Table of contents for 1853 in Auto Express

AFTER the Labour party conference in September, I wrote about the disappointment of drivers having been completely neglected in the transport secretary’s speech. Let’s hope it won’t be a case of being careful what you wish for when the finance department has its say at the end of this month, in the Autumn Budget That’s why Auto Express has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves (see page 20) on behalf of the UK’s population of frustrated and beleaguered drivers, demanding action in key areas that are causing pain for people whose cars are an essential part of their daily lives. “WE’RE URGING THE CHANCELLOR NOT TO MAKE THE MISTAKE OF SEEING DRIVERS AS AN EASY WAY TO START FILLING THE BLACK HOLE IN THE NATION’S FINANCES FOR THIS BUDGET” The cost…

THE Citroen C4 hatchback and C4 X saloon have received bold makeovers to reflect the firm’s latest brand identity that was introduced by the new C3 and the e-C3, Auto Express’s Car of the Year for 2024. Both models get the same complex front-end treatment, which features the fresh 16cm-tall Citroen chevron badge, a new LED daytime running light signature, and lighting seen on the Oli concept in 2022. The front bumper now has less black plastic, a new grille pattern and faux skid-plate section, while the side cladding has been tweaked to make the cars look longer. The chrome finish has been axed, but the C3’s customisable ‘colour clips’ are fitted to the front and sides. Eclipse Blue and Manhattan Green paint options have also been introduced. The C4’s…

RENAULT’S sporty sub-brand is readying itself to take things up a notch, previewing its next move with the Alpine A390_ß concept. The company is calling its four-door, Porsche Macan-sized coupé-SUV a “Sports Fastback” and says the exterior is “85 per cent true” to the production car due next year. Bosses claim the car is a natural next step for the brand, suggesting the A390 will draw in new customers looking for “distinction and driving pleasure” in a market previously unoccupied by the French firm. This is no lukewarm family crossover, however. While just a concept for now, the A390_ß has three electric motors, plus active torque vectoring to shuffle the power exactly where it’s needed. Sovany Ang, VP for Alpine product performance, said the new car will “drive like an…

THE MINI Cooper has always seemed like a natural car to transform from urban runaround to hot hatchback, and ever since BMW electrified it we’ve wondered what a beefed-up MINI EV might be like. Now our wait is over, thanks to the new MINI John Cooper Works Electric. Based on the Chinese-built electric MINI Cooper, it features a hefty power increase over the standard car, with 254bhp available for short bursts via an ‘Electric Boost’ function. It has a regular output of 227bhp, which is 27bhp more than the Cooper S hatchback. Peak torque is 340Nm, and it hits 62mph in 5.9 seconds, making it a solid 2.5 seconds faster than the standard Cooper S Electric. There is just one, front-mounted motor, and although the level of performance is equivalent…

TESLA has unveiled the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive. On sale now ahead of November deliveries, it has an official range of 436 miles from a single charge. At £44,990, it sits between the entry-level £39,990 Rear-Wheel Drive and the £49,990 Long Range All-Wheel Drive. The firm has also revealed its latest creation – the long-awaited Robotaxi. Tesla claims the compact two-door two-seater will feature full self-driving capability and is set to arrive in 2027. Lacking even a steering wheel inside, the Robotaxi is described by Tesla as “premium, point-to-point electric transport”. During the launch, the firm’s CEO Elon Musk said, “we expect it to be around $30,000 [about £23,000].”…

ALFA Romeo’s first all-electric car, the Junior, marks a significant step for the Italian marque. The small electric crossover has plenty of rivals, not least from fellow Stellantis offerings including the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Fiat 600e, Peugeot E-2008 and Jeep Avenger EV. The brand says the entry-level model in its line-up should appeal to buyers of the old Giulietta and MiTo supermini. The Junior is available to order now, but there’s an ‘Ibrida’ version coming in mid-2025 as well, using the 136bhp mild-hybrid set-up found in a swathe of Stellantis products. Despite the Alfa Romeo badge, the Junior EV is keenly priced. It starts from £33,895 in Elettrica form, rising to £35,695 for the Speciale. Beyond this is the flagship 276bhp Veloce that costs from £42,295, has a top speed…

WHAT is a car? Forget about today’s tech-laden computers on wheels and instead rewind the clock to the dawn of motoring. This was when the car was nothing more than a bare-bones yet expensive luxury item that doubled as a means for travelling short distances and displaying your personal wealth. With this in mind, let us introduce you to the new Electric Moke. But we need to get a handful of things out of the way first. The Electric Moke is not a ‘restomod’; it’s an all-new vehicle that’s been built in Britain, aiming to recapture the spirit of the sixties original. Second, this isn’t a ‘Mini Moke’ at all, but an ‘Electric Moke’. BMW holds the rights to the Mini brand, which it acquired from Rover Group back in…

WHAT WE WOULD CHOOSE TESLA We’d stick with the standard 19-inch wheels, because the 20-inch alloys cost £2,100 and cut 22 miles of range. White is the only no-cost paint; our car’s blue costs £1,300 (as does black), while red and silver options are £2,600. BMW There are eight exterior paint finishes and a range of interior upholstery options, allowing greater scope for personalisation in the iX1. Most paints cost a modest £595 – although Frozen Grey is still a pricey £2,100 extra.…

Andy.Pringle@autoexpress.co.uk YOU don’t need to be eagle-eyed to notice that there’s something very different about my appearance in the photos on these pages. Gone is my usual uniform of jeans and black T-shirt, replaced by something altogether smarter. The reason is my latest car from the Auto Express fleet, a Genesis GV60. I’ll be running it for the next six months and it’s certainly a step up the automotive social ladder for me. Hence, I’m taking some pride in it, dressing accordingly and keeping the badge gleaming. In fact, that badge has already been the cause of much confusion, because friends and neighbours keep complimenting me on my new Bentley. I can understand their confusion, and I imagine it’s not lost on the Genesis design team that their badge bears…

PEUGEOT E-2008 MY Peugeot threw up an unexpected warning recently, suggesting it required a service after less than four months and 4,500 miles. I was a little surprised, but to be safe, I called a contact at Peugeot HQ. It turns out my car had mistakenly been placed on an “arduous” service schedule during its pre-delivery inspection (PDI). I was told not to worry, and that a quick home reset would fix the issue. Normal service should soon be resumed. RICHARD INGRAM CITROEN C5 AIRCROSS THE C5 is very well specced, and its Pulsar alloy wheels are among the nicest standard features. My one small complaint is that their design allows you to see through to the disc brakes, and I’ve noticed on the rear wheels you can spot surface…

Rover’s Rebirth James Taylor Crowood Press, crowood.com Price: £30 Rating: POST-WAR Rover was in a bleak state, having spent years helping the war effort and getting bombed out of its home in Coventry. But a new factory in Solihull and ambitious plans for vehicles soon got things moving, and before long Rover was building gas turbine-powered concept cars, the 60 and the 75 with all-new engines, and a certain off-roader. Although this book only covers a short period between 1945-1953, it’s well presented, with good imagery and pacing. Great Cars: Brawn BGP 001/02 David Tremayne Porter Press, porterpress.co.uk Price: £69 Rating: AS with all of this series, beautiful production values, an amazing set of bespoke imagery and a minimalist cover make this a stunning coffee table book. But it’s also…

WHEN hoping for a cleaner car, a bead is what you need. Freshly waxed paint will repel water, with the droplets beading off the surface. But applying wax is hard work, so car-care companies have developed shortcuts, generally referred to as wash-waxes or surface sealants. Rather than needing time-consuming applications, these can be applied to paint straight after washing and will help dry the car without a cloth, and then repel dirt for at least a month. Two new products have arrived from AVA and VP since we held the giant test for our Product Awards, so we followed the same process, applying them to a scrap bonnet and leaving it outside for 10 weeks before checking the beading. The VP H20 and AVA impressed, but the patch of bonnet…

IF you’re searching for a used car, the chances are its mileage will be at the forefront of your decision making. While we’ve been told that fewer miles equate to a better-condition car, that’s not always the case. Electric cars complicate matters further, given that they have fewer moving parts and are subject to less frequent health checks, plus have different life expectancies to internal combustion-engined cars. Firstly, let’s tackle the ‘100,000-mile myth’. You have probably heard this landmark cited as the moment when cars begin running into reliability issues, or severe depreciation takes hold. However, unless it constitutes the end of a warranty – 100,000 miles is a typical period for EV batteries to be covered, for example – or the car in question requires a new timing chain…

WHILE the all-new Renault 5 has been busy living the last few months in the spotlight, its more sensible sister car – the electric R4 compact SUV – has been waiting in the wings, ready to capitalise on the brand’s retro renaissance. Inspired by the R4 of the sixties, as well as the 4EVER Trophy concept that was exhibited in 2022, the car you see here – and of which we were treated to a hands-on unveiling last week with chief designer Giles Vidal – has now been revealed in full at this week’s Paris Motor Show. Going up against big-name rivals such as the Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka, as well the reigning Auto Express Car of the Year, the Citroen e-C3, the Renault 4 will dive head-first into…

ALMOST half a million cars have broken down after hitting a pothole in the first nine months of 2024, it’s been reported, highlighting the UK’s worsening pothole crisis. The AA’s Pothole Index shows that between January and September 2024, it dealt with 479,656 incidents in which a vehicle was damaged or broke down after encountering a pothole. This is roughly 10,000 more than during the same period in 2023, suggesting that 2024 could go on to surpass last year’s total of 631,852 callouts – itself a five-year high. After weeks of heavy rain and flooding, the experts at the AA say potholes are being disguised as they fill with water, leading to tyre, wheel, steering and suspension damage. Even more vulnerable are cyclists, with the AA claiming as many as…

WITH the Government’s first major budget two weeks away, we’ve written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves on behalf of Auto Express readers and drivers everywhere, demanding that key motoring priorities are addressed in future spending plans. We’ve also pointed out the likelihood of Labour being punished in future polls if the Government attempts to excuse hikes in fuel duty or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED/road tax) by citing unpopular and unrealistic green targets, or justifies rises as levers pushing drivers towards EVs. Instead, the Chancellor should be looking to increase the £40,000 threshold for the £410 ‘expensive car’ road tax supplement, which threatens to significantly impact the cost of motoring for new and used EV car buyers from April 2025. Auto Express readers shared their views in a recent survey, when we…

ALTHOUGH the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are decent competitors in the all-electric family SUV sector, we’ve been underwhelmed by them so far. Back in 2023, Lexus weighed in with the RZ – which uses the same EV-dedicated e-TNGA platform as the Toyota and Subaru – but in 450e guise it fell flat. Now we’re trying the RZ 300e edition. The initial impressions are good. While the RZ 450e delivers a range of 272 miles (252 miles when fitted with bigger alloys), the 300e can cover up to 297 miles on a charge. However, the extra range doesn’t come from a bigger battery, because the 300e uses the same 71.4kWh pack as the 450e. Instead, the new version uses a single electric motor for front-wheel drive, compared with the all-wheel-drive,…

ARRIVING on the scene back in 1964, the Mini Moke was born out of the British Motor Corporation’s failure to produce a cheap and lightweight off-road vehicle for the British army that could be dropped into battle via a parachute. The work of original Mini designer, Alex Issigonis, the ‘Buckboard’, as it was originally called, was discounted for its low ground clearance and lack of power, which compromised its off-road capabilities. Adopting not only half of its name but also its running gear from the aforementioned Austin Mini, the Mini Moke was instead sold as a civilian vehicle on and off until 1993 in various markets, gaining cult status as the wheels of choice for the likes of the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Brigitte Bardot and even James Bond in…

Chris.Rosamond@autoexpress.co.uk I’M not one to claim that swanning about in a high-performance EV weighing two tonnes is in any way saving the planet, but thanks to my new Pod Point Solo 3S wallbox and cheap-rate night-time electricity, I’m saving myself plenty of cash. It’s fair to say my Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor (LRSM) doesn’t encourage use of more sustainable options, particularly when a trip to the shops costs less than the plastic shopping bag I’d inevitably forget to take out of the car boot if I chose to hop on the bike. Thanks to a chunky 82kWh battery, I can confidently get from one side of the M25 to the other and home again – a 200-mile round trip I make frequently – on a single charge without…

PRINT & DIGITAL AVAILABLE TRY 6 ISSUES FOR £1 WHAT’S INCLUDED? 39% off the cover price Get a 6-issue trial for just £1! Your subscription will then automatically renew every 13 issues at just £36.99. Free Delivery Never miss an issue with delivery to your doorstep at no extra cost. Free Auto Express KeepCup KeepCup: The original reusable, barista standard cup. Lightweight, durable, and fits most car holders. Your stylish, eco-friendly caffeine companion. Flexible options We offer hassle-free cancellation or the option to pause anytime SUBSCRIBE NOW 1 Order online Visit subscribe.autoexpress.co.uk or call 0330 333 9491 2 Enter the offer code DOCT24PR and choose the offer that suits you best. 3 Check out securely Complete your order, and await the arrival of our first issue. Sit back, relax and…

Price: £149.99 Rating: Contact: garmin.com IF you’re driving a car with a small windscreen, such as a roadster, then size matters when choosing a dash cam. Which is where the new Garmin Mini 3 could seem like a real winner, because it is the smallest dash cam we have tried. At just 52 x 31 x 20mm, it is smaller than most car key fobs, making it easy to hide behind a rear-view mirror. There’s no screen, so you have to set up the Garmin up through an easy-to-use app. If you need to save footage while driving, it recognises voice commands or has a large button on the back of the camera. The footage is only captured in 1080p, which is the minimum we’d recommend if you want to see…

AVA Seal and Shine Price: £24.90 Size: 1 litre Rating: Contact: avaofnorway.com SEAL and Shine is designed to be used as the third stage of AVA’s cleaning routine, after a prewash and snow foam. It’s diluted 1:9 in a pressure washer’s detergent bottle and sprayed straight onto the bodywork. You can then either dry with a cloth or leave the water to bead off after rinsing. The price seems steep in this company, but this is partially offset by the strong beading performance and a dilution rate which means a little goes a long way. Dodo Juice Future Armour Price: £12 Size: 500ml Rating: Contact: dodojuice.com DODO Juice gives you a choice of application methods for Future Armour, so it can be sprayed on neat like the VP or diluted and used…

OWNER VIEWS ON THE UK’S BEST CARS “It has amazing acceleration for a relatively small engine. There’s lots of muscle without having to rev it too much.” “Some of the safety features are too sensitive and intrusive, and you can’t switch some of them off.” “Unpretentious yet utterly capable. The Vitara copes effortlessly in bad weather, including ice and snow.” THIS is the first Vitara to ditch a ladder chassis for a monocoque, and it was introduced a long time ago. Nearly a decade in fact, which is an age in car-making terms. But the Vitara was facelifted in 2018, which is when extra tech was adopted, while hybrid engines arrived in 2020. These updates have kept owners engaged, and the car only just misses out on a top-20 spot…

Shane.Wilkinson@autoexpress.co.uk IF you’re looking for an executive car, you’ll quickly find yourself in a sea of premium-badged models, typically with saloon bodies. To help narrow down your search, we’ve compiled this list of the best executive cars you can buy right now, based on our extensive testing of every new model. Read on for the Auto Express top 10. 1 BMW 5 Series Prices from £51,000 WHETHER you opt for the regular BMW 5 Series or the pure-electric i5, the latest generation of this executive saloon offers impressive, class-leading tech, a superb driving experience and top-notch fit and finish that have made it a staple of the executive car class for decades. Its cabin doesn’t feel too dissimilar to that of BMW’s pricier and more luxurious 7 Series flagship. There…

DON’T believe a word of it when you’re fed the line that motor shows are dead. For sure they’re changing – whether it’s the Geneva expo daftly decamping to Doha, or the born-again British Motor Show focusing as much on outdoor driving activities as static displays inside its exhibition halls. Then there’s Paris. As I was starting to write this en route to the opening of what might be the most significant car-related event in Europe this year, it was clearly shaping up as the Renault Motor Show. France’s favourite firm somehow seems to try harder. Renault Group (which also includes Alpine, Dacia and Mobilize) has proven this by staging seven world premieres on its five Paris stands this week. And it’s wheeled out a couple of concept cars, too.…

THE gloves have been taken off in Volkswagen’s push for market share with a new, family-focused SUV. The company’s Tayron shares lots of elements with the latest Tiguan, but offers a larger body, seating for seven, and more high-end technology. It’s even bigger than the closely related Skoda Kodiaq, which will no doubt create something of a family feud in a segment that the Czech brand is used to having to itself. At 4,770mm long, the new Tayron is just over 40mm longer than its seven-seat predecessor, the Tiguan Allspace. The newcomer has a completely unique body and design to create more distinction between it and the smaller Tiguan. The overall look is familiar, though, with sharp LED lighting front and rear, plus the option of R-Line or more sophisticated…

CITROEN hasn’t forgotten the smallest member of its range either, with the Ami being given a mid-life refresh that makes the tiny two-seater more adorable than ever. The electric quadricycle’s front end has been made much simpler and gives the model even more recognisable ‘facial features’. The round headlights have now been moved higher so they better resemble eyes, helped by new black surrounds which add definition. Meanwhile, the angled surface that connects them is supposed to resemble a smile, and sitting in pride of place in the centre is the revamped, retro-inspired Citroen chevron logo. The front bumper is flatter and has the Ami name embossed in it. The wheelarches also appear to be more pronounced, while ‘slots’ on the front wings are a subtle homage to the 2CV.…

AUDI has revealed a Sportback bodystyle for its new Q6 e-tron, giving it a sleeker, more dynamic look than the more upright SUV. Key changes over the regular SUV are the 37mm lower roofline and a sloping rear end. As well as offering a different look, this also optimises the car’s aerodynamics, helping to increase range. The front and rear-end design is largely identical to the SUV’s, and the Sportback will offer the same four powertrains. The line-up kicks off with a single-motor variant with 248bhp and a claimed range of 338 miles, above which sits the Performance model. This has a larger battery, more power (302bhp) and a range of 407 miles – the longest of any Q6 e-tron. Top-spec dual-motor Q6 and SQ6 models produce 383bhp and 482bhp,…

IF the Volkswagen Golf is the do-it-all family hatchback, the R is the do-it all Golf. No other model in the range has the same breadth of abilities, although that’s reflected in the price. At £42,745 for the hatch, and another £1,400 for the Estate, this all-wheel-drive super-hatch mixes with a host of highly talented high-performance rivals. In VW’s line-up, the R sits above the front-drive Golf GTI (261bhp) and its hardcore Clubsport (296bhp) offshoot, offering extra power (328bhp) courtesy of a more highly strung version of the familiar 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine. VW Group sister brand Cupra offers hot versions of the Leon, including the Leon 333, which has the same engine and 4x4 drivetrain as the R, but only as an estate. Audi’s S3 also has similar running…

Price as tested: £67,850 Mileage: 8,049 Efficiency: 3.22 miles/kWh Options: Performance Pack (£5,000), Pilot Pack (£2,000), Plus Pack (£4,000) STEVE’S VERDICT: CARDS on the table, I’m smitten by my Polestar 2 LRDM with Performance Pack – with big brakes, 40-way adjustable dampers and the pokiest powertrain available. It has an 82kW battery and two electric motors, giving the equivalent of 469bhp and 740Nm, with a 0-62mph time of four seconds dead. And I’m smitten by it despite being entirely at the mercy of the public charging network, which I reckon means it costs me broadly the same to run day-to-day as an ICE car that does 30-35mpg. My average energy use after 3,000 miles is 3.2 miles per kWh and that has included all sorts of journeys, at all sorts…

Price: £34.15 Rating: Contact: lasertools.co.uk OUR ratchet spanner test (Issue 1,850) gave us the opportunity to put some alternative solutions to the test and here we look at Laser Tools’ Ratchet Ring Spanner 8-in-1. Laser Tools is always innovating and this spanner (8143) is no exception; it has four fastener sizes at each end, two on either side switched via a sliding insert located inside the outer socket. The sizes are clearly marked on each side. Switching is pretty easy although the smaller sizes are best moved by a tool, bolt or little finger. There’s a handy thumb lever to change direction and overall the system works well once you’ve mastered finding the size needed. At one end there’s 13, 15, 17 and 19mm leaving 8, 10, 12 and 14mm at…

GIVEN the price of cars nowadays (especially classics), it makes sense to protect their bodywork. If you don’t have a garage, or if it’s packed with other stuff, the best answer is to use an outdoor car cover. Left outside, a car’s paint is vulnerable to the occasional bump and scuff, the effects of UV and airborne pollution, and attacks from general dirt, tree sap and bird droppings, so a high-quality cover will prove to be a worthwhile investment. Before buying, get your car’s dimensions, because picking the right size is key to ensuring good protection and ease of fitting. So which has your car covered best? We tried eight to find out. How we tested WE tested medium-sized covers on a Renault Clio, and used a steam-filled box and…