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THERE’S no doubt that this decade will see huge change, not only in the cars we drive (or get driven in if fully autonomous models do actually make it on to our streets), but also the way we buy them. While the car makers themselves are changing rapidly to embrace new technology and meet consumer and legislative demands, dealers are going to have to adapt to the different ways we want to buy. One thing that’s impressed me about the fast-changing car industry is its new-found desire to listen, especially to its customers. And let’s be honest, it hasn’t done the greatest job of that in the past. So here’s your chance to make a difference, not only to the cars that we’ll all be driving in the coming years,…

Ford Focus ST Power: 276bhp 0-62mph: 5.7sec Price: from £32,495 THE Focus has a reputation as the best-driving family hatchback, and that translates well into its ST version. It manages to mix raw pace and handling agility with a sophisticated ride, so it’ll be a key target for the VW. Renault Mégane R.S. Power: 276bhp 0-62mph: 5.8sec Price: from £27,995 ANOTHER hot hatch icon, Renaultsport’s take on the Mégane has evolved into a car that offers shattering pace and track day-friendly handling – but its suspension does feel firmer than many of its rivals’. Hyundai i30 N Power: 271bhp 0-62mph: 6.1sec Price: from £25,995 THE i30 N is Hyundai’s first proper attempt at a hot hatchback – but you’d never know it. A gutsy turbo engine, oodles of driving modes…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk INTERIOR technology is the focus for many car manufacturers at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The halls at the annual showcase are filled with countless start-ups promising greater automation and new ride-sharing features – but the car companies themselves are keen to show off their latest developments in interior equipment. With almost every major car brand working on pure-electric powertrains, the big story appears to be how the resulting packaging advantages can be used to deliver better cabin experiences. And while the idea of fully autonomous driving technology has, by wide consent, been pushed back a little, car companies are keen to demonstrate that they will offer plenty of services to keep us occupied and engaged when we no longer have to control our cars. Traditionally,…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk BLACK box car insurance policies – which see location and driving data used to set insurance premiums – have been slammed as “exploitative data-for-discounts schemes”, amid privacy concerns and a series of complaints that malfunctioning black boxes have seen drivers threatened with cancelled insurance policies. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which regulates the UK insurance industry, admitted in 2018 that it had received complaints from “a number of people who believed the data their ‘black box’ had collected wasn’t right”. Those growing numbers may be linked to the increasing use of black-box policies, but a worrying number of readers have contacted Auto Express to complain that their telematics devices had gone wrong – sometimes significantly so. “106mph” in a 30 limit Emily D wrote to us after her black…

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

A6 1500 A NUMBER of different Maseratis have worn the ‘A6’ nameplate, but the most important has to be the original A6 1500. It was Maserati’s first road car, and made its debut at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show. It was produced in relatively low numbers; early models had a two-seat configuration, while later examples adopted a 2+2 fastback body. Ghibli THE first-generation Ghibli is one of Maserati’s all-time greats, sporting a low, aggressive front end and the pop-up headlamps that were de rigueur for any self-respecting supercar of the time. Its 4.7-litre V8 engine produced 306bhp, and the car was available with a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic gearbox. Bora MASERATI’S first ever mid-engined car was built in response to the Lamborghini Miura and De Tomaso Mangusta. It offered…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk WE’LL have to wait a little longer until we get to drive a new 992-generation Porsche 911 with a manual gearbox. But to give us a flavour of whether bog-standard is best, we’ve been given the keys to the entry-level Carrera in the UK for the first time. It’s actually the Carrera S that will feature Porsche’s seven-speed manual, but if frills don’t take your fancy, then this cheaper, PDK-equipped Carrera could be all you need. Prices start from £82,793, which is over £10k less than the racier Carrera S (£93,110). You get the same 3.0-litre turbocharged flat six – albeit detuned from 444bhp to 380bhp – and the same PDK box. Visually, the two look similar, save the base model’s slightly smaller alloy wheels. Performance isn’t lacking. Our…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.5 seconds/155mph Running costs 36.2mpg (official) £79 fill-up CAR brands love to dig up motorsport heritage whenever they can. Reminding us punters of glorious race victories helps bring extra credibility to a model range. Last year we saw Mercedes-AMG tease us with a hypercar using a Formula 1-inspired engine near-identical to the one that powered Lewis Hamilton to his 2015 world title. At the same time, Toyota’s development of a hot Yaris – a car designed to improve its prospects in the World Rally Championship – continues apace. And now Jaguar has revealed this: the XE Reims Edition. The name harks back to one of the brand’s most significant wins in the D-Type at the 12 Hours of Reims in 1954. Sadly, this isn’t a motorsport…

Mazda CX-30 Mazda Multimedia system Standard Key features: Sat-nav, smartphone link AN 8.8-inch infotainment system is standard on every CX-30, with sat-nav, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay all included. It’s an excellent set-up and a huge step on from the system in older Mazda models. The screen is sharp, the graphics are modern and it’s really easy to use. We love the minimal colour scheme, too, which gives it a classy and upmarket look. A rotary control on the centre console means you don’t have to fiddle with the screen while driving, making it easier to use than the Skoda’s system, even though its rival has one of the better touchscreen set-ups. There’s a part-digital display behind the steering wheel, but it’s not really a digital dash, because it can’t…

Mercedes GLS MBUX Standard Key features: Large dual displays, nav THE latest GLS comes with Mercedes’ MBUX system, and has two 11.6-inch display screens side by side on the dashboard. One is used for the infotainment system, the other is the digital instrument cluster. Sat-nav is standard, along with a long list of extra features, including voice control. You can say “Hey Mercedes” with a command, just like you might with a smartphone. Connected apps include live traffic info, internet radio and more. The voice control works reasonably well, but for those who prefer to remain silent, there’s a touchpad on the centre console to control the system. It’s a bit fiddly to use, and while you can use the touchscreen instead, this isn’t perfect; the screen is a bit…

NEW PRODUCT Cybex child car seats Price: From £189.95 Contact: www.cybex-online.com CHILD transportation specialist Cybex has upgraded the safety measures on its range of Group 2-3 car seats. While your child’s size will determine which seat they must use, they are designed for children aged from around three to 12 years old. The Solution Z and Solution S i-Fix seats meet the latest UN R129/03 safety standards, which require stricter testing methods for side-impact protection, plus simplified installation in the car. As a result, the two seats now have an improved Linear Side-impact Protection Plus system. This, when combined with the seats’ energy-absorbing shell, reduces the forces on the child when a car is hit by around 25 per cent. Both seats retain the three-position reclining headrest. This stops a child’s…

Tatra: The Legacy of Hans Ledwinka Ivan Margolius & John G Henry (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £30 THIS reviewer must declare a deep-seated passion for all things Tatra. This is a fine book for those interested; it only loses a point because this paperback version isn’t as pleasing as the original hardback, which sits more proudly on the bookshelf. 1001 Cars You Must Drive Before You Die Simon Heptinstall (and contributors) (Cassell Illustrated, www.octopusbooks.co.uk) Price: £20 SUCH is the diversity in motoring that even with 1001 cars, the authors must make a compelling case for each. Organising them into time periods is a good idea, keeping things neat, and the high-quality pictures are a highlight. As something to dip in and out of, we think this is brilliant. The Grand…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk Q Has salesman gone too far? I TOOK delivery of a new car and was told by the salesman that it would have 50 miles on the clock when I collected it. In the end, it had covered 120 miles. Does this seem fair? Edward Bell, telephone A WHILE the salesman could have been more accurate in his assessment of how many miles the car would likely have on the clock, this discrepancy won’t have any effect on the car’s value. It might be worth asking for a goodwill gesture, such as a free service, based on the impact it had on your new-car experience. Q Can’t find water source I GOT a puncture recently and noticed a puddle of water in the spare-wheel well when…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk ● Sharp-looking eighth-generation hot hatch to be unveiled ● Forms part of extended range of performance-focused Golfs “VW flirted with the idea of a mild-hybrid GTI, but new car will stick with a four-cylinder petrol turbo” VOLKSWAGEN is in the midst of a mass EV offensive, but the German firm hasn’t forgotten about one of its most legendary models, the Golf GTI. Engineers are busy applying the finishing touches to the next-generation hot hatchback ahead of its anticipated unveiling in the coming months. The GTI has been around for more than four decades and will be entering its eighth generation; no other hot hatch has such a rich history. Throughout that time, the GTI has undergone endless modifications and upgrades, and the next model will be the most advanced…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk ● Small model takes on Juke ● Electric 4WD in pipeline JEEP has wasted no time in making use of the new partnership between FCA and PSA by starting development on a new ‘ultra-compact’ SUV that will be pitched as a more rugged alternative to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen T-Cross. And Auto Express can reveal that it’s going to be offered as a fully electric vehicle, too. Senior Jeep officials have confirmed to us that the as-yet-unnamed model will be in showrooms by 2022. The small SUV is being developed with European markets in mind, because the segment is one of the fastest growing in a region where Jeep still sees significant scope for higher sales. When quizzed about the vehicle’s brief and styling, Marco…

MINI drop-top takes a walk on the mild side THE special edition MINI Sidewalk is back for 2020 (above). Based on the 192bhp Cooper S, it gets unique metallic blue paint, bonnet stripes and an arrow design printed on the canvas roof. Inside, there’s dark grey leather with blue and yellow highlights, plus more blue trim on the dash and doors. For £34,215 the Sidewalk includes an 8.8-inch touchscreen, Harman Kardon speakers and a head-up display. Orders for the 150-unit run start in March. Top accolade for Land Rover design boss LAND Rover design chief Gerry McGovern has been included in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list, becoming an Officer of the British Empire (OBE). The award recognises McGovern’s “services to automotive design” over a four-decade career, and is the…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk ASTON Martin has confirmed plans for a new, limited-run, two-seat speedster, which will be revealed later this year. Called V12 Speedster, a teaser sketch hints at the shape of the roofless newcomer. The final design is being kept under wraps for now, but Aston Martin says that the shape is inspired by both the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning DBR1 and the CC100 Speedster Concept, shown in 2013 to celebrate the brand’s centenary. A production run of just 88 units is planned for the new model. It’s not clear what chassis will underpin the V12 Speedster, but Aston has hinted at the use of “advanced materials”, albeit ones that are already used elsewhere in the firm’s contemporary sports car range. Under the bonnet is a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 sending…

IN May 2018, we investigated the case of student Cydney Crean, who had been accused by her insurer of speeding on three separate occasions, despite time-stamped home CCTV footage clearly showing her Fiat 500 parked on her driveway when the alleged offences took place. Cydney’s insurer said it would cancel her policy, but after our intervention admitted “the clocks changing to British Summer Time” had caused “data inconsistencies” in her black box. Cydney’s insurer maintained she had been speeding, but despite this claim fitted a new telematics device to her car, arranged a 50 per cent discount for the remaining balance of the policy, and offered £150 in compensation.…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP HOT TOPIC Tesla Cybertruck FROM: Barry Nicholson IT was a bit of a shock when I first saw it, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. Tesla should be congratulated on having the courage to come up with an entirely new design. Some very clever features there, and it looks like nothing else. FROM: Gregory James THIS vehicle obviously stands out from anything else on the road, but will it actually be as practical as a pick-up? Its torque will be useful, but the design remains untested. Buying something this unconventional is asking for trouble. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ■ “Fantastic. Breaks with convention and looks like nothing…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.8 seconds/155mph Running costs 34.9mpg (official) £64 fill-up SUDDENLY, Mercedes appears to be making a lot of small fast cars. If you’re in the market for a compact AMG-badged Merc, you’re spoilt for choice. While the original A 45 hatch has been produced since 2013, Merc has now added the lower-powered A 35 to the range, with Volkswagen Golf R-rivalling performance. And now this entry-level AMG model is available as a saloon. Like the CLA 35 (opposite), it uses the same running gear as the A 35 hatch, but the newcomer’s only real rivals are the CLA and the soon-to-be-replaced Audi S3 Saloon. The recipe is extremely similar to its Audi challenger’s. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine developing 302bhp and sending drive…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk THIS is the new hybrid Bentayga: the first petrol-electric Bentley and a car that forms part of a plan for the brand to electrify every model in its range by 2023. This isn’t the first ‘fuel efficient’ – a term we use advisedly – Bentley Bentayga; the firm briefly launched (and subsequently dropped) the V8 diesel back in 2018. So, if you’re after a fuel-sipping upmarket SUV, can this new Hybrid fill the void? The hybrid system means the Bentayga’s cylinder count drops lower than in any Bentley since 1958; the car’s primary source of power is a 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine. On its own, it makes 335bhp and 450Nm, but it’s backed up by an electric motor that gives an extra 126bhp and 350Nm. As a result, the…

MODEL: Mazda CX-30 2.0 SkyActiv-X 180PS 2WD GT Sport PRICE: £28,875 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 178bhp THE Mazda CX-30 aims to combine the small size and lower running costs of the CX-3 with the practicality of the CX-5. However, it has a tough rival in the Skoda. With the new SkyActiv-X engine and a manual gearbox, this GT Sport CX-30 costs £28,875. Design & engineering SKYACTIV-X is the name of Mazda’s new petrol engine that features ‘Spark Controlled Compression Ignition’. It works by using a high compression ratio, which allows for a leaner fuel-air mixture. A spark is used to ignite a tiny amount of fuel, which then increases heat and pressure to combust the rest of the fuel and make power. This high compression is similar to a diesel engine…

ENGINES THE Mazda’s SkyActiv-X engine feels very different from behind the wheel to the 1.5-litre TSI petrol in the Karoq. There’s no turbo, so it has very little low-down torque, bogging down more often and requiring more attention when it comes to gearchanges. The Karoq can be driven in a more relaxed way, but its engine is not as smooth as the CX-30’s. Both cars are really subdued and quiet in the cabin, though. BOOT SPACE THE biggest advantage the Skoda has over the Mazda is that its boot is much bigger, and there’s more room for passengers, too. Skoda’s sliding rear seats give you the option to add more boot space at the expense of passenger legroom, but even with them pushed back, there’s 479 litres of space –…

MODEL TESTED: Mercedes GLS 400 d AMG Line Premium PRICE: £75,040 ENGINE: 3.0-litre 6cyl, 325bhp THE model we’re testing here is the GLS 400 d in AMG Line Premium trim, which costs from £75,040. This makes it more expensive than the Audi Q7 here, but at this end of the market the on-the-road price won’t be a deciding factor for most buyers. Design & engineering MERCEDES calls the GLS ‘the S-Class of SUVs’, which is a bold claim, but the German maker is about the only company that can make it. The S in the GLS name isn’t because it’s directly related to the S-Class saloon, but more because it’s the largest model in the SUV range. This latest version is closer than ever to the limousine, though, because it…

ENGINES THE GLS features a new straight-six diesel, and while the V6 in the Q7 isn’t new, mild-hybrid tech has been added. This set-up is supposed to boost efficiency by recovering energy under braking and re-using it for propulsion, but it’s not really noticeable at all from behind the wheel. The Audi has the option of a lower-powered V6 diesel or a petrol motor, but the GLS currently only has one engine choice. TECHNOLOGY BOTH models come with adaptive air suspension as standard. Mercedes doesn’t offer Magic Ride Control – its system that looks at the road ahead and adjusts on the fly – in the UK, and there’s no option like this on the Audi either. Go for the top-spec Q7 Vorsprung model, and it comes with four-wheel steering,…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk “The Focus is already making a compelling case for itself” Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.8 seconds/155mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 541/1,576 litres I’M not a smoker, but I am partial to the odd bit of back-of-a-fag-packet maths. And getting the keys to our new Ford Focus ST Estate had me scurrying for the spec sheets, tape measure and calculator. The Focus is a relatively rare thing in the hot hatchback class in being offered not only as a conventional five-door but also as a wagon. And that got me thinking: where does our latest arrival stand when it comes to offering the optimum blend of a huge load capacity, a high top speed and a rapid 0-62mph dash – for sensible money? The figures in question, in the case of…

Jewellery celebrates motorsport legend TO celebrate the life and career of the late Ayrton Senna, Monegasque firm Mongrip has created a unique bracelet. It’s limited to 161 units – the number of grands prix Senna took part in – and is crafted from two very special materials. Rose gold accents support a band made from a tyre used by Senna in the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park. Naturally, owning a slice of history doesn’t come cheap – it’s up for 4,400 Euros (around £3,665). Buy yours now in a choice of sizes at www.mongrip.com. Rent a classic car on your next US trip DRIVERS visiting the US can now sign up to Hagerty’s Driveshare scheme – a carsharing service which allows enthusiasts to rent classic cars. Previously, the scheme…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk ● Lifeline for ex-Citroen man ● Joins Greensmith, Suninen FINNISH rising star Esapekka Lappi has signed to drive an M-Sport Ford Fiesta in the 2020 World Rally Championship, having been left without a drive by Citroen’s sudden withdrawal at the end of 2019. The 28-year-old joins a youthful line-up at the Cumbria-based squad, with 23-year-old Brit Gus Greensmith and 25-year-old Finn Teemu Suninen both staying with the team. Lappi and his co-driver Janne Ferm are set to become the de facto team leaders at M-Sport, which won the driver’s title with Sebastien Ogier in 2017 and 2018. The pair last crewed a Fiesta in 2012, when they won every round of the Finnish championship. Their career at the top tier has taken in two years with Toyota in 2017…

OPINION Deputy Editor, Auto Express ON the face of it, Jeep is a massive opportunity for the newly formed PSA/FCA group – and at the same time, a considerable challenge. Cars like this new baby SUV are actually fairly easy to envisage – as long as Jeep’s engineers are given the time and resources to make ‘trail-rated’ editions that do enough to retain the brand’s hardcore off-road credibility, that is. We can also see how a similar approach could yield at least two new models spun off PSA’s electrified EMP2 platform. And they could be more relevant than ever to European customers. However, that base won’t be big enough to support Jeep’s larger and more extreme models. And that means that PSA/FCA will need, at some point, to bite the bullet…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk ● New C_Two arrives this year ● UK sales set to begin in 2021 THE vital organs behind many of the established automotive order’s next-generation cars aren’t being developed in-house. Instead, a number of industry giants are turning to a relatively modest Croatian company fronted by an enthusiastic inventor-cum-entrepreneur barely in his 30s. Rimac Automobili – known to some as a low-volume electric supercar maker – is looking to spread its wings, and founder Mate Rimac sat down with Auto Express to explain how he and his team are making this happen. “What we want to be is the ultimate company for high-performance electric cars,” he explained. “On one side with our own cars, but on the other side with components that will help other people make great cars.”…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk Brighton or bust in a 120-year-old Fiat TOWARDS the end of last year, I fulfilled a childhood dream: to take part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. I was tasked with driving an 1899 Fiat 3HP the 60 miles from the capital to the seaside city in Fiat’s 120th anniversary year. Head over to our YouTube channel to see how I got on. We take a close look at Mazda’s first EV MAZDA is embracing electric motoring with the MX-30, an SUV that’ll become the firm’s first production electric car. It’ll pack a modest 35.5kWh battery, giving the MX-30 a 125-mile range. But interestingly the car’s platform can support a range-extender version. Watch our video for the full story. You can watch any of our videos on…

WHILE insurance companies will only ask about speeding convictions issued within the last five years, and even drink-drive convictions become ‘spent’ after 11 years, anyone who has ever had an insurance policy cancelled on them – as can happen with malfunctioning black boxes – must declare this for the rest of their motoring life. As a result, cover may be permanently harder and more expensive to secure. Drivers whose cancelled black-box policies are subsequently overturned on the basis of faulty data are advised by the Financial Ombudsman Service to get written evidence to explain this cancellation to future insurers. However, this will be cold comfort to innocent drivers who are unable to prove that their black boxes have malfunctioned.…

tristan_shale-hester@dennis.co.uk “Zeda’s tri-tone paint is designed to connect the past, present and future of Maserati” THERE aren’t many firms with a name as evocative as Maserati. Founded in 1914 in Bologna, Italy, and taking its Trident logo from the city’s famous statue of Neptune, Maserati moved its headquarters to Modena in 1940. With an initial focus on racing, the company produced its first road car in 1946. Since then, Maserati has earned a reputation for building fast, beautiful cars with iconic engines and evocative exhaust notes that have caught people’s eyes and ears on both road and track. But even one of the best-loved names in the business has to move with the times. For the first 99 years of its existence, for example, Maserati exclusively used petrol engines in…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk NOW A DAYS company cars are all about range, and the tax benefits that go hand in hand with the ability to run on pure electric power. Because if your electric car or, in this instance, plug-in hybrid can cover more than 40 WLTP-rated miles in EV mode, then your Benefit in Kind (BiK) tax burden is almost halved. This is the reason why BMW has beefed up its latest X5 hybrid – to a point where it claims the car can now travel for more than 50 miles on electricity alone. At the same time, though, the X5 has switched its wheezy four-cylinder engine for a 3.0-litre turbo straight-six, which sits alongside the 111bhp electric motor for a combined 389bhp and a thumping 600Nm of torque. So while…

james_howe@dennis.co.uk THE new Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 is more expensive and, as standard, slightly better-equipped than its A 35 (left) counterpart. Mechanical differences are marginal; the pair share identical engines, gearboxes and four-wheel-drive systems. But the CLA is slightly longer and boasts a wider track that, according to Mercedes, makes it sharper to drive. Driving both back to back, these small differences are very hard to detect. A bigger change is clear on our top-flight Premium Plus test car, however; its adaptive suspension is a much better match for the car’s character, offering a smoother and more controlled ride than the standard passive system – as fitted to the A 35 – even in its stiffest setting. The system helps to tame the CLA’s road noise, too, eliminating some of the…

Vicky_Parrott@dennis.co.uk THIS isn’t just any Ford Mustang. This is the most powerful Mustang ever made. In fact, it’s the most powerful road-legal production Ford ever built. And yes, it has even more grunt than a Ford GT. Say hello to the Mustang Shelby GT500; 750bhp and 847Nm of all-American one-upmanship. It pushes the envelope for what the Mustang stands for – here is a car that can be specced to over $100,000 (almost £80k) if you add all the carbon fibre. The GT500 rides on adaptive dampers and sends its power through a seven-speed dualclutch auto gearbox to the rear wheels via a limited slip-differential. There’s no manual box; for that, you’ll have to look to the lighter Shelby GT350, with ‘only’ 519bhp. Mind you, this GT500 does 0-62mph in…

MODEL TESTED: Skoda Karoq 1.5 TSI 150PS Edition PRICE: £29,130 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4cyl, 148bhp THE Skoda Karoq is an Auto Express Award-winner and our current class favourite. Here we’re testing the high-spec Edition version (although our pictures show a SportLine model) with a 1.5-litre petrol engine and manual gearbox. It costs £29,130. Design & engineering THE Skoda Karoq is based on the Volkswagen Group’s widely used MQB platform, which means it shares parts with a variety of models, including the VW Golf and SEAT Ateca. Like its rival here, it uses MacPherson struts up front, with a torsion beam at the rear. Adaptive dampers are available as part of the Dynamic Chassis Control option, which costs £1,025. This system adjusts the damping automatically to improve comfort and body control, and…

Toyota C-HR 1.8 Hybrid Design PRICE: £28,005 ENGINE: 1.8-litre 4cyl, 122bhp THE recently revised C-HR is similar to the Mazda CX-30. Both have a sleek design and superb handling – the Toyota is the Mazda’s closest rival for fun in this class – but with limited rear-seat and boot space. The Toyota is a full hybrid, so fuel economy is excellent. Peugeot 3008 1.2 PureTech Allure PRICE: £27,665 ENGINE: 1.2-litre 3cyl, 128bhp THE 3008 is about the only car in this class that can rival the CX-30 for interior quality, while a digital dash is standard on all models. The Peugeot is nearly as practical as the Skoda Karoq, and it’s a previous Auto Express Award-winner as well.…

MODEL TESTED: Audi Q7 50 TDI quattro Black Edition PRICE: £67,050 ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6, 282bhp UNLIKE the all-new GLS, this latest Q7 is an update of its predecessor – but there are some significant changes to the looks, on-board tech and powertrains to keep Audi’s flagship SUV fighting fit. Our pictures show an S line car, but we’re testing a high-spec Black Edition; at £67,050 without options, it’s the closest model to the GLS in terms of price. Design & engineering THE Q7 uses Audi’s MLB Evo platform, which means multi-link suspension front and rear, while air suspension is standard across the range. Rear-wheel steering is a feature that’s standard on top-spec Vorsprung models, but we’ve not tried it. All models also get seven seats to match the GLS. The…

NEW: Land Rover Discovery SD6 HSE Lux PRICE: £70,760 ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6, 302bhp THE Discovery is our favourite car in this class. It rides very smoothly and its V6 engine is powerful and refined, while the interior is plush and practical. It’s smaller than the GLS, yet still has plenty of room in the rearmost seats, even for adults. USED: Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription Pro PRICE: £67,680 ENGINE: 2.0 4cyl hybrid, 385bhp THOSE with a short commute could make big savings by choosing a plug-in model. We found a used XC90 T8 with 3,600 miles for £67,680 in top-spec trim. Plug it in daily and it’ll run on electric power alone. It also delivers huge performance.…

Pete_Baiden@dennis.co.uk Running costs 33.1mpg (on test) £64 fill-up/£145 or 28% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 380/1,200 litres THE new BMW 1 Series is a little bit controversial in the automotive world because, in a bid to match its key rivals for practicality, it has switched from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive. The purists were up in arms when the car was first revealed, but our early tests quickly discovered that it drives better than ever and it beat the outgoing Mk7 Volkswagen Golf and Mercedes A-Class when we tested them together in late October (Issue 1,597). But is the latest model really any more practical? I’m running a 118i M Sport on our fleet for the next six months and I plan to find out if it can cope with…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Police presence needed? Q A COLLEAGUE of mine was involved in a road accident recently. He exchanged details with the other driver, but should they have called the police to come to the scene? Miles Jessop, E-mail A POLICE don’t need to attend every accident. You should call them if anyone is injured or the road is blocked. They should also be alerted if the other driver refuses to provide details, appears under the influence of drink or drugs, or didn’t stop. If a large animal is involved and the owner isn’t present, police should also be alerted. Come clean about dirty car Q I’M trying to encourage a friend to clean his car, not least because my clothes seem to get dirty every time I go out in…

AFTER the blade revolution with waferthin inspection light strips, Sealey has gone back to a more traditional design for this latest addition to its workshop lamp range. The LED Twist LED1001 refines a model that has worked well for Sealey before, with a hinged base that also twists. So how does it fare against the latest blade designs? To find out we tried it alongside Ring’s compact MAGFlex Pivot RIL3900HP, which has performed well in previous tests. We looked at what the package includes, plus mounting options, beam width, run time and brightness. We tried both in a wheelarch to see how easy it was to get light where you needed it, while the final factor was price. The Ring gets the nod here because it is a more complete…

Dear Luke, I have £45,000 to spend on a nearly new plug-in hybrid SUV. Which one do you recommend? Tom Ivory, E-mail Contact: Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk • THE COMFORTABLE CHOICE Volvo XC90 T8 FOR: Comfortable, fast, sterling safety record AGAINST: Fiddly infotainment system, lacks dynamism WITH a comfortable ride and light steering, the XC90 T8 hybrid majors on comfort, even if the Cayenne and Q7 are dynamically superior. The electric, turbo and supercharged 2.0-litre powertrain is enough to get the T8 from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds, while the EV-only range is 12-24 miles depending on ambient temperature and driving style. As with all PHEVs, you’ll have to regularly charge the batteries to meet the official economy of 134.5mpg. This budget nets a 2017 model with 20,000 miles on the clock. THE XC90…

THE 2020 endurance season kicks off this weekend with the Dubai 24 Hours, now in its 15th year. Entries in the top-tier GT3 class include Mercedes from four-time event-winner Black Falcon and 2017 winner Herberth Motorsport, and Audi R8s from 2019 winner Car Collection and highly experienced Belgian outfit WRT. Notable drivers taking part this year include reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne, Porsche junior factory driver Will Bamber (who’ll compete with his elder brother Earl’s team), World Endurance GTE Am champion Stuart Hall and Audi factory driver Mirko Bortolotti. GT4, Porsche Cup and TCR touring-car categories complete the field, which will take the start at 3pm local time (11am UK time) on Friday 10 January. The race will be streamed on the 24hseries.com site.…

Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off “Why doesn’t British government and industry look, listen, learn, and then steal a few ideas from our friends overseas?” I TRAVELLED, almost monthly, to The Americas, North East Asia and mainland Europe in 2019. So I can confirm what I’ve long suspected: in these and other parts of the world, they usually handle cars/motoring/transport better and more fairly than we do. So why doesn’t our government and industry look, listen, learn, and steal a few ideas from our friends? For example, by adopting the US system of turning right – left here – at red lights (with no pedestrians, vehicles etc to hit) we’d massively improve traffic and emissions. A greatly reduced, strictly enforced daytime speed limit outside schools in term times…