Autocar magazine 6 May - on sale now
This week: BMW 4 Series plans scooped, Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder driven, Autocar’s favourite car launch stories and much more
BMW will expand its 4 Series line-up and give the range a sportier identity for its next generation.
Revealed exclusively in this week’s Autocar, the line-up will be spearheaded by three 503bhp M4s and the 523bhp i4 electric saloon. They will take the fight to the Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé with more dynamism and, of course, BMW’s already-infamous jumbo-sized new front grille.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Jaguar Land Rover also has its sights on Mercedes as the British marque prepares to challenge the AMG G63 with a range-topping V8 version of the latest Defender. We’ve got all the details.
Meanwhile, Skoda publishes prices for the new Mk4 Octavia, Seat’s Leon undercuts its Volkswagen Group stablemate, Hyundai gives us our first official look at the upcoming i20 N and we catch up with the design boss for the Renault Group, Laurens van der Acker. He talks Kadjar plans, electric Alpines and the future of Renault’s Sport arm.
Finally, with coronavirus lockdown beginning to ease, we anticipate a spate of new car buying, which sounds good, until you wonder whether demand might outstrip supply...
-Reviews-
First to face the testers this week is Lamborghini’s Huracan Evo Spyder, with its glorious naturally aspirated V10 engine winning plaudits even as hybridisation beckons for the Italian marque.
Then, we take another look at the Land Rover Defender, this time in D240 S guise, before turning to the sternest gauntlet of them all: the road test. This week’s subject, the electric Peugeot e-208, might be stylish and usable, but does it cut any corners?
Speaking of corners, this week’s road test rewind sees us getting bendy with Ariel’s legendary Atom V8 supercar. In 2011, Matt Saunders buckled up for the ride.
-Features-
Greg Kable gets things moving with an up close and personal encounter with a prototype of the new BMW 4 Series, before we indulge in another blast from the past. Then, we asked our writers to round up their favourite and most arresting anecdotes from car launches, with predictably entertaining results.
We also enjoy a poke around Coventry - few cities have so many car-related places, gems and secrets - and cut a path through the sometimes confusing landscape of lease deals, rounding up 20 of the best on the market.
In this week’s motorsport section, we investigate why Aston is strolling into F1, round up five of our most versatile racers, spanning Stirling Moss to Mario Andretti, and talk to McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl.
Opinions
Matt Prior considers the pros and cons of buying second-hand McLarens, prices for which have seldom been so tempting. But for B-road thrills, would you be better off in a Mini Cooper S? Steve Cropley reckons you might be. Our columnist also delves into the delights of social media, explains why he might just be rethinking his preference for a second-hand 911 over a Tesla Model 3 and reviews a fast-paced history of Land Rover.
-Deals-
MPV. It’s not the most glamorous of car classes, so James Ruppert has created a new one - swiss army knives on wheels. Renault Espaces and Mercedes V-Classes standout from the crowd. Elsewhere, Sweden’s reputation for effortless suavity extends to the Volvo XC60 in our nearly new guide, and we show you how to net a tidy example of the much-desired Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf in our used car buying guide.
-Where to buy-
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