Mason Gibbons

Second-generation SUV more mature and arguably more engaging than predecessor but more expensive, too The rise of the coupé-inspired sports utility vehicle is in full force — and none more so than in the premium mid-sized class.Luxuriously equipped high-riding models such as the BMW X4, Land Rover Evoque, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Porsche Macan have proven particularly popular in the UK.As a sign of just how competitive this class of crossovers has become, BMW has now launched a second-generation X4 just four years after the orginal model reached showrooms.The decision, which was also forced in part by a need to link it with the model cycle strategy of the mechanically identical X3 to meet production line efficiencies, suddenly gives BMW the advantage of having the most contemporary offering in what has become a truly lucrative market segment.The model tested here, the £55,315 M40d M Performance, is the initial flagship of the new line-up. It is offered alongside the xDrive2...

Force India Formula 1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez believe the delay to an upgrade package planned for the Austrian Grand Prix caused their qualifying struggle

Charles Leclerc has revealed his Austrian Grand Prix gearbox change penalty was triggered by a suspension failure on his Sauber Formula 1 car

Renault's Formula 1 drivers have played down the impact of the new high-power engine mode used in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix

Formula 1 title contender Sebastian Vettel has been penalised for impeding Carlos Sainz Jr during the second segment of Austrian Grand Prix qualifying

Daniel Ricciardo admits he should have raised his concerns about the Red Bull Formula 1 team's Austrian Grand Prix qualifying plan before the session, after his disagreement with Max Verstappen

Sebastian Vettel believes Ferrari trailed Formula 1 rival Mercedes in both straightline speed and through fast corners in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix

Red Bull Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner says he does not understand Daniel Ricciardo's complaints over Max Verstappen and qualifying tactics at the Austrian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull Formula 1 team-mate Max Verstappen did not play "fair" in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix after refusing to give him a slipstream

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas claimed his first pole position of the 2018 Formula 1 season in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc is set for a grid penalty at the Austrian Grand Prix as his Sauber Formula 1 car needs a gearbox change following his morning practice failure

A new Ford Bronco is coming. An old one is on its way as well though, thanks to Jonathan Ward and his firm Icon. The truck is called the Old School BR, and it's a first-generation Ford Bronco buillt virtually from scratch. It's also better than any Bronco that ever left the Ford factory. When Icon first started crafting upgraded and reworked...

Red Bull fears that Formula 1's overhaul for 2021 is already being "watered down" and may end up with "vanilla" regulations, according to team principal Christian Horner

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has "no doubt" Red Bull and Honda will be competitive together in Formula 1

Sebastian Vettel was fastest in final practice for the Austrian Grand Prix as Ferrari overhauled Formula 1 rival Mercedes ahead of qualifying at the Red Bull Ring

Formula 1 could change its approach to penalties so the punishments are more closely aligned with the consequences of drivers' actions

This week we saw Aston Martin replace its Vanquish with a new super GT dubbed the DBS Superleggera. The Ferrari 812 Superfast rival features a full carbon fiber body and 715-horsepower V-12, and will be in showrooms by the end of the year. And Vanquish fans shouldn't sweat; we hear Aston Martin will revive the name for a mid-engine supercar due...

A-Class’s AMG Line spec tops the range There are no marks for effort here, only for achievement. So the new A-Class had better be on form if it wants to get one over on rivals The ‘A’ in Mercedes-Benz A-Class could stand in for so many concepts useful to us over the course of this piece. ‘A’ is for ‘agitant’, you may very well be thinking; especially if you’ve never been drawn quite so powerfully by the styling of a small Mercedes hatchback. It could also be for ‘advanced’, ‘alacritous’ or ‘accomplished’. That’s what I’m thinking, having driven one for a few hundred miles over an interesting couple of days. We’ve had occasion to write about this car twice already and, on both occasions, those sort of words freely tumbled out of the reviewers’ keyboard. On neither previous occasion, however, did we have an Audi A3 Sportback and a BMW 1 Series on hand–the cars against which the stature of Mercedes’ new compact premium hatchback must surely be measured – to check the veracity of o...

Chivers’ collection of cars is insured for £500,000 Serial Ferrari owner Scott Chivers buys the Ferraris you really never should, such as this project car he’s dubbed Ratarossa. We meet him It’s Stig of the Dump meets Don Johnson - a chop-top Ferrari Testarossa crudely stiffened and finished in primer; the antidote to all those gleaming Rosso Corsa Ferraris piloted once a year by meticulously groomed squillionaires, dressed to impress in prancing horse regalia. It belongs to Scott Chivers, a man with interesting views on Ferraris and owning them... “I have red Ferraris but it’s not my favourite colour and I don’t drive the cars to be seen,” he says. “My daily driver is a black 360 Challenge Stradale . I’ve owned it for eight years and done 50,000 miles in it. I go to the shops and take my kids to school in it. I love the fact it’s used – and looks it.” His Testarossa, or Ratarossa as he calls it (a name inspired by the term ‘rat’, short for ‘recycled automotive transport’ exempli...

MG isn't known for crossovers and sedans like it sells today under its Chinese owner SAIC. The British brand is best remembered for spritely roadsters of the 20th century, and according to MG, the brand will return to its roots. Speaking to Australian publication Drive in an interview published Thursday, MG head of design Shao Jingfeng confirmed...

To celebrate McLaren Automotive's 25th anniversary, the supercar maker decided to give back. The company donated a bespoke 570S Spider to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was auctioned off at the Argento Ball on Wednesday, at Elton John's home. The special 570S Spider features a Blade Silver exterior color to mark the company's silver...

After the company's latest round of investor funding, Lyft is now worth an estimated $15.1 billion. Fresh cash in the amount of $600 million pushed the ride-sharing company to its latest heights. Tech Crunch reported on Thursday that Fidelity Management & Research Company led the investments and has contributed $800 million to date. The firm...

Poor track-limit policing and inconsistent kerb designs during the Formula 1 season encourage drivers to take the liberties causing problems in Austrian Grand Prix practice, argues Sergio Perez

The North American International Auto Show, more commonly referred to as the Detroit auto show, isn't known for its sunshine and warm temperatures, but that will change come 2020. The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) will officially move North America's largest auto show from January to a warmer month. Two proposals are on the table to move...

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both praised the Mercedes Formula 1 car's latest upgrade package for the W09 after topping the Austrian Grand Prix Friday practice times

The FIA has moved to explain why Romain Grosjean was penalised during last week's French Grand Prix after the Haas driver's criticism of the decision on Thursday

The Haas Formula 1 team feels its handling of Kevin Magnussen's unsafe release during Austrian Grand Prix practice show it has improved since the pitstop disaster it suffered in Australia

Dodge unveiled the 2019 Challenger Hellcat Redeye; we piloted the wheel of the 2019 McLaren Senna; and the 2020 BMW 7-Series was spotted. It's the Week in Reverse, right here at 'Motor Authority.' Dodge laid out its 2019 Challenger lineup, and while the Demon's dead, many of its bits live on in the form of a new range-topping, 797-horsepower...

General Motors has filed to trademark a potential name for its first self-driving car. Filed on June 21, GM moved to protect the "AV1" name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Some may find similarities with the AV1 name to EV1—GM's first electric car. The EV1 bowed in 1996 and was made available exclusively via a lease...

Spy photographers have spotted a prototype for a new generation of the Porsche 911 Turbo, the everyday supercar. The new Porsche 911 is coming later this year, initially in Carrera and Carrera S guises. But you can count on there being multiple other versions to cater to Porsche’s discerning clientele. We’re talking close to two dozen...

Max Verstappen completed Austrian Grand Prix Friday practice with a "cut" floor on his Red Bull Formula 1 car after morning problems

Deposit is paid when customers configure their cars - it could signpost a production breakthrough, but also a need for more cash All Tesla Model 3 customers in the US and Canada have been invited by the company to pay their $2500 (around £1900) confirmation deposits.  Customers are usually invited to configure their car when their build slot approaches, and the $2500 deposit is paid at this stage. Now, reports the Detroit News , all US and Canada customers have been invited to pay the deposit and configure their cars.  The move, which has prompted mixed reactions from analysts and critics, with suggestions that the production ramp-up means that the end of the wait is in sight for those having paid their deposits, along with the suggestion that it could be a fundraising exercise as the second quarter draws to a close. The brand recently has ramped up Model 3 production on a third production line at its Fremont factory - the new line being a temporary structure ...

Porsche has obliterated the lap record for the Nürburgring. German racing driver Timo Bernhard took the 919 Evo time-attack car around the 12.9-mile course in just 5:19.55. You'll be stunned after watching the video of his epic run. Anyone that missed out on last year's Dodge Challenger SRT Demon shouldn't feel too sad. Dodge has just...

Latest sighting of facelifted luxury four-door shows it’ll also wear taller kidney grilles BMW 's facelifted  7 Series  will gain a pair of large front kidney grilles that take influence from its SUV sibling, the X7 , in order to closely align the two top models of the brand's range.  Due in 2019, the updated luxury saloon's new nostrils will be accompanied by sharper exterior styling that includes slimmer headlights and taillights. This more modern look will mirror changes to be introduced beneath the skin, the most significant of which will come via the introduction of a more potent plug-in hybrid variant. The flagship range’s current electrified model, the 740e iPerformance , will give way to a 745e iPerformance that uses a hybrid electric powertrain offering more punch and increased range. Output for the 740e peaks at 322bhp and 369lb ft of torque, but the use of a more advanced motor powered by batteries of a higher energy density is e...

Lewis Hamilton headed a Mercedes one-two on the debut of the car's heavily-upgraded aerodynamic package in Friday's second Formula 1 free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix

Round nine of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes us this weekend to the city of Spielberg, where the Red Bull Ring, home of the Austrian Grand Prix, is located. At a short 2.688 miles in length, it takes just 68 seconds to complete a lap of the Red Bull Ring, which is made up of only nine corners—the fewest of any circuit on the...

Sauber team boss Frederic Vasseur says there has been no discussion with Ferrari over Charles Leclerc taking Kimi Raikkonen's seat during the current Formula 1 season

Waymo CEO John Krafcik has revealed that the mobility company will need to add a “large number” of additional cars to its growing fleet of self-driving cars as it prepares to enter Europe. In an interview with Handelsblatt published Thursday, Krafcik explained that all announcements so far, including the purchase of 62,000 Chrysler...

CEO Andy Palmer wary that new regulations won't end F1's spending war Aston Martin  is on the brink of canning its ambitions to make engines for Formula 1, with new regulations set to move away from the cost-controlled formula originally proposed by F1 rule makers. Although a final decision on the new regulations, which are expected to come into effect from 2021, is not expected to be announced until this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Aston boss Andy Palmer told Autocar: “It doesn’t look like the new regulations will be of interest, sadly. “Aston was interested on the basis that costs would be controlled and that the formula would be one part of an equation that would put control back into the hands of the driver. I don’t see the costs coming down far enough with the regulations I’ve heard discussed and I do see that the opportunity to spend a fortune chasing down a tenth of a second a lap will remain. Aston Martin DBS Superleggera revealed “At Aston, we love the s...