Every month CAR interviews the stars of motorsport, demystifies the latest in-car technology and shares our writers’ passion for car culture and car design. Discover the world’s newest and most exciting cars: join us to drive everything from supercars and hot hatches to family cars.
Welcome • ‘Between Tokyo and London, the guilt hit like a punch in the stomach’
Star contributors
FAMINE NOW, FEAST LATER • Alfa owner FCA’s new partnership with PSA makes belt-tightening inevitable – but also gives fresh hope for the overdue new product line-up.
PATCHY AT BEST: ALFA’S PAST PARTNERSHIPS
Road Rover mulled… Aventador keeps its V12… Huracan to go V8
Cute! It’s VW’s entry-level EV • Coming (quietly) to a town centre near you: the starter car for millions of millennials. By Georg Kacher and Tim Pollard
Ralf Brand stätter • Head of the Volkswagen brand
NSX: 30 baffling years • It’s the people’s supercar. If only the people were more interested. By Chris Chilton
Don’t tell Greta, but Toyota’s going rogue • Toyota dwarfs Tesla when it comes to electrification. It also has a renewed taste for risk
Which hatch is this one, again? • Seat’s new Leon looks so generic, it’s making our eyes go a bit funny.
Hey Audi, drive me to the future • Why does the self-driving future never quite arrive? We give chase in Audi’s AI:ME.
Tell me, what’s your flavour? • Don’t be blinded by SUVs and electrification; there is a future for the kind of cars you like.
‘We’ve reached a new level’ • Ferrari’s tech boss on how staying small helps the company move fast and prioritise performance
Six questions only we would ask
Walkman, PlayStation... EV? • Sony flirts with the idea of making a car
Deep dive • Drivers love divers’ watches. Here are three more reasons why.
Nissan’s shock bid for the front of the grid • We drive Nissan’s Leaf racer, a (very fast) rolling test bed for its high-performance electric powertrain and control systems.
BACK IN THE REAL WORLD...
How F1 boosts the Clio’s mpg • Strange but true: hybrid know-how has jumped from grand prix to superminis.
‘A simple dial is sometimes best’ • In-car tech offers amazing new possibilities, but that doesn’t mean drivers are ready to embrace it all. Two experts explain how they decide what makes the cut.
Audio with no strings attached • Sennheiser and Continental dream up an entirely speakerless sound system
How to turn a Tesla into a game console • No more staring into space while your battery recharges – now you can use the car itself for some epic gaming.
HOW THEY WORK
JAGUAR F-TYPE P300 Change denier • Gently evolved, our favourite F-Type – the 2.0-litre coupe – is back. It’s barely changed but, given it was pretty sweet to begin with, does that matter? A 300-mile loop from Porto to midwinter mountains will decide
PICK-UP: 0 MILES • Dazzling winter sunshine as we leave Porto (it won’t last). Boot isn’t troubled by three cases, two bags and four – four! – schnitzel rolls.
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Tech that, Mini • Big fun, small range, loaded with tech, the electric Honda e is your Mini E alternative
THE FIRST HOUR
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Give it some ’relly • French designer Anthony Jannarelly built himself a retro roadster – then found he had customers queuing up
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THE FIRST HOUR
Mini goes for an early lead • To get its first EV out fast, Mini hasn’t gone for revolution. Bodge or masterstroke?
THE FIRST HOUR
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How do you like me now? • Makeover gives the city car looks to match its quietly impressive abilities
THE FIRST HOUR
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Emission...