Innholdsfortegnelse for 1530 i Auto Express

THE Volvo S60 is the first model to benefit from the Swedish brand’s new Polestar Engineered programme. A similar performance makeover will be applied to the V60 and XC60 models next year. The upgrade pack is only available on the most powerful S60 in the range, the T8 plug-in hybrid. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine gets a revised ECU to up total power by 25bhp to 410bhp. Torque rises by 30Nm for a total of 670Nm. Volvo says that’s enough to deliver 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds. Chassis upgrades for the Polestar Engineered S60 include adjustable Ohlins dampers and a front strut brace, while the brakes are uprated courtesy of grooved discs and Brembo calipers. These, like the Ohlins dampers, are painted gold, and are housed behind new lightweight alloys. Cosmetically,…

A NEW trial scheme that rewards drivers for placing rubbish in special bins at motorway service stations has been launched to help reduce roadside litter. Services at Maidstone, Kent, will feature Britain’s first recycling reward bins, where drivers get a 5p voucher for every empty plastic bottle or coffee cup they insert. Researchers have measured litter levels in the Kent services area for the past four weeks and will compare the impact of the machines over the next six months. If successful, they will be introduced at more sites. The trial is run by environmental charity Hubbub, and has been backed by Highways England. Figures from the company revealed motorists littering cost taxpayers £8million a year on average. Wayne Moore, Highways England service delivery manager, said: “Picking litter up puts…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor WE drive the new Peugeot 508 at youtube.com/Autoexpress this week, plus we take a look around the all-new Audi A1. On-road verdict on Peugeot’s new 508 YOU would think Peugeot would abandon the family-cum-fleet saloon car market due to slow sales of the old 508, but the firm is persisting. The new 508 takes on the Vauxhall Insignia and Volkswagen Arteon, and it certainly looks the part. But how does it feel? John McIlroy finds out. Walkaround video on the new Audi A1 AUDI’S stylish A1 has been on sale for eight years – few other cars from the brand have hung around so long. One reason a new model has been such a long time coming is the success of the original. But the Mk2 is finally…

Director, RAC Foundation THE motoring worId is on the brink of tumultuous change that could consign the very act of driving to history. The requirement for road policing would look very different if, as some people predict, autonomous vehicles – hard-wired to stay within the law – become the norm. Policing in that autonomous future will potentially be focused around the forensic capability to interrogate our cars’ artificial intelligence, rather than being out on the road. In the meantime the police face the challenge of securing compliance with the law, and acting swiftly to help and then investigate where things go wrong, with traffic comprising a mix of driverless and driven vehicles. On-road technology could help; it’s likely that we’ll see more average speed cameras deployed. Soon-to-be-published work for the RAC…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer YOU can spot them from a long way away: the mangled tops and bodies of Porsches, Ferraris and even a bright-green Lamborghini Gallardo. They sit up high on large, metal storage shelves, stacked neatly on top of one another with several columns reaching high into the sky. Drive further along the industrial estate in Wigan, Greater Manchester, and you’ll reach the front gate of Douglas Valley Breakers. Step inside the compound and you’re greeted by one of the country’s biggest scrap and salvage yards for supercars. Or to put it another way, the final resting place for some of the greatest high-performance and luxury vehicles. Crash your Porsche, Ferrari, TVR, Lotus, Aston Martin or anything that’s fast and interesting, and chances are that if the car is written…

Kia Stinger 8-inch touchscreen Standard Key features: Wireless charging, nav THE Stinger’s infotainment set-up uses an eight-inch touchscreen, and it’s the best system of the three cars here, thanks to its clear menus and responsive display. It’s also full of useful features. There’s everything we’d expect in a modern exec saloon. Sat-nav, wireless phone charging, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. There’s DAB radio, Bluetooth and a Harman Kardon stereo, too. Some connected services, such as TomTom-powered traffic alerts, are useful as well. The menu layout is streamlined and is mainly easy to navigate, although simple tasks such as entering a sat-nav destination take a few too many steps. We would also prefer a rotary dial as in the Alfa for use while on the move, but the screen…

THISWEEK’S HOT KIT “Drivers can stick to roads suitable for towing thanks to unit’s Camper and Caravan World maps” NEW PRODUCT TomTom GO Basic and GO Camper sat-navs Prices: From £149.99 Contact: www.tomtom.com WITH the summer in full swing, sat-nav giant TomTom has launched two new devices to help holidaygoers reach their destinations. Leading the way is the GO Camper, which has been tailored for motorists towing a caravan or driving a campervan. It features Lifetime Camper and Caravan World maps – helping drivers stick to roads suitable for towing or driving a big vehicle on. The device includes camper and caravan-specific points of interest for easy getaways. The six-inch GO Camper features built-in traffic and safety camera alerts, helping drivers to stay clear of congestion and ensuring they stay safe…

Jet pack off to a flier at Festival of Speed ALONGSIDE the usual thrills on the hill climb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 12-15 July, visitors can see the JB11 JetPack (above). It’s the first package of its kind to get Federal Aviation Certification, and will be doing demonstration flights. It’s capable of topping 200mph when strapped to an expert pilot, and can remain in the air for up to 12 minutes. There will be one JB11 demo flight each day of the Festival. Damning report on child seat fitting UP to two-thirds of children could be travelling in incorrectly-fitted child seats, new research by specialist group Child Seat Safety claims. Its checks on more than 3,000 cars found 36 per cent of seats were incorrectly fitted, with…

Acura NSX – Honda’s Original Supercar Brian Long (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £45 Rating: A GREAT resource for the original Honda NSX. Long’s writing isn’t that engaging, but it’s easy to read, very detailed and accurate. We’re disappointed to see that this re-published version hasn’t been updated with the incredible new second generation NSX; it gets only a tiny paragraph. Top Gear: Epic Failures Richard Porter (BBC Books, penguinrandomhouse.co.uk) Price: £8.99 Rating: ALTHOUGH it’s a few years old now, books like this rarely disappoint, detailing some of the automotive world’s worst misjudgements and useless cars. Not especially thorough, but a good read that�s told in an engaging style. Some of the language may be too strong for young readers. [Project:OffRoad] Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free Rating: DECENT fun at…

2018 Results A-Class Factfile Years: 2012 to 2018 CO2: 102g/km Fuel economy: 72.4mpg (A 180 d) Best options: Keyless entry & go, LED lights, sunroof, heated seats, sat-nav Used prices: From £8,500 • GOOD “SHORT length makes it great around town, but it performs like a bigger car on the motorway.” “Harman Kardon stereo is crystal clear and Bluetooth works well.” “Very comfortable seats over long distances; no aches or pains.” “For a diesel car, the A-Class is a lot quieter than I was expecting.” “The best-looking Mercedes there is.” “The automatic gearbox is a byword for smoothness.” “Heated seats are a joy and warm up quickly.” • NOT SO GOOD “I DON’T have DAB radio; the FM system is fiddly to programme.” “The dashboard squeaks and my dealer can’t…

£15,000 for a compact exec, but which one? Dear Alex, I cover a lot of motorway miles and want a compact executive car. Which model would you suggest for £15,000? Roger Jackson, E-mail Contact: Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk THE COMFORTABLE CHOICE Audi A4 FOR: Build quality, comfort, refinement AGAINST: Average performance and economy YOUR budget is enough to bag a 28,000-mile 2015 A4 in 2.0-litre TDI Ultra trim. It offers the slowest onpaper performance here, but the 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds still isn’t bad, and in most other respects the Audi is the best long-distance cruiser of this trio. A softer suspension set-up compared with its two competitors makes the A4 comfortable to drive at speed, while the wind and road noise are the most hushed of these cars. Handling is secure…

• First drive of latest big seller with new platform, more space • Two new diesels line up with familiar EcoBoost petrol engines THE village of Siebenbach in the Eifel region of Germany is behind us; there’s a narrow, hilly, winding, freshly renovated road ahead and we’re at the wheel of the all-new Ford Focus – which is once again proving that car-driving heaven can only be delivered when the chassis isn’t steering you into hell. The Mk3 version of Ford’s hatch has been feeling its age – threatened by everything from the VW Golf to the all-new Kia Ceed. So Ford has really pulled out the stops for the fourth generation with a fresh platform. It’s called C2 and is designed to deliver even more agile handling, while improving…

• Wraps off V12 Superleggera • 716bhp; 211mph top speed Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler “Drive modes tweak power, suspension and steering to make the car progressively sharper and faster” ASTON Martin’s revival shows no sign of letting up: this is the all-new DBS Superleggera, a car that boss Andy Palmer describes as “a brute in a suit”. It’s a replacement for the outgoing Vanquish and brings back a name that was first used back in 1967, while the name Superleggera hints at the lightweight construction. It’s based on the new DB11, and is powered by a version of that car’s twinturbo 5.2-litre V12. As a Super GT, it has a very different brief, though. It’s 70kg lighter than a V12 DB11 and uses shorter gearing for better performance. The quad exhaust has…

Vauxhall loads up its all-new Combo VAUXHALL has revealed an all-new Combo panel van (above). It arrives in dealers in December and will be available in short and long wheelbases or as a crew cab. It can carry items as long as 3,440mm and has a payload of up to one tonne. As a crew cab it can also carry up to five passengers. Technology includes automatic cruise control, lane keep assist and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Schot takes charge at Audi after arrest AUDI has appointed a new ‘temporary’ chairman following the arrest of CEO Rupert Stadler. Stadler was taken into custody on 18 June by German authorities in connection with a probe into the VW diesel emissions scandal. Abraham Schot, head of Audi’s sales and marketing, has taken on…

Contact MartinSaarinen mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Watchdog/Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP FROM: Toby Garland CAR makers can’t win: if they bring out a replacement that looks similar to the previous model, they’re accused of being boring. But if they try something bold and different, as Audi has with the new A1, they’ve ‘ruined the design’. FROM: Malph I THINK this looks really smart for a small hatch, and if the colour combinations shown in the pictures are available in the UK, it’ll stand out nicely. Still not a fan of the whole touchscreen thing and the rear doors look a bit teeny, though. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ▪ “A shame Audi has ditched the three-door A1, because sporty three-door hatchbacks are getting…

Honda Civic Type R THERE are so many things that make our Honda Civic Type R great; its performance, handling, practicality and everyday usability have been covered often in past reports. But for senior reviewer Sam Naylor, one of the hot hatch’s biggest assets is its gearbox. So many performance cars have ditched manual setups in favour of faster-shifting automatics. Our man has no doubt that with the right transmission, the Civic Type R would deliver even more astonishing acceleration figures – but if that were the case, it would be a worse car, and he feels Honda should be praised for sticking with the manual. The extra pedal adds to the Civic’s enthusiast appeal, and that’s without even considering that the Honda has one of the best shifts we’ve…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Fears over tyre shine cracks A TYRE shine I used left cracks on the edges of the tyres and between tread blocks. Now I’m getting a new car and don’t want a repeat of this. What’s the safest shine to use? Jason Craig, E-mail A CRACKS are usually seen as a tyre ages; you may experience it on any tyre over five years old. The cracking you witnessed is unlikely to be related to the tyre shine, which shouldn’t be applied to the tread anyway. Our favourite is CarPlan Tyre Slik (above); it’s easy to apply, lasts a long time and is easy on the pocket. Q Clear cloudy sat-nav screen I HAD my car washed and interior cleaned at a site where people…

OUR CHOICE Silverline DIY 110W Orbital Car Polisher 261362 Price: £25.38 Rating: Pad diameter (mm): 240 Motor: 110W Contact: 01935 382222, www.silverlinetools.com SILVERLINE’S polisher comes supplied with two pads: one terry cloth and one synthetic wool. The former was thinner than we would have liked, but it was tied with a cord, which made fitting much easier than the strongly elasticated pads. We felt the 3.7m power cable length was mean, but the three-year warranty wasn’t stingy. The fixed handle nearly surrounded the motor and the on/off switch was sensibly placed for ease of use. And while the unit vibrated a bit in use, it’s a good price, and this gave it an edge over the Halfords product.…

Sponsored by Got any car queries? Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Price seems high for Audi oil AN Audi dealer recently charged me £82 plus VAT for five litres of oil. When I complained, it gave me a credit against my next service, but why was the oil so expensive? Marc Levine, E-mail A AUDI told us that because its service centres are independent franchises, they can set their own prices for items such as oil. The maker said that the long-life fully-synthetic oil used in your service is relatively expensive, and highlighted its price-match offer, which is worth considering for future services. Q Where should phone nav go? I USE my phone as a sat-nav and have been told it is illegal to have it in a cradle stuck to the…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler VOLVO has revealed its all-new BMW 3 Series rival ahead of the saloon landing in the UK early next year. But the S60 won’t have it easy; when it arrives it’ll line up against an all-new 3 Series, not to mention Mercedes’ revised C-Class, Audi’s A4 and Jaguar’s XE. Volvo’s president and CEO Håkan Samuelsson calls the S60 “one of the most exciting Volvo cars we’ve ever made” and “a true driver’s car”. Big claims. It’ll be produced at an all-new plant in the US in Charleston, South Carolina with a clear leaning to the big and lucrative US and Chinese markets. That, in part, explains why it takes a different approach to its rivals, eschewing diesel power in favour of four 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engines; two…

FOLLOWING a 14-year absence from UK showrooms, the Toyota Camry is set to return. The big saloon will slot into the range next year as the brand kills off the slow-selling Avensis. Bosses have yet to announce specs for the new VW Passat rival that will be sold in the UK, but we know it will be the latest version that’s based on the modular front-wheel-drive Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform tech, as seen on the C-HR and Prius. UK Camrys will feature a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid set-up; similar to the system soon to be offered on the BMW 5 Series-rivalling Lexus ES, which is the Camry’s sister vehicle. Toyota says that the car’s ride and handling will be “specifically tuned for the European market”; that’s likely to…

FORD and VW have announced a ‘strategic alliance’ that will see the two brands jointly develop commercial vehicles and boost both companies’ competitiveness. The partnership will not involve the marques taking an ownership stake in each other. Instead, the collaboration is likely to take the form of sharing technology and the development costs of major projects. Jim Farley, Ford’s president of global markets, said: “This potential alliance with the Volkswagen Group is another example of how we can become more fit as a business.”…

IN the first part of our campaign, back in Issue 1,527, we reported how traffic police numbers have fallen by 24 per cent since 2012. But the Home Office considers that “effective roads policing is not necessarily dependent on dedicated road traffic officers”. It claims that it should also comprise “technology, other police personnel and local communities”. For the final instalment of our campaign, we’ve looked at how effective those three Home Office suggestions are, and what their potential impact on road safety might be. Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer…

THE following provide help with motoring problems. Some services are free, others charge a fee or operate on premium-rate lines (p), while some offer advice for members only (m) Legal AA: 0345 850 1130 (m) RAC: 0330 159 1446 (m) Which?: 01992 878329 Citizens Advice Consumer helpline: 03454 040506 Local Trading Standards Local Citizens Advice Bureau Used car inspections AA: 0800 056 8040 RAC: 0330 159 0720 Technical advice AA: 0370 142 0002 (m) Driving licences DVLA: 0300 790 6801 Car registration/history HPI: 01722 422422 AA: 0800 316 3564 DVLA: 0300 790 6802 RAC: 0330 159 0364 Traffic information AA: 0906 888 4322 RAC: 09003 444999 (p) Problems with dealers The Motor Ombudsman: 0345 241 3008 Consumer Ombudsman: www.consumerombudsman.org RMIF: 0845 305 4230 Scottish Motor Trade Assoc. 0131 331 5510…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram WHEN Dacia arrived in the UK in 2012, it stunned the industry with its value-packed new cars. Six years later the recipe is unchanged; the Duster is still the cheapest crossover on sale. For 2018, the firm’s sole SUV has been updated with fresh styling and kit – yet with a similarly tempting price. But is the Duster the bargain it once was? We’ve driven one in the UK to find out. The first thing you spot is the new face. While the design is an evolution of the previous car, Dacia insists every panel is new. Tweaks include a wider grille, sharper belt line and a revised rear. The lights have been pushed to the corners to try and emphasise a sportier stance. “As before, it’s the…

THIS new A7 is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform, which means there’s plenty of advanced tech here. One such innovation is the engine. Despite the diesel-vs-petrol debate raging, a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel makes sense in a big car such as this, giving lots of torque for easy, unruffled performance. In this case, that’s helped by Audi’s 48-volt system, which enables mild-hybrid tech with a belt starter/generator. The result is a combined 282bhp and 620Nm of torque, and this is sent via an eight-speed automatic gearbox to all four wheels through Audi’s quattro system. At 1,880kg, the A7 isn’t exactly light. However, it still weighs 55kg less than the CLS, which helped the Audi during our performance tests. The 0-60mph sprint took 5.6 seconds, while the A7 was…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.1 seconds/137mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 563/1,557 litres Running costs 43.6mpg (on test) £81 fill-up/£140 or 28% tax TO anyone who lives in a city but who doesn’t have a garage, returning to your vehicle when you’ve been away for a couple of weeks is never a pleasant experience. You leave your beloved car parked up quietly in the street in pristine condition. But you come back to find it’s been targeted by an avian invasion, plus covered in a fair bit of sap that seems to come off the trees at this time of year. And when you see the mess it’s made of your paintwork, your heart sinks. That happened to our Volkswagen Arteon just recently, and I couldn’t believe how much grime there…

Alfa Romeo Giulia Issues 1,515, 1,526 Audi A7 Sportback Issue 1,529 Citroen C3 Aircross Issue 1,526 Honda Civic Type R Issues 1,512, 1,524, 1,527 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Issues 1,514, 1,523, 1,528 Land Rover Discovery New arrival Mazda CX-5 Issues 1,503, 1,512, 1,521 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Issues 1,509, 1,521 Peugeot 5008 Issue 1,523 SEATArona Issue 1,524 SsangYong Rexton Issues 1,516, 1,525, 1,529 Toyota C-HR Issue 1,527 Vauxhall Insignia Issues 1,510, 1,520, 1,525 Volkswagen Arteon Issue 1,520 Volvo XC60 Issues 1,523, 1,527…

POLISHING the paintwork and buffing wax on your car can be hard work, so many drivers don’t bother. But a 240v polisher will take the grind out of the job. It can also be used with a suitable cutting compound or scratch remover to lift out swirl marks and light scratches from the surface of the paint. Detailing enthusiasts may pay hundreds of pounds for a top-level, multi-speed polisher, but most of us don’t need to go to such extremes. We lined up three budget priced examples to test on a variety of body panels. Despite their keen prices, all were DA (dual-action), which is better for cleaning and buffing. A little motor vibration was outweighed by a better price and similar performance to put the Silverline ahead of the…

• Renault dropped for 2019 • Ricciardo rumours continue Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk “Red Bull is following in the footsteps of Toro Rosso, which is already running Honda power” RED Bull has chosen Honda as its engine supplier for 2019, putting an end to a 12-year Renault partnership and following in the footsteps of its ‘B-team’ Toro Rosso, which is already running Honda power this season. Renault and Red Bull won a total of four world championship titles together with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013, but the relationship has become increasingly fractured in recent seasons, with the engines being badged ‘Tag Heuer’ rather than Renault. In a statement released in the lead-up to last weekend’s French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, team boss Christian Horner said: “After careful consideration and evaluation, we’re…

Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off I can’t remember the last time I spotted a genuinely new highway for cars, vans and trucks. Know the feeling? CAST your mind back six months to the first week of January. These were the desperately dark days when a down-in-the-dumps Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) admitted that new car sales in 2017 were way lower than in 2016. Many people in the automotive industry lost out, as did HM Treasury. Never forget that for every £25,000 new car not sold, the Government loses £5,000 in VAT. But a year-on-year downturn in new car sales, coupled with huge quantities of old vehicles being scrapped, at least means fewer cars, vans and trucks on the road, and a bit more space,…