Autocar magazine 9 December Christmas double issue - on sale now
This week: bumper festive double issue packed with features, plus MG’s daring growth plan, how radical is the Radical SR10 and more
It’s that time of the year again. Christmas is almost upon us and that means the first of two - yes, you read that right - two bumper issues of Autocar to celebrate the festive season.
We’ve got a stocking full of features, drives and news to satisfy your car chops over the next two weeks, including the mystery Christmas Road Test, a road test or few, and even a quiz to keep you guessing. Head to a newsstand near you to get your copy in time for the holidays.
-IN THIS ISSUE-
For this week’s special Christmas double issue, we’ve got a bumper load of features to whet your appetite for the season of joy.
First up, a returning favourite - Richard Webber’s Christmas road trip. The crowds and fireworks will be absent from this year’s Hogmanay celebrations, but there are other, more traditional ways to mark the biggest night on Scotland’s calendar. Webber takes the Land Rover Defender in his muckle road trip to uncover them.
Another hallowed Autocar Xmas tradition is the Autocar Road Testers’ Lunch, which was almost cancelled due to Coronavirus but saved by the intervention of technology. Andrew Frankel is your waiter for the first ever Zoom Road Testers’ meal.
Meanwhile, Christmas came early for John Evans when he got the chance to play with – sorry, test – three of JCB’s finest earth movers. Having driven a 1000bhp JCB last year, we’re now expanding outwards across the whole range.
The rest of this issue’s Christmas crackers include James Ruppert’s annual round-up of the best seasonal second-hand bargains, how to wrap a car for Christmas, a very special drive of Cyan Racing’s equally special Volvo P1800 - spoiler: it’s brilliant - James Attwood celebrates the unsung automotive heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic, then rates his favourite make-believe cars, in which Simpsons icon the Canyonero may or may not feature. And there’s much, much more - including our yearly highlights and long-term awards.
News
Ambitious growth could be on the horizon for MG Motor, and an electric sports coupé for 2021 will lead the charge. A range of as much as 300 miles is said to be possible for the E-Motion concept-based production car, as MG seeks to generate annual sales of up to one million cars by 2024. At the other end of the range, a new, value-focused electric supermini is on the cards - we’ve got the full story on MG’s plans and new arrivals.
Elsewhere, DS is taking aim at the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Audi A3 with its first bespoke C-segment hatchback, the all-new 4. Nissan has claimed its all-important Mk3 Qashqai will offer a “class-leading on-board experience”, as more details arrive ahead of its debut early next year.
The UK’s first dedicated electric vehicle charging forecourt has been opened by Gridserve, with 100 such sites planned to be rolled across the UK by 2026, and Skoda has tilted its hand with a hint at two new EVs: the brand will look to add a small electric city car and a family car to its electric line-up.
The vehicle safety body Global NCAP has made an appeal to end disparities in safety measures in cars between developed and developing countries, and we ask: will Japan cut ties with Europe?
A vaunted sales shake-up takes centre stage in the Autocar Business section, as car makers aim to change how new cars are sold - and it could be better for buyers. Finally, Jim Holder asks whether, despite the pain, the losses Jaguar Land Rover has suffered as a result of the Coronavirus might in the long run result in a leaner JLR that’s keener to accelerate again.
-Reviews-
Citroen’s high-rise hatchback C4 has arrived, bringing electric power to the line-up for the first time. Our first taste of it comes with the trendy motor.
Then, it’s time for a car that’s really radical. That should be Radical, with a capital R, as we’re talking about the marque’s latest SR10 track-day toy which aims to make record-breaking performance more accessible. Does it?
The Toyota Hilux, meanwhile, has a reputation as the toughest truck of them all. But the burgeoning ‘lifestyle pick-up’ is what beckons for it now, as our testers discover. Porsche’s 911 Carrera S gets examined on UK rounds next, and the Renault Captur turns on the style visually, but does it have the substance to go with it?
There’s no road test this week, well not one in the usual guise. That’s right - this is the first of our two Christmas double issues and that means a Christmas road test. This year, we get behind the wheel of a blimp.
Opinions
It’s been a year unlike any other for Steve Cropley, and not just because of the Coronavirus. In this issue, he retreads the last 12 months and picks out his highlights of this most extraordinary year. Then, Matt Prior takes up his pen in his weekly column to recall a night in an unusual setting for our silver-tongued car fanatic - a music hall.
-Deals-
James Ruppert has been scouring the small ads for an entertaining all-rounder this week, but should you stick or twist on a sub-£40k F-Type R? Tune in to this week’s Bangernomics guide to find out. For Mark Pearson the Aston Martin DB11 beckons, and it’s as good to drive as it is to look at, even after a few years’ wear. Finally, John Evans explores the options for a used BMW 3 Series - in E30 guise.
-Where to buy-
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