Innholdsfortegnelse for 1437 i Auto Express

I’M a self-confessed Tesla fan. I love the cars, the tech, the performance, the buying experience – pretty much everything. I’ve also had the pleasure of interviewing Elon Musk, one of the most interesting (and cleverest) people I’ve met. So it was with great excitement that I was invited last week to an online chat with Elon, for yet another groundbreaking announcement – this time, of the Model S with an upgraded 100kWh battery. That turns this five-door, five-seater into the fastest car on sale with a 2.5-second 0-60mph time – astonishing. One thing I particularly like about Elon is his boyish enthusiasm for his cars. “It’s an historic milestone that the fastest car in the world is electric,” he said. “0-60 in under three seconds for a Model X;…

“The Independent Garage Association will cover bills of up to £1,000 from garages in its Trust My Garage programme” MOTORISTS will be protected from disputes with independent garages over unsatisfactory work, thanks to a new £1,000 industry guarantee. The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has pledged to cover bills of up to £1,000 from non-franchised garages who have signed up to its Trust My Garage programme. The scheme, due to come into force later in 2016, will reimburse customers if the work is found to be sub-standard and the garage refuses to pay back the money. If a consumer has a dispute with a garage, they can contact the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service to formalise the complaint, with the National Conciliation Service handling the enquiries. If the ADR awards in…

UNITED STATES Average cost of new car (Volkswagen Golf 1.4): $20,175 (£15,271) Fuel cost per litre: Unleaded: $0.43 (£0.33); diesel $0.49 (£0.38) Average cost of insurance: $907 (£695) GDP per capita: $55,836 (£42,266) CARS cost on average less in the US than they do here, despite their size. While the UK’s best seller is the tiny Ford Fiesta, the most popular models in the US are large pick-ups and heavy SUVs like the Ford F-Series and the Chevrolet Silverado. Average second-hand prices for a 2010 F-Series are the equivalent of £14,800, while fuel and insurance are cheaper, too.  WITH fuel prices and insurance bills rising, running costs are no longer just an inconvenience when buying a new car. Economy, insurance groups and residual values now matter to some buyers as…

FRENCH manufacturers have a rich history in the hot hatch market. Search through the back catalogue of cars in this class and you’ll find a trail of brilliant models from the other side of the Channel – and since DS split from Citroen and set out on its own as a standalone brand, there’s a new small performance car on sale. While the DS 3 has been offered in hot guise in the past, the DS 3 Racing was branded as a Citroen and only 200 cars came to the UK. There’s no cap on production of the new DS 3 Performance we’ve lined up here, with the company aiming to bring luxury and speed to the masses. But there’s a glut of talented hot hatches that have been…

Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI 150 SE L Exec On fleet since: January 2016 Price new: £28,185 Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 148bhp CO2/tax: 122g/km/£110 Options: Corrida red paint (£175), fold-flat front passenger seat (£100), rearview parking camera (£350), space-saver spare wheel (£100), floor mats (£80) Insurance*: Group: 19 Quote: £513 Mileage/mpg: 8,309/47.9mpg Any problems? None so far *Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old living in Banbury, Oxon, with three penalty points. IT’S easy to be seduced by performance, but I’m about to argue here that it is just as easy to get excited by a vehicle that does something else with equal aplomb. In the case of our Skoda Superb Estate, that strength is practicality. That is why, as our car leaves us after six all-too-brief…

“Octavia can still deliver where it matters most, on practicality, value and low running costs” FAMILY cars such as the Skoda Octavia are becoming an endangered species, as buyers switch their attention to compact SUVs instead. Honda has already canned the Accord in the UK, plus the Citroen C5 has been axed. The Peugeot 508 and Toyota Avensis are likely to go the same way. It’s easy to see why SUVs are becoming more popular, but don’t be too hasty to dismiss a more conventional family car. The Skoda Octavia in particular provides everything a demanding family could want, with the minimum of hassle. Well equipped and available with a wide range of excellent engines, the Octavia Mk2 was in production for almost a decade, and now that it’s no…

NO matter what you think about Porsche building SUVs, you can’t get away from the fact that the Macan is hugely talented. There’s a clear family resemblance in the styling, and the car is arguably better to look at than the BMW. It’s also nicer inside, with higher-quality materials, although the layout is button-heavy. Standard kit is measly, but on the used market you’ll find most Macans were well specced by buyers from new. The cars are almost the same size, but the X4 edges the Macan for rear space. Where the Porsche really lives up to its name is on the road. The Macan’s ride and handling balance is hugely impressive for a car of this size, especially with the optional adaptive dampers. This diesel is swift, refined and…

“New five and seven-seat Astrasized crossover will share platform tech with Peugeot 3008 and 5008” VAUXHALL will have a five-strong SUV line-up by the end of the decade, including an all-new Astra-sized crossover rival for the Nissan Qashqai (right), Auto Express can exclusively reveal. The British brand and its German sister Opel are playing a quick game of catch-up to expand their SUV range, which currently comprises only the recently refreshed Mokka X. The lack of other crossover options in the lineup has left GM Europe’s brands flatfooted in the face of huge rising demand for SUVs and rapidly dropping sales of conventional MPVs such as the Meriva and Zafira. The first vehicle to arrive will be a new Corsa-sized model (top) that will join the Mokka in rivalling the…

PREVIOUS Land Rover owners can track their cars after they sell them unless they delete their details from the InControl app. While the brand has admitted it can delete older account holder data at dealers, if cars change hands privately it’s up to the seller to remove their details from the app. Tim Church, from Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, found this out when he sold his Land Rover Discovery Sport earlier this year. He got in touch with Auto Express after he noticed he could still access Land Rover’s InControl app, allowing him to see the new owner’s location and even whether or not it was locked. Tim told us: “Surely it can’t be right that Land Rover doesn’t have any type of security in place for when the vehicle is sold?…

THE race is on among manufacturers to be the first to deliver a driverless car to the masses, but what does it mean for the everyday motorist? Will we ever be able to sit back and relax while our vehicle drives us to our destination, and who’d foot the bill if something were to go wrong? Experts have different views on these questions as well as the pace of change, but one thing’s for sure – autonomous tech is on its way. Virtually every manufacturer has some sort of R&D programme under way (see Page 26) and the UK Government is investing millions to make the nation an appealing test bed for the technology, with trials of autonomous vehicles already up and running. Auto Express has compiled this guide to…

“Optima Sportswagon features a neatly designed cabin that looks smart and feels well put together” THE Optima Sportswagon is Kia’s first stab at a family estate car, with the prefacelift model only ever being available as a saloon. Rivals such as the Vauxhall Insignia and Ford Mondeo have occupied the market for decades, and this is the first time Kia has taken them on directly. The first hint that this car was on the way came in the shape of the Kia Sportspace concept seen at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. Kia says it’s transferred everything it could from that car to the new Sportswagon, and at first glance, the two are strikingly similar. Even though the front end is identical to an Optima saloon, the raised roofline and sleek…

THE VW Group’s proven 1.0-litre threecylinder engine is cropping up across the range, from the Audi A1 to the Volkswagen Golf. Now it’s available in the entry-level Skoda Octavia, replacing the old 1.2 TSI. The little engine produces just 113bhp, which isn’t much in a family hatch of this size. But the 200Nm of torque makes the car feel nicely responsive in normal driving. That torque comes in low down in the rev range, and provides enough punch to keep up with traffic at low speeds and on the motorway. It starts to feel sluggish if you push harder, though. The 9.9-second 0-62mph time isn’t bad, but the lack of topend power is noticeable while accelerating. That’s not to say this car isn’t fun, as the plucky three-cylinder sounds charming…

AFTER a slow start in life, hybrid cars are finally starting to find favour with more and more buyers. So it doesn’t come as a big surprise that Kia has finally pulled the covers off its first ever petrol/electric production model to hit UK roads. Called the Niro, the newcomer is a standalone model, rather than an existing machine that’s been adapted to accept some eco-friendly running gear. Slotting between the Cee’d hatchback and Sportage SUV, the Niro has the looks and proportions of a rugged and fashionable crossover, rather than the wilfully eccentric lines of many hybrid machines. And while its CO2 emissions of 88g/km look a little bit high, the Kia hits back with value prices and a generous kit list. So has Kia done enough to make…

Peugeot 308 GTi WITH the Rio Olympics over, reviews editor Richard Ingram can finally start our 308 on his way to work in the morning without fear of finding out who has won the 100m final, or who took team gymnastics gold. Despite shutting the car down with the radio on mute every night, each time Rich pushed the starter button the following morning the radio would come on. It may have only been at low volume, but it was enough to reveal some all-important results that he was hoping to avoid until he got home that evening for the highlights show. Even though the infotainment system is mostly controlled via the slightly laggy touchscreen, Richard was thankful for the big off button that stopped him from hearing even more…

FIRST TEST Scosche tuneIT FM Transmitter Price: £30.45 Rating: ★★ Contact: 0845 257 5588, www.connects2.co.uk IF your in-car connectivity extends to just a basic radio and CD player, an FM transmitter might look like an appealing solution to allow you to play music from your mobile device through your car’s stereo. But this latest transmitter from Scosche proves that it’s not always ideal. On a positive note, the unit feels very sturdy. It sits on a high-quality flexible arm protruding from a 12V plug, and the built-in screen is excellent – crystalclear and visible even in bright sunlight. Set-up is fairly simple. Attach your phone to the tuneIT’s aux cable, select a frequency using the buttons on the face of the transmitter, tune your car’s radio to that frequency, and…

2016 Results XC60 Factfile Years: 2008 to present CO2: 117g/km Fuel economy: 62.8mpg (2.0 D4 SE) Best options: Sat-nav, Bluetooth, USB, heated seats, adaptive cruise control, city brake Prices: From £7,999 OVERALL SCORE 90.57% Bars show where model finished out of 150 cars in our 2016 survey. The lower the rating the better GOOD “THIS car is fantastic. It’s the most comfortable car I have ever owned.” “It does all I want. It’s fast enough, comfortable and surprisingly economical.” “The new 2.0-litre diesel is very responsive and the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox is so smooth.” “Having the City Safety feature reduced my insurance enormously.” “An excellent tow car.” “It’s a strong looking car, and I feel very safe in it.” “I like the tall driving position. It helps me see better…

“Kia has admitted rust is ‘a recognised concern’ on this model, and has booked Linda’s Venga in for repairs” COMPLAINTS about premature car rust are not uncommon from readers who live near the coast, as salty sea air can have a natural corrosive effect on a car’s bodywork. But when reader Linda Edwards of Brighton, East Sussex, complained to Auto Express that her 60-plate Kia Venga was rusting beneath the door seals, we weren’t convinced it was down to fair wear and tear. Kia has since admitted to us that rust is “a recognised concern on this model”. Linda had bought the car last January but only spotted the rust underneath the door seals back in May, while washing her car. Local dealer Birchwood Kia, Washington, was initially confident the…

BMW Fully autonomous cars by: 2021 BMW aims to have a fully autonomous car ready for production by 2021, and to that end has recently formed partnerships with a number of technology giants, including China’s equivalent of Google, Baidu, chip maker Intel Corp and camera and software company Mobileye. BMW has also refocused its electric ‘i’ sub-brand lately to include autonomous vehicles, while the first driverless flagship model will be the iNEXT. In addition, BMW has invested heavily in ride-sharing and ride-hailing services. FORD Fully autonomous cars by: 2021 FORD has taken the ambitious step of announcing that it will sell fully autonomous cars without a steering wheel or pedals by 2021. The brand has doubled the number of staff at its Palo Alto Research and Innovation Center in California,…

THE Optima PHEV is Kia’s first plug-in hybrid model, a type of car that’s supposed to offer the environmental and economy benefits of an all-electric powertrain without the range anxiety. However, our previous experience with rival PHEVs suggests that the claimed 176.6mpg economy figure will be unrealistic. Still, with a theoretical allelectric range of 33 miles, it would be possible to keep use of the petrol engine to a minimum by charging the Optima PHEV every day. Plus, CO2 emissions of 37g/km mean it’s free to tax, is exempt from the London Congestion Charge and delivers low company car Benefit-in-Kind rates, too. It’s not cheap to buy, mind. At £31,495 after a £2,500 Government grant, it’s £60 more expensive than a basic BMW 330e. That’s stiff competition, especially as the…

“Over around 22,000 miles in 11 months, the Jag has been pretty much faultless” TO say I have enjoyed living with ‘my’ Jaguar XE would be an understatement. When the lady from Jaguar called to say she wanted it back, I faked a French accent and put the phone down. I ignored E-mails and even feigned illness; a serious bout of summer flu has taken hold and, no, the car can’t go back, I said. So Jaguar dispatched the police to seize the keys from me. Okay, so most of that isn’t true – but I seriously considered doing it. The truth behind the main picture is that I wanted to replicate how Jaguar launched the XE three years ago, and thought it would be a fitting send-off as it…

NEW PRODUCT Mini Cooper Pool Table Price: From £34,997 Available from: 0800 622 6464, homeleisuredirect.com IT’S the ultimate talking point for any Mini fan’s house. This pool table is crafted by Kent-based Chisel Pool, and combines the body of a British classic with a tournament-grade slate-bed table. Those bemoaning the loss of a classic Cooper needn’t worry – the donor car was a 1984 basespec Mini City. Stripped of all non-essential parts, the bodyshell was sanded down and tidied up, and fitted with a spaceframe chassis. This supports the bodywork of the car, but more importantly the 500kg slate slab which makes up the play surface. All new orders will be built using Heritage bodyshells, so no more Minis need to be sacrificed. The donor Mini was outfitted with all…

SMARTPHONE apps are eating into the territory of the traditional sat-nav, but the market is far from finished. Instead, TomTom and Garmin are coming up with new products that work with your smartphone, offering many of the same top-of-the-range features for a lot less money. The new TomTom VIA 52 and Garmin DriveSmart 50LM have speed camera and traffic alerts, but rather than accessing them using Web functionality built into the nav, they take advantage of your phone’s data plan via Bluetooth. We looked for good navigation ability and clear instructions. Extra features like traffic-beating route alerts were also considered, while prices were from a range of sources as we went to press. Both are great buys, yet the TomTom has the edge. It’s as easy to use, but…

McLaren 570S Years: 2015 to date Best engine: 3.8-litre V8, 562bhp 0-60mph: 3.1 seconds Economy/CO2: 26.6mpg/249g/km WHY? McLaren’s 570S is powered by a sensational 562bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, which is enough to take you from 0-60mph in only 3.1 seconds with the help of the launch control. This is also the easiest McLaren to live with, thanks to redesigned doors that make access simple, plus it has a larger boot capacity than the 911 Turbo. Add a fabulous chassis that serves up incredible grip and handling, as well as excellent damping and good steering feedback, and the 570S is a joy to drive fast. Compared with McLaren Automotive’s first modern foray into the supercar market – the MP4-12C, launched back in 2011 – the 570S feels generations better. From £143,250…