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‘Dream job klaxon: the Isle of Wight hovercraft is in need of a new pilot’
THIS WEEK
Issue 6606 | Volume 319 | No 10
NEWS
Aston Martin Vantage Big shot in the arm for coupé 4 Porsche’s line-up Taycan and Panamera in EV future 8 Cheaper electric Fords Crack team cutting tech cost 10 JLR crime cull call CEO wants a national debate 12 Bentley’s first EV Design boss drops heavy hints 14
TESTED
Audi S3 Sportback Early drive in updated hot hatch 20 Skoda Kamiq Small crossover refreshed for 2024 22 Skoda Scala New looks and revised turbo three-pot 23 BMW X6 M Competition Uprated V8, tuned chassis 24 Jaguar XE It’s raging against the dying of the light 25 DS 3 E-Tense Electric hatch gets new tech, price cut 25 Tesla Model 3 Long Range ROAD TEST 44
FE ATURES Porsche Taycan Prototype of new version driven 26 COTY all-time great Car of the Year stars do battle 32 Ford Focus Flashback to doing 100 laps of the M25 38 Gone with the wind Ariel Atom 4’s aero tunnel test 40
OUR CARS Genesis G70 Final verdict on suave Shooting Brake 52 Smart #1 We’re about to start #livingourbestlife 54 Nissan Ariya Should we take it for a long work trip? 55 Jeep Avenger Down and dirty at the local dump 56 Mazda MX-30 R-EV Effortless mile-eater but… 57
EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse The next bright idea for touchscreens 11 Secret Source Will the new car exec sink or swim? 13 Matt Prior Simple way to sort parking ticket issues 15 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 16 Steve Cropley Citroën Visa; perils of life in London 17 Autocar Archive Access to 128 years of magazines 18 Damien Smith Formula 1; Daytona 24 Hours; WRC 19 Your Views Using phones in cars; mpkWh vs MPG 58 From the archive Car use globally, in 1924 and now 65 Slideshow Great cars that have come from Austria 74
DEALS
Second Chance How to nab a Mini hatch from £300 60 James Ruppert Stop-gap ULEZ-sorted £1k wonders 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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CAR OF THE YEAR WINNERS FACE OFF 32
ROAD TEST VERDICT ON NEW TESLA MODEL 3 44
ARIEL ATOM 4 DRIVEN AT UNIQUE TEST VENUE 40
COVE R STORY
❝THE PORSCHE TAYCAN IS GUZZLING ELECTRICITY LIKE A TODDLER DOES A FRUIT SHOOT❞
NEW ONE CHARGES SO QUICKLY THAT FELIX PAGE HAS NO TIME TO GET A COFFEE 26
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organising committee of Car Of The Year caroftheyear.org
FULL DE TAILS OF NEW ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE 4
COMMENT
JLR MERITS PRAISE FOR TACKLING CRIME ISSUES
FINANCIAL RESU LTS media calls are of ten a bit dr y. But the moment I heard CEO Adrian Mardell respond to a question about the perceived high theft rate of Range Rover models during JLR’s recent call, I knew it would make headlines. Mardell had come armed with stats. He called out what he regarded as misreporting of crime statistics, but his real targets were clear: insurance firms that have massively jacked up rates for JLR models, in Mardell’s view based on perception rather than real it y; and the authorities he wants to take more pressing action on organised car crime.
Some media reports called it a ‘fier y outburst ’. It was certainly dramatic, but it came across to me as a passionate response by a leader seeing his firm and customers impacted by a situation beyond their control. Mardell wasn ’t simply ranting and trying to shift the problem: JLR is taking action where it can to address the issue (see p12) and has clearly made this a priority. But it can’t fix this problem alone. Clearl y, there is much still to do, and JLR absolutely needs to get on top of it quickl y. But Mardell genuinely cares about doing so. It wasn ’t a rant: it was leadersh ip in action. And for that he should be applauded.
James Attwood Acting mag editor james.attwood@haymarket.com
@atters_j
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