26
‘It’s still a bad and dangerous cute crossover;
a Jelly Baby with a chainsaw’
THIS WEEK
Issue 6580 | Volume 317 | No 10
NEWS
Volkswagen Golf All-electric reinvention on the way 6 Discovery JLR mulls what to do with straggler brand 10 Aston DB12 Roof retracts, dynamic prowess remains 12 Porsche’s new look How it’s changing to suit its EVs 14 Dacia goes lifestyle Picking up leaves falling off trees 16
TESTED
Honda CR-V Plug-in hybrid harnesses unusual tech 22 BMW X5 Crucial facelift aims to sharpen up its act 24 Smart #1 Brabus Feisty EV let loose on UK roads 26 Hyundai Kona Hybrid It’s bigger, but is it better? 27 Inverted Range Rover Not crashed, electromodded 28 Nissan X-Trail Cheaper, VC-Turbo Mild Hybrid guise 29 Mercedes-Benz A250e Revised saloon-only PHEV 29 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 3LZ Coupé ROAD TEST 46
FEATURES Hits that we miss Nissan Z, GR Corolla, Subaru WRX 30 Adrian Mardell CEO gives his vision for JLR’s future 36 ULEZ’s used stars Best buys and banned bargains 40 Silverstone Festival Classic weekend event preview 44
OUR CARS Toyota GR Supra Manual six-cylinder coupé arrives 54 Audi E-tron GT Overseas to Alpina and Donkervoort 55 Lexus RZ Flat dweller finds a new charging solution 56 DS 4 There’s something to be said for plugging in 57
EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse Pistons: let’s hear it for the opposition 13 Secret Source Sneaky trick in a bid to win a sales war 15 Matt Prior Mild-mannered man becomes outraged 17 Steve Cropley MGB GT V8; Dacia Duster; Honda E 19 Damien Smith World Rally Championship; IMSA 21 Your Views Elan S4 made lighter – by an EV retrofit 58 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 62 On this day Volvo estate (remember those?) in 1978 65 Slideshow Cars that the world never saw coming 74
DEALS
Second chance Toyota Avensis, unsung daily champ 60 James Ruppert Ideal 4x4 for picnics and festivals 63 Road test index Track down that road test here 67 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenvo 68
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FIRST INTERVIEW WITH JLR CFO TURNED CEO 36
NEVER MIND F1, HERE’S THE ‘60 s SALOONS 44
CORVETTE GOES HARDER WITH AGGIER V8 46
C O V E R STORY
❝ I KNOW HOW SUCCESSFUL WE’RE GOING TO BE. IT’S REALLY CLEAR TO SEE ❞
JLR LIFER AND NOW BOSS ADRIAN MARDELL SHARES HIS VISION FOR THE COMPANY 36
IMAGE
Autocar is a member of the
organising committee of Car Of The Year caroftheyear.org
THE NEXT ROUND WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT 6
COMMENT
BETTER TO BE BRIGHTON THAN TO BE CHELSEA
IT’S THE START of the football season, when clubs announce big-name player signings to lead them to glory. Give it a few months and some of those same clubs will be mired in mid-table mediocrity and some of their signings will begin to look very questionable.
It isn’t just football clubs that love big-name transfers: when car makers look for a new leader, they’re often drawn to a high-profile outside hire. Sometimes, though, they shouldn’t ignore the talent they have within. When Jaguar Land Rover had to replace long-time boss Ralf Speth in 2020, it went for former Renault boss Thierr y Bolloré. The Frenchman laid the groundwork for its Reimagine plan, but he left within only two years. So instead of chasing another industry giant to replace him, JLR plumped for an unheralded bean-counter and company lifer in Adrian Mardell.
It didn’t grab headlines, but sometimes safe is good. As we found out this week (p36), Mardell has real passion for JLR and commitment to reviving its fortunes – and he isn’t afraid to make tough decisions.
It’s too early to say if JLR can charge up the automotive league table. But it already seems clear that, while Mardell may not have been a star signing from overseas, he’s the right man for the job.
James Attwood Acting mag editor james.attwood@haymarket.com
@atters_ j
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