Innholdsfortegnelse for 1518 i Auto Express

IF there’s one word that’s guaranteed to stir debate at the moment, it’s autonomy. In spite of a recent survey claiming that 78 per cent of people are broadly supportive of autonomous technology, our mailbox is split between those who agree and those who think it’s a slight on humanity. Of course, the deeply sad news of the fatal accident involving an autonomous car recently will have had an effect on views of driverless tech. And it’s absolutely right that Uber, the company involved, should suspend its testing pending investigations. However, development will continue and whether we like it or not (or choose to use it or not), autonomous technology will play a big part in our motoring future. Along with electrification, it’s a subject that dominated the New York…

Pete_Baiden@dennis.co.uk @petebaiden AN all-new Subaru Forester landed at last week’s New York Motor Show. It has the Mazda CX-5 in its sights and is expected to go on sale in the UK before the end of the year. The brand claims the newcomer mixes the toughness of an SUV with functionality, while the design takes cues from the Impreza hatch as well as the Visiv Future concept, first seen at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. Similar to other recent Subaru launches, such as the XV it sits above in the range, the new design is evolutionary, rather than a radical redesign. Under the skin, the new Forester is based on the latest Subaru Global platform (SGP), which it shares with models such as the XV and Impreza. A 180bhp 2.5-litre…

“The aim of the partnership is to launch a new driverless ride-hailing service capable of providing a million rides a day” James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor JAGUAR is forging ahead with autonomous technology, keen to become a front runner in the field, after the British brand teamed up with Waymo (formerly the Google self-driving car project) to create driverless versions of the I-Pace all-electric SUV. Waymo will purchase up to 20,000 examples of the £58,995 SUV and fit them with its production-ready, self-driving technology. The aim of the partnership is to launch a new driverless ride-hailing service capable of providing one million rides to customers per day. The Waymo I-Paces will initially be used for trials in the US later this year to gather reliability and safety data for both firms before the…

Would a one-off £315 cost put you off buying this car? Diesels subject to some of the biggest first-year VED changes Vauxhall Mokka X1.6 CDTi auto CO2 emissions: 149g/km First-year road tax before April: £200 First-year road tax now: £515 EXTRA ONE-OFF COST: £315 Peugeot 208 BlueHDi 75 CO2 emissions: 79g/km First-year road tax before April: £100 First-year road tax now: £125 EXTRA ONE-OFF COST: £25 Bentley Bentayga diesel CO2 emissions: 210g/km First-year road tax before April: £1,200 First-year road tax now: £1,760 EXTRA ONE-OFF COST: £560 Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths “Annual road tax bills aren’t increasing; the change only affects the CO2-based first year rate” WHOEVER said tax doesn’t have to be taxing never imagined how complex Britain’s Vehicle Excise Duty, or road tax, system would become. It was only a…

“In January, Paul was told the noise couldn’t be resolved and was a characteristic of the car” TRACKING faults down can be tricky sometimes, so what if you can pinpoint exactly where an issue is located, but nobody can do anything about it? That was the problem faced by Paul Tanner, from Orpington, Kent, when the brake pedal of his new Audi Q5 developed an annoying ‘clang’ a week after he took delivery in July last year. Paul told us: “There was a strange twanging sound when the brake pedal was released. It sounded exactly like someone flicking an empty tin can.” Paul reported the fault to Audi UK and was informed the company was aware of the issue, and engineers were working on a fix. While the firm said…

Running costs 58.9mpg (official) £62 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.7 seconds/137mph James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “Sports steering wheel feels perfectly formed to exploit the sharp, direct set-up” WHILE almost every manufacturer is going hard after the lucrative SUV market space at the moment, BMW is undoubtedly one of the pack leaders, and the X2 is the firm’s latest arrival. Nearly two decades have passed since the introduction of the original BMW SUV: the first X5. Today, this type of car accounts for 38 per cent of the brand’s business, with just over 700,000 vehicles delivered worldwide in 2017, thanks to a line-up of five models. The X2 aims to bolster that figure this year. It acts as a more stylish alternative to the conventional X1 and sits at the smallest end of…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “It’s punchy and never feels sluggish, so long as you don’t let the revs bog down” THIS is near enough the cheapest Jaguar E-Pace you can buy. While the majority of the firm’s SUVs have all-wheel-drive and an automatic gearbox, this entry-level 2.0-litre D150 model is powered via the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. We’re big fans of the Evoque-based E-Pace, and price aside, it’s one of our favourite small premium SUVs. But with relatively high ownership costs, does a bog-standard low-power diesel make more sense? We’ve driven it to find out. The first thing you’ll notice is how eager the engine feels. It’s a punchy performer, and it never feels sluggish, so long as you don’t let the revs bog down. Apart from the long…

Running costs 21.1 mpg (on test) £79 fill-up/£450 or 37% tax Practicality Boot space 540 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 3.3 seconds/186mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 42.8/31.5/9.5m MODEL TESTED: Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4MATIC+ PRICE: £89,330 ENGINE: 4.0-litre V8, 604bhp THE £89,330 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S is our current supersaloon champ, boasting an incredible power output and stupendous performance. On paper it offers more grunt than the M5, but does this advantage translate? Design & engineering ANY questions over AMG’s decision to turn to four-wheel drive were instantly answered in the most emphatic way when the E 63 arrived. The E-Class’s MRA platform was designed with all-wheel drive in mind, so the alterations to the bodyshell aren’t too drastic. Suspension geometry changes and wider front and rear tracks are combined with AMG-specific air…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Which cordless vac is best? SINCE moving house, I can now no longer get a mains-powered vacuum to reach my car when it needs cleaning. Can you recommend a cordless vacuum that will work well? Felix French, E-mail A OUR test winner is the Gtech 22V Multi Mk2 (above, £149.99, www.gtech.co.uk). It has strong suction and LEDs to light footwells. There’s also a £24.99 car kit that includes brushes and a flexible hose. Dyson’s V8 has huge performance, but expect to pay around £500 for one, depending on the model. Q Confusion over cloth prices I WOULD like to invest in a bundle of microfibre cloths for cleaning my car, but am confused by the wide range of prices. How do I tell if…

YOUR VIEWS ON YOUR CARS 69th PLACE 2017 Results A-Class Factfile Years: 2012 to 2018 CO2: 89g/km Fuel economy: 80.7mpg (A 180 d SE) Best options: Metallic paint, panoramic roof, heated seats, climate control Used prices: From £9,000 OVERALL SCORE 87.53% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2017 new car survey. The longer the bar the better • GOOD “THE A-Class is my first Mercedes; it’s so good it won’t be my last.” “I have been averaging 60mpg, which is close to the quoted figure.” “The colour-changing ambient lighting is seriously cool.” “Rear seats fold flat, so sliding suitcases into the boot is easy.” “Its flowing lines are balanced with the right amount of aggression.” “The seats offer plenty of adjustment and are impressively comfy.”…

• Newcomer sits on TNGA platform for lower centre of gravity • Hybrid and petrol models at UK launch next year; no diesel “Front and rear overhangs have been shortened, while there’s an increase in ride height to boost off-road ability” Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn “When AWD isn’t required, Toyota says the car is able to disconnect the rear driveshaft to improve fuel economy” WITH a glut of new SUVs arriving on the scene recently, it’s easy to overlook those that have been around for years. The Toyota RAV4 is arguably the car that kick-started the compact SUV trend back in 1994, and now there’s an all-new version. Revealed at last week’s New York Motor Show, the fifth generation of the RAV4 boasts a bold new look, updated hybrid tech and arrives…

“New Tiguan and CX-5 rival gets choice of three diesel engines and two petrols” Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram HYUNDAI chose the New York show for the debut of an updated version of its global best-seller, the Tucson. It gets mild exterior tweaks, new driver aids and goes on sale in the UK this summer. As is usual with a mid-life facelift, cosmetic changes are modest and limited to new full-LED headlights, a redesigned bumper and skid plate. The rear sees new tail-lights, along with a new bumper and exhaust tip. There is a seven-inch infotainment system inside, which can support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A larger eight-inch display is also available, offering 3D maps and a seven-year subscription to LIVE services, including updated realtime traffic information. Passengers in the rear get…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 2.9 seconds/211mph Running costs 18.9mpg (official) £115 fill-up Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn “On a miserable day in the UK the Ferrari attracts attention like Beyonce at Blackpool Pleasure Beach” EVERYTHING about the Ferrari 812 Superfast is exceptional. The price is a stratospheric £262,963. The engine, a 6.5-litre V12 churning out 789bhp, is the most powerful naturally aspirated motor ever to find its way under the nose of a production car. And the name, 812 Superfast, is a bold but fitting title for one of the most exhilarating performance cars money can buy. Following our first drive in the idyllic surroundings of the Italian hills last year (Issue 1,478), we’re now bringing the 812 into the real world and on to the damp, rutted and congested roads of the UK…

AS Mustangs go, a four-cylinder convertible couldn’t be further from the American dream if it was made in a North Korean factory staffed by Russians. But bear with us, because Ford has been busy with the sixth-generation Mustang. We drove the revised V8 GT last year (Issue 1,500), but have had to wait until now to try a Euro-spec car. Along with a light nip and tuck, Ford has added digital dials and a new 10-speed auto box. The 2.3-litre EcoBoost’s power output has dropped to reduce emissions and improve economy, but despite peak power dipping from 313bhp to 286bhp, it’ll go from 0-62mph one-tenth quicker (5.7 seconds) and hit 145mph flat out. Of bigger significance is that gearbox. We sampled it in the V8 and concluded that while it’s…

SUPERSALOONS have entered a new era, and in the age-old head to head between BMW’s M Division and Mercedes-AMG, the former has a fresh challenger, in the shape of its all-new M5. That’s a hallowed nameplate in this class because the M5 has pretty much always been the benchmark when it comes to insanely fast but still usable, hi-tech supersaloons. Looking at the spec sheet, the new car has what it takes to topple the current class leader. In the evolution to this model there have been some big changes to the engineering. The M5 now features four-wheel drive with myriad driver settings and ways to put its colossal level of power to the road. But it was the Mercedes-AMG E 63 that first emerged with this advanced tech, giving…

BMW M5 Professional Multimedia Standard Key features: Nav, connected services THE M5 gets a hi-res 10.25-inch infotainment system that works as a touchscreen or via the iDrive rotary dial on the transmission tunnel – the latter is intuitive and the screen is a little far away to work by touch control. Sat-nav, connected services, WiFi hotspot preparation and gesture control are all standard, and the latter works fairly well for things like changing the volume. It’s easily the best system of its type on the market, which extends to the entire infotainment, because it responds rapidly to your inputs, is very crisp to look at and offers good functionality. Wireless charging is standard, but wire-free Apple CarPlay is £235 extra. Android Auto isn’t even offered. Our car had the £3,090…

“If the S90 looks sleek on the outside, it’s the interior that makes me purr” Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.2 seconds/140mph Practicality Boot capacity 500 litres Darren_Wilson@dennis.co.uk IT’S already the final report on our Volvo S90 and our time with the car feels as if it’s over all too quickly. I’ve only been looking after the D4 R-Design for a couple of months; prior to that we ran a lower-spec D4 Momentum. But the sportier trim has impressed me more. The Volvo has bags of kerb appeal, but people tend to notice it without making a fuss. There’s no obvious nudging or pointing, just a turned head, with unspoken appreciation for the car. Why wouldn’t anyone respect such great styling? I’m particularly fond of the distinctive Thor’s Hammer headlight design and…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk • Brit teen on brink of F1 • F2 and McLaren role for 2018 “I want to be like Schumacher, Senna or Hamilton – drivers who’ve stood out from the rest”LANDO NORRIS F2 driver and McLaren tester SPOTTING a future champion is as tough in motor racing as it is in any other sport. For every Damon Hill, Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton, there are countless prospects who don’t make it to the Holy Grail of Formula One. ‘Sure things’ don’t really exist, but 18-year-old Lando Norris comes pretty close. Over the past three seasons, the Glastonbury youngster has upended the conventional wisdom that drivers need two years in a category of racing to find their feet and mount a title challenge. Instead, he has dominated categories in his…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk THE WTCC is dead – long live the WTCR! The top echelon of global touring-car racing has undergone a transformation over the winter months, with the powerful, sophisticated, but increasingly expensive TC1 cars being parked in favour of the more affordable and more closely production-based TCR formula. A capacity 26-car grid is the result, with teams representing Audi, Honda, Hyundai, Peugeot, VW and SEAT’s newly independent performance brand Cupra all on board. Some big names from the WTCC days have stuck around, too, including 2017 champion Thed Bjork. Elsewhere, veterans like Tom Coronel, Gabriele Tarquini and Yvan Muller and young guns Jean-Karl Vernay, Mato Homola and Aurelien Panis make for a varied and exciting grid. Competing Two familiar British drivers will also be in the thick of the action…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram CONCEPT cars are created to give us a glimpse into the future. But once paraded in front of the crowds at a motor show, they’re often locked away and forgotten about. Skoda does things a little differently; its latest Vision X concept, which previews a new baby crossover for 2019, is more than just some motor-show eye candy – it drives, and Auto Express has been behind the wheel. To give us a taste of what’s to come, we travelled to Skoda’s Czech headquarters for a quick spin in the Geneva Motor Show concept car. While these opportunities offer little in the way of true driving impressions, it enables us to get up close with the project and the team behind it. Catching up with designers Dalibor Pantucek…

VOLKSWAGEN’S new SUVs are coming thick and fast. The latest is the Atlas Cross Sport concept (above), which was revealed at last week’s New York Motor Show. It’s a shorter, more coupé-like version of the seven-seat Atlas that’s already on sale in America, and will make the transition into a showroom car early in 2019, but only in the US. The Cross Sport sits on the same MQB platform as its bigger brother, with an identical wheelbase, but is 190mm shorter for a sportier stance. Other changes that mark out the newcomer include a two-bar illuminated front grille, 22-inch aluminium alloy wheels and more steeply raked roofline. Under the skin, VW has also introduced a 355bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain comprising a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine and two electric motors, powered…

ELSEWHERE at the New York show, the Volvo XC60 SUV scooped the prestigious World Car of the Year 2018 title, while the Range Rover Velar picked up the design award. The WCOTY winners were selected by a panel of judges, including Auto Express editor-in-chief Steve Fowler and chief columnist Mike Rutherford. The XC60 beat the likes of the Mazda CX-5 and the Velar to the top honour, and Anders Gustafsson (left), boss of Volvo Cars North America, collected the trophy. Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson said: “I am pleased to see our product investments paying off. We are up against some tough competition, but this shows Volvo has the right combination of design, connectivity and safety that appeals to customers across the world.” Other winners included the Britishbuilt Nissan Leaf –…

THE Government is introducing new measures to tackle insurance fraud that could save motorists £35 on the cost of their next policy. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has unveiled a new Civil Liability Bill that aims to deal with the problem through tougher measures on fraudulent whiplash claims. It proposes new, fixed caps on claims, and banning the practice of seeking or offering to settle whiplash claims without medical evidence. The Bill is expected to be enacted by April 2019 and includes changes to how the controversial Ogden personal injury discount is calculated. This is a percentage rate used to adjust compensation based on how much a victim could earn by investing payouts. Last February, the Government lowered the Ogden rate from 2.5 per cent to minus 0.75 per cent,…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths IT has been just over a year since the penalty for using a handheld mobile when driving doubled to six points and a £200 fine. But official figures show one person is still killed every 10 days by drivers distracted by a phone, so it’s no surprise the authorities are still cracking down on the offence. Operation Tramline and its ‘supercabs’ is designed to do just that, and it’s a simple but innovative idea: take one unmarked, derestricted HGV cab, put police officers in it and fit it with wide-angle cameras. But while the supercab provides the perfect vantage point for peering down at drivers, it’s left to the fleet of unmarked police cars following behind to pull them over, acting on intelligence radioed over from inside the…

Electric motor Power/range 114bhp/31 miles James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor THIS is the new Range Rover P400e. It’s the first ever plug-in hybrid from Range Rover, and mixes one of JLR’s new 296bhp Ingenium 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines with the power from a 114bhp electric motor. It offers an all-electric range of 31 miles and charging from a 32A wall box takes a little under three hours. Land Rover claims 101mpg economy and CO2 emissions of 64g/km. There are two driving modes: Parallel Hybrid and pure EV. Leave the car to its own devices and it will switch between the petrol engine and electric motor, combining the two when necessary. There’s a ‘Save’ mode to hold on to the battery’s charge for use later on, or a Predictive Energy Optimisation (PEO) mode as…

COMPANY cars are big business. A staggering 55 per cent of new models registered in the UK go to fleets, so even though the landscape is changing in the split between diesel and petrol, business users still account for a massive proportion of the new cars we see flood on to our roads every year. With the new tax year upon us, company car tax rates are changing again, so we’ve recapped the best options on offer for business users. We’ve divided our guide into price brackets, so you can take inspiration whether you’re after an affordable city car, buying a plug-in hybrid SUV or in the market for a high-performance model. Our lowdown proves just how much choice there is, as we highlight the best buys and the key…

Running costs 24.0mpg (on test) £81 fill-up/£450 or 37% tax Practicality Boot space 530 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 3.2 seconds/155mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 45.4/33.3/8.7m MODEL TESTED: BMW M5 PRICE: £89,645 ENGINE: 4.4-litre V8, 592bhp THE BMW M5 is an icon, and while the price has risen to a not insignificant £89,645 for this new model, there’s performance here to match some supercars costing twice that amount. The question is, does it deliver what an M5 always has: a blend of driving thrills with everyday usability? Design & engineering THE new M5 is based on BMW’s OKL platform, so there’s double-wishbone suspension at the front and a five-link rear axle. Both have revised geometry, with strengthening and strut braces to improve torsional rigidity. M-specific three-mode adaptive dampers control both axles. This is…

Dawn_Grant@dennis.co.uk THE SEAT Ibiza is approaching the end of its time on our fleet. And the thought of it going back to the manufacturer has got me thinking about why it’s been such a great companion over the past six months. We’ve praised the supermini before for how good it is to drive, but it’s the small details about the driving experience that I really love. The gearshift is a fine example: the lever is light and easy to move, so there’s never any trouble selecting a gear. However, at the same time it manages to feel mechanical, avoiding the unpleasant numbness that blights the shifts of some small cars. Getting something like that right really enhances the driving experience, even though it seems like a small detail at first.…

NEW PRODUCT Würth Perfection Range Prices: From £8.49 Contact: www.wurth.co.uk CAR care specialist Würth has expanded its Perfection Range, adding everything from multi-purpose cleaners to polishing pads. The line-up includes a new Liquid Green Multi Purpose cleaner that can be applied to a number of surfaces such as carpets, upholstery, plastics, rubber, metal and even the fabrics used for convertible roofs. New “active agents” are incorporated into the formula; these are claimed to improve cleaning power. A 500ml bottle costs £8.49. The Perfection Range also includes a new Universal Dirt Absorber gel that’s useful for hard-to-reach places like air vents and handbrake surrounds. This has been designed to catch any loose particles and dirt, and contains a sanitising agent to kill bacteria. The Absorber gel is also good for multiple…

CO2/tax 92g/km Free/£140 Running costs 80.7mpg (One D) £54 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 11.4 seconds/116mph Paintwork CHECK the fit of the door on the B-pillar. A few owners have found that the rubber wears away the paint on the bodywork. Clutches ON manual cars, clutches can play up. Sometimes it’s caused by the hydraulics, other times it’s the pedal return spring. Transmission SOME owners report their car jumps out of gear; usually first at low speed. Adjusting the linkage can fix things. Connectivity SMARTPHONES can struggle to connect, or disconnect mid-call. In most cases, a software update will resolve any issues. Interior THE cabin is a MINI highlight, with its low-set driving position, excellent ergonomics and distinctive design. All of the seats are comfortable, but there are just two in…