Autocar magazine 14 June: on sale now

This week in Autocar, we cover Porsche’s successor to the 918 Spyder, find out if the BMW M3 CS is just as good as the M5 CS and pit the Cupra Born against its Chinese-built rivals – the BYD Atto 3 and Smart #1.

Table of Contents

News

Porsche has revealed the Mission X as an electric successor to the 918 Spyder. With a production version due in 2027, it has been developed to become the fastest road-legal car on the Nurburgring.

Meanwhile, Volvo’s new entry-level EX30 is set to be priced from just £34,000 making this Nissan Juke rival cheaper than a Vauxhall Corsa.

The Lotus Elise has been reimagined by its designer, Julian Thomson, as an ultra-fast-charging EV that will fully charge in “a few minutes”. An entirely British development, it could represent the most radical EV development since the Tesla Model S.

Reviews

The BMW M3 CS is a 188mph super-saloon that follows in the footsteps of the illustrious M5 CS. With such a tough act to follow, can it really be as good? Our editor, Mark Tisshaw, finds out.

We’re testing the 453bhp BMW M2 as the last M car with a manual gearbox. Matt Saunders finds out if it’s a fitting send-off or a notchy disappointment.

For road test 5628, Ford has given its market-leading pick-up truck, the Ranger, a major reworking. We’re testing it in WildTrak trim to find out if it ticks all the pick-up truck boxes.

We’re also driving the Renault Austral E-Tech, Land Rover Defender 75 and Ford Focus ST estate.

Features

Chinese firms are targeting the UK with electric hatches that offer much, at least on paper. Do they have what it takes to beat established players from Europe? We take the BYD Atto 3 and Smart #1 and pit them against the Cupra Born to find out.

Peaches is Seoul’s ultimate car customisation hub, sporting rakish designs and faux-graffiti graphics – Felix Page finds out why they’re the coolest outfit in town.

Can AI design or engineer cars better than humans? With an inability to recreate intricate aspects of human consciousness, will car production suffer or benefit?

Opinion

Matt Prior looks back at the radical impressiveness of the 331mpg Volkswagen XL1 and how much more economy you could screw from it if you put the Renault Austral’s drivetrain in there.

Steve Cropley upsets the Steering Committee after a member of his family curbes a wheel on the Cropleys’ trusty Mini Cooper S, is angered by lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning systems that so many cars use, and is made to feel a million bucks at a Bentley dealership in High Wycombe.