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‘It’s like an Apache attack helicopter on wheels’
THIS WEEK
Issue 6519 | Volume 312 | No 12
NEWS
McLaren SUVs New crossover to be battery-electric 6 Plasan Wilder Radical mid-engined armoured 4x4 10 EV user safety Concerns over charging after dark 12 Three new Cupras Plus updates for existing models 14 Autocar Great Women awards Industry achievers 16
TESTED
McLaren Artura Plug-in hybrid V6 finally unleashed 24 Morgan Super 3 All-new charismatic three-wheeler 30 BMW M2 Coupé Due next year – but we’ve driven it 34 Caton Healey Expert makeover for 1953 roadster 39 Toyota bZ4X Battery-electric alternative to RAV4 40 Kia Niro EV All-new version rated on British roads 41 Citroën C5 Aircross Facelift for family crossover 41 Kia Sportage 1.6 HEV 2WD GT-Line S ROAD TEST 42
FEATURES Denis Le Vot What next for Dacia? CEO spells it out 50 Peugeot hypercar Endurance race car test session 54
OUR CARS Volkswagen ID 4 GTX Long commute for peppy EV 62 Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV Track time, plus a wedding 63 Ford Puma ST Back-to-back test with a Fiesta ST 64
EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse How to spot a damaged EV battery 13 Matt Prior Why do people think this Morgan’s an EV? 15 Jim Holder Fact or opinion? Hard to tell sometimes 19 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 20 Steve Cropley Tesla Model 3 modified for sprints 21 Damien Smith Formula E, WRCand Indycar 22 Your Views BMW M cars; online sales; dealer trouble 58 On this day Back to (when DeLorean was) the future 61 Slideshow The biggest car factories in the world 82
DEALS
James Ruppert C-Class; Urban Cruiser; TT; 500 66 Cult hero Vauxhall Monaro: V8 muscle from £9k 68 As good as new Shrewd way to buy a Toyota RAV4 70 Take it or leave it Up GTI; Escalade; RCZ; Gen 2 71 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenos 72 Road test index Track down that road test here 81
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McLAREN ARTURA: ALL NEW V6 PHEV DRIVEN 24
PEUGEOT LE MANS HYPERCAR GOES TESTING 54
KIA’S NEW SPORTAGE: ROAD TEST VERDICT 42
COVER STORY
❝THE MORE TURMOIL THERE IS, THE COOLER OUR BRAND BECOMES❞
DACIA CEO DENIS LE VOT TELLS IT LIKE HE SEES IT IN A FASCINATING INTERVIEW 50
IMAGE
EXCLUSIVE: McLAREN’S NEW CROSSOVER 6
COMMENT
McLAREN CROSSOVERS ARE GOOD NEWS. REALLY
THERE IS A huge amount to admire about McLaren Automotive. Just 11 years after it delivered its first MP4-12C, it has established itself as a world-class maker of supercars. Perhaps the biggest compliment is just how much Ferrari has had to raise its game to deal with the challenge. Yet if there has been a criticism of McLaren, it’s the familiar feeling of most of its models. Same engine, same chassis, similar styling… After a decade, it’s time to change the record. With the Artura (p24), McLaren has done just that. It switches to a V6 from a V8 and marries it to hybrid power in a regular production McLaren for the first time. A new chassis and underpinnings improve not only the way it drives but also its usability. The styling? Perhaps not different enough… The Artura is the familiar McLaren formula done better, but still a familiar McLaren. Under the previous management, it had a blindspot about diversifying away from supercars, and into SUVs. As we can exclusively reveal this week, that’s all set to change.
Porsche and Lamborghini have found that making SUVs drives the profits to make better sports cars, something Lotus and Ferrari should soon find out, too. Far from diluting the McLaren brand, an SUV can only enhance it and secure its future prosperity. Mark Tisshaw Editor mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com
@mtisshaw
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