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COMMENT LOVE OR LOATHE IT, TESLA IS A GAME-CHANGER It ’s (loosely) Tesla’s 10-year anniversary, if you consider the Model S as its most significant launching point in 2014. In this week’s issue, contributor Vicky Parrott takes Tesla’s own 260,000-mile Model S on a road trip (p44) to ponder how it fares after all this time – as a vehicle in its own right, as a vehicle of considerable mileage and as a vehicle that, some might say, changed the face of electric motoring. Tesla is a Marmite brand. It ’s easy to criticise it: there’s Elon Musk, for starters, and many notes about questionable build quality, as well as promises of exciting vehicles that have yet to materialise. Modern-day Tesla Roadster, anyone? Yet, when you read Vicky’s words, when you look at what Tesla has achieved in its vehicles – if not in its financials – there are a couple of obvious and propitious conclusions. First, the Model S has stood the test of time in many ways and, as many a rival car executive has often told us, its maker has ultimately forced far more established brands to re-evaluate their game. Second, a 260,000-mile EV that has retained 84% of its battery’s original 85kWh usable capacity – now, that’s reassurance if you ever needed it that concerns about battery life shouldn’t be a barrier to EV uptake. Rachel Burgess, magazine editor rachel.burgess@haymarket.com Meanwhile, online… autocar.co.uk All-new AC Cobra! Matt Prior pilots the new Cobra GT Roadster. There’s only one prototype on the road and we’re the only channel to have driven it. BMW M5: 717bhp vs 2435kg Epic pace, a growling V8 PHEV and all the tricks extracted from BMW’s sleeve. But can it ever really escape its weight? Britain’s dead car firms Take a journey back in time with some of the UK’s most excellent – and sadly deceased – car companies. How many will you know? Autocar (ISSN 1355-8293 USPS 25-185) is published weekly by Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3SP, United Kingdom; haymarket.com; tel +44 (0)20 8267 5000 The US annual subscription price is $190.00. Airfreight and mailing in the US by agent named World Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd Street, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. US postmaster: Send address changes to Autocar, Air Business Ltd, c/o World Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd Street, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Subscription records are maintained at the above address. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. Autocar magazine is also published in Estonia, Greece, India, Japan, Latvia, Korea and Thailand. Autocar is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think we haven’t met those standards and want to make a complaint, contact autocar@haymarket.com. For more information, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Haymarket is certified by BSI to environmental standard ISO14001 and energy management standard ISO50001 PEFC/16-33-795 PEFC Certified This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources www.pefc.co.uk Autocar is a member of the organising committee of Car Of The Year caroftheyear.org Issues with your mag? For subscriber issues, call 0344 848 8816. I f you can’t find a news-stand copy of Autocar in your local area, email autocar@haymarket.com 26 AUDI’S V8-POWERED RS Q8 UNLEASHED Issue 6644 | Volume 322 | No 9 NEWSBMW M3 to get EV and ICE models 4 Hyundai N taps WRC tech for EVs 8 Suzuki eVitara to rival Volvo EX40 10 New-era Renault EVs due 2028 12 What the Budget means for drivers 14 JLR buys back faulty Jag I-Paces 16 FIRST DRIVES Hyundai Inster 22 Abarth 600e 24 Audi RS Q8 Performance 26 BMW M5 Touring 27 Audi RS E-tron GT Performance 28 Volkswagen Golf GTE 29 Dacia Duster TCe 130 4x4 30 Volkswagen ID 3 GTX Performance 31 Audi RS5 Sportback Performance 31 ROAD TESTS McLaren Artura Spider 32 Lexus RC F Ultimate Edition 38 FEATURESTesla Model S, 10 years on 44 Exotica at Cars and Coffee in LA 48 How to import a car from the EU 52 LONG-TERMERSMiniCooper 54 Cupra Born 55 Polestar 2 56 BMW i5 Touring 58 Porsche Taycan 59 COLUMNSJesseCrosse 13 Mark Tisshaw 15 Steve Cropley 17 Matt Prior 18 Damien Smith 19 Testing, testing 43 Why I love… 74 EVERY WEEK Your Views 20 Tap into 129 years of Autocar 42 How to subscribe 64 Lost in the archive 65 Road test results 67 USED CARS Toyota GR Yaris buying guide 60 My car & I 62 Caught in the classifieds 63 44 ROAD TRIP IN A LEGGY TESLA MODEL S 6 NOVEMBER 2024 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3 T H I S W E E K

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COMMENT

LOVE OR LOATHE IT, TESLA IS A GAME-CHANGER

It ’s (loosely) Tesla’s 10-year anniversary, if you consider the Model S as its most significant launching point in 2014.

In this week’s issue, contributor Vicky Parrott takes Tesla’s own 260,000-mile Model S on a road trip (p44) to ponder how it fares after all this time – as a vehicle in its own right, as a vehicle of considerable mileage and as a vehicle that, some might say, changed the face of electric motoring.

Tesla is a Marmite brand. It ’s easy to criticise it: there’s Elon Musk, for starters, and many notes about questionable build quality, as well as promises of exciting vehicles that have yet to materialise. Modern-day Tesla Roadster, anyone?

Yet, when you read Vicky’s words, when you look at what Tesla has achieved in its vehicles – if not in its financials – there are a couple of obvious and propitious conclusions.

First, the Model S has stood the test of time in many ways and, as many a rival car executive has often told us, its maker has ultimately forced far more established brands to re-evaluate their game.

Second, a 260,000-mile EV that has retained 84% of its battery’s original 85kWh usable capacity – now, that’s reassurance if you ever needed it that concerns about battery life shouldn’t be a barrier to EV uptake.

Rachel Burgess, magazine editor rachel.burgess@haymarket.com

Meanwhile, online…

autocar.co.uk

All-new AC Cobra! Matt Prior pilots the new Cobra GT Roadster. There’s only one prototype on the road and we’re the only channel to have driven it.

BMW M5: 717bhp vs 2435kg Epic pace, a growling V8 PHEV and all the tricks extracted from BMW’s sleeve. But can it ever really escape its weight?

Britain’s dead car firms Take a journey back in time with some of the UK’s most excellent – and sadly deceased – car companies. How many will you know?

Autocar (ISSN 1355-8293 USPS 25-185) is published weekly by Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3SP, United Kingdom; haymarket.com; tel +44 (0)20 8267 5000 The US annual subscription price is $190.00. Airfreight and mailing in the US by agent named World Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd Street, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. US postmaster: Send address changes to Autocar, Air Business Ltd, c/o World Container Inc, 150-15, 183rd Street, Jamaica, NY 11413, USA. Subscription records are maintained at the above address. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. Autocar magazine is also published in Estonia, Greece, India, Japan, Latvia, Korea and Thailand.

Autocar is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think we haven’t met those standards and want to make a complaint, contact autocar@haymarket.com. For more information, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk

Haymarket is certified by BSI to environmental standard ISO14001 and energy management standard ISO50001

PEFC/16-33-795

PEFC Certified

This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources www.pefc.co.uk

Autocar is a member of the organising committee of Car Of The Year caroftheyear.org

Issues with your mag? For subscriber issues, call 0344 848 8816. I f you can’t find a news-stand copy of Autocar in your local area, email autocar@haymarket.com

26 AUDI’S V8-POWERED RS Q8 UNLEASHED

Issue 6644 | Volume 322 | No 9

NEWSBMW M3 to get EV and ICE models 4 Hyundai N taps WRC tech for EVs 8 Suzuki eVitara to rival Volvo EX40 10 New-era Renault EVs due 2028 12 What the Budget means for drivers 14 JLR buys back faulty Jag I-Paces 16 FIRST DRIVES Hyundai Inster 22 Abarth 600e 24 Audi RS Q8 Performance 26 BMW M5 Touring 27 Audi RS E-tron GT Performance 28 Volkswagen Golf GTE 29 Dacia Duster TCe 130 4x4 30 Volkswagen ID 3 GTX Performance 31 Audi RS5 Sportback Performance 31 ROAD TESTS McLaren Artura Spider 32 Lexus RC F Ultimate Edition 38 FEATURESTesla Model S, 10 years on 44 Exotica at Cars and Coffee in LA 48 How to import a car from the EU 52 LONG-TERMERSMiniCooper 54 Cupra Born 55 Polestar 2 56 BMW i5 Touring 58 Porsche Taycan 59 COLUMNSJesseCrosse 13 Mark Tisshaw 15 Steve Cropley 17 Matt Prior 18 Damien Smith 19 Testing, testing 43 Why I love… 74 EVERY WEEK Your Views 20 Tap into 129 years of Autocar 42 How to subscribe 64 Lost in the archive 65 Road test results 67 USED CARS Toyota GR Yaris buying guide 60 My car & I 62 Caught in the classifieds 63

44 ROAD TRIP IN A LEGGY TESLA MODEL S

6 NOVEMBER 2024 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3

T H I

S

W E E K

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