Innholdsfortegnelse for 1448 i Auto Express

IF, like me, you’re old enough to remember the VHS/Betamax battle of those things called video recorders in the eighties, you’ll find the conundrum facing many car makers deciding between plug-in electric and hydrogen power curiously familiar. At this week’s LA Motor Show, it was electric power that was getting all the attention – mostly thanks to Jaguar’s new I-Pace SUV. It has a promised range of over 300 miles, a 0-60mph time of ‘around four seconds’ and a stunning, practical SUV body, so we’d be surprised if a fair few deposits hadn’t already been paid out. Jaguar Land Rover clearly sees the future as allelectric, but not everyone does. I spent time last week with Lexus Europe boss Alain Uyttenhoven, who told me Lexus will be launching a hydrogenpowered…

PORSCHE has rolled out a longwheelbase version of its latest Panamera at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The new Panamera Executive has a wheelbase that has been stretched by 150mm, giving increased rear passenger space for two. There are also big changes inside, with Porsche adding a panoramic roof, plus multi-way powered adjustment and heating for the two rear seats. Adaptive air suspension with electronically controlled dampers is fitted as standard, too. Buyers have the option of specifying a new centre console in the rear as well; this brings two airline-style folding tables. A rear seat entertainment package, featuring two 10.1-inch displays attached to the back of the front seats, is also on offer. The displays can be removed and used as tablets. Prices for the Executive model start at…

TOYOTA has arrived rather late to the crowded compact crossover party, but with its daring C-HR, it’s hoping to get noticed. Created to compete against models such as the Nissan Qashqai and SEAT Ateca, the newcomer is one of the first Toyotas designed exclusively with European buyers in mind. The Japanese firm has gone bold, mixing coupé, concept car and off-roader design cues to head-turning effect. Bosses at the brand are clearly confident of success, claiming that the C-HR will find 100,000 homes across Europe over the next year. That’s an ambitious target, and to find out whether it’s justified, Auto Express took an exclusive early test drive of the hi-tech petrol-electric hybrid version, which is expected to make up 75 per cent of sales. Walk up to the C-HR…

Testers’ notes “The Giulia can trace its roots back to the 1962 Type 105 original, which had either a 1.3-litre or 1.6-litre engine. This car was constantly updated and remained in production for 16 years. It was replaced in 1977 by the Giulietta, which itself was heavily revised and rebadged as the Alfa 75 in 1985. Seven years later, the 75 gave way to the frontdriven, Fiat Tipo-based 155, which was followed by the handsome 156 in 1997 and the 159 in 2005.” ALFA Romeo used to rule the roost in the world of desirable sports saloons, but it’s lost its way of late. A switch to front-wheel drive in the nineties alienated a lot of fans, while patchy reliability and inconsistent quality drove many more towards upmarket German rivals.…

MERCEDES has been slow to plug the compact SUV hole in its UK range, but now that the GLC has arrived, it’s not wasting any time with a performance version. This AMG-enhanced GLC 43 is a perfect rival to the undisputed hot SUV king, the Porsche Macan, so if the newcomer wants to translate its impressive on-paper  potential into road test victory, this is the car it will have to beat. Porsche put the Sport into Sports Utility Vehicle when it launched the Macan in 2014; never before had a near-2,000kg 4x4 been able to trouble a sports car for handling. But the GLC promises a mix of dynamic ability, practicality and design, so can it take class honours? MERCEDES-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC The GLC brought Mercedes into the UK…

1 DS 3 IT can’t match the Vauxhall’s classy cabin and impressive refinement, but the DS 3 is more fun to drive, provides greater practicality and costs less to run. This stylish and entertaining car is the better buy. 2 Vauxhall Adam THE Adam rivals more expensive cars for mechanical refinement, while its cabin looks and feels a cut above the DS 3’s. Lacklustre handling and higher running costs disappoint, though. DS 3 DStyle PureTech 110 Years: 2015 to date Engine: 1.2-litre 3cyl, 109bhp Ins grp: 19 Official econ/CO2: 60.1mpg/107g/km Why? The DS 3 is fun to drive, looks good and is the more practical choice of the two cars tested here. Prices from: £9,000 Vauxhall Adam Slam 1.0 T Years: 2015 to date Engine: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 113bhp Ins grp:…

JAGUAR’S first all-electric production car, the I-Pace SUV, will go on sale in 2018, and has been previewed by the thinly-disguised I-Pace Concept at this week’s Los Angeles Motor Show. We’ll see the production version of the I-Pace in 12 months’ time. Not only will the name of the new car remain, it’ll also look pretty much the same as the concept and its figures will still hold true. Jaguar claims that the I-Pace will have a range of more than 300 miles on a single charge, and be able to get from 0-60mph in around four seconds. Price-wise, Jaguar has hinted that it will cost around 10-15 per cent more than an equivalent version of the F-Pace SUV. With the power and performance on offer, we’d expect a starting…

ELSEWHERE at Porsche, development on the next-generation 911 appears to be under way after our spies caught a modified prototype testing at Germany’s Nürburgring race track. An all-new 911 is still a couple of years away, with the bulk of the changes likely to focus on mechanical upgrades – so there’s no new bodywork to gauge. The mule uses a current 991-generation Carrera 4 body, with some slight modifications, most notably the wider wings and extended wheelarches. It suggests that Porsche is plotting a wider track for its next 911, boosting stability for better handling. However, the increase in size could also hint at the potential for petrol/electric technology. Company bosses have previously expressed an interest in developing a plug-in hybrid 911, so a wider track will be necessary in…

ASTON Martin has introduced a new flagship Vanquish S to the range, with a power boost and a more aggressive look, plus gearbox and suspension revisions. Available in Coupé and Volante bodystyles, it costs from £199,950 – that’s a £6,995 premium over the standard Vanquish. Under the bonnet sits the same naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12, tuned to develop 27bhp more than the regular car, at 595bhp. This helps the Vanquish S shave a tenth of a second from the 0-62mph time, taking it to 3.5 seconds. Top speed remains at 201mph. The engine updates are joined by an improved eight-speed Touchtronic III transmission, which Aston says delivers faster shifts over the standard Vanquish. The suspension set-up has also been tweaked, with altered spring rates, antiroll bar bushes and damper internals.…

NINE out of 10 car thefts were unsolved by police last year, according to new figures that show vehicle crime is on the rise. Although car theft has dropped dramatically in the last decade, data obtained by insurer Esure reveals that the number of stolen vehicles increased by two per cent between 2014 and 2015. There are an estimated 70,000 vehicles stolen in the UK each year, with just one in 10 cases resulting in a thief being caught. The poor stats are reflected by the fact the police admitted to investigating just 57 per cent of all vehicle thefts – leaving nearly half of all crime victims on their own. The figures are even higher for thefts from vehicles, with 82 per cent of cases left uninvestigated. Re-offending rates…

TO the right is a seventies Chevrolet Camaro that’s had its suspension dropped so low, you could easily fall over it. Below it, a Dodge pick-up truck that’s been jacked up so high you can walk underneath the door sills. In the distance, there’s the sound and smell of burning rubber from Japanese drift specialists, while a loudspeaker blasts Steppenwolf’s ‘Born to be Wild’ into the hall. We’ve only just arrived at the 2016 SEMA show, but can instantly tell that it’s like no other conventional car exhibition. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the US Specialty Equipment Market Association show, and 53 years since the organisation first formed. In its first year, it was held in the basement of the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with only a…

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Alfa Connect 3D NAV £1,050 Key features: Nav, Bluetooth audio, DAB score 3.6 ONE area where Alfa really trails its rivals in this test is infotainment. Every version of the Giulia gets the basics, which means Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a DAB radio and handy rotary controller for the centre consolemounted screen – 6.5 inches on the standard car and seven inches on other specs. Super and Speciale models also have sat-nav. The graphics are clear, but the menu system isn’t quite as logical as the BMW’s similar set-up. Buyers wanting extra can upgrade to the £1,050 Connect 3D NAV system fitted to our test car. It adds a larger 8.8-inch screen and TomTom nav software, and certainly looks the part. Also included is a large seveninch…

PRODUCT GROUP TEST 16 | 11 | 2016 Every week, we extensively test all the latest car kit from tyres to trim cleaners. Log on to www.autoexpress.co.uk to look through our huge online test archive THE festive season is around the corner and partying is about to start. Most of us will arrange transport home after a night out, but when will you be safe to drive again? Home breathalysers are designed to help ensure you’re under the legal drink-drive limit when you take the wheel the morning after a night of drinking and celebrating. There’s a wide choice, between basic semi-conductor devices and sophisticated fuel-cell products, costing from a few quid to over £100. Which of 10 best protects you and your licence? AlcoSense Excel Price: £99.99 Rating:…

WHEN Nissan created the compact crossover with its Juke in 2010, few people would have guessed just how popular the format would become. Although the brand stole a march, rivals soon realised there was huge demand for small SUVs and within just a few years a raft of new cars was on sale. Among them was the Peugeot 2008, based on the same platform as the 208 supermini. As was the case with most of the cars in this new market, the 2008 proved a smash hit thanks to keen pricing, great engines, a spacious cabin and lots of equipment. But three years on, how well has it stood the test of time? And what’s it like as a used buy? History THE 2008 debuted in July 2013. There were…

“There are significant upgrades as VW tries to win back consumer confidence following dieselgate” VOLKSWAGEN’S focus may be on developing a raft of new electric vehicles, but it isn’t neglecting its core product range. This is the facelifted VW Golf, which will bring much improved infotainment along with more efficient engines when it goes on sale in the UK in February, priced from around £18,000. While the external differences are mild and evolutionary, plus big components like the chassis remain essentially unchanged, there are still significant upgrades as the embattled manufacturer tries to win back consumer confidence following dieselgate. The big changes come inside, with the hatchback now offered with the option of ‘Active Info Display’ – the same digital instrument panel that we’ve already seen on various Audis and…

“I’m determined to do all we can to make it more attractive to those who run and use electric cars” THE Government should do more to boost electric charging in the UK to help meet 2040 targets, according to the minister in charge of low emission vehicles. John Hayes, minister of state at the Department for Transport, told Auto Express that his team would do more to support infrastructure projects, as well as continue to back the Plug-in Car Grant in a bid to achieve a target of seeing every new car sold in 2040 delivering zero emissions. “I’m determined to do all we can to make it more attractive to those who run and use electric cars,” Hayes said. “The Government needs to help and should do more. It’s…

NEARLY eight out of 10 new cars today are bought on finance, making schemes like Personal Contract Purchase and Hire Purchase extremely lucrative. But this opportunity can also invite unscrupulous companies to the market, intent on exploiting motorists who are after a great bargain. This was highlighted by the news last month that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued five final notices to dealers in the UK for failing to be honest about their policies – a move experts predict is the “first of many”. The FCA took over the consumer credit sector from the Office of Fair Trading in 2014, and started to formulate new ways to regulate the market. And according to finance specialist iVendi, the consumer watchdog is now starting to tighten its grip on the sector.…

Essentials IT’S hard to think of a car that has the potential to appeal to so many Auto Express readers in 2017 quite like the new Skoda Kodiaq. This is the brand’s entrant into the hugely popular mid-size SUV sector, so we jumped at the chance to get behind the wheel for a very early first drive on UK roads. Would our expectations be buoyed or dashed? But before we come to whether it’ll fly or bomb, we need to discuss why this car is so important, and why 26,500 potential UK customers – which is more interest than any Skoda model has ever generated – have already said they want one. This unprecedented list of interested buyers is partly due to the explosive rise in the popularity of SUVs.…

IT’S easy to lose track each time a new SUV hits the market. Nearly every maker now has some sort of 4x4 or crossover in its range, all following the same formula of a raised ride height and bulky bodywork. But the Peugeot 3008 is different. Back in 2009 the car was more five-seat MPV than full-on SUV. Crossovers were still in their infancy, and the Nissan Qashqai had only just arrived, with models like the SEAT Ateca and Renault Kadjar a distant dream. Nearly eight years later, the 3008 has been totally reinvented. So much so that Peugeot is referring to the new car as the 3008 ‘SUV’, in an attempt to distance it from the original model. We’ve now got the car in the UK to see if…

EVERY year, car buyers in the UK and across Europe have their say on the best new models on sale in the build-up to the coveted Golden Steering Wheel awards. Then the judges deliberate and the results are collated – and now we can reveal the winners. The Golden Steering Wheel awards have been run for nearly four decades by Auto Express’s sister publication, Auto Bild. Each year readers from our sister titles across Europe pick the best new models on sale. Since the first awards ceremony in 1978, a lot has changed in motoring, with new cars’ tech, safety, performance and comfort increasing beyond all recognition. The voting categories have changed, too, as new types of car have launched, but the Golden Steering Wheel’s tough selection process has stayed…

2016 Results Juke Factfile Years: 2010 to present CO2: 104g/km Fuel economy: 70.6mpg (1.5 dCi Acenta) Best options: Sat-nav, reversing camera, cruise control, USB, xenon lights, stop/start Prices: From £5,495 OVERALL SCORE 88.05% Bars show where model finished out of 150 cars in our 2016 survey. The lower the rating the better GOOD “THE Juke is comfortable and quiet. It’s a good everyday car to own.” “I’m able to tow my 12-foot caravan with ease.” “The 1.5-litre turbodiesel is matched to the gearbox perfectly. There’s also lots of torque throughout the rev range.” “I’ve done many motorway trips in comfort. The seats are soft and provide good support.” “I like the slightly raised driving position; it makes driving in traffic much easier and more comfortable.” “A nippy car for city…