Auto Express 1548

IN spite of what commentators refer to as ‘economic uncertainty’, the luxury car market seems to plough on regardless. No matter what state the economy is in, it remains in rude health. Wealth, it seems, can weather most financial storms. And that’s great news for the UK, which still leads the way in terms of luxury and high performance (and a combination of the two) car brands. Last week I entered the world of Rolls-Royce, driving the new Cullinan SUV (above) – you can see the video on the Auto Express YouTube channel. It’s a car that’s divisive for some, but not, it seems, those who can afford such a thing. It’s sold out. Rolls-Royce’s understanding of its clients’ wants and needs has led it to produce an SUV that…

• Polo-based crossover completes Volkswagen’s SUV range to challenge Juke and C3 Aircross Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk • EXCLUSIVE PICTURES @Jonathan_burn THERE’S barely a week that goes by without the launch of a new SUV, and this week is no different: meet the Volkswagen T-Cross. The German firm’s latest SUV is also its smallest, and it slots in beneath the T-Roc in VW’s expanding product range. Its job is to tempt buyers away from the likes of the Nissan Juke, Citroen C3 Aircross and SEAT Arona with a greater focus on versatility and practicality, according to the German brand. Ahead of it arriving in UK showrooms early next year, Auto Express was invited for an exclusive preview of the car with Felix Kaschutzke, the T-Cross project manager for sales and marketing. The smallest…

BACK in July (Issue 1,532) we drove a pre-production version of the T-Cross, and were impressed by the newcomer from behind the wheel. It will certainly give the Citroen C3 Aircross a tough time. Our test car featured the VW Group’s tried-and-tested 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine linked to a six-speed manual gearbox, offering decent performance and impressive refinement. Special contributor Steve Sutcliffe said the SUV had the potential to be a “true class act”, thanks to its accurate steering and decent body control. It didn’t feel as sharp as a SEAT Arona, but he declared it more than capable for a car in this class. But where we felt it scored most strongly against rivals was inside. Sutcliffe said: “Good practicality and upmarket option packages should help it further stand…

• Hybrid F1 successor boasts 1,036bhp and all 106 are sold John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is the long-awaited successor to the iconic McLaren F1. it’s called the speedtail and only 106 examples will be produced, all of which have already been sold at £2.1million each. McLaren is billing the speedtail as a ‘hyper-GT’ and its standout feature lives up to that billing (and brings lineage from the F1) because the car is a three-seater. The driver is positioned centrally, with each passenger behind and at either side. Unlike the F1, the driver’s seat can be accessed from either side, due to the lack of a gearlever. The car certainly won’t want for road presence, thanks to its 5.2 metre-long body; the speedtail is not far off being the same length as…

• We drive Vision RS concept as firm spells out future plans • DRIVEN Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram SKODA’S future vRS models will embrace plug-in hybrid technology and take a more radical approach to design, Auto Express can reveal. The Czech brand gave us a thinly-veiled glimpse at the future of its performance arm with the Vision RS concept at the Paris Motor Show earlier this month. Now we’ve been behind the wheel of the hybrid performance car to learn more about the firm’s future plans. “I think this hybrid concept is a very good example of what we think is appropriate in the future,” Skoda CEO Bernhard Maier told us. “We wanted to show how the plug-in hybrid idea could evolve into the future: fun to drive, sporty and environmentally friendly.…

Jaguar takes the chequered flag A SPECIAL edition Jaguar F-Type has been launched. The chequered Flag (above) comes with a 296bhp four-cylinder, or a supercharged V6 with 335bhp or 375bhp. All cars have unique badging, a black contrast roof and black 20-inch wheels, plus suspension tweaks and extra standard kit applied to the entire F-Type range. prices start from £51,925. BMW widens recall for diesel models MORE diesel BMWs have been recalled over a fault which can lead to fire. it affects 3, 4, 5 and 6 series models, plus four-cylinder X3, X4, X5 and X6 cars built from December 2014 to August 2016. The same models produced between July 2012 and June 2015 with six-cylinder diesel engines are included. Also 1, 2, 7 series and X1 models with four-cylinder…