48
‘His jump was epic. All four wheels and the suspension were ripped off’
THIS WEEK
Issue 6464 | Volume 308 | No 9
NEWS
Ford’s VW-based SUV Compact EV to join Mach-E 4 Cupra Born Sporty sib l ing to VW ID 3 makes debut 6 Porsche Cayenne Hardcore 631bhp Coupé coming 8 Two new Skoda EVs Enyaq coupé, smaller crossover 11 Volvo targets recycling Bold carbon-cutting plans 12 Clean Air Zone Will it squeeze small van firms out? 14
TESTED
Maserati MC20 Supercar to worry Ferrari, McLaren 18 Aston Martin Victor One-off £4m gem with 836bhp 24 Aston Martin V12 Speedster Limited-run chop-top 25 McLaren Elva New Ultimate Series roadster rated 26 Fiat 500 Electric Small on range. Big on character? 27 Citroën C4 Puretech 130 Auto ROAD TEST 28
FEATURES Hybrid heroes Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, VW XL1 36 Tobias Moers Exclusive interview with Aston’s CEO 44 Tales from Longcross As seen on TV and in this mag 48 Christian Horner Red Bull F1 boss on engine venture 55
OUR CARS BMW 128ti Front-drive hot hatch opens i ts account 60 Volvo XC60 Value of subscription service is showing 61 BMW M440i Up early for a weekend blast. Worth i t? 63 Skoda Octavia vRS Plus Ford Tourneo eight-seater 65
EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse Bike gears inspire radical shift for EVs 13 Jim Holder Why demand is so strong for used cars 15 Steve Cropley Bloodhound in ‘storage’; Ford Ranger 17 Damien Smith Catie Munnings, Extreme E, Senegal 50 Motorsport round-up Formula 1, WRC, Indycar, WEC 51 Your Views Secret Aston V8, options advice, Ioniq 5 58 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 62 Matt Prior Give us this day our daily electric vehicle 82
DEALS
James Ruppert Comfy compact cars, from just £1k 66 As good as new Smart way to buy a Suzuki Vitara 69 Spied in the classifieds £21k Evo VI, £16k 911 Targa 70 Used buying guide Cheapest VW Golf GTI you’ll f ind 72 New cars A-Z Key car stats , from Abarth to Zenos 74 Road test index Track down that road test here 81
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FIRST DRIVE VERDICT ON MASERATI’S MC20 18
WHAT CEO MOERS HAS PLANNED FOR ASTON 44
ROAD TEST: WORTH SWITCHING OVER TO C4? 28
COVER STORY
❝THE BIGGEST MOTIVATION TO DO SOMETHING IS TO BE TOLD THAT YOU CAN’T❞
CHRISTIAN HORNER ON WHY HIS RED BULL F1 TEAM IS BECOMING AN ENGINE MAKER 55
IMAGE
FORD’S NEW 2023 EV, WITH HELP FROM VW 4
COMMENT
FORD VW DEAL IS GOOD FOR THEM AND BUYERS
TO BE CLEAR, the Ford that stars on our cover this week won’t actually be the new Focus – not least because it’s an electric SUV rather than a family hatch. But we’ve labelled it the ‘new Focus’ to highlight how significant it is for the Blue Oval, as a mass-market EV targeted right at one of the fastest-growing segments. What’s particularly notable is that Ford is building such a crucial car using a platform and powertrains produced by one of its biggest rivals, in the form of Volkswagen’s MEB platform. That would have been unthinkable not that long ago, but Ford and VW have realised the benefits of joining forces in the face of an increasingly disparate car market with increasingly disparate technology. With multiple powertrains, vehicle types and requirements, even the biggest car firms risk being stretched thin.
By working together, Ford gains access to a proven EV platform. In return, Ford will build the nextgen Transporter and Amarok for VW. Given the long history of the Transporter, that’s perhaps an even more shocking move. But these decisions make perfect sense given the economies of scale. And with each firm focused on its strengths, it should lead to better vehicles for buyers to pick from – even if they are a little less distinct.
1 13:30:49
GOLF R vs FOCUS RS, AMG A45, GR YARIS
Est. 1895| autocar.co.uk | 19May2021
FIRST FOR NEWS AND REVIEWS EVERY WEEK Est.1895|autocar.co.uk|19May2021
OLD-SCHOOL THRILLS
4 hot hatch heroes, 1 skidpan… so much fun
NEW B
NEW BMWM2 410bhp petrol power, manual ’box, RWD–where do we sign?
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M i
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C o n v e r t i
b l
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Why there’s life in MPVs yet
As sweet as small cars get As sweet as small cars get
IS YOUR NEXT USED CAR SECRETLY A WRITE-OFF?
Alfa’s made a world-beater
James Attwood Executive editor james.attwood@haymarket.com
@atters _ j
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26 MAY 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3
