Innholdsfortegnelse for 1543 i Auto Express

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods PEUGEOT has a new electric concept for the Paris Motor Show, created to project a retro vision of the future. Called e-LEGEND, the design takes its profile from the 504 Coupé of the sixties and blends it with some of the firm’s more modern design elements to create a traditional three-box coupé, with what Peugeot says are “realistic” proportions. Unlike many modern show cars, the overall profile of the e-LEGEND is less radical and far more showroom-friendly, with properly sized windows, no unrealistic overhangs and even very production car-like 19-inch wheels. It’s 4,650mm long, 1,930mm wide and 1,370mm tall – nothing out of the ordinary for a modern coupé. The front-end interpretation of the 504 Coupé uses double lighting modules to hark back to the original car’s four-piece…

ELSEWHERE at Mercedes-AMG, the brand has begun testing prototypes of its Project ONE hypercar in the UK. First unveiled as a concept at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the bodywork of the prototype spied in these images is covered to mask any detail changes. Yet it’s clear the overall shape of the prototype is very close to that of the original concept. A contemporary Formula One power unit and four electric motors power the hypercar. It uses a version of the 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid V6 that has propelled the Mercedes team to every Formula One drivers and constructors’ world championship since 2014. The German marque claims that the Project ONE’s power unit is good for 986bhp. Mercedes promises that the car will have a top speed in excess of 217mph,…

THIS is our best look yet at the Skoda Kodiaq vRS ahead of its launch at next week’s Paris Motor Show. The official sketches reveal the most aggressive-looking SUV in the marque’s 122-year history, with trademark vRS touches, such as the arch-filling 20-inch alloy wheels, deep front bumpers and dual exhaust set-up. The Czech brand confirmed LED headlights will feature as standard on the new flagship Kodiaq, while a digital Virtual Cockpit instrument panel will also be included. We also know the only engine to be offered in the Kodiaq vRS will be a 237bhp 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel, developing 500Nm of torque. That motor will be paired to an all-wheel-drive system, with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox as standard, while the firm’s Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) system will also feature. Despite…

FERRARI has confirmed it will launch 15 new models under its latest product plan outlined by new CEO Louis Carey Camilleri. The first to arrive are the Monza SP1 and SP2 (right). Both sit in a newly established Icona range, which will celebrate some of the marque’s most famous models. Both the SP1 and SP2 are a nod to Ferrari’s racing Barchettas of the fifties, but are based on one of the company’s latest models, the 812 Superfast. They will be built in limited numbers and sold to the Italian brand’s most loyal customers at a price believed to be upwards of £3million. Ferrari has also confirmed that 60 per cent of its model line-up will feature hybrid tech by 2022. Key to achieving that aim will be the firm’s upcoming…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods AUDI used the launch of its e-tron electric SUV last week to announce plans for several more new electrified models over the next seven years. The company plans to launch 20 electrified cars by 2025, and 12 of those will be all-electric. The other eight will be new plug-in hybrid models. One of the new e-tron cars confirmed is a compact A3-sized vehicle, based on the VW Group’s new MEB pure-electric platform (see story, below). It should follow soon after the first MEB car, VW’s I.D. hatchback, with a public debut in 2020 considered likely. VW is planning to offer three battery sizes in the I.D. hatch and while Audi may also give customers this choice of range versus costs, it’s conceivable that its line-up will avoid the…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor First drive video on new Suzuki Jimny SUZUKI’S Jimny has always been a dutiful 4x4 loved by a small band of passionate owners. Now there’s a new one and it’s trying to appeal to a trendier audience. Its styling apes the classic Defender and Mercedes G-Class, but it’s much smaller. Is it a hit? Richard Ingram finds out. Full video preview of Audi e-tron SUV YOU’VE read all about the new Audi e-tron SUV, now see it up close and personal. Earlier this year, we were granted special early access to the car in a studio in Germany for a privileged first glance at Audi’s first ever all-electric production car. You could say it looks even better on film. John McIlroy is your guide. You can watch any of…

OVER 30 years and 1,543 issues Auto Express has made a name for itself for delivering exclusive news stories. Some of our biggest scoops come from investigative journalism, long nights and loose-lipped executives. However, one of the biggest ever scoops to feature in Auto Express came from you, our readers. Back in May 2004 we were the first magazine in the world to publish images of the Mk2 Ford Focus. A reader, who stumbled across a customer clinic for the hatch while out walking his dog, sent in the images. Much to Ford’s annoyance, the car was left unguarded and a full set of snaps were grabbed. It was on the cover of issue 806, four months ahead of the car’s debut at that year’s Paris Motor Show. Fast forward…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk PLENTY has happened in the car industry over the last three decades, but the next handful of years are shaping up to be even more transformative, and our roads could be very different places in 30 years’ time. It’s impossible to avoid the two hottest topics in the motor industry right now: autonomy and electrification. Hardly a single new car launches at the moment without one or both of these technologies included or promised for the near future, and the industry has been dominated over the past year by grand announcements of intent to produce all-electric vehicles from nearly all of the car-making world’s biggest players. Progress promises to be so rapid that the UK Government wishes to ban the sale of solely combustion-powered cars by 2040, by which…

YOU’VE found out what’s gone in to making this one-off SEAT Mii, now we’re offering you the chance to win it! Our bold red and white colour scheme will make the already-handsome SEAT Mii really stand out from the crowd. And it’s no less eye-catching inside, either. Under the funky colour scheme is the same frugal engine and eager chassis that makes the Mii one of our favourite city cars. And now it’s something you could sample for yourself, by visiting autoexpress.co.uk/winaseatmii and filling in your details. You’ll find the terms and conditions there, too. TO ENTER VISIT autoexpress.co.uk/winaseatmii Terms and conditions are at the web address above…

MODEL TESTED: Volvo S90 D4 R-Design PRICE: £38,760 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 187bhp THE Volvo S90 heralded a new dawn for the Swedish firm, but does the S90 still have what it takes to make Volvo a key player in this competitive sector? We test the well-priced £38,760 S90 D4 R-Design version to find out. Design & engineering THE S90 followed on from the firm’s smash-hit XC90, the SUV that took our Car of the Year 2015 award thanks to its fresh design and underpinnings. The S90 runs with that concept. It’s based on Volvo’s SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) platform, which is centred solely on four-cylinder engines. The D4 2.0-litre turbodiesel unit we’re testing here is the most popular model in the line-up and offers identical figures to the BMW, with…

Lexus RX L Lexus Premium Nav Standard Key features: Sat-nav, Bluetooth, great stereo THE infotainment system found in the Lexus RX L is one of the worst we’ve come across in any car. The interface is confusing enough, but that is made even worse by the control method, a small rubber ‘joystick’ on the centre console. It’s imprecise enough that navigating between menus takes twice as long as it needs to when you’re at a standstill, and don’t even think about trying it while driving. It jumps around seemingly randomly, often skipping over the option you’re trying to select, even when you’re being careful. So even though the Lexus features sat-nav, Bluetooth, DAB and a large 12.3-inch display, it feels years behind its rival when it comes to infotainment. Even…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.1 seconds/138mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 563/1,557 litres Running costs 48.0mpg (on test) £87 fill-up/£140 or 28% tax SOMETIMES it felt a little bit like I was driving in a virtual-reality computer game, not an actual car, when I was behind the wheel of our Volkswagen Arteon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy being its keeper for the past six months or so, because, in many respects, I found it to be a really great everyday companion; I’m now sad to be handing back the keys. But the basic driving experience it offered wasn’t terribly engaging. The Arteon always felt a bit too digital to drive for me, mainly because the feedback it offered via its main controls was simply too remote…

Alfa Romeo Giulia Issue 1,534 AudiA7 Sportback Iss 1,529,1,536, 1,539,1,542 Citroen C3 Aircross Issues 1,526,1,532, 1,537 Kia Stinger Issues 1,533, 1,537 Mazda 6 New arrival MINI Cooper 5-door Issue 1,538 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross New arrival Nissan Leaf Issue 1,533 Peugeot 5008 Issues 1,523, 1,531, 1,539 Renault Koleos Issues 1,530,1,542 Skoda Karoq Issue 1,536 Suzuki Swift Sport Issues 1,532, 1,541 Toyota C-HR Issues 1,527,1,535 Vauxhall Grandland X Issues 1,536, 1,540 Volkswagen Arteon Issues 1,520,1,530,1,536 Volvo XC60 T8 Issue 1,541…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Keep your clay clean I READ your clay bar test (Issue 1,541) with interest, because I like the idea of thoroughly cleaning my car before waxing. But I’ve been told you can damage paintwork. Is this true? Dick Lewis, E-mail A THE biggest threat is dragging grit across paint through using the clay after it has been dropped or after less-than-thorough washing. Coarse, aggressive clays can mar paint, giving a mottled appearance, but this often looks worse than it is. It can usually be easily polished out by hand or with a machine polisher. Q Wipe out wiper wear HOW long should wiper blades last for? I replaced mine early last year, so will I need to fit new ones again before the winter…

FOR some makers, bigger is better when it comes to drying towels – and now US giant Meguiar’s has joined the club with the Supreme Drying Towel. We’ve not been huge fans of the brand’s relatively thin Water Magnet, so is the newcomer an improvement? We put it up against serial champ Kent’s Extra Large Microfibre Drying Towel using our revised test criteria, which measured not only water absorption after being soaked and drained for 30 seconds, but also wipe quality and ease of use. Online price was the final factor. Kent hangs on to its crown quite easily. It’s far less effort to use, but if you want a large towel the Meguiar’s is a good choice, if a bit expensive. “We rated absorption after being soaked and drained”…

4th PLACE 2018 Results Prius Factfile Years: 2015 to present CO2: 70g/km Fuel economy: 94.2mpg (Excel 15in alloys) Best options: Parking sensors, head-up display, JBL stereo, leather, metallic paint Used prices: From £14,500 GOOD “REGENERATIVE brakes are so effective I hardly have to use the pedal.” “Hybrid system works well and has delivered promised economy.” “Adaptive cruise control is useful and easy to operate.” “As well as using little fuel, my insurance and tax bills are minimal.” “One of the quietest cars on the road. Supremely relaxing.” “It feels like a very well put together machine.” “Came with so much kit I was happy going for entry-level trim.” NOT SO GOOD “BRAKE disc surfaces can corrode. I dry them in the open air before garaging the car.” “The infotainment system…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods “Aston Martin says that Project 003 will be mid-engined, built around a lightweight structure, and road legal” ASTON MARTIN has confirmed a third mid-engined hypercar is currently under development and that it will be designed to sit alongside the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. Yet to be named, the rival to the McLaren Senna and Ferrari LaFerrari is currently known under the codename Project 003. And Red Bull Racing will be involved with the car’s development. The project is still in an early state and Aston says that the new model will arrive in 2021, and while both right-hand and left-hand-drive production is planned, the car will be limited to 500 examples globally. It will slot into the range beneath the Valkyrie, of which only 175 editions are…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn WELCOME to the most affordable way into a Mercedes-AMG: the all-new A 35. Revealed ahead of its official debut at next month’s Paris Motor Show, the hot hatch will go on sale next week priced from around £36,000 in the UK. The AMG A 35 acts as the performance brand’s Audi S3 and VW Golf R rival – a more accessible model in terms of both performance and price. It’s the warm-up act to the full-house AMG A 45 that will follow next year with even more power. Clearly identifiable as an AMG, the A 35 features a fixed rear wing, 18-inch alloy wheels and widened arches, plus new front and rear bumpers that sport large air inlets and black winglets. A sports exhaust brings automatically-controlled valves as…

Lexus ES undercuts 5 Series SE on price LEXUS has announced its new ES saloon (above) will cost from £35,150 in the UK – £1,605 less than a BMW 520i SE. Three trim levels are available: ES, Sport (£38,15), and range-topping Takumi (£45,650), which brings a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, LED lights and a Mark Levinson hi-fi. The only powertrain option is a 215bhp 2.5-litre hybrid. Alliance links with Google for system THE Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is to work with Google to develop its next-generation infotainment systems. Due in 2021, the Android-based set-up will incorporate Google Maps and have access to a suite of third-party apps on the Google Play Store. Google Assistant will allow users to control many of the car’s functions via voice recognition, while Cloud-based software will offer secure…

MOT test failures have increased significantly since the arrival of new criteria on 20 May. These see diesel cars that emit “visible smoke of any colour” or show evidence of diesel particulate filter tampering automatically fail. The number of diesel cars not passing their MoTs increased by 24 per cent in the three months since May, while 12 per cent more petrol cars failed. The research, carried out by Prestige Motor Warehouse, drew on data from 50 MoT stations across England, Scotland and Wales. New checks for under-inflated tyres, contaminated brake fluid and fluid leaks were also brought in as part of the changes.…

KIA’S has confirmed its first electric SUV, the e-Niro, will be offered with a choice of two battery sizes and be capable of up to 301 miles on a charge. The line-up kicks off with the standard model, which uses a 39.2kWh battery capable of a claimed 193 miles per charge. The higher-powered model uses a larger 64kWh lithium-ion battery for the increased range. In the base model, that battery drives a 134bhp electric motor located on the front axle, and helps the e-Niro cover the 0-62mph dash in a claimed 9.8 seconds. The higher-power model uses a 201bhp electric motor, meaning the 0-62mph time falls to 7.8 seconds. The e-Niro joins the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the compact SUV in the line-up; the most obvious design difference…

VOLKSWAGEN will launch its all-new I.D. electric hatchback with a range of three battery capacities, it has emerged – and buyers will have to go for at least a mid-spec version to get the full potential of the electric motors. As revealed by Auto Express late last year, the first I.D. will be a five-door hatchback roughly the same size as a current Golf – and will cost from roughly the same as a well-specced diesel version of the iconic family car. Christian Senger, VW’s head of product line for e-mobility, told Auto Express: “We will have three different ranges of I.D. hatchback, to allow for people with different budgets. The entry-level car will have a WLTP range of 330km (205 miles), and it will also have more limited performance.…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths BREXIT may be just under six months away, but two car makers with major UK operations are scaling back production ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union. BMW-owned MINI said its Oxford plant will shut for a month on 1 April 2019, the day after the UK leaves, while all 3,000 staff at Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich plant will go on a three-day week until Christmas. Two days after JLR’s announcement, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) urged the EU and the Government to speed up progress on a trade deal, warning tariff increases of £5billion would be “the tip of the iceberg” if a no-deal Brexit happens. It says UK car prices could increase by £1,500 if manufacturers and retailers can’t absorb…

1988 1988 – The first Auto Express rolls off the print presses in September 1988; we’re now on Issue 1,543. 1988 1988 – Enzo Ferrari, founder of the famous Italian sports car brand, dies in Italy aged 90. His F1 cars score a one-two at the Italian GP a few weeks later, the only race in 1988 not won by a McLaren-Honda. 1989 1989 – Ford takes control of Jaguar cars, promising to help the old British brand flourish. But it would never make a profit under American ownership. 1990 1990 – Skoda becomes the latest firm to be assimilated into the Volkswagen Group of brands, after SEAT and Audi. 1993 1993 – Aston Martin launches the DB7, a new sports GT created with resources from Jaguar and funds from…

Auto Express product expert for 26 years JUST as the car industry has seen a revolution over the past three decades, so the aftermarket has been through unprecedented change. Motorists’ lives have been made safer by developments in tyres. Our testing has shown the leading ‘summer’ rubber delivers better all-round performance in wet and dry conditions than ever, plus a new market in winter tyres has become established. More drivers are also considering fitting all-season tyres. There has been a similar revolution in headlight bulbs. Drivers didn’t have the option of upgrading in the late eighties; not until 1995 did Osram and Philips launch products that claimed to be 30 per cent brighter than standard versions. Now plus 100 per cent bulbs are widely available, plus there the xenon HID…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram THE current Audi Q3 has been kicking about since 2011, and while it has always been a worthy competitor in the class, it was starting to feel past its best against a phalanx of fresher rivals, including cars such as the BMW X1 and the Volvo XC40. Hence this all-new model, which enters the fray carrying a style that’s both familiar and brand new at the same time. This time around, there’s more emphasis on giving it a defined SUV stance: the bonnet is both higher off the ground and more horizontal, while the windscreen is more vertical, and the roofline more rakish. Combined with the hexagonal grille and broad, squared-off wheel arches, it all makes for quite a handsome vehicle. Perhaps the one aspect of the old…

MODEL TESTED: Audi A6 40 TDI S line PRICE: £42,000 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 201bhp AUDI is continuing its tech-fest approach with this new A6 saloon. In the executive saloon sector the £42,000 40 TDI S line model we’re testing is facing some incredibly tough opposition. Design & engineering THE new, fifth-generation A6 is based on Audi’s MLB evo platform, but there’s been some tweaks to ensure it’s evolved what its predecessor offered. As part of Audi’s new nomenclature, this 40 TDI model denotes a new 201bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine with 12V mild-hybrid tech to help boost efficiency. The engine sends power to the front wheels through a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic box. There are two stages of suspension tech you can add on top of the standard set-up,…

Audi A6 MMI Nav Plus £1,495 option Key features: Larger screen, connectivity AS standard the A6 gets an 8.8-inch infotainment screen, but the Technology Pack in our car upgraded this to 10.1 inches. It’s a full-HD display and everything is touch-controlled. The graphics are very sharp and the screen is responsive to inputs, but it can take time to get used to how hard you must prod the screen. The same is true of the 8.6-inch HD screen below, which adjusts the climate controls, but it’s easy to get used to and the twin-screen arrangement looks very slick and backs this up with functionality. You get sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10-speaker stereo and connected services. The Tech Pack adds wireless charging, plus a hi-res 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit…

MODEL TESTED: Lexus RX L 450h Premier PRICE: £61,995 ENGINE: 3.5-litre V6 2x e-motor, 308bhp THERE’S only one powertrain available for the Lexus RX L, called 450h. Here we’re testing it in top-spec Premier trim, which costs from £61,995. Design & engineering THE Lexus RX has been around for a while now, but this is the first time a seven-seat model has been offered. The RX L uses a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine linked to two electric motors, one at the front and one at the rear, to give a total of 308bhp. Power is sent to the wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT) rather than a traditional automatic gearbox. Unlike its rival here, the Lexus system is self-contained; the 1.9kWh battery is charged using the engine and braking…

CHARGING LEXUS calls its hybrid system ‘self-charging’, but that just means you’ll have to spend money on petrol to top up the battery – although it fits into more people’s lives that way. If you have the capacity at home and work to charge the Volvo, you’ll end up spending less on fuel. You can charge the XC90 using a conventional plug, but a dedicated car charging port will charge it faster. COSTS IF you plug into a fast charger using the Type 2 cable pictured above, you’ll be able to recharge the 10.4kWh battery pack in around three hours. Volvo claims this will allow you to drive around 28 miles on electric power, so if your commute or daily drive is short, this will boost your economy so you…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram COVERING as many miles as I do (around 30,000 per year, if you’re interested) means I’m constantly keeping an eye on fuel consumption. Sporty cars are all well and good, but for me, an everyday hack should offer a decent range and reasonable running costs. And while we’ve certainly warmed to our Toyota C-HR, we seem to spend a lot of time filling it up. A full tank shows a predicted range of 340 miles – enough to get me to Devon to see my parents, but only halfway back. It remains one of the best driver’s cars in its class, however. By avoiding some of my usual motorway routes I’ve had some entertaining back-road blasts around Hampshire and West Sussex. It’s no Ford Fiesta ST, but the…

Can you drive an electric car in Britain? Jeff Allan (Independent, www.jeffvehicles.com) Price: Free (PDF), £6.99 (Paperback) THERE’S a sense that this may have been written through mildly rose-tinted specs, but that doesn’t affect the quality of the information. It’s well written and a good, quick read – although whether it’s significant enough to convert naysayers is doubtful. Reid Railton: Man of Speed Karl Ludvigsen (Evro Publishing, www.evro.co.uk) Price: £150 THERE are many biographies of significant drivers, but it’s rare to see such a gloriously in-depth volume dedicated to an engineer. Railton designed prize-winning racers, but his greatest achievements came in the field of speed records. A genuinely captivating read. Truck Simulator 2018: Europe Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free THE attention to detail and realism that work so well…

Sponsored by Got any car queries? Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Can a runflat be repaired? I RECENTLY tried to have a puncture repaired, and was told this wasn’t possible as my car has runflats – even though I had not driven on the tyre after the puncture. Why is this? Adam Cox, E-mail A RUNFLAT tyres can be driven on following a puncture, typically at speeds up to 50mph for a distance of no more than 50 miles. Most garages have a policy not to repair runflats at all, because there is no way for mechanics to tell if these limits have been adhered to, or if the sidewalls have sustained damage. Q Wheel nut lock-out I HAVE lost the ‘key’ for the locking wheel nuts on my car, and my…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk JAGUAR unveiled its season-five Formula E challenger in London last week, promising to build on the experience of its first two seasons in the electric single-seater series and become a regular podium finisher. The Jaguar I-TYPE 3 makes use of the same bodywork and McLaren Applied Technologies battery a every other car on the 2018/19 season grid, but with a powertrain developed in house at the squad’s Oxfordshire technical base. This second-generation Formula E chassis signals the end of the mid-race car swaps that have characterised the championship in its first four years, with a switch to 45-minute races. Also confirmed at the launch was another year for race drivers Nelson Piquet Jr and Mitch Evans, alongside test and reserve driver Ho-Pin Tung. Jaguar team director James Barclay said:…

“The apprenticeship system gave me a wonderful opportunity as a working-class lad with no family money behind him”DR ANDY PALMER CEO Aston Martin ON the same day Aston Martin revealed Project 003, CEO Andy Palmer announced his own project, a new charitable foundation aimed at getting under-privileged kids into apprenticeships. Here he exclusively talks to editor-in-chief Steve Fowler about his plans for the Palmer Foundation. AS the company IPOs, I do okay as a result of growing the company. I got there on the back of an apprenticeship. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if I didn’t get that opportunity of an apprenticeship at 16; I didn’t like school, I was bored and I didn’t know what I wanted to do other than work in cars. “I’m…

VOLVO has revealed the new V60 Cross Country, a chunky, SUV-inspired estate car that’ll compete against the Audi A4 Allroad and Volkswagen Passat Alltrack. Based upon the standard V60, the Cross Country gets several 4x4-inspired touches, most significant of which is a 75mm increase in ride height. There’s a revised front grille insert, and extra plastic cladding lines the lower edges of the bumpers and sills, while wheelarch extensions complete the look. To help the Cross Country cope with rougher terrain than the standard V60, every variant will feature all-wheel drive as standard. More specialised off-road tech, such as hill descent control and a specific off-road mode in the drive select, will be fitted as well. UK launch models will be powered by Volvo’s D4 diesel – a 187bhp 2.0-litre…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths TAILGATING kills or seriously injures 100 people on the road every year and causes one in eight road casualties, according to new research. The statistics come from Highways England, the Government-owned company responsible for the UK’s 4,300-mile network of motorways and major trunk roads. Highways England says almost 90 per cent of drivers report being tailgated or having witnessed someone else being tailgated, and has launched a “Don’t be a space invader” campaign to help dissuade motorists from the practice. The organisation also commissioned a survey that found tailgating to be the single largest concern drivers have about other road users. The campaign has the support of former Formula One champion Nigel Mansell, who branded tailgating “a driving habit I utterly deplore”. Mansell said driving too close to…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn THIS is the Hyundai i30 Fastback N, the second model to be launched by the South Korean manufacturer’s new N performance brand. Under the guidance of former BMW M division boss Albert Biermann, N is looking to strength its foothold in the performance car market following the successful launch of the i30 N, which dramatically outperformed Hyundai’s initial sales targets. Marketed as a more elegant and sophisticated alternative to that original model, the Fastback N sits in a more exclusive area of the market, without any direct competition. Hyundai bosses say the five-door coupé “opens the door to new territories”. The new model features design cues familiar from the i30 N, such as the aggressive bumper design, dual tailpipes and F1-inspired triangular fog lamps that will be used…

Plug-in hybrid for Transit Custom FORD has revealed its new Transit Custom PHEV. The plug-in hybrid van pairs an electric motor with a 1.0-litre Ecoboost petrol and Ford says it can cover 30 miles on electric power alone. It takes five hours to charge from a domestic 10-amp power supply or three via a 240 volt 16-amp supply. The standard Transit Custom’s payload and load volume are maintained, despite the fitment of the 14kWh battery. Journal links diesel to risk of dementia AIR pollution from to diesel emissions may be linked to dementia. Research published in medical journal BMJ Open analysed 131,000 people living within the M25 over seven years. It found those in areas with the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide had a 40 per cent heightened risk of…

www.autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Watchdog/Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP HOT TOPIC Mercedes EQC EV FROM: Adrian Parkitny A FEW years ago Mercedes was making pretty ugly cars throughout most of its fleet, but recently the styling has improved massively. The all-electric EQC is a very good example of this new design language, and I really, really like it! FROM: TheUKProf DELIGHTED to see Mercedes joining the EV club. Here’s hoping the new EQC will be able to get through 6ft 6ins width restrictors, have a decent turning circle and not feature large boy-racer-style wheels. When can we have one in the UK? Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ■ “Does anyone else see a resemblance between the front of the Mercedes and the front…

THE Auto Express website at autoexpress.co.uk launched in the late nineties and started life primarily as a means of driving magazine subscriptions. It then began offering content to the small but growing band of brave early adopters venturing out on to the world wide web. Against all expectations, the Internet proved popular and Auto Express expanded its offering online so that by the turn of the millennium the website was serving up a similar diet of news, reviews and consumer advice to that found in the print magazine. Since then it’s been non-stop growth with autoexpress.co.uk expanding to become the UK’s largest automotive media website with more than four million unique users a month. It gained sister sites in the shape of carbuyer.co.uk and evo.co.uk, while also attracting thousands of…

Driver Power was launched by Auto Express in 2000. Since then, it’s become Britain’s biggest car satisfaction survey, polling more than half a million real car owners to understand what they really love about their cars - and what really gripes. Driver Power covers 31 different car attributes across nine voting categories; collecting feedback on both new and used cars; insurance, breakdown and car dealers. The results cut through the spin to determine the most and least reliable cars on the road; invaluable information for anyone choosing their next car.…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk Performance 0-62mph/top speed 2.9 seconds/204mph Running costs 24.1mpg (official) £94 fill-up THE rate of progress at McLaren seems to have no limits these days; the cars keep coming faster and faster, and they get better every time. And with the 600LT (where the LT stands for Long Tail) McLaren has surpassed its previous efforts again. Having driven it around the challenging Hungaroring GP circuit for a day, it’s clear this car is something else again. On paper, the 600LT doesn’t seem that much different from the 570S on which it’s based. Its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 has another 30bhp (plus a similar increase in torque), while its styling has been tickled to give it a more aggressive look. Even so, from 50 yards away you’d still be forgiven for thinking…

MODEL TESTED: BMW 520d M Sport PRICE: £40,775 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 187bhp THE 5 Series range comprises a few core choices. This saloon comes in SE and M Sport trims, and we’re testing the latter to match the S line Audi. The 520d M Sport (our pictures show a 520i) costs £40,775. Design & engineering THIS G30 seventh-generation 5 Series is based on BMW’s CLAR architecture for rear-wheel-drive vehicles. This uses similar tech to the larger 7 Series, but the 5 Series doesn’t feature the flagship’s Carbon Core tech to keep costs down. However, there’s still extensive use of lightweight alloys to ensure the family four-door delivers plenty of dynamic ability, a trademark that’s defined the 5 Series for the past seven generations. Underneath, the car uses a double-wishbone front…

Jaguar XF 20d auto R-Sport PRICE: £38,695 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 178bhp THE XF rivals the BMW for driving enjoyment, but the quality isn’t as high and it’s not as roomy or as refined as any in this test. It’s cheaper, but the XF feels old against these newer, more advanced cars. Mercedes E 220 d AMG Line PRICE: £40,060 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 191bhp A PUNCHY engine, a 540-litre boot, roomy cabin and good infotainment combine to offer an appealing alternative to the trio we tested. There’s some decent semi-autonomous technology, too.…

MODEL TESTED: Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Momentum PRICE: £62,570 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, e-motor, 385bhp THE Volvo XC90 is available in more forms than the Lexus RX L; there are petrol and diesel cars as well as this plug-in hybrid T8 model. Here we’re testing the latter in Momentum trim (our pictures show an R-Design Pro), which costs £62,570. Design & engineering THE XC90 uses Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which also underpins the smaller XC60 SUV, the S90 executive saloon and V90 exec estate. It was designed from the outset to be fitted with plug-in hybrid technology, and this ensures the XC90 is our current top pick when it comes to large hybrid SUVs. The T8 Twin Engine model uses a 2.0-litre turbo and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine with…

NEW: Audi Q7 e-tron PRICE: £65,750 ENGINE: diesel/elec, 369bhp AUDI offers a different take on electrification with its diesel-electric Q7 e-tron. Its 3.0-litre V6/electric motor drivetrain is torquey and relatively efficient, but this luxury SUV is only a five-seater. USED: Tesla Model X PRICE: £72,000 ENGINE: e-motor, 328bhp IF you want a used all-electric SUV, a Tesla Model X is your only choice. It’s spacious and the rearmost seats are usable, but even with a claimed 350-mile range, this EV may require you to make lifestyle tweaks.…

Sir Henry honoured by new RAC tweed SAVILE Row tailor Henry Poole has created a new tweed for the Royal Automobile Club, and has named it in honour of Sir Henry Segrave, who was the first driver to win a grand prix in a British car. The Segrave tweed uses the club’s colours of red, white and blue. The first jacket was given to Sam Sunderland (above), the most recent winner of the club’s Segrave trophy for becoming the first Briton to win a Dakar rally crown. For more details go to www.henrypoole.com. Buy an air freshener and get a free MoT AN MoT test for £1 might sound too good to be true, but that’s exactly what’s on offer at Halfords. It is offering a free MoT test worth up…

Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off “Starting Auto Express, losing sleep over it, then celebrating its 30th birthday is something very special indeed” IF you had the good sense to invest in the first issue of Auto Express 30 years ago this week, thank you and congratulations. The gratitude is for the support and encouragement we needed then (and still need today) to keep us going. Congrats are in order because if you’ve still got your copy of AE No. 1, you own a collector’s item. Of the thousands of magazines, broadsheet newspapers and tabloids I’ve written for and stockpiled over the past third of a century, this is the issue I treasure most. Starting Auto Express from scratch, believing in it, losing sleep over it, then celebrating…