Auto Express 1667

IT’S not exactly normal practice to blurt out the result of the week’s test on the front cover of Auto Express – but in the case of the result in this issue, we’re prepared to make an exception. Because it really does feel significant that Ford, with its first bespoke pure-electric car, has managed to beat the latest version of the Tesla Model 3. The Californian EV has been a class benchmark pretty much since the day it was launched; it was, remember, the winner of the Auto Express Car of the Year gong back in 2019. And yet, as you can read from page 66, the new Mustang Mach-E manages to overcome the odds to squeak a narrow victory. It’s a little cheaper on list price, yes – but…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy • Electric-only crossover is based on the Volvo XC40 • 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and a max range of 261 miles VOLVO’s ‘40’ series of compact models has been expanded with this, the C40 Recharge, and its debut is largely thanks to the XC40 crossover being a smash hit. The C40 Recharge is Volvo’s first model with electric power only. A potential rival for everything from the Tesla Model 3 to Audi’s forthcoming Q4 e-tron, the C40 is a key arrival as the brand pushes towards half of its sales being electric vehicles by 2025. The C40 Recharge is a clear relative of the popular XC40, the pure-electric version of which became Volvo’s first EV offering at the end of last year. The C40’s front-end styling is very…

“The focus is clearly on comfort and refinement, and we’re expecting lots of new safety tech to be announced when the car is revealed fully” • First drive of fourth-gen Fabia • New look, more practicality Stefan Grundhoff SUPERMINIS are still big business in the UK, which is why Skoda is launching its fourth-generation Fabia, its rival for the Ford Fiesta – and this new car’s tech should send it to the sharp end of the class. The Fabia has moved to the VW Group MQB A0 platform, and grown to 4.1 metres long – longer than a Ford Fiesta and the SEAT Ibiza, the first car on this architecture. In true Skoda style, this means more space inside, with a longer wheelbase and a wider cabin. A modern supermini…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson • SUV does 0-62mph in 5.2 secs • 518bhp and 149mph top speed LAND Rover has added a V8 engine to its Defender line-up, making it the fastest version to date. The new engine option is part of a range of tweaks for the 22-Model-Year car and can be ordered now, with prices starting from £98,505 for the short-wheelbase Defender 90, rising to £101,150 for the larger Defender 110. The supercharged 5.0-litre V8 produces 518bhp and 625Nm of torque, enough for a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 149mph in the Defender 90. The larger Defender 110 completes the same sprint in a claimed 5.4 seconds. To control the extra performance the Defender V8 has new springs and dampers, thicker anti-roll bars, a fresh…

FILLING stations in the UK will start selling E10 petrol as the standard grade of unleaded from September, prompting concerns that motorists will end up spending more on fuel, while hundreds of thousands of older cars are incompatible with E10. The current standard grade of unleaded is E5, meaning it contains up to five per cent ethanol. But the Department for Transport estimates that making E10 petrol – which contains up to 10 per cent ethanol – the standard grade will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 750,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to taking 350,000 cars off the road. E5 will still be sold, but will be offered only as super unleaded once the switch is complete. Ethanol is made from fermented natural products such as grains, sugars and wood.…

ASTON Martin has outlined plans to electrify 90 per cent of its range by 2030, with plug-in hybrid and fully electric models coming in the next few years. Chief executive officer Tobias Moers stated that Aston Martin will launch its first fully electric car by around 2025. “Electric drive is part of our plan for the future,” he said. “We should achieve something by the middle of the decade.” The firm’s DBX SUV will kick-start this change as part of Aston’s ‘Project Horizon’ transformation plan and will be launched “before 2024”. A strengthening of its relationship with Mercedes last year (to 20 per cent ownership of Aston) will give the British manufacturer access to nextgeneration electric motors and battery tech that will underpin the brand’s plans.…