Innholdsfortegnelse for 1516 i Auto Express

IT’S always an exciting time when we put together our round-up of the hottest new cars that are on the way to showrooms in the next 12 months and beyond. But this guide, which starts on Page 39, feels that little bit more special. It’s bigger, for starters; 12 months ago we downloaded 109 vehicles from our journalists’ notepads and interview transcripts. This time, we’ve had to cram in 125. They’re not all SUVs, either (thank goodness) – a sign that buyers of conventional hatchbacks and saloons are going to have plenty of new metal to choose from in the months ahead, too. But it’s the variety of the powertrains underneath the 125 cars that’s most interesting – because it proves how good the car industry is at reinventing itself…

“The new GSi should be more affordable for younger buyers to insure” John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is our first look at the reborn Vauxhall Corsa GSi, a car that will aim to offer a performance image on a budget when it goes on sale in late autumn. The GSi is based on the three-door Corsa, but it gets chassis modifications and sports styling add-ons. Its front end is dominated by larger air intakes and a honeycomb grille, while there are sill extensions along the flanks and a sizeable rear spoiler beefs up the look at the rear, along with a chrome exhaust. Under the skin, the GSi has the same suspension and brakes as the Corsa VXR, with firmer springs and retuned dampers, and it sits on 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside,…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram AUDI has confirmed that it’ll build an electrified four-door GT car from 2020, based on the same platform as the forthcoming Porsche Mission E. Called the Audi e-tron Gran Turismo, the all-new EV will join the upcoming e-tron and e-tron Sportback early in the coming decade. The “sporty spearhead” was announced at Audi’s Annual Press Conference in Ingolstadt last week, along with detailed information on the manufacturer’s positive 2017 financial results. The single image (above) shows a sleek, low, four-door coupé. It gets a squat stance, huge wheels and a small glasshouse, while the nose is dominated by deep air intakes. The cabin is likely to focus around an updated version of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit display, as well as the A8’s dual-screen infotainment. The company says its new…

“He has been a loyal customer for almost two decades, but has now lost faith in the garage” IF a faulty car proves impossible to fix, Auto Express readers often say it’s hard to know what to do next. Should they sell it on and wrestle with their guilty conscience later? To some, the answer is yes. One Vauxhall Vivaro owner, who asked not to be identified, told us that the creaking noise in the driver’s seat of his 16-plate van was driving him crazy. But after a dozen trips to his dealer, T Wall Vauxhall in Kingswinford, West Midlands, for a variety of failed repairs, the garage eventually swapped the entire seat and mounting with one from another Vivaro on its forecourt. Our reader, from Wolverhampton, said: “I reluctantly…

Running costs 62.8mpg (official) £60 fill-up James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “The new suspension hits back at potholes impressively to deliver a cosseted ride” WHEN the Citroen C4 Cactus was launched in 2014, it was classed as a crossover. But this new, updated version is intended to fill a gap left in the Citroen line-up by the C4 hatchback. With the VW Golf rival gone, and a new one still a few years away, the fresh C4 Cactus will carry out a new role for the firm as a compact family car. The C4 Cactus’s ride height remains exactly the same, but the car’s looks are quite different. With the Aircrossbranded models now firmly positioned as Citroen’s SUV offerings, the Airbump panels of the Cactus have been reduced to lining the bottom of…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.6 seconds/202mph Running costs 26.2mpg (off icial) £81 fill-up Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “After some lag, the turbos spool and offer seemingly endless power to the red line” ALPINA has been fettling BMWs for decades. Despite delivering a more refined edge to some of the brand’s brasher models, the tuner’s take is different, offering an alternative to cars such as the all-new M5. The newest Alpinas to join the range are the 5 Series-based B5 and D5 cars. We drove the diesel variant in the UK in February (Issue 1,512), but now we’ve been given the keys to the firm’s BiTurbo petrol B5 in more practical Touring guise. The car in these pictures is in fact a customer car rather than a press demo – because there are only…

Performance 0-60mph/top speed 5.8 seconds/106mph Running costs 18.5mpg (off icial) £103 fill-up James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor THE Land Rover Defender is back – but before you get excited and start waving your Union flag with patriotic fervour, it’s not quite as simple as that. To celebrate Land Rover’s 70th birthday, the brand has launched a run of limited-edition Works Defenders. A series of late-2015/2016 cars has been acquired for a last hurrah – each vehicle taken apart piece by piece at JLR Classic’s facility in Ryton, Warwickshire. Classic has squashed in a Range Rover’s 5.0 petrol V8. Despite losing that car’s supercharger, the 400bhp Works Defender is a far cry from the 2.2 diesels that last left Solihull two years ago. To cope with the power, the car has been heavily tweaked.…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.1 seconds/119mph Practicality Boot (7/5/2 seats) 270/560-765/2,005 litres Running costs 42.4mpg (on test) £73 fill-up/£140 or 31% tax Stuart_Milne@dennis.co.uk “The chldren’s reactions when a macaque licked rainwater off the bonnet is one that none of us will forget in a hurry” ONE benchmark of whether a family car really fulfils its remit is whether it feels like it’s part of the family. Looking back on holidays past, the car that took you all there is often as much a part of the break as the trip itself. This was brought to mind readily during a recent family visit to Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire. The kids’ reactions as a lion passed by and a macaque jumped on to the door mirror, licked rainwater off the bonnet and…

YOUR VIEWS ON YOUR CARS 2017 Results Jaguar XE Factfile Years: 2015 to present CO2: 99g/km Fuel economy: 74.3mpg (2.0d 163 SE) Best options: Adaptive cruise, parking camera, leather trim, panoramic sunroof Used prices: From £15,500 OVERALL SCORE 90.8% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2017 new car survey. The longer the bar the better • GOOD “I HAVE had endless compliments about how good it looks.” “The eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox is impressively smooth.” “I love the interior styling, which is not the usual slab of plastic.” “The electric power steering feels nicely mechanical.” “Jaguar’s fixed-price servicing deals don’t cost a great deal.” “The Meridian stereo system of my Portfolio XE sounds epic.” “It handles superbly on twisty roads.” • NOT SO GOOD “THE bootlid…

MOTORSPORT’S governing body, the FIA, has announced details of a new era for the Formula 3 category from 2019. A new international FIA Formula 3 Championship will take the place of both the current GP3 Series and Formula 3 Europe championships. It’ll run on Grand Prix weekends alongside Formula 1 and Formula 2, creating a clear progression through the ranks for up-and-coming driving talent. Drivers will move from national Formula 4 series to regional Formula 3 series and then into the international FIA Formula 3 Championship. In tandem with the announcement, Volkswagen has announced that it’ll focus on production-based motor racing from now on and won’t be supplying Formula 3 engines after the current season, concluding 11 years of involvement in the category. The FIA is set to put out…

• Five-door aims to move upmarket with interior revamp • Petrol power, with diesel possible and mild hybrid likely John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy SKODA is planning to shake up its family car line-up in 2019 by offering an all-new version of its Rapid Spaceback as an alternative to the Octavia and also the likes of the Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus, Auto Express has learned. The existing Rapid has suffered poor sales outside of Skoda’s home market in the Czech Republic. Equally, while the Octavia has been a success, the car’s extra length over conventional family hatchbacks has put off some buyers. Now we can reveal that the brand is switching to a two-pronged attack on the likes of the Astra, Focus and VW Golf – and that central to this is…

THE fourth-generation Ford Focus range will be expanded to include Active crossover and luxurious Vignale trims when it arrives later this year, the company’s European product development boss has confirmed. The new model is due to be revealed in the coming months. And Joe Bakaj, Ford’s European vice-president for product development, has confirmed to Auto Express that it will be available in the same chunky Active trim level as the Fiesta and the recently updated Ka+, featuring a raised ride height and chunky body cladding. When asked if the next Focus would get the Active treatment, Bakaj replied: “Yes. And we already know it’s going to fit great with that vehicle. It’ll be able to attract some of those customers who want something different. Perhaps they’ve driven saloons all their…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer THE cost of updating the built-in sat-nav system in your car varies by hundreds of pounds depending on the make, model and year of your vehicle, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. Manufacturers across the UK charge anywhere between nothing and £316 for European map updates on their models, even though the majority of them obtain their mapping software from the same data provider, HERE. Drivers of older cars often pay most. For example, Subarus that use the old 3 Disc sat-navs face an update cost of £300, while the charge for newer Subarus using SD card sat-navs is £100 after the three free updates run out. Owners of first-generation Jaguar XFs pay up to £316 for updates, while those for Ford SYNC 1 and SYNC 2 systems are…

“Audi’s new e-tron crossover will go head to head with the allelectric Volvo XC40” IN addition to the e-tron GT (above), Audi is to launch an all-electric e-tron sister vehicle for the Q3 by 2021, bosses have confirmed. Audi boss Rupert Stadler made an initial reference to a Q3-inspired EV at the brand’s Annual Press Conference in Ingolstadt last week. When challenged on which Audi would be the first to use the Volkswagen Group’s pure-electric MEB platform, he said: “It’ll be a neat, chic vehicle, with SUV character.” Executive vice-president for technical development, Horst Glaser, then told Auto Express the car would be “around about” the size of the existing Q3. “You can imagine the positioning of that car when you look at the competitors,” Glaser said. “Who is coming…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths CAR makers should have to pay for a new clean air fund to offset pollution from diesel vehicles, MPs have stated. According to an “unprecedented” joint report from four select committees, the Government should introduce a new Clean Air Act to “improve existing legislation and enshrine the right to clean air in UK law”. MPs from the Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, Transport, and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committees said manufacturers should be forced to contribute to a new clean air fund to help tackle air pollution based on the “polluter pays principle”, and on a “scale that adequately compensates for the health costs of diesel pollution”. Government estimates suggest air pollution causes 40,000 premature deaths each year and costs the economy £20billion. The report highlights…

A VOLKSWAGEN Golf fitted with the Dieselgate fix has been found to use up to 14 per cent more fuel than it did prior to the work being carried out. Australian Automobile Association (AAA) researchers tested a 2010 Golf before and after the recall work. The results showed an average increase in fuel consumption of seven per cent, rising to 14 per cent at motorway speeds. The association said the tests were “conducted according to European Commission protocols, adapted for Australian driving conditions”. But VW rejected the findings, stating: “The German Government approved VW’s software update on the basis that it did not adversely affect the emissions or fuel economy of vehicles in test conditions.”…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.7 seconds/155mph Running costs 48.7mpg (official) £77 fill-up James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods SUVS may be the huge breadwinners for premium brands like Audi, but the company hasn’t forgotten its saloon roots. Niche models spun off the back of the traditional ‘three-box’ saloon body shape are in the ascendency; enter the new A7 Sportback, driven here in the UK. An evolutionary redesign sees the four-door coupé borrow plenty of A8 cues, such as the large front grille and full-width LED tail-light bar at the rear, as well as a similar – although not quite as smart-looking – interior and dash. But quality of finish feels on par with that of Audi’s flagship. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is the infotainment suite you’ll find upon opening the door. All A7s come…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.0 seconds/149mph Running costs 35.8mpg (official) £72 fill-up Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram THE rise of the Kia brand has been well documented over the past decade. Its superminis and small cars have gone from strength to strength over that period, while the SUV range now comprises five models. However, it’s the Stinger that represents the most significant piece in the company’s ever-expanding puzzle. The halo model launched last year with a powerful 3.3-litre V6 engine, but only now are the more modest four-cylinder versions starting to arrive in showrooms. We’ve already tried the 2.2 CRDi diesel (Issue 1,496), but with customer attitudes changing, Kia has high hopes that the turbo petrol version you see here could do well. In GT-Line spec it’s the most affordable Stinger on sale, too,…

Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 649/1,806 litres Running costs 29.1mpg (on test) £98 fill-up/£140 or 37% tax Kim_Adams@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer YOU could pretty much understand the technology and equipment on the previous-generation SsangYong Rexton in a couple of minutes. But when I collected this all-new model – which we’ll be running for the next six months – I was glad of a dealer handover from Essex SsangYong, in Witham. As salesman Stuart Cornell passed me the keys and went through the car’s features, it became clear just how far the Rexton has moved on. The most obvious change inside is the 9.2-inch head unit display, which allows split-screen viewing and has DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and TomTom sat-nav. And as my job often involves powering multiple gadgets at the same time, I…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk EVERY year for the past couple of seasons, the same question has been asked of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. With his many and varied activities away from the track, does he still have the hunger to fight for the F1 world title? And every year for the past couple of seasons, the answer has been an emphatic yes, with title wins in 2014, 2015 and 2017 and a down-to-the wire scrap with team-mate and eventual champion Nico Rosberg in 2016. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is in no doubt that 2018 will be no different. Speaking at the launch of the team’s car for this season, the W09, he said: “For me, Lewis is the personification of hunger. We’ve been together six years now and he’s extremely motivated coming back after…

Stephen Errity Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk SEBASTIEN Loeb could extend his planned three-event World Rally Championship comeback with Citroen to more events after the Frenchman led the recent Rally Mexico before a puncture dropped him to fifth place. Speaking to the press after the rally, Citroen team principal Pierre Budar said: “We have an agreement for three rallies; this is the deal so far. We will go through this year and after Corsica and Spain we will have the opportunity to talk again, so let’s see what’s possible. “But I don’t know any team manager in this service park who would not want this guy in their team full-time. It’s the same for us.” Full-season Citroen driver Kris Meeke, who finished third in Mexico, is also keen for Loeb to contest more events…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “We have to definitely adapt the proportions to the technical demands, and make a new statement, but it has to be at first glimpse a Bentley“STEFAN SIELAFF Bentley design director BENTLEY is planning an all-electric flagship as the classic British brand aims to reposition itself as a marque with strengths in both luxury and technology, Auto Express can reveal. The Crewe-based manufacturer has already announced its entire range will be available with an electrified powertrain by 2025. But Auto Express has learned work is under way on a pure EV that will harness some of the developments in the forthcoming Porsche Mission E and help Bentley to offer green credentials alongside its traditional craftsmanship. With the firm’s boardroom fresh from a complete shake-up, and Brit Adrian Hallmark named…

THE battery and electric motor tech of the new Jaguar I-Pace can easily be transferred to other models in the Jaguar Land Rover line-up, the boss of the project has revealed. Ian Hoban, the I-Pace’s vehicle line director, told Auto Express that the patented electric motors could have other applications elsewhere in the line-ups of both Jaguar and Land Rover. “Whether we’re talking about the I-Pace’s motors or the principles behind them, it’s all transferable,” Hoban said. “Right now, the application for the electric motors is a pure-electric car. But could the principles apply to motors for plug-in hybrids? Or electric back axles? Absolutely.” Hoban also said there are no major technical obstacles to the idea of a cheaper I-Pace with a smaller battery. “Electrically it might be a challenge,…

“By 2025, every second model in the company’s range will be an SUV” AUDI also used its Annual Press Conference to officially confirm that a hot SQ2 SUV is on the way, with sales due to start before the end of this year. The SQ2 – which has been spied testing at the Nürburgring several times (right) – is likely to use the fourcylinder 2.0-litre turbo motor from the Audi S3. It produces 296bhp in that car, but it could be detuned in the SUV to deliver around 250bhp. The car will have quattro all-wheel drive as standard, and is likely to feature a dual-clutch auto gearbox. Spy pictures have shown that the fast crossover will have quad exhaust pipes and enlarged front air intakes – and some prototypes have…

VAN drivers and businesses buying new low-emissions commercial vehicles in the future may face lower tax rates. Chancellor Philip Hammond said in his Spring Statement that the Treasury will consult on reducing Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates for the “cleanest vans”. “This Government is determined that our generation should leave the natural environment in a better state than we found it, and improve the air we breathe,” Hammond told MPs. “Following our successful intervention to incentivise clean taxis, we will help the great British white van driver to go green with a consultation into reduced VED rates for the cleanest vans.” The news comes just days before new diesel cars will be hit with higher first-year taxes. New diesel models that fail to meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards…

FOUR in 10 parking and bus lane fines have been overturned by British councils following appeals from drivers, new figures reveal. Data obtained from 245 local authorities shows that 4.3 million appeals for parking and bus lane penalty charge notices were lodged between 2012 and 2017, with 1.8 million of them being successful. Basingstoke and Dean council in Hampshire overturned the highest proportion of tickets, with 90 per cent of 12,804 appeals lodged over the five-year period proving successful, while a quarter of all parking and bus lane fines it issued were eventually cancelled. While Basingstoke council said the introduction of new parking machines in 2017 had reduced the number of successful appeals, Aberdeenshire Council, which overturned 70 per cent of tickets on appeal, said that when dealing with first-time…

“I often tell my adjudicators that there isn’t a right or wrong answer, but some answers are fairer than others”NATASHA GASSON Motor Ombudsman Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths DISPUTES between owners and dealers are often heated and complex. There are a number of outlets to which motorists can turn for assistance – from magazines like Auto Express to legal firms – but in 2016 a new organisation was created solely to help solve disputes between drivers and their garages. The Motor Ombudsman is the UK’s first official dispute resolution body for the motor industry, and dealers that sign up are required to adhere to its Chartered Trading Standards-approved Code of Practices. To find out how it works, and the benefits it has for drivers, we spent the day at its headquarters. The first…

Running costs 37.7mpg (off icial) £50 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.4 seconds/143mph sean_carson@dennis.co.uk @sean_carson_ “The Yaris’s supercharged motor goads you into keeping the throttle pinned” WE’LL start by covering the thorny issue of price. Yes, this is a £26,295 Toyota Yaris – but it’s no ordinary Yaris. Those four letters on its tailgate, GRMN, stand for “Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring” and indicate where the Yaris has been partly developed. It also hints at the performance on offer, maybe more subtly than the garish stickers, the 17-inch black BBS wheels and the wing. Toyota is dipping its toe in the watery pool of the hot hatch market then, with the price partly explained by the limited 400-unit production run for Europe. The spec is delightfully individual, too.…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.8 seconds/130mph Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram THIS is the most expensive Skoda Kodiaq money can buy. And while it’s little more than an SUV in a racy suit, the Czech firm has high hopes for its latest Sportline model, which comes dressed from head to toe in bold, brash trinkets. Given Mercedes, BMW and Volvo’s success with their respective AMG Line, M Sport and R-Design models, it’s no surprise Skoda wants a slice of the sportinspired pie. We first saw the Sportline trim on the Superb last year, but now the spec has been added to the big SUV. Visual tweaks include the deeper bumpers, a black grille and mirrors, as well as the similarly-finished roof rails and window trims. Every Sportlinebadged Kodiaq sits on huge 20-inch wheels and…

WHAT can you get for a tenner these days? Well, if you’re prepared to use this as your daily budget – the amount some people spend on their lunch – then you will be able to afford the monthly payments on the best new cars in the business. Welcome to our list of the finest vehicles you can buy for less than £10 a day. We’ve rounded up the best Personal Contract Purchase finance deals across models from all areas of the market, selecting 12 interesting and talented vehicles depending on your needs, to prove that price needn’t be a barrier. In most cases, we’ve based these manufacturer offers on a sensible deposit and a three-year contract limited to 10,000 miles per year. We calculated the monthly cost, multiplying it…

Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan WHEN bad weather hits, those in the Auto Express office who have no choice but to drive tend to gravitate towards whatever four-wheel-drive SUVs we have in the car park. I had no such option during the recent combination of the ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Emma, with only the trusty Ford Fiesta at my disposal. Leaving our London office to head west just as the snowstorm reached its peak, I expected to struggle to keep going on summer tyres. But the lightweight Ford felt completely stable and inspired confidence as visibility and conditions worsened. By the time I’d left the M4 and got on to some Berkshire B-roads, the snow and ice had claimed several victims, as many larger and heavier vehicles slid to a gradual…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.0 seconds/124mph BRITAIN has Land Rover and America has Jeep. Both are iconic brands in the world of off-roading, and while both are billed as premium marques, a Jeep is easily the more affordable choice when buying used. Indeed, when you look at how capable the Grand Cherokee is, it’s astonishing just how much car and ability you get for your money. Able to tackle tricky terrain or tow a large caravan, it’s also an accomplished family-friendly long-distance cruiser. But running costs tend to be high and reliability can be patchy, so check the car and its history very carefully before committing to a purchase. History THIS generation of Grand Cherokee, known as the WK, landed in showrooms here in summer 2005 with a choice of 228bhp…