Innholdsfortegnelse for 1558 i Auto Express

WE’VE enjoyed reporting on Jaguar Land Rover’s good times during its remarkable turnaround under Tata ownership: booming sales – with production rising from 241,000 cars in 2011 to 614,000 – profits soaring and the workforce rising to 44,000 globally. So last week’s announcement of huge losses with a 6.9 per cent drop in sales resulting in a programme of £2.5billion-worth of cuts – including 4,500 job losses – was incredibly sad, if not exactly unexpected. So what – or who – is to blame? CEO Dr Ralf Speth told us: “The automotive industry is facing unprecedented multiple external political and regulatory disruptions and technological changes simultaneously. “Just to name a few: Brexit, China, China/US trade, CO2, diesel, diesel taxes especially in the UK, taxes and duties, WLTP and I could…

CHINESE brand Byton followed up its strong debut at CES in 2018 by last week revealing the interior of the production version of its dramatic M-Byte SUV concept. The stunning 48-inch curved LED display running right across the dashboard remains, and Byton product manager Anna-Maria Schumacher told us: “It’ll be standard on every car – even the entry-level versions.” The second screen, mounted on a fixed hub in the centre of the steering wheel, has shrunk slightly, but Byton has added a third touch display between the front seats, and there are now a few physical buttons for drive, reverse and park. The infotainment set-up will be controlled via touch, voice or gesture control. Byton had the M-Byte and K-Byte saloon cars on display in Vegas, and a senior source…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.7 seconds/190mph Running costs 31.7mpg (official) £80 fill-up THE code number may have changed by just one digit, from 991 to 992, but make no mistake: the eighth-generation Porsche 911 you see here is an almost completely new car. It has an all-new, aluminium-intensive body, a new interior and a new, eight-speed PDK automatic gearbox. And while the twin-turbo flat-six shares its basic dimensions with the unit found in the outgoing 991, it has been thoroughly overhauled, resulting in power jumping 30bhp to 444bhp. The surprise is that, even though the body is a few kilos lighter and almost everything else is new, the 992 is 50kg heavier than the old car. There are a few reasons for this, says Porsche. The first is that, to make…

Kia Picanto 1.0 GDi 2 List price: £11,075 Aim to pay: £10,150.00 Deposit: £2,107 (£0 contribution) Monthly payments: £162.57 No of payments: 36 APR: 5.9% Optional final payment: £4,300.50 Total to pay: £12,260.02 IN effect, the Kia Picanto gives you the best of both worlds – and this is one of the reasons it picked up a commended gong at the Auto Express New Car Awards last year. There’s no lack of style on display – you can even choose the SUV-like X-Line model – although Kia offers plenty to appeal to your head as well. The Picanto only comes as a five-door hatchback, for example, and while that little body makes the car nice and easy to drive around town, it still provides lots of space inside. The Kia…

Volvo V60 D3 Momentum List price: £31,810 Aim to pay: £29,097 Deposit: £3,000 (£2,000 contrib) Monthly payments: £415.98 No of payments: 36 APR: 2.9% Optional final payment: £13,625.63 Total to pay: £33,600.91 VOLVO’S SUVs have been picking up the accolades, but the company also has a history of building great estates – and the V60 is the product of all that experience. Not only does it have a practical and easy-to-use boot, it also offers a classy and minimalist dashboard inspired by what you’ll find in the XC range of SUVs. The seats are some of the most comfortable in any car, too, and there will be no problem fitting in four six-footers. Throw in all the hi-tech features (even in Momentum spec), the relaxed way it drives and a…

Audi Q2 30 TFSI 116 PS Sport List price: £23,560 Aim to pay: £22,511 Deposit: £3,000 (£1,000 contribution) Monthly payments: £314.21 Number of payments: 36 APR: 5.9% Optional final payment: £11,208.10 Total to pay: £26,215.45 THE Q2 is Audi’s smallest and most road-biased SUV, with the majority of the range not even having four-wheel drive. There’s no shortage of engines and trims to choose from, but this is one of the more expensive small SUVs, so you must be careful not to go over the top when you’re specifying options, especially with the most basic model. On the other hand, that price is justified, at least in part, by the big-car features the Q2 has and the personalisation opportunities it brings. It offers room for four inside, along with a…

Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 D 210 Milano 5dr Auto List price: £45,590 Aim to pay: £38,554 Deposit: £13,656 (£1,000 contribution) Monthly payments: £305 No of payments: 36 APR: 0% Optional final payment: £19,954 Total to pay: £44,590 UNLIKE many apparently similar models, the Stelvio is an SUV with the emphasis firmly on the first of those initials. Sport is what this sporty utility vehicle excels at, with strong engines and agile, involving handling that makes it great to drive – no surprise when this SUV shares its platform with the brand’s thrilling Giulia compact executive saloon. And the range-topping Quadrifoglio turns this up a notch. But every version of the Stelvio looks very smart and stands out from the more conservative models that tend to dominate this sector of the…

Kia e-Niro Special Edition List price: £32,995 (incl PiCG) Aim to pay: £32,995 Deposit: £3,652.58 (£0 contrib) Monthly payments: £519 No of payments: 36 APR: 5.9% Optional final payment: £14,580 Total to pay: £36,917 THE e-Niro has a lot in common with the Hyundai Kona Electric and both are the kind of electric cars that could convince the most ardent petrolhead that battery power is the future. Above all, that’s because the top-spec version has a range of close to 300 miles, which you can achieve in the real world. And if you only drive carefully around town, you could go even further, meaning a week’s use on a single charge with no range anxiety. Better still, the Niro has today’s most fashionable SUV body style, is reasonably practical and…

THE X5 was BMW’s first SUV. It symbolised a diversification for the Bavarian brand back at the turn of the millennium, and more than 2.2 million sales later – and with countless more SUV models in the line-up – there’s a new version. Given the history, then, this is an incredibly important car for BMW. As is the case with any new model, this fourth-generation X5 boasts a host of technology and other advancements, which the brand is hoping will help it weather the storm from a multitude of new and talented rivals – one of which is the new VW Touareg. We’ve yet to test this car against its competition, and with Volkswagen pushing its large SUV even further upmarket and revitalising the Touareg’s image, it’s a strong match for…

MODEL TESTED: Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid PRICE: £68,423 ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6 and e-motor, 456bhp Running costs 45.3mpg (official) £91 fill-up/£450 or 16% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 645/1,610 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 4.5 seconds/157mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 52.9/38.3/9.5m THE £68,423 Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid is an alternative to a conventional diesel luxury SUV and beat the Audi Q8 and Range Rover Sport last year. But can it take two more scalps here? Design & engineering THIS plug-in Porsche is also based on the VW Group’s MLB evo architecture. however, under the bonnet the Cayenne has a turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 producing 335bhp, while an electric motor powered by a 14.1kWh lithium-ion battery adds another 134bhp. The hybrid system’s curiosities mean this works out to a total of 456bhp, while the electric motor’s performance…

CHANCES are, you or someone you know will soon be considering a car that is electrified to some extent. As manufacturers ramp up their production of this new generation of transport tech, and governments and private companies add more charging infrastructure, it’s becoming easier and more attractive to own one. But a pure-electric car isn’t for everyone just yet, because many people live in areas still poorly served by charge points, or need the flexibility a petrol car provides when it comes to range. We’ve lined up two new models – the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid and the latest Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – to find out which is the better frugal family plug-in SUV. Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid One of three electrified versions of SUV, plug-in model promises a 36-mile zero-emissions…

Running costs 38.5mpg (on test) £51 fill-up/£140 or 25% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 278/941 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.2 seconds/129mph James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods I’VE got the January blues. Nope, it’s nothing to do with an already-broken New Year’s resolution, a distinct lack of mince pies in my cupboard, or the terrifying thought of a dry month ahead; the MINI Cooper 5-Door is departing our fleet, and a little earlier than I would have liked. I’ve chalked up a few thousand miles in the baby Brit since its arrival on a scorching August day last year, right in the wake of our feel-good World Cup summer. It feels bad having to wave goodbye in the cold depths of winter. This is a car I’ve really warmed to, and would love to…

Vauxhall Grandland X ONE of the nice things about driving in winter is stepping out of the cold and into a toasty warm car. Automotive managing editor Stuart Milne has been doing exactly that during the recent cold snap, and enjoying some of the thermal features in his Vauxhall Grandland X. The heated steering wheel, bundled as part of the £355 Winter Pack 1, is something rarely seen in a car of this price. It only takes a few moments to start warming the steering wheel’s rim, making early-morning driving far more pleasant. Unlike some systems, it never gets too hot, either. It’s a similar story with the heated seats, which warm through three settings. Those features go some way to compensate for the climate control, which takes a surprisingly…

YOUR VIEWS ON YOUR CARS 2018 Results 2008 Factfile Years: 2013 to present CO2: 118g/km Fuel economy: 55.4mpg (PureTech 130) Best options: Reversing camera, climate control, panoramic sunroof, sat-nav Used prices: From £6,500 OVERALL SCORE 91.04% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2018 new car survey. The longer the bar the better • GOOD “IT is fun on country roads, and refined on the motorway.” “A really easy car to bond with. Within the first few minutes of the test drive, it felt like I had owned the car for months.” “It’s very quiet. I sometimes can’t tell the engine is on!” “Easy to get in and out of, has a big boot and is good to drive. There’s nothing not to like.” “Good looking…

JAGUAR Land Rover has announced 4,500 job losses as part of its Charge & Accelerate restructuring plan. It comes in the wake of falling sales and big financial losses. The cuts equate to 10 per cent of the company’s workforce. The maker has blamed a combination of the collapse in the Chinese car market, US trade tariffs, Brexit, a drop in diesel sales (which account for around 90 per cent of JLR sales), confusion over CO2 and the challenges in meeting the latest WLTP fuel and emission test standards. Global sales for JLR were down 6.9 per cent in 2018, but UK sales were stable. China accounted for the biggest hit, down 21.6 per cent. The firm insists there will be no cuts to the model line-up and no plant…

Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost 100PS Zetec List price: £16,065 Aim to pay: £14,165 Deposit: £2,000 (£0 contribution) Monthly payments: £222.11 Number of payments: 36 APR: 0% Optional final payment: £6,069 Total to pay: £16,065 THE Fiesta has consistently been at the top of the sales charts for years, and when you drive this latest version, it’s easy to see why. It takes the strengths of the previous generations, but wraps them all in a more grown-up package. So yes, it has shifted the balance of ride and handling a little more towards comfort and refinement, but it’s still a great car to drive; the ST version in particular is a superb hot hatch. Take into account all the Fiesta’s qualities – such as the interior space, improved quality and low…

BMW 3 Series 320d M Sport List price: £38,980 Aim to pay: £38,550 Deposit: £3,902 (£2,823.70 contribution) Monthly payments: £603.09 Number of payments: 36 APR: 4.9% Optional final payment: £14,535.15 Total to pay: £42,369 THE BMW 3 Series is the benchmark in this class, and the latest seventh-generation model is more comfortable, practical and laden with technology than any version that’s gone before. It remains a fantastically rewarding car to drive, too, and with the 320d claiming economy figures of 65.7mpg, as well as CO2 emissions of just 112g/km, it will please fleet managers just as much as driving ent husiasts. The iDrive infotainment system has been upgraded, and you can choose options including a 12.3-inch digital dashboard and a 10.25-inch central screen that can be controlled by natural voice…

Peugeot 3008 1.5 BlueHDi 130 Allure List price: £27,829 Aim to pay: £24,800 Deposit: £5,869 (£2,000 contribution) Monthly payments: £270.39 Number of payments: 47 APR: 5.9% Optional final payment: £10,973 Total to pay: £31,550.33 THE 3008 is an eye-catching design, and it certainly caught the attention of our New Car Awards judges, who commended it in the Mid-Size SUV category at our 2018 awards. It stands out from other SUVs with its bold looks, but it’s a great family car, too. Not only is there room for five on board, it also has one of the biggest boots in the class. Even the most basic model is well equipped, while the engine range gives buyers a good choice of economy and performance, and the 3008 is very comfortable on the…

Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer BlueHDi 120 Flair auto List price: £31,310 Aim to pay: £26,220 Deposit: £3,143 (£1,750 contribution) Monthly payments: £451.52 Number of payments: 36 APR: 4.9% Optional final payment: £11,420 Total to pay: £34,390 CITROEN recently changed this car’s name from C4 Picasso, but what’s stayed the same is that the C4 SpaceTourer is still the best MPV you can buy. In fact, it’s been crowned Best MPV at our New Car Awards for five years in a row, and it’s easy to see why. Above all, the car is a great way to carry people, with plenty of room in all seven seats, an airy cabin and a boot that will take more than 2,000 litres when you drop the rear seats. The name change also saw some…

Audi R8 V10 plus List price: £141,200 Aim to pay: £141,200 Deposit: £20,000 (£0 contribution) Monthly payments: £2,120.89 No. of payments: 36 APR: 6.8% Optional final payment: £65,540.50 Total to pay: £159,781.65 AUDI is a relative newcomer to the supercar class – the first R8 only appeared in 2006 – but there’s something defiantly old school about the second-generation R8. It doesn’t have a hybrid powertrain, turbochargers or superchargers, just a big old V10 petrol engine – and it’s all the better for it. Naturally, it’s a very quick car, but it’s also wonderfully easy to drive. At low speeds the R8 is docile, but when you get the opportunity to open it up, you can really appreciate the grip and traction from the quattro four-wheel-drive system, the amazing noise…

MODEL TESTED: BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport PRICE: £60,995 ENGINE: 3.0-litre 6cyl, 261bhp Running costs 33.0mpg (on test) £104 fill-up/£450 or 37% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 650/1,870 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 6.0 seconds/143mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 46.4/34.4/8.6m THIS ‘G05’ generation X5 sits on a new platform for the model. We’re testing the £60,995 X5 xDrive30d five-seater in M sport trim to see how far the fourth-generation version moves BMW’s larger SUV offering on. Design & engineering THE new platform under the skin of the X5 is BMW’s tried-and-tested CLAR architecture, which uses double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension. it’s complimented by adaptive air suspension as standard, while there’s also four-wheel steering for £995 to aid manoeuvrability. That’s a bonus because this X5 has grown in size; it’s 36mm longer than…

Running costs 42.0mpg (on test) £48 fill-up/£140 or 22% tax Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.5 seconds/124mph Dawn_Grant@dennis.co.uk I’M enjoying running the Volkswagen Polo on our fleet, but I’ve been spending much more time sitting in the passenger seat than normal recently. After an operation I was left unable to drive for a few weeks, so my husband Dave took over, kindly chauffeuring me around while I was recovering. The little supermini served us well on trips to the hospital when I needed to pick up medical supplies or have a check-up. I’m fighting fit again now, so I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel at the next opportunity – that’s if Dave lets me have the keys back! He loved nipping around town in the VW thanks to its…

AS soon as Fiat unveiled its Grande Punto in 2006, every rival looked a bit dull. Arguably the most stylish supermini of the decade, it proved a hit with Brits wanting a handsome small car at a bargain price. The Grande Punto wasn’t just a pretty face, though; it was also good to drive and safe for its time, achieving a five-star adult Euro NCAP occupant rating. But the ensuing years haven’t been kind, with the safety body downgrading it to zero stars overall when the Punto was retested in 2017, partly because of a lack of safety assist features. Fiat’s forté has always been small cars, but many Puntos have proven fragile, frustrating owners and damaging residual values. Despite this, the hatch can be a reasonable second-hand buy if…

BRABHAM Automotive has announced plans for a GT racing version of its BT62 hypercar for the 2021-22 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship. David Brabham, who won Le Mans with Peugeot in 2009, is leading the car’s test and development, which is linked to the owners’ Driver Development Programme. The team says early owners of the car will be part of the test team for Le Mans, as well as being offered pro-am racing opportunities in the car in various championships. Brabham said: “Returning the Brabham name to Le Mans is something I’ve been working on for years, so it’s fantastic to make this announcement today. “We have a long road to travel to earn the right to return to compete at Le Mans. That work starts now with…

BACK in September, we were given a very early taste of the all-new Toyota Supra in Spain. Even after just a short drive around the hills above Madrid, it was clear that the car’s engineers had worked incredibly hard to make it feel like a proper sports car. The balance and precision were perfectly judged, offering exactly what you want from a car like this. Its active dampers controlled the pitch and yaw with polish, while its steering felt linear and clean in its action, allowing you to quickly build confidence in the chassis. It felt as quick as a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS and as precise as an Alpine A110. We also tried the Supra on track. Here, the steering and chassis flowed as one. The latter required very…

MINI has released a special-edition version of its Cooper S Hatch to celebrate the firm’s diamond anniversary. The MINI 60 Years Edition is limited to just 500 units and will be available to buy from March, priced at £29,990. Every model is finished in British Racing Green, with a black roof and black mirror caps. Limited-edition 60 Years two-tone 17-inch alloys, automatic LED headlamps and MINI spot-lamps also feature, as do 60th anniversary bonnet stripes and badging across the interior and exterior. Inside, the car is trimmed in Dark Cacao brown leather, with green piping and white stitching. Customisable ambient lighting, wireless smartphone charging and parking sensors will be fitted, too, as well as MINI’s larger 8.8-inch infotainment system. This features sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth smartphone connectivity. It will…

LAMBORGHINI has officially revealed the Huracán EVO – a facelifted version of its entry-level supercar, featuring styling, chassis, engine and tech updates. Prices start at £165,256 (ex. taxes), with cars due in the spring. The new Huracán EVO will feature the same 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 as the outgoing model, but with new titanium intake valves and an uprated exhaust. As a result, the EVO produces 630bhp and 600Nm of torque, which is 28bhp and 40Nm more than the previous version. The 0-62mph sprint takes 2.9 seconds and top speed is “in excess” of 201mph. Exterior revisions include unique 20-inch alloy wheels, new front and rear bumpers, fresh side skirts and new air intakes. The rear wing, diffuser and front splitter have also been updated, and there’s a high-mounted exhaust. Inside,…

DRIVERS should be protected from unfair fuel prices by a new independent watchdog, a cross-party group of MPs says. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Fuel says retailers made an average profit of 8p per litre on unleaded in the first nine months of 2018, but this rose to more than 13ppl by the end of the year. The average profit for diesel rose from 8.6p to 11p per litre over the same period. Under the proposals – which follow a petition that collected in excess of 14,000 signatures – petrol stations agreeing to charge fair prices would display a “kitemark” logo to highlight their membership of the scheme. Conservative MP Kirstene Hair, who chairs the APPG for Fair Fuel, said drivers need “reassurance” petrol stations are not charging…

Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI 150 EVO Match 5dr List price: £23,015 Aim to pay: £20,668 Deposit: £3832.92 (£1,500 contribution) Monthly payments: £276.01 Number of payments: 35 APR: 3.6% Optional final payment: £9,460.80 Total to pay: £24,464.07 IT’S true that the Golf looks fairly conservative, but those understated lines hide a top-quality package – our 2018 Compact Family Car of the Year, no less. As you would expect, it’s blessed with superb all-round abilities. Above all, it’s a very refined, comfortable and well-finished hatchback, but it’s also very practical: there’s room for a family, as well as lots of clever touches to help make it easier to live with. Thanks to 2017’s very effective facelift, the VW has a range of even more up-to-date engines, some brilliant technology and a great infotainment…

Jaguar XF 2.0D 180 auto R-Sport List price: £38,695 Aim to pay: £33,802 Deposit: £5,377 (£4,300 contribution) Monthly payments: £403.86 Number of payments: 35 APR: 0% Optional final payment: £14,884 Total to pay: £38,695 GERMAN cars have dominated this area of the market for ages, but in the XF, Jaguar has produced an executive saloon that will tempt buyers away from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. The looks are a huge part of that, although the XF has plenty to admire beneath those distinctive curves. In particular, it’s a fine drive, striking a nice balance between rewarding handling and a comfortable ride. On top of that, the Jaguar has plenty of room inside its comfortable cabin, as well as a big boot and low running costs. True, the quality and technology…

Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 180PS SE Tech 4WD List price: £37,945 Aim to pay: £35,010 Deposit: £4,595 (£0 contribution) Monthly payments: £537.70 Number of payments: 35 APR: 5.9% Optional final payment: £19,075 Total to pay: £42,489.50 DON’T get confused by the name: this isn’t really a sporting car. Instead, the Discovery Sport is a Land Rover through and through, with real go-anywhere ability and the option of seven seats. However, even Land Rover refers to the interior layout as a 5+2 arrangement so, as you would expect, the third row of chairs is best saved for kids. This isn’t a particularly sporty SUV on the road, either, because its real strength is the refined and comfortable way it makes progress. It’s a very relaxing car to drive, though, with good…

Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT List price: £42,745 Aim to pay: £41,750 Deposit: £4,500 (£0 contribution) Monthly payments: £662.69 Number of payments: 36 APR: 6.9% Optional final payment: £20,425 Total to pay: £48,802.02 IT took Ford more than half a century to officially sell right-hand-drive examples of the Mustang in the UK, but it was worth the wait. Today’s model is every inch the American muscle car that legend led us to expect. The range-topping version has a huge 5.0-litre V8 engine providing serious pace – and all at a reasonable price. True, it’s a big car and isn’t the most nimble – or practical – choice, but that’s not the point. Instead, you can revel in the looks, the sound and simply how good it makes you feel. Lexus…

BMW 7 Series 730d M Sport List price: £73,430 Aim to pay: £62,100 Deposit: £9,999.83 (£17,754.27 contribution) Monthly payments: £666.30 Number of payments: 36 APR: 0% Optional final payment: £22,355.40 Total to pay: £73,430 FOR the first time, the BMW 7 Series really can stand toe to toe with Mercedes’ S-Class. It’s one of the most advanced saloon cars ever, with tech including gesture control to operate the stereo, answer calls and operate the sat-nav. There’s a 10.2-inch touchscreen, which works just like a smartphone, and the rear-seat entertainment system provides access to online services, and enables passengers to watch movies or surf the internet. The 7 is also supremely comfortable, and boasts a fine range of engines – and the M760Li flagship has the title of BMW’s fastest-ever car. However,…

MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDI 4MOTION 286 R-Line Tech PRICE: £58,295 ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6, 282bhp Running costs 30.7mpg (on test) £97 fill-up/£450 or 37% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 810/1,800 litres Performance 0-60mph/top speed 5.9 seconds/146mph Braking 70-0/60-0/30-0mph 48.7/36.5/9.0m IN this upmarket SUV class, the Touareg has never really excelled against its premium rivals, but Volkswagen has thrown everything at the new Mk3 variant. So with price on its side, is the £58,295 3.0 TDI 4MOTION 286 R-Line Tech model a winner? Design & engineering THANKS to the breadth of the Volkswagen Group, the Touareg uses many components and elements of tech that make up sibling models. It sits on the brand’s MLB evo platform and has steel springs with adaptive dampers as standard, but there’s a £2,370 air…

WHILE this new version of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV looks quite similar to the model that went before, under the skin there have been several changes. The powertrain and battery have been revised (with a greater all-electric range of up to 33 miles), while a new 2.4-litre petrol engine replaces the previous 2.0-litre unit. Alterations to the chassis set-up have improved the Mitsubishi’s road manners and made it more comfortable than its predecessor. While it still tends to jostle about on bumpy surfaces, it doesn’t shake and shudder as much as it used to over bigger bumps. Yet the Niro is still the more comfortable car, because it settles down better when cruising. Build quality is solid in both models, but the Outlander’s interior design isn’t as modern-looking as the…

Pete_Gibson@dennis.co.uk BADGES are a very important part of a car for plenty of people. Buyers of premium models like my Audi A6 Avant are often just as concerned with the badge on the bootlid as they are with the equipment on board. But the badges on the car on our fleet caused more confusion than contentment over my end-of-year break in 2018. I mentioned that the 40 TDI badge didn’t make much sense in my first report on the car (Issue 1,555), and while I was visiting friends and family at Christmas the strange naming structure kept coming up in conversation. I’ve lost count of the times people have told me that my new 4.0-litre Audi must use a lot of fuel. Each time, I’ve had to explain that, no,…

NEW PRODUCT Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Phone Charger Price: £74.99 Contact: www.amazon.co.uk THE number of smartphones with wireless charging is growing, as is the choice of devices they work with, and Adonit is the latest to launch an in-car holder. As the name suggests, the Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Phone Charger takes hold of your mobile when its infra-red sensor spots it’s within a custom range, activating its own silicon rubber-lined grips. The holder can accommodate phones with screens between 4.5 and 6.3 inches wide, and weighing up to 800g, and can be secured in a vent or using the supplied suction mount. There’s also a ball and socket joint to allow easy tilting and flipping between landscape and portrait viewing, plus a telescopic arm to suit a range of dash…

AS cordless vacs make mains models obsolete around the home, there’s now a greater need to invest in something a bit more heavy duty for your car and workshop. While cordless models are brilliant at shifting light household dust, hefty dirt can cause problems with cyclones and filters. Prolonged cleaning often falls foul of limited battery life, too. Workshop vacs, on the other hand, couldn’t be more straightforward to use: a powerful mains motor, a simple filter able to cope with wet and dry rubbish, and a large reservoir to catch it all. But which is best for your car and workshop? How we tested them OUR tests were primarily based around wet and dry suction. We pitted each vac against rice, sugar and flour. Also, we timed how long…