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‘It feels like turning up to a bar mitzvah with a plate of pork chops’

THIS WEEK

Issue 6489 | Volume 310 | No 8

NEWS

Volvo XC90 reborn Exclusive details , plus Polestar 3 4 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Track focus, 493bhp 8 Subaru Solterra Firm’s first EV is a 4x4 family SUV 11 Toyota Aygo X Europe boss says why i t ’s petrol only 12 Owners not required We explore ‘mobility solutions’ 14

TESTED

Toyota GR 86 Just l ike the GT86 – only even better 18 BMW M240i xDrive Coupé ‘A quadruple espresso’ 24 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 True 4x4 with 470bhp 29 Audi A8 L 60 TFSI Facelifted V8 limo is a class act 30 Peugeot 308 Hybrid 225 Plush PHEV; worth £37k? 31 MG ZS EV SUV’s makeover ushers in bigger battery 31 Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 ROAD TEST 32

FEATURES Bentley Continental GT Drop-top’s coastal road trip 40 Car buying: the future Experts on how it’s changing 46 Richard Burns Close fr iend gives WRC hero insights 53

OUR CARS Ford Tourneo Custom Range-extender’s last report 60 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid Meet our £186k plug-in 62 Ford Mondeo Hybrid Estate Longer range wanted 63 Vauxhall Mokka How does i t compare with a Juke? 65

EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse New tech for hydrogen piston engines 13 Jim Holder Are tough times about to get tougher? 15 Steve Cropley Mustang Mach-E; new Vauxhall Astra 17 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 28 Autocar Archive Access 125 years of issues for free 48 Damien Smith Is Porsche set to return to Formula 1? 50 Motorsport round-up WEC, Formula 1, Nascar, WRC 51 Your Views Simca 1 100; Range Rover; Alfa Spider 58 Matt Prior Prepare to be amazed. Or disappointed 82

DEALS

James Ruppert Cars that have topped 750k miles 66 As good as new Skoda Scala, now yours from £13k 69 Spied in the classifieds Mighty V8 cars from the US 70 Used buying guide Top tips on 1990s Audi Cabriolet 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

RADICAL VOLVO FLAGSHIP DUE NEXT YEAR 4

ENGLISH RIVIERA BY CONTI GT CONVERTIBLE 40

BMW M24Oi COUPE: FIRST DRIVE VERDICT 24

COVER STORY

❝I CAN TELL YOU WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT RICHARD WAS BLOODY FAST❞

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF RICHARD BURNS 20 YEARS ON FROM HIS WRC TITLE WIN 53

TOYOTA GR 86 DRIVEN: WHY YOU’LL WANT ONE 18

COMMENT

STEP CHANGE IS GOOD BUT SO IS EVOLUTION

THE INCREDIBLE progress of electric vehicles means we’ve become accustomed to big leaps between generations of cars. Electric and digital technology is developing so fast that car firms can barely keep up.

But it’s important to recognise that cars don’t have to take big leaps to make significant advances. Just look at two cars we’ve driven this week: the Toyota GR 86 and BMW 2 Series Coupé, both pure-combustion-engined, rear-drive two-doors with a sports-led remit.

Frankly, neither is revolutionary. They’re both clear evolutions of their predecessors, created by development teams who were plainly set on a path of refinement rather than reinvention. Which, actually, is a very good thing.

It’s obvious that each machine has been honed by passionate engineers and is laser focused for car-loving purists. Neither of these cars needs to make a bold statement of the future, or showcase revolutionary tech. They just have to fulfil an incredibly tough brief: to be engaging, relatively affordable driver’s cars.

It’s important to celebrate the revolutionary, groundbreaking cars that have defined genres and set trends through the decades. But sometimes it’s even harder to take a proven, popular product and find areas to slightly, yet significantly, improve it.

James Attwood Executive editor james.attwood@haymarket.com

@atters _ j

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