Autocar UK – March 11 2026 – Autocar UK

The tacho can also swivel to put 7000rpm at 12 o’clock. Roof controls are at the back of the centre console just ahead of the armrest cubby. There’s ˔˟˦ˢ˔˕˨˧˧ˢˡ˙ˢ˥˧˛˘˪˜ˡ˗˗˘Є˘˖˧ˢ˥ʟ˪˛˜˖˛˜˦ ˘˟˘˖˧˥˜˖ʟ˨ˡ˟˜˞˘˜ˡ˧˛˘ˀ˘˥˖˘˗˘˦ʠʴˀʺˆʿʩʦʡ ʶˢˡ˧˥ˢ˟˦˙ˢ˥˧˛˘ʤʫʠ˪˔ˬʴ˗˔ˣ˧˜˩˘ˆˣˢ˥˧˦ seats (£2428) are on the side of the chair and offer generous adjustment of the bolsters for both the base and back. They’re excellent. ◀ it is possible to have in a modern performance car. Among the switches on the transmission tunnel that raise or lower the roof sits another for the wind deflector. It deploys electrically (unlike, remarkably, its manual counterpart in the more expensive Mercedes-AMG SL 63) and quickly, and we found it does a fair job of ameliorating wind buffeting at speed, especially if you also have the side windows up.

As ever, though, it can’t be used if you have passengers in the rear. Those passengers (most likely children) will find that the backrests are slightly more upright than in the coupé, and can be folded forwards to create a luggage deck, as in the coupé. Meanwhile, head room in both rows, with the roof in place, is as per the coupé. Unsurprisingly the removable roof does nothing to dent the 992’s 135 litres of storage in its deep frunk cavity. However, the same is also true of the four-wheel drive system and the T-Hybrid battery pack.

Our test car, despite being outfitted with so much hardware, retains the same capacity as a basic Carrera. And very useful space it is, too. PROS˂˨˧˥˔˚˘ˢ˨˦˦ˣ˘˘˗˙ˢ˥˔˗˔˜˟ˬʠ ˨˦˔˕˟˘˖ˢˡ˩˘˥˧˜˕˟˘ʮˇʠʻˬ˕˥˜˗ʦʡʩ˛˔˦ character; stunning gearbox CONSʿ˔˖˞˦˔ʿ˔ˠ˕ˢ˥˚˛˜ˡ˜ˉʤʣʲ On the day of its test, last year’s rear- drive Carrera GTS coupé weighed 1607kg on our scales, with a power- to-weight ratio of 332bhp per tonne. In this 4WD cabriolet, that figure is reduced to 303bhp per tonne as tested, though this hardly mattered in the explosive context of the car’s standing starts.

The convertible hit 60mph from rest in 2.9sec – just one tenth behind its lighter, rear-driven coupé counterpart. You might be wondering how, with the benefit of front-axle traction, the 4 GTS Cabriolet wasn’t in fact quicker than the coupé, even with its weight disadvantage. Ambient temperature plays a part, for sure: 3deg C was cooler than the 8deg C on the day of the coupé’s test.

The 4WD car was also more consistent, rattling off sub-3.0sec times back to back. The coupé’s sensational 2.8sec effort was more of an outlier, the rear axle hooking up beautifully on that run. Lastly, an as-tested weight delta of 163kg certainly isn’t nothing, being about two passengers’ worth. From there, the Cabriolet ran a 11.0sec quarter mile, versus 11.6sec for the Mercedes-AMG SL 63, which makes it quicker than the Carrera GT we tested in 2004. And the GTS Cabriolet has far better wind insulation than the famous V10 supercar of the 2000s ever did.

At least a decade ago, I was told frequently by various car industry execs that hybrids were the ideal ‘bridging technology’ towards electric cars. Yet here we are 10 years later, and hybrids – particularly plug-in hybrids – are as relevant today as they ever were. Whichever side of the EV fence you’re on, we have all witnessed the rocky road to EV uptake. EVs do now ˖ˢˠ˙ˢ˥˧˔˕˟ˬˢ˨˧˦˘˟˟˃ʻʸˉ˦ʟ˕˨˧˪˛˜˟˘ʸˉ˚˥ˢ˪˧˛˪˔˦Є˔˧˜ˡ January in the UK, PHEV sales were up a staggering 47%.

As our group test on p40 shows, there’s a number of very viable PHEVs out there in the most popular segment of all: the family SUV. (We’re not all Ferrari, Porsche and Lambo comparisons, you know.) As PHEV electric ranges have risen from around 20 miles to 70-plus, suddenly this ‘bridging technology’ is more compelling than ever as the only household car. You can run it as an EV for most daily trips, with the combustion engine as back-up for a long-haul holiday in the UK or the continent each year.

ˊ˜˧˛˜˧ˡˢ˪˖ˢˡЃ˥ˠ˘˗˧˛˔˧˃ʻʸˉ˦˪˜˟˟˕˘˔˟˟ˢ˪˘˗ˢˡ˦˔˟˘˛˘˥˘ until 2035, rather than 2030, the industry is proving – as our test shows – there’s plenty of life in them yet as an alternative to full EVs. And importantly, consumers are speaking up in the most powerful way possible: with their wallets. THIS WEEK 11 MARCH 2026 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3 EVs FALTER BUT PLUG-IN HYBRIDS FIND THEIR PLACE Retro sports cars rule Modern sports cars look better with a retro-inspired design.

Jack Harrison explains why the Morgan Plus Four is one of the best. autocar.co.uk What’s in the garage? From old Autocar road test snaps to a Volkswagen Baja ʵ˨˚ʟЃˡ˗ˢ˨˧˪˛˔˧ Matt Prior has tucked away in his garage. Sim racing made real Ever seen a sim rig drive an actual radio- controlled car? Matt Saunders drives the world’s smallest Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Rachel Burgess, magazine editor [email protected] COMMENT Issue 6714 | Volume 328 | No 1 Meanwhile, online… 50 DACIA DESIGN BOSS IN THE ALPS 48 CYBERTRUCK JOINS UK CAR MEET NEWS Inside line on Merc’s new A-Class 4 Dacia Striker targets C-segment 8 WRC prototype hints at new Celica 10 ˆˣ˘˖˜˔˟˅ˆʦ˛ˢˡˢ˨˥˦ʴ˨˗˜Ѓ˩˘ʠˣˢ˧ 12 Why Volvo’s EX60 is a trailblazer 14 Merc VLE is a 435-mile electric MPV 16 FIRST DRIVES Mazda CX-5 24 Changan Deepal S05 28 BMW iX3 29 Lotus Emira 31 ROAD TEST Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet 32 FEATURES Five plug-in hybrid SUVs do battle 40 Tesla Cybertruck lands in London 48 Dacia design chief David Durand 50 High 5: Dutton kit cars are back!

54 LONG-TERMERS Volvo XC90 56 Audi Q6 E-tron 58 BMW 330Ci 59 COLUMNS Jesse Crosse 13 Nick Gibbs 15 Steve Cropley 17 Matt Prior 18 Damien Smith 19 Testing, testing 39 Why I love…

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