Auto Express 1427

Visit autoexpress.co.uk for all the latest new cars news ONE of the most intriguing concepts of recent years previewed a car that has never made production and yet is still lusted after by many. I’m referring, of course, to the MINI Rocketman, which hinted at a baby model for the brand. So many of you will have been heartened by the unveil of the Vision Next 100 concept (above), which shows how MINI’s future could evolve in terms of design, connectivity and engineering. You can read about the Vision Next 100 on Page 19, but it was abundantly clear that the idea of a smaller MINI was very much in designer Anders Warming’s thoughts when he created it. At 3,628mm, the new model is only 209mm longer than the Rocketman,…

Essentials Audi A5 3.0 TDI quattro Price: £43,000 (est) Engine: 3.0-litre V6 diesel Power/torque: 282bhp/620Nm Transmission: Eight-speed auto, four-wheel drive 0-62mph: 5.3 seconds (est) Top speed: 155mph Economy: 55mpg (est) CO2: 134g/km (est) ON SALE July Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn A BETTER looking, more athletic and more likeable younger brother is what the Audi A5 coupé has been to the A4 saloon since it was introduced in 2007. One year after the arrival of the fifth-generation A4, Audi has launched its new A5. So does it still have the edge in this sibling rivalry? We got behind the wheel to find out. The new A5 shares a huge proportion of its DNA with the A4, so it’s hardly surprising that it has followed a similar weight-loss regime. It’s 60kg lighter than the…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram Master of disguise LAND Rover engineers have done their best to prevent prying eyes from seeing the details of this latest prototype, but even the extensive camouflage couldn’t hide that sloping roofline. Manufacturers often try to mask a car’s shape by using extra padding, so beneath the disguise the Range Rover Coupé’s rear end is likely to be even more dramatic than we can see. OUR spies have seen a new Land Rover coupé testing on European roads, confirming the company is on track to join the growing number of makers to offer a large coupé-SUV (see panel, opposite). The all-new model, thought to be a coupé sitting on Land Rover’s all-aluminium platform, will make its debut next summer, and rival the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupé…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer “The shortage of expert knowledge is partly what is causing insurance premiums to stay high” LESS than half a per cent of all vehicle technicians in the UK are qualified to work on electric cars, leaving electric car insurance premiums soaring far above those for petrol or diesel cars, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. Just 1,150 out of the total of 240,000 vehicle technicians in the UK are qualified to work on electric cars, with none working in independent garages or body shops. This lack of expert knowledge is partly what is causing insurance premiums for electric cars to remain up to 50 per cent higher than for petrol or diesel models. Auto Express compared insurance premiums for electric vehicles against those for conventionally fuelled cars and found…

Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan “The next Swift will be slightly longer, lower and wider than the current car, providing a small boost in practicality” Iconic MX-5 special debuts MAZDA has revealed a new special edition of its MX-5, the Icon. Just 600 will be produced, and it’ll debut at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 1.5-litre model will go on sale in August, priced at £20,995, and comes in Meteor Grey Mica or Crystal White Pearlescent (right), with the door mirrors, rear spoiler and front skirt in Soul Red. Bluetooth and DAB are standard. SUZUKI’S small car future will continue to take shape with an all-new Swift supermini, due in showrooms next year. According to UK sales and marketing director Dale Wyatt, the recently launched Baleno takes care of the “rational…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer “Faulty lights and signals are the most common reason for MoT test failures” BRITAIN’S MoT failure hotspots have been mapped out in a new study. And according to figures obtained by vehicle management service Automyze, drivers in Dundee have the least roadworthy cars, with 53 per cent failing their most recent MoTs. No less than four of the 10 towns and cities with the highest numbers of MoT flops were in Scotland, with failure rates of nearly 50 per cent in both Aberdeen and Perth, too. And it’s not just motorists north of the border who are having problems. Drivers in Truro, Plymouth and Exeter in the southwest also had failure rates significantly higher than the national average. According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, only 38…