Innholdsfortegnelse for 1510 i Auto Express

WE’VE been constant critics of the way official emissions and fuel economy tests have been carried out. The NEDC (laughably standing for New European Driving Cycle) tests are outdated and unrepresentative – and have been for years – so we’ve welcomed the introduction of the supposedly more real-world WLTP/RDE (World Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure/Real Driving Emissions) tests that include on-road assessments and, we’re promised, will be rigorously checked. Yet only last week, we reported on Mercedes’ testing specialists who told us that if we’re all expecting everything to be fixed by the new testing programme, we could be disappointed. There are still loopholes in the regulations, they said. By September, every new car that is sold will have to be tested to WLTP/RDE standards – a good thing, surely?…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy SKODA has given the first glimpse of the concept that will preview its forthcoming baby SUV, the Vision X, which will make its public debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. A pair of exterior sketches show how the company’s SUV design language is set to be scaled down once more to a model that will rival the likes of the SEAT Arona and VW T-Cross. The multiple light arrangement from the Karoq and Kodiaq looks set to be retained, but the grille itself is slimmer and there’s also some cladding at the base of the front bumper to give the car a chunkier look. The Vision X will sit on 20-inch alloys, although this wheel size is likely to be optional on the production model. The illustration…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths “The road studs will illuminate after traffic lights change and guide drivers along lanes” BRITAIN’S motorway surfaces are set for a major tech upgrade, starting with the introduction of intelligent LED road studs at one of the country’s key junctions. Under a £3million safety initiative by Highways England, 170 ‘smart’ LED road studs will be installed and synchronised with the traffic lights at the Switch Island junction near Liverpool, where the M57 and M58 motorways meet a trio of A-roads. The road studs will illuminate following traffic light changes and guide drivers along the correct lanes. Designed by Oxfordshire-based Clearview Intelligence, the intelligent road studs are expected to improve safety at the junction, which is used by 90,000 motorists every day and is the site of one crash…

“The Golf and Focus rival seems set to get looks that are evolutionary and yet more dramatic” KIA has issued a sketch of the third generation of Ceed, ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The Korean brand’s VW Golf and Ford Focus rival seems set to get looks that are evolutionary and yet more dramatic, with an update to Kia’s family front grille along with sleeker headlights and a deeply scalloped front bumper. Kia says the five-door variant of the car will be present in Geneva, alongside “another member” of the Ceed family. The three-door is expected to be dropped, but the new model could be a shooting brake estate to be sold alongside a third-generation Ceed SW. Kia has also confirmed that it is…

HYUNDAI has previewed the look of the all-new Santa Fe in a pair of revealing sketches. The seven-seat SUV will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, before going on sale in the UK later in the year. The illustrations show the new car will adopt more angular bodywork, inspired by the look of the recently launched Kona crossover. At the front, the headlights appear slimmer and integrate with the grille, while a chunky front bumper and LED foglamps give a more striking overall front-end look. The oversized alloy wheels are unlikely to appear on the showroom car, but the chrome skidplate and detailing on the sills add a sportier element that is likely to make it to the production model. The current Santa Fe offers…

“Jennifer felt ‘fobbed off and let down’ after she reported issue and said she wanted to reject car” BUYERS often pay extra for eyecatching paint finishes, but one Nissan Juke customer found her brand new car drew attention for all the wrong reasons. When Jennifer Taylor, from Darlington, County Durham, ordered her Juke, she paid around £500 for it to come finished in Ink Blue metallic paint. However, when her car was delivered, Jennifer realised the front and rear bumpers were a completely different shade of blue to the rest of its bodywork. “My dad noticed it at first,” Jennifer told us. “He said he could see the paint mismatch from 100 yards away.” Jennifer reported the problem almost immediately to her supplying dealer, Bristol Street Motors in Darlington, and…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.7 seconds/143mph Running costs N/A mpg (official) £73 fill-up IT’S been three years since the QX50 disappeared from Infiniti’s showrooms in the UK, and now a new version is poised to go on sale. It’ll land in America first, with sales in Europe following in about 12 months. Infiniti’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Variable-Compression Turbo (VC-T) engine is under the bonnet, which we’ve already sampled in an early QX50 prototype (Issue 1,500). However, this is our first chance to see just how it behaves in what is virtually the finalised production car. The QX50 has undergone a complete transformation, with an all-new platform underpinning a clean-sheet design. Unlike its predecessor, which was based on the rear-drive G-series saloon, the new QX50 uses a transverse engine with either front…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy WE were pleasantly surprised by the Hyundai i30 Fastback when we tried it abroad late last year (Issue 1,502). Now we’ve had a first chance to drive this style-focused take on family transport in the UK, to see if it still makes sense. In fact, ‘making sense’ is something of an anomaly, because the Fastback’s only real hope of ending up on your driveway is the emotional appeal of how it looks. We’ll leave you to decide, but there’s no denying that the model has more kerb appeal than the regular i30. Our Fastback has a 138bhp 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine, and a six-speed manual gearbox. The 242Nm of torque kicks in around 2,000rpm, and it’ll rev happily to well beyond 4,000rpm. You’ll shift up sooner than that,…

WIN A KAROQ Like what you see? Find out how you could win a Karoq in our fantastic competition Page 66 Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk CAR buyers can’t get enough of SUVs, which is why every major maker is expanding its line-up in this rapidly growing area of the market. Latest to arrive on the scene is the new Skoda Karoq, a model which has an integral role to play in the firm’s long-term plan to significantly increase sales by 2025. More than that, though, it has a hard act to follow, replacing the much-loved Yeti as the company’s contender in the mid-size SUV class. With the Karoq now arriving in UK showrooms, we’ve produced this in-depth special report on what it takes to bring a cutting-edge SUV to the market. We’ve had…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor I JUST knew we’d get stopped. Call it gut instinct, but as we slowly trickle forwards towards the German border control behind a line of unassuming Austrian-registered Audis and BMWs, there’s a distinct feeling of inevitability about it. A British Skoda with a cameraman in the front seat, a video camera stuck to the windscreen and a photographer snapping on the back seats – not to mention the driver wearing brightly coloured trousers; even I would have stopped us simply because we look pretty dodgy. The next few minutes could determine if the road trip is over for good. Rewind 24 hours and we’re far happier. Snapper Nathan, videographer Ed and I have flown into Prague airport, been chauffeured in a Skoda Superb to Skoda’s hometown of Mlada…

Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle WE’VE already seen how much effort Skoda put into its new family SUV, but how different would it be if the car had been designed by some of the family members who’ll use it – the children, in particular? Here’s the answer. Called Kid Karoq, it was inspired by a survey of 1,000 under-11s commissioned by Skoda; and when, as part of the study, almost three quarters of them said they’d built their own cardboard creations, the company discovered its inner child. Keen for its own cardboard car, Skoda commissioned Liam Hopkins of Manchester-based designer Lazerian to build Kid Karoq, and it’s a work of art. It’s exactly the same shape and size as the real thing, and we can only marvel at the breathtaking attention to detail.…

THE rise of the small SUV continues unabated, as seen by the recent crop of mainstream models from Citroen, Hyundai, Kia and SEAT. However, the cars we’re testing here are a little different, because they all trade on their slightly more upmarket images thanks to the badges they wear. The newest is the Volkswagen T-Roc, which shares many components with the mainstream Golf hatchback. Still, VW’s more premium image means the T-Roc has to face some stiff competition in the form of the Audi Q2 and MINI Countryman crossovers here. All three are powered by downsized three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines, as is rapidly becoming the norm for cars like this in order to boost economy as diesel continues to attract bad press. Yet these supermini-based SUVs will have to do…

Running costs 41.1mpg £62 fill-up/£140 or 24% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 450/1,390 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 9.8 seconds/126mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 52.6/40.0/10.4m MODEL TESTED: MINI Countryman Cooper PRICE: £23,035 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 3cyl, 134bhp PURISTS might not like it, but the modern MINI brand has spawned a host of models underpinning its future beyond the regular hatch – and this Countryman is one of the most popular. It’s a great compact SUV that, in entry-level £23,035 Cooper guise, will give the VW a challenge. Design & engineering YOU’LL have noticed that the MINI is £1,910 more expensive than the T-Roc. But it gets sat-nav as standard, so once you’ve added that £1,130 option to the VW the difference is a more palatable £780 – although if you’re buying on PCP finance…

Running costs 31.2mpg (on test) £56 fill-up Performance 0-60mph/top speed 5.9 seconds/169mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 420/1,209 litres Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 46.3/31.8/10.8m THE Honda Civic Type R is a well established name in the world of hot hatchbacks, and this latest model is arguably the best version the brand has ever made. While some people might miss the screaming VTEC motors found in older cars, the current 2.0-litre turbo produces 316bhp and 400Nm of torque, which means performance is superb. In our track tests the Honda took 5.9 seconds to reach 60mph from a standstill, which was six tenths faster than the i30 N, but both returned incredible performance given traction was limited by the snow and ice on the ground. The really impressive statistic, however, is that the Type R…

Running costs 43.0mpg (on test) £78 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 560/1,665 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.6 seconds/137mph Otis Clay Otis_Clay@dennis.co.uk AT this time of year, I find that gloves are extremely useful when I’m working outdoors taking the pictures you see in the pages of Auto Express and on www.autoexpress.co.uk. It’s not just about the clothes you put on your hands, though. I also need a car that fits like a glove; something that ticks every box for practicality, space, fuel efficiency, comfort, ride quality and tech. Luckily for me, our new Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer is already looking like it will suit my needs very well. I have run many cars on our fleet over the years and each has been great in its own way. But every…

All the action from the world of motorsport Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk FORMULA E has revealed the first images of the radical new car its teams will use from the start of season five, commencing later on this year. The second-generation chassis incorporates a ‘halo’ head-protection device that will also be seen on this year’s Formula One cars, as well as fairings for the front and rear wheels. Having already been tested behind closed doors, it will appear in public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show next month, before making its race debut in late 2018, at the first round of the series’ fifth season. Uniquely, motorsport governing body the FIA was involved in the design of the car. A common package of ‘spec’ parts will be built by the…

• Posh coupé-SUV initially offered with diesel power only • Set to take the fight to Mercedes GLA in booming class Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan PREMIUM SUVs are one of the car industry’s biggest cash cows at the moment, which explains why the German ‘big three’ appear to be so obsessed with them. Mercedes has no less than seven SUVs in its range, with Audi and BMW not far behind – and all three have more on the way in the next 12 months. With the choice of conventional SUVs on the market already pretty saturated, this trio of brands is turning to the coupé-SUV niche – providing highriding cars with more svelte designs to appeal to a younger audience. And that’s where BMW’s latest model, the X2, comes in. We’ve driven…

BP will install electric vehicle charging points at some of its UK filling stations later this year as part of a new trial to see how conventional fuel forecourts can be integrated with EV charging requirements. The oil giant, which has more than 1,300 sites in this country, has invested $5million (approximately £3.5m) in FreeWire, a US firm specialising in rapid charging systems. BP will trial FreeWire’s Mobi Charger, which doesn’t need hardwiring, as with a conventional charging booth. It can be moved from one vehicle to another, supporting up to 10 EVs in a day at both normal and rapid charging rates. The company has yet to reveal how many of its UK forecourts will be part of the trial.…

LISTER, the British car company famous for the Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ D-Types of the fifties, is back with its most powerful model ever; the Thunder. It’s based on the Jaguar F-Type and only 99 examples are planned, each priced from £139,950. Power comes from Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8, but engineers have tweaked the powertrain to produce 666bhp, making this the most potent Lister ever produced. As such, the brand claims the Thunder is capable of 0-62mph in just over three seconds, with a top speed in excess of 200mph. The F-Type influence is clear to see but bespoke design tweaks have been made to the car inside and out. At the front, the transformation from Jaguar to Lister begins with a new carbon fibre front apron, complete with an extended front…

FORD has facelifted the Ka+, while also introducing a new Active-badged crossover version of its smallest car. Across the range, changes include a revised front apron with a new grille, new headlamps and new C-shaped daytime running lights. The rear bumper has been altered, too, while a SYNC 3-powered 6.5-inch tablet touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is now found in the cabin. Petrol engines switch from three to four cylinders, but remain at 1.2 litres with 69bhp and 84bhp options. And alongside them is a new 1.5-litre diesel motor that produces 94bhp and 215Nm of torque, and emits 99g/km of CO2. The new Ka+ Active joins a clutch of city car crossovers now on sale, and features rugged, SUV-inspired styling, unique 15-inch alloy wheels and a 23mm taller…

“The new engine isn’t the most sophisticated, especially hooked up to nine-speed auto box” IT was only a matter of weeks ago that Jeep pulled the wraps off its updated Cherokee at the Detroit Motor Show. Now we’ve been handed the keys to see if it can help boost the firm’s struggling sales in Europe. As the new Cherokee won’t arrive here until autumn, we travelled to California to try out a US-spec version. The most significant change is to the styling. All of the sheet metal ahead of the windscreen is new, with a higher bonnet line and more conventional lighting assemblies that give the Cherokee a close resemblance to the Grand Cherokee and the new Compass. Reshaping the front end also gave Jeep the opportunity to rework the…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods IT seems that there’s no escape from the crossover craze, and Kia’s Picanto X-Line is the latest small city car to join the niche and do an impression of an SUV. Compared with its main class rivals – the Vauxhall Viva Rocks, Fiat Panda City Cross and the Suzuki Ignis – there’s nothing out of the ordinary. The ride height has been raised by 15mm over a standard Picanto’s, while the X-Line also gets an off-road-inspired bodykit and some choice equipment additions. The Picanto is still waiting for Kia’s turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, so the brand’s larger, older 1.25-litre four-cylinder motor is retained here. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however, because the four-cylinder unit is impressively hushed, even when driven at motorway pace in fifth gear. Sadly,…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler “We’ve got a really exciting campaign where Paloma Faith will be not only performing in the advertisement, but recording the song that will be the soundtrack for our campaign”KIRSTEN STAGG “We’re seeing a lot of premium customers coming in and trading their cars for our cars, and they’re spending longer in the showrooms”KIRSTEN STAGG THE Karoq launches at a time when things are going very well for Skoda in the UK; 2017 was another record year with the launch of the Kodiaq paving the way for its smaller SUV sibling. But the Karoq enters one of the most fiercely competitive market classes and replaces a much-loved, iconic car that really helped to transform Skoda’s brand and fortunes: the Yeti. That’s one heck of a challenge, but one which…

Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk “It isn’t possible to have 100 different engine and gearbox variants. This would cost too much per carMARTIN HRDLICKA Head of chassis and powertrain development, Skoda” THE development of the engine and chassis of the Karoq was in extremely safe hands under the direction of Dr Martin Hrdlicka, who heads up the chassis and powertrain department at the company’s Czech base of Mlada Boleslav. Dr Hrdlicka is steeped in Skoda; his grandfather Karel was the firm’s first CEO in 1929, while his father Petr was responsible for developing the Favorit, the front-engined car which persuaded then Volkswagen CEO Dr Carl Hahn to buy the company back in 1991. Dr Hrdlicka acknowledges that his team had a significant role to play in the Karoq – “Maybe 60-65 per cent of…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer “We were keen to add value, so Edition trim has many options included”JAMES SNOWDEN Product marketing manager, Skoda UK” WE do certain things differently in the UK. From driving on the left-hand side of the road to our love of tech and gadgets, as well as practicality, Brits make for picky car buyers. So if you’re a manufacturer and want your new model to succeed here, you’d better have made some adjustments to suit our roads, as well as the driving and passenger habits UK motorists have. Skoda has done just that with the new Karoq. To find out how the Czech company has fine-tuned the SUV to suit the UK market, we spent time with James Snowden, Skoda UK’s product marketing manager. “The factory will prepare for…

Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan IT’S a situation we’ve all been in at some point: you’re driving along an unlit country lane at night, testing your eyesight to the limit to spot obstacles ahead. Then, out of nowhere, a cyclist with no lights on their bike and no reflective gear appears, intending to turn into your lane to cross the road. While the latest safety technology can often assist, whether or not you spot the obstacle in the first place is almost entirely down to your car’s headlights. Traditionally, most vehicles had regular halogen bulbs, with high-voltage xenon lights fitted on higher end models. In the past few years, though, LED tech has been filtering into the new car market. Usually the preserve of premium brands or a pricey option on more mainstream…

DID YOU KNOW? • The name Karoq comes from the language of the Alutiiq – a tribe native to Kodiaq island in Alaska. • It is available in SE, SE L and Edition trims, plus a fleet-focused SE Technology. All come equipped with LED rear lights, dual-zone climate control and alloy wheels as standard. • The mid-size SUV market in which the new Karoq competes is now the second biggest sector in the UK. • Karoqs are built alongside the Superb and Kodiaq in Skoda’s facility in Kvasiny, Czech Republic. At full capacity, the plant can build 280,000 vehicles a year. • Top-selling Karoq in the UK is expected to be the 1.5 TSI 150PS SE. The anticipated split between private and fleet sales is expected to be 60 per…

Running costs 41.9mpg £61 fill-up/£140 or 22% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 445/1,290 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 10.4 seconds/116mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 53.2/41.3/10.1m MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen T-Roc 1.0 TSI Design PRICE: £21,125 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 113bhp THE T-Roc is Volkswagen’s first attempt at an SUV to sit below its larger Tiguan. With sharp, typically VW styling, decent practicality and an efficient 1.0-litre TSI petrol turbo engine, in £21,125 Design trim we’re testing here, is it a contender? Design & engineering UNDER the skin, the T-Roc uses VW’s MQB platform – the same chassis that underpins the Golf with which this car shares much of its mechanical make-up. To that end, there’s a pair of MacPherson struts taking care of suspension at the front end, while the rear of this front-wheel-drive model…

Running costs 29.4mpg (on test) £61 fill-up Performance 0-60mph/top speed 6.5 seconds/155mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 381/1,287 litres Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 50.0/35.9/10.8m THE i30 N is Hyundai’s first proper attempt at a performance car, and it’s more than a solid effort. It’s a genuinely great hot hatch that can mix it with the best models in its class. The N in the name stands for two things: Nürburgring, the race track where the car was partly developed, and Namyang, Hyundai’s global R&D Centre in South Korea. The model’s development was overseen by Albert Biermann, former boss of BMW’s M Division, who reckons that if you can get a car to perform well at the notorious German circuit, then you can get it to perform well just about anywhere. There’s a 271bhp…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler THERE are times when only a Discovery will do and being without it can be a real inconvenience. I’ve spent rather too much time moving furniture recently and been amazed at how much I can squeeze into the back of my car. Short of a van, there’s not much else that can fit a large shelving unit and bed base in one go; it’s no surprise that Land Rover has just launched a Commercial version of the Disco. It’s not just about the space, though; it’s how easy it is to use it. Buttons in the boot control everything from the electrically powered rear seats going up and down (all controllable via the Land Rover app on my phone, too) to lowering the air suspension slightly to make…

THIS WEEK’S HOT KIT NEW PRODUCT MINI Yours Customised Price: From €49 (around £43) Contact: yours-customised.mini MINI buyers have always had an array of exterior and interior trims to choose from to make their car their own. But the brand has now taken personalisation to a new level, with the launch of MINI Yours Customised. It coincides with the introduction of the facelifted MINI three-door, five-door and Convertible, as we revealed in Issue 1,506. By simply visiting the website or their local dealer, customers can now design their own bespoke trim items to fit on their new car. They can personalise the sill plates, dash inserts, side indicator repeater inlays and, excitingly, the door mirror projection lamps. The inlays are crafted using 3D printing, and can be customised with a…

CO2/tax 137g/km £135 Running costs 54mpg (2.0 D4 AWD) £86 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.8 seconds/123mph WHEN Volvo introduced its first SUV in 2002 (the seven-seat XC90), the car proved a smash hit. The brand couldn’t make them quickly enough, so it was inevitable that for an encore a smaller, more affordable SUV would follow; and sure enough, that model arrived in 2008. The XC60 was engineered to typical Volvo standards and came packed with cutting-edge safety tech, so was another big success for the Swedish company. We’ve always liked the car in isolation, but the compact SUV market features some very talented choices, some of which put the Volvo in the shade. Still, as an overall package, the XC60 remains hugely likeable, and a worthy used buy. History THE…

Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle AFTER months of previews, teasers and spy shots, the wraps have finally come off the all-new Mercedes A-Class. According to the company, the premium hatch will bring new levels of luxury and technology to its class. The rival to the Volkswagen Golf will go on sale in March, priced from around £24,000, and be seen for the first time at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. One look at these pictures will tell you it’s still very obviously an A-Class, but with some subtle changes over the previous car: the bonnet slopes more sharply, the wheelarches are larger and the rear end looks wider than before. If you want revolution, rather than evolution, then look inside. The ground-breaking design features a pair of freestanding instrument panels and turbine-style air…

Sean_Carson@dennis.co.uk @sean_carson_ IF you’re a multi-millionaire wanting the latest plaything, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to cars. There are a number of track-only hypercar specials already out there or you could put your deposit down on a new Aston Martin Valkyrie, one of the latest arrivals. However, you might be even better served by one of Aston’s more esoteric offerings: the ‘brand new’ £1.8million DB4 G.T. ‘Brand new’ is a relative term, of course, because while this car was built only last year, its stunning hand-beaten lightweight aluminium body and the mechanicals underneath are a recreation of the marque’s famous racer from 1959. Legend has it the original 75-strong production run was always meant to extend to 100 units, so the 25 new cars planned by Aston use…

REMINDER letters can be useful things: being told when your car is due a service, MoT or other piece of scheduled maintenance can take some of the strain out of car ownership. However, one reminder sent to Auto Express reader Fred Parker by his local Renault dealer, Westover Salisbury, just left him confused. Fred’s garage sent him a letter telling him it was time to change the cambelt on his Renault ZOE, an electric car with no internal combustion engine, let alone a cambelt. Fred told us he wondered if the letter was an early attempt at an April Fool’s joke at first, before adding: “The letter states that the Renault-trained technicians know the car inside out, so where will they be putting the cambelt?” Fred also noticed the letter…

“The complex special effects have been planned right from the outset as an important element of the live show” Jordan_Katsianis@dennis.co.uk “The audience is taken on a journey by street racer Sophia and Agent Dawson, who are chasing a villain” IN Issue 1,503 we took you behind the scenes to reveal how the new Fast & Furious Live show was being put together, and in January, an incredible four years of planning came to fruition as London’s O2 Arena played host to the event. So we went along to find out whether it had all been worthwhile, and see if there were any opening-night nerves. The show includes live-action street racing, plenty of tyre smoke and even part of a submarine. But before all that, the night begins with Fast &…

“DS 7’s 2.0-litre diesel serves up decent punch with 400Nm of torque” Running costs 57.6mpg (official) £66 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.9 seconds/134mph James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “It’s best to stick the DS 7 into Comfort mode and enjoy the decent ride at cruising speed” WITH its first compact SUV, DS is leaping right into the premium end of the market. The DS 7 Crossback is a vital new car for the company and this is our first opportunity to drive it in the UK. Branded an ‘avant-garde’ alternative to the likes of the Range Rover Evoque and Audi Q3, the DS 7 also has the likes of the BMW X1, Jaguar E-Pace and Volvo XC40 to contend with. With such strong competition, the newcomer needs to stand out to avoid being…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.5 seconds/199mph Running costs 24.8mpg (official) £110 fill-up Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE “The turbo V8 engine happens to be one of the best engines of its type in any car” UNTIL Ferrari’s SUV lands at the end of next year the GTC4 Lusso T, driven here for the first time on UK roads, is about as practical as cars get from the famous Italian brand. The GTC4 Lusso T – the T stands for the turbocharged V8 engine under the bonnet – sits below the flagship V12 model and is aimed at buyers looking for a more versatile sports car. This 3.9-litre twin-turbo is closely related to the V8 engine used in the California T and 488 GTB, although here it produces 602bhp and 760Nm of torque. So it’s…

“It was almost designed side by side with the Kodiaq. We had a clear message which direction to go, which made things easier”KARL NEUHOLD Head of exterior design, Skoda Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk WHEN discussing the design of Skoda’s new Karoq, it is impossible to ignore the influence of two different cars from the Czech manufacturer. The first is the Yeti, the hugely popular crossover that proved a great success with buyers, particularly here in the UK, where it topped Auto Express’s Driver Power owner satisfaction survey on three separate occasions. The second is the Kodiaq, the Karoq’s bigger brother, which was launched to huge acclaim last year and named Best Large SUV at our 2017 New Car Awards. As with the cars themselves, their influence was wildly contrasting. Put simply, the Karoq,…

“I’m impressed. The infotainment screen is better placed than the screen in my YetiGRAHAM HAYES” Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths THE Karoq is an all-new model for Skoda, but it has some big, Yetishaped boots to fill. As Skoda’s firstever SUV, the Yeti developed a loyal band of followers, and quickly became a favourite in our Driver Power surveys. It topped our satisfaction poll overall in 2012, 2013 and 2014, then returned to take the crown in our first Driver Power used car survey last year. Despite its age, it’s clearly lost none of the star qualities that first helped it to make an impact. As the Yeti’s replacement, the Karoq carries over some of these qualities. For starters, it’s practical, but there’s now a bigger boot due to the new SUV’s longer…

“The VarioFlex seating system gives the Karoq class-leading practicality” Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer ‘SIMPLY Clever’ is one of Skoda’s marketing slogans, and when you spend time in one of the brand’s cars you’ll quickly notice there’s plenty of truth behind the words. The company is known for its range of clever approaches to improving practicality; everything from umbrellas stuffed inside doors to shopping bag hooks in the boot. The new Karoq continues the theme. Like its Yeti predecessor, it comes with Skoda’s ingenious VarioFlex seating system that gives it class-leading practicality, plus a whole host of other innovative features. To see just how versatile the cabin is, I met up with two of my friends, keen hikers James Turner and Minna Chang, who’ve spent lots of time perfecting the art of loading…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer “I’ll ask customers a few questions about the kind of needs they have for a car, before going into the studioMONIQUE TAYLOR-MORRIS Skoda Live Tour product host IT’S no secret the car industry is slowly going digital. From ride sharing apps to mobile mechanics, manufacturers are gradually evolving the way we buy and own cars thanks to some clever technology. Last April, Skoda became the first maker in the UK to launch an online showroom where potential buyers are given live walking tours of a car they’re interested in by product hosts using a real-time video feed, called Live Tour. Interestingly, the Karoq has become a cornerstone behind the success of Live Tour, helping it move from a pilot project to a permanent part of Skoda’s sales strategy.…

OVER the previous 31 pages, you’ve read all about the development process of the new Karoq as we’ve charted its journey from the sketch pad to the test track to the showroom. Now, how do you fancy getting your hands on the exciting newcomer for six months? That’s what’s on offer for the lucky winner of our competition – and even better, Skoda will cover the cost of your insurance, too. The model on offer is a white 1.5-litre TSI petrol-engined car with the DSG gearbox, and comes in the same SE L specification as the Karoq pictured here. Entering couldn’t be easier; simply log on to our website at the address below, and follow the instructions. To enter go to: autoexpress.co.uk/win-a-karoq Terms & conditions apply. See online for full…

Running costs 39.4mpg £61 fill-up/£140 or 22% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 405/1,050 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 9.9 seconds/122mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 50.1/39.6/9.3m MODEL TESTED: Audi Q2 1.0 TFSI SE PRICE: £21,660 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 114bhp AUDI’S quest to pursue as many SUV markets as possible was bolstered by the Q2. It’s a compact crossover that’s at its best when fitted with the firm’s 1.0-litre TFSI petrol turbo engine, which is the model we’re testing here. In SE trim (our images show a mid-spec Sport) it costs from £21,660. Design & engineering IT may look different, but much of the Audi’s DNA is shared with the VW T-Roc – and when the two are parked side-by-side this is obvious, with both cars featuring angled C-pillars and similar overall proportions. The Q2…

HYUNDAI might not be a company that springs to mind in the context of performance cars, even though it’s enjoyed some success in world rallying over the years. And yet here we are, putting the Korean brand’s new hot hatch, the i30 N Performance, up against one of our favourite fast five-doors in the shape of the Honda Civic Type R. The i30 N is part of a push by Hyundai to challenge the performance car establishment, and it’s gunning for the top. The Honda is our current favourite choice in this market with its incredible combination of agility, straight-line pace and everyday usability. If the newcomer wants to rise to the top it has to beat the best, which is why it’s paired against the Honda here. With decades…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.9 seconds/115mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 251/959 litres Running costs 50.5mpg (on test) £42 fill-up Sean Carson Sean_Carson@dennis.co.uk @sean_carson_ “You can make the most of the handling in town or on a country road” I’M not prone to outbursts of emotion and teary goodbyes aren’t usually my thing, but I’ve recently had to wave farewell to the Volkswagen up! we’ve had on our fleet, and its departure has left a city car-sized hole in my life. You see, I’ve become rather attached to the little Volkswagen over the months it’s been housed in my garage, because it’s so incredibly easy to live with. You expect visibility to be good in a city car, and although this three-door model isn’t quite as practical as its five-door sibling, the…

New and used buying advice from our team of experts 2017 Results Ford Fiesta Factfile Years: 2009 to 2017 CO2: 133g/km Fuel economy: 49.6mpg (1.25 81bhp) Best options: Cruise control, alloy wheels, heated windscreen, USB Used prices: From £3,300 OVERALL SCORE 88.89% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2017 new car survey. The longer the bar the better • GOOD “THE Fiesta is the most agile and responsive car I have ever driven.” “There are plenty of cubbies inside; I could never fill all of them!” “Doors shut with a reassuring thud, and paintwork looks great.” “The EcoBoost engine is very responsive and sounds great, too.” “For a small car, head and legroom are decent for four adults.” “It is so good to drive it reminds…