Table of contents for 1864 in Auto Express

PLUG-IN hybrid technology has always been something of an outlier. It’s not a powertrain anyone gets passionately worked up about – but everything about PHEVs seems to pull in opposite directions. The tech is seen by some as a great bridge to going full electric, getting used to charging and understanding how frequently you do longer trips, but with a petrol engine removing any of the anxiety some attach to public top-ups. But for others it’s the answer to a question no-one asked. If the majority of your journeys are short enough to run largely on a battery, then a full EV is perfectly usable. And if you’re doing a lot of long journeys, then lugging the heavy batteries around may result in worse economy than you could get with…

HONDA’S electric-car future has been revealed in the form of two new, almost production-ready models that preview an SUV and a saloon hitting the road next year. Revealed at CES 2025 in Las Vegas this week, both are called prototypes rather than concepts, which in Honda-speak confirms their imminent arrival as two of seven models confirmed by the brand under its 0 Series EV development plan. First to arrive will be the Honda 0 SUV, a mid-sized crossover. It’s due to go on sale in America in the first half of 2026, before making its way into global markets including Europe and Japan, with the UK likely to be an early recipient. It features a distinctive sleek front end mated to a bulky square rear design with maximum space inside…

THE Ford Puma has again been crowned the UK’s best-selling car, topping the 2024 sales chart as SUVs and 4x4s became the country’s most popular vehicle segment for the first time, according to data released by the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). The Ford, which was also number one in 2023, beat the Kia Sportage, with the 48,340 Pumas registered besting the Kia by just 1,177. Meanwhile the Nissan Qashqai, which was the biggest-selling car in 2022, slipped to third, with more than 42,000 registered last year, followed by its smaller, quirkier stablemate, the Juke, of which more than 34,000 found homes. Rounding out the top five was the UK’s best-selling EV, the Tesla Model Y, which is due to be facelifted this year (see story, right). Despite…

TESLA’S Model Y was the world’s best-selling car in 2023 with more than 1.2 million units sold. Now the US manufacturer is looking to give its electric SUV even more appeal with a mid-life facelift. We’ve seen leaked images of the new Model Y, but this is the first time we’ve spotted it testing on the road, suggesting a full reveal is imminent. Tesla gave its Model 3 saloon an update in late 2023 to help it compete with newer rivals. The revamp introduced a sleeker, more modern look and a controversial interior refresh that saw the maker swap out the indicator stalks for buttons on the steering wheel. This tech is all but certain to also make an appearance on the updated Model Y, dubbed ‘Juniper’ online. Our spy…

"YOU HAVE MORE THIRD-PARTY APPS THAT ARE NOT OPTIMISED FOR A ROTARY DIAL, SOTHATIS WHY WE TOOK THE KNOB OUT "JOERN FREYER Vice president of UX, BMW BMW’s iDrive set-up revolutionised the way modern drivers interact with their cars when it was introduced in 2001. But after more than two decades of evolution, the brand has decided it’s time to start anew, guided by the philosophy of “eyes on the road, hands on the wheel.” BMW’s newest driver-focused cockpit, dubbed BMW Panoramic iDrive, will make its debut in the new iX3 later this year. The electric SUV is the first of an all-new model generation referred to as the ‘Neue Klasse’, all of which will feature the set-up. There are four key components to the latest iteration of iDrive: the…

WHENEVER a car manufacturer like Audi goes the extra mile and produces a new platform – as it has with the A5 – it is invariably the workhorse models that benefit the most, and which represent the best value within the range. How so? Because the lesser models come with all the fundamentals that underpin the more expensive versions – same new chassis, same new interior, same improved packaging and refreshing new design – but without the price tag to match. And in the case of the new A5 Avant TDI, the starting price of £48,850 appears to be highly competitive against like-for-like rivals. The version we’re testing here is the more expensive Edition 1. It costs £56,050, but other than its lowered chassis and plusher interior, it’s essentially the…

THE only giveaways are the slightly lower ride height and fractionally wider tyres. Otherwise, you could easily mistake this Sleeper Edition Superb for a regular Skoda Estate, albeit one that sports an unusually posh-looking dark green paint job. But looks, as they say, can be deceptive. This one-off Superb Estate was commissioned last year by Skoda UK to celebrate 23 years of the model, which as of now is no longer available in third-generation form, with the fourth-generation model already having gone on sale last summer. It’s what’s known as a Sleeper car – or a Q-car in old money: essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as was originally written in the Bible’s Sermon on the Mount (“beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing”). Its 2.0-litre…

LEXUS decided to give its new compact hybrid crossover a three-letter name – which it had done only once before, with the magnificent LFA. Sorry to get your hopes up, but that’s probably the only tenuous link I’ll be able to make between our new LBX and the firm’s V10-powered supercar – but it was fun while it lasted. The LBX is the brand’s entry-level model. In the year it’s been on sale it’s been quite the success story; it’s the best-selling Lexus overall, with 5,178 finding homes so far. The previous entry UX managed 1,297, and the evergreen NX SUV secured less than half the LBX’s total, at 2,311. With ‘LBX’ standing for ‘Lexus Breakthrough X’ (‘X’ signifying crossover), the model seems to be living up to its name.…

THE stream of new work lights isn’t slowing, but are they just more of the same or do they break new ground in tech and performance? To find out we tested new releases from NightSearcher and Laser Tools. The main and torch beams were rated in a blacked-out workshop, and we checked run time and the ability to get light where it’s needed. We also wanted power-saving modes, battery state and charge indicators, plus impact and ingress protection. We also took into account charging options and price. As a result we have a new favourite. The iSpector 400 edges past current top pick, the Philips Xperion 6000 Slim, by matching its performance at a lower price. Laser’s Mini Work Lamp is also worth having and although the Pull-Out Laser makes…

TAKE a test drive in a new or used car and it probably won’t be long before the salesperson sitting next to you utters the f word. Yes, finance. Unless you’re fortunate enough to be in a position where you can pay with cash, this will be a very important factor when it comes to sealing the deal on your potential purchase. Accepting the finance terms offered to you by the dealer selling the car may look like a quick and convenient option, but taking this easy route could cost a lot of money – possibly thousands of pounds. As with any type of loan, the general rule of thumb with car finance is that it always pays to shop around. While the finance deal offered by a car dealership…

IN the market for a new car? Then prepare to be spoiled for choice like never before in 2025. As ever, several long-established, household-name manufacturers will be offering first-generation models featuring cutting-edge designs you’ve not seen in the flesh before. And at the same time, a seemingly endless stream of less familiar Chinese firms will do exactly the same with their newest, freshest products. How’s that for an added bonus, courtesy of the world’s largest car-producing nation? But although this influx of newly conceived models from all corners of the globe is great for consumer freedom and choice, it’s my job to remind you that newest and freshest doesn’t necessarily mean best. I therefore encourage you not to ignore fine cars that were launched years ago, but are still available…

“THE NEW FRONT END AIDS AERODYNAMICS. INDEED, THE COUPE VERSION IS NOW THE SLIPPERIEST SKODA YET” SKODA has comprehensively updated its electric Enyaq, introducing new styling, enhanced tech features inside and out, and improved aerodynamics. The changes apply to both the SUV and Coupé bodystyles, incorporating the Czech firm’s next-generation design elements that were first seen on the new Elroq. Available to order soon, the Enyaq will be launched in three core trim levels – SE L, Edition and SportLine – with the hot vRS models following shortly after. The most obvious change is the new nose, which has been completely redesigned around the brand’s Tech-Deck styling feature. This was introduced on the Elroq, and incorporates a narrow black upper section that houses the car’s daytime running lights and indicators…

HONDA and Nissan have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to “start discussions and considerations toward a business integration between the two companies through the establishment of a joint holding company”. The talks include Mitsubishi too, and the three companies would form an automotive giant designed to face up to the challenge of Chinese car makers, and sluggish demand for EVs. An agreement will be reached in June, with a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange before a share transfer and the launch of a new company in August 2026. Globally, Honda and Nissan sold 3.7 million and 3.4 million vehicles respectively in 2023 – making them the second and third-largest automotive brands in Japan, after Toyota. Honda and Nissan agreed to co-operate on EVs last March – a…

PROTON, the budget-driven brand best known in the UK for the Satria Neo, Impian and Savvy, has just taken the wraps of its first-ever pure-electric car, the e.MAS 7. The newcomer is, in essence, a rebadged Geely Galaxy E5, with the two sharing the same Geely Electric Architecture (GEA). The base-level e.MAS 7 Prime has a 49.5kWh battery for a WLTP-rated range of 214 miles, while the higher-spec Premium trim has a 60.2kWh set-up, which returns up to 254 miles between top ups. Proton quit the UK in 2014 and there are no plans to relaunch here, but Geely is the parent company of a number of brands that do sell in Britain, including Volvo and Lotus.…

NIO, the company famed for its innovative battery-swap tech, has launched a new ‘Firefly’ sub-brand aimed at conquering the increasingly competitive small-EV market. Its first car – a Honda e-inspired five-door supermini – has been revealed in China, with plans for it to reach Europe in the first half of this year. Firefly is the third brand to launch under the Nio family, with a specific focus on leveraging “Nio’s decadelong expertise in premium” with the aim of exceeding expectations in “design, safety, space, intelligence, and energy efficiency”. Revealed at ‘Nio Day’ in Guangzhou on 21 December, the Firefly brand made its debut with a MINI-fighting small car that the company says is available to order in China for 148,000 RMB – equivalent to around £16,000 at the time of…

THERE aren’t many compact electric cars that can manage more than 300 miles on a single charge. Quite a few state that they can, based on official WLTP figures, but in everyday use it can be harder to regularly achieve those numbers. That has changed with the new Kia EV3. If range is what matters most to you, then there’s little need to read on – Kia’s latest crossover is the one for you. Not only is its official maximum of up to 375 miles better than almost anything else for the money, but even in some fairly grim, cold weather during our time behind the wheel – unflattering conditions for an EV’s efficiency – we also came mighty close to getting over the magic 300-mile mark. If you are…

IF you were to list the new Corvette Z06’s technical features, you’d swear it was 2014 in Northern Italy. Peel back the vivid orange skin and you’ll find a naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine with a flat-plane crank, titanium connecting rods and an 8,600rpm red line, hooked up to a dualclutch transmission, mounted in the middle of an aluminium-intensive chassis. All of these elements are reminiscent of a period in Ferrari’s recent past, when it created some of the all-time supercar greats, so why not take inspiration from the best? This was certainly Chevrolet’s thinking when developing the new Z06. The change between a historic Corvette, with its front-mounted engine, and the contemporary midengined C8 was a big one. Yet while the first midengined ’Vette certainly felt like a different…

IN China the BYD Seal U is known as the Song Plus, a car that has been on sale there since 2020 and is the company’s bestselling model. The Song Plus was facelifted in 2023, and that’s the model we get in the UK as the Seal U DM-i, where the ‘U’ stands for utility (to differentiate this model from the Seal electric saloon), and DM-i signifies the ‘Dual Mode’ PHEV powertrain. The main talking point of the Seal U is its price. Starting at around £33,000, this plug-in hybrid model undercuts even conventional combustion-engined versions of established rivals, while the kit list is similar to that of a high-spec machine costing thousands more. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE THERE’S just one powertrain option in the BYD Seal U, but it comes…

SPEAKING as a father, if there’s one thing I need in a car these days, it’s practicality. And the good news is that the Genesis GV60 provides plenty for my family. To be honest, the head-turning EV gives us more than we really need, because my wife and I decided to stop expanding our family after just one child, and none of our daughter’s hobbies require us to lug around masses of stuff. When she goes to football matches, she has only a few bits of kit to carry; most drama rehearsals need nothing more than a script and a few snacks; and when we go away, there’s no problem fitting a couple of suitcases and a scooter in the boot. It’s true that the sloping roofline restricts the ability…

Price: £100 Rating: Contact: muc-off.com IF the grey days of January have got you thinking about weekends away when the weather warms up, you’ll also need something to keep food and drinks cool – and we’ve been testing Muc-Off’s solution. As we’ve seen before with the cycle kit specialist, it often thinks outside the box and its products work just as well on four wheels as two. The same is certainly true here, because although this is called a bag, its thick, insulated fabric construction makes it much more like a box. There’s a little give in the sides and the material is soft which, combined with the fabric carry straps, makes it great to carry over longer distances. This is helped in no small part by it weighing well under…

FROM £24 Inspection lamps are a vital piece of kit for any DIYer, but how do these new units from Laser Tools and Night Searcher compare? Laser Mini Work Lamp Price: £27.82 Rating: Contact: lasertools.co.uk A MASSIVE 1,000 lumens is delivered by this compact work light, which is equally at home lighting large spaces or stuck on a bonnet illuminating a car’s engine bay. The hinged magnetic stand doubles as a clip, plus the unit can be screwed to a tripod, giving extra mounting options, although not as many as the hinged iSpector. There’s a 500-lumens power-saving mode but we saw well over three hours’ run time, albeit at ever-reducing output. Laser Pull-Out Rechargeable Work Light Price: £27.70 Rating: Contact: lasertools.co.uk THERE’S something old school about this pull-out design but there’s nothing…

THE recent demise of the Peugeot 508 PSE has left the French firm without a performance-focused model in its line-up. But there is growing hope that the brand could return to its hot-hatch roots with a faster version of the next Peugeot 208 – and our exclusive images preview how it could look. Auto Express revealed last year that there will be a hot GSe-badged version of the next Vauxhall Corsa – the sister model to the 208. Both superminis are due to be launched in 2026, and will share parent company Stellantis’s new STLA Small platform. Now, in an exclusive interview with Auto Express, newly appointed managing director of Stellantis UK, Eurig Druce, suggested the 508 PSE’s retirement doesn’t mean the end of the brand’s performance lineage. “There may…

THE all-new Dodge Charger will be crossing the pond this year, with the latest version of the muscle-car icon set to be offered in Europe from the second half of 2025, Dodge’s parent company Stellantis has confirmed. It will be sold in Europe through importers, so we expect a few cars will make it to the UK, although any available here will almost certainly be left-hand drive only. Two-door coupé and four-door saloon variants were revealed last year without a V8 in sight. Instead, both versions will be offered with either a twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine or pure-electric power. The electric Charger Daytona is on sale in the US now in either 496bhp R/T or 670bhp Scat Pack forms.…

HEAVY discounts on new electric cars may be designed to stimulate the sluggish EV market, but the move increasingly looks like a short-term solution. Why? Because it brings concerning, longer-term effects; increasing downward pressure on values of used EVs, with slower overall growth of the UK’s electrified fleet. High prices and heavy depreciation have been long-standing deterrents when it comes to private buyers considering electric vehicles, along with fears over charging availability and range. So, depressed demand from consumers has been met with seemingly too-good-to-be true discounts which have, at least until now, helped manufacturers towards meeting the tough targets set by the Government’s ZEV mandate. These objectives – or at least the fines manufacturers receive for not meeting them – could soon be in line for change, because later…

THE Terramar is Cupra’s latest SUV. Although it may seem a little confusing when lined up against the brand’s Ateca, Tavascan and Formentor models, the Terramar is possibly best viewed as a sportier sibling to the latest Volkswagen Tiguan. As a result of its Tiguan-derived MQB Evo platform, the Terramar is the largest Cupra to date and something of an indirect successor to the smaller Ateca – especially given that the new car starts at £37,605, only £460 more than the Ateca. Cupra underwent a bit of a design overhaul in 2024, with facelifted looks for the Leon and Formentor to align them more closely with newer models such as the VW ID.4-based Tavascan and the Terramar. These fresh design elements include three LED triangles within the headlights, a blanked-off…

THERE are few cars that have gone through such a significant transformation of purpose as the Mercedes G-Glass. It was initially a rough and ready vehicle designed for the military in the seventies, and has since been transformed into a tough yet luxurious status symbol. Key to this is that even though it looks similar to the original car, there’s now a whole lot more complexity under the skin. A facelift last year brought a smattering of exterior tweaks, including a redesigned grille and bumpers. These changes have also improved aerodynamic efficiency, which is actually quite an achievement. Clamber aboard and you’ll see the latest version of the MBUX system displayed through a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, with digital dials appearing in front of the new steering wheel. The thoroughly…

THERE are diesel, petrol mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Mk3 Volkswagen Tiguan on offer, with the latter using the firm’s latest eHybrid powertrain. This has been refined with the addition of a bigger battery and a more efficient petrol engine, and these deliver some impressive economy and electric range figures. There have also been improvements inside when compared with the previous Tiguan, which was one of VW’s best-selling models. There’s more space and new tech, with the car featuring the company’s latest infotainment controls, so changes that were made to the Golf Mk8 make an appearance. The range comprises standard, Life, Match, Elegance, R-Line and Black Edition trims, but not every engine is available with each variant. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE PETROL power for the VW Tiguan comes from…

Price: £400 Contact: viofo.com THE latest addition to the VIOFO line-up raises the technology bar yet again with a cam delivering 4K footage at 60fps. VIOFO claims this is an industry first, thanks to Sony’s latest Starvis 2 video chip, which delivers ultra-smooth, crisp footage. The A329 can be paired with a 2K rear camera, which also uses a Starvis 2 sensor, but a 5MP version, unlike the front’s 8MP. In addition, VIOFO claims the cam is the first to use Wi-Fi 6, which boosts working speeds by up to three times in the 5GHz band resulting in a one-minute 4K video being downloaded in less than 10 seconds. According to the firm, the A329 is the first unit with SSD external support too, allowing up to three weeks’ footage to…