48

‘Everybody deserves the beauty of an Alfa Romeo’

THIS WEEK

Issue 6506 | Volume 311 | No 12

NEWS

Bentley Mulsanne Reborn as super-luxury EV coupé 4 Volkswagen ID Buzz New MPV and van hit UK in May 6 New Volvo SUV Electric successor to XC60 due 2024 8 MG Cyberster Affordable roadster leads model rush 10 Alpine EVs F1-bred tech and aero for three new EVs 12 Honda-Sony tie-up Why they’ll make cars together 14 DIY car makers Building parts in-house is on the up 16

TESTED

Citroën C5 X Big family car with a twist of quirkiness 24 Mercedes-Benz EQE Electric saloon; plus EQS SUV 28 Aston Martin DBX 707 Fastest SUV in the world 30 Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV vRS Worthy of a vRS badge? 31 Dacia Jogger 1.0 TCe 110 Seven-seater, from £15k 32 Jeep Renegade e-Hybrid Mid-range mild hybrid 33 Lexus NX 350h Premium Plus Pack ROAD TEST 34

FEATURES Prodrive Hunter We drive this Dakar star in London 42 Jean-Philippe Imparato Alfa boss on its revival plan 48 Park life Rules about car park fines set to change 50 Formula 1 preview All you need to know about 2022 52

OUR CARS Nissan Qashqai Final verdict after nearly 5kmiles 62 Land Rover Defender London to Cornwall and back 64 Lexus UX 300e Prospective buyer tries it for size 65

EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse New tech boosts EVs’ power and range 11 Matt Prior Alternative to road pricing; 4x4 attacks 13 Jim Holder The reality of record profits for dealers 17 Autocar Archive Access 125 years of issues for free 18 Steve Cropley Life with an electric 500; 20mph limit 19 Damien Smith Inside line on Red Bull from Horner 20 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 22 Your Views Fast MPVs; EV battery fire fears; COTY 58 On this day 1956 Geneva show; Aston RAC rally win 61 Slideshow Seven of the greatest Q-cars ever made 82

DEALS

James Ruppert Volvo XC70; Celica; Suzuki Splash 66 Cult hero Bentley Arnage: how to get one from £15k 68 As good as new Cheaper route to a Toyota GR Supra 70 Take it or leave it Corsa VXR ’Ring; RS5; Ecosport 71 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenos 72 Road test index Track down that road test here 81

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CAPITAL JAPE: PRODRIVE HUNTER IN LONDON 42

NEW LEXUS NX 350H: EIGHT PAGE ROAD TEST 34

FIRST DRIVE: GENRE BUSTING CITROEN C5 X 24

COVER STORY

❝THIS CAR’S ITCHING TO BE ELSEWHERE. IT’S LIKE USING A JET SKI IN A GARDEN SWIMMING POOL❞

MATT PRIOR DRIVES A DAKAR RALLY RAID CAR IN CENTRAL LONDON. JUST BECAUSE 42

COMMENT

F1 SHOW GOES ON BUT TO A DIFFERENT SCRIPT

SO LOUD HAS been the chatter around that ending to the 2021 season, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that the Formula 1 cars back on track this weekend are the result of the biggest shift in regulations in decades (p52). The return of ground-effect aerodynamics is the headline change to cars that are larger, heavier and harder to handle. They have been developed to reduced, cost-capped budgets with less wind tunnel time and will compete over 22 shortened race weekends. Only the complex V6 hybrid powertrains are really carried over from before in a new rule book written to bunch up the pack and allow for closer running and more overtaking.

Ironically, the regulations come at a time when the on-track action is as close as it’s been in a generation, and in the short to medium term, the pack could even spread out again, depending on who has read the new rule book with the keenest eye, before eventually (hopefully) having the desired impact.

F1 bosses will be relieved to finally get a chance to shift the narrative away from the stewards’ room and back to what happens on track. While the bad taste lingers, the show must – and always does – go on. F1 and sport in general knows no other way, whatever may have been swept under the carpet.

IMAGE

Mark Tisshaw Editor mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com

@mtisshaw

HOW BENTLEY WILL REINVENT THE MULSANNE 4

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