Table of contents for 1839 in Auto Express

Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk • We get up close with show car that previews return of sports car • Hybrid powertrain is set to mimic Honda Civic’s e:HEV system “The Prelude’s interior has yet to be revealed, but the low bonnet and tall windscreen should offer good visibility” FORD isn’t the only brand bringing back a famous nameplate (see Top Story, page 6): Honda is also playing the same game with a new Prelude. The Japanese brand hopes this new coupé will buck the SUV trend and make the world fall in love with small sports cars once again. It was previewed by a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, and now we’ve had a chance to get up close and meet the team responsible for its development. When quizzed about…

THE Ignis, Swace, Swift Sport and Jimny LCV models will be axed from Suzuki’s line-up in coming months, as it focuses on the launch of its first EV later in 2025. The doomed models will be available up to early 2025 or until stocks last, while the recently launched Swift supermini, along with the Vitara, S-Cross and Across hybrid SUVs, continue. Suzuki UK managing director Dale Wyatt commented on the decision: “The departure of these models will make room for EV and enable us to compete during a period where our sales ratio of hybrid versus EV products will drive our business. We’re exiting the ICE era with a focus on SUVs and the new Swift; then starting in the second half of 2025 we’ll begin a period of EV…

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 makers The Motor Ombudsman: 0345 241 3008 Financial problems Financial Ombudsman: 0800 023 4567 Safety concerns/recalls www.check-mot.service.gov.uk…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk THERE is one number that has the potential to define the new Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce, and it is not the one you might think. It has nothing to do with how much power or torque its electric powertrain develops (277bhp and 345Nm, in case you’re wondering). Nor does it concern its raw performance, which is strong but by no means rule-bending. No, it’s the car’s kerbweight of just 1,590kg. For a conventional five-door family hatchback with a combustion engine beneath its bonnet, this number would be nothing much to boast about. But for an electric vehicle with this much technology contained within its DNA, and this much style and sporting substance oozing from its every pore, it is a revelation. Alfa claims the Junior EV weighs “200kg…

Alex_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @AxleIngram Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.4 seconds/174mph C02/tax 167g/km £590 or 37% THE new Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E-Performance is a very clever car. Perhaps more than with any previous hot C-Class, its engineers have overhauled almost every single aspect of the standard car to deliver supercar-baiting performance. But from behind the wheel, there’s always a nagging feeling that so much of that technology is there to fight against one or two fundamental issues. Dramatically flared front wheelarches add 76mm to the basic car's width, a necessary change to accommodate an increased track. Unique steering knuckles and suspension joints enable further precision, agility and stability, while an adaptive damping system, used on both the AMG GT Black Series and the brand’s GT3 racers, continuously adjusts the rate of control based…

MODEL TESTED: EX30 Single Motor Extended Range Ultra PRICE: £41,044 POWERTRAIN: 1x e-motor, 268bhp/61kWh battery 268bhp Powertrain 1x e-motor 64kWh Battery/range 295 miles 5.3 seconds Performance 112mph 318 litres Seats up/down 904 litres THE EX30 we’re testing is in the top trim level but with a single motor, rather than the more potent dual-motor version. With discounts applied at the time of writing, it’s priced from £41,044. Tech highlights AT a moment when modern cars are growing ever larger, it’s refreshing to see Volvo’s latest model take up far less space on the road. At 4,233mm long, the EX30 is 33mm shorter than Volvo’s last attempt at a compact car, the C30 hatchback. For a more modern point of reference, the current Volkswagen Golf is 4,284mm long. Volvo has been…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy Running costs Official range/tax 406 miles/£ Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 407/1,097 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 5.9 seconds/127mph MOST long-term test vehicles get a honeymoon period – a few weeks filled with gentle runs around town, not to mention a couple of evenings spent with its custodian exploring the infotainment system, finding out what every button does and nailing down basic functions. None of that has been possible with our latest arrival, though, because less than a week after it arrived, our new Polestar 2 was thrown into use on a family holiday – the first time, too, that I’ve taken an electric vehicle across the English Channel. We’ve run a Polestar 2 before here at Auto Express, but that was the pre-facelift Dual-Motor version, complete with a hefty…

NEW PRODUCT CUKTECH 10 power bank Price: £42.49 Contact: amazon.co.uk AS our tablets, phones and mobile gaming devices get more capable and powerful, we need to have matching technology to keep them charged and ready to go when we’re away from mains power. Now there’s a new option after the arrival of the CUKTECH 10 power bank. With a car full of kids and adults using electronic devices, there’s never going to be enough USB outlets around, which is where this 10,000mAh unit can help. It has a USB-C1 outlet, which can deliver 100W to put life back into a MacBook Pro, 27W for iPhones or 45W for a Samsung Galaxy. It can also provide 120W for Xiaomi devices. CUKTECH says the power bank, which is the size of a Mars…

Bristol Six-Cylinder Cars Christopher Balfour (Amberley, amberley-books.com) Price: £15.99 Rating: QUITE a specialised topic, but this strikes a good balance between an intro for the uninitiated and a deep dive for the enthusiast. It’s a well written history lesson – concise and clear – but we wish more press or historical imagery had been used in place of the author’s own. MG Century: 100 Years of Safety Fast David Knowles (Motorbooks, quartoknows.co.uk) Price: £45 Rating: WITH rich historical insights, expert commentary, and a blend of vintage and contemporary imagery, this book beautifully chronicles MG’s evolution from a British manufacturer of budget sports cars and saloons, through its more difficult eras and into the modern day of Chinese ownership and electric cars. Lego Hill Climb Adventures Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free Rating:…

CO2/tax 149-163g/km £190 Running costs 39-42mpg (1.5 VTi) £67 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.9 seconds/109mph WHEN it comes to brand heritage, few car makers can compete with MG, which celebrates its centenary this year. Founded in Oxfordshire in 1924, the company went on to create some of the best-loved sports cars and sporting hatchbacks ever made. But the days of the MGB roadster and the Maestro EFi hot hatch are a world away from what the manufacturer has morphed into: a builder of value-focused family-friendly hatchbacks and SUVs. Under Chinese ownership since 2005, MG Motor has thrived in the UK, and it’s thanks to cars such as the ZS, which was launched seven years ago. Offered with petrol and electric powertrains, the ZS is no class leader in any sense,…

Tom_Jervis@autovia.co.uk @thomaswjervis • Capri will be launched with RWD single or 4WD dual-motor options • Newcomer shares VW Group’s MEB platform with Ford Explorer FORD introduced the original Capri more than half a century ago, to a European market that was aching for the kind of affordable glitz and glamour offered by American muscle cars of the time. It was an overnight hit, and while five decades later we now find ourselves captivated by slinky electric coupé-SUVs, Ford thinks the hallowed Capri nameplate can be revived and find success once again. As with the original Capri, which was itself something of a parts-bin paragon (much of its running gear was shared with the Mk2 Cortina), the newcomer gets the same MEB electric underpinnings as the Ford Explorer, and Volkswagen Group…

Chris_rosamond@autovia.co.uk • Labour’s plans to be revealed • Coventry could show the way VOTERS woke up to a new political reality last Friday, as Labour swept into power after 14 years of Conservative rule. What this means for the electorate in general, and motorists in particular, is still to be revealed. Some will be hoping for the introduction of more stringent anti-car measures focused on meeting the UK’s net zero targets, while others fear higher fuel duty and road tax, new ultra-low-emission zones, low-traffic neighbourhoods or 20mph speed limits. Some will be hoping for not too much variance from the status quo. In spite of pledges not to raise taxes on ‘hard working people’, Keir Starmer and colleagues refused to rule out fuel duty rises while on the campaign trail.…

New Symbioz hybrid SUV names its price THE all-new Renault Symbioz family SUV (above) has gone on sale. Prices for the hybrid model start from £29,295, which is around £5,000 less than the platform-sharing Nissan Qashqai e-Power hybrid. Symbioz buyers have Techno, Techno Esprit Alpine and Iconic Esprit Alpine trim choices, and all versions get a Google-powered 10.4-inch touchscreen, keyless entry, LED lights, a rear camera and parking sensors. EVs struggling to find private buyers FRESH figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show the UK new-car market grew by 1.1 per cent in June, with 179,263 registrations. Fleet sales were up more than 14 per cent, but sales to private customers accounted for fewer than 38 per cent of the total. Sales of plug-in hybrids rose 30…

Ellis_Hyde@autovia.co.uk @EllisDrives • Unique edition of Huayra on display at event • AMG-built twin-turbo V12 develops 852bhp EXCLUSIVE supercar brand Pagani will supply a thick slice of glamour at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, with a unique version of its Huayra. The one-off Huayra Epitome is the latest creation to come from Pagani’s special project division, Grandi Complicazioni, which is responsible for limited-edition speed machines such as the Imola Roadster unveiled last year. This is the first and only Huayra to be fitted with a manual gearbox – a sevenspeed transverse unit produced by British company Xtrac. Pagani says it utilises the latest triple-disc clutch for better torque transmission, as well as an electronically controlled differential and “racing-derived” tripod driveshafts to deliver sharper responses from the engine. It’s also…

ONE of the most eagerly awaited arrivals at the Festival of Speed will be the Red Bull RB17 – a track-only, V10-powered hypercar, and the brainchild of legendary F1 designer and engineer Adrian Newey. It’s set to be unveiled at the event on Friday. Designed, developed, and manufactured entirely in house by Red Bull, the RB17 has been described as “the purest execution of an F1-inspired hypercar.” It uses a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, with seating for two and a mid-mounted V10 engine that sends its power to the rear wheels. Adrian Newey, the outgoing Chief Technical Officer of Red Bull Racing, has revealed that the car’s V10 engine will rev to an astonishing 15,000rpm and is set to produce well over 1,100bhp – trumping the hardcore 1,000bhp Aston Martin Valkyrie…

Chris_rosamond@autovia.co.uk THE taxi of the future is a luxuriously spacious, two-seat, self-driving electric vehicle that will be hailed using a smartphone app from a ‘mothership’ facility in a city near you – if your nearest city is Manchester, at least. Verne is the name of a Croatian mobility tech start-up founded by electric vehicle entrepreneur Mate Rimac and two of his long-time Rimac Group colleagues: Marko Pejkovi?, now the chief executive of Verne, and Adriano Mudri, the designer of Rimac’s Nevera supercar and now chief design officer for Verne. We’ve flown out to Zagreb, home to the impressive new Rimac Automotive technology ‘campus’, for our first look at this new robot taxi, as well as the infrastructure and service model that could be operating in Manchester some time after 2026.…

Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk IT feels like Porsche has been on the brink of fitting a hybrid powertrain to its 911 for years. Endless prototypes, a near-victory at the Nürburgring 24 hours with a hybrid-assisted 911 racer, and the proliferation of battery tech around its other models have made an electrified 911 all but inevitable. But that time appears to be now because as part of a larger update, this new 922.2-generation GTS introduces the brand’s all-new T-Hybrid system. Rather than a plug-and-play system developed elsewhere in the VW Group, the set-up within the new GTS is entirely bespoke. To start with, the petrol engine attached to it is actually bigger than the unit it replaces, rising from 3.0 to 3.6 litres. It’s an all-new unit, and has been designed specifically to work…

Running costs 706.3mpg (official) £58 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.1 seconds/142mph LARGER hot hatches seem to be thin on the ground these days. There’s no longer a fast Renault Mégane, and Hyundai stopped making its brilliant i30 N earlier this year. Your choices, therefore, amount to the Ford Focus ST, the superb (but pricey) Honda Civic Type R, and then a whole load of VW Group models using much the same underpinnings. Of these, the Cupra Leon is the latest to gain a series of updates to see if it can snaffle class honours. The most noticeable feature, before you’ve even opened the door, is the beaky new styling. This is supposed to make you think of a shark, but we’re not fooled; it’s clearly to tie the Leon in…

MODEL TESTED: DS 3 Opera E-Tense PRICE: £41,485 POWERTRAIN: 1x e-motor, 154bhp 154bhp Powertrain 1x e-motor 51kWh Battery/range 245 miles 9.0 seconds Performance 93mph 350 litres Seats up/down 1,050 litres THE DS 3 E-Tense range kicks off from £36,715. The Opera trim we’re testing here, however, is more expensive than the Volvo, weighing in at £41,485 – and growing to £42,480 with the bold Diva Red paint of our test car. Tech highlights DIVE under the skin and the DS 3’s layout is fundamentally different from the Volvo’s. Here, the motor powers the front wheels instead of the rears, and at 154bhp and 260Nm, it’s a full 114bhp and 83Nm down on the EX30. Its other specs also lag behind; at 51kWh, the DS 3’s battery has 13kWh less usable…

AFTER we’d sampled both cars from behind the wheel, the DS 3 was already struggling to hold on to the EX30 in this competition, but dive into the finance numbers and its fate is sealed. If you place a £5,000 deposit on a three-year PCP deal (with a 10,000-mile annual limit), it comes to £516 a month. In comparison, the DS 3 is £782 per month. Volvo includes a £1,000 deposit contribution, but that alone isn’t enough to make up that difference between the two. Residual values play a big part in the disparity. Electric vehicles have gained an often undeserved reputation that they depreciate badly. While in many instances this couldn’t be further from the truth, it really plays out with one of these cars. The EX30 is predicted…

products@autoexpress.co.uk Running costs 55.2mpg (on test) £62 fill-up/£590 tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 352/1,268 litres IT might look like it’s getting to be something of a habit for me to make the final road trip in my fleet car to the Ring headquarters in Leeds, but it is nothing more than coincidence. As with the Volkswagen T-Roc farewell (Issue 1,798), the trips for our annual bulb test and the firm’s Ringmechanika showcase allowed me to enjoy what the cars did best – long trips in decent comfort. The Astra’s cabin is a good place to spend a few hours, with adaptive cruise taking some of the stress out of the long schlep up the busy A1 – all controlled from the steering-wheel buttons and monitored on the head-up display. The…

Modern classics join Milltek exhaust range MILLTEK has expanded its range of Classic exhaust systems. Owners of the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet (above), E30 BMW M3 or the Peugeot 205 GTI can now buy the latest exhausts in either a resonated or a louder, non-resonated specification. The systems aim to boost quality, performance and acoustics without deviating too far from the standard unit. Visit millteksport.com for more info or to find your local stockist. Porsche picks Pirelli performance for 911 PIRELLI has partnered with Porsche to supply tyres for the latest 911s, specifically the GT3 and GT3 RS. The tyre brand will supply both with P Zero Corsa tyres, as well as P Zero Trofeo R and P Zero Trofeo RS tyres for the GT3 and GT3 RS respectively. The…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Winners announced in London • e-C3 is our Car of the Year THE UK car industry came out in force last week to celebrate a raft of new winners in the 2024 Auto Express New Car Awards. At an exclusive bash in Mayfair, top manufacturers were in attendance as the Auto Express team revealed the models that have most impressed us over the past 12 months in a broad range of categories. Among of the biggest winners were Citroen, Skoda and Hyundai. The French brand picked up a gong for its latest C3 (Supermini of the Year), while its e-C3 is the Affordable EV of the Year and our overall Car of the Year. Citroen UK boss Greg Taylor collected the top trophy from Auto Express Editor…

THE time for promises has passed, and Labour’s big challenge is now to deliver on its pre-election pledges. We’ve got clarity for the next five years, maybe longer, so there’s no excuse not to get stuck into the short and long-term motoring issues. From potholes to public charging, car crime to fuel costs, motorists have a lot of serious demands, and we’re ready to hold this new broom of Government to account. Can Labour be trusted to serve the needs of motorists and have the impact that its predecessors failed to achieve?…

Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk ASTON Martin has revealed a special version of its recently updated DBX 707 SUV, called the AMR24 Edition. Featuring a range of unique colour and trim elements, but no mechanical changes, the new model is designed to reference the marque’s AMR24 Formula One car and the DBX707 medical car used at grands prix. The combination of colour and trim will match both the F1 car and medical car, with Podium Green paintwork contrasted by Lime Green brake calipers, diamond-cut 23-inch wheels and Lime Green highlights around the carbon-fibre body elements. Customers will also be able to specify other, less extreme combinations, such as Onyx White or Neutron White exterior paint finishes with either the Lime Green or Trophy Silver accents. In any case, the use of painted highlights around…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Why is ‘looking away’ in cars deemed okay? FROM: Derek Logan I CAN’T understand why new cars being brought into this country are considered safe to drive. Health and safety is an integral part of risk assessment in the workplace, so why is it all right to ‘look away’ when driving to adjust heating, music or demist. It’s ridiculously unsafe. We’re not focusing on the right things in UK FROM: Mike Shirley THE current car trend seems to be: wheel designs, front and rear lights, body mouldings, air scoops, flat-bottomed steering wheels, gaudy colours and infotainment! Is it not more important to eliminate diesel and resolve ICE versus EV? The UK lacks infrastructure, resources and direction. Left hanging on the telephone by dealer FROM: Tom Baker LOOKING to…

Paul.Barker@carwow.co.uk @paulbarkerauto IT’S rare that an addition to a model’s range renders the existing car pretty much pointless. But without jumping straight to the verdict, Volkswagen adding 250mm to the ID. Buzz and slotting in a third row of seats for the first time – and asking just £510 for the pleasure – makes the long-wheelbase car about as logical a choice as you’ll find. And that’s before we mention the fact that it gets a bit more range and even faster charging. The ID. Buzz LWB comes in the same Life and Style trims as the regular model, but can be fitted with five, six or seven seats at no extra cost. Five leaves scope for an even bigger boot, but this seems pointless when more seats don’t cost…

WINNER Volvo EX30 1st VOLVO has got a huge amount of things right with the new EX30. Performance, ride, handling and cabin ambience pretty much blow away any competition for a similar price – which is all the more impressive when you consider the desirable badge on its nose. The rear seats are a compromise you can live with if you don’t carry adults often, but this makes the car’s main flaw – cabin ergonomics – all the more frustrating. With more use of physical buttons, this would be one of the best EVs money can buy. • Composed handling • Controlled ride • Brilliant performance • Cabin quality and finish • Touchscreen reliance at the expense of ergonomics • Tight rear-seat space • So-so efficiency INTERESTED? Scan the code…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk How many tyres should I replace? PHILIP Dennison had a cut in a rear tyre highlighted at a recent MoT and was advised to replace it. Aware he should renew tyres in pairs, Philip asked where these should go and whether he should opt for a full set because the fronts are at just under 4mm. Crucially, he adds that all the tyres came with his Toyota Auris when he bought it new six years ago. It is always tricky to work out the safest and most cost-effective route when you need just to replace one damaged tyre, because no one wants to bin or store a perfectly good tyre to replace in pairs. The age of Philip’s tyres makes the decision easier, because most industry…

IF you want to keep costs down on days out and weekends away, you need to take your food and drink with you. But nobody wants tepid sandwiches or warm drinks, so you need to keep them chilled. A powered cooler (Issue 1,837) is one option or there are no-fuss cool boxes, and there’s now a fresh option with Coleman’s new Convoy range. So should it be your travel companion? We put the 28QT up against the similar DS404, which was runner-up in our last test. Both boxes were loaded with two ice packs, a couple of two-litre drinks bottles, six 330ml cans and ice in a food box. We monitored internal temperature over eight hours, comparing it with the ambient. We also looked at features, size, and ease of…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk SEAT’s Ibiza-based SUV spin-off, the Arona, doesn’t quite make the top half of our table, yet still gets some good scores from appreciative owners. But the Arona is dead last, in 50th place, for ride quality, and also ranks pretty badly on a range of interior scores, including 45th for cabin styling, 44th for front-seat comfort and 46th for the flexibility of the seating arrangements. Boot space ranks 20th, but cabin storage is 47th. There are top-10 scores for safety-feature activation and function, and fourth for the user-friendliness of the switchgear, 11th for touchscreen usability and 12th for the balance between touchscreen and manual controls. Overall value comes in ninth. WE SAID “The Arona is one of the more compelling offerings among a vast array of small SUVs on…

NOW that was my kind of week. It began on 30 June at the Austrian Grand Prix with an on-track demonstration from Brit Lando Norris of McLaren (one win from 115 F1 races starts) that he may be suffering from ‘Damon Hill Syndrome’ – a condition afflicting up and coming drivers who struggle to overtake multiple world champions. For “nerve-wracked” Little Lando, Mad Max Verstappen (61 wins from 196 starts) was and always will be the problem. And although it was a bit sad that he and the Dutch driver crashed into each other in Austria, they at least facilitated victory for George Russell (2 wins from 115) and Britain. Shame then that come 1 July, our state broadcaster and national newspapers were so obsessed with saturation coverage of Wimbledon…