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Luke Wilkinson Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson FOR the first time in the model’s history, the BMW M3 will be sold as a Touring estate. The company has confirmed that the sixth-generation model will come in load-lugging guise when it reaches the UK market in 2022, and it will give the German manufacturer a direct rival for the Mercedes- [pg12]]AMG C 63 estate and Audi RS 4 Avant BMW has confirmed that under the skin the M3 Touring will be powered by the same twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine as the M3 saloon and M4 coupé. It’s the 3.0-litre unit that’s currently found in the X3 M and X4 M performance SUVs, and means the M3 Touring should have a power output in excess of 500bhp and 600Nm of torque. The newcomer will also…

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.consumerombudsman.org RMIF: 0845 305 4230 Scottish Motor Trade Assoc. 0131 331 5510…

James Brodie James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods Running costs 45.6mpg (off icial) £57 fill-up FEW premium models have struck such a chord with the British car-buying public as the Audi A3. While there are family hatchbacks that have sold in much larger numbers than the 600,000 A3s shifted in the UK since its introduction in 1996, Audi has long set the benchmark for compact quality, forcing Mercedes’ hand into transforming the A-Class into a proper hatchback, and BMW into upping its game with the 1 Series. Now, we’ve driven the latest A3 in the UK for the first time. Now in its fourth generation, this new version picks up where the Mk3 car left off, but with a slimmer line-up than before. Audi offers the new A3 as a five-door Sportback or as…

James Brodie James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods IF you could have any one of the British-made new cars on sale today, which would you pick? That’s the very question we asked you several weeks ago when we ran an poll on our website, prompting you to choose your favourite from a list of British-made cars manufactured up and down the land. For the sake of simplicity, we narrowed down the choice to just one model from each of the 22 bestknown brands based here in Britain. We picked the car that we felt was most representative of the company’s broader line-up and image, the brand’s most iconic car or, alternatively, the newest model the company makes. The end result paints a picture of a highly diverse British motor industry. We still produce a…

The cars | The innovation | The expertise | The craftsmanship | The people Sean Carson sean_carson@dennis.co.uk THE British motor industry is one of the oldest in the world, with an interesting tale when it comes to its history – for good and bad reasons. But in recent years the automotive sector in Britain has gone from strength to strength. While the manufacturers that make cars get the headlines, with brands such as Land Rover, Jaguar, Vauxhall and MINI all building brilliant vehicles here on home soil, it wouldn’t be possible without the extensive, varied and innovative network of suppliers that help design, make and deliver the components needed to go from drawing board to road; well, actually CAD software given how advanced the web that underpins the automotive sector…

The cars | The innovation | The expertise | The craftsmanship | The people James Howe James_Howe@dennis.co.uk THE UK car industry is filled with brands known for unparalleled luxury. It’s a tradition that can be traced back to the earliest days of motor vehicles, with British craftsmanship spanning all trades combining to create some of the most impressive cars ever sold. Today, that legacy lives on, with Britain still a hot-spot for world-leading luxury specialists. Join us for a tour of the companies that are keeping Britain at the top of the tree. BRIDGE OF WEIR Scottish firm delivers bespoke leather for car makers worldwide FOUNDED in 1905 and based near the small village of the same name a stone’s throw from Glasgow, Bridge of Weir has been supplying the…

MODELTESTED: Kia e-Niro 4+ Long Range PRICE: £36,145 POWERTRAIN: Single e-motor/64kWh battery WE know how good the e-Niro is, and in facelifted 4+ Long Range form, it’s a natural rival for the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, because it’s priced from £36,145; that’s just £655 more expensive. Design & engineering AS with the DS 3 Crossback, the e-Niro’s underpinnings were designed with full electrification in mind; it, too, is available with a combustion engine. Unlike the pure petrol DS, the Kia is available either as a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid alongside this full EV, highlighting its flexibility. The facelift here mainly focuses on some slight styling tweaks, an upgraded infotainment system and a new trim structure that sees the addition of a lower-powered version with a smaller battery. Yet it’s…

KIA 1st KIA’S facelifted e-Niro shows why it’s still one of the best electric cars on sale. It offers superb real-world range, more performance than the DS, and superior practicality for a similar price. The infotainment update means the on-board technology is even better, too, while the Kia’s comfort and handling at least match the E-Tense’s, so the e-Niro asserts a convincing win. DS 2nd THE E-Tense EV is the most convincing model in the DS 3 Crossback range. The powertrain works brilliantly, there’s enough range for most owners, and it’s swift and smooth, but the electric running gear can’t address the car’s other faults. Compared with the Kia, it’s short of space and practicality, isn’t as quick or as efficient, and can’t match its range, yet it’s only very…

Swap M3’s SMG for a manual gearbox THE E46-generation BMW M3 CSL (above) is often considered one of the best of its breed, but its SMG box is far from the ultimate driving pleasure. That’s why BMW specialist Everything M3s has launched a conversion kit to give the CSL a new lease of life. Kits start at £3,500, and involve the removal of the SMG gearbox as well as fitting a clutch and flywheel, plus a regular clutch pedal and gearlever. The process uses 180 BMW parts, and is reversible to preserve the car’s future value. Find out more or book your own car in at www.everythingm3s.co.uk. Get ready for your holiday in California OWNERS of a Volkswagen California camper van might be considering a UK-based staycation this year, and…

Rolson 61467 Price: £15.49 Rating: Contact: www.amazon.co.uk BEST BUY THERE’S a compact neatness about the Rolson’s design that ticks a lot of boxes in this test. At 15cm long, it fitted easily in place in our under-bonnet test, while the hinged base (which moves 180 degrees) allowed us to get light where we needed it thanks to a strong base magnet. There are five LEDs monitoring the battery and charging, plus it features a torch that’s more than an afterthought. The charging lead is short, at 50cm, and there’s no mains adaptor, but at this price this is a joint winner. Wolfteeth LED Rechargeable Torch Inspection Lamp Price: £12.88 Rating: Contact: www.amazon.co.uk RECOMMENDED THE design obviously has links with our top pair, but this is a more substantial unit, at…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk Q Will independent MoT go against finance contract? I HAVE a car on PCP finance and its first MoT is due in December this year. I always get the car serviced at the franchised dealer, but do I have to get the test done there as well, or is an independent garage acceptable? Tom Morgan, E-mail A AN MoT is essentially a Government inspection of a vehicle, not maintenance as such, so any contractual obligations to get the car serviced at the main dealer should not apply to the MoT. It all comes down to the fine print of your contract, though. You may wish to check this yourself, or ask the dealer or the finance company to put in writing that you won’t be…

Steve Fowler Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk New boss has a bold plan to put Jaguar back on track Compact electric model will be key to the firm’s future ONE of the first jobs that new Jaguar Land Rover boss Thierry Bolloré will have to get to grips with when he starts next month will be what to do with Jaguar. Some contenders for the CEO role mooted ideas ranging from killing or selling the brand to focus solely on Land Rover, to closing the Castle Bromwich plant and moving production abroad. But Auto Express understands that Bolloré will have a bold new plan in front of him that centres around Jaguar becoming a fully electrified brand to compete with the likes of Tesla and Polestar. Central to that plan is a compact model…

Classics restored to mark E-Type’s 60th Each pair will feature an E-Type coupé and a roadster, and both will have the same 265bhp 3.8-litre straight-six engine and paint finish as the originals. First all-electric Lexus on sale this October LEXUS’S fully electric UX 300e SUV will go on sale in October, with prices starting from £40,900, including the Government’s £3,000 grant. The car is powered by a 54.3kWh battery pack and a 201bhp electric motor – enough, says Lexus, for a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds and a 196-mile range. Standard kit includes 17-inch alloys, automatic LED headlamps and a seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. THIS WEEK on the Auto Express podcast, we celebrate the best of British as Vicki Butler-Henderson and the team discuss the…

Contact Tristan Shale-Hester HOT TOPIC Graduated licences FROM: Joseph Lynn NOT a bad idea, but I think a graduated licensing system based on a car’s power would make more sense. For the first year after passing, you can’t have anything with more than 100bhp. Then it rises to 150bhp the next year, and so on. FROM: Steve Hines RESTRICTIONS like curfews would unfairly stop people commuting to and from night-time shift work, such as in the hospitality sector. Better to re-examine the way we train new drivers to make sure they’re safe before passing. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk “High insurance premiums are already keeping many younger people off the road.” Steve Glover “The only way to become a better driver is to gain experience; it’s a bad idea to…

John McIlroy John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THE car industry has never known a year like 2020, with production halted, public transport abandoned, dealers disrupted and consumer confidence shaken to its core. Yet as we once again chronicle the top 50 Britons in the sector, it’s heartening to see how overrepresented our nation is in the top flights of management, engineering and marketing across the globe. Brits have been trusted by major brands such as Ford and General Motors to haul areas like Russia, Europe, China and India back into profitability. In many cases, seasoned UK execs are seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’ – testament to the quality that runs throughout the UK car industry. But it’s our sad duty to report that no British women feature in our top 20…

Sean Carson sean_carson@dennis.co.uk LIKE every automotive brand at the moment, Peugeot is pushing forwards with its electrified models, but the French manufacturer offers one of the most convincing line-ups around if you do want something with an electric motor. Peugeot’s philosophy is “Choose your car, choose your powertrain” and that’s oh so apparent with this, the new e-2008 compact SUV. There are still petrol and diesel models available, but the letter e at the start of this model’s name signifies all-electric power. That comes courtesy of a 50kWh battery and a 134bhp electric motor. If those figures look familiar it’s because the e-2008 sits on the brand’s e-CMP architecture, which also underpins other Groupe PSA cars like the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense, Vauxhall Corsa-e and Peugeot’s very own e-208 supermini.…

Essentials Porsche 911 Targa 4S Price: £109,725 Engine: 3.0-litre flat six, twin-turbo Power/torque: 444bhp/530Nm Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive 0-62mph: 3.6 seconds Top speed: 189mph Economy: 25.4mpg CO2: 247g/km ONSALE NOW Steve Sutcliffe mail@autoexpress.co.uk CREATED in the sixties to compete in the famous Sicilian road race known as the Targa Florio (the world’s second oldest race), the 911 Targa has long been a staple member of the Porsche line-up. Not every new 911 has been offered as a Targa, but the fact that the new 992 model is here is surely cause for celebration, even if the Targa weighs more than the coupé and, in 4S guise, costs a relatively whopping £109,725. For this you do get the potent 444bhp version of Porsche’s latest turbocharged 3.0-litre flat-six engine, backed up…

Hugo Griffiths Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths SINCE the first gallon of petrol was put into the first tank, the UK automotive industry has been one of the most important in the world. We can do anything. You want to mass produce cars? You’ve got it. You want a bespoke supercar with impeccable handling; a luxury SUV built using the finest materials; or prestige, heritage brands larger nations would give their eye-teeth for? No problem. Cutting-edge engines, hybrid powertrains, the latest battery technology, hydrogen fuel cells, advanced transport computer modelling – you’ll find the best of the best in the UK. Here, we profile four such organisations and firms. We hope you come away as impressed as we did. RICARDO A century of progress at the very cutting edge of automotive tech YOU…

The cars | The innovation | The expertise | The craftsmanship | The people THE Defender is a different beast today in 2020 to the car that went out of production four years ago. It’s true that it’s a divisive car; on our travels some bystanders loved the new design and its retro-inspired details that pay homage to its ancestor. But others couldn’t get on with the modern approach and the price at which the car retails for. But the brief for a Defender has changed, and Land Rover has undoubtedly hit its target when it comes to the new car, as our twoday journey across England proved. It’s comfortable, the tech works superbly, there’s masses of space, and performance is strong enough from the D240 model we had without compromising…

Hyundai Kona Electric 64kWh Premium PRICE: £35,900 BATT/RANGE: 64kWh/278 miles HYUNDAI’S Kona Electric uses the same battery and motor as the Kia - range is a little down and it’s not quite as practical, but in Premium spec you get lots of equipment to match its rivals in this test. It’s another great mainstream family EV. Peugeot e-2008 GT PRICE: £35,910 BATT/RANGE: 50kWh/206 miles YOU can read how the Peugeot drives on Page 32, but for the same money as the DS you could pick up a top-spec e-2008 GT. It gets all the kit you’d want, a funky cabin and is more practical than the DS, even though it uses the same powertrain.…

Steve Fowler Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler IT’S strange how times have changed. Before Covid, my 44-mile daily round trip to our central London office would have been perfect for the BMW X5 plug-in’s claimed 54-mile electric range, meaning the 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine would rarely be called into action. But when my car actually turned up, the world was a slightly different place and my commute was a thing of the past. My drives now tend to be much longer, mostly a weekly 150-mile round-trip to see my parents in Kent, so the X5 isn’t quite as efficient as it could be if it were commuting into London. But I’m still averaging more than 43mpg, which includes charging at home when I can on a cheap energy tariff. Most people tend to…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Q My car needs to lose marks I’VE bought a used car privately and the previous owner had waxed or polished it, leaving white marks on the black trim and window surrounds. I’ve tried washing the car, but they won’t come off. What’s the best way to shift the marks? Iain Trent, E-mail A START with an all-purpose cleaner and work it in with a microfibre cloth. Wrap it round a plastic trim tool or similar to get into tight corners, and use a stiff brush to get it out of the grain if needed. A panel wipe used to remove wax and the like before painting is the next step if any is left, but dress the trim after use. Q Should I get all-season…

Dave Pollard FASTENERS that are rusted solid or just too tight can make life very difficult, especially on heavier jobs such as brake and suspension repairs. But not if you have a good impact wrench. Battery and motor tech has moved on considerably, so the best cordless wrenches are easily the equal of their pneumatic or mains forerunners and, of course, have no cumbersome cables to get in the way. Here we test Sealey’s latest against our current favourite. A good wrench is all about torque, but the trick is not to add lots of weight as well. To test for ability and stamina, we performed our usual series of tests, driving and removing various screws into wood, and removing wheel bolts and a hub nut tightened to 90Nm and…

Richard Dredge SKODA has a rich and varied history, having set up as a bicycle manufacturer back in 1895, when the company was known as Laurin & Klement. Since then, the company has gone through various phases, but today it’s best known as a producer of affordable cars. For a while its products were cheap and not especially cheerful – but they’ve always been tough, and this characteristic stayed in place when the company became part of the Volkswagen empire in 1991. Sitting alongside SEATs, Audis and VWs, Skodas have long shared the major components of their cousins, and the Fabia supermini is typical of this, which means it comes with efficient engines, good build quality and plenty of user-friendly features. History THE third-generation Skoda Fabia reached UK showrooms in…

Dear Tristan, we want a high-spec petrol or hybrid, automatic SUV with less than 50,000 miles on the clock. Our budget is £20,000. David Ebbing, E-mail Contact: Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk THE PRACTICAL CHOICE Peugeot 3008 FOR: Economical, rave owner reports, eye-catching cabin AGAINST: Steering wheel obscures dials for some people PEUGEOT’S second-generation 3008 marked a huge improvement over its predecessor when it was launched four years ago. It was the overall winner of our Driver Power 2018 new car survey, and came second this year. For around £19,500, you’ll be able to get your hands on an 18-plate Allure model with 15,000 miles on the clock, and a powerful 179bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine. Allure brings sat-nav, Bluetooth, DAB, dual-zone climate control, a reversing camera and upgraded interior trim. A SLICK cabin is…

Wehrlein to Porsche as Massa bows out PORSCHE has signed ex-Formula One and DTM driver Pascal Wehrlein (above) to its Formula E team for the 2020/21 season, replacing Neel Jani alongside André Lotterer at the German squad. Elsewhere, Wehrlein’s fellow ex-F1 racer Felipe Massa’s time in Formula E with Venturi has come to an end; the Monegasque team announced the Brazilian driver’s departure just after the 2019/20 finale in August. World RX season begins in Sweden THE 2020 FIA World Rallycross season gets going on 22 August, after its start was delayed due to coronavirus. Holjes in Sweden is the venue for the series’ opener, with two full rounds taking place over the course of the weekend. Reigning champion Timmy Hansen is back to defend his crown, driving a Peugeot…

James Brodie James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods 306bhp model on sale now Hatch and saloon available AUDI has revealed the new S3 – the first of two hot versions of the German firm’s latest compact hatchback and saloon. Now packing 306bhp, the S3 competes with the Volkswagen Golf R, Honda Civic Type R and Mercedes-AMG A 35. As ever, a five-cylinder RS 3 superhatch will crown the A3 line-up, but it won’t be revealed until 2021. Like the last S3, the newcomer will be offered in hatchback and saloon bodystyles, although in common with the rest of the A3 range, there’s just a five-door Sportback on offer, with no three-door variant. Under the bonnet, the new S3 sticks with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which now develops slightly more power than before, with…

Tristan Shale-Hester tristan_shale-hester@dennis.co.uk @tristan_shale DRIVERS in the UK may find themselves paying around £50 per year more for their car insurance premiums as a result of an EU ruling requiring e-scooters and other motorised vehicles to be insured for use on both private and public land. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) – a non-profit organisation that was set up in 1946 to manage a fund from which victims of uninsured and hit-and-run drivers could claim compensation – has warned that accidents involving e-scooters, as well as other vehicles affected by the ruling, could force the body to pay out an additional sum of somewhere between £200million and £2billion per year. The EU ruling from 2014 determined that all motor vehicles with wheels – such as e-scooters and quad bikes –…

THE number of publicly available EV fast chargers in the UK has risen by 363 per cent in the last five years. New data released by the Department for Transport in conjunction with Zap- Map – a private website that provides a nationwide map of public EV chargers – reveals that, as of July 2020, there are 3,206 public rapid chargers across the UK. The total number of public EV chargers has also risen – up by 11 per cent in the year-to-date to a total of 18,265. The UK now has an average of 27 public EV chargers per 100,000 people. Regionally, London has the highest proportion, at 57 per 100,000, followed by Scotland with 35, and north-east England with 30. At the other end of the scale, Northern Ireland…

John McIlroy John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THESE days, Volvo is well known as an SUV manufacturer. But as recently as five years ago, the company had a glaring gap at the smaller end of its portfolio, where only the V40 hatchback was left to fight baby SUVs from Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Behind the scenes, though, heavy investment from Chinese owner Geely meant that a new small platform was being developed – and under the guidance of Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo’s design team started to explore a smaller soft-roader. In the studio in Gothenburg, a young British designer called Ian Kettle started playing around with cars inspired by “tough little robots” that he’d seen in movies. The resulting concept, called 40.1, was presented in May 2016 to widespread acclaim, but when it came…

2012 Andy Palmer OUR first winner recently left Aston Martin and is now president of Optare and has set up the Palmer Foundation 2013 Ian Robertson FORMER BMW board member Robertson was a big-name hire for Dyson’s stillborn electric-car project 2014 Steve Odell FORD stalwart Odell retired in 2018, taking time out to “see the places I almost saw when I was working” 2015 Alan Batey BATEY retired from his role as executive vice president and president of General Motors North America in 2019 2016 Mike Manley MANLEY took over as CEO of FCA in 2018, and is working with Groupe PSA on the new joint venture, Stellantis 2017 Linda Jackson JACKSON has moved on from the helm of Citroen to oversee ‘brand differentiation’ within Groupe PSA 2018 DUNCAN ALDRED…

Alex Ingram Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram THE E-Class Coupé is the latest Mercedes to receive a facelift. This throws in some minor styling updates, in addition to select powertrain tweaks. The interior updates don’t focus so much on layout changes, but on improvements to the in-car tech. All E-Class Coupés now get Merc’s latest MBUX infotainment set-up: a pair of 12.3-inch screens that stretch across the dash. The central display now features touchscreen functionality and sharper graphics, while the party trick comes in the form of the augmented-reality navigation system, which superimposes directions onto footage transmitted in real time from a forward-facing camera. Impressive. A smart new steering wheel features a mix of touch-sensitive and clicky controls that feel intuitive, while apart from a couple of new trim finishes, the basic layout…

Steve Fowler Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler ECONOMIC upheaval, global pandemic, climate change. Things haven’t been easy for the car business recently, but as the following 31 pages show, there’s a huge cause for optimism and pride in the UK automotive industry. Britain is home to more than 2,400 suppliers, 20 R&D centres, five design centres, and more than 60 specialist, seven major premium, and six mainstream car makers. The industry supports more than 800,000 people and adds a colossal £18.6billion to the UK economy. In this issue, we’ve met dozens of people across all of UK automotive, from those in car production, through to research, development and engineering. The sector isn’t just about the cars, or the businesses, but the people who make it what it is. And whatever the coming months…

The cars | The innovation | The expertise | The craftsmanship | The people Richard Ingram Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram THE original Ford Transit was launched in 1965, and remained on sale for more than a decade. It changed the automotive landscape forever, and within only a few years it became the Metropolitan Police’s “most wanted” – after a Scotland Yard spokesperson suggested that up to 95 per cent of bank raids featured a Transit. “With the performance of a car,” they said, “and space for 1.75 tonnes of loot, the Transit is the perfect getaway vehicle.” Since it arrived in UK showrooms, more than 3.1 million Transits have been sold here. In addition, the Transit Custom wasn’t just the best-selling van in June this year, it was the UK’s top-selling vehicle…

The cars | The innovation | The expertise | The craftsmanship | The people GKN THAT importance of proximity and direct contact are rammed home when we turn up at our next location, GKN Driveline, just a stone’s throw from Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich plant. This area of the country is so densely populated when it comes to automotive excellence, and while there are no Land Rovers built at Castle Brom, sister brand Jaguar still takes many components from just next door. You could pass them over the back fence the two sites are that close. GKN is a global company, but the propshaft parts it makes for the Defender and other Land Rovers are constructed in Britain’s Motor City: Birmingham. I know what the Defender can do off-road…

CLASSIC MOTOR CARS Award-winning restoration specialist based in Shropshire A RELATIVELY young organisation when compared with the others here, Classic Motor Cars is a restoration firm that is celebrating its 27th anniversary in August, having been founded by a group of passionate Jaguar enthusiasts in 1993. The company, based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, has its origins in the restoration of significant classic Jaguar models, with early products including the SS100, all early XK models and the e-type. Today, the company’s remit has expanded to include the expert restoration of classic Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and lancia models, as well as a selection of more modern machinery. Current projects include the nut-and-bolt restoration of the Aston Martin Bulldog, a wedge-shaped supercar concept from 1979 that never made production. CMC’s focus on its…

MODELTESTED: DS 3 Crossback E-Tense Ultra Prestige PRICE: £35,490 POWERTRAIN: Single e-motor/50kWh battery THIS is premium manufacturer DS’s first full EV. The 3 Crossback E-Tense costs from £35,490 in Ultra Prestige trim and could potentially be the best model in the French brand’s line-up. Design & engineering THE E-Tense name signifies electrification – plug-in power, and in the DS 3 Crossback ’s case, pure EV. It’s based on Groupe PSA’s small e-CMP architecture for electric cars and uses a 50kWh battery pack (45kWh usable), which powers an electric motor on the front axle that makes 134bhp and 260Nm of torque. These figures are quite strong for a small EV, because the 1,598kg kerbweight isn’t too bad for an SUV, while that torque is available instantly. The DS is also more…

DS 3 Crossback E-T ds Connect Nav Standard Key features: Two big screens DS’s Connect Nav is standard on Ultra Prestige trim, which features a 10-inch central touchscreen. As with other Groupe PSA products, it’s mostly good, but can be slow to react and doesn’t display everything full screen. That’s not the biggest problem, though. The touchsensitive shortcut buttons are laid out confusingly, while some on the dash are push controls, too. At least there are lots of features, with 3D sat-nav, connected services, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all accompanied by a digital dash. The touchscreen is placed high up, so it’s relatively easy to reach and use on the move. The climate control shortcuts on either side of the screen are helpful, but if you want to change…

OPTIONS AS we’ve already seen on the previous page, there’s no doubt the DS turns more heads than the more shy and retiring Kia. If you want to personalise your car even more then it’s the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense that offers more potential. Not only can you choose from more trim levels that offer either a sporty feel or more luxurious approach, but there are also more customisation features. OFFERS A BIG factor in selling EVs today is showing buyers how easy they are to live with, and alongside a wallbox offer and six months’ free charging on the POLAR network, DS is definitely getting this area right. It’s a shame, then, that given how good a car the e-Niro is, Kia hasn’t created a similar package of incentives…

NEW PRODUCT Autoglym Reflow Price: £42.50 Contact: www.autoglymprofessional.com BIRD droppings can leave unsightly marks if left for any length of time on paint. Usually this requires professional correction, but Autoglym has come up with an innovative fix. Reflow is part of its professional range but available on eBay, where we got the price, and requires no special techniques to use. Conventional wisdom thinks the etched clearcoat is caused by acid from the bird lime eating in to the lacquer. But Autoglym says the marks are caused by the lacquer warming and moulding around the dropping. Over time, and with repeated heating and cooling, the clearcoat takes on the shape of the dropping. The level of damage depends on how long the mess is left, the composition of the dropping, and…

Jochen Rindt: Uncrowned King of Formula 1 David Tremayne (Evro Publishing, www.evropublishing.com) Price: £14.99 Rating: LITTLE-known Jochen Rindt is Formula 1’s only posthumous World Champion, and this book charts his career. With a foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart, who raced with Rindt, it covers his career in considerable depth. As much a racing story as an inspirational one, and written with respect. Fire Engines Eddie Baker (Shire Library, www.bloomsbury.com) Price: £7.99 Rating: THIS dinky book is aimed at the younger reader – not that any age can’t get excited by fire engines. It’s nice and broad, with pictures and information on machines from the 1900s to the present day, but anybody wanting in-depth analysis should look elsewhere; the difficulty of squeezing too much information into a book this small means…

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…

Join the debate now at autoexpress.co.uk/opinion TIME for some necessarily brutal honesty: Government, local councils, public transport operators, ecomentalists and other car loathers have long been determined to bludgeon motorists out of their personal, four-wheeled machines. The haters don’t mind us buying cars, then parking them. After all, this results in lucrative gross annual profits of scores of billions for HM Treasury and those close to it. How can even stationary cars be so profitable for the state? Think 20 per cent VAT (punishing purchase tax is more honest), vehicle excise duty, insurance taxes, local authority parking fees/fines/rip-offs, and other largely unavoidable costs. These are nice, not-so-little earners for the many anti-motoring ‘leaders’ and ‘advisers’ in politics, never mind the massively subsidised ecomental and public transport industries, who often thrive…