Tabla de contenidos para November 19, 2025 en Autocar

Nissan has started testing its new electric Juke – the “Marmite” sibling to the new Leaf – on public roads ahead of a launch next year. The Japanese firm’s answer to the Ford Puma Gen-E and Kia EV3 is set to begin production in Sunderland in the coming months. It will play a crucial role in growing Nissan’s EV sales mix as the electric equivalent of one of Europe’s most popular SUVs. The Juke EV will be built and sold alongside the new Leaf, which has morphed from a hatchback into a crossover for its third generation. At 4350mm long, the new Leaf is a very similar size to the Juke, which raises the question of how the duo, along with the Qashqai, will be differentiated from a customer perspective.…

Renault could bring back petrol-versions powered of the Megane and Scenic after bosses confirmed it is readying a new multi-fuel platform that will underpin the next generation of its C-segment (mid-sized) cars. While it has been created predominantly as an EV platform, Renault boss Fabrice Cambolive said it has also been designed to house plug-in hybrid and range-extender powertrains. This is because “if [sales of EVs] are not so rapid as expected, perhaps you can complete this EV pace with some extensions like a range-extender or plug-in hybrid, and that’s what we are working on”, he said. The launch date for the new platform is likely to be around 2030, he suggested. Four new models will arrive around this time, although not all of them are expected to sit on…

The Jeep Recon will be launched in the UK and mainland Europe late next year as the unofficial electric equivalent of the Wrangler. The rugged SUV is the first electric Jeep to be built primarily for off-road use, following the Wagoneer S SUV and Avenger supermini. Indeed, Jeep claims the new Recon is the only fully off-road-capable EV on the market, although some will also regard the Mercedes-Benz G580 EQ as fitting that description. Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf has claimed the Recon’s 670bhp, 620lb ft dual-motor powertrain proves that “electrification isn’t just compatible” with off-roading but “it can elevate it” too. To that end, he cited the instant torque, control and – importantly, when it comes to being in a natural setting – quietness that electric power makes possible. Irrespective…

The historic vehicle market is worth more today than it was five years ago but growth is slowing dramatically and more must be done to increase the number of young enthusiasts if it is to survive in the future. That’s the warning from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC), whose annual National Historic Vehicle Survey found that while the market is worth a record £7.3 billion today, the £100 million growth since 2020 is far less than the £1.7bn increase reported five years ago, when prices peaked during the Covid pandemic. FBHVC secretary Mel Holley said this “reflects the weakening of the wider economy and the changes in the historic vehicle market”. Since Covid, the average value of a historic car has fallen from £26,000 to £22,700 today.…

Having spurned a chance of getting my name down for the new BMW M2 CS, on reading your first drive (22 October) it looks like I might have made a bad decision. You so rarely award five-star ratings. My conundrum was that there was to be no manual version. I have owned since new an F87-generation M2 CS manual and I would have had to part-exchange it to afford the new G87 model. Not knowing how a car might turn out (and CS iterations don’t always hit the sweet spot), I felt the risk was too high without seeing any reviews first. No doubt there will be in a few weeks’ time some sellers on Autotrader asking overs. However, I can say from personal experience that the F87 CS was…

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This latest halo version of Aston Martin’s DBX, the S, seeks to redistribute a few bragging rights among the owners of top-ranking super-SUVs – and we would be naive to imagine those were unimportant. Using new enlarged twin-scroll turbochargers taken from Aston’s Valhalla hypercar, the Mercedes-AMG-sourced V8 in this car now tiptoes beyond the 715bhp headline power output of the Ferrari Purosangue’s atmospheric V12. The V8-engined plug-in hybrid Lamborghini Urus SE offers more still (789bhp) but is also 0.1sec slower-accelerating to 62mph than this new Aston. One way or another, then, this S version gives DBX devotees fresh objective justification to back up the subjective sense that their everyday-use, any-occasion supercar on stilts must surely be the best luxury car in the world – and worth every penny of its…

Pastures new beckoned for this year’s Britain’s Best Driver’s Car shootout – and that isn’t something we’ve been able to say very often. There are few UK motorsport circuits that BBDC hasn’t visited before – mostly because this annual gathering of the year’s best new enthusiast’s cars, for a hedonistic few days of road and track driving, has such a long history. Since the first running of ‘Handling Day’ in 1989 at Castle Combe in Wiltshire, we’ve been from Goodwood to Oulton Park, from Brands Hatch to Cadwell Park, west to Anglesey and north to Croft. Few corners of our sceptred isle have escaped a good hooning at our hands in one year or another. It’s not often, then, that there’s a new circuit on which to descend. But even…

Typically we make benchmark lap times a part of BBDC – even though they don’t, and have never, counted towards the ultimate verdict. This year, however, there were good reasons not to. Nobody arrived at the 2.5km circuit very familiar with its layout or knowing what a tidy full-bore lap of it in a fast road car would look or feel like. Given that muggins here usually sets the times, I had to admit that – even on a consistently dry track – I would expect to be faster at 4pm on day one than I would have been at 10am, just as a consequence of learning the place. We didn’t have a consistently dry track, either, with rain coming and going throughout the day: it simply wouldn’t have been…

“This already comfort-biased car has been made even comfier” WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see how Volvo is keeping this decade-old SUV relevant I’ve said an awkward ‘sayonara’ to one seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV and an enthusiastic ‘hej’ to another one, these two being the fresh but underwhelming Mazda CX-80 and the decade-old yet still entirely relevant Volvo XC90. The big Swede recently underwent a second facelift – but thankfully this surgery hasn’t had the alarming result often seen on Graham Norton’s couch, instead being subtle and very sympathetic to the handsome original design that so contributed to this car’s remarkable popularity. It has also noticeably slimmed down, shedding its B6 petrol and B5 diesel engine options, while lightly updating the B5 mild-hybrid four-cylinder petrol and the T8 PHEV, both…

MILEAGE 4180 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Is this sensible, long-legged compact SUV the perfect beginner’s electric car? My local Chinese takeaway is a hidden gem: great value, authentic flavours and rapid service with a smile. Generous with the complimentary prawn crackers too. The only problem is they don’t deliver, and it’s just outside of viable walking distance; I shudder to think of my cashew chicken being exposed to the crisp autumn evening air for more than a few minutes. So I tend to order over the phone then trundle over in the car, embarrassing as that is to admit for a 1.5-mile round trip. But I don’t feel all that bad about doing it in the Elroq. Partly, of course, because it’s electric, but also because it’s so undemanding and…

McLAREN 600LT 2018, 21,000 miles, £121,950 We hailed the composure and involvement of the ‘Longtail’ on its way to BBDC victory in 2018. This example is primed for track work, with carbonfibre bucket seats, McLaren Track Telemetry and sticky Pirelli Trofeo R rubber. Full McLaren history too. TOYOTA GT86 2013, 90,000 miles, £10,691 The GT86 won BBDC in 2012, beating a field that included the Porsche Cayman R and Lotus Exige S. Toyota’s brilliant rear-driven coupé is now available for less than £10,000. This example is worth the extra dosh for its excellent service history and sub-100,000 miles. AUDI R8 4.2 FSI QUATTRO 2007, 36,500 miles, £42,500 At BBDC 2008, Audi’s seminal supercar blew the judges away with its refinement and drivability. With a full Audi service history, fresh Michelins…

The 911 Turbo goes hybrid Join Matt Prior as he puts the new £199,100, 701bhp hybrid Porsche 911 Turbo S through its paces at the Ascari circuit in Spain. 10,000rpm four this way Head to our Instagram to listen to Boreham Motorworks’ new 335bhp four-cylinder screamer, the powerplant of the reborn Ford Escort RS. Wild cars of SEMA in Vegas Blacked-out Mercedes, Honda rally cars and plenty of mint Americana. Click through for a whistle-stop tour of the SEMA show. autocar.co.uk…

MERCEDES-BENZ HAS released the first official images and details of the second-generation GLB, which will be revealed next month with combustion and electric powertrains. The German marque has described the new SUV – which will also replace the EQB – as a “massive step up” from the first-generation GLB, pointing to a much improved interior. Notably, the new GLB adopts the same screen-heavy interior as the latest CLA. This is dominated by the MBUX Superscreen, which brings together the 10.25in instrument cluster, 14in touchscreen and 14in passenger display. The Audi Q3 and BMW X1 rival also gets Mercedes’ new steering wheel design, which brings back rockers and physical switches. Mercedes says it has improved comfort too. For example, second-row passengers now get more leg room, head room and seats with…

Renault will look to cut the prices of the 4, 5 and new Twingo by up to 15%, rather than create new models if the European Union’s proposed new E-car category, intended to facilitate low costs, is brought in next month. The EU’s proposal is centred on creating a new class of small and affordable EVs that are built in Europe for Europe. It claims this would boost EV sales, cement jobs and give the continent’s car makers a weapon against the wave of new state-subsidised Chinese-built EVs that are undercutting legacy brands. Renault Group boss François Provost told Autocar that, as part of the new category’s framework, he wants lawmakers to pause the need to integrate new safety measures for between 10 and 15 years. “If so,” he said,…

JLR LOST MORE than half a billion pounds in the three months to 30 September as the devastating effects of a cyber attack weighed heavily on its financial performance. The IT systems hack halted production across JLR’s plants for five weeks from 2 September and the resulting loss of revenue ended a run of 11 straight profitable quarters for the company. JLR posted a loss of £547 million, of which £196m was a direct result of the hack. JLR didn’t say whether any of that amount was paid as a ransom to the hackers. Production has now returned to normal levels after a quarter that was “impacted by significant challenges”, said outgoing CEO Adrian Mardell in a statement. Revenue from sales fell by £2bn to £4.9bn after sales slumped by…

THE EU NEEDS its own version of the UK’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate to avoid a “cliff-edge” scenario in 2030 when the CO2 emissions rules tighten significantly, Renault has said. Unlike the UK’s graduated system, the EU demands an abrupt change in 2030 that drops the required average CO2 for each car maker from 94g/km to 50g/km. “It is impossible: no OEM can do it,” said Renault Group CEO François Provost. Under the ZEV mandate, car makers in the UK have to hit an EV sales target that increases annually from 28% this year to 80% in 2030. Various flexibilities, including CO2 savings from plug-in hybrid and hybrid sales and borrowing from future sales, help to reduce that target. Renault is eyeing something similar for the EU – an idea…

SKODA SOLUTION I sympathise with Timothy Mear (29 October). I also live in Sussex and had a Skoda Fabia vRS. It provided well over 100,000 miles of terrific motoring: what a great car. But my car too suffered damage from poor roads. Early on, I took advice and bought smaller wheels and bigger tyres. Problem solved, together with a better ride and imperceptible difference in handling. Hang onto your car if you can, Mr Mear. Malcolm Bell Midhurst, West Sussex ENGLAND WINS EUROS May I announce the result of the Worst European Road Surface contest? My judging was conducted over a five-week round trip to nine countries, visiting family, friends and interesting places, utilising motorways, A-roads, B-roads, city/town/village roads and country roads. And the very clear winner is – drum…

Well, this feels refreshingly old-school. There are lots of ‘hot variant’ things to say about the new Vauxhall Mokka GSE. (Standing for Grand Sport Electric, this is an initialism that Opel has used before and is a mash-up of the old GSi and GTE badges previously applied to hot Vauxhalls.) It’s a 277bhp performance version of the Mokka Electric, a tall hatchback thing, and a relatively compact one, at 4.15m long – albeit weighing 1597kg. Front-wheel drive, the GSE comes on 20in alloys – and here begins that big old-school technical rundown. It sits on 10mm-lower suspension than the standard Mokka Electric; spring rates are up 49% front and 35% rear; there’s a Torsen locking front differential (with 36% lock-up under acceleration and 34% under braking); and there’s a new…

Europe’s market for ‘one-tonne’ pick-up trucks remains small in global terms – but it’s evidently large enough to invite its various players to experiment in fairly novel ways to boost profit margins. In a similar fashion to the niche’s forays into electrification, a few of these experiments have resulted in flatbed light commercial vehicles of lesser utility – specifically, without the one-tonne payload that allows them to be registered, taxed and used viably as working vehicles. But this week the road test focus turns to one about which that can’t be said. The Isuzu D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35 is a UK-market special derivative that first appeared in 2016, and was released earlier this year based on the version of the D-Max facelifted in 2024. It is essentially a double-cab D-Max…

DAY TWO OF the annual BBDC contest always begins with a peep rather than a roar. Cowardly judges prefer to get started in the most emollient machinery they can lay their hands on – a relatively asthmatic Toyota GR86 or comfort-blanket Volkswagen Golf R is ideal – while the fire-breathers are left to sleep in the pits until after lunch. Occasionally, someone dares to find out what 800bhp feels like on cold tyres in the morning. If the madman, or woman, survives this recce, the floodgates open. This year there is little chance of any notably courageous acts taking place, not least because only two judges have prior exposure to M-Sport’s tortuous proving ground circuit. It is a fabulous layout on which to tease out a road car’s strengths and…

“The 911 GT3 lets you know if you’re not driving it properly” A PORSCHE 911, last year’s winner and a V12-engined Ferrari. How original. Despite surprising showings from the electric contenders and the duck-tailed M car, sometimes the underdogs must remain just that. The podium emerged quite vividly this year, even though the BMW M2 CS and Lamborghini Revuelto certainly had their share of vocal cheerleaders to propel them to a joint fourth spot. Lane was astounded that it was possible “to make a 1000bhp supercar on a wheelbase this outrageously long feel quite so cohesive”, while Saunders enthused about the M2’s crisp response and top-level composure. However, both cars had unexpected sharp edges to their handling that meant other judges voted them well clear of the top three. The…

MILEAGE 6111 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if this anonymous seven-seater deserves its place in the VW line-up When I was assigned the Tayron as my latest long-termer, there were many comments similar to: “Good timing!” That’s because I was due to move house – an endeavour now undertaken – and having a big vehicle can certainly be useful at such times. Indeed, with the second and third row of seats down, there’s 1905 litres of space in the Tayron, which is more than the 1800 litres of its bigger sibling, the Touareg, despite that car being 86mm longer. There’s 850 litres if you use it as a standard five-seater – on a par with the Range Rover and Tesla Model Y as two very disparate comparisons –…

Most mainstream cars have life cycles of seven or eight years, even in today’s fast-paced environment – which means the third-generation Mazda 2 was one of the UK’s oldest cars when it bowed out earlier this year after more than a decade on sale. More impressive than its longevity, though, is its enduring appeal. When it was new in 2014, we liked it a lot – and 10 years later, we still liked it a lot, maintaining its four-star verdict and saying: “The Mazda 2 remains something of a hidden gem for supermini buyers and it now also feels like a proper throwback of the finest type.” It still feels fresh today, making it the automotive equivalent of one of those ads you see for anti-ageing medications: “Doctors hate the…

“I came here from South Africa in 2007 with £312.98 to my name. I’ve always remembered the pennies!” says Manni Azizi, a retired entrepreneur. “I couldn’t afford a car so I rode a bicycle.” Today, 18 years later, he has considerably more than £300 to his name – at least enough to afford his rather fine, £225,000 Aston Martin Vanquish V12. “It is my first Aston,” he says. “I had a couple of Bentleys before – a GT and a GTC – but I’d always wanted an Aston. In South Africa, a Vanquish was my poster car. When I decided to buy my own, it had to be a second-generation model. I wanted the naturally aspirated V12 engine, because it marked the end of an era. The car had to be…

The Bentley Continental Supersports has returned as a 657bhp V8-powered, two-seat, rear-wheel-drive tourer that is said to be the most dynamic car Crewe has produced to date. The new limited-run flagship will go on sale in March next year priced at around £400,000, a significant increase from the current range-topping GT Speed’s £237,000 starting point. Bentley will build 500 examples. Codenamed Project Mildred (after 1920s endurance racer Mildred Mary Petre) during its closely guarded 12-month development, the new Supersports also marks the start of a push by Bentley to create “more extreme cars”, said CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser. It is based on the current Continental GT but is “so different” from that car, said Walliser, and has set a number of firsts for road-going Bentleys. For example, it is the first…

Nissan is reconsidering plans to launch an electric successor to the GT-R supercar based on 2023’s outlandish Hyper Force concept. Previously described by the firm as a “tangible lucid dream”, the Hyper Force is a brutalist, futuristic vision of what an ‘R36’-generation GT-R could look like, featuring a solid-state battery and a 1341bhp 4WD powertrain. Upon its unveiling, bosses said the concept was feasible for production by 2030 as an EV successor to the V6-powered R35. But now, product boss Guillaume Cartier said the firm is “exploring different routes” because there remains “no clear plan” to launch a new flagship supercar. The rethink comes as manufacturers of premium and sports cars – notably Lotus, Maserati and Porsche – confront weak global demand for electric cars in those segments. Cartier did…

Renault Group design boss Laurens van den Acker and his team “fought” for the new Twingo to retain the concept’s battery charge counter – but it couldn’t be done while keeping the EV below its €20,000 (£17,650) target price. “We fought for that, especially with an old-fashioned calendar – you know, like you have in the airports that go ‘click, click, click, click’,” he said. But even with the analogue ticker, the team “couldn’t make it cheap enough”. In its place, the production car features three vents in reference to those on the original petrol supermini.…

HOW TO COOK UP A TYRE BY RECYCLING WASTE OIL A FEW YEARS ago, there was a fad for putting filtered used cooking oil in diesel cars in place of pump diesel, which caused a degree of alarm among manufacturers of modern diesels. Today, after years of research and development, B7 pump diesel (containing up to 7% biodiesel) is available on forecourts, can include used cooking oil as a raw material and is safe to use in diesels. Now tyre companies are also turning their attention to used cooking oil in the manufacture of new tyres. Continental, for instance, is using cooking oil to make synthetic rubber. The firm says it is ramping up its commitment to a circular economy, which in practical terms means using as many recycled and…

THE BIGGEST LOSER from the government’s expected introduction of ‘pay-permile’ road pricing as a way of taxing electric vehicles will ultimately be the government itself. In the short term, it is very much car makers that need a rapid acceleration in electric car sales because they are on the hook for fines if they miss the sales targets set out in the government’s ZEV mandate. But in the long term, it is the government that will face legal action if it fails to fulfil its pledge for the UK to be net zero by 2050. This is what all of its electric car policies are ultimately tied to. The UK committed to be net zero for carbon emissions by 2050, and it introduced a ban on the sale of non-electric…

TRIPLE TEST ELECTRIC CLA vs TESLA AND MG Can the new Mercedes CLA EQ possibly live up to all the hype? We gauge it against the stalwart Model 3 and MG’s new upmarket IM5 INSIGHT HOW AUDI PLANS TO CONQUER FORMULA 1 Audi will enter F1 next year. We hear from the people making it happen FIRST DRIVE VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC Family SUV gets overhauled cabin and hybrid drivetrain. Is it any good? EVERY WEEK USED GUIDE RANGE ROVER Previous-generation flagship can now be had for as little as £10k LIVING WITH A… FORD PUMA GEN-E Everyday test begins for electric version of big-selling crossover…

Electrifying a pick-up truck isn’t an easy task, but Toyota has doubled down on its ‘multi-energy’ commitment by adding a battery-electric powertrain to one of its most prized assets, the Hilux, as it enters its ninth generation. Ford may have been first with the F-150 Lightning, but it had a chassis the size of a two-bed semi in which to put the battery; electrifying the ‘one-tonne’ pick-up truck segment has posed significantly trickier challenges. As a result, there are a lot of compromises that must be made, and what you’re left with is in many ways a shadow of the product you get in ICE form, with less payload, lower towing limits and a severely compromised range – as Maxus, Isuzu and KGM have discovered in the past few years.…

There are only a handful of things that will deter a road tester from their duties: the opportunity to drive an exceptionally well-sorted driver’s car and a hearty lunch are two of them. But at this year’s ‘Handling Day’, we found a new way of capturing the attention of our seasoned testers. As we were about to have our takeaway lunch from the local bakery, who should arrive but M-Sport founder and British rallying great Malcolm Wilson, along with his son Matthew – both eager for a go in some of this year’s contenders. Malcolm only had eyes for one car to begin with: the 12Cilindri. And while he familiarised himself with the Ferrari’s cockpit, our judging panel lined up against the barrier along the pit straight to witness the…

A WONDERFUL, NORMALLY aspirated power delivery sweeping all the way to 9000rpm. An abiding sense of right-size compactness, both on the road and on track. The old-school analogue engagement of three pedals and a manual gearshift. A wonderfully communicative and faithful chassis with the best EPAS steering rack in the world. A little bit of ‘less is more’ simplicity, too, in a field in which it wasn’t even in the top half for peak power or asking price. And it actually had – wait for it – the third-slowest 0-62mph acceleration claim. These reasons, along with plenty of others, were why the Porsche 911 GT3 swept to the top of our final voting order. Sounds like a familiar story, doesn’t it? This is the fourth year out of the past…

MILEAGE 1331 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if BYD’s value-focused newcomer can dislodge Europe’s small car elite I’d been wanting to test the Dolphin Surf’s rapid-charging capabilities since it first arrived (Autocar, 15 October) and a longer trip outside of London provided the ideal opportunity recently. I opted for Cobham services as the designated stop for my return journey from deepest Kent. Its huge charging bay features 27 chargers – and 24 of them are 350kW rapid chargers from Ionity. They are usually reliable but can be a bit more of a faff to use than units from the likes of Gridserve and MFG. According to BYD, the Dolphin Surf has a maximum charging speed of 85kW, which is sufficient to replenish our car’s 43.2kWh battery from 10% to…

AN OWNER’S VIEW SARAH L “I bought my 89bhp SE-L Nav three years ago as a runabout, and I’ve loved it far more than I expected. The gearchange is sublime and it just feels light and agile compared with every other supermini I test drove. It never fails to put a smile on my face. Economy is great: I regularly hit over 50mpg. I’ve only had routine servicing done and the only minor grumble is that the infotainment screen can sometimes be a bit glitchy, which I just fix by turning the car off and on again.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ SUSPENSION Some owners have reported prematurely worn suspension components, specifically shock absorbers and bushings, particularly on earlier models. Listen for any excessive knocking or squeaking over speed bumps and check…