Auto Express 1688

IN times full of change, it’s good to know some things can be depended on. Driver Power is one of those things, because in this issue, for the 20th year running, we present our rundown of the best new cars. Yet the only reason Driver Power can be depended on is because those who take part in it can themselves be depended on to share their insights and feelings about their cars. Some of this information comes via quantitative scores, as you grade the 30-plus areas of your cars we ask you to assess. These aggregate results form the backbone of Driver Power, but no less important are the qualitative impressions you share. These comments are thoughtful, detailed and eloquently written, and the insights they contain enrich Driver Power to…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk • Three-row, seven-seat SUV EV range-topper is due in 2024 • Third model to launch after Ioniq 5 crossover and Ioniq 6 saloon HYUNDAI will launch a large, all-electric, three-row SUV in 2024, called the Ioniq 7 – and our exclusive images preview how the new seven-seater from the Korean firm’s Ioniq sub-brand could look. The new car will be the third model in Hyundai’s Ioniq battery-electric vehicle line-up when it makes its debut, following the Ioniq 6 saloon that is due for launch in 2022 and the Ioniq 5 crossover – Auto Express’s current Car of the Year – that’s already in showrooms. A previously released shadowy teaser image from Hyundai (above left) shows the three cars together, with the Ioniq 5 in the middle giving a sense…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy “0-62mph takes just 2.8 seconds, and the car can reach 124mph from rest in 7.2 seconds” • Limited-run drop-top revealed • Total of 765 cars will be built IT’S less than a year since the McLaren 765LT ‘longtail’ received a full five-star review from Auto Express. Now the Woking supercar manufacturer is lifting the lid on that model with the new 765LT Spider, a fresh convertible that will be built in equally limited numbers to the sold-out coupé. The 765LT Spider gets the same 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 as the hard-top, producing 755bhp and 800Nm of torque. Even with an electrically operated, single-piece carbon-fibre retractable roof, the new arrival weighs only 49kg more than the regular 765LT, at 1,388kg. That means it’s 80kg lighter than the 720S Spider, and…

ASTON Martin has launched a new configurator, powered by computer gaming engine Unreal – and introduced a range of model updates at the same time. The DB11’s entry-level 4.0-litre V8 engine now has an extra 24bhp, taking output to 528bhp and increasing top speed to 192mph. The DB11 can also now be fitted with optional ‘Sports Plus’ seats, which have extra support for the shoulders and legs, while the V12 model has dropped the ‘AMR’ badge from its name. The range-topping DBS Superleggera has been renamed just DBS, and there’s a choice of new alloy wheel designs across the line-up. The Vantage and DBS get new 21-inch wheels, while the DBX SUV can be specified with new 23-inch wheels. In addition, Aston Martin has introduced a new series of interior…

LAMBORGHINI boss Stephan Winkelmann has hinted that the company’s next flagship supercar, due in 2023, will come with an all-new V12 hybrid powertrain. It had been thought that Lambo’s push towards electrification could spell the end of the V12. But speaking to Autoblog, Winkelmann clarified that the new flagship would have 12 cylinders, but won’t share any parts with the limited-edition hybrid Sián. “It’s a completely new engine, a completely new drivetrain, a new battery; everything is completely new,” he said. “There’s nothing out of the Sián or out of the Aventador.”…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars • Toughened-up 4x4 launched • All set for one-make series BOWLER, builder of specialised rally Land Rovers, has revealed its competition-ready Bowler Defender Challenge. The new machine is based on the Defender 90, and is in effect a standard car modified to improve safety and durability for competition in Bowler’s own one-make championship. Some of the cosmetic parts Bowler has engineered as part of the project could even be sold as aftermarket extras to Defender customers to help upgrade their cars’ looks. The Challenge car is fitted with Land Rover’s standard (apart from a bespoke exhaust) P300 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium turbo producing 296bhp and 400Nm of torque. This drives all four wheels through an eight-speed auto gearbox. To prepare the car for competition, the interior has been stripped…