Jaguar saloon scoop; new Mazda 6 road tested; Porsche 944 buying guide; 50 ideas that will change motoring in 2013; premium estate mega-test
This week’s Autocar magazine is led by a four-page exclusive on the new baby Jaguar saloon under development. Described by company boss Adrian Hallmark as a “BMW 3-series with a twist”, we uncover the technical secrets that give rise to his confidence in a cut-throat section of the market.
The special issue also features 32 new cars, all of which were unveiled at the Detroit motor show. Among the biggest stories are the latest updates for the upcoming Honda NSX; a first look at the Nissan Resonance, which previews the look of the next Nissan Qashqai and Juke crossovers; insight into Toyota’s drive to add excitement to its styling and the full details on Mercedes' mooted plans to build an Audi A1 supermini rival.
The new Mazda 6 is subjected to our eight-page road test, emerging with great credit, while our first drives section includes a UK test of the updated but still mighty Audi R8, our first run in Britain in the brilliant Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, first impressions of the bigger but more expensive Skoda Octavia, plus drives in the diminutive but impressive Fiat Panda 4x4 and decently frugal Honda Civic 1.6 diesel.
Our features section stars an estate mega-test, with the new breed of style-led cars fronted by the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake and Jaguar XF Sportbrake, and the old guard represented by the BMW 5-series Touring and Audi A6 Allroad. They’re four cars with very different approaches to the same job, but which is best overall?
We also have an 11-page special feature outlining 50 ideas that will change motoring in 2013. Among the highlights are new car launches such as the Jaguar F-Type and Mazda MX-5, new technology including in-board electric wheel motors and nine-speed gearboxes and influential people including AMG’s Ola Kallenius and Anand Mahindra, who is on the verge of buying in to mainstream car manufacturing. Let us know your thoughts on whether we’ve chosen the correct 50 by emailing autocar@haymarket.com
Our long-term test fleet welcomes a BMW M135i, while we also feature updates on our Jaguar XKR-S, Hyundai i30 and Aston Martin Vantage V8.
Used car buyers can delight in our Porsche 944 buying guide, or take James Ruppert’s advice and buy an economical ‘green’ car not just to save the planet, but also to protect their residual values.
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