Innholdsfortegnelse for 1537 i Auto Express

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy Peugeot 2008 Due: 2020 OUR exclusive image previews the look of the next 2008. Peugeot will be hoping to recreate the success of its bigger SUV brothers. The 2008 will be longer but lighter than the current model. • Exclusive image previews baby SUV, evolving look of 3008 • Set to offer petrol, diesel and, eventually, mild-hybrid power PEUGEOT has scored huge hits with its two most recent SUVs: the 3008 and 5008. And now the French firm is preparing a total overhaul of those cars’ baby brother, the 2008, which is due to be revealed in autumn 2019, ahead of sales starting the following year. The 2008’s first appearance, probably at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019, will be part of a logical roll-out of new…

Price is right for updated Optima KIA has revealed prices for its revised Optima (above). Fitted with a new diesel engine, the saloon costs £22,260 in ‘2’ grade, while the SW estate starts at £23,100. Entry-level cars feature a seven-inch screen, dual-zone climate control and 17-inch alloys, while ‘3’ spec gets you electric heated seats and a larger infotainment set-up. Prices for the hybrid haven’t been announced yet. Sales of new cars on the up in July NEW car sales have stabilised in July, following a shaky first six months of the year. Registrations were up 1.2 per cent year on year, with 163,898 cars sold last month. Diesel took the biggest hit, but plug-in hybrid registrations were up 35.5 per cent. The Ford Fiesta remains the UK’s top-selling car,…

Contact Hugo Griffiths mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Watchdog/Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP HOT TOPIC A-Class Saloon FROM: Jim Hunt I EXPECTED not to like this, but it looks fantastic, especially the way the low-slung front end fits in with the sleek roofline and rear. Perhaps the designers had the Saloon in mind, rather than the hatch, when they started penning the A-Class. FROM: Brian Watson THE new A-Class Saloon looks fantastic, but why does Mercedes need this, as well as the CLA and A-Class hatch? That’s market segmentation taken to extremes, surely? I reckon Mercedes should just replace the CLA with the Saloon. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ▪ “One of the better-looking Mercedes. But I’m guessing the car in the press shots…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “It changes direction sharply, and shifts up and down its ZF box without fuss. The power is there when you want it, too” Running costs 88.3mpg (off icial) £116 fill-up JAGUAR Land Rover’s push towards an electrified future is in full swing. The I-Pace is an EV champ, having been crowned our Car of the Year 2018, and the firm has already been spied testing CO2-reducing mild-hybrid technology for its next-generation saloons and SUVs. It is also forging ahead with plug-in hybrids, so both the full-fat Range Rover and the smaller Range Rover Sport are now available in P400e guise. Matching a four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, each is capable of up to 31 miles on electric power alone. We first drove the Sport PHEV in…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor “Raw figures are encouraging, with a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 155mph” IT’S 21 years since the odd-looking original A-Class failed the infamous Elk test, but the fourth generation of the model really has grown up. Thanks to a glitzy interior that almost puts the S-Class limo to shame, this car no longer feels like a cheap, back-door entrance to the world of Mercedes ownership. So far we’ve tried the predicted bestseller, the diesel 180 d, and the A 200, which uses a new three-cylinder petrol engine. Both impressed but neither could dent the Volkswagen Golf’s all-round polish. Now we’ve had the chance to drive the range-topping A 250. Until a wider A-Class line-up arrives next year, the A 250 packs the most…

Nissan Leaf RUNNING an EV is all about forward thinking, as editor-in-chief Steve Fowler is discovering with his Nissan Leaf. And it can also mean pitstops in some rather agreeable places. Steve was filming for the Auto Express YouTube channel in the New Forest and decided to take his Leaf. Using the handy Zap-Map app, he discovered that there was a Polar charger located at the Rhinefield House Hotel just a few minutes from his shoot location. So at the end of a long, hard day, it was off to the hotel for half an hour’s charging and a use of the ‘facilities’. That gave easily enough power for the trip home to Buckinghamshire. With range anxiety a thing of the past, Steve is enjoying longer journeys where the Leaf’s…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Waterless cleaner worries A HOSEPIPE ban has just come into force in my area. I’ve always been a bit suspicious of waterless cleaners because they look like they will scratch paint. Are they safe? Don McKay, E-mail A WE’VE used waterless cleaners with some success for several years with no noticeable effect on paint. The key is to only tackle light grime. Use lots of spray to ensure the dirt is lifted and not dragged over the car. Our test winner is Meguiar’s Wash & Wax Anywhere (above). Armor All has a new wipe version, too. Q Can I paint my calipers? I LIKE the look of painted brake calipers and fancy doing it on my car. Is it advisable to paint them and…

RING has dominated our workshop light tests in recent times, but lost out this year to the new range of slim lamps. The former champ has been put on a diet, and the result is the new MAGflex Slim. We tried it against Sealey’s LED 180, our Issue 1,514 test Best Buy. Can it regain its crown? We compared beams, looking for a bright, even and wide light, plus wanted a range of mounting and charging options. Power-saving modes were on the wish list, along with charging lights. Maker’s list price was the final factor. There’s little between these slim inspection lamps, but the Sealey just retains top spot thanks to its variable power mode and long run time. The Ring is an impressive package and a great addition to…

New and used buying advice from our team of experts YOUR VIEWS ON YOUR CARS 2018 Results Q2 Factfile Years: 2017 to present CO2: 128g/km Fuel economy: 51.4mpg (SE 1.4 TFSI) Best options: Metallic paint, LED lights, Virtual Cockpit, anodised interior trim Used prices: From £17,000 OVERALL SCORE 91.20% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2018 new car survey. The longer the bar the better GOOD “I’M quite short, but other members of my family are tall; the Q2 is comfy for all of us.” “My old car was diesel and my Q2 is petrol; I have hardly noticed a difference in economy.” “It looks sleek, lovely and unlike anything else on the road.” “Apple CarPlay is useful and the infotainment feels cutting edge.” “Live sat-nav…

Sean_Carson@dennis.co.uk @sean_carson_ • Early verdict on top-selling BMW, due to debut at Paris show • Seventh generation’s CLAR platform brings big weight saving WE’LL see an all-new BMW 3 Series unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October, but ahead of the car’s official launch in the autumn, Auto Express has already had a drive of a prototype next-generation 3 Series saloon. To give you some insight into just how popular and important a model this is for BMW, the outgoing version (codenamed F30) enjoyed sales of more than 190,000 examples in its final full year in dealers, despite being due for replacement. In fact, it’s the German firm’s bestselling product, and the UK accounts for a great chunk of that popularity (24,000 of those 190,000 cars in 2017). So…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Government document suggests move as electric and fuel-efficient vehicles increase in popularity MOTORISTS in the Republic of Ireland could lead the way in paying taxes based on how many miles they drive per year, after officials in the country admitted that they may be forced to consider such a scheme. A discussion document, titled ‘Energy and Environmental Taxes’ and issued by the Irish Government’s Department of Finance, admits that the switch towards more fuel-efficient and pure-electric vehicles will hit taxation budgets. “The structural shift to lower CO2-emitting vehicles, and in particular any significant take-up in Electric Vehicles, will severely challenge the revenue base from vehicles across the fuel excise duties, motor tax and VRT [Vehicle Registration Tax],” the document states. “This is a longer-term issue currently under…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn • Exclusive image previews powerful four-door super-coupé • To use plug-in hybrid drivetrain developed from Panamera THE all-new Audi RS 7 will be the most powerful model in the company’s history and the first car from Audi Sport to feature plug-in hybrid technology, Auto Express can reveal. Engineers are applying the finishing touches to the four-door super-coupé ahead of its arrival in showrooms later next year. Strong customer demand has encouraged Audi Sport to introduce RS models far earlier in a new model’s lifecycle than before, a precedent set with the new RS 5 in 2017. The latest RS 7 will be given Audi Sport’s trademark makeover. Our exclusive main image gives an idea of what the showroom model will look like; blistered arches, an aggressive front end…

WE drive the exclusive Kahn Vengeance this week and go on a run up the Goodwood hill at youtube.com/Autoexpress. James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor DB9-based Kahn Vengeance driven YOU may have heard of Kahn Design. It modifies Jeep Wranglers and Land Rover Defenders. But the Vengeance is the company’s first bespoke car. It’s based on an Aston DB9, although there are some major changes – not least a loud exhaust. Our man Steve Sutcliffe has driven it. We take classic Alfa up Goodwood hill MODERN supercars have become the headline act at the Goodwood Festival of Speed of late, but it’s really a celebration of the best competition cars ever made – new and old. I was at this year’s event driving the latest models, but also a sweet little 1954 Alfa Romeo…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths “We came with a rowing system but ended up with pedalling; it is logical for moving forward”OSCAR BROCADES ZAALBERG Engineer CARS may be a vital form of transport for over a billion people worldwide, but unless you’re a topflight racing driver they do little to help with physical health. Studies have found a lack of physical exercise kills three million people a year globally, but in the UK we spend over seven hours a day sitting down, with the average UK commuter travelling 54 minutes a day. So what if commuting could be mixed with exercise? That’s what health-conscious Saudi entrepreneur Nasser Alshawaf asked a Dutch engineering firm. The result is this adapted Audi A4 Avant. The FitCar PPV, or pedal-powered vehicle, has a normal petrol engine and…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram Running costs 141.2mpg (official) £54 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.6 seconds/155mph BMW has revised its i8 for 2018, introducing an all-new open-top version. The i8 Roadster sits alongside a revised Coupé, losing the latter’s solid roof and back seats, while gaining 60kg and an additional £12,000 on the price. But does that add up to a worthy trade? The extra mass is a result of structural work to the carbon-fibre passenger cell. There are a few extra layers of carbon fibre around the windscreen and extra panels provide a stronger location for the Roadster’s rear suspension. Elsewhere, the Roadster’s DSC system and adaptive dampers get unique tuning. Overall the i8 soft-top tips the scales at 1,595kg; hardly portly for a hybrid sports car with show-stopping gullwing doors. The…

Alfa Romeo Giulia Issue 1,534 Audi A7 Sportback Issues 1,529, 1,536 Citroen C3 Aircross Issues 1,526, 1,532 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Iss 1,514, 1,523, 1,528, 1,533 Kia Stinger Issue 1,533 Mazda CX-5 Iss 1,503, 1,512, 1,521, 1,530 Nissan Leaf Issue 1,533 Peugeot 5008 Issues 1,523, 1,531 Renault Koleos Issue 1,530 SEATArona Issues 1,524, 1,531, 1,535 Skoda Karoq Issue 1,536 SsangYong Rexton Issues 1,516, 1,525, 1,529 Suzuki Swift Sport Issue 1,532 Toyota C-HR Issues 1,527, 1,535 Vauxhall Grandland X Issue 1,536 Volkswagen Arteon Issues 1,520, 1,530, 1,536 Volvo XC60 Issues 1,523, 1,527, 1,534…

Nilfisk Buddy II 18T wet and dry vacuum cleaner Price: £74.99 Rating: Contact: www.nilfisk.com NILFISK has ruled our recent tests of workshop vacuum cleaners with its class-leading Multi, but what if your budget doesn’t stretch to almost £150? That’s where the firm’s Buddy II comes in, so we jumped at the chance to try the latest version of its cheaper machine. The best price we found for the Buddy II was just over half the cost of a Multi II, so what do you get for your money? For car use a long hose is key as it allows you to work from both sides without moving the cleaner, and this 18T version of the Buddy II has a useful four-metre hose and a six-metre power lead. You get lots…

Making a Morgan: 17 days of Craftsmanship Andreas and Dagmar Hensing (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £30 Rating: MORGAN Motor Company is an enigma, clinging to ancient production methods to build its iconic sports cars. This book goes behind the scenes of the Malvern factory in an enjoyable account, tracking a car’s build from start to finish. There’s a good history section at the start as well. Land Rover Emergency Vehicles James Taylor (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £30 Rating: A SHORT but precise book showing off the adaptability and dependability of Land Rovers and Range Rovers used by the emergency services in Britain, plus in countries such as France, Italy and Oman. Interesting, but a bit light on info for £30. MMX Hill Dash 2 Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free…

Sponsoredby Got any car queries? Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Yellow pointers to safety WHEN stopped in a motorway traffic jam next to an HGV, I noticed fluorescent yellow surrounds on its wheel nuts. These look to be safety-related, but what exactly are they? Adam Crystal, E-mail A THESE arrow-shaped pieces of plastic are loose wheel nut indicators. They slot securely around each nut, and should all point at each other. If they don’t, this shows a nut is loose. Research indicates almost 200 wheel detachments occur each year on commercial vehicles, so these small pieces of plastic play a vital safety role. Q Clearing up big end mystery I WAS watching an old documentary on television the other night, and heard a mechanic glumly tell a customer ‘your big end’s gone’.…

• Stroll’s father leads buyout • Race for 2019 drives is on Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk “All jobs at the team will be saved and it will race on as normal for rest of the year” A CONSORTIUM of investors led by the Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll – father of current Williams driver Lance – has rescued Silverstone-based Force India from administration. The team was placed in administration by the courts last month at the request of a group of creditors – including its driver Sergio Perez and engine supplier Mercedes – to head off a winding-up petition by another creditor that would have shut the squad down immediately. Force India’s chief operations officer Otmar Szafnauer said: “This outcome secures the future of the Force India team and will allow our team of…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “Lynk & Co has claimed that in testing, the hybrid 03 regularly achieves a pure-electric range of 40 miles” • Petrol and plug-in hybrid power for firm’s first four-door LYNK & Co has revealed the final exterior design of the new 03, giving us our first proper look at the Geely-owned brand’s rival for the Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class saloons. The production car sticks closely to the styling of the 03 concept revealed at last year’s Shanghai Motor Show, mixing front and rear design cues from the firm’s SUVs into a sportier four-door shape. At the front is the distinctive Lynk & Co face, but the design is more aggressive than what we’ve seen from the marque so far. There’s a sharp crease along the 03’s waistline.…

Reviews editor, Auto Express THE Irish Government’s document is a fascinating admission that in the long term, electric vehicles are going to cause a black hole in public finances. And this from a country with relatively few electrified cars on its roads; on the other side of the Irish Sea, the UK is further down the path to EVs, so it’s odd that we’re not having the same discussion. Fuel duty helps to pay for building new roads and maintaining the ones that we already have – a service that’s under greater pressure than ever at the moment. So isn’t it in everyone’s interest – not just owners of EVs – that realistic, fair and workable ways of maintaining that income are developed sooner rather than later? “Fuel duty helps…

THE number of casualties caused by drink-driving in Britain has reached a four-year high in the latest figures issued by the Department for Transport. The newly-released stats reveal that an estimated 9,040 people were injured or killed on Britain’s roads in 2016 in incidents where a driver was over the drink-drive alcohol limit. That figure is seven per cent higher than the numbers from 2015, and equates to around five per cent of all casualties on the UK’s roads in 2016. The department says an estimated 230 people died in drink-drive crashes in 2016, an increase from 200 in 2015. The DfT described the higher figure as “not statistically significant” and said the data “continues a period of stability recorded since 2010”. But road safety pressure groups say the figures…

VOLKSWAGEN has revealed the production-ready ‘California XXL’ and confirmed the name, too. The Crafter-based camper will be called the Grand California, and will sit above the existing California Beach and California Ocean models in the range. Measuring nearly six metres long, the new model includes a kitchen and a large bathroom with a toilet and shower. There’s a pull-out 70-litre fridge, too, plus the option of a bunk bed and a roof-mounted air-conditioning unit. The Grand California can even be specified with a satellite dish or WiFi router. More specs and prices will be confirmed at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf later this month.…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram IF you thought a five-metre-long SUV couldn’t be any more conspicuous, think again, because Audi has launched the SQ7 Vorsprung Edition. It’s a special version of the brand’s biggest, most powerful SUV, and it’s made an already imposing vehicle even more menacing. It’s expensive, too. The Vorsprung Edition costs the best part of £90,000; that’s about £15,000 more than the standard SQ7. The package is offered on the regular car, too, where it adds £25,000 to the price of a 3.0 TDI S line. What do you get for the money? The SQ7 Vorsprung rides on a huge set of exclusive Audi Sport 22-inch alloys, and its front grille, roof rails and side window trims are all blacked out. Side running boards have been added beneath the doors,…

Dacia Duster MediaNav Standard Key features: Sat-nav, reversing camera GIVEN that the entry-level Duster Access only gets prewiring for a radio, it’s impressive that this Comfort-spec model has a seven-inch colour touchscreen with sat-nav, a reversing camera and DAB radio as standard considering its price is still incredibly affordable. The system works well enough, too. It’s not the quickest to respond, but the menu layout is fairly logical and the big, tile-style buttons mean it’s simple and not as fiddly as the Suzuki’s set-up. The screen is positioned fairly low down in the dash because you sit up quite high, but then the easy access to the USB ports to keep your gadgets charged is good. However, beyond this and the Bluetooth system, this is the limit of connectivity. There’s…

Toyo’s Silent tyres are in the pipeline AS cars go electric and motors get quieter, there’s a bigger focus on reducing the noise generated by tyres to improve cabin comfort. Several makers have added foam linings to dampen cavity noise in the tyre, but Toyo’s Silent (above) aims to use air flow within the tyre to cut the noise being transmitted to the car. Small, cylindrical foam pipes are mounted on the inside of the tread. Forcing the air through the holes reduces the cavity noise; Toyo claims up to a 12dB cut. The company plans to further develop the system for production tyres. VW offers owners summer car check VOLKSWAGEN drivers heading off on a long summer road trip or simply overdue a service can get a health check…

PRODUCTGROUP TEST 15|8|2018 Every week, we extensively test all the latest car kit from tyres to trim cleaners. Log on to www.autoexpress.co.uk to look through our huge online test archive MANY DIY tasks, such as checking fuel and hydraulic pipes, swapping brake pads or rotating tyres, need your car to be raised. It may be tempting to use the jack supplied to change the tyres, but you should resist; these are for emergency use only when faced with a puncture away from home. Their lightweight build and clumsy operation make them ill-suited for garage work. A trolley jack is a much better option, and even the most expensive option among those we’ve tested here won’t break the bank. Unless you have a particularly hefty vehicle, the eight jacks we rate…

Join the debate now at autoexpress.co.uk/opinion Mike Rutherford Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off “In terms of available road per head of population, Britain languishes at number 70-odd in the global league table” THE reason you get the uneasy feeling that roads in developed foreign countries are less congested than ours is that they are. And then some. Generally, our streets are clogged and calamitous; theirs are open and organised. When focusing on developed ‘western’ countries, large and small, rich and not so rich, there’s no doubt Britain is one of the worst – if not THE worst – for creating road traffic congestion/misery for its citizens and visitors. To find a dramatic illustration of how woeful the British state is at providing a road network appropriate to…