You expect to be going fast in a Lotus, but time travel ? surely even they can?t manage that? Well, you?d better believe it because, even though we?re barely past Easter 2010, here is the 2011 Lotus Elise.

Face-lift
The most obvious change is the face-lift that has made Lotus?s best-selling car look more like the recently launched Evora. The company says it gives the car a more aggressive and purposeful look, and it?s all topped off by the latest must-have automotive accessory: daytime LED running lights.

New engine
The Elise also moves from a 1.8-litre engine to a 1.6 unit, which is sourced from Toyota but controlled by Lotus?s own engine management system.

Despite its smaller size, this new engine is as powerful as the one it replaces, and gets the Elise from 0 to 60mph in just 6.0 seconds. It?s also 20% more economical. Average fuel economy is now an impressive 45.0mpg and its CO2 emissions are just 149g/km ? figures you?d more readily associate with a supermini than a sports car.

On the road
The key to the more efficient performance is the Elise?s light weight, and that also pays dividends in the way the car drives. On top of the car?s wonderfully stiff body, accurate steering and superbly controlled handling, the result is one of the most enjoyable cars in the UK to drive. Yes, you need to rev the engine hard to get the best from it, but this is a sports car, so that?s all part of the fun. Besides, the new six-speed gearbox has a very slick change.

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 Audi?s RS performance wing produces powerful pound-for-pound fighters. The TT RS outmuscles many of its featherweight rivals, while the RS6 is the undisputed powerhouse of the heavyweight division. Say hello to a new middleweight contender.

Under the bonnet
Appropriately, the RS5 packs a big punch. Its 4.2 V8 unleashes 444bhp close to its lofty 8500rpm rev limit, but acceleration is brutal from anywhere on the range, and the noise it makes is even more spectacular.

On the road
To keep all that power going where you point it, Audi has thrown all its technological know-how into the RS5. There?s a new, improved four-wheel-drive system with new centre differential, clever electronic aids and lowered, adaptable suspension.

It all adds up to very nifty footwork. The body stays impressively flat in any sort of corner, while ferocious grip and strong traction mean it munches through backroads quickly and securely. This ferocious grip would be even more exploitable if the steering offered more feedback.

The ride can be very raw, but switch the car from dynamic mode into automatic or comfort modes, and you adopt less aggressive suspension settings. It improves things greatly, but because we drove on flawless Spanish surfaces, we can?t say for sure whether it?s compliant enough to cope with the UK?s battered surfaces.

All in all, though, the RS5 is an impressive package. Then again, with a price that pits it against the BMW M3 and Nissan GTR, it needs to be.
Ivan.Aistrop@whatcar.com

What Car? says
A beautiful coupe with beastly power

 Renault has revealed the final look of its Fluence Z.E. electric family car and launched a website for buyers to register their interest.

Click to see a larger photo of the Renault Fluence

.

The free, no-obligation registration

puts motorists in the queue for the five-seater car which arrives in 2011. Renault says it will have a pricetag comparable with a similarly equipped diesel, so it should cost around £20,000 after the Government's £5000 electric car incentive is taken into account.

How much?
That's much more affordable than the £38,699 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which goes on sale this year, because Renault expects most buyers to lease, rather than own, the expensive lithium-ion batteries in the Fluence.

Renault claims the total ownership cost will, consequently, be similar to that of conventionally powered.

Much of the detail of that claim is still to be subjected to scrutiny, however. It's unclear over what time period Renault is talking about and, crucially, what sort of resale value it's projecting for the Fluence.

While day-to-day running costs are certain to be much lower than a petrol or diesel car ? with a full recharge costing less than a £1 compared with a £60 tank refill ? whether it is more cost effective over three years will hinge on the question of how much of its original value it retains.

What's the Renault Fluence like?
The Fluence has a 99-mile range and takes around six hours to recharge through a domestic socket. Renault is also planning fast-charge stations that can replenish the batteries in half an hour, as well as quick drop stations where empty batteries can be swapped for fully charged units in three minutes.

Top speed is capped at 84mph. There's no official 0-62mph acceleration time, but we expect the Fluence to do it in around 11 seconds.

We've driven

the concept-version of the Fluence as well as the other electric cars that Renault is developing: the two-seater Twizzy and the supermini Zoe.

Will electric cars really take off?
The Renault-Nissan Alliance certainly thinks so. The group is wholly committed to electric cars and believes they will account for 10% of the market by 2020.

The two companies have committed to £3.5 billion of investment in the electric car programme and together have 2000 dedicated staff working on development.

You can also see what company boss Carlos Ghosn

thinks about it all in our Big Interview feature.

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 The Audi A8 is now bigger, more powerful and luxurious with the arrival of the new range-topping A8 L W12.

In the cabin
Luxury and space take centre stage, with longer rear doors improving access to its Valonea leather upholstered cabin. The new car is almost half a foot (130mm) longer and 2mm higher than the standard car.

Four-zone air-conditioning comes as standard ? with no fewer than 25 motors helping to control the environment.

There's also the option of a full-length console between the separate rear seats. This can be specified with executive essentials such as a retractable work desk and refrigerator.

Under the bonnet
The A8 L W12 is powered by a 493bhp 6.3-litre engine, which can blast it from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and on to a electronically limited speed of 155mph.

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 A funny thing has happened to BMW in recent years. It no longer talks about 'ultimate driving machines' (well, not often, anyway), and references to 'unbeatable BMWs' are more likely to refer to fuel economy and company car tax scales than dynamic prowess.

Emotion has been overtaken by cold logic. It?s a company that has come over all sensible.

They don't come much more sensible than this ? the 320d Efficient Dynamics. In effect, it's a business-user special version of the 3 Series saloon, created at the behest of the UK market, which will take 60% of production.

Fuel economy: 68.9mpg. CO2 emissions: 109g/km. Company car tax band: 13%. All of which means businesses can write off 100% of the cost of the car in its first year, and can probably expect higher resale values when the time comes to sell it on.

You might expect figures like that from a supermini or maybe a compact hatch, but this is a junior executive saloon. Incredible.

How it works
To make it possible, there's a new version of BMW's 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. It develops 161bhp, which is 20bhp less than the regular 320d, but has the same amount of torque (280lb ft), and employs various tricks to reduce frictional and heat losses.

Super-long gearing means the engine is turning over at less than 2000rpm at the UK motorway limit, and therefore using less fuel. There are also the usual 3 series economy aids of engine stop-start, brake energy recovery and a gearshift indicator.

So where's the catch? Frankly, there isn't one. The car costs exactly the same as a regular 320d, and its 20bhp power deficit is ably compensated for by the plentiful torque, which kicks in at just over 1500rpm and is on full stream by 1900.

You don't have to be forever stirring the gearlever, therefore, and any notion that the super-long sixth gear will only be usable on an empty flat motorway at 4am can soon be dispelled. You'll be surprised how often you can make use of it.

There's a bit of rattle and rumble from the engine after a cold start or when accelerating sharply, but for the rest of the time the extra measures BMW has introduced to ensure it stays quiet and refined at its lower operating range work well. You're mostly unaware it's there at all. If someone had suggested all this was possible just five years ago, you'd have called them bonkers.

Price £27,245
On sale Now
Verdict You'll love it, and your fleet manager will love it

 Toyota is to test the safety of all its 4x4s ? including those available in the UK ? after safety concerns led to the worldwide suspension of Lexus GX460 sales.

A Toyota UK spokesman said: 'We are now conducting driving tests for all Toyota/Lexus 4x4s ? including the Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado and Rav4.

'The tests will be as close as possible to the emergency-handling tests that the Consumer Reports magazine [the US publication which labelled the Lexus GX460 a 'safety risk'] has conducted.'

The manufacturer has also confirmed that, unlike the GX460, sales of its other SUVs will continue as normal.

Safety fears spark tests
The latest safety problem to hit Toyota was sparked by the global suspension of sales of its new Lexus GX460 SUV.

An article published by Consumer Reports, a US-based independent review organisation, warned consumers not to buy the Lexus GX460 after its test revealed serious flaws with the vehicle's handling.

Out of control
The article said: 'When pushed to its limits on our track's handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control.'

The review continued: 'In real-world driving, that situation could lead to a roll-over accident, which could cause serious injury or death.'

Sales suspended globally
Toyota has confirmed that sales of the flagship 4x4 will be suspended while it undertakes safety tests of its own.

A statement from the company said: 'At this time we have asked our dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the 2010 GX460.

'Lexus' extensive vehicle testing provides a good indication of how our vehicles perform and we are confident that the GX meets our high safety standards.'

The Lexus GX460
The Lexus GX460 was launched in the US three months ago, and around 5000 vehicles have been sold.

Other than the US and Canada, the 2010 Lexus GX 460 is sold only in the Middle East and Russia.

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 What Car? can reveal that 43% of motorists surveyed have no faith in any of the main political parties.

What Car? editor Steve Fowler said: 'Our poll shows how little confidence the average motorist has in politicians.

'With more than 34 million motorists in this country, politicians would do well to listen to what they have to say.'

What Car? asked: which political party would serve motorists best?

4% Green Party
5% Liberal Democrats
11% Labour
37% Conservatives
43% none of the above

A total of 1238 motorists voted in the Whatcar.com poll between April 6 and April 13.

Motorists are having to dig deep to run their cars with costs escalating year-on-year. Car prices have risen, as have insurance premiums, while fuel costs are at an all-time high.

The Treasury gets a massive amount of revenue from motorists ? the 65% tax charged per litre of fuel raises around £25 billion each year alone.

 Older drivers are among the safest on the road and shouldn't have to take a compulsory retest, according to a report from the RAC Foundation.

The report reveals that introducing compulsory retesting for drivers over 70 is unnecessary, would reduce mobility, and be difficult to police.

The foundation says 70 to 80-year-olds are less likely to be involved in accidents than many younger age groups, however, they are more likely to be killed or seriously injured if they do crash.

It is only when drivers reach 80 years-old, or do only a limited mileage, that the risk of accidents increases, the report says.

Prove you're safe with What Car?
If you're over 70-years-old, What Car? would like to give you the chance to prove the RAC Foundation report right by taking your test again with our driving school.

It's entirely free, will be arranged at your convenience up to May 21 and won't have any repercussions for your diving licence if you slip up.

Get in touch

and prove that older drivers are safe.

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 Mini is looking for another 20 drivers to run one of its electric cars in a six-month trial.

The trial will start in September and owner-testers will have to pay £330 a month for the car.

Mini E trial criteria
Along with the £330 monthly charge, testers must live in Andover, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Slough, or West London.

Volunteers will also need a private garage, car port or driveway with space for a high-power charging system to be installed.

This can fully charge the Mini E's lithium-ion battery in 4.5 hours, whereas it takes 10 hours to charge through a domestic socket.

If you'd like to be one of the next electric Mini drivers, fill out the online application

at Mini's website www.electricmini.co.uk

How fast? How far?
The Mini E is a nippy electric car: it can travel from 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 95mph. Maximum range is a respectable 155 miles.

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