autocar

RS4 replacement is a 2.4-tonne plug-in hybrid, yet the engineers promise it’s much more fun to drive Preconceptions can be awfully sticky. Think ‘fast Audi’ and you might still think of understeer and numb steering, but a quick dive into the Autocar archive reveals that all the way back in 2006, we reported that “the [new RS4] even changes direction properly now”, and we’ve heaped plenty of praise on the handling of subsequent generations.Nevertheless, Audi Sport’s engineers are still on a mission to prove they can produce super-saloons that are on the same level as products from BMW M and Mercedes-AMG as driver’s cars. At the launch of the new Audi RS5, its head of technical development, Steffen Bamberger, told us that “we wanted it to be an oversteering car”, to which end the newly hybridised RS5 has gained a very clever, very complicated rear differential that can send power this way and that.On previous encounters, we’ve already found out that the new RS5 does indeed oversteer. Now to see what it’s like to live with and how it fares against the road test timing gear.

Another 4.3m-long, circa-£30k Chinese electric crossover – but one with a hint of character I can imagine the scene as the development committee sat down to create the Leapmotor B03X.Gathered in a room are a Ford Puma, a Honda HR-V and a Jeep Avenger. The mission, quite evidently, was to collate a greatest hits album of what makes those cars sell so well.Take the boot: at 405 litres, it's not huge in its own right, but lift the floor and you'll find a deep well that gives an extra 105 litres and has drainage holes in its base - just like the Puma's Megabox.Pop yourself in the back and you'll notice the seat cushions are capable of flipping up against the headrests, precisely mirroring Honda's clever functionality.And the exterior design is a bit of a mishmash of everything - squared off like the Avenger or even the previous-gen Mercedes-Benz GLB, with extra hints of Puma.

Alpina founders turn retired roadster into a 183mph ’bahnstormer with lashings of leather Bovensiepen, the new marque set up by the founders of Alpina, has turned the BMW Z4 into a 429bhp collector special called the Spider. The brand's third car – after the £320k Zagato coupé and £144k 05 GT estate – is its first convertible, but it can trace its roots back 20 years to the Z4-based Alpina Roadster S that its creators produced in their previous guise. Just 99 examples will be produced, with deliveries beginning in early 2027, but the Spider is priced well below its range-mates, at the equivalent of £99,000 in Germany – roughly the same as a new BMW M4 convertible. The firm says that cars are constantly becoming "bigger, heavier and increasingly influenced by SUV designs" and as a result "a vehicle class that for decades epitomised the most immediate form of driving is disappearing: the lightweight, two-seater roadster". Pledging to preserve this endangered species, Bovensiepen has overhauled the most recent Z4 – which bowed out of production earlier this year – "entirely in the spirit of 'fine driving'". It is based on the top-spec Z4 M40i, with output from its 3.0-litre straight six ramped up substantially to 429bhp and 428lb ft. That's enough to give a 0-62mph time of 4.2sec and a maximum speed of 183mph, making it quicker than any previous iteration of the Z4. Modifications to the intake system, meanwhile, mean the engine can "breathe freely" and the re-engineered exhaust system has been optimised for flow while "at the same time delivering an exhilarating, sporty sound". Cooling has been improved, too, to ensure the Spider can always offer peak performance, while an optional Performance Pack brings enhanced heat management for the differential, to boost its performance in high-load situations. The Spider rides on retuned dampers for improved responsiveness, supported by sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres wrapped around the lightweight forged wheels. The brakes can be optionally upgraded to high-performance items too. The Z4 was latterly available with a six-speed manual gearbox, but the Spider comes with the standard ZF eight-speed auto. In characteristic Alpina/Bovensiepen fashion, the Z4's interior has been retained but retrimmed in a selection of upmarket materials, including Vernasca leather for the seats, Lavalina for the steering wheel and Alcantara for the windscreen surround. The Bovensiepen Saddlery – a customisation suite similar to Bentley's Mulliner or Aston Martin's Q division – can work with customers to ensure a highly personalised specification, with options including Alcantara boot lining, personalised headrests and custom embroidery.

Focused coupé gains chassis mods, goes rear-drive and sheds 170kg Mercedes-AMG has transplanted a V8 into the CLE to create one of its most extreme cars yet in a return to its hot-rodding roots. Called the CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung - special order - it has been conceived as the most driver-focused version of Mercedes' premium coupe. The model starts out as a CLE 53 before being extensively modified to become the 646, mirroring the production of historic AMG models before the brand became integrated into Mercedes-Benz. Described by AMG as an engineering-led project, it was originally a test mule produced behind closed doors. It swaps the 3.0-litre straight six found in the only current AMG derivative of the CLE, the 53, for Mercedes new M177 Evo V8 powerplant. The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which made its debut in the facelifted S-Class, is boosted to 637bhp - equivalent to 646PS, hence the name - and 627lb ft. It is fitted with a bespoke Akrapovic titanium exhaust, which is said to maximise the "emotional focus" of the powerplant. The V8-powered CLE also ditches four-wheel drive for rear-drive to maximise its performance on track, while shedding weight. The 646 brings several other lightweighting measures traditionally reserved for track-focused machines, including carbonfibre bodywork, polycarbonate windows and even a different 12V battery. Meanwhile, the body has been reinforced to improve its rigidity, and a roll-cage has been integrated into its structure. The revisions mean the 646 weighs 1895kg - 30kg lighter than the CLE 53, despite packing a larger and significantly heavier engine. According to AMG, 170kg was stripped from the car in total. It is capable of hitting 62mph from rest in 3.9sec, which is 0.1sec quicker than a CLE 53 fitted with the optional Pro Performance package. It also covers 0-124mph in 11.4sec and 0-186mph in 36.2sec. The 646 sits lower and 60mm wider than the CLE 53, riding on steel coilover suspension developed with specialist firm KW. The low- and high-speed bump and rebound settings can be adjusted as desired, giving owners the potential to set it up for specific circuits or use cases. Braking, meanwhile, is via carbon-ceramic discs with six-piston calipers up front and single-pots at the rear. Completing the exterior makeover are forged 20in alloy wheels and a wide-body kit with a large rear wing, reminiscent of the Ford Mustang's conversion into the racing-derived GTD. Inside, the weight reduction effort extends to the removal of the rear seats and sound deadening, while the CLE 53's front seats are swapped for a pair of skeletal buckets. Six-point racing harnesses are available as an option. The sound system has also been simplified to save weight and several redundant comfort and driver-assistance features have been dropped. The CLE 646 will be offered as the second car in Mercedes' Mythos programme, which previously created the Formula-1-inspired SL PureSpeed. But the new V8 CLE will be vastly more exclusive, with just 30 samples due to be produced. Mercedes has yet to disclose pricing, but it is almost certain to run well north of six figures. Although that will ultimately limit the impact of the 646, the model is notable for proving that Mercedes-AMG's V8 fits into the CLE platform and that the brand has the will to do so. It remains to be seen whether a V8 will return to the performance arm's mainstream cars, such as the C-Class and E-Class, following a poorly received move to small-displacement plug-in hybrids. But the existence of the CLE 646 signals that the V8 remains at the heart of Mercedes-AMG and that the performance division will find solutions to offer such engines to customers - even if only for a select few. "The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung represents the very essence of AMG," said Stefan Weckbach, chairman of Mercedes-AMG. "This vehicle came to life because highly rational engineers dreamed of a highly irrational car."

Skoda reverses plan to phase out popular ICE-powered crossover, which will return with PHEV power Skoda will next year unveil a second generation of its popular Karoq SUV, which could adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time. The original arrived in 2017 but, because of its electrification plans, the Czech firm hadn’t initially planned to directly replace it. Instead its spot in the line-up was to be filled by the similarly sized Elroq EV. But Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer has since given the green light to a new Karoq, which will sit on the same Volkswagen Group MQB platform as its predecessors and will “launch in 2027 or 2028”. He added that “it will be a significant change to the current Elroq, but we’re trying to hit the same price segment so you get more value for your money”. The current Karoq is only offered with pure petrol and mild-hybrid engines, but Zellmer hinted the Mk2 will come as a plug-in hybrid. That would set it apart from the new version of the closely related Volkswagen T-Roc. Zellmer said the drivetrains for the new Karoq “will be very comparable to what we have in the Kodiaq”, Skoda's hugely popular seven-seat SUV, adding: “Our plug-in hybrids are in great demand. If you look at an electric range of more than 100km [62 miles], that is perfect for a successor to the Karoq.” While a new Karoq wasn’t originally in Skoda’s plans, Zellmer noted that the firm also hadn’t originally planned to launch the Elroq. He added: “We came with that car because we saw there was massive potential, and thank God we did: it’s the second best-selling electric car in Europe. "We would like to see the Elroq totally replace that kind of market for us, but it doesn’t, so we see great potential for the Karoq and its successor.”