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‘It’s faster to set up the car stiff and accept you will lose some brain cells’

THIS WEEK

Issue 6468 | Volume 308 | No 13

NEWS

Lexus EV New SUV part of firm’s performance focus 4 Audi RS3 Faster, more playful – and we’ve r idden in i t 6 Jaguar’s rebirth Exclusive interview with f i rm’s CEO 8 Future classics Wanted: your help to identify them 11 What next for Caterham? New strategy boss on EVs 12 Vinfast’s global push Vietnam maker set to expand 14

TESTED

Mercedes-Benz C-Class New-gen car to scare BMW 20 Nissan Qashqai Sharpens up i ts act for Mk3 model 26 Peugeot 308 Early drive of al l -new plug-in hybrid 29 BMW M5 CS Hugely expensive, hugely impressive 30 Ferrari Portofino M More power, honed dynamics 32 Volkswagen ID 4 GTX GTI for the electric SUV age 33 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition New range-topper 34 BMW M440i Convertible Plus Skoda Enyaq iV 60 35 Ford Mustang Mach-E ROAD TEST 36

FEATURES Pre-2030 buyer’s guide Which cars you should buy 44 Chanson d’armour A 4x4 that’s literally bombproof 48 Seventh heaven Why Frankel had to buy a Caterham 50 Life after Honda Fallout from Swindon plant closure 52 W Series 2021 Preview of high-profile women’s F3 57

OUR CARS Dacia Sandero Stepway Value-led SUV sets out stall 62 BMW 128ti A surprising finding about our hot hatch 63 Volkswagen Golf Plus Octavia vRS and BMW 440i 64

EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse The sim tech tyre firms are turning to 13 Jim Holder I s Volvo’s stellar r i se set to continue? 15 Steve Cropley Best car ever driven; single-seat Rolls 17 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 22 Damien Smith Briton Robin Shute’s Pikes Peak bid 54 Motorsport round-up BTCC, Indycar, WEC, XE, BRC 55 Your Views Drifting a Routemaster bus at Chobham 60 Matt Prior Will the ekranoplan ever take off? 82

DEALS

James Ruppert Van-shaped MPVs are a smart buy 66 As good as new Pay less for a sti l l -fresh Honda CR-V 69 Spied in the classifieds £10k Jag XF, £2k BMW 330i 70 Used buying guide Ferrari 458: al l you need to know 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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IMAGE

HOW LEXUS PLANS TO GET ITS MOJO BACK 4

WE TRY A SECURITY FORCES ARMOURED 4x4 48

FORD MUSTANG MACH E: FULL ROAD TEST 36

COVER STORY

IT’S THE BIGGEST, FASTEST CHANGE TO THE CARSCAPE IN THE HISTORY OF MOBILITY

STEVE CROPLEY EYES THE 2030 ICE CUT OFF AND NAMES THE CARS YOU SHOULD BUY 44

ALL NEW MERCEDES BENZ C CLASS DRIVEN 20

COMMENT

WILL BOLLORE’S BOLD VISION SAVE JAGUAR?

JAGUAR’S DRAMATIC change of course was the undoubted headline of the blockbuster Reimagine presentation by JLR CEO Thierry Bolloré back in February about the future of the company. Jaguar was to go not only all-electric but also push upmarket and leave behind its entire BMW-aping current range. Upmarket doesn’t mean moving Jaguar’s target from BMW to Bentley, as Bolloré revealed to us this week in his first interview since then (p8), but instead moving into that sweet spot where Range Rovers exist: uniquely styled and positioned premium products that wear luxury price tags.

In the meantime, Jaguar has relatively new and entirely differently positioned models it needs to sell with a cloud hanging over their relevance. Bolloré knows Jaguar’s current cars are objectively as good as they’ve ever been, but they’re still the copy of BMW and Audi. So why buy the copy when you can have the original? That’s the rut Jaguar is currently in – the brand is “damaged”, even, according to Bolloré – and must get out of. We’re still four years away from seeing the cars that will decide Jaguar’s future. Those years will be tough, but Bolloré is adamant a far stronger Jaguar will emerge on the other side. One, at last, with a bright future in front of it rather than just a glorious past behind it.

Mark Tisshaw Editor mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com

@mtisshaw

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