Innholdsfortegnelse for 1622 i Auto Express

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods • Swedish company’s third model will be an electric SUV • Will share its all-new platform with next Volvo XC90 ELECTRIC SUVs are in vogue at the moment, and at Volvo offshoot Polestar, a rival for the likes of the Tesla Model X, Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace is firmly in the Swedish marque’s sights. The third model in the line-up will follow company convention and be called the Polestar 3. It will be a zero-emissions SUV tasked with carving out a unique identity for the company when it arrives in 2022. To that end, it’ll be among the first cars from Polestar and Volvo to use the new SPA2 platform for large cars. But more importantly, the Polestar 3 will continue the brand’s move away from Volvo…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn • Spring concept previews EV • Based on China-only Renault K-ZE DACIA will launch a “another revolution” in the new-car market next year, with a production version of the Dacia Spring concept. The upcoming EV is being billed as Europe’s cheapest electric car, and it could make it to UK showrooms. First revealed in March, the Spring concept showed Dacia’s intent to enter the electric vehicle segment. The model is based on the China-only Renault K-ZE, but Dacia has been able to build a case for a model to be sold in Europe with a price tag of around £17,000. Marc Suss, Dacia’s global programme director, told Auto Express that the firm always had plans to launch an EV, despite the company’s budget roots. “We were always asked…

Inbox Your views Contact Tristan Shale-Hester Write to: Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP FROM: Pete Martine STUNNING. I’ve been watching Genesis and the previous G80 from the beginning; it’s a shame the new one isn’t coming to the UK. Don’t underestimate Genesis or Hyundai – they’re both going from strength to strength at the moment. FROM: Tyler Cullen EVEN if this were available in the UK, would anyone buy it? I’m sure it’s a very capable, reliable car and drives nicely – modern Hyundais are great – but would you buy one over a BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar or Lexus? I’m not convinced. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk “It looks as though it could be the love child of a Bentley Flying Spur…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.3 seconds/155mph WHEN the original BMW 8 Series was released back in 1990, engineers gave serious thought to a hot M Sport version. A prototype was built – complete with a 550bhp 5.5-litre V12 – but it never made production. The same goes for an 8 Series Convertible; it was trialled, but it never reached showrooms. Thirty years later, BMW hasn’t so much dipped its toe in the water of the luxury convertible class with a drop-top 8 Series, but dived right in with a hot M8, too. But what makes BMW so sure it’s the right product to be selling now? Well for one thing, there’s more of a business case. While the old 8 Series was developed as a unique project from the…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths IT was only last week (Issue 1,621) that we unveiled the UK’s best new cars, and now it’s the turn of their manufacturers to face the spotlight. Over the next eight pages, you’ll find 30 of the world’s biggest brands reported on by the people who know them best – car owners. Getting to grips with the themes linked to each maker is a worthwhile thing to do. That’s because, while most of us will consider a number of makes before settling on one, if you prioritise a specific aspect or two when drawing up your shopping list, having the information about which firms you might and might not want to consider is well advised. Do you need your next motor to be cheap to run, for example?…

MODEL TESTED: MINI Electric Level 2 PRICE: £26,900 POWERTRAIN: 1 x e-motor/lithium-ion battery, 181bhp LIKE the Zoe, MINI’s new Electric model is targeting buyers who are looking for a compact electric car that’s still relatively affordable. This Level 2 model costs £26,900, so it’s cheaper than its rival from Renault – but that’s not the full story. Design & engineering WHILE the MINI Electric in Level 2 trim undercuts the top-spec Zoe, if you stepped up to the range-topping Level 3 MINI the tables are turned in the Zoe’s favour, albeit it to a slightly lesser degree There’s a similar level of kit, too. Level 2 has parking sensors and a reversing camera, climate and cruise control, keyless operation and LED lights. There’s the latest smartphone connectivity and a digital…

Peugeot e-208 Allure PRICE: £26,900 ENGINE: 1 x e-motor, 134bhp THE e-208 is Peugeot’s effort at an EV supermini. Its 50kWh battery gives a claimed range of 217 miles, while it has as much power as the Zoe. Allure trim gets all the equipment you need and is well priced, while the 311-litre boot is competitive. Nissan Leaf 40kWh N-Connecta PRICE: £28,145 ENGINE: 1 x e-motor, 148bhp FOR similar money you could buy a Leaf with lots of tech, a 40kWh battery giving a range of 168 miles and, more importantly, extra space and practicality over supermini EVs. There’s some good safety and connectivity features on this trim level.…

Pete_Gibson@dennis.co.uk Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 358/1,019 litres Running costs 40.3mpg (on test) £61 fill-up/£145 or 29% tax THE Mazda 3 sits in the family hatchback class – its main rivals are cars such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. So one of our objectives when we added the Mazda to our fleet was to see if it can live up to that billing – with the help of my family. With the country in lockdown, I’m spending more time than ever with them, and was able to get out with my daughter Isabella in the Mazda to walk our dog, Benson. My last two fleet cars were a VW Touareg SUV and an Audi A6 Avant estate: two huge upmarket models. So when the Mazda turned up, I wasn’t…

Time is right for the latest Porsche watch PORSCHE Design has launched its latest timepiece – the 1919 Chronotimer. This titanium-cased chronograph (above) features the first movement Porsche has ever designed in-house and offers a ‘Flyback’ function, which combines the start, stop and reset operations into one mechanism. The design is based around precision and function, with an anti-glare sapphire crystal face ensuring maximum readability. But this gorgeous watch has a high price tag – it sells for 5,950 Euros (£5,203) and can be purchased from www.porsche-design.com. Half-price motoring books offer in April IF you’re after a book to read while you’re isolating indoors, publishing house Evro is offering many of its best motoring books at half price to help tide you over. You’ll find books such as The Perfect…

First Gear: Myth-busting Motoring Milestones Keith Ray (The History Press, www.thehistorypress.co.uk) Price: £12.99 Rating: EVER wanted to brush up on key facts, or maybe give a budding car enthusiast a good spread of knowledge in one go? This book is ideal, covering all the major ‘firsts’ – the first car with four-wheel drive, the first speed limit, the first V8, and so on. It’s not long, but punches above its weight and makes a brilliant gift. Custom Air Suspension Julian Edgar (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £19.99 (Kindle Edition £14.99) Rating: NOW available digitally, this part fact-file, part manual, both extols the virtues of air suspension, and guides you on fitting it. If you want the ‘bagged’ look but can’t afford a professional fit, DIY could be an option, and this…

Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk Q Can I keep on running with new E10 petrol in my tank? WHEN E10 petrol is rolled out to all fuel station forecourts in the UK, will I be able to put it in my 2002 Toyota Corolla Verso 1.8? I’m concerned that it will be too old to be compatible, and E5 will be unavailable. Geoff Allen, E-mail A THE rollout of E10 as the new UK standard for petrol is still in its consultation phase. But assuming it happens, E5 will still be offered as super unleaded. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association says all European Toyota petrol models built from January 1998 are compatible with E10, with the exception being two Avensis models. As such, your Corolla Verso will run on E10 petrol – although confirm…

Dear Luke, I’ve got £20,000 to spend on a new family car, and I want a plug-in hybrid. What would you recommend? G Dowden, E-mail Contact: Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk THE DRIVER’S CHOICE BMW 330e FOR: Great handling, strong powertrain and infotainment AGAINST: Not as sharp as petrol 3 Series, no Android Auto GREAT fuel economy easily offsets the 330e’s (ever so slightly) blunted handling when compared with a petrol or diesel-powered 3 Series. BMW quotes economy of 140mpg and an all-electric range of 25 miles, so short commutes could be powered by the battery alone. Used prices for the F30 3 Series have slipped with the arrival of the Mk7 car, and a high-mileage 2016 example can be had for £11,000. Your budget, however, secures a 2017 M Sport with only 13,610…

Visit carbuyer.co.uk for all the latest data plus indepth car reviews and videos HOW OUR GUIDE WORKS PERFORMANCE: This is the manufacturer’s claimed acceleration time for a car, and is measured from 0-60mph or 0-62mph (0-100kph), in seconds. ECONOMY AND EMISSIONS: The combined economy figure in miles per gallon and its emissions in grams per kilometre of CO2. Figures are the best achieved in the latest WLTP tests, but will vary according to equipment and are unlikely to be representative of everyday efficiency. INSURANCE: Group rating as quoted by the Association of British Insurers. WARRANTY: Next to each manufacturer’s name is the basic warranty period in months and miles for the mechanicals, corrosion and paintwork. EVs and hybrids will have dedicated battery cover. LIST PRICE: This is the on-the-road figure…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk FORMULA 1 around 15 years ago had a very different feel to the sport today. There were still screaming V10 engines, we had a Michelin vs Bridgestone tyre war, the drivers faced the challenge of single-lap qualifying, and the races were all about flatout sprints between refuelling stops in an attempt to gain track position on rivals. Working together, Michael Schumacher, Ferrari and its tyre supplier Bridgestone had become masters of the art, and in 2004 the German arrived at the Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours for the French Grand Prix leading his team-mate Rubens Barrichello by 18 points in the championship, having won six of the season’s nine races up to that point. Magny-Cours was a bit of a wildcard, however. Its extra-smooth surface favoured the Michelin tyres used by…

• First drive of all-new model in diesel 4WD guise • Plus we take a look at the rivals it has to beat IT’S difficult to keep track of Mercedes’ SUV range. It’s been modernised and refreshed over the course of many years, but a new version of one of the brand’s most important vehicles, the GLA, has so far been missing. The outgoing version was a popular allrounder, but it was a little dull to look at and to drive. Following the launch of the slightly larger GLB, which can be ordered with seven seats, Mercedes has seen fit to give the new GLA a bolder look and a new lease of life. It’s certainly a more handsome car than its predecessor, but perhaps Mercedes could have been a…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths ELECTRIC cars are different from petrol and diesel ones, and that becomes clear even before you’ve sat in one. From range and charging infrastructure, to government tax breaks and miles per kilowatt hour replacing miles per gallon, moving from fossil fuels to electric power requires a change in mindset. When you get behind the wheel of an EV, even more differences emerge. The silent running, the instant torque, the regenerative braking – electric cars have intrinsic character differences when compared with their counterparts, and require different driving styles. But how do these differences impact drivers and how they drive, and is it a positive change? In the hope of finding answers to these questions, Hyundai came to us with a proposition. The firm presented us with two cars…

Renault Zoe EASY LINK Standard Key features: larger screen, digi dash GT Line features a larger 9.3-inch touchscreen, which is a big, glossy display mounted higher up in the centre of the dash. The screen is a decent size and the graphics sharp, but just as in other Renaults, the tech is sometimes a bit slow to respond, and simple jobs such as changing the audio volume can be a bit fiddly. At least the steering column stalk helps with this. There are lots of features, though, including satnav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, a reversing camera and a digital dash. The 10-inch dashboard’s graphics are also sharp, and the display layout is clear, so it’s easy to read. You can also customise the layout to show…

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products@autoexpress.co.uk How to keep perfect finish? I’VE polished my car with Angelwax Perfect Polish, then waxed it with Bilt-Hamber double speed-wax – your test champions. It now looks amazing. However, when and how should I continue the process? Ken Rason, E-mail A THERE’S no hard and fast rule because many factors will affect how long the look will remain. Our tests show the Bilt-Hamber wax (above) still working after two months, with no sign of flagging. Just look for beading after rain, or check with a hose. You should not need to polish every time you wax – just check any swirls haven’t returned. Q Dating tyres on a classic car I RECENTLY helped a friend look at a classic car he was thinking of buying. I checked the tyres…

NEW PRODUCT Summit SUP-915 Price: £74.95 Rating: Contact: www.mountneyltd.com ON the face of it, there’s not much to these new Summit-branded square bars. They arrive needing minimal assembly and slot onto the car’s built-in rails easily, but don’t have the sleek look of the Thule WingBars. They’ll also not be much use if you want to fit T-track accessories, because the bars just have a simple square shape and are compatible with the more common U-bolt fixings. However, they’re fine if you’re just looking to clamp on a roof box or strap down other loads, and are reassuringly chunky compared with some square bars. The biggest surprise, though, is the refinement. Square bars are never going to be as quiet as the slippery-shaped Thule WingBars but you have to listen…

CONFESSION time. Late last month, I found myself almost trapped in the USA, where I was working (cars and cancer charity); visiting family members (never easy); servicing my mother’s Jeep Grand Cherokee (easier); and wondering if I should bite the bullet and move out to The Land of the Free (er, no – I can’t afford the health insurance premiums). Long story short – roadblocks, near-empty airports and limited flights back to the UK hindered my ‘escape’ from my sister’s house, which sits inside a walled and barricaded ‘community’. Honest. I owed it to myself to choose a rugged, reliable and safe mode of transport to aid my breakout, possibly via Canada. And I was fortunate to have a large fleet of expensive and cheap vehicles – all of them…

“Precept is the next bigger step that will lead us to Polestar 3” A GRADUATE of London’s Royal College of Art, Max Missoni has been working at Volvo and Polestar since 2012, having begun his career in car design at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. Q Can you explain the Polestar design process from the Polestar 1 through to the Polestar 3? A “If you look at Polestar 1, it’s based on the Volvo Concept Coupé, which is no surprise. But Polestar 2 is already the first step into a unique Polestar design language. And then there’s the Precept. It’s the next bigger step, and that will lead us to Polestar 3.” Q What’s it like creating and establishing a design language for a new car brand? A “It’s a big challenge…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths AT the start of the month (Issue 1,620), editor-in-chief Steve Fowler suggested in his leader column that while the UK’s lockdown meant going out for a nonessential drive was off the cards, there was nothing stopping you from taking to your driveways to give your cars a good clean. And why not, Steve asked, take some photos of your pride and joy while polishing it to perfection and send us pictures of your hard work, so we could share it more widely for others to enjoy? Steve’s plea also went out across our various social media channels, and we have been inundated by owners sharing their handiwork. A number of you told us you had made use of car-care products recommended by our products editor, Kim Adams, and…

MODEL TESTED: Renault Zoe i GT Line R135 Z.E. 50 PRICE: £29,695 POWERTRAIN: 1 x e-motor/lithium-ion battery, 133bhp THIS second-generation Zoe takes Renault’s experience with its past EVs and packages it in a fresher and more practical car that is packed with extra technology. At £29,695 this top-spec i GT Line R135 is pricier than the MINI, but is it worth it? Design & engineering THE new Zoe uses an adapted version of the original car’s platform, so there are MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear; nothing new there. Instead, the big advances have come in its powertrain. The battery is still sandwiched in the model’s floor and under the rear seats, but there’s more energy density now, so it packs 52kWh of usable…

REGEN THE Zoe’s single regenerative braking set-up is intuitive. You do get to grips with it quickly, but it leaves you wanting a second, heavier mode to tune how the car slows down when you lift off and make one-pedal driving even easier. The MINI offers two set-ups: low and high. Low is good, while high is quite aggressive. Even around town you rarely have to touch the brake pedal, which is a really nice feature. LOOKS BOTH cars use the fact they don’t need conventional car styling cues, such as a big radiator and air inlets, to their advantage. The Zoe’s grille is slim and gives the car a smooth shape as a result. The MINI grille usually found on internal combustion-engined models is blanked off here, but without…

BMW 1 Series Issues 1,608, 1,612, 1,615 Ford Focus ST Estate Issue 1,608, 1,616 Jaguar I-Pace Issues 1,588, 1,595, 1,602, 1,614, 1,621 Mazda 3 Issues 1,607, 1,613 Mercedes E 300 de Issues 1,609, 1,613, 1,619 MINI Clubman Issue 1,603, 1,617 MINI Electric New arrival Mitsubishi L200 Issue 1,618 Nissan Juke Issues 1,612, 1,620 Skoda Superb iV New arrival SsangYong Korando New arrival Toyota Corolla Issues 1,602, 1,610, 1,621 Volkswagen T-Cross Issue 1,611, 1,619 Volvo S60 Issues 1,604, 1,618…

FIRST TEST AA Smart Breakdown Price: £49/year Rating: Contact: www.theaa.com THESE days a mechanic is just as likely to fix your car with a laptop as a spanner; and the AA is harnessing this technology and combining it with mobile data so faults with a car can be predicted, prevented and fixed more quickly. We tried the new gadget, called AA Smart Breakdown, to see if it could bring the power of a patrol to your smartphone. The Smart Breakdown plug is about the same size as a modern car key plipper. It slots into your car’s OBD port and connects to a smartphone using Bluetooth. The AA app shows how to set it up, and even tells you where the OBD port is on your car – though we recommend…

WHILE 4x4s and MPVs have big boots, sometimes the space inside is still not enough; and the answer is to look upwards. Most of us are familiar with roof bars that fix to integrated rails or clamp onto a bare roof, but the alternative T-track fitting keeps the profile low – essential on tall cars. After testing clamp-on bars (1,618), here we check out a pair of T-track units, including a new design from Summit. We assessed ease of assembly and use, wind noise and security, and we factored in price. Our money-no-object choice is the Thule WingBars. They allow accessories to be fitted quickly and easily, but they’re dear, while the Summits’ no-nonsense nature is reflected in a lower price. If you’ll only be using them occasionally, we’d happily…

CO2/tax 119-130g/km £30-£125 Running costs 48-54mpg (1.4 TFSI) £57 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.5 seconds/131mph AUDI’S first SUV was the vast sevenseat Q7, which was launched in 2006. It was a smash hit, while the smaller Q5 and Q3 models that followed proved no less successful. A decade after the Q7 appeared, Audi launched its smallest SUV of all, the Q2. Thanks to UK buyers’ penchant for premium badges and compact SUVs, the Q2 has proved another smash for Audi. And while it’s more interesting to look at than Audi’s larger SUVs, it’s definitely not a case of emperor’s new clothes, because the Q2 is as good to drive as it is to sit in and look at. The fact that it has surprisingly few direct rivals makes it an…