Innholdsfortegnelse for 1523 i Auto Express

WITH our first experience of Mercedes’ new EQ C this week, we’ve got an important insight into what the future of motoring holds for us. This crucial new electrified model is the first of many from Mercedes, set to arrive in 2019 to join an increasing number of electrified cars from pretty much every manufacturer over the next few years. Only this week we’ve got news of an all-electric version of the Kia Niro, while DS has become the latest brand to reveal its electrified intentions. Much as we’re excited about our electric future, there’s one car that we’ve been bursting to drive: the new Fiesta ST. We’re massive fans of the old car (it’s still a great buy) and its ability to put a supercar-sized smile on your face,…

MERCEDES is also preparing to facelift its more conventional family SUV, the GLC – and the car has been spied undergoing testing. The light disguise on this prototype shows that the styling tweaks are subtle. There’s a revised front grille, the headlamps feature new lighting graphics and the bumpers will get a refresh as well. Inside, the changes focus on an updated infotainment system. Our spy pictures show a larger 10.25-inch screen placed on top of the dash, and the old car’s click wheel, located on the centre console, has been ditched for an A-Class-inspired touchpad. Expect more touch controls on the steering wheel, plus the option of a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel in place of traditional analogue dials. The revised GLC should get a refreshed range of engines, using…

EVERY new model launched by DS from 2025 will feature only electrified powertrains, the company has confirmed. It means that within the next seven years DS will exclusively sell cars using either hybrid or fully electric power, or both. DS vice-president of product Eric Apode told Auto Express that electrification plays a big role in the company’s positioning as a French luxury brand. He said: “All our new cars will have an electrified version. “More and more electric cars will be on the market. I think that by 2025 more than 35 per cent of our sales globally will be electric.” The roll-out begins with the launch of the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense 4x4 plug-in hybrid. Next year DS will also reveal its first fully electric vehicle based on the…

“Every F-Pace now comes with the brand’s 10-inch Touch Pro infotainment as standard” JAGUAR has updated the F-Pace for 2018, with fresh tech the main change on the mildly revised SUV. Every car now comes with the brand’s 10-inch Touch Pro infotainment unit by default, while parking sensors, a rear-view camera, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist are now standard across the range as well. Adaptive cruise control has also been updated to feature Steering Assist, keeping the car centred in its lane with gentle automatic steering changes. There are three new optional extra packs: the Park Pack, Drive Pack and Driver Assist pack, each bundling together popular options and features. Petrol cars get new particulate filters, plus the fuel tanks on selected models are now larger.…

BMW’S flagship SUV is slowly taking shape and the first pre-production X7s are already rolling off the line in South Carolina, US, covered in camouflage. To see what’s in store, we were invited for an early drive in one. Even in its disguise, it’s clear the X7 won’t lose any of BMW’s design cues. An oversized kidney grille dominates the front, while the LED lights are a nod to those on the latest X3. The 3.2-metre wheelbase means there’s plenty of space inside, even in the third row of seats. While the cabin is camouflaged, too, BMW will lift the ambience with plenty of high-quality materials. The driver gets a fully digital display, which sits behind a steering wheel lifted from the 7 Series. The central screen operates via voice,…

DRIVERS failing to keep up with regular tyre checks were involved in three quarters of all motorway incidents in England in the past 18 months, according to a new study. More than 30 people were also killed or seriously injured in motorway accidents in 2016 due to illegal or faulty tyres. The research, conducted by Highways England and tyre maker Bridgestone, revealed that nearly three quarters of the tyres analysed from motorway accidents found the tyres had “poor inflation or debris penetration issues”. It stressed that these issues could have been avoided had motorists paid better attention to their tyre pressures, as well as tread depth levels on their rubber. More than 1,000 pieces of tyre debris across the M1, M6, M40, M5 and M42 were analysed for the study.…

“Our first camping spot, on the coast just south of Santa Barbara, allows us to line up the new California with the original model for a photo” James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods IF you’ve always fancied taking an exotic road trip in a faraway location, it’s more than likely the idea of a Volkswagen camper van, the Wild West and southern California beaches has crossed your mind. Unoriginal perhaps, but maybe no vehicle quite captures the essence of lush So-Cal campsites and highways stretching as far as the eye can see as the VW camper. It’s a great outdoor institution, and one celebrating an anniversary of sorts this year. Volkswagen’s iconic Type 2 Transporter arrived in the fifties and is synonymous with sixties Californian counter-culture, but 2018 marks three decades of the sleeper…

“The MINI is still one of the best-handling superminis on sale” Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.2 seconds/129mph Running costs 55.4mpg (official) £49 fill-up James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods MINI’S Oxford plant is a British motor industry success story. A new car rolls off the production line every 67 seconds, with the brand exporting to more than 110 countries worldwide. It means that the BMW-owned MINI is prouder than ever to wear its British heritage on its sleeve, and to showcase this, every facelifted third-generation model gets a set of Union Flag tail-lights. Regardless of what you think of these tweaks, we found the refreshed MINI a hugely appealing package during our first chance to it drive on sun-baked Spanish tarmac (Issue 1,517). Now the new car is back on home turf and we’ve tried…

Running costs 23.2mpg (official) £121 fill-up Performance 0-60mph/top speed 3.6 seconds/207mph Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “From behind the wheel the new GT is as purposeful and relaxing as you’d hope” WE first drove the all-new Bentley Continental GT in Wales late last year (Issue 1,480). But despite the rave reviews, the pre-production model we tried wasn’t quite ready. Now we’ve finally been given the keys to the car you’ll soon see in showrooms. We’re told certain aspects have been refined – and the result is what Bentley claims is the “best GT car in the world”. Even though the new arrival shares much with the latest Porsche Panamera, Bentley’s experienced engineers reiterate that almost every part has been honed to suit the British bruiser. The three-chamber air suspension is unique to the…

Running costs 40.1mpg (on test) £60 fill-up/£140 or 25% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 445/1,290 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 8.6 seconds/127mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 47.0/35.9/9.6m MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen T-Roc 1.5 TSI Evo SE Price: £22,205 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4cyl, 148bhp WHILE the T-Roc usually competes against slightly larger and more premium rivals such as the Audi Q2 and MINI Countryman, the VW range overlaps with the EcoSport line-up. In £22,205 1.5 TSI Evo SE form (although our pictures show an SEL), the model offers an alternative to the Ford if you’re after a sporty but practical petrol compact SUV. The question is whether it’s worth the extra expense. Design & engineering VOLKSWAGEN has taken its time to release a small SUV, but with the T-Roc it’s done things thoroughly. The car is…

FAST Audis are famed for their quattro allwheel drive, and the R8 sports car has been available exclusively with the set-up since it was launched. But after the German company’s tuning division changed its name from quattro GmbH to Audi Sport, it’s no surprise the mid-engined monster is now available with rear-wheel drive. The newcomer is called the R8 RWS, and is Audi’s attempt at a pure-bred driver’s car. However, that brief means it has to take on the undisputed king of this class: the Porsche 911 GT3. They’re within a whisker of each other on price and both have revhungry, naturally aspirated engines, dual-clutch auto boxes and rear-drive chassis. But which offers the purer, richer driving experience for the money? Audi R8 RWS Rear-driven version of R8 is aimed…

Performance 0-60mph/top speed 6.8 seconds/137mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 505/1,432 litres THERE can’t be a more fashionable type of car currently than a premium SUV. And we’ve just taken delivery of one of the very best in the shape of the Volvo XC60, which held off the likes of the Jaguar F-Pace and Mercedes GLC to be crowned class champion at our New Car Awards last summer. I headed over to Volvo West London in Chiswick, where sales executive Perry Lodge was delighted to hand over the keys. If first impressions count, the XC60 is off to a great start, because it looks absolutely fantastic in premium metallic Crystal White paint (£950). While Volvo has succeeded in giving the car a simplistic, classy look, the name of the model we’ve…

PORTABLE sat-navs still serve a purpose, despite competition from smartphone apps. For one, their traffic alerts are still better than most mobiles can muster. Their Europe-wide maps also mean that they’re ideal on longer trips, where phone signal may be sparse. We tested four navs from mapping giants Garmin and TomTom against one another, looking for easy-to-understand map layouts, clear instructions and traffic-busting features. Price was the final factor. TomTom’s GO 6200 is the most expensive choice, and some will question its cost over a cheap app, but it has the best instructions and traffic advice we’ve ever come across. “Portable navs’ traffic alerts are still better than phone app versions” TOP ALL-ROUNDER TomTom GO 6200 Price: £339.99 Contact: www.tomtom.com THE six-inch sat-nav from TomTom serves up the best map…

YOUR VIEWS ON YOUR CARS 2018 Results 5 Series Factfile Years: 2017 to present CO2: 119g/km Fuel economy: 62.8mpg (520d SE) Best options: Metallic paint, head-up display, comfort seats, adaptive cruise Used prices: From £25,300 Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2018 new car survey. 91.61% The longer the bar the better • GOOD “A STRONG evolution of BMW’s classic design.” “Interior quality is off the chart. The 5 Series feels so well built.” “Relaxing over long distances, but still fun on country roads.” “Blind spot warning is very effective.” “When I put it in Sport mode, I feel like I’m 20 years old again.” “My previous 5 Series thumped over potholes. This is way better.” “Economy is good; the range on a full tank…

• Aggressively priced 197bhp ST delivers on early promise • Three-cylinder turbo engine offers strong performance Sean_Carson@dennis.co.uk @sean_carson_ “The move to a three-cylinder motor caused a stir, but the engine is strong, pulling sweetly” THE hot hatch sector isn’t short of quality, with the Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport and the new Toyota Yaris GRMN ramping up the level of focus on offer in this pocket rocket class. And that means Ford has its work cut out with the new Fiesta ST. The signs were positive when we took an early passenger ride (Issue 1,515), and now we’ve driven the production car for the first time we can categorically state that the Fiesta ST has delivered fully on its promise. It boasts many technical innovations, but the car’s real…

“Electrification has become the new definition of luxury” Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn DS will crown its range with a ‘spectacular’ new flagship, Auto Express can reveal. It will be on sale by 2020 and mark 65 years since the arrival of the original Citroen DS. The popularity of traditional saloons is in decline – Ford recently decided to stop development of such vehicles in North America – but bosses from the newly formed luxury French brand feel it is imperative that the company has such a flagship model in its range. Expected to be called the DS 8, the car is set to get a more radical look to help it fight against a struggling market. Speaking to Auto Express at the recent Beijing Motor Show, DS vice-president of product, Eric Apode,…

REGULATORS should introduce new laws to help protect vehicle technicians from the high-voltage systems in electric and hybrid cars, a leading industry body has warned. The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has called on the Department for Transport to change the current legislation in force, which only offers minimal guidance for garage staff working on alternatively-fuelled vehicles. The wiring, motors and batteries in electric vehicles and hybrid models typically run at several hundred volts, presenting a potential hazard to those working on them. This has prompted the IMI to warn: “Untrained individuals are putting their lives at risk by attempting to repair and maintain electric and hybrid vehicles.” The organisation, which certifies 100,000 people a year through its training programmes, is calling for a new mandatory professional register to…

“Problem she flagged with dealer almost immediately was dismissed as a characteristic of the car” MANY second-hand buyers often fork out extra for an approved model that’s been carefully inspected by the manufacturer before sale, but even these cars may not be entirely fault free. Aparna Samuels, from Upminster, East London, bought a 10-month-old Tucson from East London Hyundai in February, and got in touch with Auto Express after a problem she flagged with the dealer almost immediately was dismissed as a “characteristic” of the car. Aparna told us: “When driving on the motorway for the first time, I found the car didn’t always accelerate properly between 50mph and 70mph.” She added: “It was very unnerving, as a car behind suddenly catches you up as you’re going nowhere in a…

“MultiJet delivers 350Nm of torque at 1,750rpm, but power band feels narrow for this size of engine” Running costs 54.3mpg (off icial) £74 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.1 seconds/118mph John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy “Suspension set-up feels soft, allowing a fair amount of roll if you’re committed in corners” JEEP remains a left-field choice in Europe, where its rugged image hasn’t quite hooked up with buyers. But the company believes it can find new fans with this fresh Compass. We were reasonably encouraged by our first experience of the car last year (Issue 1,478), and now we’ve had a chance to try it on UK roads. The Compass is 4.4 metres long, so it’s squaring up to some serious competition in the heart of the market – everything from the Nissan Qashqai to…

Pictures: Otis Clay Location: Aldeburgh, Suffolk IT’S fair to say that the Ford EcoSport hasn’t exactly been a sales success since it was launched in the UK in 2014. Two revisions later and Ford is trying to reinvent a model originally developed for emerging markets such as India, where it was initially built, into a sporty small SUV. That’s why this facelifted EcoSport heralds the arrival of an additional ST-Line trim level. We’re testing it here with the brand’s punchier 138bhp 1.0-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, and have lined up two small and sporty rivals to match Ford’s latest offering. First up is the Volkswagen T-Roc, featuring the German company’s 1.5-litre TSI Evo engine. It’s a little pricier outright, but also delivers a bit of extra power, although it’s…

Running costs 41.1mpg (on test) £58 fill-up/£140 or 28% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 287/1,197 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 9.1 seconds/119mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 50.5/37.4/10.6m MODEL TESTED: Mazda CX-3 2.0 SkyActiv-G 120 Sport Nav Price: £21,095 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 118bhp THE Mazda CX-3 was facelifted last year, and although the changes were minimal, they didn’t alter the model’s stature as one of the best sporty small cars on sale. At £21,095, this Sport Nav just undercuts the EcoSport’s price. Here we test the 118bhp 2.0-litre version with a six-speed manual. Design & engineering IN truth, the tweaks for this updated CX-3 weren’t exactly extensive, but that’s no bad thing because the original car boasted many positives. The model is still based on the same SkyActiv platform and features an identical engine…

Darren_Wilson@dennis.co.uk THERE’S usually an element of excitement when I’m waiting for a new test car to arrive. But I’ve had to wait a little longer than usual for this one. Although our new Peugeot 5008 turned up in early April, I’ve only just managed to secure the keys. It seems the fantastic reputation of its sibling, the 3008, has been enough to make our new French SUV hot property on the Auto Express test fleet with my colleagues. My first impressions are generally positive, especially for the stylish interior design and dashboard layout. But deputy art editor George Vedmore is more in tune with the car than I am after driving the 5008 to the West Country for a week’s holiday. He enjoyed taking the Peugeot on a 300-mile, six-hour…

Citroen C4 C4 Flair 1.6 BlueHDi 120 Years: 2011 to 2017 Engine: 1.6-litre 4cyl, 118bhp Ins group: 24 Official econ/CO2: 78.5mpg/95g/km Why? A strong 1.6-litre diesel means that the C4 combines decent performance and fuel economy. Prices from: £7,990 CITROEN’S second-generation C4 has just gone out of production, bringing to an end a six-year lifespan. As part of a facelift in 2015, a plush Flair model was introduced, alongside a powerful BlueHDi diesel. This engine is the one to go for, because it delivers an impressive blend of punch and efficiency. On paper the C4 is the most frugal car here; it proved that when we tested these models in real-world conditions in 2016. Citroen came 25th out of 26 brands in our Driver Power 2018 satisfaction survey. Fiat Tipo…

WITH the GTE version of the new Aston Martin Vantage making its race debut at the Spa Six Hours last weekend, the brand has confirmed that 2019 will see the launch of GT3 and GT4 versions for customer race teams. Aston Martin Racing built 42 and 124 examples respectively of the outgoing Vantage GT3 and GT4 racing cars, and orders are already being taken for the new-generation models. Both will use race-modified versions of the production car’s AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, and draw on developments made for the GTE car. The Vantage GT3 will be eligible for series such as British GT, Blancpain GT, the German ADAC GT Masters and the Pirelli World Challenge in the US. Aston Martin Racing’s John Gaw explained: “We’re proud of the heritage we’ve…

“That it’s quiet is no surprise, but even for an EV the EQ C is eerily silent” WE rode around the block in the concept vehicle a year ago (Issue 1,473), but now Mercedes’ first full-electric EQ model is undergoing final testing. We’re sitting alongside chief engineer Michael Keltz in a pre-production vehicle being driven in heavy disguise. The EQ C SUV will reach showrooms in 2019. Inside, it feels as spacious as Merc’s regular GLC, but with a slightly lower roof. Despite being covered in cloth, it’s impossible to miss the large dual-screen set-up and MBUX infotainment system. Boot space looks good, too. With a battery under the floor, the wiring loom is housed in the transmission tunnel. The car shares its platform with the diesel GLC, which means…

“The first 35 cars made will be liveried in tribute to Brabham’s 35 grand prix race victories” LEGENDARY racing outfit Brabham has returned with a £1million track-only supercar called the BT62, which will be limited to 70 units to mark the firm’s 70-year involvement with motorsport. Underneath the carbon-fibre body is a tubular metal architecture, so the BT62 weighs just 973kg dry. The adjustable rear wing means Brabham claims more than 1,200kg of downforce. The first 35 cars will be liveried in tribute to Brabham’s 35 grand prix victories, with the first BT62 revealed celebrating the green and gold BT19 raced to victory by Jack Brabham at the 1966 French Grand Prix. The remaining 35 models will be painted to the customer’s choice. The carbon-fibre and Alcantara-headlined cabin houses a…

“Grille has been blanked off, and small flap on the modified panel is where the charging socket is found” James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods THE new Kia Niro EV has made a surprise debut in production-ready form at the International Electric Vehicle Expo in Jeju, South Korea, and Kia has confirmed that its second all-electric SUV, which moves the game on from the Soul EV, will appear for the first time in Europe at October’s Paris Motor Show. Under new WLTP testing procedures, the long-range 64kWh version of the Niro EV is said to be capable of 298 miles on a single charge. That’s the same range claimed by the new Jaguar I-Pace, and it marginally outstrips the 292-mile range of the Niro’s smaller Hyundai cousin, the Kona EV. No performance figures have…

“Initial changes have seen variable speed limits cut by 200 hours a week“ Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer VARIABLE speed limits on the UK’s smart motorways are set for a “comprehensive review” following a 10-fold increase in speeding fines. Highways England has admitted it will review variable speed restrictions on motorways after stating that the limits are not always accurately set to reflect traffic conditions at the time. Data obtained by The Times under a Freedom of Information request showed 72,348 people were fined on motorways with variable speed limits last year, up 10 times the number from five years ago. Yet two thirds of those motorists penalised were driving at 69mph, below the 70mph national motorway speed limit. Highways England revealed that variable speed limits are based on an algorithm of historical…

AS BMW’s flagship SUV takes shape (left), the brand has launched the most powerful production car in its history: the M5 Competition Pack. Based on the new M5 sports saloon, the optional Competition Pack adds more power, chassis updates and subtle design tweaks. The increased performance comes courtesy of a reworked version of the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. Power rises by 25bhp to 615bhp, with the 0-62mph sprint time falling by a tenth to 3.3 seconds. The springs have been stiffened by 10 per cent, while the ride height has also dropped by 7mm and new forged 20-inch alloy wheels have been fitted. Black accents, a unique exhaust system and a new rear diffuser finished in gloss black round off the changes.…

“Sense of theatre is as evident here as in an AMG E or S-Class, and only emphasised by the howling side-exit exhausts” Running costs 21.4mpg (off icial) £129 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 667/1,941 litres Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram IT’S nearly 40 years since Mercedes launched the first-generation G-Class. The basic shape has changed very little in that time, but for 2018 the rugged SUV has undergone its most significant transformation ever. While it might look quite familiar, this new G-Class gets a new body, chassis, steering, suspension, engines and gearbox, as well as new driver assistance systems. The subtly revised design retains most of the SUV’s iconic features, however, including the bonnet-top indicators, visible door hinges, boot-mounted spare tyre and protruding wheelarches. The boxy shape is similar, too, with a recognisably…

“There are plenty of squidgy plastics on the dash and you’ll find leather covering the steering wheel” Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram ULTIMATE: ‘The best or most extreme example of its kind’. That’s the mantra Vauxhall is working to with its latest iteration of the Grandland X, a kitladen range-topper priced from £34,040. This flagship spec is new for 2018 and is also available on the Astra hatch. You can’t argue with the equipment list, with every Ultimate model boasting an eight-inch touchscreen sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 360-degree parking camera and Vauxhall’s innovative OnStar service. External highlights include 19-inch alloys, LED lights, a panoramic roof and gloss-black details as standard. It certainly looks the part, even alongside pimped-up rivals like the SEAT Ateca Xcellence or Peugeot 3008…

Running costs 39.6mpg (on test) £63 fill-up/£140 or 24% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 356/1,238 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 9.9 seconds/116mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 49.5/34.8/10.2m MODEL TESTED: Ford EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost 140 ST-Line Price: £21,145 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 138bhp FORD is attempting to reinvent its EcoSport crossover yet again to keep pace with a rapidly growing group of rivals. This time it’s added a sporty flavour with the £21,145 ST-Line model we’re testing in conjunction with the 1.0 EcoBoost 140 engine. Design & engineering WHILE the styling may have been revised for this second facelift of the EcoSport, the engineering underneath remains close to the original model. It’s based on Ford’s global B-car platform for smaller vehicles, sharing some of the same components with its Fiesta supermini sibling. This includes the…

Running costs 21.6mpg (on test) £102 fill-up/£450 or 37% tax Performance 0-60mph/top speed 3.8 seconds/198mph Practicality Boot (front/cabin) 112/226 litres Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 47.7/35.2/9.7m THE R8 RWS makes history, because it’s the first ever rear-driven series production Audi, which is a big thing from a firm that’s built its reputation on four-wheel drive. But we know from the regular R8 and R8 Plus that Audi Sport knows how to do mid-engined sports cars, and the RWS’s spec is equally mouth-watering. Shorn of its centre and front differentials, as well as the front driveshafts, the RWS weighs 50kg less than the standard car, while it uses the same 533bhp naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Despite only the rear axle transmitting that power and 540Nm of torque to the road,…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy ELECTRIFIED vehicles have been known to come with the odd compromise over the years, but our Hyundai Ioniq PHEV is acquitting itself really well in everyday use. The Ioniq is an unashamed rival for the Toyota Prius, and it has a similar profile – a result, no doubt, of prioritising aerodynamic efficiency over pretty much everything else. However, it still works in everyday use; our picture editor Dawn Grant thought she was about to be caught out when her daughter needed a lift with her bicycle recently. But she found the Hyundai’s boot more than big enough to accommodate the two-wheeled transport. And that was even with the various charging cables still strewn over the boot floor. I’ve also been putting the Ioniq’s capacity to the test, but…

NEW PRODUCT V-Rally 4 Available for: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch Price: TBC On sale: September AN iconic rally title is set to be reborn 20 years after the first version wowed gamers on Sony’s original PlayStation. V-Rally was launched way back in 1997 and it’s making a return on the PS4, as well as the Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch. The game, last seen in 2003, will feature 50 models, ranging from rallying to extreme motorsports. Players can collect, upgrade and customise them, with a Porsche 911 Safari, Ford Mustang and a Focus RS RX confirmed ahead of September’s launch. The globe-trotting action will feature rallying from Africa to Japan across a variety of surfaces, including snow, ice and mud. An Extreme-khana mode offers drifting, plus there’s…

CO2/tax 106g/km £20-£140* Running costs 68.9mpg (2.0 TDI 150) £63 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.5 seconds/135mph UNTIL Audi launched the original A3 in 1996, nobody had managed to succeed with a posh small car. But far from the model bombing, the brand couldn’t make them fast enough, with waiting lists growing quickly. Since the arrival of the MINI, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes A-Class and others, the A3 has had a tougher time. Audi has risen to the challenge by developing the car so it’s even more desirable, with an array of safety and luxury tech, excellent powertrains and build quality that’s still superior enough to give most rivals a run for their money. The brand has been forced to rethink its pricing, but the latest A3 is still not cheap;…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk FORMULA One could hold a street race in Miami, Florida as early as next season. The city’s commission last week announced a vote would be held on whether to pursue the possibility with the sport’s owner, Liberty Media. A subsequent statement issued on the official F1 website said: “The City of Miami Commission took an important step by adding an item to their agenda that, if approved, will make way to bring F1 to downtown Miami next season. “We appreciate the community’s interest in hosting an F1 race and look forward to working with officials and stakeholders to bring this vision to life. “Miami’s status as one of the world’s most iconic and glamorous cities, combined with its robust tourism infrastructure, makes it the perfect destination for F1 and…