Innholdsfortegnelse for 1617 i Auto Express

HEAR MORE www.autoexpress.co.uk/podcast LISTEN UP! This logo denotes stories that will be discussed in much more detail on this week’s podcast. Check out our new podcast THE Auto Express Podcast has arrived. Hosted by TV presenter and racing driver Vicki Butler-Henderson, new episodes are published every Wednesday, offering a unique blend of car chat, industry insight, consumer advice and good old-fashioned opinion you won’t hear anywhere else. This week’s episode is available to download now, and be sure to subscribe. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps.…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler ● Good UK sales figures give 108 city car a stay of execution ● Next-generation model must be an EV, says Peugeot boss THE Peugeot 108 has potentially been handed a lifeline by the company’s boss, Jean-Philippe Imparato, because a fully electric successor to today’s model looks to be on the cards. With some car makers already sounding the death knell for city cars, Imparato has said that his company will maintain production of its 108. Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Imparato said: “We decided some weeks ago that we will maintain the 108 in our line-up. Why? Because this car has reasonable success and because it’s important; in the UK we are selling around 6,000 cars a year. “So we will maintain the 108 until the customer…

Editor-in-chief, Auto Express THE days of every car maker going to every show are long gone, with the rule seemingly that if you don’t have anything to launch, you don’t bother. Bean counters will be crunching the numbers to see what the value of media coverage has been from online unveilings and looking deeper into the value of leads from motor shows, too. And leads could be key to the future of motor shows. A couple of senior executives have mentioned to me how successful the Brussels Motor Show is at providing leads that convert to sales. Another former industry exec mentioned a near seven-figure spend that converted to two cars sold. Equally, the value of face-to-face communication simply cannot be underestimated; our in-person interviews invariably produce more stories. And…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk WHILE many of those involved in motorsport will tell you that the best-looking car is the one that wins, that hasn’t stopped particular liveries becoming much-loved fan favourites over the past few decades. Some are associated with an especially popular or successful driver, whereas others are just great pieces of design – that may not have been backed up by great results on track. On these pages, we’ve picked out some of the best Formula One liveries of the modern era, going back to the first sponsor-driven schemes of the late sixties, right up to more recent efforts to stand out. And we also look at some classic schemes from the worlds of rallying and endurance racing, to complete the picture. HEAR MORE www.autoexpress.co.uk/podcast 2015 ‘Camo Bull’ Red Bull…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram Running costs 53.3mpg (official) £43 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.8 seconds/122mph THIS is the Volkswagen up! GTI. VW has relaunched its smallest hot hatchback for 2020 with minor tweaks that, among other things, help it comply with the latest emission standards. The up! is eight years old now, but the GTI model looks clean and fresh, with 17-inch alloy wheels, red detailing on the grille, brake calipers and GTI logo, a deeper front bumper, a larger rear wing and a chromed tailpipe. As before, it’s available in both three- and five-door bodystyles. Inside, it’s also much the same as before: clean, simple and easy to use. It feels more special than an ordinary up!, courtesy of the tartan-like fabric on the seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel with…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 380/1,528 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.9 seconds/146mph THE Vauxhall Grandland X Hybrid4 is another step in the firm’s electrification. It’s a plug-in family SUV that’s designed to do daily commutes on electricity, with petrol power available for longer runs. The Grandland X is built on the same platform as the Peugeot 3008, and it uses the same PHEV powertrain, which means this Vauxhall is pretty brisk for a mid-sized SUV, in a straight line at least. It uses a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, and there’s an electric motor for each axle – so it’s the only four-wheel-drive model in the range – and it offers a combined output of 296bhp. There’s also a healthy 520Nm of torque on tap, which makes it easy…

MODEL TESTED: Renault Captur TCe 130 Iconic PRICE: £20,295 ENGINE: 1.3-litre 3cyl, 128bhp AS with the Clio supermini, in Iconic trim with the TCe 130 engine tested here, the £20,295 Renault Captur looks like good value for money. Let’s find out if it has the traits to support that claim. Design & engineering IT’S no surprise that, as a small SUV, the Captur shares much tech with the smaller Clio, including the CMF-B platform this second-generation Captur has moved to adopt. The original model was based on Renault’s B platform. The suspension set-up remains the same, with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion-beam back axle, but this new architecture means it’s better packaged than before. It’s 110mm longer than its predecessor and looks more like an SUV, but…

Renault Captur Easy Link Nav Standard Key features: Nav, connectivity THE Captur’s standard seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system offers plenty of features, but it’s not always the quickest to respond to your inputs and could do with a few more physical buttons rather than touch-sensitive controls. The volume adjustment in particular can be awkward to use on the move, so the steering column-mounted stalk is useful. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work well but the Captur also comes with nav; we think the phone programs work better. The screen size is fine and the graphics are okay, while it’s positioned in a good spot on the dash, too. Our car had the optional £155 wireless phone-charging plate, which is a good gadget. The Puma has this as standard, while it’s a…

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Demotorized James Ruppert (Foresight Publications, www.foresightpublications.com) Price: £9.99 RUPPERT’S previous titles have mainly been about buying and running cars on a shoestring; this one seems like he’s merely having a good moan. It’s entertaining at first, and we like that instead of illustrations, quirky Victorian line drawings have been used. But the mentality of motoring being a God-given right gets old quickly, as does the denial of climate change. How to restore Citroen 2CV Lindsay Porter (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £29.99 VELOCE has begun to offer these early titles as eBooks, giving us an excellent opportunity to revisit them. This is a particularly useful manual for anyone who owns one of these quirky yet iconic cars; it’s full-featured and very detailed, and clearly written from a place of deep love…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk Q How far can I go on a tank? MY car achieves 45mpg and has a 42-litre fuel tank. How many miles, on average, will it achieve from a single tank? Also, how can I work this out myself? John Smith, E-mail A THERE are roughly 4.55 litres in a UK gallon, so your car holds about 9.24 gallons. Multiply that figure by 45 and you’ll end up with a theoretical range of 415.8 miles. However, note that this assumes a steady 45mpg economy, and running the tank dry; the second of these assumptions is not recommended. Q London permit for Kent car I LIVE in London during the week and in Kent at weekends. My car usually stays in Kent, but I want a…

15 MAR Australia Melbourne Lap Record: 1:24.125 M Schumacher, 2004 22 MAR Bahrain Sakhir LR: 1:31.447 P de la Rosa, 2005 05 APR Vietnam Hanoi New track No lap record 3 MAY N’lands Zandvoort New layout No lap record 10 MAY Spain Barcelona LR: 1:18.441 D Ricciardo, 2018 24 MAY Monaco Monte-Carlo LR: 1:14.260 M Verstappen, 2018 07 JUN Azerbaijan Baku LR: 1:43.009 C Leclerc, 2019 14 JUN Canada Montreal LR: 1:13.078 V Bottas, 2019 28 JUN France Paul Ricard LR: 1:32.740 S Vettel, 2019 05 JUL Austria Spielberg LR: 1:06.957 K Raikkonen, 2018 19 JUL Britain Silverstone LR: 1:27.369 L Hamilton, 2019 02 AUG Hungary Budapest LR: 1:17.103 M Verstappen, 2019 30 AUG Belgium Spa-Francorchamps LR: 1:46.286 V Bottas, 2018 06 SEP Italy Monza LR: 1:21.046 R Barrichello, 2004…

Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off “Neither the desperate Detroit event nor the biennial Paris bun fight will be killed off. Instead they must drastically change” THE maddest, saddest and baddest (in financial terms, at least) car exhibition I’ve ever been involved with? Undoubtedly, the one I was due to attend early this month. Traditionally, the Geneva International Motor Show – or GIMS as the organisers inelegantly call it – is the best and most glamorous indoor car exhibition on the planet. But not this March, it wasn’t. Oh no. The Swiss Government binned the occasion due to the coronavirus outbreak. Yet still the show went on (well, sort of) for me and a handful of other anoraks who experienced it virtually, on laptops or phones while we…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn ● Second-generation Sandero will sit on same platform as new Clio ● Hybrid powertrains are possible, but probably not from launch THE all-new, second-generation Dacia Sandero will retain the current model’s position as the UK’s cheapest new car when it arrives at the end of the year, company bosses have told Auto Express. And it’s even possible that the new car could be the first version with hybrid technology. The existing Sandero hatchback has long been the UK’s cheapest new car, priced from £6,995. But a new version is on the horizon and Dacia is planning to completely overhaul the hatchback with a new platform, borrowed from the latest Clio, and new engines from the rest of Renault range. “The current Sandero is now over six years old…

Honda sets the price for its new Jazz’mini HONDA has confirmed that the new Jazz (above) will cost from £18,980 when the MPV-style supermini goes on sale in the summer. That secures the entry-level SE trim, above which sits the £21,380 EX. The range will be topped off with the £23,580 Crosstar EX, which gets SUV-inspired styling add-ons like a raised ride height and extra body cladding. All models have a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a pair of electric motors, delivering a total output of 108bhp and 253Nm. Mazda and Kia vie for World Car of the Year THE finalists for the World Car of the Year award have been announced – and Mazda has grabbed two of the three nominations. The CX-30 compact SUV…

THIS Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is a new version of the hypercar designed to be more agile and involving to drive than any previous Chiron. Weight-saving measures that focus on the wheels and brakes shave 50kg from a regular Chiron’s mass, while stiffened suspension is said to sharpen the handling. The quad-turbo W16 engine still develops 1,479bhp and 1,600Nm, but a raised red line (by 200rpm) and a closer-ratio gearbox lets the Pur Sport sprint from 37mph to 75mph two seconds faster than a standard Chiron. It also means that the Pur Sport’s top speed drops to ‘just’ 217mph – well down from the regular car’s 261mph. Bugatti will begin making the Pur Sport in the second half of this year. Just 60 examples will be built, each priced from…

Bentley Bacalar: the stats LAST week we showed you the Bacalar, now we revisit the numbers that make this surely one of the most eye-catching – and controversial – Bentleys ever. In our latest video, we pore over the 650bhp, £1.5m coachbuilt speedster to reveal that each seat has 148,199 stitches, and just 12 cars will be built – and they’re all sold. youtube.com/Autoexpress VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE SWEDISH plug-in hybrid gets a three-cylinder petrol engine and electric range of up to 28 miles. It has the potential to steal huge sales in the premium small SUV sector. Vicky Parrott finds out if it’s as good as the figures suggest. youtube.com/drivingelectric You can watch any of our videos on your phone Simply scan this QR code.…

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 Problems with makers The Motor Ombudsman: 0345 241 3008 Financial problems Financial Ombudsman: 0800 023 4567 Safety concerns/recalls DVSA: 0300 123 9000…

Gulf Porsche 917 (Sportscars) JOSTLING with the John Player Special Lotus for the title of ‘greatest motorsport livery ever’, the simple powder-blue background and thick orange-stripe combo has been used numerous times in racing since – both officially and unofficially. Martini Lancia (WRC) MANY rally fans consider the sight of the flame-spitting, popping-and-banging, Martini-liveried Lancias piloted by Markku Alen, Henri Toivonen or Juha Kankkunen to be the absolute pinnacle of the sport, and the colours still look fresh today. Silk Cut Jaguar (Sportscars) BRITISH interest in the Le Mans 24 Hours peaked in the late eighties when the likes of Derek Warwick and Martin Brundle piloted Jaguar’s purple-gold-and-white cars. The XJR-9 (above) won Le Mans in 1988; the XJR-12 repeated the feat in 1990. 555 Subaru Impreza (WRC) ICONIC car,…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy Running costs 37.2-42.2mpg (official) £63 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.9 seconds/168mph MERCEDES doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to filling niches. Its CLA Shooting Brake is a baby wagon that focuses more on style than practicality, and now it has two performance editions from AMG – the hardcore CLA 45 and the more modest CLA 35 that we’re testing here. The Shooting Brake shares its basic platform with the A-Class, and the CLA 35 also has the same potent powertrain as the A 35 hatchback and saloon. That means a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 302bhp and 400Nm of torque, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. This is a car that can rattle off 0-62mph in a whisker under five seconds, before continuing on to…

SKODA OCTAVIA SUMMER Latest Octavia family car gets overhauled styling inside and out, along with a new range of mild-hybrid engines. SMALL CARS Fiat 500 EV 2020 Honda e early 2020 Honda Jazz early 2020 Hyundai i20 2020 MINI hatch 2022 Mitsubishi Mirage 2020 Peugeot e-208 early 2020 Skoda Fabia 2021 Toyota Yaris late 2020 VauxhallCorsa-e early 2020 Volkswagen ID.supermini 2023 FAMILY CARS Audi A3 2020 Audi A3 Cityhopper 2022 Audi e-tron hatch 2021 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé 2020 BMWi1 2021 BMWi4 2021 Citroen C4 2020 Citroen C4 EV 2020 Citroen flagship saloon 2021 Dacia EV 2020 Honda Clarity 2022 Kia Stonic hybrid 2020 MercedesC-Class 2021 MercedesE-Class facelift 2020 MercedesEQA late 2020 MercedesEQB 2021 MercedesEQV early 2020 SEAT el-Born 2020 SEAT Leon early 2020 Skoda Octavia mid 2020 Tesla…

MODEL TESTED: Ford Puma 1.0 EcoBoost Hybrid MHEV 125 ST-Line PRICE: £21,795 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 123bhp INTRODUCED on the compact coupé of the nineties, the Puma name has been repurposed here for Ford’s latest small SUV – but the brand promises it will still be dynamic to drive. We’re testing the £21,795 Puma 1.0 EcoBoost 125 MHEV in ST-Line trim to test that claim. Design & engineering THE Puma is based on Ford’s global B-car small car platform; this also underpins the brand’s Fiesta supermini, which is great to drive. The Puma uses Ford’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost turbo engine, only here it’s been given mild-hybrid tech to improve efficiency. There’s a non-mild-hybrid version, too, which is £300 cheaper, but it seems a no-brainer to opt for this 48-volt electrically assisted…

1st RENAULT AS in the Renault Clio, the Captur’s new underpinnings and technology mean it’s every bit the competitive crossover in this small SUV class – but it’s the model’s impressive value for money compared with the Puma and the 2008, along with its versatility, that promote it to first place here. Performance is fine, running costs are sound, and the level of standard equipment is strong, so the Captur looks like a great buy. 2nd FORD IN typical Ford fashion the Puma is great to drive, and some clever touches such as the MegaBox mean it’s relatively practical, even if it does lack a little rear passenger space. There’s a comparable level of kit to the Captur and the mild-hybrid engine offers a good mix of strong performance and…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk WE didn’t rack up a vast amount of miles in the Jaguar XE 300 in our six months with it. But we did do all sorts of things in it, taking it to various tracks, on numerous cross-country trips, along much of the UK’s increasingly frantic motorway network, comparing it with a variety of different cars. And it never failed to impress. To be fair, no single aspect amazes you. The car looks good instead of jaw-dropping. It drives well but not brilliantly. Except, perhaps, for its steering, which could well be the best in its class. But over our six months with this car it was a bit of slow burner in terms of its overall appeal. It got better the more time we spent with it, in…

Prestige offers in the club for high rollers ROLLS-Royce owners are already members of an exclusive club, but now there’s an official companion to that in the form of Whispers (above). It’s Rolls’s ‘secret society’ of sorts, which it claims acts as ‘a gateway to the most rarefied products, services and ideas’. Some example offers include a private performance by the New York Symphony Orchestra, a bespoke blend of Cognac and front-row seats at a fashion show. Ownership of a Rolls-Royce is the major barrier to ownership, but if you’re lucky enough to have one on your fleet, you can find out more from your dealer. Callum’s collection in concours showcase THE London Concours has announced its second special feature for its event on 10 & 11 June: a tribute…

PRODUCT GROUP TEST 11|03|2020 Every week, we extensively test all the latest car kit from tyres to trim cleaners. Log on to www.autoexpress.co.uk to look through our huge online test archive WHETHER you are a professional or a DIY enthusiast, working on the lower parts of a car can be a right pain in the back. You either bend down, crouch, or make do with an unsuitable seat; either way, you risk aches and injuries. The answer could be a dedicated mechanic’s stool which has been designed to make it comfortable to work on the lower parts of a car. They all have castors so they’re easy to move around, and have storage to put tools easily within reach – invaluable so you don’t misplace that screwdriver or 10mm socket. Which…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk ● Fury over secret Ferrari settlement ● FIA defends action as teams make legal threat THE FIA has defended itself amid a huge row with F1 teams about a deal with Ferrari over the legality of its 2019 engine. Appearing right at the end of pre-season testing, a press release from the governing body said it had concluded an investigation into the legality of Ferrari’s 2019 power unit and had “reached a settlement with the team,” the specifics of which would remain confidential between the two parties. This was swiftly followed up by a joint statement from the seven Formula 1 teams not powered by Ferrari engines, expressing their “surprise and shock” at the news and objecting strongly to the FIA’s decision to reach a confidential settlement. The statement…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn ● Second-generation SUV will be all-electric, with no petrol option ● But iconic 911 won’t be going fully electric any time soon “For a few years, the internal-combustion-engined Macan of today will be sold in parallel with the fully electric car”DR MICHAEL STEINER Porsche R&D PORSCHE is applying the finishing touches to an all-new, all-electric version of its best-selling Macan. Since its introduction in 2014, the SUV has been a huge success for the German firm, with just shy of 100,000 examples being sold around the world last year. But after only one generation Porsche will radically overhaul the model, which is due to be replaced within the next 18 months; it’s set to go fully electric, with no new petrol edition planned. “We already started the development…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy ● Light disguise for family car ● Expands ID. range to two THE Geneva Motor Show may have been cancelled but Volkswagen did its best to grab the headlines anyway last week, by giving us all the best look yet at the second model in its burgeoning ID. range of electric vehicles: the ID.4 SUV. The ID.4 has been teased already – VW displayed it in a shady ‘disguise box’ at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show – but the company chose to replace its Geneva activity by issuing the clearest set of images yet of the car. It also confirmed plans to start selling the new arrival before the end of this year as a rival to the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro. The…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths ● E10 petrol set to become new standard unleaded ● Concerns over incompatible cars ● OFFICIAL BRITISH petrol stations are set for a massive shake-up next year, after the government announced plans to make E10 petrol – which contains up to 10 per cent ethanol – the standard grade of unleaded in 2021. That’s despite the fact hundreds of thousands of older cars can’t run on the fuel, which could pose a potential fire risk for incompatible vehicles. The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation into making E10 the new standard, and wants E5 (the current standard, with up to five per cent ethanol) to be available only as super-unleaded. The switch is projected to bring about CO2 reductions equivalent to taking 350,000 cars off the…

Mazda MX-30 set to cost from £26,995 MAZDA has confirmed the launch edition of the all-electric MX-30 (above) will be priced from £26,995 in the UK (including the government’s £3,500 plug-in vehicle grant). The car is due to be delivered to customers in 2021, and is powered by a 141bhp electric motor plus a 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery. It will offer a maximum range of 124 miles, and will come with a digital instrument binnacle, a touchscreen and a head-up display. Nissan spends £400m on Sunderland plant NISSAN is investing £400million in its Sunderland plant, including £52million for a new metal press, in preparation for the third-generation Qashqai this year. The extra-large press exerts 5,400 tonnes of pressure, produces more than 6.1 million vehicle panels a year, weighs in excess of…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn THE continued spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, forced the Swiss government to ban public gatherings of more than 1,000 people in the country until at least 15 March. As a result, the Geneva Motor Show, which was due to open last week, was cancelled, with no plans for it to be rescheduled in 2020. The cancellation came four days before doors were due to open, leading to a quick rethink from manufacturers as to how they would reveal and communicate their new cars to the world’s media. The majority of brands were quick to arrange online unveilings, while others rapidly created their own mini-motor shows at their headquarters, where media were also in attendance. However, the cancellation called into question the future of the motor show…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP HOT TOPIC New DS 9 FROM: CamDeMon I LOVE the rear end, but am not so keen on the fussy front. It’s a more interesting choice than the Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series, but I doubt it’ll be as good to drive as those cars. Personally, I’d still go for either an Alfa Romeo Giulia or Jaguar XE. FROM: ben234 THE problem DS will always face in the premium market is that it can’t match the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes for badge kudos or, indeed, product quality. I’m sure this will be a good car, but will it be as good as the competition? I doubt it. Join the debate at…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods Electric motor Battery/range 10.7kWh/28 miles “Its engine feels bigger than the number of cylinders would lead you to believe” WITH its new XC40 Recharge T5, Volvo has completed a feat that many rival manufacturers are still some way off accomplishing. Until now, Volvo’s baby SUV was the only car in the Swedish firm’s stable without a plug-in hybrid powertrain. But with this newcomer in UK dealerships, any Volvo you desire can be bought with a plug socket and electric assistance. It doesn’t stop here, either; a pure-electric version of the XC40, with some serious punch and performance figures, is also in the pipeline. But in the case of the XC40 Recharge T5 – the Recharge bit of the name replacing the ‘Twin Engine’ branding used on older plug-in…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.8seconds/155mph Running costs 36.2mpg (official) £109 fill-up GIVEN the plight of diesel engines and their continued demise in the UK, it appears rather peculiar to see that Audi has decided to offer a 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbodiesel in one of its cars. It’s perhaps even more peculiar to find out that it’s fitted to one of the firm’s high-end performance SUVs that costs in excess of £100,000. But then the SQ8 is a slightly different take on the performance SUV theme. It’s powered by the largest diesel engine in any production car today – a 4.0-litre V8 – and it delivers some truly eye-widening numbers: 428bhp, 900Nm of torque and a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds. All in a four-wheel-drivecar that weighs in excess of 2.5…

MODEL TESTED: Peugeot 2008 1.2 PureTech 130 Allure PRICE: £23,550 ENGINE: 1.2-litre 3cyl, 129bhp THIS second-generation 2008 is all-new, like its rivals in this test. It takes plenty of inspiration from its 208 supermini sibling, which we know is a good car, so how does this small SUV compare with its two rivals here? We’re testing a 1.2 PureTech 130 in Allure trim (our images show a GT Line) to find out. Design & engineering AT £23,550 for this model, the Peugeot is pricier than its competition, to the tune of £3,255 in the Captur’s case and £1,575 when it comes to the Puma. Yet Allure specification doesn’t really get any more equipment than its rivals, with highlights such as nav and phone connectivity as part of its seven-inch touchscreen,…

Skoda Kamiq 1.0 TSI 115 SE L PRICE: £21,980 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 113bhp THE Kamiq is Skoda’s entry into this class, and it’s extremely competent. It drives well, is practical and gets plenty of kit in SE L trim, but it’s a bit pricier than the Captur, even if it offers a similar level of comfort and refinement to its French competitor. Citroen C3 Aircross PureTech 110 Flair PRICE: £20,770 ENGINE: 1.2-litre 3cyl, 108bhp IT might be down on power, but in top-spec Flair trim the C3 Aircross is well equipped and has versatility to pretty much match the three cars above. The engine isn’t quite as smooth and its gearbox is baggy, but the Aircross is good value.…

Dawn_Grant@dennis.co.uk Running costs 42.3mpg (on test) £60 fill-up £145 or 28% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 360/1,250 litres WHEN I first received the keys to the Auto Express MINI Clubman, I had mixed feelings about running it; I’m just not a massive MINI fan. I’ve had a couple of breakdowns in older versions in the past, and the design of the dash – which has stayed similar even over three generations of the Clubman – has always seemed overly fussy to me. But after spending the past few months with the car, I’ve been won over. It’s recently been pressed into action as a delivery car, as you can see in our main image. We met my stepson at a local driving range to deliver a 49-inch TV he had…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Q How to tackle mud menace I LIVE in a rural area and my car regularly ends up caked in thick mud at this time of year. What’s the best way to clean it off? Frank Howard, E-mail A KEY here is to not touch the dirt until you really have to, in order to avoid scratching the paint. If you have a pressure washer, use a snow foam or shampoo (above), or use a pump spray to apply a citrus cleaner if you just have a hose. Allow it to soak and loosen the mud before blasting it away. Don’t forget wheelarches and sills; just keep the hose on them until the water runs clear. Q Are big tool sets good value? I’VE seen ads…

FOLDING electric bike sales are booming as drivers park where spaces are plentiful, before cycling into urban areas. With the help of a motor, you’ll never arrive in a sweat. The most famous ‘folder’, and our previous pedal-powered Best Buy is the Brompton, and the electric version we’re testing has been developed by Williams Engineering. Its GoCycle GXi rival here also has a strong car link, because the company was founded by an ex-McLaren Cars engineer. Both bikes give a range of up to 40 miles. Besides price, the Brompton’s big advantage is that it folds into a tiny package. But it takes longer to fold and isn’t as stable or sophisticated on longer journeys as the GoCycle, which makes the tech-packed GXi worth the extra cost, and our winner…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk FORMULA 1 went testing in February amid growing concern over the impact coronavirus could have on its calendar. For now, only the Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled, but all parties are monitoring the situation closely. In the meantime, the focus turns to the action at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. As Lewis Hamilton gears up to go for a record-equalling seventh title, we caught up with his Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff, to judge the mood ahead of the season. Elsewhere, we’ve talked to McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, as well as bosses Zak Brown and Andreas Seidl, about the British team’s prospects. Over the page, we’ve also profiled every team and driver contesting the coming season, with all the facts and stats you need to…

IT’S hard not to look at the 2020 season as a bit of a ‘holding pattern’ for Formula 1, with a radically overhauled 2021 rules package on the horizon and little movement on the driver market over the winter. But there are several points of interest nonetheless. Will Mercedes drop the ball or carry Hamilton to a Schumacher-equalling seventh world title? Can Vettel recover his form at Ferrari after being comprehensively outclassed by new recruit Charles Leclerc in 2019? Is this the year Red Bull and Max Verstappen finally mount a title challenge? Further down the pack, Esteban Ocon versus Daniel Ricciardo will be a fascinating intra-team battle at Renault, McLaren has momentum to maintain, and Williams and Haas will be battling furiously to avoid the ‘wooden spoon’. Mercedes @MercedesAMGF1 Engine…

THE American IndyCar Series starts this weekend with its traditional curtain-raiser in St Petersburg, Florida. This marks the championship’s first full year under the ownership of team boss and entrepreneur Roger Penske, who bought IndyCar, the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis circuit itself from the Hulman-George family late last year. British racer Jack Harvey (pictured) has secured a full-season deal with Meyer Shank Racing for 2020, having undertaken part-time campaigns the last two years. This season also marks the debut of IndyCar’s AeroScreen – equivalent to F1’s Halo safety device.…