Table of contents for 1783 in Auto Express

● Fiat readying new 600 crossover for imminent unveiling ● Will be joined by hot new version developed by Abarth THERE’S a compact SUV from Fiat waiting in the wings to make its debut, Auto Express has learned, and the all-new car will be called the 600. The SUV was spied testing recently, and also briefly in undisguised form as part of a promotional shoot for Fiat. Our images preview closely what the all-electric model will look like when it makes its debut – potentially as soon as early next month. Fiat boss Olivier Francois has previously told Auto Express about the brand’s plans for a new style-driven range to sit alongside a second, more pragmatic, affordable line of models, and this fresh design-led crossover will sit alongside the iconic…

● Investigations into fuel price competition turn the screw ● Drop is ‘biggest one-month fall’ in 23 years of price monitoring THE average price of diesel fell by 12 pence a litre last month – the largest ever cut at the pumps recorded by the RAC in nearly a quarter of a century since it began tracking fuel prices. The long-overdue reduction followed on the heels of an announcement from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it would be interviewing supermarket bosses as part of its road fuel price market study. The move reflected dissatisfaction with the level of involvement some outlets had with the CMA investigation. “Whilst the level of engagement with the study has varied, we aren’t satisfied that [supermarkets] have all been sufficiently forthcoming with the…

Birthday badge for new Porsches PORSCHE has subtly redesigned its logo to celebrate 75 years of its sports cars. The tweaks are minor, but the new badge (above) features a “three-dimensional honeycomb structure in places, refreshed crest animal and more subtle gold colour”. The brand says: “It was also important to the designers to match precisely the 2D and 3D versions of the crest” given it will appear on digital screens inside cars. Drivers overlook essential documents POLICE forces across Britain have revealed that in 2023 a total of 44,328 drivers were apprehended and charged for failing to insure their cars, while a further 13,380 drivers were caught for driving without a valid MoT. The figures were issued in response to a Freedom Of Information request by car subscription service…

@AllieCrooks AFTER a long wait, Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz electric MPV launched last year in five-seat form, and now the brand has added a seven-seat version. The car’s retro-inspired design remains unchanged, but an extra 250mm of length unlocks more room inside, while the LWB’s drag coefficient rises only slightly over the standard car’s, to 0.29Cd. The ID. Buzz uses the same dashboard layout as the standard car, so there’s a 12.9-inch touchscreen and 5.3-inch driver’s display. However, the climate functions are now backlit, and there’s a new head-up display with speed and sat-nav instructions. VW’s handy ‘ID. Buzz Box’ storage between the driver and passenger has been retained. There are three different seating layouts for the LWB: a five-seater, a six-seater with three rows of two, or a seven-seater in…

@stevefowler I’VE had some bizarre escapades in cars in my time, but herding sheep from behind the wheel of a Bentley ranks up there with the very strangest, the most fun and the most pressured things I’ve ever done on four wheels. I had turned up at Goodwoof – the annual celebration of all things canine on the Duke of Richmond’s Goodwood estate – with my own pet pooch Sky for a fun, four-legged day out. But then I was approached by an old friend, Bentley’s chief communications officer Wayne Bruce, who asked me a question with a twist. “Fancy driving the new Bentayga Hybrid S? Nobody’s driven it anywhere else yet,” he asked eagerly. The thought of an exclusive first drive on the roads around Goodwood was something too…

@rsp_ingram FOR decades, Volkswagen has blurred the boundary between premium and mainstream, offering the kind of kit and quality you’d expect from luxury brands, but at a much more affordable price. Yet in recent years, the firm started to lose its foothold. The evergreen Golf has been surpassed by talented competition, while VW’s first dedicated electric car – the ID.3 – suffered immediate criticism for its glitchy infotainment tech and sub-par interior trim. The result – and 12 months earlier than planned – is a hefty mid-life update that looks to address some of the car’s biggest flaws. Particular attention has been paid to the cabin, where stitched fabric has been added to the doors and dashboard, while subtle changes to the exterior design and extra colours give it greater…

WHILE the big news surrounding Volvo’s XC40 compact SUV might focus on the Recharge full-EV model’s switch from front to rear-wheel drive, the Swedish brand has been quietly rolling out updates elsewhere in the combustion-engined line-up. One of the most interesting is the new entry-level B3 mild-hybrid version. This 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol model replaces the previous 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged car and brings with it much more refinement. Whereas the three-cylinder unit hummed, this new four-cylinder B3 is much smoother and more subdued. The electric motor’s small 40Nm boost of torque means acceleration away from junctions is strong, with the refined combustion engine helping to propel the Volvo at a reasonable lick. Thanks to 160bhp and 265Nm of torque, the XC40 has plenty of performance for a small SUV, accelerating…

Running costs 42.9mpg (on test) £85 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 545/1,640 litres I OFTEN find that the longer I live with a car on our test fleet, the more niggles I uncover. But that’s not the case with our C5 X. I’m actively searching for reasons to jump behind the wheel of our plush Citroen and struggling to find things to put in our ‘Don’t like’ panel. I’m happy to jump in the car to help out on photoshoots for work, while a recent 400-mile weekend round trip for the family was a stressless joy. The reason I enjoy the Citroen so much is that it ticks a set of boxes specific to me. As a fifty-something parent and grandparent, I enjoy comfort and safety over thrills when I’m…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk IF you are motoring on a budget, the annual MoT test can be a worrying time. You drop the car off at the testing station and go away with everything crossed that you won’t return to a failure and an unaffordable estimate for getting it through a retest. No one likes to fork out for work that, in many cases, will be of no appreciable benefit to stay on the road. For some cars nearing the end of their life that are worth hundreds or barely thousands of pounds it could literally be the end of the road. But it’s different with classic cars that are more than 40 years old, because they are exempt from taking the annual MoT test to stay on the road.…

NEW PRODUCT Topdon ArtiLink500B Price: £85.99 Rating: Contact: topdon.com THE Topdon ArtiLink400 took the top prize in our OBD reader test earlier this year (Issue 1,766), thanks to its comprehensive fault code-reading capabilities. The 500B builds on this with the ability to test batteries in unusual detail. To check the car’s electrical system, you need to swap the illuminated OBD lead for the battery clip cable and attach to the battery. The unit then runs tests on the battery, and the colour 2.8-inch LCD display shows if it is healthy in simple language. After that, with the engine running, you can choose to conduct a full test of the electrical system, which measures the alternator output in precise detail through the rev range. This, plus the ability to back the data…

WITH the ban on pure petrol and diesel new vehicle sales looming at the end of the decade, more of us are plugging into the savings offered by PHEV and fully electric cars. With this different way of driving comes new habits; plugging in whenever possible replaces visiting the fuel station. While we would recommend that anyone charging regularly at home should install a dedicated wallbox, it is possible to top up your battery anywhere there’s a three-pin plug. That could be when you are visiting relatives, in a workplace car park or even at a holiday cottage. Most car manufacturers will supply only one cable, and usually it’s the simple lead that’s designed to fit a public chargepoint – called a Type 2 to Type 2. A three-pin to…

Touring car stars duke it out at Vallelunga IF you’re not familiar with the TCR World Tour, there’s good reason, because 2023 is its inaugural year. It effectively replaced WTCR, which folded last year, and features many of the same drivers, cars and circuits. There are nine events, and just like WTCR, there are up to three races taking place at each one. Leading the way in 2023 after two events is Norbert Michelisz with his Hyundai Elantra N TCR car (above). The Hungarian finished fourth overall in the WTCR last year. His team-mate is Mikel Azcona, who won the final race of the WTCR season in 2022, but sits in sixth spot overall this year. The next race takes place at Vallelunga, Italy. Last year saw Honda driver Nestor…

● Lexus LBX launches as new compact SUV to rival MINI Countryman ● Hybrid-only SUV enters new market for Lexus, aiming at new buyers DESPITE some brands moving away from smaller models in search of greater profits, Lexus is jumping into the upmarket compact SUV sector with its new LBX. Designed for European customers, the LBX sits on parent firm Toyota’s GA-B platform, which underpins the Yaris Cross. However, Lexus says the LBX has been re-engineered to deliver the refinement and the driving experience necessary for one of its cars. There’s also a big focus on design, quality and personalisation, with a new Lexus Bespoke Build programme. The LBX’s design reinterprets the firm’s ‘Spindle grille’, with a new mesh section. Above this is a narrow strip, which features a trim…

AFTER Fiat CEO Olivier Francois pointed out that the brand can use tech shared with other Stellantis brands in the future, the Italian manufacturer has revealed its new Topolino compact city car. Based on the same platform as the Citroen Ami, the Topolino revives an iconic name for Fiat. The original “baby mouse”, as it was known, was produced between 1939 and 1955. The 2023 model shares its basic specification with the Ami, so features a 5.5kWh battery for a claimed range of around 46 miles, plus an 8bhp electric motor that can propel the car to a top speed of 28mph. The Topolino has a roll-back canvas roof and no doors, while the new two-seater’s styling evokes the original 500 city car with its round headlights and clamshell bonnet-style…

SUPERMARKET chain Asda is taking over 350 filling stations from the EG Group as part of its drive to extend its convenience food operations. A similar deal to take over Co-op Group filling stations attracted the attention of the Competitions and Markets Authority, which said the move risked reducing price competition in some regions. Asda was forced to provide written commitments to the CMA in order for that deal to be ratified, but the EG Group takeover won’t face CMA scrutiny, because EG and Asda are both owned by the same private equity group. Asda boss Stuart Rose has told the Reuters news agency that the chain will continue to be a ‘price leader’ on fuel.…

THE next generation of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit layout has been teased ahead of its official unveiling. The new interior architecture is set to make its debut on the forthcoming 3008 SUV, which will be revealed later this year. The first picture shows a similar concept to the existing i-Cockpit, with a new design for the low-set steering wheel and a screen panel positioned above it. This new panoramic i-Cockpit layout combines the car’s screens, with a digital dash and the main touchscreen linked in one housing, with a black trim piece that frames both panels. Peugeot says this configuration is a 21-inch high-definition panel that combines the instrument cluster and secondary functions. Then there’s a touch-sensitive panel below this, which replaces the piano key-style shortcut buttons on current Peugeot models; this…

WHILE VW is focusing on its electric future with the ID. Buzz, it hasn’t forgotten about its ICE models and is set to give its iconic Golf an update. Our photographers caught this facelifted Mk8 model undisguised, revealing a new front bumper with a wide lower grille. The photos also show that the bonnet will no longer ‘hood’ the lights and badge, mimicking the ID.3 EV in a bid to improve aerodynamics. Expect an update to the family hatchback’s infotainment too, which was criticised at launch. The 15-inch display from the recently launched ID.7 could be offered, with basic cars featuring a 12-inch screen, an upgrade over the current base model’s 10-inch unit. PAGE 32: Volkswagen vs Skoda range round-up…

@Autoexpress We want to hear your views. Send your questions or opinions to the E-mail address below FROM: Neil Hewitt IT looks dull with a sprinkling of wonky-shaped cheaplooking plasticky bits. Someone should drag the design team into the sunlight and show them an E39 for how to do restrained elegance. This looks tacky and third rate. FROM: Graham Peppercorn It’s not as bad as the new BMW 4 Series, but it looks bland and derivative. All the tension in the shoulder line has gone and it looks like a bigger 2 Series Gran Coupé. BMW just can’t seem to get it right at the moment. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ■ “Could they have made it uglier? It looks like the designer was paid by the competition. A disgrace.”…

@matt_201 BY the eighties, there was a gaping hole in the Land Rover line-up. While the brand was still fairly young, having been repositioned as a British Leyland subsidiary only in 1978, it was making the same eponymous 4x4 it had been churning out since 1948 with few advances in the way of civility, alongside the upmarket Range Rover. The Rangie was for ‘posh’ people and the Land Rover was for farmers. The brand needed a model in the middle for families – those engaging in lifestyle pursuits, or who merely wanted to make it look as if they were. Enter Project Jay. Ambitious but pragmatic, this new off-roader was to borrow much from the Range Rover, including the ladder frame, a lot of the suspension components, the four-wheel drive…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 2.9 seconds/200mph WHEN the Maserati MC20 first arrived, we were bowled over by its character, dominated by a brilliant turbocharged V6 engine. Its intense performance was just as impressive as its ability to adapt to even the most challenging driving conditions. But when you take the roof off a brilliant supercar, there are obvious technical challenges surrounding structural integrity. Thankfully, in the case of the MC20, and a few of its supercar companions, the carbon-fibre chassis is well suited to deal with this loss, because much of the stiffness comes from the floor. Besides, in convertible form it’s better-equipped to turn heads, too. The Cielo (Italian for sky) uses the same 3.0-litre ‘Nettuno’ V6 engine as the coupé, packing a clever twin-chamber combustion system that allows for…

Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 570/1,545 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.9 seconds/124mph NIO will soon sell cars in the UK, so we’d better get ready for an alternative vision of how the transition to EVs will play out. The big thing with the company is battery swapping and NIO has built a network of around 900 transfer stations in China that serve as proof of its commitment. With NIO, you can charge your car’s battery as normal, but if you’re in a hurry, you can drive into a box that looks like a car wash and have your empty battery automatically swapped in less than five minutes. The NIO EL7 is a family-size premium SUV with battery-swapping tech built-in. It’s already on sale in European markets where the brand has launched,…

THE T-Roc isn’t as big as the Karoq, and the difference between the two is similar to that between the Golf and the Octavia. However, that hasn’t stopped the VW from being a sales success. So far in 2023, the T-Roc is the only model in either brand’s line-ups to break into the top 10 of the UK’s new-car sales charts, and the allure is clear as soon as you dive into the numbers. Match the three-year PCP figures to the already competitively priced Golf on the previous page, and the entry-level T-Roc comes to £279 per month – £25 per month less than the Golf for a car with the same 108bhp 1.0-litre TSI petrol. In many ways, it feels like you’re getting more car for less cash. While…

Volvo XC40 Recharge WHEN senior designer Victoria Coquet decided a weekend of rest and relaxation was in order, one car on the Auto Express fleet looked particularly appealing. But with our editor-in-chief’s Range Rover otherwise engaged, Vic had to make do with second best: our Volvo XC40 Recharge. The Volvo was perfect for the journey down to the New Forest. Even with the car loaded up with two bikes and a small greenhouse, Vic found there were enough storage spots to keep all the road trip essentials – including water bottles and what felt like nearly 2kg of chocolate! She and her passenger even found the process of charging largely stress-free, noting that you do still need to factor in the time it takes (around half-an-hour) to top back up…

IF your car is slow to start or throws up a warning light, you can be pretty sure it’ll end up draining your bank account. You can pay a garage for a diagnosis, or you could guess at the problem and change the battery and other parts, but there’s the chance that you won’t fix the problem. Alternatively, these two devices will test your battery’s health and check that your alternator is working too, but they have other tricks up their sleeves. In the case of the Ring – which has previously scored well in our battery charger tests – it will also get power back into the cells. The Topdon ArtiLink500B is a version of our review-winning OBD reader, which can also test batteries and charging systems. While the…

IN 2022 the current Honda Jazz moved up five places in the rankings compared with the previous model in the 2021 survey, which should have been music to the ears of Honda’s engineers. The car’s clever interior hits the right note with owners, who rated practicality and boot space as the fifth best in the entire survey. Reliability is another strong point for the Jazz, and the running costs are comfortably lower than average, with fuel economy in particular singled out for praise. But the driving experience appears to need a little tuning. The acceleration was rated as the worst of any car in the entire survey, and the poor ride comfort irritates owners. WE SAID “The Jazz is super efficient, has new infotainment tech and should hold its value…

VOLKSWAGEN has long had a reputation for producing high-quality cars, but when its South American-built Fox economy car reached the UK in 2006, few warmed to it. The main problem was that VW’s new city car was built down to a price, and it showed. That made its successor, the up!, seem even more impressive when it arrived in 2011. Even now, 12 years after its arrival, the up! is still a brilliant small car. As with the Picanto, the up! initially came only with a non-turbo three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine, with either 59bhp or 74bhp. Either was fine but not especially perky, which is why the 89bhp TSI up! that was introduced in summer 2016 was welcomed. Even more appealing was the 115bhp up! GTI, from spring 2018. These…

Join the debate now at autoexpress.co.uk/opinion ADMIT it: British buyers love a bargain. And we don’t have to look far to find one at the minute. For example, after a year or two of prices at some pumps nudging and occasionally exceeding the soul and wallet-destroying £2.20 a litre (£10 per gallon) mark, I didn’t think I’d have a good word to say about the fuel-retailing industry ever again. But now, in mid-2023, petrol costing around £1.40 (£6.36) and diesel at £1.50 (£6.81) a litre are relative bargains. Others include frequently discounted AA cover for less than £100 annually (that’s what I just paid for mine); four new, award-winning, great-value tyres for a few hundred quid (I’ve just purchased a set); day tickets for The British Motor Show at a…

@AllieCrooks ● New hybrid powertrain added ● Top-spec model adds more kit THE Toyota Yaris has been updated for 2024, with the Japanese brand’s best-selling supermini receiving a more powerful hybrid powertrain and improvements to its interior technology and safety systems. The big change comes under the bonnet, where the Yaris receives a new ‘Hybrid 130’ powertrain. It’s essentially the same 1.5-litre hybrid petrol set-up that’s been available since launch in 2020, but power has increased from 114bhp to 129bhp, and torque rises from 141Nm to 185Nm. As a result, the Hybrid 130 offers stronger acceleration, taking 9.2 seconds to accelerate from 0-62mph compared with the lower-powered model’s 9.7-second effort. This extra performance does mean that the car’s efficiency takes a bit of a hit, however; CO2 emissions rise to…

Tesla offers £2,000 ‘scrappage’ discount… DURING June, Tesla buyers have the opportunity to trade in a used car valued at less than £2,000 while receiving an additional £2k contribution towards a new Model 3 or Model Y, Trade in a £1,500 car, and customers will receive a total of £3,500, as the brand looks to remove ICE cars from the road as part of its trade-in process. To qualify, buyers must receive confirmation that the value of their trade-in is less than £2,000 between 1-30 June. …As Fiat demands return of EV incentives FOLLOWING Tesla’s lead, Fiat has slashed £3,000 from the price of its 500 and 500C electric models, as demand for EVs tails off. Fiat UK has written an open letter to the UK Government calling for the…

THE following provide help with motoring problems. Some services are free, others charge a fee or operate on premium-rate lines (p), while some offer advice for members only (m) Legal AA: 0345 850 1130 (m) RAC: 0330 159 1446 (m) Citizens Advice Consumer helpline: 03454 040506 Local Trading Standards Local Citizens Advice Bureau Used car inspections AA: 0800 056 8040 RAC: 0330 159 0720 Technical advice AA: 0370 142 0002 (m) Driving licences DVLA: 0300 790 6801 Car registration/history HPI: 0113 222 2010 AA: 0800 316 3564 DVLA: 0300 790 6802 RAC: 0808 164 1923 Traffic information AA: 0906 888 4322 RAC: 09003 444999 (p) Problems with dealers The Motor Ombudsman: 0345 241 3008 Consumer Ombudsman: www.consumer-ombudsman.org RMIF: 0845 305 4230 Scottish Motor Trade Assoc. 0131 331 5510 Problems with…

LAND Rover Discovery production spans five generations and nearly three and a half decades. In that time it’s morphed into more of a luxury vehicle, while remaining a force to be reckoned with off road and keeping a few styling nods to the original. ■ 1989 Arrival Discovery I is launched as a three-door, lifestyle-focused off-roader. Borrows heavily from the more upmarket Range Rover. Five-door version is added soon after. ■ 1998 Evolution or revolution? Developed under BMW ownership, the Discovery II is very different beneath the skin, and most of the body panels are new, but the styling takes a more evolutionary approach. ■ 2004 Duality The Discovery 3 melds body-on-frame and monocoque construction methods. Fully independent suspension features, as does overhauled styling, but distinctive stepped roof remains. ■…

ANOTHER high-performance Maserati has arrived in the UK alongside the MC20 Cielo (left). Called the Grecale Trofeo, this mid-size SUV is designed to rival models such as the BMW X3 M Competition and Jaguar F-Pace SVR, but the Maserati comes with a hefty price tag, at just under £100,000. It uses a similar twin-turbo Nettuno unit to the MC20, albeit detuned to produce 523bhp and 620Nm of torque, and with a wet sump instead of a dry one. Thanks to four-wheel drive and a fastshifting eight-speed automatic gearbox, the Trofeo sprints from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds, making it faster on paper than most key rivals. It feels it on the road, too. The V6 has little turbo lag, which helps hurl the Grecale forward at an impressive rate. It’s accompanied…

“The moment you apply an S badge to a sleeker-bodied car like this, you expect more” “I always appreciate the feeling of quality and solidity when I jump in and shut the door” I’VE lived with this Audi SQ5 Sportback for nearly 12,000 miles now. Depending on who you believe, that’s more than double the annual mileage of the average UK motorist in 2022, and I’ve come to a conclusion: the Audi has something of an identity crisis. I’ve touched on it before, but I’m firmly of the opinion that the SQ5 doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. That’s not to say it’s a bad car – far from it, because it has many admirable qualities, which I will come to – but it could be better. It…

Polestar power for Candela hydrofoil POLESTAR has revealed the second phase of its partnership with electric hydrofoil manufacturer Candela. The new C-8 Polestar Edition (above) is said to “bring Polestar’s expression of Scandinavian luxury to the marine industry”. It’s finished in solid grey, with a lighter version of the colour inside, while uniform use of the same textile gives a sleeker appearance. The hydrofoils are painted in Polestar’s signature Swedish gold. The C-8 is powered by Polestar’s 75kW motor coupled to a 69kWh battery, which gives a range of up to 57 nautical miles at 22 knots. Visit polestar.com/polestar-candela-c8/. Goodyear tyres get a Buzz from VW VOLKSWAGEN has selected three Goodyear tyres as original equipment across its ID. Buzz range on both the passenger and Cargo variants. For summer tyres,…

They’ll Never Know Lori Power (Archway Publishing, amazon.co.uk) Price: £11.99 Rating: THERE’S always that nagging feeling at renewal time that insurance is seedier than one imagines. While not solely about car insurance, this collection of stories of frauds and crimes includes several motoring-related anecdotes. The chutzpah of those involved is amusing and, at times, mind-boggling. Engagingly written and really entertaining. A Trucker’s Tale Ed Miller (Apollo Publishers, apollopublishers.com) Price: £16.99 Rating: STORIES of trucking across the American South are arguably more evocative than schlepping a van around Milton Keynes, so this could provide a dose of escapism for UK drivers. Presented with humour and interesting insight, and written like a friendly conversation in a bar, it’s very accessible. A refreshing look at life behind the wheel. Parking Order Available for:…

Search thousands of new and used cars online CO2/tax 109-115g/km £20-£180 Running costs 62-67mpg (2.0 TDI 190) £59.20 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.9 seconds/135mph NEED TO KNOW THE 2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TDI engines were available with front- or four-wheel drive. The 3.0 TDI, S5 and RS 5 Sportback came with four-wheel drive only. From the 2020 facelift, all A5s came with an automatic transmission only. CAST your mind back to the 1970s, when Audi was new to the UK. It was one of the few brands to offer a large family car with a hatchback configuration – and pretty much unique among the premium brands. BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes and Volvo were strictly saloon or estate makers only, but Audi had its 100-based Avant, which back then featured a heavily…

@AllieCrooks • Bumper field lines up in top-tier category • Former winners and class victors to take on challenge ON the 100th anniversary of the first running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, it seems only right that 2023’s edition holds the prospect of being one of the most exciting races in years. No less than 16 cars are going for glory in the Hypercar class, compared with just five last year. A lot of eyes will, of course, be on Toyota, which is aiming for its sixth win in a row, but it will have to beat other big names that are making a return to the French race. Chief among them is Ferrari, which is returning to the top class for the first time in 50 years. The…