Under the bonnet sits Renault’s familiar E-Tech Full Hybrid powertrain, which in this application pairs a 129bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a 67bhp front-mounted electric motor and a 34bhp integrated starter-generator. All in, it makes 197bhp and 302lb ft for a rather modest 8.4sec 0-62mph time. Like the Rafale, the Austral pulls away… Continue reading Renault Austral
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Wild new 641bhp Bentley Bentayga Speed has Porsche 911 pace
The new Bentley Bentayga Speed has been unwrapped as the brand’s quickest SUV yet, beating its predecessor to 62mph by half a second and going on to 193mph. It swaps the previous Bentayga Speed’s 6.0-litre W12, now retired, for a twinturbocharged 4.0-litre V8 that puts out 641bhp and 627lb ft – a gain of 15bhp… Continue reading Wild new 641bhp Bentley Bentayga Speed has Porsche 911 pace
Real range anxiety: Driving London to Land’s End in 1921
Indeed, many competitors floundered, but there were several impressive performances too, like that by VG Lloyd, who “astounded everyone with his speed” in his two-cylinder Carden. Notably, Lionel Martin “romped up the hill” in his new production Aston Martin (he had co-founded the company in 1913 to build hillclimb specials; Aston was a course in Buckinghamshire).… Continue reading Real range anxiety: Driving London to Land’s End in 1921
‘Too many brands?’ Why Chery is adding Lepas to Jaecoo and Omoda
At Chery’s sprawling HQ in the city of Wuhu, two hours west of Shanghai, dozens of prototypes circle the streets linking the company’s various R&D facilities. In one prototype jam, we spot a camouflaged Lepas with Audi’s four rings crudely drawn on tape covering the badge. The marking was clearly a joke, but it was also… Continue reading ‘Too many brands?’ Why Chery is adding Lepas to Jaecoo and Omoda
New-look Toyota Aygo X gains 74mpg hybrid; drops manual
Autocar understands that Toyota sold some 14,000 examples of the city car in the UK last year. Had those all been the new hybrid, Toyota would have been able to sell in excess of 2000 additional ICE cars while remaining within its limit. Separately from the ZEV mandate, such a significant reduction would have given Toyota… Continue reading New-look Toyota Aygo X gains 74mpg hybrid; drops manual
GWM Haval Jolion Pro
The Haval Jolion Pro is now on sale in the UK – which will probably come as a surprise to you, so quietly has this Chinese brand arrived. To be fair, it isn’t technically a brand here (unlike in Australia, where incredibly it outsold Volkswagen in 2024). Instead, it’s a sub-brand of GWM, like Ora,… Continue reading GWM Haval Jolion Pro
Matt Prior: I bought an Audi A2 for £500 – and it’s brilliant
But when you factored in residual values, plus the A2’s fuel efficiency, ownership costs would have been extremely competitive. Buyers didn’t see it that way, though. It’s a shame, but perhaps no great surprise, that the A2 received no direct replacement, and that Mercedes eventually let the A-Class morph into the trad C-segment hatchback it… Continue reading Matt Prior: I bought an Audi A2 for £500 – and it’s brilliant
What would happen if we all stopped buying new cars?
What if we didn’t buy any new cars for a year? That’s a thought experiment suggested by Andrew Oswald, professor of economics and behavioural science at the University of Warwick, writing to the Financial Times recently. Oswald used data from the RAC Foundation and Autocar to estimate that UK buyers will spend £80 billion on… Continue reading What would happen if we all stopped buying new cars?
A true Ford? Mapping the Blue Oval’s UK past with the Explorer
Then we’d continue south-east to Dunton, the research centre that nowadays doubles as Ford’s British HQ, ending our journey beside a statue of the founder, Old Henry, erected at Dagenham in 1944 and now overlooking Dunton’s main entrance. This drive would be typically British: plenty of motorway, plenty of potholes, some sinuous A- and B-roads and some… Continue reading A true Ford? Mapping the Blue Oval’s UK past with the Explorer
MWIC Bonus Episode 10: Autocar Meets Renault Brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive
In this week’s bonus ‘Autocar Meets’ podcast associate editor James Attwood speaks to Renault Brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive on the challenges of running the French firm, retro design, electrification and why he’s got more to worry about than tariffs.You can make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.… Continue reading MWIC Bonus Episode 10: Autocar Meets Renault Brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive