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Everything you need to know about cars this week: 5 May '19
Includes: a new Pagani review, Tesla Model 3 in the UK, and a manual Aston Vantage
EV test: Audi e-tron vs Tesla Model X vs Jaguar I-Pace
"It takes five hours and 48 minutes to drive to Devon. A journey that would normally take just under three. More than a trip, it’s an education. By the time I arrive at Exmoor, I have five new apps on my phone, have battled malfunctioning charge points, know the desk staff at Tiverton leisure centre and have come to the conclusion that to buy an electric car you need a spirit of adventure."
Advertisement - Page continues belowWill power stations and the grid be able to cope in our EV future?
"It’s not just about energy, it’s about power – the rate we demand that energy over the course of the day. If everyone came home from work and plugged in their cars at 6.30pm, which is what today’s owners tend to do, the spike on the grid would cause meltdown in much of the network."
VW: ID R could go even faster at Pikes Peak and Goodwood
"It was just under a year ago that Volkswagen – and driver Romain Dumas – obliterated the Pikes Peak record time with the all-electric ID R prototype, but the team behind that effort already believes that the car could go far quicker."
Advertisement - Page continues belowVideo: Tesla Model 3 vs BMW M3
"It’s the super-saloon fight we’ve all been waiting for: Tesla Model 3 Performance vs BMW M3, electric vs petrol. We head to Thunderhill Raceway in Northern California to apply some Top Gear science"
Volvo S60 T5 R-design review: 250bhp sports saloon tested
"he new Volvo S60 isn’t just very, very handsome. It’s also way less obvious, less commonplace, than the brand new, very excellent BMW 3 Series. Or the older but still highly recommendable Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4. Somehow, it’s cooler than the brilliant to drive, recently updated Jaguar XE."
The new Land Rover Defender is nearly here
"In total Land Rover claims there are 45,000 tests that the new Defender needs to undergo before it’s ready for production. What we want to know, assuming that durability, capability and sheer strength are the new Defender’s touchstones, is what they’ve been testing it against?"
Welcome to the Hennessey VelociRaptor Ranger
"Power comes from Ford’s 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. Stock it makes 270bhp and 310lb ft, but a less restrictive, better sounding stainless steel cat-back exhaust and some ECU tuning mean the VelociRaptor makes 360bhp and 440lb ft"
Advertisement - Page continues belowPetter Solberg’s 17-year-old son is already a boss rally driver
"Think for a moment of what you’ve inherited from your parents. We’ll wait. Now consider that Oliver Solberg clearly got the ‘immense rally driving talent’ gene that runs in his family. Not that we’re bitter of course…"
Toyota RAV4 review: hybrid family SUV driven
"Much has changed since the RAV4 first appeared back in 1994. Then it was semi-revolutionary, the first ever cool, urban-focused SUV. And it was fun to drive. Successive generations – and we’re now on the fifth – stepped quickly away from frivolity into family seriousness. And as far as Toyota is concerned, it’s a move that has served it well – globally they sell not far short of a million a year."
Advertisement - Page continues belowElectric cars: should you rapid or home charge? What if you live in a flat?
"Slow charging is the EV world’s Cinderella. Forgotten but vital. The headline recharge times are the rapid DC roadside stops. But say you buy an EV with 250 miles’ range. Now look at a map and see how often you drive – in one hit – to places more than 250 miles from home."
Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor review: £48k EV tested in the UK
"The cabin’s elegant simplicity is really appealing and compared to any car with an internal combustion engine, no matter how smooth its drivetrain, this is far, far smoother. Quality is a real step on for Tesla, and together with the equipment levels, helps to justify the higher-than-expected price"
Finally! The Tesla Model 3 has British prices and specs
"UK order books are open for the Tesla Model 3, and we finally have a price: £38,900 for the rear-wheel drive Standard Range Plus (SRP) model, inclusive of the government’s £3,500 plug-in car grant. Deliveries start in June."
Hurrah! Aston Martin has given the Vantage a manual
"Big news, driving geeks: the Aston Martin Vantage now comes with a manual. It’s being introduced with this limited-run Vantage AMR, but will be offered as an option on regular Vantages from 2020."
A guide to Pagani's hypercar history
"Allow us to bring you up to speed with Pagani’s output. They are fine. They are fast, and you will probably want them all."
Review: Pagani Huayra Roadster
"What a concoction: brutal power and speed spiced with exquisite artistic flair. But it’s a very different machine to a Zonda."
Electric cars: are solid-state batteries the future?
"Solid-state batteries get a lot of airtime. Small wonder. They replace the wet electrolyte in today’s lithium-ion batteries with a solid. Because they’re simpler they could be a lot cheaper, and lighter, and they won’t need liquid cooling. They should also be longer-lasting and fireproof. Possibly much faster-charging too – provided you can find an outlet much more powerful than the 350kW top-end jobs of today."
Volkswagen T-Cross review: Polo-crossover’s UK test
"Interesting thing is, though the T-Roc and Tiguan are only slightly different in size, they don’t cannibalise each other. They currently sit pretty as best and second-best selling of all crossovers across Europe. We confidently predict the T-Cross will be another success."
Knight Rider’s ‘KITT’ has to be The Best Car In The World
"The ‘Knight Industries Two Thousand’. It’s ostensibly the real star of Eighties classic TV show Knight Rider, familiar to all who either grew up in this era, or have been bored senseless by others who grew up in this era and won’t shut up about it."
Toyota will build a convertible Century limo for Emperor Naruhito
"According to The Wall Street Journal, the Century was chosen for three main reasons. For its royal duties, the Emperor needed a car of extreme safety, great power, and bigger visual presence than other cars in its parade. We’ll see the finished car later in the year when the Emperor’s ceremonial parade takes place, in October."
Remember when Manhart stuck an M5’s V10 in the Z4?
"For the past 30 years, German tuner Manhart has been swapping engines between different BMW models and creating all kinds of brilliant, Frankenstein-like monsters in the process. However, there’s one car that encapsulates the madness more than most, and we’d like to take a moment to reminisce."
Ford Ranger Raptor review: baby pick-up truck tested
"This is a car that has a suspension and chassis set-up that outstrips its engine - you can max-attack pretty much anything and the shocks/damping/tyres just soak it up. Expensive and semi-race suspension for the win. And yes, the systems really do help you maintain traction on everything from rocks to deep sand. It really does do quite a good impression of a 2/3rds scale F-150 Raptor in terms of ability."
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