Few people will ever witness a car crash. That’s a good thing, but for the police who must understand what caused one and the lawyers and insurers who must deal with the aftermath, it’s not. It’s why every year the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI) organises ‘crash day’, which is exactly as it sounds:… Continue reading Smash, learn, repeat: I went to ‘crash day’ – it’s exactly how it sounds
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
DS needs to decide what it wants to be – and fast
Searching Autocar’s online archive for ‘DS8’ just now didn’t bring up the latest posh Stellantis model as I’d hoped. (That would have taken the more accurate ‘N°8’). Instead it pulled up a story about the Maybach DS8 Zeppelin, a German-made, V12-engined luxury car from the 1930s. Obviously, because I’m on a deadline and I’d already… Continue reading DS needs to decide what it wants to be – and fast
Autocar Meets Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon
In this bonus episode of the Autocar podcast, editor Mark Tisshaw meets the recently appointed boss of Citroën, to hear how this iconic French brand will inject its “DNA and spirit” into its upcoming cars. Ahead of a big brand showcase in December, Xavier Chardon gives us clues about his battle plan, which includes a tight… Continue reading Autocar Meets Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon
WATCH: £936k Maserati MCXtrema on track: The WILDEST Maserati ever made
[embedded content] The Maserati MCXtrema is a super-exclusive track car. It might be loosely based on Maserati’s MC20 supercar but it’s more race car than supercar now: with a 730bhp variant of the Nettuno V6 engine, a stripped interior, carbonfibre everywhere, bespoke suspension and even its own air jacks. And yet there is no race… Continue reading WATCH: £936k Maserati MCXtrema on track: The WILDEST Maserati ever made
Polestar 4
Slide into the driver’s seat and there’s a real sense that this is more coupé than SUV, owing to the geometry of the driving position – the relationship between hands, backside and feet – and the lowish scuttle ahead of you. You still sit higher than in ‘classic’ saloons or coupés, but not by much.… Continue reading Polestar 4
Tesla boosts Model 3 range to 466 miles – and adds indicator stalk
Tesla has increased the range of the Model 3 to 466 miles as part of an extensive update that also reintroduces an indicator stalk. When first launchd in 2019, the electric saloon set the benchmark for range, but it has since been superseded by newer EVs, such as the Mercedes-Benz CLA EQ and BMW iX3 – the latter… Continue reading Tesla boosts Model 3 range to 466 miles – and adds indicator stalk
EV breakthroughs demands safer and smarter chemists
An old-fashioned hardback book often still beats the internet, doesn’t it? When you can get hold of one. Right now, there’s one, in a package with my name on it, stuck somewhere between a second-hand bookshop in Portland, Oregon, and the UK: the only published biography – that I can find – of Thomas Midgley Jr.… Continue reading EV breakthroughs demands safer and smarter chemists
Volvo C70: Sweden’s forgotten 4 Series now a £1000 bargain
There was a time when Volvo’s aversion to curves was so acute that you’d see one only in the wheel in your hands, under the arches or perhaps under the bonnet, where the arc of a cable had escaped the company’s obsession with the straight and narrow. That changed quite suddenly in 1996 with the… Continue reading Volvo C70: Sweden’s forgotten 4 Series now a £1000 bargain
New Porsche Cayman and Boxster could use 911’s flat six
The move effectively resurrects the original, highly successful Boxster business case: a slightly detuned 911 engine in a more accessible mid-engined chassis. However, another critical question arises: how does Porsche plan to homologate a new combustion-engined sports car well into the 2030s, given the EU’s GSR2 regulations effectively killed off the current ICE 718? While… Continue reading New Porsche Cayman and Boxster could use 911’s flat six
Polestar upgrades 3 SUV with more power, faster charging
Polestar has upgraded its 3 electric SUV, adding more power and faster charging. Coming as part of a model-year refresh, the updates are “so extensive it’s like an entirely new car”, claimed CEO Michael Lohscheller. This comes after the closely related Volvo EX90 received similar upgrades last month. The most notable change comes from a new 800V electrical architecture for… Continue reading Polestar upgrades 3 SUV with more power, faster charging