Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i What Car?

BMW IS RECALLING 1.6 million diesel-engined cars, including 268,000 in the UK, due to a potential fire risk. The recall specifies that the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, which helps reduce harmful NOx emissions, can in some cases leak coolant. In combination with the high temperatures present in the EGR module, this could result in smouldering soot particles. It adds that “in very rare cases”, these particles could melt the engine’s intake manifold and “in extremely rare cases” there is a risk that it could lead to a fire. SEVERAL MODELS AFFECTED BMW found the issue during an internal investigation. It affects several models, including examples of the 3 Series and 5 Series saloon and estate, 4 Series and 6 Series coupé and convertible, and X3, X4, X5 and X6…

If you don’t like the idea of haggling for a discount on your next car, you can still get a great saving by using What Car? New Car Buying, where you’ll find thousands of deals online. To help you decide what you want, we’ve checked out the discounts being offered on 30 models from all the most popular categories, from SUVs to family hatchbacks. All of the models we’ve picked have at least a three-star rating, too, so you know they’re among the best in their class. Every car here can be had at our Target Price, which is the most we think you should pay and is set by our team of mystery shoppers, but you could save even more by using What Car? New Car Buying. Small SUVs…

YOU PROBABLY DON’T give your car’s tyres much thought until a garage tells you they need replacing, but they are one of the most important safety items on your car. They provide the only contact between your car and the road and ensure that it makes it around each corner and stops when you want it to. In fact, every manoeuvre you make in your car relies on the tyres, so it’s vital to ensure they are in first-rate condition and that when you replace them, you do so wisely. Should you fit new tyres on the front or back? Most modern cars are front-wheel drive, so the front tyres have to work harder than the rears and are likely to wear out quicker. However, whether your car is front…

There are more than 300 tyre brands to choose from in the UK, with specific products aimed at summer, winter and all-season driving. However, when it comes to tyres, you tend to get what you pay for; spend more on a premium brand and you’re highly likely to get tyres with the best handling and grip in wet and dry conditions.They’re also likely to last longer than cheaper alternatives and potentially provide better fuel efficiency. PREMIUM BRANDS ■ BRIDGESTONE The world’s largest tyre and rubber company, Bridgestone has a range of nine different car tyres, including winter tyres, run-flats, wet-weather and electric car tyres. In tests, Bridgestone tyres are generally among the best performers in terms of wet and dry braking.They’re also widely available, so you should be able to…

A SURVEY CARRIED out by car security and safety organisation Thatcham Research and crash testing outfit Euro NCAP has revealed that 71% of drivers globally believe some current cars can drive themselves and, because of this, 10% would be tempted to take a nap while using a motorway assistance system such as adaptive cruise control. However, the first independent test of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) demonstrates why drivers shouldn’t leave the driving to their cars. Thatcham put 10 of the latest models, all equipped with ADAS, through a series of tests. The cars were the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, DS 7 Crossback, Ford Focus, Hyundai Nexo, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Toyota Corolla and Volvo V60. The tests included assessing how each car reacted when driven…

1 Volvo XC90 For Top driving position; the only one with seven seats; massive boot; quietest cruiser; super-safe Against Woolly handling; ride can be brittle in town; heaviest depreciation Recommended options Smartphone mirroring (£300) Save £5116 on this car at whatcar.com/new-car-deals 2 Porsche Cayenne For Sharpest to drive; fastest; best all-round ride comfort; cheapest to run Against Poorly equipped; horribly grabby brakes; illogically arranged dashboard controls Recommended options Air suspension (£1511) Buy this car at whatcar.com/new-car-deals 3 Range Rover Sport For Plushest interior; decent resale values; best driving position; sweet steering Against Clunky gearbox; lumpiest ride; tightest rear seats; smallest boot; worst reliability record Recommended options Smartphone mirroring (£200) Save £2619 on this car at whatcar.com/new-car-deals Any of these hybrids makes a realistic alternative to a regular diesel. If you…

A QUICK LOOK at the power outputs and brochure prices of these three might lead you to believe we’re comparing apples with oranges. After all, the recently facelifted Mazda CX-3’s 2.0-litre petrol engine is way gutsier than the Renault Captur’s tiny 0.9-litre motor, but then that’s hardly surprising, because the former costs £2500 more to buy. Only here’s the thing: very few have the wherewithal to hand over their debit card for a swipe of nearly £20,000. Nope; you’re far more likely to sign up for a PCP finance deal, and if you do that, the CX-3 will cost you just £8 more per month than its French rival. Tempted? If so, we don’t blame you. But before you buy any small SUV, you should definitely consider the third in…

In production 2011-2018 Price from £7000 Our favourite 2.0 TDI Ultra SE Executive GOOD Refined engines High-quality interior Well equipped BAD Some rivals are more practical Not much fun to drive THE AUDI A6 saloon has always been an extremely popular luxury car, and with good reason: it’s smooth, refined and comfortable to ride in. However, there are those who prefer, or need, the practicality of an estate, so Audi offers an Avant version of the A6 for them. The A6 Avant is a front-wheel-drive car in its standard form, with four-wheel drive (quattro) being optional in most cases. Under the bonnet, there’s a good choice of engines. The most prevalent is the entry-level 2.0 TDI Ultra, but other diesels available include 215bhp and 268bhp 3.0-litre V6s, the latter with…

LESS THAN £10,000 Suzuki Celerio Our pick 1.0 SZ2 List price £7999 Target Price £7315 MPG 65.7 CO2 99g/km For It has a practical interior with a DAB radio and the engine gives adequate performance. Against The interior feels cheap, resale values are weak and infotainment options are limited. WHAT CAR? SAYS Hyundai i10 Our pick 1.0 S List price £9895 Target Price £9195 MPG 60.1 CO2 108g/km For The three-cylinder engine is refined and the interior is surprisingly roomy. Against This entry-level trim doesn’t give you much kit and the engine struggles out of town. WHAT CAR? SAYS Volkswagen Up Our pick 1.0 60 Take Up 3dr List price £9325 Target Price £8920 MPG 64.2 CO2 101g/km For Fun to drive, with a comfortable ride and an upmarket interior.…

LESS THAN £26,000 Skoda Superb Our pick 2.0 TDI 150 SE Technology List price £24,255 Target Price £23,085 MPG 65.7 CO2 112g/km For Masses of standard kit; lots of rear leg room and boot space; comfortable ride. Against Some other executive cars are more fun to drive and the engine is a little gruff. WHAT CAR? SAYS Mazda 6 Our pick 2.2 Skyactiv-D 150 SE-L Nav+ List price £25,795 Target Price £25,055 MPG 62.8 CO2 119g/km For Smart interior; smooth and flexible engine; hushed motorway cruiser. Against Saloon boot hinders practicality and the infotainment is so-so. WHAT CAR? SAYS Volkswagen Passat Our pick 2.0 TDI 150 S List price £25,295 Target Price £23,337 MPG 67.3 CO2 109g/km For Drives well, with a good ride and refined diesel engine, while the…

LESS THAN £16,000 Suzuki Vitara Our pick 1.6 SZ4 List price £15,999 Target Price £15,540 MPG 53.3 CO2 123g/km For Good to drive and practical interior. SZ4 trim brings enough equipment. Against CO2 emissions are comparatively high and resale values are only average. WHAT CAR? SAYS Kia Soul Our pick 1.6 GDI 1 List price £14,725 Target Price £14,149 MPG 43.5 CO2 152g/km For Spacious interior, decent to drive and 1 trim gives you air-con and a DAB radio.. Against Ride is overly firm; steering gives no indication as to what the front tyres are doing. WHAT CAR? SAYS Suzuki Ignis Our pick 1.2 SHVS SZ5 List price £14,509 Target Price £12,801 MPG 65.7 True MPG 59.6 CO2 97g/km For Excellent real-world economy, it’s fun to drive and you get…

LESS THAN £60,000 Audi Q7 The Q7 is so much more than your typical luxury SUV. Not only does it ride like a limo, offer the straight-line performance of a hot hatch and accommodate like an MPV, but it also delivers sublime refinement. The Q7 also has one of the greatest SUV interiors on the market, thanks to a modern, minimalist dashboard design and Audi’s fantastic MMI infotainment system. Our pick 50 TDI 286 quattro S line List price £59,295 Target Price £54,419 MPG 41.5 CO2 177g/km For Very well equipped, a wonderful ride and smooth, powerful engine. Against Expensive to buy and run. Some rivals have more third-row leg room. WHAT CAR? SAYS Volvo XC90 Our pick D5 Momentum List price £50,985 Target Price £46,159 MPG 49.6 CO2 149g/km…

LESS THAN £30,000 Audi TT The entry-level TT is a gem, thanks to a willing engine that can get you to 62mph in a respectable 6.9sec and yet is beautifully refined at a cruise. Lightweight construction helps handling no end; the TT turns in to corners eagerly, there’s little body roll and the ride is well judged for UK roads. The TT also has one of the finest interiors around, with smart materials and a standard digital instrument display. Our pick 1.8 TFSI Sport List price £28,855 Target Price £26,408 MPG 47.9 CO2 138g/km For Smooth, eager engine, darty handling and a beautifully built dashboard. Against Rear seats are seriously cramped and you’ll want to add a few optional extras. WHAT CAR? SAYS BMW 2 Series Coupé Our pick 220d…

“DON’T TRY TO do everything. Do one thing well.” So said the late boss of Apple, Steve Jobs – a man who proved many times over that the key to a successful product is simplicity. Now, that might sound counterintuitive; surely something that caters to everyone would be more successful? But, as BMW proved with its second-generation Z4 of 2009, it’s all too easy to ruin a successful product by overly broadening its scope. Indeed, current Z4 project manager Michael Wimbeck admits that after experiencing great success with the driver-focused original, BMW went down the wrong path. “We followed Mercedes with the hard-top roof and softened it off too much,” he says. “But this time, with the third-generation model, we’ve created a genuine driver’s car.” To achieve that, the new…

CAN A PERFORMANCE SUV ever be considered a true driver’s car? You know, one of those machines that has the magic ability to lure you out of bed early on a Sunday morning – a car you don’t simply use to get from A to B. Judging by the public’s insatiable appetite for high-riding performance machines, you might be tempted to answer in the affirmative. However, we’re not so sure. You see, although SUVs such as the Porsche Macan Turbo, Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 and Audi SQ5 are often described as ‘rapid’ or ‘sporty’, they don’t come close to delivering the same driving thrills as a well-sorted sports car; they’re simply too heavy, tall and blunt for that. But what if you were to base your fast SUV on a talented…

VOTING HAS OPENED for the 2019 What Car? Reader Award, sponsored by ALA Gap Insurance, giving readers the chance to voice their opinions on the cars that are due to be launched in the next 12 months. The award will go to the upcoming model that people are most excited about. Twelve cars have been shortlisted: the Alfa Romeo GTV, Audi E-tron, BMW Z4, Honda Urban EV, Mercedes-Benz GLB, Nissan Juke, Jaguar XJ, Range Rover Evoque, Skoda Anuq,Toyota Corolla,Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Golf. Victory for the E-tron, Urban EV or XJ would mean two consecutive triumphs for electric cars; the Jaguar I-Pace took the trophy in 2018. Votes can be cast online, at whatcar.com/reader-award, with the winner announced at the 2019 What Car? Car of the Year Awards, which will…

SMALL CAR Vauxhall Corsa The Mk6 Corsa will be the first car produced by Vauxhall as part of the PSA Group. It therefore sits on an all-new platform and will offer Puretech three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbo petrol engines, as well as an electric version with a range of around 200 miles. The styling, too, will be a radical departure, while the three-door will be dropped. The interior will be of a distinctly Vauxhall design but feature PSA’s touchscreen infotainment system. Price £14,000 (est) ALSO COMING SOON SMALL AND FAMILY SUVs Citroën C5 Aircross Early 2019 Spacious, tech-heavy and prioritising comfort. DS 3 Crossback Early 2019 Audi Q2 rival offers wide personalisation scope and an electric version with a 200-mile range. Renault Captur Summer 2019 Evolved design and new turbo petrol engines.…

Example: Michelin Pilot Exalto, 205/45 R16 83V A 205 The width of the tyre in millimetres. B 45 The tyre profile.This relates to the depth of the sidewall; this tyre’s profile is 45% of the tyre’s width. C R Indicates that it’s a radial tyre.This relates to the way it’s constructed. D 16 The diameter of the wheel to which the tyre is fitted, in inches. E 83 The tyre’s load index.This tells you its load capacity. In this case, 83 relates to a capacity of 487kg. F V The speed rating for the tyre. This tells you the maximum speed for which it’s legally approved;V is 149mph. Other ratings range from N (87mph) to Y (186mph).…

NATURE IS FULL of surprises. A full-grown African elephant may have no natural predators due to its size, but a well-placed bite from an infected mosquito has the power to kill one. Don’t worry – Sir David Attenborough hasn’t taken to writing car reviews. But the analogy is applicable to this particular test. Team Mosquito is represented by the Alpine A110, a featherweight, mid-engined sports car that makes its seemingly puny 1.8-litre turbocharged engine pack a heavyweight punch. Remember, this is the car that toppled the mighty Porsche 718 Cayman. Our elephant is the BMW M2 Competition, a car that’s been bulking up over the summer. A new engine – the twin-turbo unit from the bigger M4 – gives it more power than the regular M2 it replaces, but it…

Mileage 8002 List price £39,905 Target Price na Price as tested £39,905 Test economy 35.6mpg A LONG-TERM TEST is always a great opportunity to really get to know a car, but just as importantly with the Volvo XC40 that I’ve been running for the past six months, it was a chance to see if diesel still makes sense in SUVs. Contrary to what you might have heard about diesels being inherently dirty, the best modern examples often emit less NOx than petrol alternatives. That includes Volvo’s 2.0-litre D4 engine, so we were happy to recommend the XC40 with this at our 2018 Car of the Year Awards. While cheaper petrol models have subsequently been introduced, I wouldn’t choose one of these if I had my time again, because they can…

THERE MUST BE many people who want all the driving pleasure of a hot hatch but don’t want to lumber themselves with the high running costs often associated with such performance machines. Well, you can think of these two cars as halfway-house hot hatches. The Ford Focus Black Edition and Seat Leon FR have enough handling and performance zing to create ripples on the edge of the hot hatch pool, but both are considerably cheaper to buy and run than the faster Focus ST and Leon Cupra. The flamboyant-looking Focus is powered by a 180bhp 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, whereas the more understated Leon comes with a 1.8-litre turbo unit engine producing 178bhp. Claimed straight-line pace is similar. Here, we’re testing both cars at two years old, where there’s been…

LESS THAN £15,000 Dacia Sandero Our pick 0.9 TCe Ambiance List price £8595 Target Price £8498 MPG 57.6 CO2 109g/km For Lots of space for the money, decent to drive and a fair amount of standard kit. Against The engine is unrefined at most speeds and the interior is comparatively basic. WHAT CAR? SAYS Skoda Fabia Our pick 1.0 TSI 95 SE List price £14,380 Target Price £13,531 MPG 64.2 CO2 101g/km For Spacious interior, good to drive and relatively cheap to run. Against Hard interior plastics and low-speed ride could be better. WHAT CAR? SAYS Suzuki Swift Our pick 1.2 Dualjet SZ3 List price £11,999 Target Price £11,630 MPG 65.7 CO2 98g/km For Good to drive, with sharp steering and fine body control, and it’s fairly well equipped. Against…

LESS THAN £50,000 BMW 5 Series The 5 Series is plush enough inside to compare favourably with just about any other car on sale. It corners with greater composure than rivals and rides more comfortably, particularly if you specify it with the optional adaptive dampers. And yet you won’t have to add much else because even the entry-level SE spec includes sat-nav, leather upholstery and an automatic gearbox. Our pick 520d SE List price £37,775 Target Price £34,464 MPG 62.8 CO2 119g/km For Spacious, well-appointed interior and great to drive, with a quiet, economical engine. Against You need to add variable dampers for the best ride quality. WHAT CAR? SAYS Audi A6 Our pick 40 TDI Sport S tronic List price £38,640 Target Price £35,714 MPG 62.8 CO2 117g/km For…

LESS THAN £22,000 Seat Ateca Our pick 1.0 TSI Ecomotive 115 S List price £21,880 Target Price £19,568 MPG 54.3 CO2 119g/km For Excellent handling, with a spacious interior, a smooth engine and good resale values. Against The ride might be a bit too firm for some and the interior looks a bit bland. WHAT CAR? SAYS Nissan Qashqai Our pick 1.3 DiG-T 140 Visia List price £19,595 Target Price £19,595 MPG 53.2 CO2 121g/km For Practical and classy interior, comfortable ride, superb refinement and low running costs. Against Visia trim misses out on some goodies and the thick pillars limit visibility. WHAT CAR? SAYS Dacia Duster Our pick 1.6 SCe 115 Comfort List price £13,395 Target Price £13,270 MPG 43.4 CO2 139g/km For Roomy inside, reasonably comfortable and incredibly…

LESS THAN £23,000 Citroën Berlingo Our pick 1.5 BlueHDI 130 Flair M List price £22,995 Target Price £20,736 MPG 65.7 CO2 113g/km For Practical and relaxing to drive, thanks in part to decent engine choices. Against Wallowy handling, a laggy infotainment system and cheap-feeling plastics. WHAT CAR? SAYS Vauxhall Combo Life Our pick 1.5 (130PS) Turbo D Life List price £22,660 Target Price £22,660 MPG 65.7 CO2 113g/km For Great value and masses of passenger space, sliding rear doors and a comfy ride. Against Interior feels very cheap and conventional MPVs have better seating flexibility. WHAT CAR? SAYS Kia Carens Our pick 1.6 GDi ISG 1 List price £19,505 Target Price £17,479 MPG 45.6 CO2 143g/km For Competitively priced, seven seats, air-con, cruise control and Bluetooth as standard. Against Unsophisticated…

LESS THAN £25,000 Mazda MX-5 Beneath its taut, compact styling, the MX-5 has one of the most agile chassis around, with a terrifically responsive front end that darts in to corners. Softly sprung suspension ensures the ride is comfortable, while the combination of a lightweight body and super-efficient engines means the MX-5 costs peanuts to run. Best of all, the simple manual soft-top roof can be flipped up and down in seconds. Our pick 2.0 Sport Nav+ List price £24,795 Target Price £23,523 MPG 40.9 CO2 156g/km For Terrific handling and steering, with a comfortable ride and a slick gearshift. Against Rivals have bigger boots, while the interior is pretty snug. WHAT CAR? SAYS Fiat 124 Spider Our pick 1.4 Multiair Lusso List price £23,805 Target Price £22,377 MPG 44.1…

HOW TIME FLIES. Believe it or not, it’s nearly a year since the Volvo XC40 won our overall Car of the Year award. Even so, the Swedish firm is still fleshing out the range, the latest version being this 187bhp 2.0-litre petrol T4. Available exclusively with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive, the T4 attracts a company car tax rate of 33% – up 4% on the cheaper, more efficient T3 and the same as the pricier and more powerful T5. The mid-range engine is smooth enough but sounds rather gruff at times, accompanied by a fair bit of whooshing from the turbocharger, but it’s certainly quieter and smoother than the 2.0-litre diesels and the 1.5-litre three-cylinder T3, with far fewer vibrations being transmitted through the steering wheel and…

FORD AND VOLKSWAGEN are exploring the possibility of working together on future self-driving and electric vehicles. As reported by Reuters, a strategic alliance of this sort could allow for shared platforms and tech, saving both companies billions in research and development costs. Volkswagen’s new MEB electric vehicle platform would be a logical starting point for the proposed collaboration, although the company’s chief financial officer, Frank Witter, said there has been no decision on whether other companies will be allowed to use it. The first model based on MEB, Volkswagen’s Golf-sized ID hatchback, is due to go on sale in 2020, and the company has previously stated that it plans to be making between two and three million fully electric cars per year by 2025. Ford and Volkswagen, alongside BMW and…

1 Vauxhall’s ergonomic driver’s seat (£260) brings plenty of adjustment that’s lacking on the standard car. In particular, you get adjustable lumbar support, which will help to make long motorway journeys more comfortable. ‘The Astra has bold looks and decent space; it’s loaded with the latest tech, too’ 2 Metallic paint improves both the look of your car and its resale value. In the Astra, there are six metallic options to choose from. The premium ones start at £655, while the two cheaper options cost £285. 3 When the temperature drops and snow begins to fall, you’ll be thankful for the Winter Pack (£355), which adds heated front seats and a heated leather steering wheel to keep you and your front passenger toasty warm. 4 At first glance, the Driving…

WAY BACK AT the genesis of the horseless carriage – or the motorcar, as we refer to it today – a debate raged about what should power it. Some said stick with the tried and tested means of steam; others championed a newish fuel, petrol. But the real progressives wanted new-fangled electricity to lead the charge. That’s right: just a few years after Thomas Edison’s literal light-bulb moment of 1879, a chap called Thomas Parker was already plugging in the first production electric car. Anyway, there endeth the history lesson. The point, however, is that by now you’d think we’d all be scooting about in electric vehicles, yet the pure electric car is only just coming of age in terms of range. For a truly all-purpose vehicle, you still need…

If we were simply to add up all the stars, the M2 would win this test. But we aren’t comparing family hatchbacks; you buy a sports car for the way it drives, and here the A110 strikes a killer blow. The way it dissects a twisting B-road is something any keen driver will relish. Even when you’re not pushing on, the precise, communicative steering keeps you involved. Driving doesn’t get much more rewarding than this. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the M2. Not only is it faster, but it also has entertaining handling and a memorable engine. And if practicality matters at all, the M2 would be far easier to live with. 1 Alpine A110 For Sublime steering and handling; cheaper to run; more responsive gearbox Against Tiny…

Mileage 6645 List price £42,945 Target Price £38,979 Price as tested £52,805 Test economy 40.4mpg IF YOU HAVE kids, I suspect you remember your first holiday as a parent. I’ve just had the pleasure (or should that be ordeal?). First problem? Getting to the destination. We decided to keep things simple by going to a family holiday home in the Dordogne region of France. While we usually fly, the need to transport enough baby paraphernalia to stock a branch of Mothercare made driving preferable this time. At least, it would have been, were it not for the fact that experts now recommend that babies spend a maximum of an hour at a time in a child seat. So the solution was that I’d drive down while my wife and daughter…

If you want a bit more oomph and a car that embodies more of what we’d seek from a good hot hatch, the Leon is the better buy. Sure, the Focus has exemplary handling, but the Leon is more fun, thanks to its swifter acceleration and natural-feeling steering. It’s also roomier, better equipped and safer. The main area in which the Focus has it beaten is purchase price, undercutting the Leon by a significant amount. If you can afford the extra, though, the Leon is the better car, and we think it’s worth it. Seat Leon For Stronger performance; more fun to drive; roomier inside; better equipped Against Bland interior; gearshift not as slick; flatter front seats Ford Focus For Cheaper to buy; exemplary handling; excellent refinement; good ride comfort…

LESS THAN £20,000 Seat Leon Our pick 1.0 TSI SE Dynamic List price £18,960 Target Price £15,664 MPG 57.6 CO2 112g/km For Strong yet economical petrol engine with low running costs, and the Leon is good to drive. Against Some of the plastics feel cheap and some rivals are more practical. WHAT CAR? SAYS Vauxhall Astra Our pick 1.4T 16V 125 Design List price £18,460 Target Price £17,148 MPG 52.3 CO2 124g/km For Low CO2 emissions make it an ideal company car; decent to drive, with a practical interior. Against The steering feels numb and Tech Line trim adds more kit for only a little more money. WHAT CAR? SAYS Skoda Rapid Spaceback Our pick 1.0 TSI 110 SE Tech List price £16,505 Target Price £15,093 MPG 61.4 CO2 106g/km…

LESS THAN £20,000 Skoda Fabia Estate Our pick 1.0 TSI 95 SE List price £15,545 Target Price £14,623 MPG 64.2 CO2 101g/km For It’s one of the roomiest small estates; SE trim adds air-con and a touchscreen. Against Costs more than the hatchback and seats could do with more support. WHAT CAR? SAYS Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Our pick 1.4T 16v 125 Design List price £19,810 Target Price £18,396 MPG 47.9 CO2 136g/km For There’s plenty of room and you get air-con, Bluetooth and auto headlights as standard. Against This is the least powerful engine in the range and the boot isn’t that flexible. WHAT CAR? SAYS Dacia Logan MCV Our pick 0.9 TCe Lauréate List price £11,115 Target Price £11,012 MPG 57.6 CO2 109g/km For Lots of space, low…

LESS THAN £28,000 Peugeot 5008 The 5008 builds on the successful formula of the smaller 3008. It has seven seats as standard; in the first two rows, there’s loads of room for five adults, while the third-row seats are perfect for kids. The boot is also huge when the seats are folded. This 1.2-litre petrol engine may seem small to be hauling along such a sizeable car, but it’s gutsy enough and returns good fuel economy. Our pick 1.2 Puretech 130 Allure List price £28,059 Target Price £26,770 MPG 55.4 CO2 117g/km For Quiet cruiser with a comfortable ride, a practical, funky-looking interior and a big boot. Against Optional panoramic roof harms rear head room and the infotainment system is fiddly. WHAT CAR? SAYS Mazda CX-5 Our pick 2.0 SE-L…

LESS THAN £25,000 Hyundai Ioniq Our reigning Hybrid Car of the Year is the best of the three Ioniq variants available (there’s also a plug-in hybrid and a full EV), combining low running costs and a relatively modest price with a reassuringly normal driving experience like that of a conventional hatchback. The Ioniq is also more practical, better equipped and smarter inside than its main rival, the Toyota Prius, making it a very well-rounded car. Our pick 1.6 GDI Hybrid Premium DCT List price £23,600 Target Price £21,886 MPG 83.1 CO2 79g/km For Good-quality interior; low running costs; good to drive; well-integrated power sources. Against Poor rear head room; unsettled ride around town; not as efficient as Toyota Prius. WHAT CAR? SAYS Toyota Prius Our pick Active List price £24,255…

Star ratings Outstanding Good Average Below par Poor Target Price The most you should pay for a car True MPG Our real-world fuel economy figures whatcar.com The place to look, whether you’re buying, leasing or simply running a car KEY INFORMATION Verdict Our road test reviews are the standard by which the car industry judges new cars. Price on the road The price set by car makers, including delivery and the variable rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). Contract hire Contract hire rental prices supplied by Wessex Fleet Solutions.These are based on a three-year/36,000-mile contract, excluding maintenance and VED. For quotes, call Wessex Fleet Solutions on 01722 322888. Target Price The Target Price is a fair price for your new car, based on research by What Car?’s team of…