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MAINSTREAM media seized upon research by Greenpeace and Transport and Environment last week, suggesting that plug-in hybrid vehicles have become a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. This won’t surprise many Auto Express readers, but it turns out that PHEVs aren’t that efficient if you don’t, well, plug them in. It was an interesting angle for the environmental pressure groups to take – and one that I viewed with interest as I completed another week of pure-electric school runs in our Volvo XC40 plug-in hybrid (above). PHEVs are a relatively easy target for the likes of Greenpeace, because if they aren’t used properly, then they are, in effect, regular combustion-engined cars made less efficient by the extra weight of the batteries that they’re forced to carry around. Trouble is, many company car…

THIS is the Ferrari Portofino M, an evolution of the Italian supercar brand’s folding-hard-top GT that’s designed to offer a wider band of performance and refinement. The M in the new model’s name stands for Modificata, described by Ferrari as “nomenclature which refers to cars that have undergone an evolution that has boosted their performance”. That’s certainly true of the Portofino M, which gets a revised twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a new eight-ratio automatic gearbox instead of the old seven-speeder. This 3.9-litre motor now produces 612bhp at 7,500rpm – a 20bhp gain – although torque remains the same, at 760Nm. As a result, the Portofino M should be around 0.1 seconds quicker from 0-62mph; Ferrari quotes a time of 3.45 seconds, along with a top speed in excess of 199mph.…

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Overall 97.2% Price £80.50 Snow braking 94.3% 7th Snow traction 99.1% 3rd Snow handling 97.4% 6th Straight aquaplaning 88.2% 8th Curved aquaplaning 81.1% 8th Wet braking 87.2% 6th Wet handling 95.6% 8th Wet circle 98.1% 5th Dry braking 96.4% 3rd Rolling resistance 100% 1st Cabin noise 97.6% 8th WHEN we tested the then-brand-new Snowproof last year, we questioned the performance targets the Finnish producer had set for its latest winter tyre. And we do so again after this year’s test. The Nokian starred in the fuel economy test, where it used around two per cent less fuel than the next best. Although that’s great for high-mileage drivers, potential buyers may well question the price you have to pay in other areas for that advantage at the pumps. The trouble is…

WHEN we tested 17-inch tyres last year the UltraGrip Performance + was brand new and romped to a clear win, with six test wins and two runner-up spots. But in 16-inch form it produced just two wins and a far more mixed performance. Its troubles were away from the frozen north in the wet and dry. Yes, it took a curved aquaplaning win, but it was only fourth over the wet tests, although it was close to the top performers, finishing around four per cent off the best. It felt good on the handling track, with decent balance and good front grip plus a well controlled rear. It held on to that grip for longer as lock was increased. The feeling was similar to last year, but its lap time…

THIS is the fifth time we’ve tested the i*cept RS2 and it’s back near the top with a third second-place finish. The result goes some way to correcting the ninth place in last year’s test, where its usual effectiveness on snow had deserted it. It couldn’t match the clean sweep of snow tests it secured when we last tested this size in 2018, but it was a close fourth in Ivalo. It was best around the handling track, where it needed time to grip on lock, although when it did it could trigger rear movement if care was not taken. The snow performance was backed up with a second place overall in the wet, with strong finishes in both shallow and deep water, and a quintet of podiums. It topped…

Kia Ceed YOU TELL US Infotainment is highlight of strong scores, but drivetrain is a letdown 2020 Results Kia Ceed Factfile Years: 2018 to present CO2: 128g/km Fuel economy: 50.4mpg (1.0 T-GDI 118) Best options: Reversing camera, JBL stereo, adaptive cruise, heated seats. USED PRICES: From £11,600 OVERALL SCORE 90.98% Bars show where model finished out of 75 vehicles in our 2020 new car survey. The longer the bar the better WE SAID “The Ceed’s design and running costs are judged favourably, as are handling and practicality. You do report noisy engines and notchy gearboxes but, almost everywhere else you look, the Ceed impresses.” GOOD “THE 1.4 turbo petrol engine accelerates well across the rev range, and inspires confidence on motorway journeys.” “I’m very glad I went for a car…

SUPERMINIS have long been the go-to option for many car buyers; they’re inexpensive to buy and run, can seat five people (often at a push, admittedly), and offer almost everything you could need from a car. Given that they also tend to be light and agile, it’s no surprise car makers soon began to give superminis more power, creating hot hatchbacks in the process. But while hot hatches are often attractive to younger buyers, they also tend to be expensive to insure. So car makers thought again, offering small cars with sporty styling, but also with engines designed to keep insurance costs down. The Nissan Micra N-Sport, SEAT Ibiza FR Sport and Suzuki Swift Sport are available with anywhere between 79 and 148bhp depending on engine, but have those all-important hot-hatch…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson BMW has pulled the wraps off a pair of new high-performance models, the M3 saloon and M4 coupé. For the first time, the two will be offered with the option of four-wheel drive and both new cars will go on sale in the UK next March. The M3 has been around for over three decades and established itself as the go-to compact performance saloon. This sixth-generation model has revealed an extensive overhaul and is the most powerful yet, with a 503bhp six-cylinder engine under the bonnet. The M4 is mechanically identical. That motor is the BMW M Division’s latest twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol. It’s the same unit found in the X3 M SUV – and as in that car, it comes in a choice of two…

MOTORISTS who kill other road users while under the influence of drink or drugs, or while speeding, racing or using a mobile phone behind the wheel, could receive a life sentence under tough new laws that may come into force as soon as next year. The current maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, and careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, is 14 years. However, judges and relatives of those killed in such collisions, have for some time voiced concerns that current guidelines are too lenient. In addition to stricter penalties, a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving will be drawn up to specifically target those who leave victims with long-term and debilitating injuries. Life sentences for killer drivers were mooted in…

Polestar 2 vs XC40 How clean are they? 27-50 tonnes of CO2 58 tonnes of CO2 Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths POLESTAR, Volvo’s premium EV stablemate, has revealed the lifecycle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of its Polestar 2 electric car compared with a petrol Volvo XC40, calling out car makers for a “disturbing lack of transparency” over the impact of different powertrains. The report applies to the Polestar 2 and XC40 only, but it serves as a detailed illustrative example of how petrol and electric cars stack up from the moment materials are produced for manufacture, to the point when the vehicles are scrapped and recycled at the ends of their lives. The analysis shows that a petrol XC40 is responsible for generating a total of 58 tonnes of CO2, while the electric…

IT’S funny how times change. Diesel was once the fuel of the future, but now it’s a dirty word, and electrification of powertrains already optimised for efficiency is the way forward. This trend is so strong that expensive, advanced EV technology has trickled down to the supermini sector, with small, cheap cars boasting hybrid systems primarily for improved efficiency, as well as more power and refinement to back up this most important trait. Two new models promise these qualities, and the newest is the fourth-generation Toyota Yaris. It combines a small petrol engine with a battery and electric motor set-up in a compact body – and with more and more superminis turning towards electrification, it looks like Toyota’s perseverance with this technology could really pay dividends. However, there is another…

THE Yaris and Jazz have much in common when it comes to their powertrains, but their approach in other areas is significantly different. Clearly the Toyota isn’t as versatile or as flexible as the Honda, but it pursues what many modern supermini buyers are looking for in their next purchase: style. The design won’t be to all tastes, yet compared with the Yaris’s old and dowdy-looking predecessor, the new car appears much fresher. There is decent scope for personalisation as well, depending on what trim level you select. With the Chrome and Chrome+ packs, as well as the Flare, Tokyo Fusion and Tokyo Fusion+ packs, there’s the potential to tweak the look of the Toyota to make it appear sportier, slicker and more stylish, with different wheels and a selection…

HOW WE TESTED SNOW As with many aspects of our test this year, our snow testing was the same, but different – this time for positive reasons. Once again we were with Hankook in Ivalo, Finland. The difference was we were using its own Technotrac facility alongside Test World, where we tested in 2016. The tests were the same, though. We rated handling on a 1.2km track combining long sweeps to test balance with quick changes in direction, and a hairpin. Average lap times were key, with the snow graded between runs. Traction and braking were done at the same time, measuring the former by timing how long it took to accelerate from 20-50kph (12-31mph). At the target speed, our test driver hit the brakes, and the distance taken to…

Overall 97.4% Price £115.20 Snow braking 100% 1st Snow traction 97.5% 6th Snow handling 99.7% 2nd Straight aquaplaning 92.7% 7th Curved aquaplaning 92.9% 6th Wet braking 86.9% 7th Wet handling 96.2% 6th Wet circle 97.2% 6th Dry braking 92.6% 8th Rolling resistance 88% 2nd Cabin noise 100% 1st JUST as we saw in our summer tyre test (Issue 1,643), the Dunlop range is beginning to show its age. The Winter Sport 5 has been around since 2015 and, although updates have been able to keep it up with newer designs, it is a little further off the top performers than it was last year in 17-inch form. Despite this, it remains a top performer on the white stuff. Across the three tests it finished in third place, just a few…

LAST time we tested this Pirelli it finished joint third. While it dropped a place this year, it is closer to our winner. As in 2018, it was strongest on snow, where it put in the best performance on test. It wasn’t off the podium in the three tests and felt the best around the sweeps of the handling track. An effective front end with a well controlled rear was the secret to its success, allowing faster entry. Good traction on lock helped on the climbing turns. There’s little between this and the Goodyear and Falken, but the Cinturato and the UltraGrip are the ones to go for if snow performance is key. The Pirelli and Goodyear were closely matched in the wet, too. The latter had a small advantage,…

A DEBUT success for the Blizzak LM005 and a first win for Japanese giant Bridgestone in our tyre tests. The tyre was launched at the start of 2019, just too late for last year’s test, and Bridgestone said it was the first winter tyre with an ‘A’ tyre label grade for wet grip across the full range, which covers a huge 14-22 inches. It’s the only tyre on test with an A ranking and, while label ratings don’t always match our results, they do here. It took three wins and two runner-up positions in the wet tests and finished a clear step ahead of all but Hankook. It didn’t feel the sharpest on the handling track, but it was super-effective. That prowess was followed up by a win in dry…

THIS is Suzuki’s new Swace estate. It joins the recently unveiled Across SUV, and when it arrives in the UK later this year it’ll rival the new Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf estates. The Swace is the second vehicle born from Suzuki’s partnership with Toyota. As such, it’s based on that company’s Corolla Touring Sports, but features a subtly restyled radiator grille, new front and rear bumpers, fresh LED headlamps and a tweaked pair of tail-lights. With the exception of some new leather upholstery, the Swace’s interior is transferred wholesale from the Corolla. It shares the same multifunction steering wheel, digital gauge cluster and eightinch infotainment system. The latter also offers support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Swace’s hybrid powertrain is another direct transfer from the Toyota.…

LAND Rover’s flurry of updated models continues with the launch of new plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid versions of the Velar. Badged P400e, the plug-in Velar uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine in tandem with a 17.4kWh battery and electric motor to produce 400bhp and 640Nm of torque. Land Rover says 0-60mph takes 5.1 seconds, while CO2 emissions and fuel economy stand at 49g/km and 130.2mpg respectively. A family of new 3.0-litre straight-six engines, a 297bhp diesel and a 396bhp petrol with 48-volt electric facility have also joined the line-up. Inside, a new 10-inch touchscreen with Land Rover’s latest Pivi Pro software has been added.…

Over the past 26 pages we’ve shown the best 100 new SUvs. But what if your budget won’t go so far, or you want to get that little bit more car for your money? We’ve rounded up some of the top used options that’ll keep you going throughout the autumn and on into winter. We’ve included cars you can have for just a few hundred pounds, all the way through to luxury SUvs, hybrids, estates and even a properly sporty coupé. With the help of our sister title buyacar.co.uk, we’ve also tackle the snow and ice scoured some of the best deals available. Audi tt 2006-2014 2.0 TFSI quattro Black Edition (2014/14, 54k miles, £14,950, from buyacar.co.uk) EVEN when there’s ice on the road or dirt tracks to traverse, not…

Honda Jazz THE Jazz might not have style on its side, but what it sacrifices in design it more than makes up for in practicality, thanks to one clever feature: Magic Seats. While the rear seat backs fold down as they would in a conventional hatchback, if you keep them in place the squabs can also be folded up, cinema-style, to reveal a huge load-through space right across the width of the car. This makes loading tall items very easy, and thanks to relatively large rear doors, access to the back of the cabin is good, too. The versatility the Jazz offers in this area is very impressive for a supermini; even big family hatchbacks such as the Skoda Octavia can’t compete on this particular point. There are plenty of…

SsangYong Korando WEB producer Pete Baiden has finally got his hands back on the SsangYong Korando. It was plagued by battery gremlins when it first arrived, but the firm has sent a replacement, and he’s enjoying trouble-free motoring. Since the Korando’s return, Pete has noticed a strange quirk with its cruise control, though. He’s been spending a lot of time on the M4, and the miles and miles of 50mph average speed cameras mean that it has come in extremely handy numerous times. However, despite setting the speed to 50mph, the car will happily cruise along at either 51mph or 52mph. While it’s not a major issue, it does mean Pete keeps catching the cars in front and has to apply the brakes – thus disengaging the system. It happens…

Overall 101.6% Price £N/A Snow braking 98.7% N/A Snow traction 98.9% N/A Snow handling 102.3% N/A Straight aquaplaning 97.8% N/A Curved aquaplaning 92.3% N/A Wet braking 98.4% N/A Wet handling 101% N/A Wet circle 100.5% N/A Dry braking 93.8% N/A Rolling resistance 101.1% N/A Cabin noise 100.7% N/A WE couldn’t include the TS 870 in our overall ranking because, although the tyre was due to go on sale this winter, the pandemic has put its release back by a year. However, Continental can take some consolation from having provided the best tyre. If it is launched in this spec, its rivals will need some major improvements to match it. It topped the snow tests thanks to a stellar handling performance. While it was only fourth in traction and braking, it…

THIS is third time we’ve tested the Eurowinter HS01, and each time it gets a little closer to the leaders. It was weakest in the snow – a trait we’ve seen before in previous tests. The lack of grip could be felt on the handling track, where the rear moved a lot. It was progressive and easy to control, but not what you want on the road or to cut consistent lap times. Its previous deep-water prowess is also present in 16-inch form. It couldn’t repeat its two 2019 wins, but it was close to the best in tests where the margins are usually large. Braking is a concern, though, because it needed more than four metres further than the best to stop. It was also still doing almost 20mph…

A WELL deserved second podium for the French producer, although the gap over the following three tyres is tiny. Michelin’s current mission is for tyres to be used down to the legal limit, and the Alpin 6 has grooves that widen and emerge as the tread wears. We tested in as-new condition, but it still proved most effective in the wet, as we saw last year in 17-inch form. It finished third, a step behind our top two here, but clearly ahead of the rest. It felt good, too, with a sharpness others lacked and good grip that lasted well as the lock increased. That sharp, grippy front was matched by a well controlled rear. It was best in the shallower water tests, and was near the best in aquaplaning.…