Autocar Lunchbox: Our first long-termer, V8 duo compared and more
We round up our hottest stories, pictures and videos for you to devour in your lunch break
It’s everyone’s favourite part of the working day, lunchtime, and you’re no doubt craving a hefty dose of car-related content.
So we’ve revived our Autocar Lunchbox feature to bring you our favourite videos, stories, photos, quotes and more all in one place.
Here are today’s picks:
*HOT NEWS*
Land Rover’s new MHEV tech, introduced to the Evoque and Discovery Sport’s four-cylinder engines last year, will soon be rolled out to the full-size Range Rover with a pair of new six-cylinder units, Autocar understands. The 296bhp D300 and 345bhp D350 motors will offer enhanced efficiency and smoother stop-start driving, and will essentially replace the Range Rover’s 4.4-litre diesel V8, which is now 10 years old.
*Land Rover's mild-hybrid tech spells end for V8 diesel Range Rover*
*VIDEO OF THE DAY*
More Land Rover news now. Well, it’s not strictly news unless you’ve been living under a rock… The new Defender is finally here, and we’ve been getting dusty out in Namibia to see if the blocky SUV boasts the same off-road credentials as its iconic forebear. See how we got on below:
*PHOTO OF THE DAY*
A bona fide muscle car should be able to consume rear tyres as quickly as it consumes fuel, but the latest Ford Mustang needed to inject a degree of frugality and refinement into the mix if it was going to be a success in Europe. Back when it arrived on our shores, we put it up against the latest iteration of the Chevrolet Camaro to see which best embodies the ‘no replacement for displacement’ ethos.
*Ford Mustang versus Chevrolet Camaro: muscle car twin test*
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*QUOTE OF THE DAY*
“The EV revolution could create more than 11 million tonnes of battery waste worldwide a year in the next 20 years - enough to fill Wembley Stadium almost 20 times.”
Battery technology firm Aceleron lays bare one of the potentially dangerous side effects of widespread EV adoption: waste. The solution, it claims, is to cultivate a circular economy that sees battery components refurbished and re-used.
*Battery technology firm warns of looming EV waste problem*
*FROM THE ARCHIVE*
The Autocar long-termers garage always houses an eclectic mix of new cars, ranging from snorting fire-breathers like the McLaren 720S to frugal runabouts such as the Kia Ceed. It hasn’t always been that way, though; in 1897, the fleet comprised just one car: a 4hp Daimler with coachwork by Arthur Mulliner. It took a year to arrive, and covered a whopping 276 miles in its first ten days in our tenure. Not bad, when the national speed limit was just 14mph…
*Throwback Thursday: Autocar gets its first long-term test car in 1897*
*POPULAR OPINION*
When you regularly get behind the wheel of some of the most powerful new cars on the planet, a diminutive supermini can feel underwhelming, but not the Volkswagen Up GTI. “Its zippy engine and Mini-like handling – along with the glorious simplicity of its styling and character – make you wonder why on earth you need anything bigger or pricier for honest driving enjoyment,” reckons Steve Cropley. “Conclusion: you don’t.”
*Steve Cropley: Small and simple is the formula for driving nirvana*