Auto Express 1479

WELCOME to our annual celebration of the very best new cars on the market – the Auto Express Awards 2017. We’ve driven more miles and tested more cars more thoroughly than anyone else to bring you the definitive list of the greatest cars you can buy today – or just dream of buying! We’re continually blown away by the huge advancements in technology the car industry presents us with – from more efficient modes of power to cars that are on the verge of driving themselves. It’s an industry that’s presenting us with more variety and more choice than ever before, and making us raise our game when it comes to testing these new models and delivering a verdict you can trust. For anyone who loves cars like you and…

5 Series platform means X3 is 55kg lighter On sale in November James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor THIS is the all-new BMW X3 – the German brand’s latest attempt to stamp on the toes of the newly launched and rebooted Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 in the premium mid-size SUV market. It goes on sale in November starting at £38,880 – a near-£4,500 price hike over today’s entry-level model. The line-up tops out at £51,280, but later down the line a top-spec X3 M (Page 8) and fully electric version with a 250-mile range will appear. This third-generation X3 is 55kg lighter than the car it replaces and sits on BMW’s new CLAR platform, which it shares with the new 5 Series saloon. It carries on with the same distinctive looks BMW has…

“Customisation plays a big role, with SEAT claiming 68 colour combinations for the car’s lower and upper body” Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn SEAT has doubled its SUV portfolio with the introduction of the all-new Arona. It joins the Ateca in the brand’s SUV range, which will grow again next year to include a seven-seat Skoda Kodiaq rival. Prices for the Arona are expected to start from around £15,000 when sales begin in October. The Arona enters the small SUV market that has recently become flush with new arrivals; the Citroen C3 Aircross, Hyundai Kona and Kia Stonic have all appeared within weeks of one another. The Nissan Juke and Renault Captur continue to set the benchmark in this market. Under the skin, the Arona is based on the same MQB AO platform…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods THIS is our best look yet at Jaguar’s new baby SUV, the E- Pace, ahead of its official reveal in July. Viewed in profile (below), the design doesn’t throw up any big surprises – the car moulds the F-Pace’s shape into a smaller package with a shorter wheelbase and dramatically stunted overhangs. Look closer, though, and you’ll spot some minor alterations to ensure that the E-Pace stands out from its bigger brother, and isn’t just a copy-and-paste job. The window line takes on a rounder profile towards the roof and kinks up towards the rear, to create a compact, squat rear profile, plus it’ll get a different face. While the F-Pace takes on a front end inspired by Jaguar’s saloons, the swept-back headlights and large vents reveal that…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram JAGUAR has pulled the wraps off the most powerful road car in its history, the XE SV Project 8. The limited-run model debuts at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and is priced from £149,995. Only 300 examples of the Project 8 will be built, all by hand. It lifts the eight-speed automatic gearbox, all-wheel drive and 5.0- litre supercharged V8 powertrain from the F-Type SVR, but sees power rise from 567bhp to 592bhp. Jaguar claims a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds and 200mph top speed. The Project 8 features a host of raceready tweaks that ensures only 25 per cent of the standard XE’s parts are carried over. In terms of body panels, only the bonnet and roof are the same, and even the headlights have been…

Self-driving Rangie is ready for testing JLR has also revealed a new prototype Range Rover Sport (above), kitted out with its latest self-driving technology. Public trials of the technology will begin later this year with realworld tests in 2018. The ‘Autonomous Urban Drive’ features are currently being examined on a special course at the MIRA proving facility in Warwickshire, testing the tech’s ability to negotiate roads with traffic lights, roundabouts and T-junctions. UK stalls in drive to cut road deaths DESPITE the UK having some of the safest roads in Europe, we are trailing most of our continental neighbours in the push to reduce road deaths. Figures from the European Transport Safety Council show the number of people killed on the country’s roads rose four per cent last year to…