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What we're excited for in 2018
The car industry rarely takes a rest, and with the continuing rise of electric cars and other major industry shifts, there's a lot to look forward to in 2018. We asked around the office to find out what the Autocar team were excited for in 2018.
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More very fast cars with powerful petrol engines
The internal combustion engine is doomed and, before too long, the idea of actually driving a car yourself will seem absurd. That’s what we’re being told. And yet, 2018 looks like being a vintage year for very fast new cars with powerful petrol engines.
There’ll be at least three new Aston Martins - one, the Valkyrie (pictured), perhaps the fastest road car ever built - the return of the BMW 8 Series, the near-600bhp Jaguar XE SV Project 8, the unhinged Lamborghini Urus, the F1-engined Mercedes-AMG Project One - another contender for fastest road car ever built - and the return of a Japanese icon, the Toyota Supra. There’s even going to be a new V8-powered TVR Griffith! Yep, the demise of the petrol engine is proving to be very good fun indeed.
Dan Prosser, contributing writer
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Land Rover Defender
Ok, it may not go on sale in 2018 but I’m hoping by this time next year we’ll know a hell of a lot about the replacement for a car rivalled only by the Mini and Jaguar E-type as the most iconic British car of all time. It doesn’t need to be traditional, it certainly doesn’t need to be retro - in fact there is only one thing it absolutely has to be from its stem to its stern and that is authentic. Land Rover should regard it as their 911 GT3 RS, the model that provides the credibility that allows its maker to make all sorts of other cars because the customer knows that, deep down, it still gets what made it great.
This is the car that will show us whether Land Rover is now just another premium SUV manufacturer or whether it realises to this day why it’s different. It may sell in small volumes, but for these reasons it will be the most important car Land Rover makes.
Andrew Frankel, senior contributing writer
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More electric cars
It sounds awfully sensible, but I’m intrigued to see how the arrival of the first round of new premium electric vehicles is received. The electric cars currently on the market have been around for a while, so to see a new injection in to the market will be fascinating – and telling. Which will come first - the Audi E-Tron (our impression of which is pictured) or Jaguar I-Pace? They’re so closely pitted, that fight alone is an exciting one. It will also set the scene for 2019, when practically every car maker out there will sell new electric models, all of which is likely to overhaul the car parque as we know it.
Rachel Burgess, news editor
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Ford Fiesta ST
The previous ST was the best hot hatch in its class - a class of car that tugs on the heartstrings perhaps more than any other - right through its life. And now there is a new one. We actually saw it almost a year ago at the Geneva show in March, but won’t drive the finished car until at least the spring. Yet despite the delay the appetite remains whetted - it matches the performance of the old car despite losing a cylinder, and we know how charatcerful three-cylinder turbos can be. There will be many bigger, faster and more powerful cars than than the Fiesta ST launched in 2018, but if Ford gets it right, there will be few more memorable.
Mark Tisshaw, editor
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Jaguar iPace and Land Rover Defender
Two JLR 2018 blockbusters overwhelm everything else for me. First is the debut of an all-electric Jaguar that sets out to undermine Tesla by ditching almost everything we know about a Jag: the noise, the powertrain and the long-nosed proportions. Looks great so far but we’re yet to see a finished interior and the driving will be vital. Quality, too…
Meanwhile, exactly what the very first new Defender looks like — and what it implies about the promised Defender family — will be absolutely vital. It’s not going to be possible to please everyone; I just hope they give us something that conforms to the mythical “three lines” that have described the Landie up to now.
Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief
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Some very good diesel deals
It’s official: diesel is dying. Apparently. And while that means you’re probably best advised not to spend your hard-earned on a diesel car right now, it does mean that in future, once prices have slipped, they’re going to make cracking buys. There’s a plethora of very desirable diesels out there that will still offer the same combination of thumping torque and low fuel consumption even after values have slumped, and the market will be flooded with them too. Which means if you don’t need to drive in a city centre all that often (and can therefore avoid the hefty congestion charges that look likely in years to come), older diesels – especially powerful ones – are soon going to start to look mighty attractive.
Alex Robbins, used cars editor
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Renault Megane Renault Sport
I can’t afford a Porsche 911 GT3; I probably won’t ever be able to. But one day, if I keep adding coppers to the piggy bank, I might just be able to afford its hot hatch equivalent, the Renault Megáne Renault Sport. Ever since driving the last hot Meg in Trophy-R form I’ve been convinced Renault Sport is home to the best front-wheel drive engineers on the planet. I therefore think their new baby, due in April, stands very good chance of stealing the hot hatch crown back from Honda’s Civic Type R. You see, like the boffins at Porsche Motorsport, Renault Sport employees really know how to set up a performance car chassis. And with a four-wheel steering system to play with on the new car, I’m expecting Dieppe’s finest to produce nothing short of a driving master class.
Sam Sheehan, senior staff writer
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Tesla Model 3
There’s a bit of a leap of faith here, given that the Tesla Model 3 was never scheduled to reach our shores until later months of the year, and the current delays in production threaten to push back its launch date yet further. But - when the time comes - we’ll get the clearest indication yet of whether Tesla is going to be remembered as a disruptor or lay down some foundations as part of the firmament of next-generation car makers. The Model 3 is billed as a next-generation 3 Series; finding out if it can come close to the BMW is going to be fascinating.
Jim Holder, editorial director
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Infiniti QX50
Autocar is not noted for getting excited about facelifts of school-run SUVs, but an exception should be made for this car. This Infiniti will be the first production car to feature a variable compression petrol engine, and to cut a long story short, this makes the engine much more economical - perhaps by around 30%. Yes, it basically makes petrol engines as economical as those powered by that fuel whose name now escapes me that used to be very popular but everyone seems to be running away from with great urgency. Petrol verve and smoothness, economically delivered. Marvellous to have while we wait for practical and affordable electric cars to arrive - let’s hope they’re a good drive to boot.
Tom Evans, senior consulting editor
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Volkswagen Up GTI
I’ve got a soft spot for tiny city cars: what they lack in size and speed they can make up for in sheer driving verve. And the Volkswagen Up is one of the very best city cars. So I’m excited about the prospect of the German firm taking an Up and giving it the GTI treatment, complete with a 114bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged engine. Given that the latest Polo GTI is the best yet, I’m hoping Volkswagen can carry that momentum into its smallest car. And the Up’s size is important: it has almost the exact dimensions of the original Golf GTI. Is that a good omen? I think that's a good omen...
James Attwood, digital editor
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