GOOD NEWS: CHRISTMAS HAS COME EARLY

WELCOME TO Autocar’s Christmas double issue – yes,

All-new BMW iX3 to spark Neue Klasse model blitz

Six new EVs to harness a platform and tech that R&D boss calls “a game-changer”

Incoming electric super-saloon could take iM3 name

BMW HAS JUST given a big clue to

Toyota to top and tail expanding EV line-up

Japanese firm’s EV range is set to gain a luxury fastback flagship and an urban SUV

GEELY, NIO POOL BATTERY SWAP TECH

Chinese car giants Geely and Nio will jointly

AUDI RS Q3 WITHDRAWN FROM UK SALE

The Audi RS Q3 is no longer available

Morgan back on EV trail with 635kg trike

OFFICIAL PICTURES XP-1’s design has been updated to

LOTUS CHARGES AT TESLA IN EUROPE

Lotus is going after Tesla… again. But this

AMG MAKES CLE MORE AGGRESSIVE

The new Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupé has filled

Price parity for new Nissans

Qashqai and Juke won’t jump in price when they go electric-only later this decade

New British super-luxury brand

Prototype specialist HPL sets up as Allesley as client-led coachbuilder

SECRET SOURCE

OUR INDUSTRY INSIDER

PORSCHE GOES MINING FOR DATA ON JUPITER

UNDER THE SKIN JESSE CROSSE

Matt Prior

TESTER’S NOTES

Steve Cropley

MY STARS OF 2023

Damien Smith

RACING LINES

YOUR VIEWS

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com Come to your sensors Having

THE NEXT ISSUE

GREAT REASONS TO BUY ON SALE 20 DECEMBER

Our stocking full of historical presents

“When she asks you what you want for

The Autocar

ON THIS DAY

The covers of Christmas past

Left to right: 1924, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1945,

Land, sea, air: 50 years of Xmas tests

1972 1986 1974 OUR TRADITION OF conducting an

SLIDESHOW

The most controversial Fords ever sold

SMART #3

NEW CARS TESTED AND RATED

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

Is baby Land Rover’s ‘reductive’ interior redesign a help or a hindrance?

VAUXHALL ASTR A SPORTS TOURER ELECTRIC

Smart-looking estate gains electric power and aload bay that might swing the deal

CUPRA FORMENTOR VZ5 BAT

Five-pot SUV is given a ‘darker edge’ for an ‘even more emotional driving experience’

Pelican of London

Elegant tall ship with a criminal past now enables young people to sail the high seas

A great way for the novice or experienced to see the world

VERDICT ★★★★★ Even if Pelican of London wasn’t

MAKING A MEAL OF IT

Our festive convention of food and cars carries a theme this year, as our testers pick their most underrated models of 2023. Vicky Parrott slices the turkey(s)

2023 AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS

From people and places to some very special cars, we look back over the past 12 months and pick our favourite motoring-related moments

Kit and caboodle

Pocher model cars are tabletop facsimiles of the real things and coveted by enthusiasts and collectors. John Evans tries not to glue his fingers together

DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Home is where Christmas dinner is, so it’s vital to get there in time. Here are a few ways to do it in style, Bangernomically, against the odds

LET IT TOW, LET IT TOW

Driving home for Christmas isn’t an option if your car won’t start, but it’s the breakdown firms’ busiest time of the year. John Evans finds out why

FULL CHAT

Autocar’s My Week In Cars podcast is going from strength to strength. Steve Cropley looks back at how it all began – and where it might lead

Toys that made us love cars

It’s all about the receiving, right? The Autocar staff reminisce about the past by recalling their most inspiring automotive presents

ALL THE GEAR AND DOE-EYED DEER

Winter camping isn’t ever yone’s Thermos of tea, but some say it’s an annual highlight. Richard Webber tries it in style with a Porsche 911 Dakar

Anyone for Tannis?

The annual Car of the Year contest kicks off with an incongruous get-together on a windswept beach in Denmark. Jury member Mark Tisshaw was there

“Niki Lauda was a smart operator. If I had 50% of that, maybe I would have won a world title”

John Watson’s humility kept him out of the Formula 1 spotlight, but he won the hearts of fans. Damien Smith finally meets his hero

SKIDS AND SHORTCUTS

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without coming to blows with a relative over a board game. So James Ruppert has created one for all the family to play

PICK UP AND GO

Pick-up truck racing is a UK motorsport success story that’s been attracting some serious talent. John Evans goes to watch

FRANKEL’S FESTIVE MISCELLANY

Motoring trivia archive Andrew Frankel stages his annual clear-out of random facts and stats for your enjoyment

TRADING PLACES

Behind the rich veneer of test cars, Autocar’s staff live a life of more mundane motoring. Here are the vehicles we’ve bought and sold in 2023

SANTA’S LITTLE MOTOR

He’s making a list, he’s check ing it twice – but he can’t find the right car and he needs some advice. Felix Page and the elves put the reindeer out to grass by creating a car for Santa using the best bits of the finest models on sale

MAX ATTACK

Virtuoso performances and one-driver domination have been running themes in the wide world of motor racing this year. Damien Smith was track ing it all

Turkey consumed, Airfix 4.5-litre Bentley built. Now what?

Don’t fester under your tissue paper hat – switch off the television set and go out and do something less boring instead. John Evans has some ideas

OH, WHAT A PICTURE

The skill of our superb photographers helps bring Autocar to life. Over the following pages, Max Edleston and Jack Harrison pick out their favourite photos from the wonderful – and sometimes weird – world of cars

Our Christmas motoring reads

Never mind the King’s Christmas speech – instead, why not exercise and excite your grey matter with a motoring-related book? Here are our top picks

Nostalgia vs reality

Is it really feasible to get a classic car and use it as your everyday motor in 2023? Steve Cropley gives it a go with a 1977 Ford Capri

A FANTASY F1 DREAML AND

You have all of the sport’s histor y to choose from, so when push comes to shove, who and what would make up your ultimate Formula 1 team? Damien Smith starts to daydream

THE QUIZMAS CRACKER

If your festively festering grey matter needs a Christmas Day workout, try our deliciously nerdy car quiz. It starts easy but gets harder – and no Googling!

AND OUR WINNERS ARE …

Which were our favourite long-term test cars of 2023? It’s been a hard-fought contest but the votes are finally in. Mark Tisshaw presides over the final count

A MATTER OF CORSAS

It’s comfortable, reliable and easy to own. What’s not to like?

ROAD TEST INDEX

The latest and greatest rated as only Autocar

NEW CARS A TO Z

For full reviews of every car listed here, visit our website, autocar.co.uk