Innholdsfortegnelse for 1511 i Auto Express

WHILE many purists will cry foul when new performance models are launched with a faster, more efficient auto box in place of a manual shift, most car buyers don’t seem to mind at all. Crawling over the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, we discovered that back in 2012, 506,720 cars were registered with automatic gearboxes (be that standard autos, CVTs or semi-automatics). Five years on and the stats for autos in 2017 have more than doubled to 1,016,516. Sure, over that time, registrations rose, too. But at that rate, it won’t be too long before the sales of autos overtake those of manual cars. Especially as we see a rapid increase in the popularity of hybrid and fully electric cars – all of which are…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THE Mercedes C-Class ended 2017 as the UK’s eighth best-selling car overall; now the German brand has revealed the first details on the heavily revised version of the car that will go on sale here in the second half of this year. The C-Class features a range of new infotainment and connectivity, along with fresh engines, but it stays on the same platform as before, so the car’s styling gets a subtle evolution instead of any major changes. There are new bumpers, plus revised headlights and tail-lamps. The standard mix at the front will be halogen lights with LED daytime running lights, but a full-LED set-up will be available as an option. There will also be a couple of possible display configurations in the front cabin. The first…

MITSUBISHI could soon have the ability to offer a diesel version of its new Eclipse Cross family SUV – but the UK importer is “evaluating” whether it could be worth offering it, given the current market swing towards petrol. The car is being launched with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine. Mitsubishi UK’s marketing boss Toby Marshall told Auto Express that a diesel – in effect, a detuned version of the Outlander’s 2.2-litre motor – is under development. But he added: “We’re looking at it, but we need to decide if the market conditions are still there for it. “You have to suspect that the dip in diesel sales will bottom out and that there will be a return for the right kind of diesel engine, in the right kind of…

“Fresh look brings new mesh grille and chrome around LED headlights” FOLLOWING on from the unveiling of the facelifted 6 saloon at the Los Angeles Motor Show last year, Mazda has released these images of its fresh 6 Tourer estate. The car will be revealed in full at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Unsurprisingly, the updates mirror those seen on the four-door. That means a slightly refreshed exterior design, with a new mesh grille and chrome detailing around the car’s new LED headlights. Inside, the changes are on a much larger scale; the dashboard design has been overhauled with a simpler look featuring more plain surfaces, alongside new switchgear and fresh seats. There’s also a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system and an optional seven-inch TFT display in the instrument…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer LEARNER drivers could soon face new restrictions after passing their test, according to the Prime Minister. Responding to a question about the high accident rates among young and recently-passed drivers at Prime Minister’s Questions, Theresa May said she will “look at” introducing a ‘graduated licensing system’ in Britain, and will ask the Department for Transport to do the same. May added: “Too many people suffer loss and tragedy at the hands of learner drivers in these circumstances and we will certainly look at that [a graduated licensing system].” Current figures show that one in four young drivers is involved in an accident within two years of passing their test. Each year also sees around 400 deaths and serious injuries involving young drivers. Tiered licence systems that place limitations…

THE Jaguar D-Type is to be given a new lease of life with 25 new examples of the iconic racer to be produced. Production of the D-Type ceased in 1956, after only 75 of the planned 100 models had been built. The remaining 25 will all be made by JLR Classics, each taking 7,000 hours to build and carrying a price tag of around £1million. The new D-Types will be recreated exactly to Jaguar’s original specification, including a power output of around 250bhp from a six-cylinder engine and a potential top speed of 190mph.…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.5 seconds/199mph mail@autoexpress.co.uk “Body roll is virtually non-existent, no matter how fast you aim it into a corner” IT might not have been the most revered car in Ferrari’s line-up, nor the fastest, but the V8-engined California T was still an exceedingly desirable sports car all the same. Now Ferrari has improved its front-engined, rear-wheel-drive roadster, giving it a new name 10 years after the original California T was first seen. Welcome to the all-new £166,180, 199mph Ferrari Portofino. Boasting yet more power and torque from its 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 (591bhp and 760Nm), the Portofino also has a new lightweight retractable hard-top, a bigger boot, roomier rear seats, a fresh electronic differential and a brand new chassis with revised suspension. It’s 80kg lighter than the California T,…

Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle “On the motorway or sweeping main roads, the Evoque is a very pleasant companion” THE Range Rover Evoque has been one of the most desirable SUVs in the UK since it was launched in 2011, and Land Rover has wisely tinkered only slightly with its looks. Instead, the most major changes are under the skin. The engines, in particular, have been a focus of the company’s attention, with its range of Ingenium units being introduced. The latest to join the line-up is the range-topping SD4 diesel, with two turbochargers helping it to produce a hefty 237bhp and 500Nm. It’s the first time Land Rover has used this ‘series-sequential boosting’ system, with the smaller turbo helping at low revs, and the larger second turbo joining in at higher engine…

Running costs 42.0mpg £51 fill-up/£140 or 18% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 292/1,093 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 9.9 seconds/113mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 45.1/33.7/9.8m MODEL TESTED: Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost 100 Zetec 5dr PRICE: £15,895 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 99bhp FOR the best part of a decade the Ford Fiesta has been Britain’s best-selling car, and the arrival of an all-new model last year did nothing to dent the popularity of the famous nameplate. Yet competition is fierce in the supermini sector, so six months after its launch, is the Fiesta still a contender? The £15,895 1.0 EcoBoost 100 Zetec five-door model fights it out against the latest Polo here for honours. Design & engineering AS with the Polo and the Ibiza, this latest eighth-generation Fiesta has grown in size to offer buyers…

IF you’re a petrolhead looking for a mix of ultimate performance and family-friendly practicality, cars like the new Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo and the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Estate fit the bill. These two models blend estate practicality with sports car performance and agility to deliver thrills that don’t impact usability. The Sport Turismo retains the standard Panamera’s basic formula: it’s a fast, comfortable and spacious car, but adds an extra touch of practicality and style with the bigger boot and longer roofline. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Estate is more of a conventional load-lugger in design, but this is the hottest version yet, boasting supercar levels of performance. Both cars use twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8s and four-wheel-drive transmissions, but can Porsche’s newcomer defeat the Mercedes? Porsche Panamera With…

Running costs 46.0mpg (on test) £40 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 204/1,086 litres Darren_Wilson@dennis.co.uk AFTER 10 months on the fleet, our Ignis has returned to Suzuki, and we are already missing it. Over the best part of a year, the car has proven itself to be so much more than an unusually cute-looking small SUV. My family liked the Ignis from the start, but the longer we ran the car for, the further we fell for its ‘park anywhere’ dimensions, clever interior and fuel-sipping engine. Our top-spec SZ5 had all-wheel drive (a front-wheel-drive version is also available, saving £1,000) and came with loads of kit as standard. Keyless entry and go, climate control, sat-nav, lane departure warning, hill descent control, autonomous braking and a reversing camera were my highlights. It’s…

New and used buying advice from our team of experts 73rd PLACE YOUR VIEWS ON YOUR CARS 2017 Results C4 Cactus Factfile Years: 2014 to present CO2: 105g/km Fuel economy: 61.4mpg (PureTech 82) Best options: Front armrest, sat-nav, reversing camera, alloys, panoramic roof Used prices: From £6,000 OVERALL SCORE 86.68% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2017 new car survey. The longer the bar the better • GOOD “THE Cactus looks like nothing else on the road, and I love that.” “Front seats are big, comfy and sofa-like.” “My wife is six-foot tall and finds the rear seats spacious.” “The push-out rear windows add to its child-friendly nature.” “It handles rough roads well and cruises nicely on the motorway.” “My petrol Cactus has impressed me by…

Kia Cee’d Cee’d 1.6 CRDi GT-Line Years: 2015 to date Engine: 1.6-litre 4cyl, 134bhp Ins group: 14 Official econ/CO2: 67.3mpg/109g/km Why? Kia combines sporty looks and strong performance with cheap running costs. Prices from: £10,995 THE second-generation Cee’d was a key car for Kia. Next to the original, it’s far more stylish and upmarket, and hints at the brand’s recent push upmarket. The 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engine produces 134bhp, making it the most powerful choice out of this trio, and the group 14 insurance rating – even for this sporty GT-Line model – means annual premiums should be the lowest here. An excellent fifth-place finish in our Driver Power 2017 new car satisfaction survey adds to the Kia’s credentials. Alfa Romeo Giulietta Giulietta 1.6 JTDM-2 Super Years: 2010 to date…

• Kona-inspired looks for tech-packed premium seven-seater • UK models to get new engine when they arrive in the autumn James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “Teaser shot hints at short, raking back window, while inside, Hyundai says new, horizontal-style dash is developed to create a premium feel” AN all-new version of Hyundai’s flagship SUV, the Santa Fe, will be the Korean manufacturer’s headline act at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The marque claims the newcomer is larger, more spacious and safer than the model it replaces, and it will arrive in UK showrooms later in the autumn. It’s a car our spy photographers have spotted several times over the previous 12 months, but more recently Hyundai has been open and official about the latest version of its flagship SUV. These first official…

“As before, the new X4 is based on the X3, but trades some of that car’s practicality for coupé-like styling” Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle WE’RE in the middle of a flood of BMW X-cars. Hot on the heels of last year’s new X3 comes the all-new X4 – and we’ve still got the X7 to come. This is the second generation of the X4 – a rival for the Mercedes GLC Coupé – and, like its predecessor, it’s based on the X3, but trades some of that car’s practicality for coupé-like styling. It’ll be seen in the flesh for the first time at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Yet as these pictures show, the X4’s genes are obvious from the front, with the grille, bumper and LED headlights all identical to the…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn POLESTAR, the new standalone performance brand of Volvo, has signalled its intention to take on Tesla with its next model, the Polestar 2. The compact saloon, expected to be based on the Volvo 40.2 concept (above), will be revealed towards the end of next year and priced from 40,000 Euros (£35,000) according to company boss Thomas Ingenlath. The Polestar 2 will be a fully electric vehicle and is set to be based on the same platform that underpins the new Volvo XC40 SUV. Speaking to Auto Express, Polestar chief executive officer Ingenlath said: “Polestar 2 will join the competition with Tesla Model 3, so people should have an understanding of the size and the price tag as well. It will start around 40,000 Euros (£35,000). “We are not…

MERCEDES’ glut of new models isn’t just reserved for its passenger car range, because an all-new Sprinter van has been revealed. And a fully electric eSprinter will be launched for the first time. As before the Sprinter will be offered with a wide range of body, chassis and seating options to suit every kind of business requirement. It goes on sale in the UK in June. Compared with its predecessors, there’s a more distinct angle between the bonnet and the upright windscreen, but the large grille with vast centrally mounted three-pointed star remains in place, just with a smoother face. The Sprinter’s new shape is designed to bring the cab forward to help boost carrying capacity in the back. In addition, Mercedes is now offering front and rear-wheel-drive options on…

SOUND quality is important for many buyers, which is why some opt for cars stuffed with speakers to get the best experience. Nick Holliday from Carlisle, Cumbria, got in touch after he found out that half the speakers in his mother’s new SE-spec Audi Q2 were dummies. Nick told us his mum ordered the car from Carlisle Audi, but after a while noticed that the sound balance was off. “We learned that only the front speakers were playing music, with no sound coming from the back,” he said. Looking at the spec sheet for the car, Nick noticed that the Q2 comes with four ‘passive’ speakers and four active speakers. “What was odd is that all four active speakers were in the front, with none in the back,” he added.…

“ Only hint at the car’s secrecy is a set of stickers glued to the new Union flag-inspired light clusters” Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “After a few laps of the LA streets, we’ve got a selection of moving shots in the bag” WHEN a new car appears in the pages of Auto Express, it’s easy to take for granted the months of intense planning that have gone into creating, finalising and distributing the suite of high-definition images and assets to the world’s media. Shooting a brand new model in broad daylight in some of the busiest places on the planet isn’t easy, after all. Subtlety is the name of the game, but remaining inconspicuous with an entourage of camera cars and security guards poses its own challenges. You might think new cars…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.3 seconds/127mph Running costs 42.8mpg (off icial) £76 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 314-448/653 litres John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy “Our First Edition is based on range-topping 4 spec, but with natty red paint and floor mats” THERE’S plenty of optimism at Mitsubishi these days. The Japanese brand is now part of the same Alliance as Renault and Nissan, potentially allowing it to develop new models more easily. And then there’s the fact that more and more customers are turning towards SUVs – exactly the type of vehicle that Mitsubishi has traditionally specialised in. Enter the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, then, a model that sits between the smaller ASX and the Outlander, as a rival for the likes of the SEAT Ateca, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage. The Eclipse Cross really…

THIS current generation of superminis marks yet another evolutionary step in the history of the class, offering even more space and practicality alongside improved infotainment systems and better efficiency. The latest Ford Fiesta and SEAT Ibiza have been around since the middle of last year, and now it’s the turn of a new Volkswagen Polo to hit UK showrooms, where the battle of the compact hatchbacks will be fought. And with more than 500,000 superminis registered in this country every year, to be crowned champion of this sector brings big bragging rights, not to mention lucrative returns on the development budgets these manufacturers have invested in what is one of the most important areas of the market. However, the Polo has its work cut out because the class is more…

Running costs 44.0mpg £49 fill-up/£140 or 20% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 355/823 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 9.9 seconds/113mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 48.6/32.8/10.3m MODEL TESTED: SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TSI 95 FR PRICE: £16,015 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 94bhp SEAT went from an also-ran in the supermini sector to a class contender when the brand’s fifth-generation Ibiza launched mid-way through 2017. In £16,015 1.0 TSI 95 FR trim as tested here (our pictures show an SE model), it’s the priciest car here by a small margin, but it could be the best value, too. Design & engineering IN FR trim the Ibiza gets a more generous level of equipment than its rivals here, including standard sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control and autonomous braking. Extras tend to be cheaper, too. Wireless…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.9 seconds/126mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 478/1,267 litres Running costs 44.1mpg (on test) £56 fill-up Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “A 30-second solution eliminated the AEB’s flashing lights and warning beeps” WE’VE come to the end of our time with our Honda Civic, and I’ll be sad to see it go. But one thing I won’t miss is its over-sensitive AEB system. Our car spent much of its time commuting in and out of central London, and even at walking speeds the Civic’s bright orange accident warning trigger flashed at every opportunity. It was infuriatingly premature, in fact, beeping furiously even when I was fully aware of the car in front. But I understand these systems are there to maximise safety – and if the worst did occur, I’d be…

NEW PRODUCT Sakura 7500mAh Jump Starter Price: £79.99 Contact: www.saxon-brands.com ACCESSORY specialist Sakura has leapt into the fast-growing mini jump starter market with this new 7500mAh unit. As with rival products in this sector, it can also be used as a power bank to revive mobile phones, tablets and the like. Sakura says the lithium-ion polymer battery is powerful enough to start petrol engines of up to 3.5 litres or diesels with a maximum capacity of 2.0 litres, and it comes with low-resistance pure copper cables to maximise power. Peak power is 400Amp with a 200Amp starting current, there’s built-in circuit protection in case a wrong connection is made and it’s said to be drop-proof from a metre. For charging electronic kit there is a 2.1Amp USB socket, which has…

THE new Santa Fe won’t be Hyundai’s only Geneva show star; an all-electric version of the new Kona compact SUV will also take to the stage. Previewed in this hazy teaser image, it’s the first of three new EVs the brand plans to introduce before 2022; sales of the all-electric Kona will commence in Europe this summer. Hyundai is targeting a maximum range of 292 miles, and promises a ‘fun-to-drive’ character, as well as its latest driver assistance technologies.…

“Nissan’s interiors are set to change dramatically, and soon” NISSAN is set to beef up its interior design budget so future cars can better compete in an increasingly autonomous world where customers will care more about their cabins than in the past. The new boss of the brand’s European design centre, Mamoru Aoki, told Auto Express that Nissan’s interiors are set to change dramatically, and soon. “From 2020 it will be the real autonomous and electric vehicle era, so at that time I think we will not continue the current design direction,” he said. “Before, EV competition was small, but now it is much greater, so appearance is more important. Tesla is here already, so we have to compete.” With future customers spending more time not driving they are more…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods A NEW, facelifted Skoda Fabia has arrived for 2018, with a public debut planned for next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The supermini will share the stage with the brand’s centrepiece in Switzerland, the Vision X concept, which previews a new baby SUV from Skoda. The updated third-generation Fabia arrives four years into the current car’s lifespan, but has to compete with two all-new class rivals: the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo (tested on Page 36). On the surface, the most obvious design change is a set of new, slimmer headlights, while LED headlamps and tail-lights are available. New alloys have arrived, too, including 18-inch options. Skoda is keeping the interior under wraps for now, but promises a revised instrument cluster and refreshed trim. A Swing 6.5-inch colour touchscreen…

THE number of drink-drive casualties has hit a four-year high, new figures reveal. Provisional estimates released by the Department for Transport (DfT) show there were 9,050 drink-drive casualties in Britain in 2016, the highest on record since 2012. The seven per cent rise over 2015 is the biggest increase since 2001, and includes 240 deaths and 1,260 seriously injured cases. The 240 fatalities also represent the first rise in drink-drive deaths in four years. According to the DfT figures, drivers aged 20 were most likely to be involved in a drink-drive accident. Motoring groups have voiced concern that growing numbers of drink-drivers are able to escape punishment due to a lack of traffic police on the road. Pete Williams, RAC road safety spokesman, said: “The police need resources to robustly…

“Royston quickly noticed a distinct vibration through the SUV’s cabin between 68mph and 72mph” “Jaguar maintained it was a characteristic of the car, and not a manufacturing fault” EVEN if everything else in a new car works perfectly, small vibrations can soon become annoying. Just ask Royston Morgan, from Bramcote, Nottingham. He contacted Auto Express after a driveline vibration in both the Jaguar F-Paces he owned was deemed by the company to be a characteristic of the car. Royston bought a new F-Pace 2.0D Portfolio back in July 2016, but quickly noticed a distinct vibration through the cabin between 68mph and 72mph. His dealer, Stratstone Nottingham, had the car in for four days, modifying the rear suspension, but Royston told us the problem failed to go away. This, on top…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.7 seconds/155mph Running costs 48.7mpg (official) £76 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 535/1,390 litres Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan TRADITIONAL three-box saloons are gradually losing market share, as new car buyers flock to the variety of more ‘on-trend’ bodystyles available. SUVs are, of course, all the rage, but four-door coupés are also becoming increasingly desirable. The German car makers are never slow to capitalise on a new market niche, and Audi’s second generation A7 Sportback has beaten the new version of its rival, the Mercedes CLS, to showrooms. The A7 is the second Audi, after the rather straight-laced new A8, to be penned from the start by design boss Marc Lichte, and clearly he’s been allowed to be a bit more expressive here. It appears far more athletic in profile…

“i3s has 181bhp to standard car’s 168bhp. There’s also 270Nm of torque instead of i3’s 250Nm” Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.7 seconds/99mph Electric motor Power/official range 181bhp/174 miles Andy_Pringle@dennis.co.uk @AndyMoshPringle “While i3s still feels firm, it’s more balanced and better controlled than the standard car” ARGUABLY it was Tesla that introduced today’s car buyer to the concept of a high-performance electric vehicle, but now BMW’s city car is getting in on the act. As part of revisions to the i3 range, a more powerful version of the car has been launched in the UK. Just like the standard variant, the new i3s is available as a full-electric model and a range-extender hybrid. As well as the stronger motor, it comes with its own chassis set-up. The headline figures are that the…

Running costs 43.4mpg £49 fill-up/£140 or 19% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 355/1,125 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 10.2 seconds/116mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 48.3/35.8/10.6m MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 95 SE PRICE: £15,930 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 94bhp THIS sixth-generation Volkswagen Polo enters the crowded supermini sector offering even more space, usability and tech than its predecessor. But at £15,930 in 1.0 TSI 95 SE trim we’re testing (our pictures show a beats edition), it’s also pricier than ever, plus more expensive than its rivals. Is it worth the extra? Design & engineering GIVEN that the VW Group owns SEAT, the new Polo shares plenty with its sister brand’s supermini, the Ibiza. Under the skin the Polo is based on the group’s MQB A0 small car platform, which has helped both vehicles…

Running costs 27.9mpg (on test) £109 fill-up Performance 0-60mph/30-70mph 3.2/2.4 seconds Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 520/1,390 litres Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 42.9/29.1/10.1m THE standard Panamera is Porsche’s take on a practical, comfortable sports saloon. But this new Sport Turismo version means it’s finally able to cut it with a genuine hot estate like the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S, thanks to its extra luggage space and seating for five people – although it’s actually not that much more practical than the regular car. It’s also not as powerful as the E 63, with 542bhp to the Mercedes’ 604bhp. Yet in our performance tests, the Porsche’s superb PDK transmission with its amazingly effective launch control system and a slightly lower kerbweight ensured that the two models were very close. The Porsche took just 3.2…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.1 seconds/174mph mail@autoexpress.co.uk TAKING an old sofa to the tip isn’t something you see many mega hatches being used for – but our RS3 Sportback seemed a perfect tool for the job. It swallowed the lot with no problem whatsoever; although we’d have struggled had we been running an RS3 Saloon. And in a way, this demonstrates perfectly the impressive flexibility of the five-door model. That’s because it can carry a sofa but also sprint down a B-road like few other cars at this price, thanks to its 395bhp five-cylinder turbo engine and much-improved chassis. There are other reasons why I like the RS3 Sportback, however, not least of which is its ability to eat up motorway journeys. Take my recent trip to Aston Martin’s headquarters in…

NEW PRODUCT BPme smartphone app Price: Free Available on: Android, iOS OIL giant BP has launched a new smartphone app that will allow drivers to use their mobile phone to pay for fuel at their local BP station. The BPme app is available for Android and iOS devices, and automatically recognises when a driver pulls on to a BP forecourt. Motorists can use it to select the pump number they’re at and the amount to spend on fuel. The app will then give a signal to unlock the fuel pump allowing drivers to step outside and begin fuelling. BP says that the order and payment can be conducted inside the car, and is asking drivers to leave phones inside vehicles. Users can also automatically link their BPme account to their Nectar…

Running costs 52.3mpg (2.0 TDI 140) £75 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 11.1 seconds/124mph WHEN Skoda started to work with the VW Group in 1991, the Czech firm was the butt of endless jokes. No one could understand why one of the world’s slickest car makers would team up with a manufacturer from the other side of the old Iron Curtain. But the partnership has been an incredible success at every stage. Nowhere is this more evident than with Skoda’s biggest and plushest car, the Superb. Borrowing a name first used by the company in the thirties, the first modern-day Superb (launched in 2001) was impressive, but the Mk2 (from 2008) was even more so, with its mix of VW quality, market-leading value and the most spacious cabin in its class,…

FORMER Manor and Sauber Formula One driver Pascal Wehrlein will return to the DTM German touring-car series with Mercedes this season, after failing to secure a place on the 2018 F1 grid. The 23-year-old German became the series’ youngest-ever champion in 2015 before graduating to F1, and says he remains focused on returning to grand prix racing in the long term. “I’ve got some terrific memories of the DTM, not least because of my title win,” he said. “A lot has changed in the DTM since my last race, but I like a challenge and can hardly wait to try out our new car on track.” This will be Mercedes’ final year in the DTM before it switches focus to Formula E. The rest of its 2018 line-up includes series…