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‘Occasionally, it randomly eats a digital apple or winks at you’
Issue 6591 | Volume 318 | No 8
NEWS
Mazda MX-5 Rotary-electric car wows Tokyo show 4 Toyota MR2 Cutting-edge tech for ‘mid-engined’ EV 6 Lexus next-gen EVs Super-saloon and flagship SUV 8 Nissan GT-R New Godzilla previewed by 1341bhp EV 10 Used EV prices Market stabilises after dramatic falls 12 Mercedes G-Class Trick suspension for revised G63 14 BYD’s London pad New Mayfair dealership opened 16
TESTED
BMW i5 5 Series EV in 335bhp single-motor guise 22 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid 730bhp PHEV 24 Nio EL6 Model Tesla Y rival that’s bound for the UK 26 BMW i4 eDrive35 It could be the pick of the range 28 Jaguar XF Sportbrake Final update for exec estate 29 Renault Espace Now an SUV but still a seven-seater 29 Honda e:Ny1 Advance ROAD TEST 68
FEATURES Britain’s Best Driver’s Car 11-car, 24-page shootout 30 Used car handling heroes Get a BBDC star from £1k 54 Tomorrow’s performance cars Will they still be fun? 58 35 years of BBDC A quick lap of how it has changed 60 Highs and lows of BBDC Behind-the-scenes tales 62
OUR CARS Range Rover The last word on our luxurious PHEV 76 Honda ZR-V Civic on stilts makes opening gambit 78 Toyota Corolla Commercial Long-distance champ 79 Alfa Romeo Tonale Is its cabin really up to scratch? 80 Audi TT RS How to win friends and influence people 81
EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse Steel vs aluminium vs carbonfibre 13 Secret Source The car they improved but told no one 15 Matt Prior F1-bred V12 supercar and an electric trike 17 Autocar Archive Issues from 1895 at your fingertips 18 Steve Cropley Return of the motor show; Fiat 500 19 Damien Smith Silverstone historic racing weekend 21 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 66 Your Views Lazy drivers; effective ADAS; bin juice 82 On this day Wild cars from 1991 Tokyo motor show 89 Slideshow What links a 44.5-litre V12 and 2 .0 four? 98
DEALS
Second Chance Ford C-Max: the £1k MPV for drivers 84 James Ruppert Wanted: a swish seven-seat SUV 87 Road test index Track down that road test here 91 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenvo 92
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THIS WEEK
COMMENT
DON’T BET AGAINST MX-5 WINNING BBDC AS AN EV
BRITAIN’S BEST DRIVER’S CAR 2023 NAMED 30
HONDA, ANYONE? NEW EV FULLY EVALUATED 68
SINGLE-MOTOR BMW i5 RATED ON UK ROADS 22
C O V E R STORY
❝ I THOUGHT: I BET IT'S NOT AS SLIPPERY AS IT LOOKS OUT THERE. NOT MY FINEST DECISION ❞
MATT SAUNDERS GOES OFF PISTE IN A ’VETTE, PLUS OTHER BBDC TALES FROM JUDGES 62
IT’S FITTING THAT Mazda should reveal the Iconic SP concept, a tantalising glimpse at the next-generation MX-5, in the week we bring you the 35th running of our annual Britain’s Best Driver’s Car contest. The MX-5 is a BBDC double winner (1990 and 2003) and across its generations has regularly outshone more expensive and powerful cars on road and track. When we assembled our five favourite BBDC winners in 2019, the MX-5 was rightfully among them. Yet Mazda wasn’t the only firm at the Tokyo motor show that seemed to be making a case for inclusion in a future BBDC field: just look at the Toyota FT-Se (previewing a future MR2), the 1341bhp Nissan Hyper Force (the next GT-R) and the rallyinspired Subaru Sport Mobility.
At a time when many Japanese car firms are battling to prove they’re not behind in the transition to EVs, it’s notable how they’ve turned to performance cars to showcase their future intentions. The biggest challenge, of course, will be delivering future production machines that can truly live up to the stellar reputations of their predecessors. Let’s hope they succeed: an MX-5 will always be welcome at our Britain’s Best Driver’s Car contest.
James Attwood Acting mag editor james.attwood@haymarket.com
@atters_ j
Rachel Burgess is away
NEW MAZDA MX-5 AT TOKYO MOTOR SHOW 4
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