Innholdsfortegnelse for 1482 i Auto Express

IS it important where a car is built? It’s a particularly pertinent question to ask this week, when our cover star is the E-Pace (above) – the first ever Jaguar not to be produced in the UK. It’s set to be manufactured in Graz in Austria. Also featuring in our issue is the Lynk & Co 01, an SUV that will be sold globally by Volvo’s owner Geely but made in China. That would have set the alarm bells ringing for many a decade ago, but editor in chief Steve Fowler tells me he was massively impressed with the car’s quality when he went for an exclusive ride around the streets of Gothenburg. At the same time I was in Morocco at a Dacia plant that has produced a million…

CAR finance lenders should reveal the number of people who have taken out sub-prime car finance as well as those who are defaulting on their loans, according to MPs and debt charities concerned over the industry’s debt boom. In June, the Bank of England said it was concerned about falling used car prices potentially leading to higher monthly payments or longer contracts for borrowers. It pointed out that it’s been unable to calculate the level of defaults on loans, because this is something the industry does not collate. The Finance and Leasing Association, the industry leasing body, says its members currently only lend to customers with the ability to pay back their finance. It has never collected data on car finance defaults and arrears, something which would allow Parliament to…

2,643 hours The average amount of time Brits spend kissing another person in their car over a lifetime 3,611hours The average amount of time Germans spend listening to loud music 4years 1month The average amount of time Europeans spend in their cars across a lifetime 132hours The average amount of time the Italians spend searching for their car after forgetting where they parked it 5.2hours The average amount of time Portuguese spend making love in their car over a lifetime Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk AE_Consumer TWENTY-nine thousand, seven hundred and fifty hours, or in other words, around three years and four months. That’s how long the average British driver is estimated to spend in their car over a lifetime, according to data from Citroen. But how do we compare against our European cousins?…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @Jimmybrods THE latest-generation i30 is one of the most ambitious family cars Hyundai has ever built, given that the firm has just expanded the range threefold with the addition of a hot hatch i30 N version (Page 16), a new five-door ‘fastback’ coupé and this, the i30 Tourer estate model. It’s designed to take on rivals such as the Ford Focus Estate, the Peugeot 308 SW and Skoda Octavia Estate. Practicality sells in this segment, and so the i30 Tourer’s body is 245mm longer than the hatchback’s. Every extra millimetre has been added behind the rear wheels, so the 602-litre luggage area is a significant 74 litres bigger than its predecessor’s. This is a big advance, given that the hatchback can muster only 395 litres. That luggage area places…

Location: Longcross Proving Ground, Chobham, Surrey Pictures: Pete Gibson Testers’ notes “The Outlander PHEV kick-started a plug-in revolution in the UK. There had been plug-ins before the Outlander was revealed in 2012, but none offered quite such a convincing package. A gaggle of PHEVs has since arrived, but having stolen a march on the competition, the Mitsubishi is the most successful car of its type in the UK with sales of more than 26,000 so far. Can these contenders knock it off its perch?” Sean Carson Chief reviewer MINI Countryman Cooper S E ALL4 Price: £29,075 Engine: 1.5-litre 3cyl turbo/e-motor, 221bhp 0-60mph: 6.4 seconds Test economy: 45.1mpg/9.9mpl CO2: 45g/km Annual road tax: £130 Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance Price: £29,635 Engine: 1.4-litre 4cyl turbo/e-motor, 201bhp 0-60mph: 6.8 seconds Test economy: 47.3mpg/10.4mpl…

MODEL TESTED: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Kotu PRICE: £31,805 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol-electric, 200bhp THE Outlander PHEV has proved a real sales success. When it launched, price parity with the diesel model and attractively low running costs ensured the Mitsubishi became Britain’s bestselling plug-in hybrid. Although our pictures show a top-spec 5hs, it’s the £31,805 Kotu model we test to see if it still has what it takes against newer rivals. DESIGN & ENGINEERING DESPITE a recent facelift for the Outlander PHEV, the car’s underpinnings remain similar to when it was originally launched, with a few tweaks here to freshen it up. This means a 2.0-litre petrol engine and two electric motors giving four-wheel-drive running capability to match the MINI – but with one difference: the Outlander can send all of…

BRITAIN’S weather is notorious for not playing ball. Even in the summer it’s not unusual to get a sudden downpour, while conditions in the winter can be truly treacherous. That’s why cars such as the Skoda Octavia Scout and SEAT Leon X-Perience have gained traction – both literally and figuratively. These jacked-up, four-wheel-drive estates offer all the practicality you want from a family wagon, along with good grip and all-weather ability, but at a more affordable price than an SUV. These two latest contenders to hit the market are both from VW Group manufacturers and, therefore, use similar underpinnings, so the difference will come down to how they’ve been set up, the kit they offer and the efficiency they can deliver, as well as the all-important factor of price. We…

Practicality Boot (7/5/2 seats) 235/705/1,890 litres CO2/tax 199g/km £270 or 37% Running costs 33.6mpg (on test) £98 fill-up Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk AFTER nearly seven months, we’ve waved farewell to our Audi SQ7 super-SUV. And as we consider its report card, it’s fair to say there was a marked difference in its performance home and away – just like my football team… Firstly, away from home, which in my case is congested north London. Outside the capital, I found the 429bhp twinturbo giant absolutely brilliant. On the motorway, its unflinching appetite for blistering acceleration ensured a couple of 600-mile trips to the north of Scotland were completed in exemplary fashion. I never tired of its ability to blast past lighter, more agile cars, while the exquisitely built cabin and spacious rear seats meant…

products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer TREAD depth is key to a tyre’s performance, and on Page 62 we show you the best ways to measure it. But at what point should you change a tyre? In the UK the law says to replace it when the tread is 1.6mm deep, but for several years many tyre makers have argued that 3mm is the safest option. Not Michelin. It believes a tyre should perform consistently throughout its life – even beyond 3mm. To make its case, it invited Auto Express to a series of tests at its Ladoux research centre in Clermont- Ferrand, France. Key to the tests was Michelin’s claim that tread depth is not a reliable indicator of wet grip. We performed a series of wet braking tests with four sets of…

steve_fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler YOU wait years for a Jaguar SUV, then three come along in quick succession. It was little over a year ago that the F-Pace arrived, winning the 2016 Auto Express Car of the Year Award in the process. Then we saw the stunning I-Pace electric SUV concept unveiled at last year’s Los Angeles Show; it’s due to go on sale next year. But beating it into showrooms will be this, the new E-Pace, which sits unsurprisingly below the F-Pace in the line-up and arrives in the first few months of 2018 with prices starting at £28,500. It also heralds a couple of firsts: it’ll be the first Jaguar to be built outside of the UK (at Magna Steyr’s plant in Graz, Austria), and it’s also the first Jaguar…

PORSCHE has history with estate cars. The iconic Audi RS2 was partly a Porsche collaboration, and was even built at the German sports car maker’s plant in Zuffenhausen. The RS2 arguably kick-started the trend for super-wagons back in the mid-nineties. That resonates to this day, but it’s taken a while for the company to produce its very own. First hinted at five years ago as a concept, the Panamera Sport Turismo has finally rolled on to the road. The production car has changed very little from that early design concept; the longer roof suits the proportions of the second-generation Panamera, the bigger hatch adding some usefulness. Visually it’s transformational, then, but if you’re looking for a more practical Panamera then you might be a little bit disappointed. Most Panamera Sport…

MODEL TESTED: MINI Countryman S E ALL4 PRICE: £29,075 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 3cyl petrol-electric, 221bhp THE Countryman S E is MINI’s first plug-in hybrid. With a 134bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine mated to an 87bhp electric motor, the £29,075 S E ALL4 offers surprising pace, all-wheel drive and impressive claims of up to 134.5mpg. Can it deliver on its on-paper promises? DESIGN & ENGINEERING THE addition of a pricier plug-in hybrid to the Countryman range broadens the appeal of MINI’s compact SUV range, but the petrol-electric powertrain, electric four-wheel drive and off-roader body put it in the firing line of the Mitsubishi Outlander. MINI is explicitly referencing this car as a target. With the firm’s UKL2 platform underneath, the growth in the Countryman’s chassis for this second-generation model means it’s now…

THE Octavia Scout adds to the appeal of Skoda’s family estate by featuring even more usability no matter what the conditions. As with the Leon X-Perience, the range is limited to just two engines – both 2.0-litre TDIs with either 148bhp or 181bhp. It’s the more efficient, lower-powered model that we test here, which gets four-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox as part of the package. We wouldn’t recommend spending the extra £2,795 on the higher-powered diesel, which also gets a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, because this 148bhp version offers more than enough performance for most situations. In fact, in the torrential conditions on test the Skoda still went quicker than its claimed 0-60mph time, taking 8.0 seconds over the benchmark test. Strong traction off the line thanks to…

“It’s easy to see why the L200 won the Best Pick-up crown at our recent New Car Awards” products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consume IT’S not often you get the opportunity to properly check that you specified the right options when you ordered your new car, but I have with my Mitsubishi L200. I briefly ran a manual L200 with a roller shutter tonneau cover as a courtesy vehicle while helpful local dealer Duxford Motors, near Cambridge, took the truck on our fleet in for repairs and replacement parts. (It turned out the lump of metal I reported running over in Issue 1,461 had caused damage to the driver’s sidestep and chassis mounts.) This gave me a chance to compare. So did we spec our L200 correctly? The smooth auto transmission in our pick-up…

IT pays to look after your tyres. Low pressures cost you more in fuel and lead to poor handling and braking, while a low tread depth will cause a loss of grip, especially in adverse conditions. Checking how the tread is wearing will keep you on the right side of the law and can highlight problems with the car’s steering or suspension. A tyre must have more than 1.6mm of tread depth across the middle 75 per cent of its width; anything less is illegal. One of the best ways to keep an eye on your tyres is a combination gauge or a kit that contains tread and depth gauges. We test eight digital and analogue set-ups to find the best. PCLTSP 1T15 Price £16.00 Contact 0114 248 2712 www.pclairtechnology.com…

Thanks to Shire Car Sales for the loan of the GLA used in our photographs. Contact 01527 272 903 www.shirecarsalesworcestershire.co.uk MERCEDES is no stranger to the SUV sector; it introduced its legendary G-Wagen almost four decades ago, in 1979. While that car was distinctly utilitarian, Mercedes has since introduced more road-biased SUVs and one of the more recent is the GLA, which is, in effect, a jacked-up A-Class. As a result the GLA shares most of that car’s characteristics such as the basic shape, interior packaging and cabin design. There’s plenty to like, but it all comes at the premium prices that Mercedes charges. That hasn’t stopped the GLA being a new-car hit though – so should you take the plunge? History THE GLA went on sale in November 2013.…

Jeep Renegade 2.0 MultiJet Limited 4x4 Years: 2015 to date Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 138bhp Ins group: 14 Official econ/CO2: 55.4mpg/134g/km Why? Jeep Renegade is characterful and great off-road, with distinctive and funky looks to match Prices from: £12,495 THE Renegade’s looks may not be to all tastes, but in a class of crossovers obsessed with being curvy and fashionable, the square-edged Jeep certainly stands out. It’s also one of very few in the class that offers genuine off-road ability, albeit at a slight cost to on-road performance. The torquey 138bhp 2.0-litre MultiJet engine makes the Limited model potent – and there’s even a 168bhp Trailhawk variant for those who want more power. The Renegade didn’t feature in our 2017 Driver Power survey, but we’ve heard of no major issues from…

▪ Exclusive ride in 01 SUV ▪ Swede design, made in China “We wanted to give the 01 a sporty feel, so we’ve prioritised handling and a fun drive” OLA HERMANSSON Lynk & Co vice-president steve_fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler IT’S two years away from launch, but Auto Express was invited to Lynk & Co’s home town of Gothenburg in Sweden to take an exclusive ride in the brand’s first model – the 01 SUV. This isn’t only our first on-road experience of a Lynk & Co model, it’s also our first experience of a car using the new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, which has been jointly developed with Volvo and both firms’ Chinese parent company, Geely. At 4,530mm long, the 01 sits somewhere between the Audi Q3 and Q5 in terms…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor IT seems a little too coincidental that no sooner has Audi launched its brand new self-driving A8, we get handed the keys to the updated version of the techladen Mercedes S-Class. In a move of outstanding one-upmanship, Mercedes has preened its S-Class to look a touch smarter and at the same time stuffed it full of new gizmos to rain on the Audi’s parade. But first let’s round up those styling tweaks – because they really are just tweaks. As is normal for any facelift these days, there are new front and rear bumpers, slightly different rear lights and the front headlight clusters now have three LED day-running light bars and multi-beam LED headlights. And for an extra bit of glamour, a more imposing front grille – previously…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE Performance 0-60mph/top speed 6.4 seconds/137mph WE’VE already been highly impressed by the new Volvo XC60. It takes all of what we love from the XC90 and condenses it into a more affordable, smaller package. There are two petrol models in the range: the four-cylinder turbo T5 and the plug-in hybrid T8 model, which also has a powerful electric motor on board. Here we test the T5 in R-Design Pro trim, which is aimed at company car buyers with several popular options fitted as standard. The higher-spec model wears 21-inch alloy wheels, as well as bigger exhaust pipes and different bumpers. It also has a ‘sports chassis’ and some sportylooking interior trim, including shift paddles behind the steering wheel. The 251bhp engine packs a decent punch, but it isn’t…

MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen Golf GTE Advance PRICE: £29,635 ENGINE: 1.4-litre 4cyl petrol-electric, 201bhp RECENTLY facelifted for 2017, the VW Golf remains the only car on sale in the United Kingdom offered with petrol, diesel, full electric and hybrid powertrains. Here we test the £29,635 plug-in hybrid Golf GTE in Advance form, which costs £560 more than the MINI but is £2,170 cheaper than the Outlander. Can it convert that into victory? DESIGN & ENGINEERING THE Golf’s flexibility comes from its modular MQB architecture, which allows the car to accommodate a variety of powertrains, but it’s the GTE’s that’s the most complex. It links VW’s familiar 148bhp 1.4-litre TSI turbo petrol engine to a 101bhp electric motor mounted between the engine and a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It promises impressive fuel economy,…

Results 1st MINI THE Countryman Cooper S E combines petrol and electric power in seamless fashion and with the least compromise. It does suffer a little for comfort but is still fun to drive, while it’s also more practical than the GTE. Factor in MINI’s attractive finance deals, as well as its strong performance and impressively low running costs, and it’s easy to see why it’s our favourite family plug-in. 2nd VOLKSWAGEN VW’S Golf GTE is still a solid family-friendly plug-in hybrid. However, more expensive PCP deals for this GTE Advance model, plus a bigger drawback when it comes to practicality compared with the MINI, see it finish second. It’s fun to drive and offers a great blend of performance and efficiency, but its flaws are more apparent day to…

IN a bid to plug the same niche as Skoda has with its updated Octavia Scout, SEAT has updated its Leon X-Perience off-road estate, along with the rest of the family car range. This model gets a host of minor updates, including tweaks to the styling, and a revised infotainment system. You need only a few miles behind the wheel to realise that the SEAT is more direct than the Skoda. It responds more quickly to steering inputs and changes direction with greater agility – partly because the lower Leon rolls less and with larger 18-inch alloys and lower-profile tyres, there’s less squish in the rubber so it grips the road harder. But the damping feels firmer and the Leon isn’t as forgiving as the Octavia. It thumps over bumps…

2017 Results Jazz Factfile Years: 2015 to present CO2: 116g/km Fuel economy: 56mpg (1.3 i-VTEC SE) Best options: Cruise control, Magic Seats, AEB, parking camera, stop/start, sat-nav Prices: From £9,999 Bars show where model finished out of 75 cars in our 2017 survey. The longer the bar the better GOOD “THE automatic gearbox has the smoothest gear changes of any car I’ve had.” “Its interior is a nice, airy and spacious place to be.” “Front seats are the right balance of firm and supple.” “Big windows give excellent visibility in all directions.” “The DAB radio sounds crisp and clear through the good-quality speakers.” “Absolutely loaded with safety features such as lane-departure warning and speed-limit recognition.” “Controls in the cabin are easy to reach and use.” NOT SO GOOD “I WISH…