Autocar magazine 20 February - on sale now

In other news, we analyse the latest spy shots of Porsche’s all-electric Taycan ahead of its September reveal, take a look at Citroen’s tiny Ami One concept car and take the wheel of Jaguar’s roofless F-Type rally car.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Reviews

Toyota is bringing the Corolla name back to the UK for the first time in more than a decade, and we’ve been out in the 2.0-litre hybrid Excel variant to find out whether the new model makes good on the Auris’ shortcomings. A sportier chassis and well-equipped cabin are good starting points, but how does that frugal powertrain stack up against the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic in terms of driving engagement?

Our second review this week is somewhat more overtly geared towards performance. McLaren’s 600LT Spider is the newly topless variant of the winner of our Britain’s Best Driver’s Car competition. So, we find out if the 592bhp, 3.8-litre V8-powered Ferrari 488 rival has lost anything more than its roof in the migration from coupé to convertible.

Then, it was off to Sweden for a stint behind the wheel of a prototype of Mercedes-Benz’ facelifted GLC SUV. As well as new interior technology and an updated four-wheel-drive system, the model receives a new range of petrol and diesel engines, including two new plug-in hybrid powertrains. See if we think the mid-sized Merc is improved in all the right areas. 

Finally, this week’s road test review sees us put the new Ford Focus through its paces in an effort to see if handsome styling and a focus on dynamic handling have helped the big-selling family hatchback to recapture its charm. 

Features

This week, we’re calling on you, our loyal and knowledgeable readers, to vote for your favourite automotive icon in our annual readers’ choice award. At the Autocar Awards ceremony in May, we’ll reveal which of our 17 candidates you deemed worthy to be called the “Icon of Icons”. From Land Rover to Lotus Elise, Mini to MX-5, this week’s issue contains the Autocar writers’ nominations and why they think their candidate is the obvious choice.

Have your say - vote now

Hotly tipped to become an automotive icon of the future is Alpine’s A110. Launched last year to great critical acclaim, the French two-seater delivers an impressive driving experience uncompromised by its focus on usability. So, would it still be the ideal weapon of choice for tackling a mountain road, or would a McLaren Senna with three times as much power do a better job? We find out if, when it comes everyday driving on public roads, there is such a thing as ‘enough’. 

We also take a look at what happens when car makers don’t get it right. When was the last time you saw a Dodge Avenger or Hyundai XG on UK roads? We go through the history books searching for the 21st century’s motoring misfits to see what it looks like when a big brand gets the recipe wrong.

Opinions

This week’s Ford Focus road test had Steve Cropley reminiscing about the time he missed the holy grail of automotive journalism scoops. All’s well, though, as Monday saw him visit one of his favourite classic car dealers, near Birmingham, to spend some time with a 1971 Lotus Seven as part of our Icon of Icons feature. 

Matt Prior, however, had a much less satisfying voyage to our nation’s most canal-covered city. A spell on the M40 in Cupra’s new Ateca SUV revealed a profanity-inducing firm ride, which he then noted is also a pitfall of Honda’s new Civic Type R. Our tester asks: why have performance-oriented models become so harsh and unrefined in their ride quality?

Deals

This week, James Ruppert is on the case of rogue car dealers who manipulate online service records and digital readings to trick buyers into thinking they’re grabbing a low-mileage gem.