Innholdsfortegnelse for 1473 i Auto Express

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer DRIVERS across the UK are being stung by the police after having a new MoT carried out before their existing certificate runs out. A national comparison site has warned motorists of a loophole that may land them a £2,500 fine, a driving ban and three points. According to scrapcarcomparison.co.uk, thousands of drivers are being caught by the police nationwide after putting their vehicles through an early MoT to see if any faults need repairing before their certificate expires. If the car fails the early test, some drivers believe they can still continue to drive until their old certificate runs out. However, any MoT failure is recorded as such in the national database that’s accessed by police with ANPR cameras. Last year 36.8 per cent of cars failed their…

CAR finance has been put under the spotlight in recent months after the Financial Conduct Authority announced plans to investigate ‘irresponsible’ lenders who may have pushed buyers into deals they can’t afford. Yet lenders aren’t the only ones breaking the rules. A new report by car history expert cap hpi found ‘clocking’ is on the rise, as owners turn to mileage-correction companies to avoid excess mileage charges at the end of their finance contract. Personal Contract Purchase (PCPs) and Personal Contract Hire (PCH) deals have strict mileage limits. It’s usually 10,000 a year, but this can be increased – at a cost. However, choosing a low limit to save money in the short run may be a bad call, as the penalties for excess mileage are big. Some makers charge…

Inbox What do you think? Contact Lawrence Allan FROM: Phil VERY impressed with what McLaren has achieved in the new 720S. But I wonder if what we’re seeing is the ‘Ferrari phenomenon’ all over again, this time with the British outfit. When a brand is doing badly in Formula One, its road cars are suddenly amazing. FROM: Peugeot 905 THE looks of the McLaren 720S are definitely growing on me. I think the extra lines and unique headlight design make the car something you could stare at for hours. It’s far more interesting than previous cars such as the MP4-12C, 650S and 570S. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ▪ “The 720S strikes me as a very complete supercar. Big congratulations to the engineers and designers at McLaren.” Old Fred ▪…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk Performance 0-60mph/top speed 2.8 seconds/216mph Running costs 17mpg (est) £68 fill-up THE all-new, £450,000, 216mph Ford GT very nearly didn’t happen. That’s because, to begin with, the manufacturer was planning to build a front-engined Mustang, not a mid-engined GT. How so? Well, back in 2013, Ford hatched its plan to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours as a factory team three years later, in order to celebrate 50 years since its now-famous GT40 victory at the legendary race in 1966. And at the time, the Mustang was the car the company most wanted to promote. Trouble was, that car proved to be difficult, if not impossible, to engineer into a competitive racing car while still being identifiable as a ’Stang. So, after a year of trying to make…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn THE average car buyer in the UK covers around 9,000 miles in a single year, and the most testing terrain they’re likely to encounter is a slippery side street dusted in snow. In reality, the Skoda Kodiaq is unlikely to face much worse. But on the off chance that a customer’s commute is via Death Valley or Antarctica, the Kodiaq has to be prepared for it. And to ensure it can conquer the most extreme conditions Mother Nature can throw at it, Skoda puts prototypes through a meticulous and relentless development process. The whole procedure starts in the digital world. Even before prototype vehicles (like the camouflaged model below) have been built, engineers can test the Kodiaq’s structural rigidity, acoustic comfort and behaviour during crash test simulations. Such…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE WHILE our road tests have demonstrated that the Skoda Kodiaq has a wide spread of talents, there’s one thing that’s crucial to some owners that we haven’t been able to test until now: towing. Caravanning is a hugely popular hobby in Britain, and the Skoda is a perfect companion on paper. There’s space for seven – or five with lots of luggage – and a maximum towing capacity of 2,000kg for the 188bhp 2.0 TDI diesel model. But how does it fare in the real world? We headed to the Longleat Caravan Club site at Warminster, Wiltshire with freelance writer Lee Davey, an expert on both caravans and towing, to find out. Lee recently towed a caravan all the way from Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire to the…

for six months SKODA KODIAQ 187BHP 2.0-LITRE 4WD DSG YOU’VE read all about the Kodiaq. Now’s your chance to drive it, as one lucky reader has the chance to win the SUV in range-topping Edition trim for six months – and better still, Skoda will also cover the cost of insurance. The Kodiaq you could get your hands on is a 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel model with four-wheel drive and seven seats. You can enter by logging on to our website, where you will also find full terms and conditions. Good luck!…

MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance PRICE: £29,635 ENGINE: 1.4-litre 4cyl petrol turbo/75kW electric motor, 201bhp CO2/tax 40g/km £140 or 9% Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 272/1,162 litres Performance 0-60/30-70mph 6.8/5.8 seconds Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 44.9/29.1/8.5m Running costs 47.3mpg (on test) £45 fill-up AS with the rest of the Golf line-up, the plug-in hybrid GTE has been treated to a mid-life refresh. Mechanical changes have been kept to a minimum, but sharper looks and improved infotainment aim to boost its appeal. As before, there’s a choice of £28,135 standard or £29,635 Advance trims; we test the latter. DESIGN & ENGINEERING VW’S cautious approach to the Golf’s styling updates extends to the GTE, which at a glance looks near-identical to its predecessor, right down to its distinctive blue trim inserts. However, on closer…

Results VOLKSWAGEN 1st THANKS to its ability to blend hot hatch performance with zero emissions, the Golf is a compelling choice, plus the GTE has the most composed driving dynamics of our test trio. It’s also nearly as practical as the regular Volkswagen family hatch, comes with a decent level of equipment as standard and benefits from rock-solid residual values. TOYOTA 2nd THE plug-in Prius is a vast improvement on its predecessor. It’s the quietest and most comfortable choice here, plus its hybrid powertrain is the best integrated. And if you plug in every day, it’s the best electric car. Yet it’s not as assured to drive as the Golf, offers no extra electric range and has a tiny boot. For most, the excellent standard Prius will be a better…

THIS WEEK’S HOT KIT NEW PRODUCT Garmin Dash Cam 45/55 Price: £129.99 (45)/£149.99 (55) Contact: 023 8052 4000, www.garmin.com GARMIN has released a pair of compact dash cams that come packed with features including advanced new driver awareness alerts. The 45 and 55 offer automatic incident detection with a G-sensor to save footage, plus detailed time and location data. Advanced driver alerts like forward collision and lane departure warnings are integrated into both, and a voice control system lets drivers start and stop audio recordings via voice command. The pricier 55 (£149.99) captures footage up to 1440p with a 3.7-megapixel camera, while the 45 (£129.99) offers up to 1080p via a 2.1- megapixel cam. Both also get a Go alert system – a camera-assisted feature that tells distracted drivers when…

Mini test OUR CHOICE Everbuild Wonder Wipes WIPE80 Price: £7.50 Rating: No of sheets/price per sq mtr: 100/£1.56 Contact: 0113 240 3456, everbuild.co.uk THE Wonder Wipes had no textured surface like their competitors here, and that slowed them down. This was most noticeable on the paint drying test, where we had to work harder to get deep down due to the lack of abrasion. Overall, they performed well across our tests, although when cleaning the door panel, there was just the slightest hint of greasiness left behind. They’re cut somewhere between the other two and were noticeably lighter. This meant they tended not to soak up so much dirt and grease, but the big price advantage they had over their rivals here meant you could double up occasionally and still…

▪ Newcomer heralds introduction of Hyundai’s N performance line ▪ We drive early prototype with company’s development boss mail@autoexpress.co.uk UNTIL the end of 2014, Albert Biermann was happy with his life as boss of BMW’s M Division. The 59-year-old had masterminded all sorts of cars. He had no reason not to stay for the rest of his career. And then he got a call from Hyundai, who offered him an enticing deal to go and work in Korea – in order to oversee the firm’s top-secret new N-car project. That was early in 2015, and since then Biermann has been working flat-out at Hyundai, with the i30 N occupying much of his time. The car arrives in the UK next year, and the heavy disguise in our pictures (below) belies…

“Even in 4WD setting, the new M5 still feels driven from the rear, and changes direction keenly” THE new BMW M5 won’t be officially unveiled until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but to save the wait, Auto Express has been granted an early drive in a prototype car to understand what will make the sixth-generation saloon the best yet. Naturally, the new M5 will get an aggressive look to differentiate it from lesser 5 Series models, although for now the finer points of its enhanced styling remain hidden. Most notable will be a carbon-fibre roof, with a centre section that echoes the car’s creased bonnet. But the biggest change is the adoption of four-wheel drive for the first time on an M-division model. BMW is reacting to market demand,…

Skoda’s Karoq is in the shade... for now AN official teaser image of the upcoming Skoda Karoq has been issued (above) ahead of its big reveal. The Yeti replacement will adopt many of the styling cues of the larger Kodiaq SUV, as can be picked out in this teaser shot. It will be based on the same platform as the SEAT Ateca and share an almost identical footprint. Sales of the Karoq will begin later this year. PAGE 41: Kodiaq: Birth of an SUV Ford boss expresses concerns over Brexit FORD’S European boss, Jim Farley, has warned against “border friction” that could hamper his firm’s investment in UK plants following Brexit. Farley, speaking at last week’s Financial Times Future of the Car Summit, said Ford’s UK infrastructure – which comprises…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor AT youtube.com/Autoexpress this week, we drive the stunning new Ford GT, plus get up close to MG’s E-Motion sports car. We drive amazing reborn Ford GT EVER since the Ford GT made a surprise entrance at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show, we’ve been desperate to drive it – a feeling made worse by the car racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours last year and tugging at the heartstrings. The new GT naturally takes design cues from the immortal GT40, but melds them with modern tech and a V6. Read Steve Sutcliffe’s verdict on Page 26, then watch his video. Close up with bold new electric ‘MGB’ THE MGB is back – sort of. MG Motor finally seems to have realised that to improve brand and public perception,…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk AE_Consumer SPEAK to most automotive companies, and they’ll say the future of cars is electric and autonomous. But have a chat with a company such as Airbus, or an avionics tech brand, and they’ll point their fingers at the sky. Flying cars aren’t a new concept, as they’ve been around in one form or another since the eighties. Lately, though, ever more companies are backing the idea and arguing that the answer to clearing congestion in the future is for cars to take to the sky. To see how far flying cars have come today, we looked at eight promising concepts. MOLLER SKYCAR 400 Engine: Rotapower (181bhp) Flight range: 805 miles On sale: 2020 (in limited numbers) THE Skycar 400 is the fifth-generation flying car developed by Moller International…

PRACTICALITY High roofline creates loads of space in the back, with enough room for even taller adults to feel really comfortable. And optional Versatility Pack adds 40:20:40 split-fold rear bench EQUIPMENT All Crossland X models come with a seven-inch touchscreen, although sat-nav is a £700 option. It’s not strictly necessary, however, as all models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram IF you needed proof that the days of the conventional MPV are numbered, then the new Vauxhall Crossland X confirms it. The boxy Meriva is now dead, replaced by this more stylish SUV-inspired family car. Vauxhall tells us that the Crossland X is a very important model for the brand, despite already having filled the small crossover segment with the established Mokka X. While that car is…

Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk SINCE taking control of Skoda in November 2015, CEO Bernhard Maier has quietly stamped his authority on the Czech brand, putting together a long-term plan that will significantly increase its presence on the global stage. Maier certainly has the pedigree to deliver, with extensive experience at BMW, and within the Volkswagen Group, at Porsche, where he was sales and marketing director. In an exclusive interview, we quizzed him on his plans for Skoda, and where the Kodiaq fits in. Q What is the significance of the Kodiaq for the brand? “This car has all the abilities to be a game-changer for the company. With this car we are going to start our big SUV offensive, which is part of our great product offensive in general. But looking at the…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram SKODA is the fourth oldest car company in the world. Founded in 1895 as Laurin & Klement, it has been building cars in the Czech Republic for over 100 years. Its home is in Mlada Boleslav, around 65km northeast of Prague, although it has also been assembling in Kvasiny, another 120km to the east, since the thirties. It’s here where the new Kodiaq and forthcoming Karoq will be built, alongside the current Superb and Superb Estate. Since World War II, Kvasiny has had a hand in everything from the 1958 Felicia to the 110 R Coupé of the seventies. Only recently did the plant’s two millionth car leave the factory: a brand new Kodiaq SUV. And things are ramping up; demand is increasing and the factory is expanding.…

MODEL TESTED: Kia Optima PHEV PRICE: £33,995 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol/68kW electric motor, 202bhp CO2/tax 37g/km £140 or 9% Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 307 litres/N/A Performance 0-60/30-70mph 8.1/7.4 seconds Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 51.2/37.0/10.6m Running costs 48.9mpg (on test) £62 fill-up THE Optima has struggled to make an impact in the large family car class, which is shrinking rapidly in the face of a host of fashionable SUV rivals. So Kia is hoping to revive the car’s flagging fortunes with this eco-friendly plug-in hybrid. It matches the Golf for power and the Toyota for space. There’s only one trim level, and it costs £33,995 after the Government’s plug-in car grant. DESIGN & ENGINEERING AS with the VW, the Kia looks much like the handsome standard car at a glance. There are some…

NEW PRODUCT Quixx car care products Price: £19.95 Contact: 01903 750355, www.jrpdistribution.co.uk GERMAN car care specialist Quixx has a trio of new products designed to get your car gleaming. The first is aimed at making it quick and easy to get wheels clean with the help of a power drill. More than 10,000 split bristles are fitted to a shaft to allow rapid removal of grime without scratching the lacquered or painted surface. The flexible ball of bristles adjusts its shape to match the rim spokes and can slide through to clean the inner rim. Quixx says that because the bristles won’t damage any surface, the ball works on other hard-to-access areas, like grilles. It’s designed for use with regular wheel cleaners and goggles are included in the £19.95 pack.…

MG’s Abingdon factory Brian Moylan (Veloce Publishing, veloce.co.uk) Price: £15.99 Rating: THIS book tells the story of MG’s plant near Oxford in the glory days of British car manufacturing, from the thirties to its closure in 1980. But it’s light on detail and feels more like a captioned picture book in places. At £15.99 for such a short read (albeit one packed with interesting historical photos), it might have worked better as part of a larger MG volume. Jaguar XK 120: The remarkable history of JWK 651 Chas Parker and Philip Porter (Porter Press, porterpress.co.uk) Price: £30 Rating: AS fans of Jag’s stunning XK 120, we were eager to review this book, charting the history of JWK 651, a racer built in 1950. It contested everything from Le Mans to…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk BELGIAN Thierry Neuville is hoping for his third World Rally Championship (WRC) win on the trot as the series heads to Portugal’s gravel stages this weekend. The Hyundai driver triumphed on the tarmac of Corsica and gravel of Argentina, leaving him two points off second-place man Jari-Matti Latvala in the standings. Neuville’s win in Argentina made him the only WRC driver to win more than once so far this season, but M-Sport Ford’s Sebastien Ogier continues to hold a 16-point lead at the top of the table, having scored consistently since his season-opening victory in Monte Carlo. Alongside Ogier, Ott Tanak, Mads Ostberg and Elfyn Evans will also be fielding Fords, with Welshman Evans having come close to pipping Neuville for the win in Argentina. Latvala’s Toyota team, meanwhile,…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn ONE of the most important and eagerly anticipated hot hatch arrivals in 2017 is the next-generation Renaultsport Mégane, which will make its global debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Work on the Mégane RS – previewed by our exclusive main image – started in tandem with the standard hatch in a bid to maximise development time. It will follow the Hyundai i30 N (Page 6) and Honda Civic Type R to the market, but more than match them when it comes to performance. It’s possible that Renaultsport could pluck the new 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo from the Alpine A110 as a replacement for the existing 2.0-litre turbo in the Mégane RS. The new motor develops 249bhp and 320Nm of torque in the Alpine, but Renaultsport boss Patrice…

...and new 8 Series coupé aims to tease A TEASER image from BMW (above) is the first official confirmation of the return of the 8 Series. The short-lived but iconic badge will return in 2018 on a new flagship sports car to rival the Mercedes S-Class Coupé. We’ll get a glimpse of the reborn model at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy at the end of May with the reveal of a new concept car. A number of patent applications have been filed for the future model range, too, including M8. Ford brings Energi to its EV ambition FORD has applied to re-register its ‘Energi’ badge alongside a number of new models set to receive electrified powertrains in the next few years. The company has pending trademark applications for…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy SMALL electric vehicles could cost a similar amount to conventionallypowered superminis as early as the year 2020, according to the man in charge of Renault’s EV division. Gilles Normand, senior vice-president for electric vehicles at Renault, said that sales of his company’s small EV, the ZOE, have jumped by 90 per cent between 2016 and 2017, thanks to the introduction of a larger battery capacity earlier this year. The list price of the ZOE is still around 50 per cent higher than that of the equivalent petrol car in Renault’s line-up, the Clio. But Normand believes that as more manufacturers and suppliers invest in battery development and manufacturing, the prices of EVs will take only a couple of years to reach the same level as petrol-engined cars. Speaking…

Executive Director at British Insurance Brokers’ Association (www.biba.org.uk) I OFTEN get questions along the lines of “My car is worth only £750; why is my premium so high?” I appreciate this is a frustration, especially if your motor is well looked after, but the cost of repairing or replacing cars is low in comparison to the millions of pounds awarded for accident injuries. And these sums are set to rise. The Government recently moved the goalposts for injury compensation; great news for the injured who will now receive more to help them with their condition. But the increase in funds insurers have to hold for claims is estimated to be £5billion now, and £800million-plus every year. Ultimately it’s the motorists paying into the insurance ‘pool’ who will face higher premiums.…

PRACTICALITY Space in the back of the Q5 is good, with enough room for tall adults to sit comfortably. As with many rivals, the two outer chairs both benefit from Isofix child seat mounts BOOT SPACE Overall load area can’t match the Jaguar F-Pace’s huge luggage space, but there will be enough room for most families. Nets and tie-down points further boost Audi’s versatility Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE THE new Audi Q5 arrived in the UK earlier this year, and following our comprehensive road test of the big-selling diesel version (Issue 1,464), we’ve now had the chance to drive the 2.0-litre TFSI turbo petrol model on British roads. As with many of the latest crop of Audi models, the designers have played it safe with the fresh look. The Q5’s updated lights…

Sean_Carson@dennis.co.uk @Sean_Carson_ WE’VE already sampled the Porsche 911 GTS in early left-hand-drive form (Issue 1,456), but now we’ve got our hands on a right-hand-drive model to see if it has what it takes to successfully bridge the gap between the standard 911 Carrera and the hardcore, track-focused GT3. As with the rest of the facelifted 991.2 range, the GTS is now turbocharged. That means its 3.0-litre flat-six is force-fed by two turbos – but they’re new compared with those on the entry-level Carreras. This ups power and torque to 444bhp and 550Nm respectively, the latter available from as low as 2,150rpm right the way through to 5,000rpm. In four-wheel-drive guise with Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission, as tested here, this makes the car devastatingly effective. Supreme traction lets you make…

MODEL TESTED: Toyota Prius PHV Business Edition Plus PRICE: £29,195 ENGINE: 1.8-litre 4cyl petrol/68kW electric motor, 121bhp THE second-generation Prius Plug-in (now called PHV) is a more bespoke machine than the original, which looked and drove very much like the standard hybrid. Revised looks, upgraded underpinnings, a new trim line-up and even lower running costs make the Toyota a tempting choice for those looking to cut their costs and environmental impact. Here we try the £29,195 Business Edition Plus model. CO2/tax 22g/km £140 or 9% Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 191/1,204 litres Performance 0-60/30-70mph 10.7/10.6 seconds Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 48.4/38.0/10.7m Running costs 57.2mpg (on test) £48 fill-up DESIGN & ENGINEERING Score 4.2 WHILE the VW and Kia are effectively plug-in hybrid versions of existing cars, Toyota has tried to make the new…

Which multimedia system is best for music, sat-nav and connectivity? TOYOTA PRIUS PHV Touch 2 with Go Navigation Standard Key features: Google Maps score 4.0 ALL Prius PHV models get Toyota’s Touch 2 with Go Navigation infotainment system. This features an eightinch touchscreen mounted in your eyeline high up on the dash, making it easy to see and use on the move. DAB and Bluetooth are fitted as standard, while the Go unit adds navigation and access to Toyota’s connected services. Pay for an online subscription and you also get real-time traffic information and Google Street View, plus certain apps can be downloaded, including Internet radio and social media programmes. However, smartphone connectivity options are limited compared with rival systems, while the graphics aren’t as sharp, either; this slightly lets…

GT Radial launches new hot SUV tyre OWNERS of fast SUVs now have even more tyre choice. After we reported on the Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV back in Issue 1,469, GT Radial has launched the SportActive SUV. The newcomer (above) uses the same tech as the regular SportActive, but with a deeper sidewall and larger sizes available to fit 18 and 19-inch wheels. Its ultra-wide grooves dispel water and increase contact with the road; GT Radial says this gives better wet handling and braking distances. See www.gtradial.co.uk for details. Safety worry forces recall of cycle rack HALFORDS has recalled a roofmounted bike rack over safety concerns. The Exodus Roof Mount Cycle Carrier – item code 210150 – could be fitted with incorrectly installed plastic safety catches, leaving the bikes…

Which of eight provides the best protection for your pride and joy in all weathers? PRODUCT GROUP TEST 17 | 5 | 2017 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. IF you have a cherished classic or weekend sports car but no garage, a cover will protect it from all manner of pollutants that can take harm it like rain, dirt, bird lime and tree sap. And under a cover the bodywork is less likely to get scratched. Ultra-violet light can also fade the paintwork and interior trim, such as the dashboard. So a decent cover is a sound investment, but which is the one to protect your car? We…

£14,000 to spend on a fast, usable hatch Dear Lawrence, I want a fast, fun small hatch, but many I’ve tried are too noisy or cramped for my daily drive. What would you suggest for £14,000? Andrew Carvin, E-mail Contact: Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk VW Polo GTI FOR: Fast, refined, practical and solid AGAINST: Lacks character, expensive THE Volkswagen Polo GTI is probably the easiest to live with of the current crop of hot hatchbacks. Although it’s not as exciting to look at inside or out as its rivals, few can match its space and solidity. It’s fast, too, especially with the newer 1.8-litre engine, plus has plenty of grip and composure on the road. But it’s the level of refinement and comfort that impresses most for a hot hatch. In the classifieds…

Join the debate now... www.autoexpress.co.uk/opinion TESLA’S Elon Musk has everything – and more. Like or loathe him, he’s smart, unpredictably brilliant, ridiculously wealthy, hard-headed, dangerously defiant and the bravest man in the motor industry. He seems a bit scary, too. And yes, this is a further compliment, as such a trait is imperative for anyone out to conquer the world. And that’s what Musk, 45, is doing. The motor industry – and the associated energy sector – needed a revolution, and it got one. Apart from the fact that no American or Asian motor industry entrepreneur is richer than him and his $14billion, Musk’s Tesla was recently declared the most valuable car maker in the States, with a market value of $50.88billion. Astonishingly, Tesla’s market capitalisation is now equivalent to…