Group petrols that the physical differences of the diesel t face value, you would have to be stoutly committed to diesel to choose this TDI take on the new Octavia vRS instead of the advantage is slimmer than you might expect: 295lb ft arriving at 1750rpm plays 273lb ft from 1600rpm and the petrol s peak torque band is wider. Chassis-wise, both vRS models sit on 15mm-shorter springs than the regular Octavia. They both get the same set of Lamborghini-esque 19in wheels shod in Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres, too. You can then add Dynamic Chassis Control and choose from almost countless damper settings. However, our car didn t have this 995 extra, and so rode on passive dampers, which control the MacPherson strut front and multi- link rear suspension. Note also that the vRS models get a wider rear track. Things get intriguing when you hit the back roads. Compared with the vRS TSI Estate I ve previously driven, the TDI hatch feels more intimately connected with the road and gives more detailed steering feedback. The difference is actually quite stark, although whether that s to do with this car s lack of DCC, the engine and the effects they have on the suspension set-up or possibly the fact the wagon was deliberately made more diffident, you would need a Skoda engineer for reliable comment. Whatever the reason, the degree of body roll permitted (not much), along with the increased speed of the vRS- specific electromechanical steering rack and crisp brakes, forms an appealing everyday blend. The vRS TDI steers accurately and handles neatly, and the taut ride quality is well judged for a car that never attempts to come across as the sharpest tool in the class but still wants to be taken reasonably seriously. In this respect, the new TDI is a vintage vRS effort. As for the aluminium-intensive new engine, saddled as it is now with all manner of emissions-reducing kit (hence the TDI s price relative to the more powerful TSI), it s difficult to find fault. VW uses the same unit in the Golf GTD, and while we would still prefer the shift calibration of the dual-clutch gearbox to be marginally more sporting (there s no manual option), the pick-up and responsive slug of torque ameliorate that with ease. Sometimes too much ease. If the vRS TDI has any real blind spot, it s that it doesn t offer the electronically controlled limited- slip differential available on the TSI. Duly, on damp roads, our car occasionally struggled for traction on the exit of second- and even third- gear corners. It s this element of the package that, on British roads, blunts its appeal as a proper driver s car. But does this small caveat really matter? Hardly. How many other affordable family cars that are this spacious and can deliver 65mpg on long runs are also genuinely quick and more than just quietly satisfying to drive? I d wager none. RICHARD LANE @_rlane_ SKODA OCTAVIA vRS TDI Satisfying all-rounder deserves your consideration, even if the petrol is quicker yet virtually the same price AAAAC Price Engine Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 1441kg 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band 130-142g/km, 29-31% RIVALS Ford Focus ST EcoBlue, Volkswagen Golf GTD 32,260 4 cyls, 1968cc, turbo, diesel 197bhp at 3600-4100rpm 295lb ft at 1750-3500rpm 7-spd dual-clutch automatic 7.4sec 154mph 52.3-56.5mpg Sporting intent is subtle but clear; spacious interior continues to impress 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 29

FIRST DRIVES TESTED 4.1.21, WARWICKSHIRE ON SALE NOW Is this rebadged Toyota hybrid estate anything more than a box-ticking exercise? SUZUKI SWACE W the badges sits the Corolla Touring Sports. Bodywork, 120bhp hybrid powertrain, shiny new TNGA platform, surprisingly elegant interior fixings; everything. All is supplied by the world s second- largest car company (rather than its 20th) the result of an industrial partnership formed between the two Japanese makes in 2019 and whose initial badge-engineered progeny was the RAV4 PHEV-based Suzuki Across. You may wonder why these cross-brand models exist in the first place. In this case, Suzuki benefits crucially from reducing its fleet-average CO2 output in Europe (even this top-spec SZ5 Swace ducks beneath 100g/km), while Toyota grows its sphere of influence. We will witness a similar arrangement in 2023, when the Mazda 2 supermini is replaced by a rebadged (but, unlike the Swace, also lightly restyled) Toyota Yaris hen is a Suzuki not a Suzuki? Answer: when it s a Toyota. The new Swace feels familiar because behind SUZUKI SWACE SZ5 An endearing tool-type car: frugal, comfy and not as dull as you might imagine when you really want to go AAABC Price Engine Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band 99g/km, 22% RIVALS 29,299 4 cyls in line, 1798cc, petrol, plus electric motor 120bhp at 5200rpm 169lb ft at 3600rpm e-CVT 1420kg 11.1sec 112mph 64.2mpg Hybrid. We should expect this kind of collaboration to become more common industry-wide, as emissions targets and rising development costs erode margins. Naturally, there are no surprises when it comes to driving the Swace, except perhaps for the fact that the car looks handsome on its meek 16in wheels and without any of the chintzy exterior addenda that the more expensive Corolla gets. For less than 30,000, the SZ5 is also generously equipped. A heated steering wheel and wireless phone charging are both standard. This is also a smart and comfortable cabin, though the Suzota s infotainment array (with an 8.0in touchscreen) falls short of most European rivals . As for driving, set your expectations low and you will be pleasantly surprised. For one thing, whichever brand tuned the suspension clearly understands the meaning of ride quality. Yes, the Swace can wallow and float, but for no-nonsense A-to-B driving, its gait is Ford Focus Estate MHEV, Skoda Octavia iV Estate sweetly judged. Equally, its chassis is well balanced, so it will tolerate being hustled, although only for so long as you can stand the insipid steering and engine s CVT-strained efforts. Overall, then? Spacious, suitably gracious but certainly not pacious. RICHARD LANE TESTED 17.12.20, WILTSHIRE ON SALE NOW New plug-in hybrid looks like the ideal version of Audi s desirable executive car AUDI A6 50 TFSIe C RS6 Avant (it has a boot, so it must be a family car), but in reality it s a lottery win away for most people. This A6 50 TFSIe, on the other ould this new plug-in hybrid be the real-world sweet spot of the Audi A6 range? Yes, everyone loves the idea of justifying the hand, is more realistically attainable, with a saloon starting price of 52,790 (our S Line is 56,450). It features a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine and a 141bhp electric motor housed in the dual-clutch gearbox to give a total output of 295bhp. That s on the money with the BMW 530e, and its mid-range punch should be healthy, thanks to the 332lb ft of torque a smidge up on its rival. Thanks to a 14.1kWh battery, the 50 TFSIe s eco credentials are equally respectable. It has an official electric- only range of 33 miles (although that will dip nearer to 20 miles in winter) and can do up to 84mph in EV mode, so it will cope even if your commute includes a motorway section. Inside, it s Audi s usual flawless fit and finish. The twin touchscreens might not be to everyone s liking, but at least they give haptic and audible feedback, so you know when you ve accidentally raised the heat to 28deg C, rather than slow-roasting yourself. The 0-62mph time is a competitive 6.2sec (the 530e does it in 5.9sec), but it s the acceleration from 30-70mph that s more impressive. This is a fast car, piling on the sort of effortless pace that makes real-world journeys easy. The motor fills in the traditional turbo lag gap, so you get the sense you re waiting more for the gearbox to catch up than anything to spool up. Combined with the smooth ride, this makes the 50 TFSIe feel like a car that s happy in its own skin. AUDI A6 50 TFSIe QUATTRO S LINE Short of dynamic prowess but still decent to waft along in. Its smooth electric motor and engine suit it well AAABC Price Engine 56,450 4 cyls in line, 1984cc, turbo, petrol, plus electric motor 295bhp at 5000-6000rpm 332lb ft at 1600-4500rpm 7-spd dual-clutch automatic 2010kg 6.2sec 152mph 14.1kWh, lithium ion 176.6mpg Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Battery Economy Electric range 33 miles CO2, tax band 36g/km, 10% RIVALS BMW 530e, Mercedes-Benz E300e, Volvo S90 T8 Downsides? It s not a rewarding drive. There s no feel from the steering or chassis, despite the expensive five-link suspension, so if you want that sort of experience, you will need to look elsewhere. PIERS WARD 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 31

ROAD TEST No 5506 Rolls-Royce Ghost Is the next-generation Ghost the ultimate understated luxury limo? MODEL TESTED PHOTOGRAPHY LUC LACEY GHOST Price 249,600 Power 563bhp Torque 627lb ft 0-60mph 4.7sec 30-70mph in fourth na Fuel economy 18.0mpg CO2 emissions 347-358g/km 70-0mph 46.6m 32 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

ROAD TEST ROAD TEST host. It s an appropriate name for the model that sits neither fully in the present nor in the Range at a glance G ENGINES Ghost Ghost EWB POWER 563bhp 563bhp FROM 249,600 285,000 future, at least so far as Rolls-Royce s product planners are concerned. On one hand, the arrival of this substantial limousine completes an overhaul for the line-up at Goodwood, which began with an all-new Phantom in 2017, before the arrival in 2018 of the Cullinan crossover (which, inevitably, set new sales records for the company). Now, in the Ghost, we have the Phantom s not so junior, 250,000 understudy. The circle is complete, so to speak, and more fundamentally so than you might think. The new Ghost sits for the first time on the same bespoke aluminium Architecture of Luxury that underpins its siblings, rather than an adapted BMW 7 Series platform, as was the case when its predecessor was introduced in 2009. Unlike the Phantom and Cullinan, though, the Mk2 Ghost also points to the future of Rolls-Royce, if not in purely mechanical terms (the company is expected to introduce electric-only vehicles in the foreseeable future, whereas today s test subject uses an unapologetic 6.75-litre V12 with not one iota of electrical assistance) then in terms of philosophy. Without a hint of irony, Rolls-Royce calls this new approach Post Opulence . What that means is something less ostentatious and more noble, the antithesis of premium mediocracy , albeit all within the traditional Rolls remit. Call it the acceptable face of extravagance. What we ll now discover is whether Rolls-Royce has done enough to see off stiff competition, which includes Bentley and Maybach. Because whatever language you use to characterise your product, being the one who sets the standard is ultimately what really matters in the ultra-luxury class. DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AAAAA With some 5.55m separating the iconic and subtly backlit Pantheon grille from its tapered, almost coup - like rear end, the Ghost is longer than not only a Range Rover but Rolls own Cullinan SUV, too. Of course, the flagship Phantom is longer still; but with nearly 2.16m between its door mirrors, a height of 1.57m and a claimed kerb weight of 2490kg, it s difficult to characterise the Ghost s footprint as anything other than vast. Compared with its Goodwood stablemates, however, the Ghost wears its immense size with a degree more subtlety. It s still conspicuously opulent (anything with a Flying Lady at its nose is bound to be), but its smaller frontal area and smooth, largely uninterrupted bodywork combine to lend it a discernible level of visual discretion relatively speaking, of course. Beneath that stately exterior lies Goodwood s all-aluminium Architecture of Luxury , which TRANSMISSIONS 8-spd automatic Equipment grades and trim walk-ups aren t concepts that Rolls-Royce acknowledges. Its patrons expect their cars to be one of a kind; a motorised symbol of their tastes, values and accomplishments that won t be seen anywhere else in the world. As such, the level of personalisation that its Bespoke Collective offers is effectively limited only by your imagination, and the depths of your bank account. Make no mistake: it d be exceedingly easy to drop a six-figure sum customising a Ghost to your liking. ? Rolls-Royce s Pantheon grille is shrunk for the Ghost compared with the Phantom and feels laudably subtle, strange as that sounds. It also features 20 LEDs beneath the upper ledge that gently illuminate the vanes at night. replaces the old BMW platform the last Ghost was based on and finally puts to bed any criticisms about it being a reskinned 7 Series. Its configuration places the Ghost s 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 behind the front axle line, in a bid to achieve a 50:50 weight distribution and hone its position as a Rolls-Royce that s as enjoyable to drive as it is to be driven in. The immense motor makes 563bhp from 5000rpm and a mighty 627lb ft from as low as 1600rpm all of which is deployed to the road through an eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive for the first time. Four-wheel steering is another new introduction for the second-generation Ghost. Suspension is by way of double wishbones up front and multiple links at the rear, with adjustable air springs all round. A major but seemingly simple mechanical innovation comes in the form of the Ghost s new upper wishbone damper. This is effectively a mass damper attached to the same joint as the upper control arm and is intended to further absorb suspension movement and vibration as the car rolls over finer lumps and bumps. Along with a 12V active anti-roll bar at the rear axle, a camera system known as Flagbearer that scans the road ahead and preconditions the suspension accordingly, and Rolls-Royce s satellite-assisted transmission, these systems combine to form what the firm refers to as its Planar Suspension System. We ll discuss its effectiveness shortly. ? Elegant lower waft line is supposedly borrowed from boat design and runs along the length of the car, creating a sense of motion and using reflection to lighten the surfacing, says Rolls-Royce. It works well on lighter-coloured cars, so long as they re particularly clean. ? There s one 19in wheel style and three 21in options. This example has the 21in twin-spoke part-polished wheels, with the wheel centres painted to match. Naturally, all wheels are adorned with self-levelling centre caps. We like ? V12 lends regal performance and exceptional refinement at all speeds ? Interior quality and luxury are up there with Rolls finest ? Effortless steering suits Ghost s ultra-luxury dynamic brief to a T We don t like ? Secondary ride is very good but doesn t dominate the competition quite like we d hoped it would ? Too expensive for mere mortals, but that s probably the point ? Rear suicide doors mean the handles can meet neatly in the middle of the car. The Ghost s doors can be opened and closed automatically, with the rears traditionally featuring umbrellas hidden within the cross section. Previous Ghost was more overtly opulent 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 33

Weights and measures DIMENSIONS 1020mm max 0.32 970mm 1571mm 507 litres 1140mm max 900mm Kerb weight: 2490kg 941mm 3295mm 1309mm 5546mm PARKING ? Rolls-Royce s typically large steering wheel sits directly in front of you and the car s higher hip point makes getting in and out easy. Typical parking space width (2400mm) Typical garage height 1950mm Typical leg room 900mm 2160mm (with mirrors) 4080mm ? Tug the handle of the rear coach door once to pop it open, then again to make it swing out electrically. Be careful of any walls, though: the door won t detect them. WHEEL AND PEDAL ALIGNMENT No complaints as far as pedal positioning is concerned, but then you wouldn t expect Rolls-Royce to get something like this wrong. Steering column offers excellent adjustability, too. 45mm Height 520mm Length 1030-1230mm 185mm Width 860-1360mm HEADLIGHTS Rolls-Royce s laser-assisted Brilliance headlights offer just that and are fitted as standard. The beam is every bit as bright and broad as you would imagine. Centre ? Boot is easily large enough to accommodate a few sets of golf clubs or a suitcase, but the wine fridge that s housed behind the armrest does intrude a bit. likely to ever need and, crucially, more space than you ll get in a Bentley Flying Spur. PERFORMANCE AAAAA Ghost owners are unlikely to dwell on quantifiable performance, but were you to assess this car s potential in coldly objective terms, as we have, you d discover an extraordinarily quick limousine given the physics at play this is a 2490kg vehicle. Liberating power and torque from this 6.75-litre V12 is not difficult, but to get the most out of the powertrain, you need to press the small button marked Low on the slim gear selector stalk. Do this and the Ghost shrugs off some of its cultivated nonchalance, not least by stepping away in first gear, rather than second, and thereafter executing an luxurious as you d hope to find in anything with four wheels. From the driver s seat, the Ghost feels immensely spacious. Head and shoulder room are abundant, and a readily apparent sense of airiness was heightened further by the crisp white upholstery of our test car. The upright driving position is exceptionally comfortable and the car s high hip point affords a commanding view out over its expansive bonnet. You also get the distinct sense that the controls have been laid out in a manner that minimises the effort required to reach them. When you do interact with them, you find that every switch, surface and stalk feels not only expensive and exquisitely crafted but reassuringly robust, too. There are multiple seating configurations for the second row. Our car featured two individually adjustable Immersive Seats with an occasional third seat appearing when the central armrest was folded away. That armrest doubles as a control centre for the car s infotainment suite, but if you are willing to sacrifice some boot space, Rolls- Royce can then set a champagne fridge within the rear bulkhead, should you option the Central Cool Chamber. A fixed centre console with an even larger, built-in cool box that has room for a whisky decanter and two champagne flutes can also be specified. Or you could just have a regular Lounge Seat with generous berths for two. However, despite the Ghost s larger size, our tape measure revealed a second row that isn t quite as spacious as the Cullinan s. That said, 900mm of typical rear leg room and 970mm of head room is more than even the tallest passengers are INTERIOR AAAAA Climbing aboard the Ghost is a process steeped in a sense of occasion and theatre. The door handles are fashioned from weighty-looking stainless steel that s cool to the touch, and the doors themselves feel heavy as you gently pull them open. You step over a low sill onto thick, woollen carpets, before sliding across effortlessly onto sumptuously upholstered and fairly high-set leather chairs. Those in the back can then swing the rear-hinged coach doors shut by pressing a button on the C-pillar, and similar controls on the centre console allow the driver and front-seat passenger to do the same. And once they re closed, you re left immersed in an environment that s as beautifully appointed and 34 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

ROAD TEST ? Illuminated Fascia is the product of 10,000 hours of development work. Backlit Ghost lettering is surrounded by no fewer than 850 stars , lit by 152 LEDs. ? Phantom s iDrive controller can be hidden away but the Ghost s remains on display. It looks classy, though, and feels it, thanks to a leather strap that surrounds it. ? Rear doors each house a good-sized umbrella. Along with the Spirit of Ecstasy, these were the only parts carried over from the previous Ghost. Multimedia system AAAAC Rolls-Royce continues to rely on a reskinned BMW infotainment suite for the latest Ghost. As far as its ease of use and graphical sophistication are concerned, it s one of the best systems but there are those who might bemoan the lack of a bespoke set-up. The rotary dial on the centre console is undoubtedly the most comfortable means of interacting with the system particularly while on the move but the screen responds swiftly to touch inputs, too. Meanwhile, a second rotary controller integrated into the second-row armrest allows passengers to take control of the media suite from the back seats. They ll also be able to watch television on the two large screens that are integrated into the front seatbacks. Our test car featured a 1300W Rolls-Royce Bespoke audio system an 18-channel set-up that even incorporates exciter speakers in the Starlight Headliner. Sound quality was, of course, excellent. 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 35

? It delivers the uninterrupted drivability only really felt with EVs ? aggressive shift strategy, holding onto to ratios longer, shifting without hesitation and kicking down further than normal. That those shifts remain glass smooth is testament to the dexterity of ZF s transmission hardware and the truly expert tuning of the control electronics. And duly, against the clock, our Ghost squatted heavily but then dusted off 0-60mph in an impressive 4.7sec, its four- wheel drive not for one moment left wanting in terms of traction, even in slightly damp test conditions. For Ghost owners who are short of time, there is one other very encouraging figure. In kickdown, the Ghost dispatched 30-70mph in 3.8sec. For reference, the new Flying Spur a veritable rocket ship in this class could go only 0.6sec quicker. Of course, these numbers mean little in the real world, and it is the nature of the Ghost s performance, rather than its magnitude, that counts. In this respect, it s no exaggeration to say that the V12 driveline is comically demure. The additional torque that Rolls-Royce has massaged out of the engine since its appearance in the Cullinan was hardly necessary but it adds to the almost weightless sensation the Ghost exhibits as it gently accumulates speed. We said this of the current Phantom, but the sheer linearity of the engine response and the imperceptibility of the gearshifts (well, you might notice the Power Reserve % dial quiver) combine to deliver the uninterrupted drivability only really felt with electric cars. Add in superbly well-judged brake- and throttle-pedal weights and the result is an enormous and superficially very inert limousine that, contrary to what you might think, is joyful to operate. HANDLING AND STABILITY AAAAB With any modern Rolls-Royce, the wheelbase is so long that the V12 can sit entirely behind the front axle and this gives the cars surprisingly good weight distribution. The new Ghost is no different, its maker claiming a perfect 50:50 split, and when you combine that with articulate suspension architecture and air springs, the result is palpable balance and composure. This lays strong foundations for the Ghost s most memorable and enjoyable dynamic character trait: the way it steers. Even the gossamer rim of the helm itself is oh-so satisfying to hold by the fingertips and its motion, which at first feels curiously light, quickly becomes intuitive when coaxing the car s monolithic nose this way and that. The action itself forgoes pronounced self-centring, although, far from engendering any sense of instability, this actually seems to improve matters. Meanwhile, the gearing is stately without ever feeling languorous. It s an exceptionally good set-up and the uniform weighting, which would cause serious concern in any sports car, suits the Ghost s temperament beautifully. Only when turning tightly at low speeds, when the four-wheel steering awakens, does the steering reveal anything approaching inconsistency, although the sudden and wholesale loss of weight in the motion that occurs towards the extremes of lock is more an observation than a criticism. All of this means that while so many luxury vehicles desperately lack the calibre of steering necessary to explore their handling, the Ghost is different. And it is far from undone by interesting roads (although you may want to avoid any B-road rat runs). In tighter corners, there is no escaping the spectre of understeer, just as you would expect, and there s zero throttle adjustability in this chassis, but the neutral-verging-on-oversteer balance the Ghost adopts in quicker corners is genuinely satisfying. And, of course, ? Intuitive, well-geared steering a dynamic highlight causes the front end to respond to inputs with pleasing accuracy and the car exhibits good balance and composure. 36 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

ROAD TEST Track notes Track notes It feels a bit rude to hurtle around Millbrook s Hill Route in a car as stately as the Ghost, but it copes with this tortuous stretch of track well enough, given its immense size. Body movements are, of course, entirely conspicuous, and you get the sense that its stability and four-wheel drive systems are working overtime to keep its nose tracking in the right direction. The threat of understeer is ever present. Even so, once its front end bites and mass has settled over its outside tyres, it navigates tighter sections of track with impressive neutrality and reassuring levels of grip. The featherweight steering that makes the Ghost so delightful to manoeuvre at sociable road speeds takes some getting used to at pace and can sap your confidence a little. Rolls-Royce might claim this is a car for driving as much as being driven in, and at relaxed speeds that rings true. What it isn t, however, is a car for hustling along. Which is fine. ? Once the threat of understeer has been quelled, the Ghost will plough through sharper bends such as T2 and T4 confidently. T2 ? The sharp inclines that follow T5 and lead up to T6 are vanquished by the V12 s titanic amount of torque. T4 T3 T6 T1 ? Ghost s heft really makes itself felt through T1, and particularly through the off-camber T3. T5 T7 FINISH START there is that deftly and accurate steering to underpin proceedings. So, yes, the Rolls body floats much more than you d find with any Bentley, and there is pronounced roll, however well it might be meted out. Yet for a machine supposedly all about the back-row seats, there are several good reasons why owners would take the wheel themselves. COMFORT AND ISOLATION AAAAB As with so many entities that appear to operate with effortless ease, there is plenty going on beneath the surface of the Ghost s bodywork. The work Rolls-Royce puts into its Architecture of Luxury extends considerably further than the endless dimensions and localised stiffness, and the aluminium it uses takes more complex forms than necessary in order to quell as much road-generated resonance as possible. The bulkhead and floor are also double-skinned to in the back of the Ghost, in the outside lane of the motorway, listening to music with remarkable clarity, that you realise that intrinsic, bona fide luxury can be every bit as thrilling and captivating as cornering at high g-forces in the latest supercar. Ride quality, which benefits from Rolls new mass dampers on the front axle, is familiar from the Phantom, in that the body is permitted to make languid long-wave movements, but not quite to the same extent. If there is a fly in this serene ointment, it concerns secondary ride, which is mostly excellent but can on occasion transmit the road surface fractionally too faithfully. In fact, there s the possibility that the upcoming Mercedes S-Class will do better in this respect. We ll find out in due course. BUYING AND OWNING AAAAC With prices starting at 249,600 after taxes, the Ghost might well be the most affordable modern-day Rolls-Royce, but it s by no means the most attainable luxury saloon on the market. A Flying Spur is the best part of 80,000 less, while the likes of the Mercedes-Maybach S650 start around the 180,000 mark. That s a hefty premium, for sure, but it s unlikely that the average Rolls-Royce patron (if there is such a thing) will be too fazed particularly when most will go on to spend a five- or six-figure sum personalising their Ghost. Our car came with a whopping 112,530 worth of optional extras and it seems entirely likely that you could quite easily spend even more should you choose to. Fuel consumption is about where you would expect it to be. We averaged 18mpg during our time with the car and saw a touring economy of 28.5mpg. Combined with the Ghost s 90-litre tank, that makes for a theoretical maximum range in excess of 560 miles. sandwich damping felts, and overall more than 100kg of acoustic damping material is used. This includes the double-glazed windows and sponge within the Pirelli s PNCS tyres. No surprise, then, that the Ghost is sensationally quiet. At idle, the V12 is so well isolated that inside the cabin we registered just 40dB, which is quieter than ambient levels on a sleepy suburban street. At 70mph, that rises to a scant 58dB comfortably less than the 64dB recorded by the Flying Spur and even the 60dB of the Phantom. This demonstrates that Rolls-Royce is making good progress even at the sharpest, most challenging and perhaps most expensive end of its development criteria. The benefit for passengers is that boarding the Ghost and closing the vault-like doors seems to transport you to another dimension, where the outside world feels faintly abstract. It s when you find your sleepy self sat ACCELERATION Rolls-Royce Ghost (9deg C, drying) Standing quarter mile 13.0sec at 112.9mph, standing km na, 30-70mph 3.8sec, 30-70mph in fourth na 60mph 4.7s 100mph 10.3s 30mph 2.0s 40mph 2.8s 50mph 3.6s 70mph 5.8s 80mph 7.0s 90mph 8.5s 110mph 12.3s 120mph 14.7s 130mph 17.6s 140mph 20.9s 0 Bentley Flying Spur (2020, 20deg C, dry) Standing quarter mile 12.2sec at 119.8mph, standing km 21.8sec at 155.8mph, 30-70mph 3.2sec, 30-70mph in fourth 5.4sec 10s 20s 60mph 3.9s 100mph 8.9s 30mph 1.7s 40 50 70mph 4.9s 80mph 6.0s 90mph 7.3s 110mph 10.5s 120mph 12.4s 130mph 14.6s 140mph 17.1s 2.4s 3.0s 0 10s BRAKING60-0mph: 2.79sec Rolls-Royce Ghost (9deg C, drying) 30mph-0 50mph-0 70mph-0 8.2m 22.9m 46.6m 0 Bentley Flying Spur (2020, 20deg C, dry) 10m 20m 30m 40m 30mph-0 50mph-0 70mph-0 8.7m 23.5m 45.4m 0 10m 20m 30m 40m 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 37

Data log ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST On-the-road price Price as tested Value after 3yrs/36k miles Contract hire pcm Cost per mile Insurance 249,600 362,130 133,425 na na 50/ 1195 90 litres TYPICAL PCP QUOTE Three years/18,000 miles It s thoroughly unlikely that any Ghosts will leave the factory without any options, but this is what you might expect a PCP quote to look like for one that does. With a 10% deposit of 24,900, Magnitude Finance quotes a monthly repayment obligation of 3722 on the above terms. The optional final payment is 129,540 and the representative APR is 6.9%. 3722 EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST 21in alloy wheels Height-adjustable air suspension Rear-wheel steering Retractable Spirit of Ecstasy 10.0in touchscreen infotainment Effortless doors Open-pore Obsidian Ayous veneer Lambswool footmats Central Cool Chamber Rear compartment curtains Shooting Star headliner Rear theatre configuration Rolls-Royce Bespoke audio Picnic tables Heated passenger surround Front and rear massage seats Front and rear ventilated seats Immersive seating with occasional third seat Options in bold fitted to test car = Standard na = not available undisc = undisclosed TECHNICAL LAYOUT As with the Phantom VIII and the Cullinan SUV, the second Goodwood Ghost uses Rolls-Royce s own aluminium Architecture of Luxury platform. The imperious 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 sits longways at its nose, driving all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Suspension is by way of double wishbones and multiple links, with air springs all round. ENGINE Installation Type Made of Bore/stroke Compression ratio 10.0:1 Valve gear Power Torque Redline Power to weight Torque to weight Specific output POWER & TORQUE ECONOMY TEST MPG undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc undisc Track Touring Average Front, longitudinal, four-wheel drive V12, 6749cc, twin- turbocharged, petrol Aluminium block and head 89.0mm/90.4mm 8.0mpg 28.5mpg 18.0mpg 800 800 627lb ft at 1600-4250rpm 700 700 563bhp at 5000-6000rpm 500 Low Mid High Extra high Combined CLAIMED 10.1-10.5mpg 16.9-17.2mpg 21.4-22.1mpg 21.9-23.0mpg 17.9-18.6mpg 600 600 Power output (bhp) 500 500 Torque (lb ft) 4 per cyl 563bhp at 5000-6000rpm 627lb ft at 1600-4250rpm 6500rpm 226bhp per tonne 252lb ft per tonne 83bhp per litre 400 400 300 300 Tank size Test range 90 litres 356 miles 200 200 undisc 100 100 EMISSIONS & TAX CO2 emissions Tax at 20/40% pcm Engine (rpm) 347-358g/km 1539/ 3078 0 0 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 CHASSIS & BODY Construction Weight/as tested Drag coefficient Wheels Tyres Spare TRANSMISSION Type 8-spd automatic Ratios/mph per 1000rpm 1st 5.00/6.1 2nd 3.20/9.5 3rd 2.14/14.3 4th 1.72/17.7 5th 1.31/23.3 6th 1.00/30.5 7th 0.82/37.2 8th 0.64/47.7 Final drive ratio 2.81:1 BRAKES Front 398mm ventilated discs Rear 395mm ventilated discs Anti-lock Standard, with brake assist Handbrake type Electric Handbrake location Right of steering column SAFETY DSC, ABS, EBD, collision warning, cross-traffic warning, lane-change warning Euro NCAP crash rating Not tested Aluminium monocoque 2490kg/na 0.32 8.0Jx21in (f), 9.5Jx21in (r) 225/40 R21 102Y (f), 285/35 R21 105Y (r), Pirelli P Zero PNCS None (run-flats) CABIN NOISE Idle 40dB Max rpm 73dB 30mph 51dB 50mph 55dB 70mph 58dB STEERING Type Electromechanical, rack and pinion Turns lock to lock 2.7 Turning circle 13.0m SUSPENSION Front Double wishbones, air springs Rear Multi-link, air springs, 12V active anti-roll bar ACCELERATION MPH 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 0-100 0-110 0-120 0-130 0-140 0-150 0-160 ACCELERATION IN KICKDOWN MPH 20-40 30-50 40-60 50-70 60-80 70-90 80-100 90-110 100-120 110-130 120-140 MAX SPEEDS IN GEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 155mph* 3252rpm * claimed RESIDUALS TIME (sec) 2.0 2.8 3.6 4.7 5.8 7.0 8.5 10.3 12.3 14.7 17.6 20.9 300 40mph 6500rpm 62mph 6500rpm 93mph 6500rpm 115mph 6500rpm 151mph 6500rpm 155mph 5081rpm TIME (sec) 1.5 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.7 4.4 5.3 6.2 Rolls-Royce Ghost 250 200 Bentley Flying Spur 6.0 W12 Value ( 1000s) 150 100 50 155mph 4166rpm Mercedes-Benz S500L AMG Line Premium Plus 0 New 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years ? After three years and 36k miles, Ghost will retain 53% of its original list price, marginally outperforming the Bentley. RPM in 8th at 70/80mph = 1469/1678 THE SMALL PRINT Power-to-weight and torque-to-weight figures are calculated using manufacturer s claimed kerb weight. 2021, Haymarket Media Group Ltd. Test results may not be reproduced without editor s written permission. For information on the Ghost, contact Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, The Drive, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0SH (01243 525700, rolls-roycemotorcars.com). Cost-per-mile figures calculated over three years/36,000 miles, including depreciation and maintenance but not insurance; Lex Autolease (0800 389 3690). Insurance quote covers 35-year-old professional male with clean licence and full no-claims bonus living in Swindon; quote from Liverpool Victoria (0800 066 5161, lv.com). Contract hire figure based on a three-year lease/36,000-mile contract including maintenance; Wessex Fleet Solutions (01722 322888). ROAD TEST No 5506 Read all of our road tests autocar.co.uk 38 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

ROAD TEST Testers notes RICHARD LANE Spend time with the Ghost and it becomes a haven a more pleasurable place to be than anywhere else you frequent. You miss it intrinsically, and that s true both for enthusiasts and people who most of the time couldn t give a fig about cars. This is the Rolls-Royce Effect, and nobody s immune. SIMON DAVIS I pulled up next to a Brabus G700 and its driver was sat only slightly higher than I was. That s how tall the Rolls driving position is. VERDICT AAAAB Spec advice Most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce is an exceptional limo Your biggest decision will be the configuration of the rear bench. The standard lounge seats can t be had with a massage function, but Immersive Seating with Occasional Third Seat includes that, and a small fridge. For the full cool chamber with champagne flutes, whisky decanter et al, you need Immersive Seating with Centre Console . Don t forget the lambswool mats, either. he second-generation Ghost is not flawless, but if the intention of Rolls-Royce was to offer the material extravagance and extraordinary rolling refinement of the flagship Phantom, only in an understated and more usable package, it has succeeded. The Ghost s only imperfection is its secondary ride, which is just a shade short of perfection. It s still much better than that of a Bentley Flying Spur, but if we pulled the Bentley up for the transgression, we must do the same here. In every other aspect that matters, the Ghost is an exceptional vehicle and makes travel an unambiguous delight. Indeed, the new Ghost offers quantifiable improvements over its excellent predecessor, especially in terms of isolation. It is an uncannily serene car and wonderful company, whether you find yourself in the lavish expanse of the cabin s rear seats or up front, in the commanding perch enjoyed by the driver. The Rolls-Royce is highly satisfying and easy to drive; it s the longest car in its class but still much more manageable in real-world use than bigger-brother Phantom, just as Goodwood intended. Rolls-Royce also deserves credit in its attempt successful, in our opinion to tone down the car s flamboyance while retaining its sense of stature and just the right amount of whimsy. All in all, superb. T Jobs for the facelift ? Chamfer the wing mirrors, if possible. They hinder visibility at junctions and corners. ? Stop cold air seeping into the cabin around the front seatbelt hangers. ROAD TEST RIVALS 1 3 4 5 2 ALPINA B7 Buchloe s take on the BMW 7 Series is a match for the Bentley on the grounds of driver appeal, but it lacks the same sense of opulence. AAAAC 121,850 599bhp, 590lb ft 3.6sec, 205mph 264g/km, 24.4mpg MERCEDES-MAYBACH S650 Spectacular ride comfort and V12 performance but doesn t quite feel as genuinely special as the Rolls-Royce. Still magnificent. AAAAB 183,285 621bhp, 738lb ft 4.7sec, 155mph 328g/km, 19.5-20.0mpg RANGE ROVER SV AUTOBIOGRAPHY LWB Flagship Range Rover is starting to feel long in the tooth but remains a wonderfully plush way to travel all the same. AAAAC 179,715 557bhp, 516lb ft 5.5sec, 140mph 298g/km, 18.9mpg ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST Imperious performance meets exceptional material quality, refinement and grandeur. Ride quality is exquisite, but perhaps not as special as we d hoped. AAAAB 249,600 563bhp, 627lb ft 4.8sec, 155mph 347-358g/km, 17.9-18.6mpg BENTLEY FLYING SPUR A phenomenal driver s car in a class of ultra-wafty luxo-barges. Ride isolation could be better, but if dynamism is a priority, it could easily be the class leader. AAAAB 168,300 626bhp, 664lb ft 3.8sec, 207mph 337g/km, 19.1mpg Verdicts on every new car, p82 Price Power, torque 0-62mph, top speed CO2, economy 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 39

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MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE Ultra-low CO2 ratings make the new Discovery Sport and two plug-in hybrid SUV rivals ideal company cars, but which is the best to drive and to own? By Matt Saunders PHOTOGRAPHY OLGUN KORDAL

PHEV SUVs COMPARISON

Volvos minimalist interior still looks fresh years later hey say that dog owners become like their pets. I wonder if something similar can fairly be said of car T makers and their products. Modern Land Rovers have many qualities, but they aren t the most responsive or agile of modern family cars; and neither, as a company, is Land Rover. Remember the Land-e concept? Some years ago, I spent a happy couple of hours being told all about it in the airy lobby at Land Rover s Gaydon headquarters. It was a technological showcase intended to give prominence to all the little things the firm was either doing or developing at the time to make its showroom models more fuel efficient. As such, I dare say it served its primary purpose perfectly well. But it was also a Freelander-sized car with a downsized engine, hybrid drive and an electric rear axle, and it was shown way back in 2006. Perhaps the management couldn t see the wood for the trees back then, or maybe they just didn t see a demand for an electrified Land Rover at all. Well, there should certainly be demand for one now. After quite the wait, then, the plug- in hybrid Discovery Sport is finally with us, just in time for the inevitable frenzied plug-in panic buying. It isn t Land Rover s first PHEV, nor the first medium-sized SUV to the plug-in party either. While Solihull was stroking its beard and plumping its various padded apparel, its rivals were simply getting on with launching their own alternatives; and, from Ford to Audi and Volvo to Volkswagen, most already have. So what impact can this new Discovery Sport P300e have on what is becoming a quite well- PHEV means no third row in the Discovery Hybrid tech steals a bit of X3 s boot space Like Discovery, XC60 has plenty of space established part of the SUV market? And what can it consequently do for Land Rover s millstone-like fleet- average corporate CO2 emissions? Well, the short answer to both questions ought to be plenty . Globally, the Discovery Sport is still the best-selling model in the whole Jaguar Land Rover stable. Like most electrified options, the P300e won t be one of the cheaper options within the model range (although it s better-priced than most of its key rivals), but to businesses and to fleet drivers who can save on their tax bills by running one, it should make very good financial sense. Will it make such a convincing case to own, to use and to drive, though? Well, after some back-to-back testing and interrogating XC60 aims to give the most relaxed drive of our trio At 6ft 3in, Saunders is still comfy in the Landie

PHEV SUVs COMPARISON ? The Discovery Sport rams home its electric-only efficiency advantage with a king-sized drive battery ? There s a likeable simplicity to the Volvo s tuning and control regime. It doesn t have gearshift paddles or a Sport mode, and does a necessarily complicated car really need either? alongside a couple of plug-in rivals, the BMW X3 xDrive30e and Volvo XC60 T6 Recharge, I can tell you with some confidence that it should. As well as having the right kind of vital statistics on paper, this new-breed Land Rover turns out to be a bit of a peach to drive: refined, responsive and very pleasant indeed. To some, it might not be the fuel-saver in practice that it promises to be on paper but, as with all PHEVs, that will depend on how you use it as much as anything. Ah yes, the perfect get-out- of-jail-free card: blame the end user. That the Land Rover is technically more alike to the Volvo than the BMW represents something of a risk for Gaydon. Since it s effectively a front-wheel-drive car with four-wheel drive delivered by an electrically driven rear axle (like the XC60), it doesn t technically have permanent mechanical four-wheel drive (unlike the BMW although even the X3 s system is a switchable clutch- based set-up rather than a central- differential-based one). Given its core values, I m surprised that Land Rover went down that route, but the reward is a better running efficiency for the car in electric-only mode, because driveline friction is much lower than it would otherwise be. That s an advantage that the Discovery Sport then rams home with a king-sized drive battery. Here, 15kWh for the Land Rover plays 12kWh for the BMW and 11.6kWh for the Volvo. So it s the Land Rover that has the greatest claim for electric-only range of the trio (see spec panels on p49), and it delivers a good-sized advantage on electric range in real-world testing. Our comparison started with back-to-back road loops taking in a mix of urban and country roads. These suggested that you might get a genuine 30 miles of electric running in the Land Rover on a fully charged battery, compared with 25 from the Volvo and only 20 from the BMW. And if you happen to live about 30 miles from the office, that could make all the difference to what a car like this might cost you to own. Come to think of it, it could also make quite a difference to how much fuel you might use in an environment in which legislators could conceivably start hiking up fuel duty sooner rather than later although let s hope they don t. For practicality, the Land Rover does equally well. It s not, somehow, a car that you expect to be particularly roomy. It looks narrower, shorter and more upright than its rivals. But because you sit less recumbently inside it (and because it offers sliding back seats, while neither the BMW nor the Volvo does), there s a lot of occupant space within. A taller adult could travel in the back in any of 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 45

these cars happily enough, but they would be comfiest by a notable margin in the Discovery Sport, and they would have a better view of the world outside. For bigger families, sadly none of these three comes with even the option of a third row of seats. For boot space, there s little to choose between the Land Rover and Volvo, but the BMW surrenders about three inches of loadbay height, due to the positioning of some of its hybrid gubbins just above the rear axle. Although that still leaves you with a sizeable carrying space, it s pretty disappointing to see these days. Up front, the Discovery Sport has definitely polished up its act on luxury-level interior appeal. Far from being the slightly drab and unlovely place it used to be, this interior now has a bit of material lustre and technological pizzazz. Our test car combined lighter leathers and mouldings with paler, natural-looking wood veneers, while its new digital Update to Discovery Sport has improved its interior no end That Land Rover isn t a proper 4x4, you know SHOULD YOUR NEXT COMPANY CAR BE PLUG-IN HYBRID OR FULLY ELECTRIC? cost of any electric or sub-50g/km PHEV fleet car bought new and outright by a business can be offset against tax liability until April this year. It s likely that some businesses will be buying a certain number of new EVs and PHEVs outright right now, with a view to selling them later and driving down their business fleet costs considerably over time. The costs that we ve given apply to entry-level versions of the cars without options which can drive up BIK tax liability on PHEVs as well as price, remember. All contract hire quotes are business ones exclusive of VAT, calculated over 48 months and for 8000 miles per year after a six-month deposit. LR Discovery The company car market is already fuelling plenty of the growth in UK registrations of electric vehicles, and that should accelerate again in 2021. To see why that might be, take a look below at the fleet car cost breakdown of two of the plug-in hybrids in this test compared with two fully electric alternatives. While the high price of the electric cars may still put off private buyers, you only need to be a fleet driver who typically pays for a couple of tanks of fuel every month out of your own pocket (fuel costs aren t factored into our table) to already be able to realise a cost saving by switching to an electric SUV rather than a PHEV. For employers, current capital allowances mean that 100% of the Jaguar I-Pace Sport P300e BMW X3 xDrive30e BMW iX3 List price Monthly contract hire BIK tax rate: 20/21, 21/22 Monthly BIK liability for a 40% taxpayer: 20/21, 21/22 164, 181 Potential monthly cost to fleet driver: 20/21, 21/22 49,250 420 10%, 11% 47,000 400 10%, 11% 61,900 662 0%, 1% 65,195 651 0%, 1% 157, 172 0, 21 0, 22 584, 601 557, 572 662, 683 651, 673 46 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

PHEV SUVs COMPARISON instrument screen and glossy, multifunction centre stack both looked great and worked well. On this score, the BMW and Volvo have plenty going for them too, though. The XC60 s interior design somehow still seems bold and refreshing, even though we should be well used to it by now, while the X3 s impression of built- in quality remains striking. So as places in which to simply travel, our cars are now evenly matched. You sit up high in the Discovery Sport, taking in your surroundings upright and meerkat-like, in contrast to the estate-car-like lowness of the BMW s hip point. The XC60 s perch is more like the BMW s than the Land Rover s. If you don t like lofty- Disco Sport handles a lot more crisply than you might expect In real-world testing, the Land Rover s 30-mile electric-only range beat the Volvo s (25) and the BMW s (20) by a healthy margin, and DC rapid charging compatibility boosts its electric credentials. their physical capabilities. Here s one of the reasons why. While the X3 xDrive30e can be had in sportily styled M Sport equipment specification, it doesn t run with the lowered, stiffened suspension that other M Sport variants of the X3 get. That may be considered BMW s tacit admission that there s a limit to the handling dynamism that can be successfully tuned into a two-tonne X3. You can have adaptive dampers as an option on the BMW, just as you can on the Land Rover, while adaptively damped air suspension is optional on the Volvo. But it just so happened that none of our test cars had optional adaptive suspension fitted, which made them very simple to compare. The Discovery Sport aims at fluid-feeling, bump-smothering handling fluency and pretty well aces it. It s remarkably sweet-handling and precise through corners too, though, with its chassis somehow using that little bit of compliance feeling cars, then, you won t like the Discovery Sport much. But then if you re shopping for a car like this in the first place, I can t see why you wouldn t. Dynamically, the Land Rover aims for a very modern and luxurious SUV character: supple ride comfort and manageable but wieldy big-car handling, delivered along with super-easy, electrically torque- filled drivability and distinguishing isolation from the outside world. Neither the Volvo nor the BMW really targets the same qualities; they re both clearly intended as slightly lower, leaner and crisper- handling crossovers that have SUV-like space and versatility but don t handle like traditional SUVs. But while the Land Rover plays the quiet, torquey, suave luxury operator surprisingly effectively, its opponents struggle somewhat to reconcile their ambitions with ? The BMW and Volvo struggle somewhat to reconcile their ambitions with their physical capabilities ? Each of the cars was specified in sporty-looking trim 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 47

and body roll at everyday speeds to enhance B-road agility and composure rather than undermine it. It s darned clever how Land Rovers do that these days. They certainly didn t always. The BMW, by contrast, aims for lowness, tautness and a much less isolating, more connected ride. It has less turn-in agility than the Land Rover but better mid-corner balance, grip and stability, so you drive it with more confidence at speed. It has better vertical body control too, but it s busier-riding and nowhere near as comfortable. It s gunning for ready poise and an understated sense of handling purpose, then, but it doesn t quite create it as cleverly. The Volvo s ride and handling seem just to be aiming at intuitive simplicity. It s the only car here without gearshift paddles or a Sport driving mode squirrelled away somewhere. Because, I dunno, with two independently operating powerplants in the car, perhaps the driving experience is already necessarily complicated enough? You ve got to salute the instinct. The steering is moderately paced, the ride medium-firm, the controls medium-light, filtered and easy to twiddle. The car could have been more agile, clearly, but Volvo would rather it did a bit of everything. It s just a shame that it doesn t ride better because, despite clearly being softer- sprung than the X3, it s somehow even less settled, quiet and smooth than the BMW when the surface deteriorates. While it s comfy enough around town and on the motorway, there s a loose, underdamped feel to its close body control, which allows it to pitch and fuss over bumps and to loll quite suddenly onto its outside wheels if you hurry it through a bend. Advantage Land Rover, then. And how do those hybrid powertrains feel? Quite different from each other, you might be surprised to learn. The BMW gets mixed up with its sporting pretentions again: it s a noisier operator than the other two and performs strongly in outright terms, although it seems to struggle a little for outright electric-only oomph. The Volvo s performance feels smoother and slightly torquier at low speeds, and it s a little more pleasing to drive around town in EV mode, although its mask of composure and refinement slips under greater throttle loads, when progress can start to seem a bit clunky, flustered and hesitant. But really it s only the eerily smooth, remarkably quiet and effortlessly torquey Land Rover that makes the Volvo and BMW suddenly seem second-rate. Its electric rear axle combines spookily well with the combustive half of its propulsion system, the latter composed of a silken eight-speed automatic gearbox and a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that remains really well- mannered, even when it s revving. The Discovery Sport isn t only more responsive than its rivals from low speeds but also feels more urgent when getting up to the national limit. But what s really striking about it We liked the black-and-white treatment Tall adults have enough space in the X3 and XC60, but Discovery is the roomiest is the seamless togetherness of its electric and combustive double act. You don t feel the gearshifts even under full power. The effect is really very EV-like indeed. And the fuel economy? Perhaps not. While the Land Rover s electric range stands to make it an economical car for those who can charge it plenty (and, unlike the majority of PHEVs, it supports DC rapid charging for fast battery top- ups when you re out and about), in range-extended hybrid mode it s a car that verified again by the same back-to-back road-loop testing might return only 32mpg or 33mpg. That compares with about 36mpg for the Volvo and 38mpg for the BMW. If you re a high-mileage driver and you pay for your own fuel, that s a difference big enough that it might begin to offset your company car tax savings, so it s well worth considering. It s not enough to deny Land Rover an impressive win here, mind you. Gaydon has tuned and executed this all-important plug-in hybrid powertrain very cleverly. It gives the Discovery Sport not only outstanding electric performance and range but real strength under power too and amazing smoothness, refinement and comfort. This is the newly configured, petrol-electric, premium family SUV as most would surely want it. Maybe all that beard-stroking and gilet- plumping was worth it after all. L BMW and Volvo can both sprint quicker than the Land Rover 48 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 JANUARY 2021

PHEV SUVs COMPARISON Has some sporting presence and purpose but isn t one of the better-handling X3s. Its practicality is slightly compromised, too. 2nd A better short-range EV than the X3 but bland to drive, and the ride compromise disappoints. Nice to travel in and to drive gently, however. 3rd Disco Sport has the comfort, drivability and luxury aura to rise above rivals, plus distinguishing electric range and charging flexibility. Thirsty in petrol mode, though. 1st BMW X3 xDrive30e M Sport Volvo XC60 T6 Recharge AWD R-Design Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e R-Dynamic S RATING Price Engine Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Battery Economy Electric range CO2, tax band AAAAB 47,000 3 cyls in line, 1497cc, turbo, petrol, plus rear- mounted electric motor 305bhp at 5500rpm 398lb ft at 2000-2500rpm 8-spd automatic 2093kg 6.6sec 130mph 15.0kWh, lithium ion 141.0mpg 38 miles 44g/km, 10% AAAAC 52,570 4 cyls in line, 1969cc, turbo, petrol, plus rear- mounted electric motor 250bhp (ICE), 88bhp (motor) 258lb ft (ICE), 177lb ft (motor) 8-spd automatic 2099kg 5.9sec 112mph (governed) 11.6kWh, lithium ion 113.0mpg 32 miles 56g/km, 14% AAAAC 51,900 4 cyls in line, 1998cc, turbo, petrol, plus front- mounted electric motor 288bhp at 5000-6500rpm 310lb ft at 1350-4000rpm 8-spd automatic 1990kg 6.1sec 130mph 12.0kWh, lithium ion 141.2mpg 30 miles 46g/km, 10% BMW interiors continue to impress for looks and quality 13 JANUARY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 49

John Evans meets the grease monkeys making dreams come true by dotingly restoring classic cars to their former glory PHOTOGRAPHY LUC LACEY LABOUR OF LOVE C ar makers may be facing a perfect storm but, if my experience is anything to go by, car restorers are having a one, or two, or three I stuck a pin in the West Country Weston-super- Mare, to be precise. I already knew there was an excellent car restorer near the town, but I wondered if he had any neighbours. It didn t take long to unearth a couple more elsewhere along the M5 between Weston and Exeter. There were more, but there are only so many hours in the day. In any case, I was interested only in companies restoring bread- and-butter classics, as distinct from rarefied exotica. Let s meet them. whale of a time. Stick a pin in a map of the UK and you won t be far from