q35pnmt3cor magzus.org

Fuel economy and CO2 results for the BMW iX. Mpg (l/100km): Not applicable. CO2 emissions: 0 g/km. The iX xDrive40 electric range: 253 264 miles. The iX xDrive50 electric range: 365 380 miles Range figures obtained after the battery had been fully charged The iX is a battery electric vehicle requiring mains electricity for charging Figures shown are for comparability purposes Only compare electric range figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the starting charge of the battery, accessories fitted (post registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load.

Makers face big challenges to stay in the small-car market

THESE are worrying times for buyers of small cars

The move towards electrification, ever tightening emissions laws, and car companies’ quest for higher profit margins have driven several big players to leave the market altogether Who’d have thought, even three years ago, that Ford would just kill off the Fiesta?

Small cars matter; they’re how vast numbers of car owners get around, for lots of reasons: purchase price, running costs, ease of parking and the fact that many people just don’t need or want anything bigger There’s a risk that lots of brands could turn away from those buyers, just when they need these products the most

So there was some cheer to be gleaned, I thought, from the bullish statements made by Fiat boss Olivier François last week He was speaking at the launch of the new Abarth 500e admittedly, a car that is unlikely to come in at much less than £40,000

But when he was asked if the malaise of the small car market is worrying for a brand strongly associated with it, François came out fighting “If there is no Fiesta in the way, it’s fantastic,” he said, “because small cars are where people expect us to be We haven’t sold Punto since 2018, but if you ask customers to name their top B segment [supermini] brands, we ’ re in the top three ”

Auto Express has reported previously that François doesn’t see Fiat selling cars any larger than regular family hatchbacks or SUVs And the key to being able to make money on the smaller stuff is synergies the bigger, the better “Without [Fiat’s parent group] Stellantis, we would not be in good shape,” he said “The Fiat business model is based on economies of scale And when you trigger the synergies, it’s like being a kid at Christmas ”

Don’t expect François and his team to deliver a fresh Punto or Panda in time to put under the tree this year. But you can bet lots of car buyers will hope they succeed in making the numbers stack up sooner rather than later

JOHN MCILROY Deputy editor

FK2 This was where the Type R turned to turbocharging in the pursuit of power It also returned to a raw driving experience that was rewarding, but too much for some

MATURE

DESPITE the rabid anticipation surrounding the new Honda Civic Type R, and the eye watering £46,995 price tag Honda has attached to it, the car itself contains surprisingly few all new components when compared with the model it replaces Yes, it has a new bodyshell that’s 15 per cent stiffer than before (which is a great starting point), but its engine and gearbox are essentially the same as in the car it replaces, as are its steering, brakes and suspension.

And yet the overall result is a hot hatchback that once again rewrites the rulebook when it comes to front wheel drive dynamics It is, quite simply, the best hot hatchback there has ever been. In places, by quite some margin.

How? Well, what Honda has done with the Type R this time is clever and quite unusual Rather than spending their time and money developing a range of brand new components, Honda’s engineers have instead evolved what they already knew worked rather well on the existing Type R, fine tuning them to a level that would never have been possible had they started from scratch

On the one hand, you could argue that the budget wouldn’t have allowed them to develop an all new

powertrain in the first place, so they had no option but to work on what they already had On the other hand, few manufacturers would have the confidence to allow their engineers to spend four years essentially honing a car that was already in a class of one But that’s precisely what Honda has done in this instance

The resulting car’s familiar but tweaked 2 0 litre turbocharged four cylinder engine generates 325bhp and 420Nm and means the Type R sprints from 0 62mph in 5 4 seconds four tenths of a second faster than its predecessor And it could very well be the last Civic Type R ever to use a pure combustion engine. The tweaks to that motor and the car’s aerodynamics have resulted in a top speed that has risen from 169mph to 171mph, while the car also weighs 24kg more than before, purely because the new bodyshell is that much bigger and heavier than the old one The new styling is less aggressive, more premium even, but is functional too, helping add extra high speed grip

The six speed manual gearbox has also been improved (but not replaced) to make it even snappier than before and with auto blipping now available on all downshifts. The steering, brakes and suspension have been similarly evolved to a level where, according to Honda, there is simply no more room for improvement

FK8 This car refined the issue with its predecessor, offering a smoother ride but even more engagement and balance The styling still wasn’t too all tastes, but you couldn’t argue with the performance

In effect, what we are talking about here is a blueprinted version of an already brilliant car, but with softer (some might say more acceptable) styling and a broader range of settings within the same adjustable drive programme. In practice, this allows you to drive the new Type R with more soothing damper settings and slightly lighter, less aggressive steering on the road but an even more focused dynamic personality when you want the opposite namely, on a track.

At the launch event in Portugal, we drove the car on both Around the track at Estoril the Type R was even more

Steve Sutcliffe mail@autoexpress co uk

● First test of Honda’s mega hot hatch ● It’s pricey, but well worth the £47k cost

Exterior and interior design have come of age, yet hot Honda’s road and track manners are as fun as ever

sensational than we were expecting There were notable improvements to its steering bite and feel compared with the old hot Honda, stronger brakes, a fair bit more acceleration from 3,000rpm onwards and a quite delicious new sense of balance to its chassis, both on turn in and when the car is loaded mid corner

It also has a phenomenal amount of grip and traction for a front wheel drive car. Its bespoke new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (now 265/30 19s all round) allow it to carry speeds into and through corners that, we suspect, would simply not be possible in any rival. Not even four wheel drive ones such as the Volkswagen Golf R or Mercedes AMG A 35

Genuinely, the Type R is that quick around a track, hence the reason Honda will be keen as mustard to grab its front wheel drive Nürburgring lap record back from the Renaultsport Mégane RS Trophy R “sometime next year”, according to bosses.

Of arguably more relevance is the discovery that the new Civic Type R is,

if anything, even more of a revelation to drive on the road. Here it’s more refined and more relaxed steering and damper settings when in Comfort mode make a big difference to its overall usability to a point where you could easily live with this car 365 days a year, which was always a point of contention with the old model

The same goes for the interior The driving position is fundamentally as close to perfect as you can get in a front drive car always was But this time there’s a new sense of quality and a depth of sophistication to the instruments and central touchscreen infotainment system that lends the car a more expensive aura

It’s still overtly sporting in look, what with its red bucket seats and suede rimmed steering wheel, but it no longer feels like a quasi competition car inside Rear seat space is also significantly better than of old Thus, as with most other aspects, Honda has judged the balance between sporting intent and real world comfort pretty much to perfection this time round

Issues? Apart from its stiff pricing and the fact this means it now competes with premium hot hatchbacks in the showroom (in theory), there aren’t many that we can think of Which means it justifies its price entirely, because in reality, it simply doesn’t have any other serious hot

hatch rivals Not at any money

“The driving position is fundamentally as close to perfect as you can get in a front-drive car”

STYLING Design trademarks such as the Civic Type R’s triple exit exhaust have been retained, only the look is more sophisticated compared with the previous generation car

WHEELS New 19 inch wheels are wrapped in bespoke Michelin rubber, which along with the Civic Type R’s impressive chassis, help generate a huge level of grip

DRIVETRAIN Using its 2 0 litre turbocharged four cylinder engine as a base, Honda has coaxed 325bhp from the motor It could be the last pure petrol Civic Type R; lovely six speed manual gearbox has also been retained and offers a superb shift

INTERIOR Cabin is much cleaner and more premium than its predecessor’s, going some way to justifying its much loftier price tag Sporty touches such as suede rimmed steering wheel remain

Verdict

HONDA reckons it has created the best hot hatchback of all time in the new Civic Type R, but is such brazen confidence justifiable? In a word, yes The new Type R is an incredible car to drive, boasting an even broader dynamic repertoire than its predecessor and marking a perfect way to celebrate 25 years of the Civic Type R and 50 years of the Civic model line. So even though Honda’s new hot hatchback costs a whopping £46,995 which means it now competes against some premium heavy hitters (right) it is worth every penny. And then some.

THE i30 N is the Honda’s traditional rival This front drive only hot hatch also packs a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine, but only pumps out 276bhp. The appeal here comes from its chassis and electronics, with myriad modes and its price when compared with the Honda. However, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the Civic Type R.

THE Type R’s price tag puts it in a pool with premium players such as the newly facelifted Mercedes AMG A 35. It’s a mild update to a car we know well, which packs huge performance and all weather ability thanks to a 306bhp engine and four wheel drive But it’s dual clutch auto only, so it doesn’t offer quite the same involvement as the Honda.

FOR around five grand less than the Honda you could opt for VW’s 316bhp, four wheel drive Golf R. But like the Mercedes, the auto only VW isn’t quite as engaging, and the Honda’s new found premium appeal inside means the Golf’s rather boring cabin doesn’t have the edge, either. However, you can’t deny it has impressive dynamic ability and its performance is easy to exploit

TECHNOLOGY

JeepAvenger

DRIVEN On track in new Je

John McIlroy John McIlroy@autovia co uk @johnmcilroy

JEEP is getting really serious about the European market from 2023, and leading its charge is the Avenger The smallest production Jeep yet has been engineered for Europe, and deliveries should start in spring 2023 but Auto Express has driven a very late prototype to see how it’s progressing

The Avenger sits on an evolution of parent group Stellantis’s CMP platform, and for UK customers at least, it’s an EV only. There will be four wheel drive versions, but the vast majority of sales are likely to be front wheel drive, like the car we’re testing here. It features a single motor producing up to 154bhp and 260Nm of torque

There’s a 54kWh battery (51kWh usable) and you get a heat pump as standard Rapid charging will max out at 100kW enough, Jeep claims, to take the battery from 20 to 80 per cent charge in 24 minutes The car’s

official WLTP range is 249 miles, but Jeep says 342 miles of urban running is possible.

The Avenger certainly looks smart enough; it has a more planted stance than other cars on the same platform, despite it having a similar width. It does look like a chunky off roader, even though it measures up at less than 4 1 metres long

The driving experience is strong enough to back that up. The Avenger feels a totally European creation (which it should) and a step beyond original CMP models such as the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Peugeot e 2008 and DS 3. Within 100 yards you’ll notice the difference in ride a slightly softer initial set up, but with marginally more robust damping that keeps things in check, at least around Stellantis’s Balocco test track.

The steering is consistently weighted, with a pleasing heft, and it’s direct and fast

Avenger comes with a 10 25 inch touchscreen and a digital instrument panel (right) It sits on an evolution of the CMP platform used by sister vehicles from Vauxhall and DS, but has a softer set up

● Jeep EV engineered in Italy ● 54kWh battery, 249-mile range

eep Avenger

enough to position the car accurately. We’d want time on proper roads for a definitive judgment, but we suspect the Avenger strikes a better mix of composure, comfort, control and coherence than many rivals.

You only get the full power output in Sport mode; in Normal you have 107bhp and 220Nm of torque, and Eco serves up a modest 81bhp and 180Nm. In the default setting there’s enough punch for B roads and motorways, and while the efficiency focused mode does feel a little lethargic, that instant EV torque would probably still deliver enough pace in suburban traffic

The new electric motor developed jointly by Stellantis and motor specialist Nidec is impressively refined, with next to no whine, even under hard acceleration

It’s hard to comment just yet on how realistic that claimed 249 mile range will be, but after a good couple of hours punting the Avenger around on a chilly morning, our car seemed on course to deliver around 220

miles. We can see how flicking the ‘B’ switch, to increase the level of energy regeneration when you lift off the accelerator, would help the car to travel much more than this distance in town.

Inside, there’s a 10 25 inch touchscreen with Android and Apple integration, plus TomTom nav, and digital instruments The central display has a slick interface and the system responds snappily Extensions of the software’s functionality will also be able to be accessed via smartphones, smartwatches and home assistants.

There’s space on board for four adults, with noticeably more rear knee and legroom than you’d find in the DS 3 or Mokka, although taller rear cabin occupants might grumble a little about headroom in the centre seat Meanwhile, the boot is a decent size, at 355 litres, and the adjustable floor has a washable material on its reverse, in case you end up using the Avenger to take your four legged friend for walks

Verdict

JEEP’S first European offering deserves to find buyers. The sweetest Avenger may not be this First Edition, but it’s a surprisingly practical and well sorted small SUV, with enough to make it stand out. And while purists may scoff at a front drive, pure electric off roader, Jeep has done a great job of stitching in just enough of its spirit. Few small EV SUVs have charm, but you’ll find some here.

PRACTICALITY There’s enough room inside for four adults, while the decent 355 litre boot includes a height adjustable and reversible floor with a washable material on one side

M anniversary special ch

OFFICIAL

James Brodie

BMW M’s 50th anniversary is being marked with not one, but two bespoke M cars Say hello to the hardcore 3 0 CSL

It joins the XM SUV as an M Division project to mark its half century, and it’s a modern day version of the legendary 3 0 CSL Batmobile However, with a production run of only 50 examples planned, it will be a rarer item than its forebear.

The design is contemporary BMW, but with one or two twists alluding to the seventies car and distancing the 3 0 CSL from BMW’s other new ‘Coupé Sport Lightweight’ model, the recently launched M4 CSL At the front, the more classically styled kidney grille arrangement compared with the M4 it’s based on is combined with a lower apron featuring two circular air intakes, similar to those that feature on the original CSL Elsewhere, the 3 0 has broader, more squared off shoulders, a small roof spoiler and large fixed rear wing. It’s also fitted with centre lock wheels that measure 20 inches up front and 21 inches at the rear

True to the CSL’s brief for lightness, BMW says that nearly every piece of bodywork is made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic or carbon fibre, and every component is made by hand The roof spoiler is fibreglass reinforced plastic, while the unique exhaust

system is made of titanium The car is finished in a distinctive BMW Motorsport livery, also inspired by classic racers

Under the bonnet is the same 3 0 litre twin turbo straight six engine as in the M4, but with an increased output of 552bhp and 550Nm to make this the most powerful six cylinder BMW road car ever And to please the purists, that power goes exclusively to the rear wheels via a recalibrated six speed manual gearbox and Active M differential BMW has yet to reveal any precise figures, but the stated power to weight ratio of 2.9kg per metric horsepower should mean a kerbweight of 1,624kg

When it comes to the 3 0 CSL homage’s chassis, the car uses a double joint spring strut set up at the front, while the rear axle features a five link arrangement This is combined with electronically controlled adaptive dampers

The 3.0 CSL comes with carbon ceramic brakes, with six piston calipers and discs measuring 400mm up front The chassis hardware combines with M Traction Control, featuring 10 stages of adjustment.

The cabin uses the standard dashboard architecture of the M4, but throws in several unique touches The white topped gearlever stands out alongside carbon fibre bucket seats upholstered in black Alcantara. Each vehicle wears its number in the CSL’s production run on the dashboard

BMW has not yet revealed how many 3 0 CSLs will be produced in right hand drive, nor has it confirmed a price But it should command a figure significantly greater than the £128,820 of the M4 CSL when it arrives, and likely to be beyond the £200,000 mark.

UNIQUE

Electrified G-Class takes off-roading to new level

MERCEDES is deadly serious about electrifying its entire line up, so much so that one of the next EVs to arrive in the brand’s push will be quite the surprise The G Class is going zero emissions. The marque’s iconic, tough, heavy and aerodynamically challenged off roader will wear the EQG badge and we’ve been for a ride in an early prototype.

Unlike some other EQ models, the EQG doesn’t use a bespoke platform Instead the battery sits in the regular G Class’s ladder frame a vital ingredient in retaining the standard car’s off road prowess.

In fact, the battery forms a structural element of the chassis, and it powers four independent electric motors, one on each wheel, with low range transfer boxes. This level of control and torque means the EQG feels simply unstoppable away from

tarmac, and it has quite ludicrous off road capability. Around Merc’s testing route in Carcassonne, France, where the current G Class was launched, the EQG quietly and effortlessly tackles the vicious terrain.

The independently powered wheels also enable the EQG’s party trick, the G Turn, in which the wheels at either end of each axle turn in opposite directions, allowing the EQG to rotate on the spot. It takes off roading into a new dimension

Engineers are tight lipped about figures, but we reckon that up to 670bhp could be on tap, with a battery 100kWh

FIRST RIDE

l New BMW 3.0 CSL is a modern tribute to Batmobile racers l Based on M4 Coupé, but features 552bhp and bespoke tech

“Power increases to 552bhp to make it the most powerful six-cylinder BMW road car ever”

“The level of control – and torque – means the EQG feels simply unstoppable”

in size.

There’s a new grille, while porthole air intakes in bumper are inspired by original CSL

annels classic CSL

PURPOSE Electric drivetrain is fitted to existing G Class platform to maintain its off road capability

THE Mercedes G Class is an unlikely candidate for electrification, but that hasn’t stopped Mercedes. The EQG brings the off road capability of the iconic model into the EV era

news inbrief

THROWBACK

Livery is inspired by classic racers, while rear window spoiler is another CSL homage

Lamborghini heads for the hills with high-rise Huracán

OFFICIAL

HOT on the heels of the Porsche 911 Dakar revealed last week (Issue 1,756), Lamborghini has pulled the covers off its own off road supercar, the Huracán Sterrato. The 601bhp all-wheel drive mid-engined V10 model features 44mm more ground clearance compared with a regular Huracán, while the track widths have been increased by 30mm at the front and 34mm at the rear. It’ll sprint from 0 62mph in 3.4 seconds.

Underbody protection, chunky wheelarches and 19-inch wheels wrapped in all terrain tyres reinforce its off road credentials, while a Rally driving mode for low grip conditions has been added

Comeback plan for original

Pony concept

HYUNDAI says it wants to rebuild its iconic Giorgetto Giugiaro designed Pony Coupé concept from 1974, and plans to replicate the show car with help from the man himself and his son, Fabrizio The original (above) no longer exists, so the new Pony will be created with one or two contemporary touches. The car was the initial design inspiration for the Ioniq 5, while the Vision N 74 Concept suggests that the Pony could be revived as an electric performance model.

London’s clean air zone grows in 2023

THE further expansion of the London Ultra low Emission Zone has been approved, meaning it will cover the entire Greater London Authority area from 29 August 2023

Owners of pre Euro 4 petrol or pre Euro 6 diesel cars living inside the zone will have to pay a £12 50 daily charge to use the roads Mayor of London Sadiq Khan argues that this will mean cleaner air for five million more people, but campaigners fiercely oppose the idea

Tourneo Custom turns on to electric drive

FORD has revealed the new Tourneo Custom (below), the passenger version of the latest Transit Custom. The new MPV comes as a diesel and PHEV, but there’s also an all electric e Tourneo, too It has a 74kWh battery for a range of 230 miles, 125kW fast charging and a 215bhp electric motor The e Tourneo offers seating for eight, although the diesel and hybrid models will offer room for nine. It goes on sale in 2023.

No rush to meet charging standard

Accessible public charging not guaranteed for disabled drivers

●

VOLUNTARY

PAS 1899 is not

A MONTH on from the launch of the long awaited PAS 1899 public chargepoint accessibility standard, major operators are indicating there will be no rush to upgrade their networks to meet it When Auto Express began campaigning on the issue of accessible public charging a year ago, backed by TV presenter and former Paralympian Ade Adepitan, UK chargepoint providers defended the industry’s widespread failure to accommodate disability by pointing to a lack of national guidelines.

A world leading standard has now been delivered, but the Government hasn’t made it compulsory Despite networks having an anticipatory duty under the Equality Act to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled users to ensure they’re not discriminated against, major chargepoint providers highlighted the voluntary nature of PAS 1899 when we asked them to explain how the new standard is being adopted

Osprey was the only network able to confirm that compliance is being actively audited at existing sites, and said 36 out of its 206 locations already meet PAS 1899

“Our target is for all new sites built to be compliant, and at minimum to have two bays that are compliant,” the company said. “There will be some where it is not possible

to be fully compliant, due to the restrictions placed by the landowner on use of the land.”

ChargePoint claims to be reviewing the standards, but wouldn’t say whether it’s auditing existing sites

“We will be working with our customers and installers to ensure that charging stations are in compliance with PAS 1899 if it becomes a widespread requirement,” the company stated, with the proviso: “We support the view that it wouldn’t be

appropriate for PAS 1899 to become a legal requirement as it currently stands.” InstaVolt is committed to the standard, but added: “The checklist of requirements in PAS 1899 is extensive and many will require time to implement, but those that are more straightforward can become part of sites far sooner This is a monumental change to the industry and, at this point, we can’t pledge a specific date, but are taking our responsibility seriously and taking steps

Mazda’s concept nods to RX-7

MAZDA has given us a hint of its future with a new concept car, called the Vision Study Model. It is a striking two door coupé that has several subtle references to the FD RX 7 of the late nineties and early noughties.

The shape of the car’s doorline where it meets the rear wheelarch is reminiscent of Mazda’s performance icon, as is the rear screen. A more subtle nod to that car can be found in the lighting At the back, the two semi circles are akin to the tail light signature of the FD RX 7, while more tellingly at the front, the headlights are very subtly popped up

No further details are available for now, but the rear green running light is another nod to the concept’s eco credentials. The brand has recently outlined a pathway to electrification, with a ‘fully fledged’ EV rollout planned from 2030 onwards.

Mazda has previously used its ‘Vision’ cars as indicators on the direction of its ‘Kodo’ design ethos So while we may not see a direct production version of the Vision Study any time soon, some elements of its styling could feature on the manufacturer’s production cars later this decade

OSPREY Charge point provider

wherever possible to ensure we’re providing accessible sites for users.”

Shell Recharge said it had no obligation to meet the standard “PAS 1899 is an optional specification that sets out best practice for site owners,” it said. “It is not currently mandated by UK law Hardly any UK chargepoints currently meet this standard, but it is something we are looking at closely ” The firm added it is “doing everything it can” to make sites as accessible as possible

Abarth looking to turn up 500e heat

SLEEK Vision Study Model is a sporty looking two door coupé that features subtle nods to Mazda’s RX 7

ABARTH is already working on a hotter version of its first electric car, the 500e, which was officially revealed last week.

The new model has less power than its combustion-engined stablemates, although Abarth engineers are quick to point out that the hot EV laps test tracks in faster times

Speaking at the reveal, Fiat Abarth chief Olivier François said his team was trying to think of ways to ramp up the 500e’s performance, and the noise levels of its novel sound generator. “Everyone is already working to make this car even faster, even sportier, even louder,” François said.

compulsory, which means there is no obligation to cater for the needs of disabled drivers

“Our target is for all new sites built to be compliant, and at minimum to have two bays that are compliant”

Chris Rosamond

Chris Rosamond@autovia co uk

VAUXHALL’S push towards becoming an EV only manufacturer by 2028 really starts with this, the Astra Electric Available in five door and Sports Tourer estate form, the new model boasts up to 258 miles of range, according to the company, and will go on sale early next year

With the latest Astra moving to Vauxhall’s parent firm Stellantis’s EMP2 platform, it has allowed engineers to install a 54kWh battery pack, supplying a front mounted motor that delivers 152bhp and 270Nm of torque

Although Vauxhall has not yet outlined performance figures, expect a 0 62mph time of between eight and nine seconds Top speed has been confirmed as 105mph

The British firm has outlined charging performance, with 100kW DC rapid charge capability allowing for an 80 per cent top up in 30 minutes Vauxhall has also confirmed that, from launch, all Astra Electric models will be fitted with a three phase 11kW on board AC charger, and a full recharge from a 7kW home wallbox will take around seven hours and 45 minutes.

The Astra Electric features the brand’s trademark ‘Vizor’ grille, and compared with the combustion engined and plug in hybrid Astra models, there aren’t many specific styling elements that mark it out as a pure

EV All electric Astras will come as standard

with 18 inch diamond cut alloy wheels, which can also be finished in black

The brand’s IntelliLux pixel LED headlights feature, plus the Pure Panel infotainment set up inside, with a pair of 10 inch screens There’s also ‘Hey Vauxhall’ voice control and plenty of safety kit plus, as per the regular Astra, the Electric’s ergonomic sports seats have been certified by the German campaign for healthier backs (AGR)

Vauxhall claims that, with the battery in the Astra’s underbody, there’s no loss of boot space over the Hybrid. So the Electric hatch has 351 litres with the seats in place, and the Sports Tourer offers 516 litres

While the five door Astra Electric will face competition from many EVs including its Peugeot e 308 sibling, the Volkswagen ID 3, Cupra Born, MG 4 and Nissan Leaf the Astra Sports Tourer Electric will only have the newly updated MG 5 and the Peugeot e 308 SW as direct rivals

Orders for the Astra Electric hatch open early next year, while the Sports Tourer EV will go on sale next summer. Deliveries of the five door car will begin in June 2023, with the estate arriving later Pricing will be confirmed closer to the cars’ respective on sale dates, but expect the hatchback to start from between £35,000 and £40,000, depending on full UK specification

New performance versions fire up Audi’s RS 6 and RS 7

AUDI is turning up the wick on the already potent RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback, revealing new ‘performance’ versions of the cars, which will go on sale in Britain in December

Priced from £112,650 (RS 6) and £116,305 (RS 7), both cars keep Audi’s 4.0 litre twin turbo V8, but with its output up to 621bhp and 850Nm of torque That extra heft cuts 0 2 seconds off both cars’ 0 62mph sprint to 3.4 seconds while top speed is up to a limited 174mph. The additional equipment includes a more aggressive look, thanks to standard 22 inch wheels, with the option of matt carbon styling. The RS Dynamic Package, including four wheel steering, is fitted as standard.

Vauxhall plugs g range with new

OFFICIAL

HOT STUFF

● Astra Electric on sale in 2023 ● Hatch and estate available

New models come with extra power, 22 inch wheels and option of matt carbon styling

Interior gets Vauxhall’s twin screen Pure Panel infotainment system and voice control

Sean Carson

sean carson@autovia co uk

gap in its Astra w Electric model

Audi A3 shapes up for a makeover

AS well as its new RS 6 performance (left), Audi is readying an updated version of its A3 It’s spied here in saloon form, but it’ll be available in five door hatchback guise too, and will feature lightly tweaked styling, including a new 2D Audi badge. Expect some subtle changes inside too The new model is set to be revealed next year, and could be the last combustion engined A3 before the car goes fully electric in its next generation.

HOT TOPIC MINI’s Golf rival

FROM: CI WHAT’S the point of this? BMW owns MINI and already has the 1 Series as its Golf rival I appreciate cars are getting bigger, but MINI should really focus on its core being a small, fun hatchback No need for more large family cars and SUVs

FROM: William HR MANY people will complain this is too big to be a MINI, but the BMW MINIs are now more than 20 years old MINI is just a brand name now. Even back in the old days there were different styles of Mini This isn’t a new way of doing things

“Won’t there be

New Civic is just such a civilised car Only decent drivers should be on the road

FROM: Tim Deacon I BOUGHT a Honda Civic Elegance last month It has a better ride and far less road noise than the Sport model I test drove The Civic is a significant improvement on my VW Golf GTE Advance. It’s comfortable, well equipped and economical.

Come on, cyclists. You do your bit, too

FROM: Alexander McCowan IF cyclists require 1 5 metres of space when being overtaken (Issue 1,755), they should cycle on the left of the lane to make this possible They should also pay some form of road tax and have third party insurance for the public road. And I say this as a cyclist myself!

FROM: Ken Webster THE driving standards of many motorists is appalling. All drivers young and old should be re assessed when their driving licence is up for renewal If they fail, their licence should be revoked until their driving standard improves. Bad drivers should be off the road.

Some drivers haven’t got the foggiest idea

FROM: Chris Shawcross I AM concerned by the number of drivers who only use their daytime running lights (DRLs) in thick fog. On most cars, that’s the equivalent of having just side lights at the front and no lights at the back Front and rear DRLs should be mandatory for all new cars built now.

icondrives

NEW SERIES The greatest cars we’ve tested revisited

Honda Insight

Futuristic two seater was the first hybrid car on sale in the UK

i

What we said then

ISSUE 575 NOVEMBER 1999

“Honda’s Insight brings a glimpse of the future to today’s showrooms. It should prove encouraging for buyers, because this car tells us we needn’t drive dull machinery to do our bit for the future. Perky to drive, easy to live with, interesting looking and practical to boot, it’s a step in the right direction ”

Distinctive

Everything about the Mk1 Insight was chasing maximum fuel efficiency, from the Honda’s slippery shape to the spats that covered the rear wheels

IT’S easy to think of hybrid cars as a relatively recent thing But while their widespread adoption might have only happened in the past few years, the oldest mainstream production hybrids are now a quarter of a century old

At the forefront of this push were the original versions of the Toyota Prius and the star of this feature, the Honda Insight The much more radical of the two, it wears its eco credentials on its sleeves Every part of it seems designed to eke out the best economy possible; the Insight is a far more ‘pure’ take on hybrid driving than the average heavy PHEV SUV rolling on huge wheels

Here, there are 14 inch wheels shod in super skinny 165 section low rolling resistance tyres, and the rears are partly hidden under wheel spats and sit 110mm further inboard than the fronts, to lower drag The spats aren’t a token afterthought, either, because the whole body was designed to be as slippery as possible, with a teardrop shape giving a drag coefficient of just 0 25Cd, while resulting in a car that looks like a retro futuristic spaceship

The main structure, body panels, wheels and a lot of the suspension components are made from aluminium. There’s even magnesium used in the engine to trim the fat, and there are no rear seats This results in a car weighing 835kg

A light vehicle doesn’t need much power to keep it moving, so Honda fitted the Insight with a 1.0 litre three

Lightweight

Honda used aluminium for the body panels and many other components to reduce the Insight’s kerbweight to 835kg

cylinder engine, years before the use of three pots in the car industry became commonplace It’s backed up by a 13bhp motor and a 12 volt nickel metal hydride battery pack, for a total output of 72bhp and official economy of 69mpg.

Speak to a few owners, and they’ll tell you the Insight is good for much more 80 90mpg, if you’re careful, and 100mpg isn’t unheard of This we can believe, because by the time we arrived at the shoot location, about half an hour away from where we picked the car up, the figure was at 60mpg and was climbing

These days we’re used to clever animations in digital instrument clusters telling us all about a hybrid car’s energy flow, but the simple set up in the Insight in its S2000 esque gauge cluster works just as well A series of backlit segments show if the battery is being charged or providing assistance, along with the overall charge level of the battery There’s also a shift indicator telling you when to change to a higher gear for better efficiency

This tells you to do so very early, often at little more than 1,500rpm. Follow it, and progress is especially sluggish, but given the modest level of power on offer and the long geared five ratio transmission, the Insight never feels even remotely fast, despite its low weight

When it comes to changing gear, the shift quality feels pleasant and accurate, while the pedal action is light It’s fairly softly sprung, giving a comfortable ride quality but also quite a bit of body roll Yet when the car changes direction, you can feel just how light it is. There’s

Matt Robinson Matt Robinson@autovia co uk @matt 201

Honda Insight Mk1

Essentials

precious little life in the steering, which we can attribute to the Honda having a very early electrically assisted set up You’d think the noise of that inline three revving its heart out might get a bit much, but you’re kept well insulated from it, save for some rattles at idle, which are passed into the cabin There is a reasonable amount of road noise at cruising speeds, which seems inevitable, because Honda wouldn’t have gone to town on the soundproofing here.

It’s an intriguing car to drive, rather than an exciting one. It’s also fun watching the hybrid display showing the power management in action, and seeing the reflection from white paint on the road surface flashing by as reflections in the domed rear windscreen. The cabin is a simple affair on the whole, livened up with the same steering wheel found in the S2000, albeit wrapped in plastic rather than leather

While Toyota just beat Honda in terms of starting production, the Insight landed in the UK first, and the Honda had the edge in terms of technical innovation It was certainly the more interesting of the two, and remains so; the Prius is a charisma vacuum by comparison

It’s the Honda which ended up with the cult appeal. You need to pay at least £7,000 for a decent Insight these days, whereas an early Prius can be bought for buttons But the Insight’s extra verve didn’t result in more sales Throughout its life, the Toyota outsold the Honda many times over. The Insight was just too ‘out there’ for its own good; a quirky shape, a lack of practicality with only two doors and two seats combined with a high price counted against it It also wasn’t the easiest thing to build. Honda made the Insight at its Takanezawa plant in Tochigi known for building halo products such as the NSX and S2000 where its aluminium intensive construction made it expensive to make. Nearer the end of its life, production shifted to Suzuka, with Honda only ever building the car in low numbers Production finished in 2006, and it wouldn’t be until 2009 that the second generation Insight arrived Honda didn’t make the same mistake twice, coming up with something conspicuously more conventional than the original It sold better than the Mk1, but not anywhere near strongly enough to stop the Prius vs Insight rivalry looking awfully one sided towards Toyota’s corner

The Mk2 Insight bowed out in 2014, with the name yet to return to the Honda stable The Prius, on the other hand, is now in its fourth generation, with the fifth version revealed very recently (Issue 1,756) It’s a shame the Insight’s story ended, because right now, a car as dogmatically focused on extracting the best MPG possible as the original is something we could really do with For now, you’ll find me with my nose buried in the classifieds

I had one!

OUR chief reviewer, Alex Ingram, spent a large portion of 2016 looking after his brother’s Insight, an X-registration model with a manual gearbox.

“When Honda decides to focus its attention on one quality – whether it’s performance, economy, or whatever the results are usually brilliant, fascinating, and also completely charming, in the Insight’s case,” Alex says.

He loved the fact that the hybrid nailed its efficiency brief; motorway runs would frequently top 90mpg, and in 120,000 miles of driving, the trip computer registered an average of 71.9mpg. It was reliable, too.

The Ingrams’ example had just one upgrade; the standard steering wheel was swapped for the leather trimmed version of the same design from the S2000, after a canny scrapyard buy.

Interior

“It’s the Honda which ended up with the cult appeal. You need to pay at least £7k for an Insight”

Interested in buying one?

YOUR main problem with the Insight is finding one to buy in the first place. Its slow sales mean there are rarely more than a handful for sale across the whole country, and the few that are around have been commanding everstronger money in recent years.

The aluminium construction means rust should be less of an issue than in the average 20-or-so year old car, but that’ll be offset by higher repair costs in the event of damage. Certain Insight-specific components may also prove difficult to come by.

You should always keep the health of the battery cells in mind, so use the car regularly to keep them working properly. An IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) light on the dash could indicate an issue and battery replacement is costly. The Insight does function if the pack dies, because there’s a 12-volt battery to power the car’s ancillaries. Some owners replace the nickel metal hydride battery with lithium ion, but this is a far more expensive process.

“It’s a shame the Insight’s story ended, because right now, a car as dogmatically focused on extracting the best MPG possible as the original is something we could really do with”

NEWCARS

Alex Ingram@autovia co uk @AxleIngram

AUDI has built a legend on its all wheel drive quattro technology So when the brand pays louder than usual lip service to rear wheel drive thrills, you know it’s going to be something out of the ordinary. In the case of the R8 GT supercar, it’s the company’s most powerful rear driven model ever An exterior makeover takes inspiration from the first generation R8 GT, with added GT3 racer touches, such as the new ‘swan neck’ rear wing But, perhaps the most significant surface level change inside is also the smallest There’s a dial on the steering wheel with a little flag in its centre. This engages track mode, while the rotating dial around it allows the driver to use the new seven stage ‘Torque Rear’ mode

We’ll come on to the finer points later, but it’s designed to make the most of the engine sitting behind you The R8’s heart is a 5 2 litre V10 rated at 612bhp It’s joined by a seven speed dual clutch transmission which shifts faster than ever, and its ratios are shorter to improve acceleration

Not only is this the most powerful rear wheel drive R8, but it’s also the lightest. The overall weight reduction is modest, but the 20kg saving is largely unsprung, courtesy of

Audi R8 GT

FIRST DRIVE Limited edition is a fitting

the striking 20 inch 10 spoke alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres There’s also a carbon fibre reinforced plastic front anti roll bar and manually adjustable coilover suspension is an option.

That Torque Rear system is very effective on track, and we tried it on a wet circuit in southern Spain We played with the settings on the damp, greasy surface, and in its most conservative setting, you can give the car pretty much full throttle out of a turn and the power is pegged back without any slip At the other extreme, setting seven leaves it all to your right foot to keep the back end in check

But it’s the mid settings where things get interesting The rear tyres will start to slip, but you can control the level of intervention, allowing you to engage a slide and then hold it on full throttle fairly confidently

The adjustable suspension, lighter wheels and extra downforce contribute to a car that’s not only raised its limits even further, but manages to inspire even more confidence at

the same time. It’s approachable, because there aren’t many mid engined cars at this level that leave you feeling so relaxed at the thought of powersliding on corner exit Brilliant though the chassis is, it’s still very hard to overlook that engine as the highlight The R8’s V10 is arguably one of the greatest engines of all time, and here it makes the car faster than ever. The GT chalks off the 0 62mph dash in 3 4 seconds, 0 124mph in 10 1 seconds, and it’ll keep going to 199mph The noise is glorious; rich and deep at low revs, transforming into a full bodied howl towards its 8,700rpm red line That it’s paired to a near flawless dual clutch gearbox just makes it even more satisfying to use.

That gearbox is equally happy when shuffling around town, too Having only ventured on track, we can’t comment on the ride, but the range of adjustability leaves us confident that it could be as compliant as the standard R8 in the right settings

NEED TO KNOW

Limited to just 333 units worldwide, only 15 R8 GTs are coming to the UK

Alex Ingram

Audi R8 V10 GT RWD

AUDI has saved the best until last for the R8 It has taken an already focused performance car and made it quicker than ever, yet both the physical and electronic chassis tweaks have made it even more engaging without compromising the huge enjoyment that Audi’s supercar is known for To cap it all off, you get one of the greatest engine noises of all time. The R8 GT really is a very special machine.

AudiTTRS Iconic Edition

FIRST DRIVE

Exclusive looks for run out model

Alex Ingram@autovia co uk @AxleIngram

SOMETHING that the TT RS Iconic Edition has in common with the R8 GT is a purposeful aerodynamic package that sets it apart from the rest of the range

This starts with a deep front splitter, winglets on the front apron, and a huge carbon fibre rear wing all of which are said to increase downforce Every Iconic model is painted Nardo Grey with black 20 inch wheels, brake calipers, grille, side sills and badging. Subtle ‘Iconic Edition’ lettering is applied to the rear side windows, too Inside, Audi’s Exclusive range has been raided to give a unique mix of grey Nappa leather and black Alcantara. Yellow stitching and badging add some colour

But the rest of the TT RS experience is the same In other words, power comes from a 394bhp 2.5 litre, five cylinder turbo with four wheel drive It’s an engine with bags of character and incredible performance Nobody will notice the extra downforce on the road, but there’s so much grip,

Essentials

Audi TT RS Iconic Edition

Price: £87,650

Engine: 2 5 litre 5cyl turbo

Power/torque: 394bhp/480Nm

Transmission: Seven speed automatic, four wheel drive

0 62mph: 3 7 seconds

Top speed: 174mph Economy: 31 0mpg CO2: 207g/km

ONSALE Sold out

Wild bodykit and yellow stitching inside mark Iconic out

traction and stability that the TT RS remains incredibly quick point to point, even if a Porsche Cayman is more engaging

Some might baulk at the Iconic Edition’s price; at an eye watering £87,650, it costs nearly £30,000 more than the standard TT RS However, all 11 cars coming to the UK as part of the 100 unit run have already been sold, so Audi clearly knows its target market.

POWERHOUSE Top speed increases to 186mph (300km/h), but acceleration is unchanged, with the 0 62mph sprint taking 3 8 seconds Grip and traction are phenomenal

Verdict

IT would be easy to be snarky about an £88k TT, but Audi has sold them all, so the price is irrelevant. Bodykit aside, you’re left with the same searing pace and fabulous engine as before

AudiRS 3 Performance

FIRST DRIVE 300 is the magic number for hyper hatch

THE RS 3 hasn’t been left out of Audi’s hot specials, because the Performance Edition has joined the R8 and TT RS Only 300 will be built, a number chosen because this RS 3 is capable of 300km/h (186mph). The increase over the existing car is thanks to a 0 1 bar uplift in turbo boost, which takes power from 394bhp to 401bhp

A damp Spanish circuit revealed the benefits of quattro four-wheel drive and the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres With settings switched to their most track focused and the stability control off, the RS 3 delivers formidable traction, which gently breaks into an easily controllable and satisfying four wheel drift Of course, the RS Torque

Splitter, which can send up to 50 per cent of drive to an outer rear wheel, allows the RS 3 to perform its full drifting party piece

The carbon ceramic brakes are strong, and a little trail braking towards each apex helps to overcome a slight nose heavy feeling when you’re really pushing on Spec changes include smoked headlight bezels and a black grille and badges. Inside, there are carbon bucket seats that feel fantastic Unfortunately, long waiting lists mean this RS 3 won’t come to the UK In Europe, it starts from 75,000 Euros (£64,000).

Alex Ingram

Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE

FIRST DRIVE Award winning EV gains four wheel drive option

WE like the Nissan Ariya So much so that it’s our current Car of the Year We love how it drives, its high quality feel, its style, its space; in fact there’s not much we don’t like And now the range is growing with the four wheel drive e 4ORCE model which, in top Evolve trim, costs almost £60,000 EV buyers seem to be less invested in brands and more turned on by style and tech, so Nissan hopes the Ariya’s many positives can attract buyers who would only previously have thought about spending that much on a Nissan if it had a GT R badge You won’t be buying the e 4ORCE for its sportiness, though Although a 0 62mph time of 5.7 seconds is swift and the Ariya has the instant shove in the back of many an EV this range topper doesn’t feel any sharper to drive than the standard car Sport mode doesn’t make much difference, either. It’s got the same relaxed and slightly artificial steering as lesser models not a

problem for us while the weight gains of the extra motor on the rear axle and bigger 87kWh battery do little to reduce body roll if you up the pace through a corner

So this Ariya is no sports car, nor is it an off roader The four wheel drive is there for a bit of added security on slippery roads handy on the wet, leaf strewn roads of our test route, especially if you want to take advantage of the full performance that’s on offer. The same excellent e Pedal system as on other Ariyas means you can enjoy one pedal driving, too, if you want

That extra weight does affect the ride, though. The Ariya has always been a little on the firm side, but the e 4ORCE seems slightly more comfortable than the two wheel drive models, in spite of its big 20 inch wheels

It all adds up to a comfortable cruiser especially if the range of 300 plus miles

is achievable Things are quiet, the seats are comfortable and the view forward through a Tesla style deep windscreen is great.

The Ariya’s tall, coupé like shape means rear visibility isn’t so generous, but you do get a digital rear view mirror that displays a widescreen view from a camera at the back rather than the letterbox look you get if you revert to simply using the mirror

Other star features inside this Evolve trim Ariya include a powered central storage unit that slides back and forth, and power for a secret compartment in the centre of the dash, alongside a traditional glovebox

A digital dash display sits ahead of the driver, although this model benefits from a head up display, too, while a responsive infotainment screen is present and correct

Nissan has opted for separate heating and ventilation controls on the dash, but in

“This Ariya is not a sports car or an off roader. The four-wheel drive adds extra security”

Steve Fowler

Steve Fowler@autovia co uk @stevefowler

HANDLING

Although e 4ORCE is heavier than regular Ariya, extra weight doesn’t reduce body roll

ON THE ROAD

Neat features include a powered central storage unit that slides back and forth

a case of style over substance, they’re touch sensitive pads rather than regular buttons We’d much prefer the latter to make sure you know you’ve adjusted the temperature

The rest of the interior design is much more successful minimalist, but with a few unique design features such as the Japanese criss cross patterning on the doors and in the centre of the full width footwell, all tastefully lit at night

That flat floor really does give a feeling of spaciousness in the front and the back, where access is easy and there’s plenty of head and kneeroom for passengers

So everything that we like about the Ariya is still on show here and, if you don’t want to go the whole hog with Evolve trim, you can save nearly £4,000 with the slightly less plush and lower tech e 4ORCE Advance.

But much as we like the Ariya, unless that extra traction is really necessary where you drive, the e 4ORCE isn’t the sweet spot of the range. We’d stick with two wheel drive and let you decide on the battery size depending on the range you need

Verdict

THE Ariya e 4ORCE, as the name suggests, adds four wheel drive grip (and a fair few quid) to one of our favourite electric cars. As well as having even better straight line performance, it actually rides slightly better than two wheel drive Ariyas, but that wouldn’t be enough to make us change our preference from the brilliant and cheaper models in the line up Those cars still impress us deeply with their level of technology and EV capability.

P e t e G i b s o n

Toyota GR86

DRIVE

Ingram Alex Ingram@autovia co uk @AxleIngram

WE weren’t surprised when Toyota announced that the new GR86 had sold out in Britain in 90 minutes A fresh, rear wheel drive sports car, from the same Gazoo Racing division that gave us the fire spitting GR Yaris hot hatch? Count us in. And just like the GR Yaris, the GR86 has nailed its first impressions on UK tarmac

The GR86 takes the GT86 as a starting point, and then subjects it to a very extensive technical overhaul Toyota has targeted keeping the GR86’s kerbweight roughly the same as its predecessor’s, along with a lower centre of gravity, better aerodynamic efficiency and extra power

The list of changes, big and small, is far too lengthy to list in its entirety As well as the chassis tweaks it gets a lighter silencer, seats and rear prop shafts, along with an aluminium roof, bonnet and front wings all of which contribute to lowering the centre of mass by 1.6mm and shifting the weight balance 0 05 per cent backwards (now 53:47 front to rear) That bonnet is

stiffer, and improvements to cross member fastenings and internal chassis structures boost rigidity by 50 per cent over the GT86 Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a Torsen limited slip rear differential, and a quicker shifting, smoother six speed manual gearbox The flat four engine has been bored out, increasing the capacity from 2 0 litres to 2.4. New intake and exhaust systems work with the larger capacity, while the bigger intake valves are hollow for lightness Along with thinner cylinder liners and resin rocker covers, it all means that the engine isn’t just lighter than before, but also more responsive and potent Power now stands at 231bhp, while torque is up 45Nm to 250Nm

In the age of 300bhp plus hot hatches, those numbers might seem a little bit ordinary But this is a car which absolutely shows that numbers and stats are pretty much irrelevant to the driving experience. That engine has a fairly modest 1,276kg to

shift around, and as a result it always feels keen Accelerate hard, and you’ll discover that it’s willing to be thrashed

You’re egged on to make the most of the 7,500rpm available to you by a little bit of sound augmentation through the speakers, but it certainly feels exciting The six speed manual gearbox is sweet, and the engine so responsive that heel and toe downshifts only require a gentle blip of the throttle

But it’s the chassis that undoubtedly plays the starring role here The direction changes seem instantaneous, the body control is fabulous, and the steering system is so pure and precise, delivering great detail as the tyres load up through the corners. The balance is wonderful, too; you can adjust it mid corner on the brakes or the throttle to pick your chosen line

All of those chassis modifications in the new GR86 have absolutely refined the previous GT86 formula, but one of the

FIRST

It’s no wonder that cracking Toyota sports car sold out in the UK in just 90 minutes

“It shows that numbers and stats are pretty much irrelevant to the driving experience”

Alex

NEED TO KNOW

INTERIOR

biggest improvements of all has come from the tyres Early GT86s came from the factory on Michelin Primacy rubber tyres chosen specifically for their lack of grip, to promote slides and oversteer. The GR86 graduates to a grown up tyre Michelin Pilot Sport 4s and there’s certainly more grip, but there’s enough power to exploit the new traction threshold with a degree of confidence.

While the GR86 is 300mm longer than one of its closest competitors, the Mazda

MX 5, it’s still only roughly the same length as a VW Golf At 1,775mm wide, it’s also narrower, and only 40mm broader than the Mazda Both of these things make it feel like a perfect fit on twisty country lanes

The styling emphasises those compact dimensions, but it does mean that the back seats are pretty much useless The driving position is nigh on perfect, though The seat can be positioned very low, the steering wheel comes out horizontally towards you, and both have a wide range of adjustment

The dash is functional, but does feel a little on the basic side Yet that can be easily forgiven when you consider Toyota was asking £29,995 for such a complete sports car No wonder it sold out so quickly

Verdict

IF ever a Toyota car felt designed for UK B roads, the GR86 is it The chassis balance, the adjustability and the steering are hugely impressive, and with a willing engine it adds up to be one of the most enjoyable driving experiences you can find today. At least it would be if you could buy one, because they’re all sold Those who got an order in for one should consider themselves very lucky indeed.

Power from the 2 4 litre engine is sent to the rear wheels, while the GR86 has a lower centre of gravity

INTERIOR

Robinson Matt Robinson@autovia co uk @matt 201

EARLIER this year, Ford gave fans of the ST brand a chance to create their own special edition car, with the ‘crowd sourced’ Puma ST Gold Edition. For the first time, online voting produced a new car, with those taking part electing which special parts to fit to Ford’s hot crossover So perhaps it’s not too surprising to see that like the regular ST, this limited run model has spawned a ‘lite’ ST Line variant

This ST Line X Gold Edition becomes the range topping Puma trim level, bringing unique style on top of what you get in the normal ST Line X version of the crossover There’s Grey Matter paint (usually a £775 option), white and gold racing stripes on the bonnet and roof, and golden 18 inch alloy wheels Inside, you’ll find less to distinguish this from other Pumas, although the sporty seats and steering wheel get gold stitching

Other than the changes to trim and equipment levels, the ST Line X Gold Edition is the same as any other ST Line Puma So there’s a reasonably roomy interior given a relatively compact footprint, and a versatile boot with a floor that can be set at two different heights or removed entirely Underneath is the ‘Megabox’, which is truly mega. It’s massive, and has a drain plug at the bottom should you need to hose it out if, for instance, it’s been used

to house some muddy walking boots The boot itself offers 456 litres of space

The powertrain features a 1.0 litre turbocharged three cylinder mild hybrid engine powering the front wheels via either a six speed manual gearbox or a seven speed dual clutch auto. It’s one of the better three pot engines not too bad for vibrations at lower revs, and not lethargic like some rival options It even emits a nice, fizzy noise that isn’t too far away from the soundtrack provided by the Puma ST.

The 0 62mph time is 8 7 seconds, which sounds fairly average, but the engine’s punchy mid range means the Puma feels quicker than that figure might suggest.

Sadly for this particular Gold Edition, it’s fitted with the automatic gearbox rather than the manual, largely to its undoing It’s surprisingly clunky in its operation at low speeds, and disconcertingly, it will allow the car to roll back slightly when in Drive The transmission also takes a long time to engage when swiftly pulling away from a standstill, so what seems like a good gap to enter a roundabout or pull out of a side turning ends up being tighter than it ought to be. Finally, the shifts themselves just don’t feel that snappy for a DCT; if an

automatic isn’t essential, the six speed manual remains superior.

All of this is a shame because it hampers your appreciation of not just the strong engine, but also the fine chassis While some will take umbrage with this car’s name, the SUV lives up to the old Puma coupé’s reputation for fun It’s a chuckable car, particularly in ST Line guise with its lower, stiffer suspension

It changes direction with enthusiasm, barely suffers any body roll, and offers a decent helping of front end grip and traction The steering feels quick, has a good weight to it, and feels reasonably consistent through the lock, albeit not with a huge amount of feedback

The normal ST Line X is already something of a tough sell. When it was available with the 153bhp engine and

Other than gold stitching on the seats, there’s little to tell this model apart from lesser versions of Puma

“The 0 62mph time sounds average, but the Puma feels quicker than the figure suggests”

Matt

uma ST-Line

used flagship adopts crowd sourced options

an automatic gearbox, it cost £29,495, but after a recent revamp for the range, that combination is now only available in this new Gold trim for £30,725 A £650 powered tailgate ups the total on the road price to £31,375, which is a little more than the base price of the Puma ST But a non ST Puma doesn’t feel like enough of a premium product to justify such a figure

Additional equipment over and above the aforementioned Grey Matter paint comprises heated seats and a heated steering wheel (which normally cost £300 together as the Winter Pack) and a blind spot warning system bundled with autonomous emergency braking (usually £900 as part of the Driver Assistance Pack)

The base ST Line seems like a better bet than either the ST Line X or ST Line X Gold It’s still well equipped, and crucially, you still get the comprehensive 12 3 inch digital instrument cluster and Ford’s responsive and easy to navigate eight inch SYNC 3 touchscreen infotainment system

Verdict

WE rate the Puma quite highly, and all of the best things about the standard car the packaging, the handling and the punchy engine are all found here, too But Ford’s compact SUV simply doesn’t work so well in this guise It’s an expensive option, the aesthetic changes over the regular model are rather questionable, and the automatic gearbox is clumsy If you’re really sold on the looks, specify the manual, but otherwise, go for a lower trim level.

IT’S not only actors who can be movie stars in some instances, a car can take as big a role in a film as the person behind the wheel Take the DMC DeLorean from Back to the Future, for example, or The Ghostbusters’ famous Cadillac Ambulance, Ecto 1.

One film franchise that has always known the value of putting an automobile at the centre of attention is James Bond We all remember the Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me and the gorgeous BMW Z8 that got sawed in half in The World is Not Enough

But even though Bond opted for a Bentley in Ian Fleming’s novels, there’s no manufacturer more closely associated with 007 than Aston Martin. In fact, we’d go as far as to say there’s no stronger on screen brand relationship than that of the fictional MI6 agent and his favourite British sports car maker

And of all the Aston Martins to appear in the Bond films including two different generations of DBS, a V8 Vantage, a V12 Vanquish and even the one off DB10 none will ever be as iconic as the DB5

Sporting the number plate BMT 216A, this classic first appeared with Sean Connery in 1964’s Goldfinger, and has so far featured in 13 Bond flicks, most recently Daniel Craig’s final outing, No Time to Die

As anyone who has seen that movie will know, the DB5 plays a fairly prominent role, particularly in an action sequence towards the beginning To film this, eight stunt cars were required, but what happens to them once their purpose has been fulfilled?

We know the answer for at least one of them, because we were invited by Aston Martin to Christie’s 60 Years of Bond auction, where a DB5 that appeared in the film and a whole host of other 007 vehicles and paraphernalia were being put under the hammer.

Many of these were on pre sale display at Christie’s flagship auction house on King Street in St James’s in

CONTROL

DB5 has a bespoke chassis, plus controls for miniguns (left) and revolving reg plates

London At the centre was the DB5, looking as though it had just been driven out of a car chase

This DB5 was designed and built by Aston Martin Special Projects to handle the immense demands placed on a stunt car Under its bonnet is a 3 2 litre straight six petrol engine, paired with a six speed manual gearbox Its body panels are all carbon fibre, with decals making it look like it’s been scratched and scraped, and it features bespoke suspension and braking systems

Inside, the steering wheel and dials are similar to that of an original DB5, but that’s where the similarities end. The car is set up for performing stunts, so its dashboard is 3D printed and the driver sits in a firm bucket seat surrounded by a roll cage

The most exciting feature inside, though, is an array of buttons that control the DB5’s miniguns that appear from behind the headlights complete with light and sound effects and digital number plate that can display various different letters and numbers And of course, these can be activated via remote control as well.

Sadly, you’d be right to assume that this car isn’t road legal Christie’s listed it as a non runner collector’s item, with responsibility lying fully on the buyer to determine whether it’s suitable for use on private land or to be converted for public roads.

With these large caveats in mind, it may have seemed ambitious for an estimate of £1 5million to £2million to be placed on the DB5 However, if anything this was an underestimate; at the auction the price of the stunt car rose from a starting bid of £1million all the way to a final winning bid of £2,922,000

“The DB5’s body panels are all carbon fibre, with decals making it look like it’s been scratched and scraped”

Tristan Shale-Hester tristan shale hester@autovia co uk @tristan shale

FOR SALE ONE CARELESS OWNER

Movie history at charity auction

SIXTY Years of Bond is the fourth sale Christie’s has held in partnership with 007 movie maker Eon Productions, which raises millions of pounds for charity. The latest sale was originally meant to mark the release of No Time to Die, but the postponement of the film meant that it became more feasible to make it a 60th anniversary sale for 2022.

More lots were gathered, everything from cars and motorbikes to props and costumes. Buyers came from every corner of the globe

and all walks of life all of them sharing a passion for 007, though

Aside from the DB5 stunt car, several other vehicles were offered. A number of cars that were also used in No Time to Die were included, such as an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a DBS Superleggera, a pre production Land Rover Defender, Range Rover Sport SVR and Jaguar XF. All of these fetched six figures, with the V8 Vantage hitting the biggest number at £630,000 Also up for grabs was a Land

Rover Defender 110 V8 Bond Edition, sold as a road vehicle rather than a stunt car

Another vehicle for sale from the latest Bond movie was a Triumph Scrambler motorcycle, which fetched £138,000 The Q Jet Boat from The World is Not Enough also went under the hammer at a final bid of £126,000.

A number of costumes including dinner jackets and bow ties were also sold, as well as Omega watches and various other props from past films

We visit the charity auction where buyers can bag a slice of Bond memorabilia

BACK in February (Issue 1,715), we pitched plug in hybrid versions of the Audi Q8 and Range Rover Sport head to head The clash revealed that the Audi had the better of its British rival in almost every area in PHEV form, the Q8 proved to be more refined, a little quicker and it had better in car tech It was simply more polished, at least until you ventured off the beaten track.

But nine months is a long time in the automotive world, and since then an all new Range Rover Sport has been revealed Land Rover reckons that the bigger model is smarter and even more luxurious than its predecessor. In other words, there’s plenty to look into to see just how much better the latest version really is It seemed appropriate, then, to gauge just how far the brand has come by once again arranging a face off against Audi’s finest offering in the segment. This time, it’s the turn of the Q7 mechanically similar to the Q8, but with a more traditional (and practical) SUV shape and we’ve foregone plug in power for traditional diesels instead.

Has Land Rover improved the Range Rover Sport enough for it to become a winner this time around? Or can Audi still prevail?

Testers’ notes

Sean Carson Associate editor

ROAD TESTS Range Rover Sport vs Audi Q7

MODELTESTED: Range Rover Sport D300 Dynamic SE

PRICE: £83,325 ENGINE: 3.0 litre 6cyl, 296bhp

THERE’S plenty new to dive into with the latest Range Rover Sport, but are the changes enough to overcome the might of Audi? We’re testing the new model against the Q7 in diesel form, and in D300 Dynamic SE trim the Range Rover Sport starts from £83,325 The car in our pictures is a V8 model

Design & engineering

LAND Rover believes that this third generation Range Rover Sport is better than ever before We’ll find out over the coming pages whether or not it’s succeeded on the second part, but it’s certainly bigger than its predecessor; at almost five metres long, more than two metres wide (even with the mirrors folded) and 1 8 metres tall, it’s enormous

The design is a clear evolution of the old car ’ s, and rather than reinventing its looks, the focus has been on refining the details The door handles sit flush like the smaller Velar’s, for example, and the door seals are integrated within the bodywork The result is a much smoother, almost concept car like appearance; one which certainly gives off the impression of luxury more convincingly than its rival here

That continues inside, where the latest design looks and feels both hi tech and sumptuous There are lashings of leather on view, and even on the odd occasion that you do find some plastic, it tends to look and feel solid There are some clever design touches here, too The wireless charging tray, for example, is nestled neatly underneath the touchscreen, and most of the switchgear is logically laid out Controls such as the column stalks feel very sturdy There is some room for improvement, however Some testers found that the steering column didn’t offer enough reach adjustment, and the digital dials are too reclined for all but the very tallest drivers

Under the skin the Sport has a variation of the Premium Lightweight Architecture used by the full size Range Rover That means there’s an all aluminium monocoque, and the ability to house a range of powertrains with varying degrees of electrification In addition to a supercharged V8 and plug in hybrid, there’s also the D300 3 0 litre diesel that we ’ re driving here It produces 296bhp and a healthy 650Nm of torque

Driving

ULTIMATELY, the Range Rover

Sport is a 2 3 tonne, high riding SUV, so calling it ‘Sport’ is optimistic Still, the engineering team has done a solid job; it corners fairly competently, feeling stable and predictable Push too hard, and the front end will wash wide, but always in a progressive way

Top spec Autobiography versions of the Sport are available with a rear wheel steering system, and it’s a really useful feature At low speeds it slashes the turning circle from 12 53 metres to just 10 95 metres similar to many superminis It means that, despite the car ’ s dimensions, it’s not quite as stressful to drive in built up areas as you might think

At higher speeds, the system improves stability by turning the back wheels gently in the same direction as the fronts However, the steering itself feels a little odd, and has a very strong

self centring effect around the straight ahead that causes you to make regular corrections

The six cylinder engine is sweet, though It’s smooth, with only a subtle grumble when accelerating and it will take a keen ear to figure out that it’s a diesel It pulls strongly under load, and moves the Sport from 0 62mph in 6 6 seconds not a bad achievement for such a heavy vehicle

The eight speed automatic gearbox shifts smoothly, but it feels lazy when moving away from a standstill This means that you may try to compensate by applying more throttle than you need, causing the car to surge forward more quickly than intended It’s certainly a quirk that takes some getting used to Above all else, a car like this must deliver exceptional refinement and the Range Rover Sport does We’ll delve into the finer points of both cars ’ soothing nature in greater detail on page 46

Practicality

FOR a vehicle that’s almost five metres long and 1 8 metres tall, it’s no surprise to discover that the Range Rover Sport is fairly spacious There’s not quite as much room in the back as you might expect, though The Audi, for example, offers just a little more head and kneeroom than its rival, although the Range Rover’s rear quarters do feel more luxurious

At 657 litres, the Range Rover’s boot is certainly vast, though Unlike the Audi’s, there’s space below the floor for a spare wheel, too, which comes as standard Fold the back seats down, and the overall volume grows to 1,860 litres

Ownership

IN our most recent Driver Power satisfaction survey, Land Rover finished 14th overall a massive improvement over the previous year, when it ended up 23rd out of 29 manufacturers Audi, on the other hand remained static at a lowly 22nd overall Both cars come with a three year/60,000 mile warranty from new, although the Audi’s three year breakdown cover is more generous than the 12 months that Land Rover provides

Running costs

BOTH of these high priced SUVs have plenty of value to lose but it’s the Range Rover Sport that clings on to its original price more gamely

In the wider new car market, retaining 69 7 per cent of the car ’ s original value after three years and 36,000 miles is an impressive feat, but you’ll still lose just over £25,000 in that time The Audi maintains 55 per cent of its original cost, which means it’ll lose almost £40,000 over the same period

Testers’ notes

“The Sport’s auto high beams aren’t good enough. You can see them adapting on the move, but it’s clear that they still dazzle oncoming cars ”

Alex Ingram Chief reviewer

Practicality

Interior Cabin oozes premium quality, with high grade materials and upmarket finishes throughout

THROUGH THE RANGE

Which trim level might suit you?

INCLUDING the First Edition model, there are four Range Rover Sport trims to choose from. The line up kicks off with the SE, which gets 21 inch alloys, leather, 20 way adjustable front seats, a 3D surround camera, wireless Apple CarPlay and a panoramic roof. Based on a three year lease with a six month upfront payment and a 10,000 mile annual limit, the best deal we found came to £999 per month.

Above that, the Dynamic SE costs £30 per month more The changes are mostly cosmetic, with extra exterior trim finishers and a satin grey finish for the wheels.

The Autobiography model has 22-inch wheels, while inside there’s softer leather for the seats and more hide on the dash and doors. It also gains a head up display, four-wheel steering, a torque- vectoring differential and more, to bring the total to £1,250 a month Among the extras for the First Edition are 23 inch wheels, and the total here is £1,356 per month.

ROAD TESTS Range Rover Sport vs Audi Q7

MODELTESTED:

Audi Q7 50 TDI Vorsprung quattro

PRICE: £86,975 ENGINE: 3.0 litre V6, 286bhp

THE Q7 pictured here is in S line trim, although to align the Audi more neatly with the Range Rover Sport’s asking price, we ’ re testing the 50 TDI in top level Vorsprung spec At £86,975, it’s slightly pricier than its rival, although there are few other options beyond paint to add

Design & engineering

WHILE the second generation Audi Q7 arrived in 2015, a mid life update in 2020 introduced revised looks and improved cabin tech to help boost its appeal The Audi’s exterior detailing looks a little busier than the Range Rover Sport’s, but it’s undoubtedly imposing Inside, it’s not busy as such, but somewhat clinical in this company However, it’s still a very clean and uncluttered design, and one which, following its facelift, doesn’t really lag behind the Sport when it comes to tech, either There are three large digital displays up front; two are touch sensitive, with the lower 8 6 inch unit dedicated to the climate control functions The driving position is great, although not quite as commanding as the Range Rover Sport’s Here, you peer above most traffic, but in its rival you ’ re eye level with van drivers

The MLB architecture beneath the Q7’s skin is shared with everything from the Volkswagen Touareg to the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus, so the Audi certainly has the basics to compete with the best luxury SUVs around As with the Range Rover Sport, air suspension is standard throughout the range, while this diesel model also comes with mild hybrid tech to boost fuel efficiency The engine itself is a 3 0 litre V6; producing 286bhp and 600Nm, it’s 10bhp and 50Nm down on the Range Rover Sport’s, but the Q7’s 2,165kg kerbweight is also 150kg less

Driving

WITH a slightly lower driving position than the Range Rover Sport’s, the Q7 feels a little less like it’s battling the laws of physics through the corners Despite this, though, it doesn’t feel any more agile, nor does the steering inspire as much confidence Grip levels are fine, and the Audi turns through the corners neatly without being fun although that’s hardly the point for a car like this Diesel is falling out of fashion as a power source for the latest production cars, but the six cylinder unit in the Audi proves that it’s still worth considering in large SUVs such as this It helps the Q7 pip the Range Rover Sport from 0 62mph by one tenth of a second, at 6 5 seconds, and the power delivery is smooth, providing a constant surge throughout the rev range It even sounds fairly tuneful by diesel standards, too, yet its voice subsides nicely when not under load

The eight speed gearbox still needs a little help to overcome the car ’ s mass when moving off, but it’s not as lazy as the Range Rover’s transmission Audi’s mild hybrid tech works imperceptibly, too, with the engine cutting out and firing up again near instantly when shuffling around town

The steering is light, and our Vorsprung model’s standard fit four wheel steering slashes the turning

Details

There are some fussy design touches on the Q7 when compared with the Range Rover Sport, but it’s still an imposing machine

ROAD TESTS

circle to a similar level to that of an A4, although it’s still a larger diameter than the Range Rover Sport’s

Practicality

THERE’S one key difference between the Range Rover Sport and the Audi Q7, because for this generation Land Rover is only offering the Sport as a five seater The Q7’s two rearmost seats add another level of versatility, and are reasonable for adults over short journeys, while kids will be absolutely fine back there Whether you use them or not, boot capacity is very generous in the Audi In seven seat mode, a 295 litre volume is roughly what you’d get in a typical supermini, while if you only need to hold five occupants, that number jumps to an enormous 770 litres With just two seats in place an easy process thanks to electrically folding chairs cargo volume is a van like 1,955 litres There’s a completely flat floor, too That it can offer this much storage space, and two seats more than the Range Rover Sport, yet still be more spacious in the middle row, is most impressive of all If you want to use the sixth and seventh seats, those sitting ahead will need to sacrifice just a little space by sliding the seat forward, though The centre seat is fairly firm, but it is individual, and it’s still comfortable enough for an adult Cubby spaces aren’t in short supply, with two large cup holders in the centre console, a small bin just behind, plus a roomy glovebox and door bins

Ownership

BACK in 2019, the Q7 achieved a maximum five star safety rating from Euro NCAP, with a strong 92 per cent score in the adult occupant protection category Lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition are standard on all Q7s, while the Vorsprung also adds adaptive cruise control that uses navigation data to adjust its speed when approaching roundabouts and junctions to improve safety and boost efficiency NCAP results for the Range Rover Sport have just been released, and while its scores are mostly lower than the Audi’s, it still earned a five star overall rating

Running costs

WITH so much weight to haul around, even capable diesel engines can’t return spectacular economy figures in this pair

A return of 33 0mpg on test and almost 40mpg seen on a motorway cruise meant the Q7 gave a decent account of itself, especially when you consider that the Range Rover Sport only managed 27 8mpg With diesel prices currently so high, those figures translate into costs of more than £5,200 for 20,000 miles of driving for the Audi, and another grand on top of that for the Range Rover Sport Still, those figures can’t offset the Audi’s depreciation

Testers’ notes

“Fitting a child seat isn’t an issue in the Audi Q7, because all six passenger seats come with Isofix mounting points ”

Alex Ingram Chief reviewer

Interior Cabin feels a little clinical beside the Range Rover’s, but the fit and finish is superb

THROUGH THE RANGE

Which trim level might suit you?

SPORT trim is the first of four Q7 spec levels, and 19 inch alloys, air suspension, a reversing camera and leather seats are standard On matching lease terms to the Range Rover Sport, the Q7 starts off at £814 per month.

S line increases this to £836 per month, and if we were to go for the Audi, we’d save cash relative to the Range Rover and choose this trim. It gets a unique S line finish for the spoiler and grilles, 20 inch wheels, tinted glass and a three spoke steering wheel It also gets softer leather trimmings and illuminated door sill trims. The £866 Black Edition has 21-inch wheels, sports suspension and plenty of black exterior trim, while the top spec Vorsprung throws nearly every extra available to the Q7 into one car; 22-inch wheels, four wheel steering, soft close doors, a head up display, a 360 degree camera and much more. There’s a big jump in price though, to £1,214 per month.

choice:

Head-to-head: Comfort, qualit

Range Rover Sport

COMFORT and refinement are areas where the Range Rover Sport has made great strides beyond the level set by its predecessor This is partly due to fundamental engineering steps; the brand’s MLA Flex architecture is 35 per cent stiffer than its predecessor, while new switchable volume air springs and twin valve active dampers help to keep the vehicle’s mass in check Other improvements come thanks to in car tech such as active noise cancellation within the Meridian sound system. The result of all this is deeply impressive. Even on the 23 inch wheels of our test car, the Range Rover Sport sooths its occupants across bumps It’s incredibly quiet inside, too, making it a fantastic long distance cruiser. But there’s more to that luxurious feeling than simply the way that the Sport drives There’s also the overall appearance of the cabin Land Rover calls it “reductive” design one which offers all the tech you need without being overly cluttered or fussy. That fact that almost every surface is trimmed in either a soft or sturdy feeling material adds to that feeling, too

Cabin has comfort in mind, while touchscreen reduces button count

y and luxury

Audi Q7

AS with the Range Rover Sport, the Audi Q7 is equipped with air suspension. This can be very useful even before you’ve set off, because the car offers a lower access height to make it easier to climb on board, or you can drop the rear to help load items into the vast boot.

On the move, the Q7 is almost as soothing as its rival. While it doesn’t quite offer the ultimate smoothness over most roads, it’s slightly better at dealing with unexpected surface imperfections the Range Rover Sport is a little more crashy across potholes than the Q7.

Increase your speed, and the Audi transmits just a little more wind and road noise through to its occupants However, we’d still be more than happy to take the keys to a Q7 if we had a long-distance road trip to cover.

While there’s no faulting the Audi’s fit and finish, it doesn’t quite have the wow factor of the Range Rover; there are one or two buttons and panels that have been overlooked, something that’s hard to find in the Sport. All three rows of seats are well catered for, though, with even those sitting in the back having their own cup holders

Range Rover Sport vs Audi Q7 ROAD

Both cars have upmarket aspirations, but which model serves up the most luxurious experience?

Air springs drop the rear for access, while seats fold with a button press, too

Infotainment

Which multimedia system is best for music, sat nav & connectivity?

Pivi Pro

Key features: Amazon Alexa

IN the last couple of years, Land Rover has rolled out its Pivi Pro system to the entire range It’s a vast leap forward over what came before, and is a match for the best systems in this segment, including Audi’s

The good news in the Range Rover Sport starts with the screen At 13 1 inches, the display is vast, and it has a fantastic resolution to back it up The menus are clearly laid out, with the main screen presenting all of the controls in simple rows of icons It responds well to touches and, on the whole, the system loads quickly

The one exception to this is that the satellite navigation system can be a little slow at times As a result, it can be a little bit further behind your actual location, which could cause confusion at unfamiliar junctions Still, both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay fill out the glorious screen when they’re connected, so it’s no hardship to make the most of your smartphone’s tech instead

FOR AND AGAINST

Range Rover Sport Audi Q7

Sharp graphics on huge display, logical menus, fast loading times

Navigation system can be a little laggy on the move

Columbus Navigation

Google Earth mapping

AT 10 inches, the Audi’s main touchscreen display isn’t quite as large as the Range Rover Sport’s, but the Q7 also offers a second touchscreen that’s dedicated solely to the climate controls With the key buttons always present and not obstructing the main display, this is among the best compromises for touch sensitive heater controls However, it remains a compromise, and we still prefer the usability and tactility of the Range Rover Sport’s physical controls

On the main screen itself, Audi’s system continues to score highly for ease of use and overall responsiveness The navigation system keeps up with the pace of driving a little better than the Sport’s, even if loading times elsewhere aren’t quite as rapid

Both cars have digital dials The Range Rover Sport’s display measures larger, at 13 7 inches, and looks slightly sharper, but the Audi’s 12 3 inch screen offers greater customisation options for the user

FOR AND AGAINST

Smart digital dials, logical menus, bright graphics

Load times a little slow, digital climate controls still can’t beat physical buttons

Display Vast 13 1 inch screen looks fantastic. On screen shortcut keys are useful, and the home screen divides three major functions into thirds

Vivid Google Earth mapping graphics look fantastic, while radio icons are shown with bright and colourful icons Main menu has eight neat tile icons

Range Rover Sport D300 Dynamic SE

£83,325/£83,325 £58,078/69 7% £25,247 £6,057/£12,114 £3,738/£6,230 48/£3,617/£520 £637 (3 years) 4,946/2,997mm 1,820/2,043mm 6cyl in line/2,997cc 296/4,000 bhp/rpm 650/1,500 Nm/rpm 8 spd auto/4WD 80 litres/yes N/A/647/1,860 litres 2,315/905/3,500kg 12 5 metres 3yrs (60k)/1yr 14th/N/A 85/85/69/82/5 (’22) 6.6 secs/135mph 27 8/6 1/489 miles 37 4mpg 8 2mpl 272/198g/km/37%

Yes/yes/f&r/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes £895/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes/yes

INSURANCE

Audi Q7

50 TDI Vorsprung

£86,975/£87,725 £47,828/55 0% £39,147 £6,485/£12,970 £3,149/£5,249 49/£1,526/£520 £540 (2 years)

5,063/2,994mm 1,740/1,968mm V6/2,967cc 286/3,500 bhp/rpm 600/2,250 Nm/rpm 8 spd auto/4WD 75 litres/repair kit 295/770/1,955 litres 2,165/850/3,500kg 11 4 metres* 3yrs (60k)/3yrs 22nd/9th 92/86/71/72/5 (’19)

6.5 secs/150mph 33 0/7 3/544 miles 33 6mpg 7 4mpl 229/221g/km/37%

Yes/yes/f&r/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes £750/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes/yes

EMISSIONS BOTH

are in top Benefit in Kind bracket so Q7 s higher CO2 figure doesn t affect costs just its higher list price

Head to head

OFF-ROAD

ONE of the most impressive thing about the way that the Range Rover Sport drives is that, despite on road manners that are more than a match for the Q7’s, it’ll also leave the Audi floundering over difficult ground

Land Rover’s Terrain Response system optimises traction, stability and braking systems to suit mud, rock, snow and a variety of difficult surfaces. Should you ever find the need, it’ll wade through water up to 900mm deep, too

RANGE ROVER

ON a technical level, the Range Rover Sport is a huge hit for Land Rover The fact that across the board whether it be ride, handling, performance or refinement this vast SUV manages to deliver so much sophistication is impossible not to admire. That it can do all this while remaining both peerless off road and sumptuous inside cements its place as one of the best luxury 4x4s on sale today

AUDI

THE Q7 deserves a huge amount of credit for the fact that, even after seven years on sale, it’s still so accomplished in so many areas. It’s almost as comfortable as the Range Rover Sport, it’s better packaged inside and the Audi’s diesel engine is very strong. It can’t quite reach the same heights of refinement, though, nor does its cabin feel quite as special or as luxurious

LAND ROVER has turned to British high end audio maker Meridian for the Range Rover Sport’s premium sound system, and it’s among the very best set ups on the market. Aided in no small part by the car’s hushed cabin, the sound quality is exceptionally clear, with plenty of low end power to back it up.

Audi turns to Bose for the Q7’s premium set up At 558 Watts, the 19 speaker system is punchy, but lacks the ultimate detail provided by the Meridian system.

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On

Performance Born is almost as fast as most hot hatchbacks and steering is quick

Interior Plusher materials than in VW ID.3 reflect Born’s more upmarket position

John McIlroy John McIlroy@autovia co uk @johnmcilroy

IT will probably not surprise you to learn that I’m not much of an athlete, but I do have a penchant for a certain brand of trainers that offer a little more than the norm We’re not talking extreme cross country running here, but rather a standard format, made a little nicer with plusher, softer materials and funky colours Now, it seems, I have the car to match because a Cupra Born has just joined the fleet, and I’m going to spend the next few months getting a feel for the Volkswagen Group’s young, dynamic brand and what its car delivers over a comparable VW

The Born is Cupra’s first pure electric model and as such, it’s a close relative of the VW ID 3 I even suspect that if you put the two vehicles side by side, you’d notice some significant similarities in their wheelbases, overhangs and rooflines

But where the Born follows the same trend as my footwear is how it takes the ID 3 which ultimately ended up looking a bit humdrum compared with its original concept and gives it a slightly sportier edge Whether or not this is really suited to a pure electric vehicle is a matter for debate, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the more rakish nose and the aero adornments on the side sills do give the Cupra a sharper

look overall Our car ’ s Rayleigh Red paintjob helps as well, of course; it’s considerably more striking than anything you’ll find in the VW’s palette So I’ve ended up with a pair of Onitsuka Tigers on wheels, basically

As a brand, Cupra is pitched slightly above VW somewhere between it and Audi, you’d reason, with a more sporting direction and we ’ re certainly giving the Born every chance to impress between now and next spring Our example is the range topping V3, complete with the largest battery capacity available in the range 77kWh and a 227bhp rear mounted motor with 310Nm of torque It means the Cupra can sprint from 0 62mph in seven seconds, which is relatively modest by EV standards, but still up there with most hot hatchbacks

It’s not exactly cheap, this Born, at more than £43,000 but V3 does bring everything bar the kitchen sink on the standard kit list There’s interior ambient lighting, 20 inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail lights,

an augmented reality head up display, heated 12 way adjustable front seats with massage function, rain sensing wipers, and a 12 inch touchscreen infotainment system

Our car then has a few extras on top of that the metallic paint job for starters, but also what Cupra calls ‘Tech Pack Large’ It’s basically park assist, in practical terms, although the £775 bundle does also include a wireless phone charger and keyless entry (useful features), and vehicle to vehicle networking, which is markedly less useful, for the time being at least

My first impressions are that the Born is a well judged creation The cabin feels a little more upmarket than the sister VW’s, with plusher fabrics and some natty cushioned material on top of the dashboard It’s sharper dynamically too, plus quicker to respond to steering inputs, and so far at least, the sports suspension feels just on the right side of tolerable on UK roads

Meanwhile, the rest of the package is bang on what the MEB project was designed to deliver: generous family car space in a vehicle that’s actually a little smaller than a conventionally powered VW Golf I already wish there was a proper ‘frunk’ to store soaking wet charging cables, but cluttered boot aside, my two plus one family fits in quite well It’ll be interesting to see if, by the end of six months with me, the Born feels like a comfy pair of well worn trainers

Essentials

Cupra Born 77kWh V3 230PS

On fleet since: November 2022

Price new: £43,735

Powertrain: 1x e motor, 227bhp/ 77kWh (usable)

Options: Tech Pack L (£775), Rayleigh Red metallic paint (£590)

Insurance*: Group: 28P Quote: £765

Mileage: 3,687

Efficiency: 3 4 miles/kWh

Any problems? None so far

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42 year old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points

WE LIKE To justify its ‘premium’ positioning, the Born has to feel a bit sportier inside than the VW ID 3, and a bit plusher On first impressions, it nails both briefs

WE DON’T Born’s oversized alloys are asking for trouble. It’s only a matter of time before one gets up close and personal with a kerb More sidewall, please!

Verdict

IT’S early days for our Cupra and we haven’t really touched upon the much maligned infotainment system (expect a full report on that one soon). But it’s good to see that the Born does feel different from its VW cousin overall, with a sportier look, a sharper drive and a cabin with a nicely judged mix of slightly more premium materials.

P e t e G i b s o n

Sizing up John intends to find out if his new EV is as comfortable as his favourite trainers

“The Born takes the Volkswagen ID.3 and gives it a slightly sportier edge”

Alpine A110 GT

Sutcliffe mail@autoexpress co uk

JUST after the 11,000th mile ticked over on our Alpine A110 GT’s odometer, a little message appeared in yellow on the left hand side of the instrument binnacle It said a service would be required in 900 miles, at which point I didn’t think much more about it I was in Scotland at the time and there wasn’t much I could do about it up there anyway

For a couple of weeks afterwards I was here, there and everywhere with work, so I didn’t have time to get the service done But as the miles continued to accrue, and I continued to find the A110 a very lovely car to get around in, the mileage went up and the service number continued to fall, until one morning I realised I had just 100 miles left to get it sorted

So I went online to find my nearest Alpine Centre, put my Hove postcode into the search engine and was somewhat disbelieving to discover it’s in Orpington, Kent According to the search engine, that’s 64 miles away from Hove hardly up the road, in other words

I called the dealer and the soonest date they could do was three weeks

away Hmm They also couldn’t do a fast turnaround appointment, so asked if I wanted a courtesy car But that would mean driving to Orpington and back twice in two days, which I didn’t much fancy, so I agreed to drop it off first thing and just wait

“It might take most of the day,” the nice lady said “That’s fine,” I replied, not exactly telling the truth But then what else am I supposed to do?

The price of the service was £470 Chuck the cost of fuel in to get from Hove to Orpington and back and that’s £500, which is a fair chunk given that I’ve done less than 5,000 miles in the car Hopefully nothing outside the routine work will need seeing to It occurs next week, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed and report back next time

In the meantime, the A110 remains an absolute joy to live with every day, even if it does have its limitations when it comes to luggage space and interior packaging But you know about these things long before you decide to buy a car such as the A110 They are part of the deal you sign up for in the first place

What you can’t possibly appreciate until you ’ ve spent some quality time in an A110 GT is just how soothing and comfortable it

is on long journeys Or how delicate and detailed its steering is when you thread it along a decent B road Or how economical it can be if you drive it gently (more than 35mpg on most journeys) Or how much attention it attracts wherever it goes

People like the A110, even though most of them don’t know what it is, and I really like that about it Even the car haters can’t quite bring themselves to dislike it, because it looks so small and inoffensive As for the people who do know what

it is, they want to know all about it, as if it’s some kind of forbidden fruit

Me? If anything, I like the A110 even more now than I did when it first arrived, and I was already a very big fan It’s just so unusual and has such a broad repertoire of talents, not all of which need to involve a race track or even a fast B road I like bumbling around in it almost as much as I do pressing on when the right road appears Hopefully the ownership experience won’t take too much of a dent when it’s serviced

THIRD REPORT A first service isn’t spoiling our fun in French coupé

Warning Service message has brought up the only real hurdle with running an A110 the sparse dealer network

Steve

Fleetwatch

Alpine A110

GT On fleet since: August 2022 Price new: £59,355 (£62,867 as tested) Engine: 1 8 litre 4cyl turbo petrol, 296bhp CO2/tax: 145g/km/£520 Options: Thunder Grey paint (£780), Focal premium audio (£552), 18 inch Serac Wheels (£372), Mirror pack (£468), Storage pack (£468), Alpine telematics (£264), Alpine logos on fuel cap and side bumper (£110), Alpine logo in steering wheel (£78)

Group:

Quote:

Toyota Corolla Commercial

WE’LL admit that a two seat car based van isn’t necessarily the most useful machine for carrying passengers, but we’ve found one cargo carrying benefit from those missing seats. As revealed in Issue 1,753, rather than removing the rear seats to create a Corolla Commercial, Toyota skips that part of the build in the

They’re

Ford Focus Estate

LIKE

But despite the snazzy graphics accompanying them on our car’s slick SYNC 4 infotainment system, website editor Steve Walker hasn’t been a fan thus far. On mainstream machinery such as the Focus, the differences often aren’t huge between the respective settings anyway.

While the cost of living crisis might see fingers hovering over the Eco setting, with its early upshifts and reined in climate control, it must be selected afresh every time you start the car.

Likewise, Sport mode brings later shifts, a sharper throttle and more steering weight. It makes more of the car’s excellent chassis, but how many Focus owners actually bother to engage it regularly? As with so much secondary tech in modern cars, we suspect it’s relatively few

Flashy Ford’s graphics change with switch between driving modes

first place. But there are still some remnants of the Touring Sports estate that remain There are the rear doors, of course, but two other items that are retained are the D shaped latches that hold the Corolla estate’s seatbacks in an upright position.

welded into the bodyshell, and it would be too complicated to reprogram a robot to skip this part of the build process further back down the production line, so here they stay. But that gives you two sturdy lashing eyes that you can use to secure bulky items, or, as chief van man Dean Gibson has found out, they’re also very effective as bag hooks They’re certainly a lot better than the shallow plastic items that are moulded into the sides of the cargo area.

“People like the A110, even though most of them don’t know what it is, and I really like that about it”

Contact:

Tom Cossey

Miniature Citroen Ami

Contact: lifestyle.citroen.com

THERE’S always room for a model car under any petrolhead’s Christmas tree, and this year we’ve been very much taken with this fabulous rendition of possibly Citroen’s coolest new vehicle, the Ami electric quadricycle. You can choose Pop or Vibe variants in 1:43 scale (although even the full sized Ami is practically small enough to fit under the tree itself) Citroen offers numerous other models, both current and historic, if something else tickles your fancy.

Halfords Car Cleaning Award Winners Kit

Contact: halfords.com WHAT

Lynx Car Air Freshener

Contact: lynxformen com

A DEODORANT brand making an air freshener might seem a bit unusual, but when we tested car air fresheners, our panel liked the smell of this Lynx one the best. It’s long-lasting and looks discreet, too, because it’s far less distracting than having a scented card dangling from the rear view mirror. This air freshener is a great stocking filler at less than a fiver.

Beaulieu National Motor Museum admission

Contact: transport museum.co.uk

THERE’S always something going on at the National Motor Museum, based in Hampshire. Whether you attend on a brand-specific ‘Simply’ day, aim for a special show or merely want to look around the main museum and side exhibitions such as the Story of Motoring or the World of Top Gear, there’s something to satisfy all car lovers You can book in advance online and if Gift Aided, your ticket allows unlimited visits throughout the year.

Festive Car and Christmas Tree Pandora Charm

Contact: uk.pandora.net

Driving Gnome for Christmas

Contact: firebox com

OH, I can’t wait to see those faces… when they unwrap a set of two wind up racing gnomes, which are perfect for a post Christmas dinner championship. Buy a few sets and everyone around the table can have a gnome in their stocking or cracker ready for a proper tournament. You could even get creative building track furniture or ramps to race around Just try not to be a sore loser if your gnome doesn’t quite channel his inner Lewis Hamilton.

Henry Car Kit

Contact: myhenry com

ANOTHER one for the detailing geek here So many of us hate vacuuming the car because we don’t have the right tools, but the Henry Car Kit offers an extended hose, an extra long flexible crevice tool for all the nooks and crannies and a useful mini turbo brush to make short work out of interior carpeting. It’ll fit all Henry vacuums, of course, but it’s also compatible with plenty of others, too; anything that fits 32mm tools will be perfect

Amphibious Driving Experience

Contact: mudmayhem co uk

OFF roading in a 4x4 is one thing, but what about going truly off road and into deep water? This driving experience takes place in an eight wheeled, skid steer Argocat amphibious vehicle around a man made course with steep slopes, deep water and slippery obstacles. It’s available at the Market Harborough off road course in Leicestershire Other experiences are also available, as are generic gift vouchers

Classic Car Show Biscuit Tin

Contact: biscuiteers com

IF your loved one prefers presents that can be eaten, they might enjoy these wonderful biscuits. All 16 gingerbread cookies are iced around the theme of classic cars, and you get Rolls Royces, E Type Jaguars, Aston Martins plus a few accessories. Then, once you’ve chowed down on a slice of classic motoring, you can keep the souvenir tin for your own baked creations

HAVE a racing driver in the family? Hydrorace bottles are designed for staying hydrated while trackside, and have a long straw and bite valve to enable them to be used even with a helmet on. Each bottle is made from a single piece of extruded aluminium, so you know it’ll be durable, and is finished in bright colours so you can spot it even in a crowded paddock.

GT-R tail-lights T-shirt

Luckies Fuel Candle

Contact: luckies co uk

DESPITE the name, this candle doesn’t smell of diesel Instead, the scent is inspired by motor racing, metallic and smoky with notes of pine and just a ‘hint of fuel’ The soy wax candle is packed in a great looking tin with the Martini Racing colours and will burn for 60 hours You can even get matching socks and a poster if your loved one deserves the complete set.

Thermos

Contact: thermos co uk

COFFEE-lovers with long commutes will love this Thermos travel mug We’ve tested these before and found they retain heat incredibly well; your beverage will still be hot enough even after an hour or two behind the wheel With a comfortable handle and hefty 470ml capacity, it’ll satisfy the most ardent caffeine fan, and there’s even a little hook inside to hold a teabag if you’re

BUYINGCARS

T ROC drivers seem to have a love hate relationship with their car, judging by the responses to our 2022 New Car Survey On the one hand, they like the Volkswagen’s safety features, running costs and reliability enough to give them top 10 rankings The controls are also appreciated, but many owners don’t like the way their T Rocs drive, with the car in 74th place in the survey for ride and handling, just one off the bottom in this section. The engine and gearbox are criticised, too, with scores that put the Volkswagen in 70th place in this category Surprisingly, the quality of the interior is also considered to be poor, with our respondents’ scores placing the T Roc in 74th spot in this respect

well thought out design.”

driving position. It’s a delight to drive long distances.” “Car is very comfortable in town and on

“Gearbox gets stuck in low gear when coasting down hills, pushing up the revs.”

“I’m getting 44.6mpg, which is far better than I had hoped for in a 1.5-litre petrol auto.”

WHEN Hyundai introduced the original Santa Fe in 2001, it was praised for its value, reliability and practicality However, there wasn’t a lot else to love about it, with its cheap interior plastics, mediocre dynamics and low tech spec sheet.

Just five years later, Hyundai released an all new Santa Fe and immediately we loved it, because it was now an impressive all rounder. But it was nothing compared with the third generation edition that arrived in 2012 and was better than any previous model For the first time it came with seven seats, the latest comfort and safety tech, plus an appealing exterior design So when the Sante Fe Mk4 was launched four years ago, we were expecting great things, and that’s exactly what we got: a full sized SUV that’s a front runner in the class

History

THE fourth generation Santa Fe arrived in September 2018 with a 197bhp 2 2 litre four cylinder CRDi diesel Prices started at £32,855 for the front wheel drive Santa Fe SE, and went up to £43,595 for the range topping Premium SE 4WD auto.

A heavily updated line up arrived in March 2021 As well as significant exterior design changes, the diesel engine was gone, replaced with a choice of 227bhp hybrid or 261bhp plug in hybrid options Both were fitted with a 1 6 litre turbocharged petrol engine and there was a choice of Premium or Ultimate trim levels. The hybrid started at £40,250 and the PHEV was priced from £45,715 Both models came only in auto form, but hybrid buyers could pick between front and four wheel drive.

NEED TO KNOW

STYLING

BUYER’SGUIDE: Hyun

Richard Dredge

dai Santa Fe

YOURVIEW

HYUNDAI has posted impressive results in our Driver Power new car surveys; this year the Kona came fourth, having placed first last year, and the Ioniq achieved ninth in 2020. However, this year the Ioniq and i10 Mk3 came 65th and 62nd respectively out of 75 entries; last year the Tucson came 64th. The Santa Fe Mk4 has yet to make an appearance, but Hyundai was 11th out of 29 in our 2022 Brands survey.

CASE STUDY

STEPHEN Halter from Blackburn, Lancs, owns a 2020 Santa Fe 2 2 CRDi He says: “I wanted a car to tow my caravan, and it needed to be reliable, well equipped, affordable and comfortable. The Santa Fe is all of those things and while there are cars that can match it in most respects, the long warranty and generous equipment were what swung it for me, and I have no regrets I’ll be keeping this car for a while yet ”

FROM £25,000 Fourth-generation seven-seater offers great practicality in an upmarket package

Expert’s verdict

Rosamond Contributing editor

A LONG list of safety features is one of the more appealing features of Hyundai’s large SUV, especially to those family buyers attracted to the seven seat layout; for many it’s a more on trend alternative to the people carrier they had before While the style and handling don’t attract rave reviews, the big SUV is relatively economical to run and maintain, while the long warranty is a major selling point too

Common faults

HYUNDAI has a pretty good reputation for reliability, and aside from issues related to recalls (p69), we’re not aware of any serious problems The warranty means there’s five years of cover, but any issue with the service history could invalidate this, so check carefully.

SEATING Middle row is spacious and well equipped, with higher spec cars getting heated outer seats Rearmost row will be a squeeze for adults, but does offer some versatility

BOOT Rearmost seats fold flat into the floor and the middle row does the same, creating a level load area with a low boot lip, which makes it easy to fit larger items in

“For many, the Santa Fe is a more on trend alternative to a people carrier”

Chris

SUPPLY problems since launch mean there aren’t as many Santa Fes on the used market as you might think; we found fewer than 100 of them for sale Just a couple were priced at just under £25,000, one a 68,000 mile Premium SE 4WD, the other a 39,000 mile Premium, both 2.2 CRDi autos on a 68 plate Diesels go up to £37,000, for a 10,000 mile 21 plate Premium SE auto 4WD

Two thirds of cars listed are fitted with diesel engines, one in 10 is a plug in hybrid, while the rest are hybrids. The cheapest plug in that we found was a 10,000 mile 21 plate Premium at £41,499, but most are priced upwards of £52,000 Hybrids start from £40,000 for a 12,000 mile Premium on a 21 plate, although most of the hybrids for sale are in pricier Ultimate spec.

Howmuch? Running costs

REGARDLESS of which powertrain is fitted, the Santa Fe will need to be serviced every 12 months or 20,000 miles Services alternate between Interim and Full, which are priced at £215 and £384 respectively for diesel engined cars, while for hybrids and plug ins the costs are £176 and £279

The Sante Fe comes with an impressive five year warranty with no mileage limit, and once out of this, the costs for those two services drop to £169 and £229, whichever engine is fitted Hyundai dealers will also perform an annual health check for free, and they also offer a Base service option which is essentially an oil and filter change for £99.

Stick with an official dealer for maintenance and you’ll get a two year warranty on all parts fitted, and 12 months’ breakdown cover with all services All Santa Fe engines are chain driven, so there are no cambelts to replace.

INFOTAINMENT

No version of the Santa Fe is poorly equipped, while Hyundai’s infotainment is a great system to use

ON THE ROAD

All models are refined, especially the hybrid versions, and the Santa Fe is comfortable for long trips

Interior

HYUNDAI has recalled the Santa Fe on just two occasions so far The first was in February 2021, when 1,879 Hyundais were affected by a campaign caused by faulty eCall systems. All of the cars affected were built between August and December 2020; as well as the Santa Fe, the i20, Kona and Tucson were included in the recall bulletin, the fix for which was to update the software in the electronic control unit.

The second action was issued in May 2022, when 36 Santa Fes were recalled because of faulty instrumentation

All of the cars were built in October, November or December 2021, and they left the factory with problematic liquid crystal displays in the instrument panel The fix for this was the replacement of the entire instrument cluster

Which one?

DUE to its more ready availability and much lower purchase costs, the diesel engined Santa Fe probably makes the most sense

If you can charge for free, the plug in hybrid might be worth looking at, although purchase costs are much higher The hybrid is fine, but disappointing fuel economy isn’t unusual All Santa Fes are well equipped, with even the entry level SE having a seven inch touchscreen display, 17 inch alloys, dual zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, and a rear camera

The Premium added an eight inch screen, 18 inch wheels, electrically adjustable front seats, LED headlights, heated front and outer rear seats, heated steering wheel, powered tailgate, keyless go and 10 speaker hi fi The Premium SE also has ventilated front seats, 360 degree cameras, an opening panoramic roof and 19 inch alloys

Alternatives

THE Kia Sorento is closely related to the Santa Fe, and it comes with a seven year warranty to the Hyundai’s five, while the engine options are the same. The Kia is impressive, as are the Volvo XC60 and Audi

INTERIOR There’s a commanding view of the road ahead, while 360 degree cameras are available to boost visibility

Q5, which beat the Hyundai in plug in hybrid form in a group test, and that is why we’d consider both of those very carefully The Jaguar F Pace and BMW X3 are also very impressive, but like the Volvo and Audi, they’re five seaters only.

If you need seven seats, then the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 and BMW X5 are the alternatives, although these are a lot more expensive. If seven seats are essential, then the Skoda Kodiaq, VW Tiguan Allspace and SEAT Tarraco are your options, while the Nissan X Trail, Land Rover Discovery Sport and Peugeot 5008 have smaller rear rows.

Verdict

WHATEVER the age or mileage of the Santa Fe Mk4 that you might be thinking of buying, it’ll come with some warranty, thanks to the generous five year duration and no mileage limit; you’ll also get the balance of 10 years’ worth of free map updates.

That should provide you with some peace of mind, but more important is that you

THE Santa Fe’s cabin is one of the car’s high spots for several reasons As well as being very spacious, all models have seven seats as standard, and the Hyundai is comfortable, very well made and very well equipped

The infotainment system is user friendly, the ergonomics are excellent and there’s room for seven adults if they’re not too big. With five seats in use, the boot can stow 571 litres, which will be plenty for most buyers’ needs, but drop the back row and this jumps to 1,649 litres, which compares well with what rivals offer.

shouldn’t need to use the warranty, because reliability is one of the key reasons why Santa Fe buyers are such fans of their cars

There was a time when you bought a Santa Fe despite it lagging behind rivals in several key areas, but those days are gone and the fourth generation model makes them seem further away than ever

Contacts

Official hyundai co uk Forums santafeforums.com hyundaisantafe org hyundai forums com hyundaiforum com thehyundaiforums com

BUYING CARS Dog friendly cars

£7,000 for a car that will take the family - and the family pet

THE COST-EFFECTIVE CHOICE

Dacia Duster

FOR: Newer model for price, affordable running costs

AGAINST: Basic design, interior lacks sparkle

THE Duster SUV from Renault owned Dacia has been wowing financially astute car shoppers since 2014 A second generation car appeared back in 2018, but a £7,000 budget means you’ll be looking at the first generation. We found a selection of 2015/16 registered diesel examples in top spec Laureate trim at a few hundred pounds either side of the budget, and with 40,000 77,000 miles. Basic 1.6 litre petrol Access variants are likely to have fewer miles, but are rare, while 1 2 litre turbo petrols from 2016 onwards cost closer to £8,000

THE FASHIONABLE CHOICE

FOR: Fashionable styling, good all rounder, lots of choice

AGAINST: Rear space not the best, oldest car for the cash

THIS second generation Nissan Qashqai took over where its game changing predecessor left off, and one of the newcomer’s most important advances was the adoption of a larger more dog friendly boot However, the sloping tailgate does reduce headroom slightly for the largest animals, so that’s worth checking Although it’s been superseded by a Mk3, this Nissan is arguably the most modern feeling of the trio, and for £7,000 or just a little more, you can pick up petrol and diesel versions from 2015 with around 60,000 miles on the clock.

THE LEFT-FIELD CHOICE

Nissan Qashqai Vauxhall Antara

FOR: Rugged looks, well equipped, competitive prices

AGAINST: Low rent interior finishes, thirsty engines

THERE aren’t many circumstances where we’d recommend a Vauxhall Antara, but if you’re looking for a boxy SUV that’s relatively cheap to buy, its lack of flair can possibly be overlooked It was strong value when new, and £7,000 will bag you a 50,000 60,000 mile 2016 2 2 CDTi diesel in Diamond trim with cruise control, climate control, parking sensors, Bluetooth, and even leather upholstery on its relatively lavish spec sheet It’s a pleasant enough car to drive, if not as fun as some, and there’s loads of room for families and their dogs A thirsty 2 4 litre petrol was offered, but it’s hard to find

SIZE matters when it comes to choosing a car for your dog. We’re talking about the size of the latter, of course, because that’s ultimately what determines the size of the former If your best friend is merely pint sized, the world’s your oyster, because a secure cage can fit in even the smallest hatchback with the seats folded down. For drivers with pooches at the other end of the scale, there’s less freedom to choose the car

you really want, given that the imperative is to find something suitably cavernous.

You could look at an MPV especially one of the van derived models for the ultimate in accommodation However, here we’ve picked a trio of practical SUVs They have large boots that should fit the bill for safe and comfortable dog transport once a suitable guard is fitted, as well as accommodating the humans too

Dog friendly cars BUYING CARS

Dear Chris, I have £7,000 to find a suitable car for me, my husband and a large, bouncy dog what do you recommend?

Kimberley Jones, via E mail

Contact: mail@autoexpress co uk

across the range, while plusher Exclusiv and Diamond trims get 17 or 19 inch wheels

Vauxhall offered two engine options: a 2 4 litre petrol and a 2 2 litre diesel If you pick a petrol car featuring the optional 4x4, you’ll end up getting mid thirties mpg, so we’d advise going for a diesel model unless you only have a low annual mileage

HOW OUR GUIDE WORKS

PERFORMANCE: This is the manufacturer’s claimed acceleration time for a car, and is measured from 0 60mph or 0 62mph (0 100kph), in seconds

ECONOMY/EMISSIONS/RANGE: Combined WLTP economy in miles per gallon, emissions in grams per kilometre of CO2 and maximum claimed range for EVs Figures are achieved in the latest WLTP tests, but will vary according to equipment and are unlikely to be representative of everyday efficiency

INSURANCE: Group rating as quoted by the Association of British Insurers

WARRANTY: Next to each manufacturer’s name is the basic warranty period in months and miles for the mechanicals, corrosion and paintwork EVs and hybrids will have dedicated battery cover

LIST PRICE: This is the on the road figure and includes VAT, delivery to dealer, 12 months’ road tax, number plates and first registration EVs do not include the Plug in Car Grant

WILL IT FIT? Is your garage big enough? Our measurements show the length and width of each model, but remember estate and performance variants may be bigger.

DRIVER POWER POSITION: Auto Express’s survey canvasses results from tens of thousands of motorists Models are rated by drivers, then ranked against others on sale in the UK The lower the number, the higher the score a model achieved

ROAD

VEHICLES BELOW £40 000 Electric vehicle: £0 Alternative fuel: £155 Petrol/diesel: £165 Alternative fue s include hybrids plug in hybr ds, b ethano and LPG fuels

VEHICLES OVER £40 000 Electric vehicle: £0 Alternative fuel: £510 Petrol/diesel: £520 After five years vehicles costing more than £40,000 revert to the ower rates

Pick up trucks: The models listed here pay a flat rate of road tax, at £295 per year

EURO NCAP RATING: At the start of each model is its Euro NCAP crash test safety rating (if available) The maximum score is five stars although the test has been made tougher over the years so ratings aren’t comparable between vehicles

LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR?

WE CAN HELP TAKE THE PAIN OUT OF CAR BUYING

Head to autoexpress.co.uk where you’ll find all you need to get a great deal on the latest new cars. Understand what’s on offer from the top brands, see what our experts think of each car and, if you like, register your interest to find out more.

Scan with your smartphone to find your next car.

Or visit www.autoexpress.co.uk/find-your-car

All the action from the world of motorsport

Ricciardo to stay in Formula One after rejoining Red Bull squad

Alex Ingram@autovia co uk @AxleIngram

RED Bull Racing has named Daniel Ricciardo as its reserve driver for the 2023 Formula One season It sees the Australian return to the squad that he joined in 2014, and where he took seven wins over the course of five seasons

His new role will see him undergo some testing and simulator work, and means it’s possible he could fill in for world champion Max Verstappen or team mate Sergio Perez, should either be unable to race for any reason “The smile says it all,” said Ricciardo. “I’m truly excited to be coming back home to Oracle Red Bull Racing as their third driver in 2023 ”

Ricciardo made a huge impact when he first joined Red Bull He was promoted after two seasons with Torro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) and teamed up with Sebastien Vettel following his fourth consecutive title But while Vettel struggled to adapt to the new turbo hybrid era, Ricciardo flourished, taking memorable wins in Canada, Hungary and Belgium in his first season, on the way to third in the championship behind the dominant Mercedes drivers.

In 2019, Ricciardo decided to switch to Renault, and after two seasons and two podiums there, he moved to McLaren Despite a special eighth win of his career at Monza, his time at the Woking squad proved to be tricky, with the Australian struggling beside team mate Lando Norris

It resulted in his contract being terminated one year early and his seat being taken by rapid rookie Oscar Piastri That difficult spell is something Ricciardo aims to put behind him. “For me personally, the ability to contribute to, and be surrounded by, the best team in F1 is hugely appealing,” he said, “whilst also giving me some time to recharge and refocus ”

He joins Red Bull as the squad appears to be returning to the kind of dominant form it showed from 2010 2013, as Max Verstappen wrapped up his second straight drivers’ title this season. The Dutchman has already confirmed that he will continue to race with the number 1 on his car in 2023

Louis Sharp takes F4 clean sweep in Abu Dhabi

BACK in Issue 1,951, we tipped young racer Louis Sharp as a potential star of the future and the F4 racer has since had another opportunity to hammer that point home by securing a double victory in Abu Dhabi.

It’s a feat that’s all the more impressive considering that he’d never raced at the circuit before, and was in an F4 car that runs to different regulations and on different tyres to those that he’s competed under so far in the British F4 championship

The British born New Zealander finished fifth in this year’s British F4 championship, despite having to miss the first three rounds because, until he turned 15 years old, he was too young to compete.

The Rodin Cars driver was understandably delighted after the races, showing off his talents to the watching F1 bosses at the recent Grand Prix. “Racing in Abu Dhabi has been an incredible experience,” he said, “and I can’t thank David Dicker and Rodin Cars enough. Without their wonderful support, none of this would be possible ”

DOMINANT Max Verstappen won his second straight drivers’ title in 2022, taking a record 15 wins during the season

Alex Ingram

● Popular Australian back at team he left in 2019 ● Could deputise for Verstappen or Perez in races

“Ricciardo is returning to the squad where he took seven wins over the course of five seasons”

“Sharp missed the first three rounds of the F4 championship because he was too young”

DO you ever get the feeling that Britain’s transport corridors are becoming increasingly and unbearably crowded? That travelling from A to B is getting harder? All this might have something to do with the fact that they are, and it is Britain’s population has boomed since the 1970s Put to one side quirky little lands such as Monaco and Gibraltar, and it’s clear that Europe has fewer places more densely populated than Blighty. Net migration into the UK is growing at a rate of 500,000 plus annually suggesting that GB will soon be home to 70 million folk This, in part, explains why car parking spaces are so hard to find here.

As for the world population in recent days it’s gone through the eight billion mark. So that’s circa 8,000 million people requiring various modes of private and/or public transport They/we (after all, we ’ re all in this together) need untold millions of public buses, trains, boats and planes, plus billions of personal bikes and cars, right? Trouble is, the global automotive industry has created a major problem for itself. Put simply, it’s not building nearly enough new cars for the motorists of this big, brave, bloated new world. Manufacturers were repeatedly warned that the global population would reach eight billion by 2022 (just as it knows the number will rise to almost 10 billion by 2050)

Additionally, the industry has long been aware that in Asia, for example (home to around 60 per cent of the global population), countless workers are on the rise socially and financially and surprise, surprise want and can afford brand new cars It’s only reasonable to expect them to follow the example set by car buying European and North American customers over the last half century or more So how many cars (not to be confused with LCVs, buses, etc) did the global auto industry build last year for that eight billion strong population? A measly 57 million That’s less than 10 million for each of the world’s seven continents And that’s woefully inadequate According to just published figures from in the know Warrantywise, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Kia and Hyundai are the top five brands for reliability. But building the most reliable cars is the first step The second is to produce more of them Flexible international factories in all regions of the world would mean local jobs and much reduced delivery schedules and environmental harm So with all this in mind, it’s crazy that Australia, for instance, is no longer a car producing nation. And crazier still that Africa the second most populated continent on the planet isn’t more involved in the global car business Since the economic miracle and car producing phenomenon that is South Korea is genuinely running out of people and space to build the additional factories it needs on home turf and elsewhere, isn’t it about time that it and North Korea declared peace, kissed, made up and opened the ‘Bridge of No Return’ that cruelly divides them? Forget about those South and North labels Think instead about one Korea, which has the potential to become the world’s greatest car producing nation Yes, even greater than Japan

Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off

The global automotive industry is simply not building enough cars for the motorists of this big, brave, bloated new world