AutoWeek 50 will be in stores from tomorrow or will fall on your doormat this week. As usual, in this issue you will find some interesting first driving tests, including one with the Rivian R1T. An electric pick-up from the US of which a lot is expected. We also already drive the Maserati Grecale and we have a real Porsche 968 on the dynamometer.
However, we start with a wonderfully sober double test. The new Skoda Fabia can compete with the Dacia Sandero. Skoda profiles itself as an extremely smart brand, which is apparent from the many ingenuity in their models. Two Eastern bloc countries further and you are in Romania, the cradle of Dacia, another such sophisticated brand. In addition, many people associate Skoda and Dacia with ‘budget’, but we see that the proportions are slightly different these days.
Rivian R1T
Of a completely different order is the Rivian R1T, a very strong electric pick-up, which also comes in an SUV version in the form of the R1S. Although Rivian has not yet settled in Europe and has only just started in its home country of the US, we were already able to experience the R1T firsthand.
Another car that is not yet on the market and could be driven for a while is the Maserati Grecale. The introduction should have already taken place, but due to the chip shortage, among other things, we have to be patient for a while. With the Grecale, Maserati now also wants to profit from the Porsche Macan segment. We set off with the little brother of the Levante.
The Volkswagen ID3 has been on the market for a while now and it seems that the current range in itself is sufficient for what people are looking for in the Netherlands. After all, with our endurance test ID3, we concluded that the 58 kWh battery is actually sufficient for the Dutch situation. Nevertheless, Volkswagen now also offers a version with even more battery capacity. Only: it seems a bit retrospective.
You may have long forgotten them, but this Suzuki Vitara and Toyota RAV4 are two very important cars. They have gone down in history as the founders of the SUV craze. In the loose sand of Drenthe we bring two survivors together.
Obviously, it doesn’t stop there when it comes to used cars in this issue. In Klokje Rond is a Toyota Prius that has already driven well towards the four tons. And he did that in a very short time: he went from 50,000 to 380,000 kilometers in more than four years, mainly as a taxi in Amsterdam. Certainly no lice life for a car, nor for the man or woman behind the wheel. Yet Joeri did so with full conviction and a lot of fun. It’s easy to guess that his Prius has been a loyal ally all along.
Finally, as said before, we have a Porsche 968 on the rollers this week. A lot of Porsches have passed here in recent years, but the 968 was still missing. Does this model mean nothing to you? That’s no shame. Koen Beckers comes all the way from Belgium to have his car subjected to a test and in the meantime refreshes our memory about what a 968 is exactly.
All that and more can be read in the latest AutoWeek. It will be in stores from Wednesday this week. Would you rather not go out? Order from the comfort of your home the latest number. Then it will be delivered to your doorstep within two working days.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl