Autocar November 18, 2020

LAST YEAR WAS the 31st staging of Autocar’s annual Britain’s Best Driver’s Car contest. For a long time, I thought there might not be a 32nd. This roundly awful year has been kinder to us at Autocar than to so many, and we must be enormously grateful for that. Much more, of course, to you for sticking with us (thank you). But at one stage, amid the dark forecasts, I genuinely thought that the last of our annual big-occasion marquee road test fixtures would inevitably be for it. And even though this was one of the wettest and most challenging BBDC tests I’ve known, I’ve rarely been happier to be so wrong about anything. The world’s original sports car giant test has made it, folks. It’s an even more lengthy, risky and…

GOT A STORY? Email our news editor lawrence.allan@haymarket.com “The Urbanaut is entered through a single large side door with a slide-and-swivel mechanism” Mini is plotting the most radical addition to its growing line-up yet in the form of a spacious new MPV, previewed by the Vision Urbanaut concept. The striking design is the result of an in-house project focused on developing solutions for the future of urban mobility in 2030, showcasing new packaging ideas and the latest electric and autonomous technology. While it so far exists only in digital renderings, Mini bosses are seriously considering a production version of the model, although not until at least 2027. Mini boss Bernd Körber also said the Urbanaut previews design features that will be seen on the brand’s next generation of models, beginning with the three-door hatchback due in…

What does the Urbanaut mean to Mini? “This has to be seen in the context of our future plans. Starting in 2023, we’re going to go into full-blown electrification and expand our portfolio into segments where we think as Mini we can bring in our DNA in terms of design and driving excitement. The Urbanaut is meant as a long-term perspective on where Mini is going.” How realistic is a production version? “The importance is that we put it into context and into a timeline. The next step of Mini will be in 2023, when we have the next generation of the Mini hatch and the family around it, where we add a crossover and move the Countryman a little higher with full electrification. With the Urbanaut, we’re talking about a time frame…

There hardly seems room in BMW’s ever-expanding X range for yet another SUV, but the iX is a different proposition altogether. It is intended to showcase BMW leading the way in cutting-edge engineering and technology, including electric drivetrains, autonomous systems and connectivity. It will be used to hone tech that will eventually cascade down the range in future models. This isn’t a mass-market model in the way the electric iX3 and iX5 will be: it’s going to be a premium machine aimed at tech-savvy types eager to prove they’re at the forefront of technology. Essentially, the iX is a big-grilled tank parked right on Tesla’s lawn. But it’s more than that. The iX is a flagship model in the truest sense of the word, as much a statement of what BMW wants…

BMW’s bold new electric iX SUV, pictured here in near-production form, will serve as the firm’s “technology flagship” when it goes on sale late next year. The five-seat SUV, which was previewed by the Vision iNext concept, will offer up to 500bhp from two electric motors that drive all four wheels. According to BMW’s R&D boss, Frank Weber, it will have a 0-62mph time of less than five seconds and a range of more than 373 miles. The iX is BMW’s second dedicated fully electric production model after the seven-year-old i3. Weber said the iX nameplate was chosen to signify the new model’s position at the top of the electric i line-up and its role in showcasing technology. It uses the new, fifth-generation version of BMW’s electric drive system and offers high…

The bold kidney grille of the iX showcases new ‘self-healing technology’, with BMW claiming that it can repair minor scratches within 24 hours. With the sensors protected behind the iX’s grille, BMW says it is vital for accuracy to keep it in optimum condition. As a result, the grille is manufactured using a new nanoscale vacuum-based coating process developed by BMW, with the 3D-effect grille produced using laser technology in a high vacuum. The surface of the grille is then covered in an additional layer of polyurethane, which, BMW says, reduces its susceptibility to damage. BMW claims this also means that minor scratches are automatically repaired, either by being left for 24 hours at room temperature, or through a five-minute supply of warm air.…