Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2017 i BBC Top Gear Magazine

When, in 2010, Ron Dennis proudly revealed the MP4-12C at Woking and proclaimed that he could scientifically prove that it was better than the competition in every parameter, it not only articulated McLaren’s approach to engineering, but created a stick with which to beat its first home-grown supercar since the F1. Supercars have to be about more than just science, they have to appeal to your other senses – they have to tug on your heartstrings and spike your adrenal glands. In short, they have to have soul, and, while impressive, the 12C always struggled with its science-over-emotions approach. With the mid-life refresh in 2014 which gave us the 650S, the science was still present but the emotional element had been dialled up. However, for many, the 650S was still…

So nearly, but no, not a successor to the E46 M3 CSL. This is the BMW M4 CS, sent to plug the gap between the M4 Comp Package and the M4 GTS. The standard M4’s 3.0-litre turbo-six has been wound up to 454bhp, a rise of around 30bhp over standard (or 10bhp over the Competition). Mated exclusively to the 7spd paddleshift ’box, you’ll be completing 0–62mph in a scant 3.9secs. The CS borrows aluminium suspension components from the Competition Package, and gets standard Adaptive M Suspension, with its own, more focused tune. The result is a 7m 38s Nürburging lap time – as quick as a Lexus LFA. There are exclusive M4 CS tunes for the steering and stability control systems, you get super-sticky Michelin Cup tyres as standard, a…

I learned to drive in my Dad’s pickup truck – a 1974 Datsun with a manual transmission. He was a mechanic, so I’ve worked on cars and had a big roller toolbox as tall as me since I was in ffth grade. He taught me to drive when I was 12 or 13, not out on the road, just around parking lots and stuf like that. I took my driving test in my step-dad’s AMC Javelin. It was beige with a brown vinyl top. It was the biggest s**tbox: rusty, with a smashed-in passenger door and it had a wood block on the throttle pedal so when my mother drove it she could reach the gas pedal. Oh, and the foor on the driver’s side was so rusted out you…

Is there something distasteful about launching a car called Avalanche at the quite-near-the-Alps Geneva motor show? Well, yes. And that’s not where the taste shortfall ends. Gemballa’s third-generation Avalanche (yep, there have been two more) was one of many eye-wateringly modified supercars at spring’s Swiss show, and perhaps the worst. Based on the already time-warping Porsche 911 Turbo, it gets another 276bhp (taking it to nearly 820bhp), as well as not just a ginormous wing, but an actual fin at the back. It makes the 2017 F1 grid look aerodynamically reserved. And we’ve not even mentioned that it’s a lurid shade of purple……

WE SAY: PETROL-EV WITH i8 NOUS IS CLEVER... ON PAPER Just so there’s no nasty surprises with this 5-Series, let’s establish right away that, yes, you can buy the plug-in hybrid 530e in the UK with right-hand drive. However, it has plenty of competition – from within its own rank. Price-wise it slots in between the four-cylinder petrol 530i and six-pot 540i. It’s also within 20 quid of the Goldilocks 530d, which claims 60mpg and 0–62 in 5.7 seconds. But the 530d will rack up £750 in tax in its frst three years, while the 530e… won’t. More like £580 (£310 of which is the penalty for costing over 40 grand…) A useful if not life-changing saving against the Chancellor, then, but what about economy? PHEVs live and die by…

Engine 6162cc V8, RWD, 640bhp, 650lb ft Performance 0-62mph in 3.5secs, 198mph, 16.0mpg, n/a g/km CO2 Weight 1780kg With all this talk of Demons and Exorcists, you might be forgiven for forgetting a bit about the standard Chevy Camaro ZL-1. Don’t. As crucifix-explodingly fast as both those cars are, the standard ZL1 is still a proper beast. Using the same 640bhp/ 650lb ft LT4 supercharged engine as in the C06 Vette, plus a rigid and active chassis and some sticky special Goodyear tyres, it steers as fast and true as it accelerates and brakes. It’s a proper Mustang GT350R competitor, this.…

WE SAY: A CHEAPER, MORE SPACIOUS, LESS FUN VERSION OF THE GOLF GTI P redictably, very little is diferent about the facelifted Skoda Octavia vRS. There’s more modern infotainment, better active safety and so on. And the headlights from a circa 2009 Mercedes E-Class, because plainly more is better. The biggest mechanical change is probably the extra 10bhp that’s been liberated from the 2.0-litre turbo petrol (the diesel is unchanged), which makes the base vRS efectively the same as the old vRS230 range-topper, minus that car’s trick VAQ LSD (from the Golf GTI Performance Pack). Skoda is saving that for the slightly more powerful vRS245, which is also set to get the Golf’s new seven-speed DSG. For now, petrol and diesel Octavias get unchanged six-speed manual and DSG transmissions. Driven here…

Were someone foolish enough to appoint me as some kind of advisor to the motor industry, there would be two basic tenets to the philosophy I would preach. 1. A good-looking bad car will always outsell an ugly good car. 2. Never try to beat the Porsche GT3 RS, because that way trouble lurks. The reasoning behind the second point is quite simple: every time someone comes along and professes to have bettered Porsche’s road-cum-track missile they end up failing. My warped imagination conjures an image of Porsche GT cars boss Andreas Preuninger channelling Ivan Drago’s evil trainer from Rocky IV: “It’s simple: whatever the RS challenges, it destroys!” And it really does. Over the years they’ve all tried and been pummelled: BMW, Mercedes, Maserati, Audi – even Ferrari has…

E xciting news! I have discovered how to consistently obtain 100mpg-plus economy from the Q2’s 1.4-litre turbo engine. The trick is simple: start your journey at the top of an Alp, fnish it at the bottom. OK, it’s a strategy that requires ignorance of the brakes through fatter sections, and ignorance of the throttle the entire time. But, as m’colleague Paul Horrell has often pointed out, beginning a journey with the potential energy gained by parking atop a large mountain is no diferent to plug-in hybrids quoting ludicrous economy fgures by starting with their batteries charged. So I’m claiming that the Q2 Alpine Edition is more economical than a Prius. Beyond its altitude-assisted frugality, the Q2 has proven an excellent vacationer. Big-car unfustered on the autoroute, with the adaptive cruise…

Basing your afordable roadster on a Mazda MX-5 is a very clever move. And not just for its approachable rear-drive chassis and weight-saving wisdom. Nope, it’s also smart because you get a very accomplished little cabrio. While Fiat has plonked on new lights, badges and bumpers, it’s been very sensible and left the MX-5’s roof well alone. A roof which remains a gloriously simple fabric set-up. You might ask for a folding time in seconds, a number often traded between fancier, folding hard-top rivals. With no electronics at play, the Fiat’s (and Mazda’s) roof folds as fast as your hand can unclip it from the windscreen and fing it backwards. For me, it’s three seconds. Opening it is easy right up to 30mph; pulling it closed is best reserved for…

WHO IS DAVID BROWN? I’m standing next to David Brown admiring his Mini Remastered and sipping a delicious ale. His delicious ale, actually. When he’s not sprucing up Minis, he also runs the Bad Co. Brewery. “The key is to keep the two separate, I can’t indulge both my passions on the same day.” Wise words. Other interests? Rally driving (he once won the historic Mintex championship in a Subaru) and singing in a rock band. Anyone’s else’s CV feeling a little sparse all of a sudden? R emember the 2011 Mini Rocketman concept? Course you do. That was BMW firting with the idea of building a Mini-branded city car, comparable in size to the Issigonis-designed original. But whether it was the fnancial case or crash regulations that killed it, it’s…

The Citroen C5 Aircross is the latest model in something Citroen calls its “SUV ofensive”. Bigger, obviously, than the forthcoming C3 Aircross crossover (previewed at the Geneva motor show by the C-Aircross concept), it’s set to launch in China this year, before European sales begin in 2018, the Aircross is based on the same EMP2 platform as the DS 7 Crossback, Peugeot 3008 and Vauxhall Grandland X. Not that you’d know, because like all good Citroens it distinguishes itself from the pack with Airbump-infused side sills, a trademark double-decker grille and many other design cues that most manufacturers would leave on the concept studio’s cutting-room foor. Like the DS and Peugeot, the C5 will eventually get a plug-in hybrid powertrain with 300bhp, all-wheel drive and a near-40 mile electric-only range.…

Sceptics of Nürburgring lap times, avert your eyes: another record has tumbled. With much fanfare – though arguably little surprise – the new, UKbuilt Honda Civic Type R is the fastest FWD car around the Nordschleife. By being crowned as such, it continues what’s become a fercely fought and frequently changing battle for hot-hatchback supremacy. Ever since the Leon Cupra took FWD below the eight-minute mark in 2014, Seat, VW, Renault and Honda have been transferring the trophy between each other’s mantelpieces seemingly every few months. With a 7 minute 43.8 second lap time, the new 316bhp Civic Type R has taken over three seconds out of the outgoing champion, the VW Golf GTI Clubsport S – although that car had its rear seats removed permanently, the Civic’s two-seat arrangement…

Giugiaro and Seiko have had a bit of a thing going on since 1983, when the pair came together to design the collection of wristwatches - among the first quartz chronographs - this Astron apes. It has the same offset case that means you can use the chronograph buttons "even when travelling at speed on a motor cycle", a titanium case and bracelet, and Seiko's deeply clever GPS Solar tech. Limited to 3,000. From €3,250 (est); seiko.co.uk TISSOT BALLADE A classic looker, but the story lies beneath. Headline news is the silicon balance spring, which is a big deal in a watch at this price because they're normally found in much more expensive ones. COSC-certified movement too, which is nice. £750; tissotwatches.com TUDOR HERITAGE BLACK BAY CHRONO A two-in-one diver/…

There’s something about the personality of the new Toyota GT86 that tells you it wants to be driven. Sure, it’s designed to be reasonably fast, but it’s more than that. Te way Toyota’s engineers have improved its features – the 4.2-inch information display, the track mode, the optimised steering wheel – seems to speak of a good time. In fact, you may well have seen it recently being put through its paces by a few recognisable faces on a very famous airfeld test track in Surrey. Tat’s not to say the improvements are all style-over-substance. Not a bit of it. Te chassis is stiffer, and the aerodynamics have all been fne-tuned to make the car more responsive, but the visual cues and constant information the GT86 provides go a hell…

WE SAY: VW DOESN’T ROCK THE BOAT WITH ITS TWEAKING OF ITS HOT-HATCH FLAGSHIP A Golf R with DSG will now get to 62mph in 4.6 seconds, by VW’s usually pessimistic estimates. This is in no way hanging about. It’s a massive 0.3 seconds quicker than last year’s. What’s new? Not what you’d think. None of the usual Clubsport/RS/ Superveloce trickery: air-conditioning and the back seat are still mercifully present, there’s no carbon-fbre roof, and power rises by a mere 10bhp. Main credit goes to a seven-speed DSG, supplanting a six-speed equivalent. The standard six-speed manual hasn’t altered, and so remains at 5.1 seconds 0–62mph. It’s quick enough against the clock, and even faster in real life because of all the mid-range wallop, and the near-inexhaustible traction to make use of…

WE SAY: BOTH ARE REASONABLY FAST, BOTH ARE VERY FUN. BUT WHICH £25k SPORTS CAR IS BEST? What’s new here? By giving the RF a folding hard top, Mazda has produced its closest model yet to an MX-5 coupe. Hence why it now treads properly on the Toyota’s toes. It costs a couple of grand more than a comparable MX-5 roadster, but you get a far fancier roof for your money. Toyota has refreshed the GT86 after five years on sale. On the surface, the changes are slight. Some new lights and a spoiler, basically. Beneath, though, there have been many, quite geeky tweaks to make it even sharper to drive than before. And driftier. How does it drive? It’s very approachable. There is plenty of grip, and the 2.0-litre…

Engine 1968cc 4cyl turbodiesel, AWD, 181bhp, 280lb ft Performance 0-62mph in 7.8secs, 136mph, 55.4mpg, 133g/km CO2, Weight 1484kg You’re looking at an off-roady version of the Skoda Octavia Estate. Think Audi A4 Allroad or VW Passat Alltrack, only cheaper and more Skoda-y. A handy 30mm of extra ride height, underbody protection, a dedicated off-road mode with hill-descent control, standard all-wheel drive and some black plastic body mouldings are the big things that separate it from a normal Octavia wagon. Off road it’s no Discovery, but it is more capable than most owners will ever require. On road the softer suspension actually makes the Scout really comfy. Pricey and not fun, but fit for purpose. If only it was more obvious what that purpose actually is.…

WE SAY: SO JUST HOW SPORTY IS THE SPICED-UP PICANTO GT LINE? When you’re on holiday abroad and you see a word like “Picanto” on a menu, you might wonder if you’re man enough. Nobody, anywhere, has ever had the same feeling about Kia’s pint-sized city car. The Korean company wants to change all that with the brand new MkIII model by launching it with a sportylooking GT Line version from the outset. It gets a more stylish bodykit that includes larger front intakes, thicker sills and a rear “difuser” with twin exhaust pipes. Plus the obligatory fashes of red detailing. A longer wheelbase and fancy LED indicators also make the new entrant considerably more interesting-looking than the old Picanto. It’s not all about the looks, either, as the GT…

Here we are with the Ford GT. Low, isn’t it? Now don’t get distracted by the stripes, just come around to the back. Stand directly behind it, just mind your thighs against the exhausts – they’re a bit hot. Now take two paces back and sit down. Yes, I know we’re in a dusty car park on the Pacifc Coast Highway, but do as you’re told. It’ll be worth it. You’re now in the correct position to learn about the new Ford GT. Today’s lesson is bonkers aero. What you see in front of you – pointing straight at you, in fact – are the menacing barrels of the twin exhausts. Imagine you’re behind it while it spears along this coast-draped masterpiece of a road, hot gases being blasted into…

For car manufacturers, 10 years is almost tangible. New cars we’re writing about this month began on a sketchpad five years ago, and were twinkles in their designer’s eye eons before that. In motorsport, 10 years is an ocean of time, whipped up by abrupt regulation changes, technological breakthroughs and fickle fans. It’s impossible to predict where top-flight motorsport will find itself a decade down the line. But that hasn’t stopped us from prodding the greatest minds in the sport until they agreed to speculate. It’s all Renault’s fault. Once we got wind of the R.S. 2027 Vision F1 Concept, we set about convincing the reigning Le Mans 24hrs champion, Porsche, to have the same hypothetical conversation about an LMP1 prototype for 2027, before sketching its ideas, just for us.…

How it works The AeroMobil features a swing-wing design, so when driving the wings pivot back and lock on to the rear structure. It takes three minutes to convert back into flight trim “I have personal experience of how a small group of people can change everything” Juraj Vaculík is not an engineer or aviator. In fact, he’s the frst to admit that he’s an unlikely avatar for the fying car, a concept that has fred a thousand sci-f movies without ever actually getting of the ground. But nor is the man behind AeroMobil’s magnifcent fying machine an entrepreneur dilettante. “Freedom to travel”, he tells me, “is what propels this idea. It’s deeply rooted in us, as people. I grew up in a former Communist country, and we used to…

I s the Prius just a taxi or does it make a good family car? Given the recent heat on diesel cars, this is a question I assume potential buyers might be asking right now. Practically, the low-slung cabin gives a good amount of interior space, but you do feel low when sat in trafc and that’s not popular with her indoors. In the boot, we’ve got a decent space for our buggy and some shopping, but it is shallow, so no big suitcases for that weekend away. Having not yet driven the Prius on the motorway, I assumed economy would sufer on long runs, but to my surprise a trip down to Hampshire and back on a grey bank holiday returned 70mpg with some careful throttle feathering and 50mph…

HENNESSEY EXORCIST vs DODGE DEMON Meet ‘The Exorcist’. John Hennessey’s 1,000bhp Camaro ZL1 that’s out to rid the Dodge Demon. Using Chevrolet’s potty Camaro ZL1 , John and his bhp monkeys have gone to work on the s’charged, 6.2-litre LT4 engine (that normally produces 640bhp and 640lb ft of torque) and turned it all the way up to four figures. When equipped with the optional drag radial tyres, it’ll see off 0–60mph in under three seconds and tramp the quarter-mile in less than 10 seconds. Let the drag racing games begin! It’s ofcial: America is goddamn drunk on horsepower. Just a month after unveiling the deranged, wheeliepopping 840bhp Dodge Demon, the FCA group has now decided to drop Dodge’s wondrous 707bhp, supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI V8 from the Hellcat into something…

There’s a pattern going on here, we just can’t quite put our fnger on it. Oh yes, crossovers are in, fossil fuels are out, or so says the VW Group, which revealed three EV SUVs simultaneously at the recent Shanghai motor show. “If it was ever possible to make a 100 per cent certain prediction of what the future will look like, it is achieved here,” says VW design boss Klaus Bischof of the I.D. Crozz Concept. All three are based on the new scalable MEB electric-car platform. It’s a kind-of skateboard that contains the motors and batteries, freeing up passenger space and enabling VW to stick basically any body it likes on top of it – it just so happens that it chose to do the same BMW X6-style…

Doesn’t Mercedes ever take a day of? This is the Mercedes Concept A. Revealed at the Shanghai show, it previews Merc’s “next generation of compact vehicles”, which means that with subtly diferent roof, ride height and boot treatments, this is more or less what the next CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, GLA, B-Class and A-Class will look like when they’re launched in a couple of years’ time. Although this actually previews an additional member of the small car family – the A-Class saloon. Think CLA, but more upright, more spacious, more... sensible. A traditional three-box sedan. Thinking it’s a niche too far? You’re not alone. It’s the latest implementation of Mercedes’ Sensual Purity design language. Exactly what that means we’re not sure, but if you like your cars sensual and pure…

2003 AVANTIME Price: £28,450 (when new) Engine: 2946cc V6, 207bhp, 207lb ft Transmission: 6spd manual, FWD Performance: 0–60mph in 9.0secs, 137mph Economy: 24.0mpg, n/a g/km CO2 Weight: 1761kg There’s a line in the incomparable Blackadder Goes Forth in which our eponymous hero observes that a war “hasn’t been fought this badly since Olaf the Hairy, high chief of all the Vikings, accidentally ordered 80,000 battle helmets with the horns on the inside”. It’s difcult not to look at the Renault Avantime and arrive at a similar conclusion. The car business is at the apex of capitalism, wherein juicy proft is reaped by clever designers, engineers and product planners when they create something lots of people buy, a result rendered all the sweeter when it’s something they never knew they wanted.…

It’s time to sell your old jalopy. And, young-fangled thing that you are, you decide to employ The Web for this task. But don’t log on to the World Wide Internet before perusing TopGear’s handy seller’s guide! 1) Choose a website The correct listings site rather depends what car you’re ofoading. If you’re selling a run-of-the-mill Vectra, Vectra saloon or Vectra estate, a major site like Autotrader is likely your best bet. If you’re selling a classic 205 GTI, a hot-hatch owner’s forum could be the place. If you’re selling a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, you’re better of standing in your local town square, waving a bell and yelling a bit. 2) Write your advert We live in a post-truth age. Facts that would once have been regarded as absolute –…

BEST BIT This is a tech use we can get behind. Just not on the public road. OK, people? WORST BIT Just because there’s an electronic safety net, doesn’t mean you’ve become Ken Block It is a truth universally acknowledged that going sideways is a thrill. But where exactly does the thrill lie? Do you just want tyre smoke with no skills from you? Or do you want to be a part of a delicate balance of car and driver? Or do you get your kicks from the jeopardy: is it worth doing only because it might go wrong? Depending on your answer, diferent skid-button systems might suit you. McLaren’s new 720S has “variable drift control”. You can bring up a slider on the centre touchscreen: an upward movement twists…

Alfa Romeo Giulia QV £61,300 BMW M4 Competition £60,965 WE SAY: IT’S THE ALFA vs BMW BATTLE WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. PLEASE SEND TYRES... A battle royale, a slug fest, a proper ding-dong. Call it what you like, this is the face-of we’ve been waiting for: Alfa Romeo Giulia QV versus BMW M4. Not an M3 unfortunately; the four-door would have sat better with us both visually and psychologically, we simply couldn’t get hold of one at the same time as the Giulia. But as any M3/M4 afcionado knows, BMW set the two cars up to drive identically, so while the suspension settings do difer fractionally, it’s only to take account of the M3’s extra 20kg. This M4 is a Competition Pack, to try to narrow the gap in power and…

WE SAY: STUTTGART NAILS THE SUPER-SALOON BY MAKING IT DRIVER-FOCUSED U nusually for a car of its ilk, the E63 S is exciting to drive. Other big supersaloons, such as the BMW M5 and Audi RS6, are amusing, but they’re having a constant battle with themselves to remain under control. Neither of them is as exuberant or rampantly rapid as this new E63 S. Of course, that may change later in the year when the all-new BMW M5 arrives, but even then, I will be surprised if it’s as driver-focused as this Mercedes. This is a tremendously positive car. With new twin-scroll turbos for its 4.0-litre V8, the engine hits like a sledgehammer, but it’s nothing the new 4WD system and chassis can’t cope with. Well, unless you engage the infamous…

Personalised number plates: just a bit of good, clean fun, right? A way to splash a bit of your personality on a cherished car, to ensure a tidy spike in value for an iconic model (with a tastefully reverential plate), or to disguise the age of a beloved old favourite. Well, you’re not wrong. For over 30 years, British Car Registrations has been the market leader in private plates, helping Britain’s movers and shakers personalise their cars with an excellent service, guaranteed seven-day transfers and a buy-back guarantee. Te company is so good at what it does, its little black book could easily bring together a damn fne Premier League team and a musical supergroup to rival anything Wings ever did. You’d be wrong to think plates like these are…

WE SAY: EVER FELT YOUR 570S WASN’T SHARP ENOUGH? US NEITHER. BUT... McLaren’s answer to the AMG GT R and new 911 GT3, then? You could look at it that way, but let’s get one thing straight – this is not a standalone model. Instead it’s a £16.5k option pack for any 570S (but not 540C or 570GT). Also it boasts no more power and no suspension changes. Instead the Track Pack is chiefly about weight saving. It takes 25kg off the 570S’s 1,313kg dry weight, or – expressed another way – you pay £660 for each kilo saved. Hmm, quite costly. Is it worth it? In terms of weight saved, probably not – you just don’t notice. But in terms of the attitude the alterations lend the car, then…

Stood on a giant downed tree some 40 feet in the air and dressed like a compost heap with a face, can’t help thinking that James Bond was an idiot. As spies go, he totally sucked. Yes, I know he has the get-out clause of being fctional, but despite the fact that he’s made-up, he still grates. Why? Because he’s rubbish at hiding – one of the essential skills of a spy – yet no one ever calls him out on it. And I’m here, in a Redwood forest in the very northern reaches of California, being very good at hiding, and thinking about a game of hide and seek that’s been going on for nearly 60 years. Sorry, this is getting confusing already. I’d better explain. The thinking so far…

T his month I am addressing personally the team who dreamt up the C3’s interior. All of you, take a bow, an ovation, and the rest of the week of. The details inside this little Citroen are what loads of us been crying out for for years. Hang about, you lot from the tech workshop sneaking of towards the exit. You aren’t going anywhere. Anyone with common sense accepts soft-touch car dashboards are stupid. No one, beyond the interior-fetishising hermits Audi keeps locked in a bunker below Ingolstadt, cares about squidgy dash tops, because you never touch it. What you do want are expensive-feeling materials where you do actually touch the car. The C3 gets this. The top of the dash is shiny, cheap plastic. Rock-hard. Tinny. So what? The…

L ondon to Cornwall and back with lots of stuf and people is what a big estate is all about. No surprise in its shrugging of that job with nonchalance. It’s also done a weekend away with a complete bike in the boot (slightly dismantled) plus a load of other stuf, all without folding the back seat. Its length can be a challenge – it barely wedged through a farmyard gate and is a pain to berth in my London street – but the compensating virtue of interior space is abundant. That and its relaxed dynamics make it the stereotypical Swedish car. Much of Britain’s car industry is far-fung, both in philosophical distance from the mainstream, and geographic position. Over two days the Volvo took me to a pair of…

Goodbye Ford Focus RS £31,250 OTR/ £35,765 as tested A nd so it is, with a heavy heart and a marginally lighter wallet, that the time has come to wave goodbye to the Focus RS. I loved it before, and I love it still, but the question is: has it gone up in my estimation or slipped slightly from its perch in the past six months? Unfortunately, it’s the latter, and I’ll tell you why. During my frst introduction to the Focus RS (2,500 miles across Europe in issue 279), problems that come into sharp focus during day-to-day running of a car in and around London weren’t exactly front and centre in my mind. Yes, I know I’m a professional motoring journalist and should be considering the relative merits of…