Autocar magazine 09 October: on sale now

In this week’s issue, we reveal the long-awaited successor to the McLaren P1, drive the new Renault 5 EV, and the Aston Matin Vantage takes on rivals from Ferrari and Porsche.

News

McLaren has unveiled its new 1258bhp W1 hypercar, a rear drive hybrid of unparalleled ability. Mark Tisshaw details the P1 successor alongside exclusive pictures. 

Ford isn’t saying goodbye to its performance models any time soon and intends to make them for the EV era. We sat down with Ford of Europe design director Amko Leenarts to learn more.

Also in news: Porsche could delay the launch of its Boxster EV due to a delay with its battery technology, and share details on the new hydrogen EV from Renault. 

Reviews

The Renault 5 is back and promises to be better than ever. Mark Tisshaw heads to Denmark to test the reimagined electric supermini to see if it really lives up to the hype. 

Lamborghini’s new plug-in hybrid SUV, the Urus SE makes 789bhp and 946lb ft of torque,  and boasts an impressive 2.5 tonnes, but does its weight affect the driving experience? Ilya Verpraet finds out. 

Also in the first drives section: the Vauxhall Grandland HEV and Grandland EV. 

We also road test the Cupra Born VZ (5698) and the breakthrough Kia EV6 (5699). 

Features

Aston Martin’s Vantage is back with a 656bhp bang and a host of targeted dynamic tweaks. Does it now have what it takes to dominate a class of bona fide grand touring superstars? Richard Lane finds out. 

What kind of impact has 25 years of Top Gear and The Grand Tour had? John Evans finds out how Clarkson, Hammond and May have shaped motoring TV. 

Opinion

Steve Cropley heads to Kent for a tour of Caterham’s new HQ and shares some insights from an interview with new Bentley boss, Frank-Steffen Walliser.

Matt Prior questions what goes into naming some of the most famous vehicles after the announcement of the new McLaren W1. 

Used

The Polo of 2009-2017 was a landmark model for Volkswagen. Sam Phillips explains why the Polo Mk5 remains a supermini triumph. 

Also in the used section: My Car and I, Our Cars, Caught in the Classifieds and Head to Head.