Auto Express August 5, 2015

WE’VE already driven Mazda’s new MX-5 with the zingy 129bhp 1.5-litre petrol, but this will be the first time we’ve tried the 158bhp 2.0 unit in the UK. Mazda claims the two-seat roadster was designed around the smaller engine as it fits in with the simple, lightweight design, but there’s no doubt some will be craving extra power to exploit the chassis. Log on to see if we think the larger engine is an ideal fit for the award-winning roadster. For more visit autoexpress.co.uk…

MORE than halfway through the year, there is one clear highlight of 2015 for me – the unveil of the Ford GT concept in Detroit in January. It was a genuine surprise, a real “I was there” moment made all the more special by the fact the car is so stunning. It looked equally impressive on show at London’s RAC Club last week, where I caught up with Ford’s new UK boss Andy Barratt (above). Andy is clearly thrilled at how the GT, Mustang and Focus RS are generating a real feelgood factor for the brand. But, let’s be honest, some of that stardust needs to filter down to Ford’s more mainstream cars, which are lacking a little of the X factor at present. Many of us believe that the…

• Sizzling new VW hot hatch to deliver up to 325bhp • Clever steel-polymer construction reduces weight SEVEN generations and 40 years ago, the Golf GTI carved out the hot hatch template, and in 2015 its position on the performance car map is as crucial as ever. An average family hatch with the heart of a sports car, it avoids any frills or fanfare and focuses on driving fun without the compromises. A facelifted version of the current GTI is due in late 2016, but VW’s top engineers and designers have already turned their attention to the all-new Mk8 GTI, scheduled to arrive in 2019. Instead of another incremental improvement, VW is planning a revolution for its most famous hot hatch – and our exclusive images show how it could…

VOLKSWAGEN invented the hot hatch with the original GTI nearly four decades ago, and it’s been setting the standard in this market pretty much ever since. We look back over the seven generations of high-performance Golf to give you an idea of what the new Mk8 model will have to live up to when it hits showrooms in 2019... Mk1 (1977-1984) WHERE it all began. Only 34 left-hand-drive models sold in the UK in 1977, weighing 810kg each and using a 110bhp 1.6 engine. Mk2 (1984-1992) BUILT on success of Mk1 with a 112bhp 1.8-litre. UK sales peaked at 17,193 in 1989 – nearly 50 per cent of all Golf sales at the time. Mk3 (1992-1998) STARTED with an 8V 112bhp 2.0-litre engine, but 150bhp 16V version of the same…

WHILE purists can look forward to tartan seats and a golf ball gearlever on the eighth-generation GTI, the interior will debut a whole host of clever new technology. The traditional instrument cluster will be replaced by an eight-inch digital display – a smaller version of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit – as previewed by the Golf R Touch concept. Next to that is a 13-inch hi-res touchscreen, with mirroring functions for smartphones. Drivers can use hand gestures – picked up by five in-car sensors – to control volume and temperature, and open the sunroof, so the centre console will be almost buttonless.VW has confirmed the facelifted Mk7 Golf, due late next year, will be its first car to get gesture control, but for the full digital, buttonless interior, we’ll have to wait…

KIA has finally given the green light to a supermini-based SUV, and it’s scheduled to go on sale by 2018. The new car is being lined up to take on the best-selling Nissan Juke and Renault Captur with funky, bold styling, and in Europe it will effectively replace the Venga compact MPV. Kia showed off its vision for a small supermini-based SUV to sit below the Sportage at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Niro concept was said to be merely a design study, but bosses have finally given the Juke rival the go-ahead, admitting it’s a market they “have to be in”. Kia’s Ford Fiesta competitor, the Rio, will be replaced by an all-new version in two years, and the platform for that car is set to form the…