Содержание выпуска: 1752 — Auto Express

PEUGEOT’S Paris stand was dominated by the new 408, but the French brand’s boss, Linda Jackson, used the event to reveal plans for a fresh concept car. Called Inception, and due before the end of this year, the new creation will show how Peugeots will evolve as they switch onto the all-electric platforms being developed by parent group Stellantis. Jackson confirmed to Auto Express that the car will “project the values of the brand”, while admitting that it could mark a shift away from the existing CMP and EMP2 platforms, towards the new STLA architectures. Jackson also revealed that Inception’s cabin will reveal a further development of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit layout, where the instruments are viewed above a smaller, lower steering wheel, instead of through it. However, we can also expect…

tristan_shale-hester@autovia.co.uk @tristan_shale ● Buyers made to sign waivers ● Cash or finance sales affected LAND Rover customers are being asked to surrender the right to sell their cars to private buyers outside the dealer network within the first six months of ownership. Auto Express has been made aware of two cases where customers who have ordered new Defenders have been asked to sign a document before taking delivery. The document stipulates that the customer cannot sell their car to anyone other than an official Land Rover dealer within the first six months of ownership. Although customers who intend to hang on to their new car may not object, others feel that they should not have to waive their right to do what they want with a vehicle once it’s been…

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.consumerombudsman.org RMIF: 0845 305 4230 Scottish Motor Trade Assoc. 0131 331 5510 Problems with…

Alastair_Crooks@autovia.co.uk @AllieCrooks “Refinement is decent and rough roads are dealt with well by the long-travel suspension” AS the second best-selling car in Britain, the Qashqai might be Nissan’s headline act, but the X-Trail is also hugely important for the brand. Sales here almost match all of western Europe’s put together. Indeed, while the last X-Trail was Nissan’s best seller globally, its popularity here has led the firm to tailor the new model to UK roads. Sitting on the same platform as the Qashqai, the X-Trail is being launched with the e-Power drivetrain, which has a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit to charge its 2.1kWh battery. This then sends power to an electric motor on the front axle and, for this e-4ORCE model, a second e-motor on the rear axle. The petrol…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 2.9 seconds/201mph Running costs 24.1mpg (off icial) £98 fill-up IF a supercar’s success is to be measured by how it makes you feel, then the new Maserati MC20 Cielo is pretty hard to fault. Unexpected and exotic, it’s a new and distinct taste compared with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. Yet it doesn’t feel contrived or over the top, and despite an effortless, unadorned style the MC20 really performs when pushed, too. Elegance, brutal performance and dynamic polish have rarely been combined so effectively. And the Cielo or ‘sky’ added by the retractable hard-top only heightens the intoxicating mixture. From nowhere, Maserati has created a fascinating and dazzling open-top supercar. If you have £231,885 going spare, then it should very much be on your shopping list.…

Running costs 3.9mi/kWh (on test) £23 recharge/£0 or 2% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 385/1,267 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.0 seconds/99mph MODEL TESTED: Cupra Born V3 77kWh e-boost PRICE: £43,735 POWERTRAIN: Single e-motor, 77kWh battery, 228bhp THE Born is more expensive than the Megane, with this top-spec V3 weighing in at £43,735. This car’s extras include the lovely Aurora Blue paint (£880) and the Tech (M) Pack (£540), which adds intelligent park assist, Car 2X vehicle networking, wireless smartphone charging and keyless entry, lifting the total to £45,155. Design & engineering THESE cars compete within the same space of the market, and each makes use of a dedicated EV platform, but the engineering decisions taken to produce them are fundamentally different. While the Megane has a single motor driving the…

1st RENAULT THE Megane takes the win because we’re impressed with its skills right across the board. It’s very spacious and practical for a car with such a modest footprint, it’s decent to drive and delivers strong refinement. The infotainment tech is some of the very best in any new car right now. Throw in competitive monthly payments, and it’s cracking value for money, too. 2nd CUPRA WHILE it can’t quite match the Megane when it comes to the finances or in-car tech, the Cupra still has plenty going for it. It’s among the sharper EV hatchbacks to drive, and is still more than spacious enough for family car buyers. The range and efficiency are excellent – factors that are more important than ever with rising energy costs – but a fidgety…

Pete_Gibson@autovia.co.uk Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 451/1,445 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.8 seconds/102mph NO, you’re not seeing double. Our photo does indeed show two identical examples of the latest Kia Niro on the Gibson driveway. But one was on its way out, and the other is the car we’re going to be living with for the next few months. We’ll explain why we’ve temporarily twinned our cars in a bit. But a proper introduction first; this Niro, the second-generation model, is yet another example of how Kia is right at the forefront of mass-market electrification. It’s a bit bigger than the car it replaces – something I’m keen to test during everyday use – and it’s still available with a comprehensive range of powertrains. Want a pure EV? Sorted. Think you…

Alpine A110 Issue 1,745 Audi SQ5 Sportback New arrival BMWiX3 Issue 1,731, 1,743 Cupra Born New arrival Dacia Jogger Issue 1,739, 1,748 Ford Focus Estate Issues 1,744, 1,750 Honda HR-V Issue 1,732, 1,749 Jaguar F-Pace Issue 1,744, 1,750 Kia Niro Hybrid New arrival Land Rover Defender Issues 1,735, 1,747 Lexus NX Issue 1,746 Mazda CX-60 New arrival Peugeot 308 New arrival Porsche Taycan CT Issues 1,730, 1,740, 1,746 Skoda Fabia Issues 1,735, 1,747 Toyota Corolla New arrival Your ultimate guide to buying and owning an electric car…

HOME EV chargers have tended to be bulky and functional in the past, but the latest addition to the Wallbox range is not only compact, it also comes in a choice of colours. While a Pulsar Max may blend in better, what is it like to live with? We got one installed to find out. And that installation (£475 through the Wallbox website) has been the biggest downside we’ve encountered. There were a couple of hitches, but Wallbox no longer uses that installation firm, and a subsequent visit went without a problem. We had a 22kW fast charger fitted, with a five-metre tethered cable and plug holster, and the optional £19 eyebrow cable bracket. The latter is neat and works well, although the charger casing is tapered, so you could…

S.F. Edge Maker of Motoring History Simon Fisher (Evro Publishing, evropublishing.com) Price: £45 Rating: SELWYN Francis Edge was known as a bicycle competitor before moving on to car racing, breaking several records in the process and encouraging the world’s first female racers. A really interesting story and impressively well researched. Ferrari F40 Keith Bluemel (Porter Press, porterpress.co.uk) Price: £69 Rating: FERRARIS make for some of the best coffee table books – and this title is no exception. It’s an extremely good-looking book, with high production values and gorgeous photos throughout. It’s also well written, and although there are very few stories about the F40 that haven’t been told already, you won’t feel short-changed if you read through. Travel Center Tycoon Available for: Android Price: Free Rating: CUTE graphics and fairly slick…

CO2/tax 101-151g/km £155-£165 Running costs 52-59mpg (B’HDi 130) £133 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.9 seconds/143mph YOU may recall a time when Peugeot sold some of the best-looking cars available at any price, largely thanks to its relationship with Italian design house Pininfarina. Then things went off the boil, and this, combined with quality-control problems, led to the brand’s image taking a nosedive. But Peugeot has worked very hard in recent years to right those wrongs by investing in sharp designs and high-tech powertrains along with advanced electronics, not only to make up for lost ground, but to try to take on more expensive rivals. The result has been a string of cars that are extremely appealing, and the 508 is a good example of that. Anything but conservative, the 508…

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THERE was no shortage of intrigue, anarchy and mayhem in mid-October 2022. First, the intriguing bit. For years Jaguar Land Rover has acknowledged it needs a baby Land Rover. Think 2WD at less than £30k, and possibly a 4WD version at nearer £40k. Either way, it must be raised, rugged and with a chunky, tank-like body protecting it and its mostly young urbanite occupants. Good news: such a vehicle made its world debut at the Paris Motor Show, where it was the star. Bad news: sadly, it had zilch to do with JLR. However, those who’ve been prevented from buying the overdue little Landie they crave can soon order the all-new Renault 4 instead. At or below £30k, it comes with a pure-electric motor, not one of those old-school petrol…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy ● Newcomer will join Avenger, Recon and Wagoneer S in line-up ● Jeep’s timelines suggest the Compass is most likely candidate “I want to be in every global SUV segment. The fourth car by 2025 will be bigger than Avenger, which is our baby, but smaller than the Recon and Wagoneer S” CHRISTIAN MEUNIER Jeep Chief Executive Officer JEEP is fast-tracking its way to electrification, and the iconic American brand is planning to use new technologies afforded by its parent group Stellantis to develop fresh, all-electric generations of its popular Renegade and Compass models. The company’s first European-developed pure EV, the Avenger, made its public debut at last week’s Paris Motor Show. It will be the baby in a planned four-EV line-up that Jeep has committed to deliver…

DACIA used Paris to highlight its new badge and colour scheme. But the big news from the company was that its next generation of Sandero may be offered as an EV as well as a petrol-powered car. The value brand has resisted EVs so far, but Renault tech boss Gilles le Borgne admitted that the next Sandero, due in 2028, could be “a good candidate” for a multi-energy approach, using both the regular CMF-B platform and the closely related CMF-BEV architecture that’s set to underpin the reborn Renault 5.…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk ● EV to take on Tesla Model 3 ● Three states of tune offered BUILD Your Dreams (BYD) – the Chinese battery maker turned car manufacturer – could be the biggest automotive brand you’ve never heard of. We featured the firm’s grand plans for entry into the European and UK markets with the Atto 3 in Issue 1,744, and now there’s another model set to join the family crossover in the form of BYD’s Seal four-door compact saloon. A rival for the Tesla Model 3, the Seal was shown last week at the Paris Motor Show having gone on sale in China at an equivalent price of around £27,000. It’s based on BYD’s 800-volt compatible e-Platform 3.0 underpinnings, which feature “cell-to-body construction”, where the battery is employed as a…

PRICING for Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 First Edition has been confirmed; the high-spec version costs £54,995, with online reservations set to open in early November. The First Edition model features a 77.4kWh battery that powers a dual-motor set-up delivering 320bhp and 605Nm of torque. It’s the firm’s second model based on the Hyundai-Kia E-GMP platform for electric cars and has a claimed range of up to 335 miles on a charge. First Edition spec features 20-inch wheels and gloss black exterior detailing. It’s also the first Hyundai to feature the brand’s redesigned ‘H’ emblem. Deliveries will begin in March.…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress HOT TOPIC Polestar 3 EV FROM: Ian Brown I LOVE the exterior design; Polestar has really nailed this on all its models so far. They look different and eye-catching. Not sure I like the iPad-style infotainment screen glued to the dash; I would prefer more physical controls instead. FROM: Steve Richards A STARTING price of £79,900 is about £25,000 more than I would expect to pay for a car such as this. It sounds like a good overall package and I like the design, but I’d happily have a diesel version rather than electric if it were cheaper! Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ■ “Who’s going to pay £5,600 for a 0.3-second quicker 0-62mph time? It’s a ridiculous option.” George Y ■ “With that price tag, I would…

Richard_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @rsp_ingram Running costs 21.9mpg (off icial) £137 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.7 seconds/155mph SOME cars aren’t really built for British roads, whether that’s because they’re too big, too inefficient, or even too stiffly sprung. The UK market is unique – and buyers here are a picky bunch. The BMW X7 certainly sits on the cusp of being a little too large for our environment; the US, China and Korea account for a whopping 75 per cent of sales, with Britain sitting someway further down the pile. At almost 5.2 metres long, two metres wide and more than 1.8 metres tall, the X7 dwarfs cars like the latest Range Rover Sport. The BMW is heavier, too, at 2.7 tonnes. A huge profit driver for BMW, the flagship SUV has now…

CHARGING THERE’S little to separate this pair for top-up speeds. Renault says the Megane’s maximum charge speed is 130kW, so a 15-80 per cent boost takes 30 minutes. The Cupra just pips it at 135kW, with a 36-minute 5-80 per cent top-up of its larger battery. 58kWh Borns charge slightly slower, at 125kW. The Megane’s charge port is on the front wing, while the Cupra’s is on the rear quarter panel. SUSTAINABILITY AS well as zero-emissions driving, Renault has worked hard to reduce the Megane’s manufacturing pollution, too. More than 20kg of materials, including the seat fabrics, come from recycled sources, while the electric motor does without rare-earth elements, further boosting sustainability. As with the Megane, some versions of the Born come with eco-friendly seat fabrics, a yarn-like material that…

Dawn_Grant@autovia.co.uk Running costs 55.4mpg (on test) £69 fill-up £165 or 30% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 380/1,190 litres SKODA’S decision to drop an estate model from the latest Fabia line-up was disappointing news for my friends, so I invited them over to see whether our five-door would cut the mustard instead. Otis, his wife Becca and their two-year-old son Elmore own a Mk3 Fabia Estate and are fans of the practicality it offers them within a relatively small-size vehicle. Both cars are finished in the same Race Blue metallic paint and there are certainly plenty of other similarities. We joked that head on, the older model looked more friendly, but the more aggressive styling of our hatch definitely gives an up-to-date look. I also find the back, in particular the…

CAR makers have yet to agree if electric vehicles (EVs) require bespoke tyres, but Korean producer Hankook definitely thinks they do and has launched the second tyre in its iON range. The iON Winter follows the iON evo (nee S) summer tyre, which debuted in June, and completes the EV-only range’s European line-up. An all-season version is in the pipeline for the North American market, but won’t be sold here. Like the iON evo, the Winter has been tailored to the demands of electric vehicles. It’s aimed at the premium end of the market, and covers the same 18-22-inch wheel range. Hankook has again concentrated on rolling resistance, low noise and dealing with the higher weight of EVs. The Winter is also designed to cope with the high torque of…

The Misfit is a hot hit with UK custom fans THE UK leg of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour was won by The Misfit (above), a 1963 Ford Anglia that’s been fitted with a supercharged BMW engine. The tour aims to find the most exciting custom cars from each region, with the overall winner turned into a real Hot Wheels car. The Misfit beat more than 100 UK entries, being voted favourite by the fans and judges Helen Stanley, Ian Callum and Jonny Smith. It will now face entries from other regions in the semi-finals on 10 November. Follow the hashtag #HotWheelsLegendsTour for details. Halfords slashes MOT price with club offer HALFORDS has cut the cost of MOTs at its Autocentres to just £29.99 with a free membership to its…

WITH many motorists feeling the pinch as the cost of living increases, selling your car and renting one when you need it has a growing appeal. There’s no need to insure or tax the car or pay clean air zone bills. There are dozens of hire-car providers from global players to local firms. For some, nearby availability will be key while for others, ease of booking online with a well known name will appeal. So which is the one to turn to when you decide owning a car is no longer for you, or that business trip is better done by plane and hiring a vehicle when you arrive? We put eight to the test to find out the high-performing hirers. How we tested them WE’VE focused on the big…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy ● Electric 5 concept produces 375bhp ● Tech work almost complete RENAULT boss Luca de Meo says he wants to build a roadgoing version of the company’s 5 Turbo 3E concept car, but that funding the project is the big issue. The Turbo 3E was shown in Paris as a tribute, de Meo says, to the 50th anniversary of the original Renault 5. It is, in effect, based on an Andros Trophy ice-racer chassis, and packs a pair of electric motors at the rear offering 375bhp. De Meo revealed that the firm “has almost found a way of making it work”. Speaking to Auto Express, de Meo insisted that he was “absolutely serious” about a production run. “We’ve almost found the technical solution,” he said, “but now the…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk ● Plug-in hybrid blends 1.6-litre turbo engine with two e-motors ● Hot 296bhp SUV gets four-wheel drive HOT on the heels of its Astra and Astra Sports Tourer GSe hot plug-in hybrids, Vauxhall has launched its Grandland GSe Plug-in Hybrid performance SUV with an even more potent powertrain. While the Grandland GSe still uses the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, its battery pack (as yet undisclosed, but potentially the same 12.4kWh unit from the Astra GSe) now feeds a pair of electric motors, one on each axle, to equip the Grandland with e-four-wheel drive. It means there’s more power, with the total output standing at 296bhp for a 0-62mph time of 6.1 seconds. Top speed is 146mph, while the Grandland GSe can hit 84mph when in electric mode.…

Latest edition of 911 goes back to basics THERE’S yet another new model in the Porsche 911 range, in the form of this, the Carrera T. Billed as a driver-focused model, the stripped-out T (above) features the 380bhp engine from the base-spec Carrera, but gets a 10mm ride height drop and lightweight parts to improve agility and driver involvement. It’s available with either a seven-speed manual or eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox and is rear-wheel drive only. On sale now, it’s priced from £98,500 regardless of transmission. Over 10 per cent of DVLA clamps removed MORE than one in 10 clamps fitted to untaxed vehicles by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have been removed or damaged in the past five years. Official figures acquired by Select Car Leasing reveal that…

tristan_shale-hester@autovia.co.uk @tristan_shale LEADING lights from the automotive industry have voiced their concerns over the forthcoming Euro 7 regulations and electrification, and taken aim at the UK Government’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of management at BMW and president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, said: “Our story here is do not, either in the UK or through Brussels, put a policy in place that ends the combustion engine. I would urge the English politicians to review their strategy for ending the combustion engine in 2030 or 2035.” He continued: “There is not one solution. I think e-fuels have a super-relevance for the existing fleet. In Europe, we sell 10-30 million new cars and the fleet is…

Ellis_Hyde@autovia.co.uk THE Czinger 21C may not have the most evocative name in the pantheon of ultra-exclusive, hardcore hypercars, but it certainly caused jaws to drop when it was unveiled back in February 2020, thanks to its dizzying performance stats, fighter jet-inspired seating arrangement and 3D-printed components. Or maybe it was because it looks like something not of this world. Since then, the Los Angeles-based start-up’s first car has broken lap records at the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway and the Circuit of The Americas. And even |when it was on static display, the £1.5million speed machine left quite the impression on attendees at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. But while the 21C is busy giving the likes of the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG One a run for their money,…

Shane_Wilkinson@autovia.co.uk @WilkiWheels Running costs 201.7mpg (off icial) £61 fill-up Performance 0-60mph/top speed 10.9 seconds/99mph KIA is something of a hybrid pioneer and the XCeed crossover is one of its most popular models in the UK. It’s likely, then, that this XCeed Plug-in Hybrid will be a big seller for the brand over here. Refreshed alongside the petrol model we tested in Issue 1,751, this petrol-electric variant gets a similar round of updates. But its 1.6-litre engine, 8.9kWh battery and electric motor are unchanged, so total output stands at 139bhp and 265Nm of torque. More important is the all-electric range, which is 30 miles. That’s not the biggest by modern PHEV standards, but still a useful dose of electrification that could help to lower your running costs, with claimed fuel economy…

Running costs 3.7mi/kWh (on test) £17 recharge/£0 or 2% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 440/1,364 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.5 seconds/99mph MODEL TESTED: Renault Megane E-Tech 60kWh Techno PRICE: £38,495 POWERTRAIN: Single e-motor, 60kWh battery, 217bhp THE fifth generation of the Megane enters the EV fray with some fairly punchy pricing. This well equipped Techno trim costs £38,495. The Ceramic Grey paint with a contrasting black roof adds £950, bringing the total here to £39,445. Design & engineering MAKING the Megane into an EV seems like a logical step. Not only is the time right for electrification, but it’s also coming from a brand that knows a thing or two about electric cars. More than 400,000 Zoe superminis have been sold since its launch in 2012, and the Megane E-Tech…

Renault Megane E-Tech OpenR infotainment Key features: ‘Okay Google’ voice control EVEN if the electric powertrain takes the headlines for the new Megane, its all-new infotainment set-up deserves just as much credit. The nine-inch screen is fantastic; Renault says that it’s close to a smartphone in its response speeds, loading times and graphical sharpness – and we would have to agree. The Megane is the first Renault to use a new Google-based interface, and with that come excellent mapping and route planning, which not only lists traffic data, but also estimates the state of battery charge at your destination. ‘Okay Google’ voice commands can plan a route, or even adjust the temperature (although the physical controls are great) and change driving modes. The digital instruments are sharp. The layout can…

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products@autoexpress.co.uk Q What’s best way to tool up? I KEEP reading ads for large tool kits complete with a range of spanners, sockets, screwdrivers and the like. Are they a good investment? Mick King, E-mail A THE danger with a pre-selected set is that any savings are often offset by tools you never use. Once you have spanners, socket set, pliers, torque wrench and screwdrivers, just buy tools as you need them. You’ll probably soon add a multibit set, a hammer plus kit for dealing with electrics: a multimeter, crimpers and soldering iron. We’d also go for a chest tool box, which can be put on a roll cab when you’ve outgrown it. Q Quick fix for slow puncture ONE of my tyres has a slow puncture. I want to…

WHEN it comes to route planning, many drivers still prefer paper maps that can’t develop technical faults or get a flat battery. But just like sat-navs, atlases need the latest mapping, and new editions of three of the biggest names in the sector have just been released. So which is the one to put you on the right track? We opened the latest products from A-Z, Collins and the AA to find out. We checked the mapping was up-to-date by searching for planned road projects and small hamlets. We expected to see the London Congestion Charge and latest Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) plus factored in price, clear motorway junctions, tourist info, town-centre mapping and route planners. The clear, accurate and cost-effective A-Z remains our favourite. The Collins and AA…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk THE good, and perhaps surprising, news about the Captur from the 2022 Driver Power survey results, is that one of its highest scores is for reliability, taking eighth place in the category and beating several prestige brands along the way. The Captur’s overall quality is good enough to be placed seventh in the entire survey, and the infotainment ratings are even better, with a second for sat-nav and fourth for smartphone connectivity. There are some areas where the Captur disappoints, though, notably a 63rd position for its safety features – another surprise, given Renault’s reputation in this area. Owners don’t appear to be too thrilled about interior storage, either. WE SAID “Of all the small SUVs that you can choose between, it’s the Captur that we recommend the most…

Alex_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @AxleIngram • We visit DS Formula E team HQ • Race tech benefits road cars FEW forms of motorsport boast as many big-name manufacturers as Formula E. But despite the might of brands like Porsche, Renault and Mercedes, French firm DS has been the most successful of all. Since it entered the sport, DS has bagged 17 pole positions, 14 wins and four titles (both driver’s and manufacturer’s). The ambition shows no sign of letting up, either; as we reported last week, the team confirmed that reigning champ Stoffel Vandoorne will move from Mercedes to partner Jean-Eric Vergne at DS next season. The DS Penske team operates out of a spartan-looking industrial estate near Paris. It’s a place with a history of not only success, but dominance, too; it…