Innholdsfortegnelse for 1686 i Auto Express

AUDI has teased the first of its three new “Sphere” concept cars, which it’s using to preview the brand’s design direction for the next decade and beyond. This is the Grand Sphere, and it’s looking increasingly likely that it will morph into a new A8-replacing flagship luxury saloon in 2025. The car is set to make its debut at the Munich Motor Show in September. Norbert Weber, Audi head of interior design, said: “The Grand Sphere is much closer to reality [than 2017’s Aicon concept]. Around 2025, we want a new offering in the upper luxury segment – and the Grand Sphere is definitely an outlook on that. “Especially when you talk about design language, both interior and exterior, of course we want to bring as many elements of series…

Hugo_Griffiths@autovia.co.uk @hugo_griffiths ANYONE taking their car abroad from 28 September will have to display a UK sticker rather than a GB one. The change is rumoured to be a sign of solidarity with Northern Ireland from Westminster in the face of post-Brexit trade tensions. The GB sticker has been in use for 111 years, but while it is technically valid when placed on Northern Irish cars taken abroad, that country is not part of the geographical island of Great Britain, a detail that has irked some Northern Irish residents over the years. But in the face of trade issues such as the ‘sausage wars’, the UK Government has written to the United Nations to effect the change, stating: “The United Kingdom is changing the distinguishing sign that it had previously…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk AutoExpress @AutoExpress FROM: Alex Evans WHILE it’s by no means a stunning car, it’s reasonably handsome. Coming up with styling that allows for the packaging of occupants is hard enough, but crash-safety regulations make things even trickier. As such, this is decent. FROM: Dunkirk IT looks cool enough on the outside, and should feel premium on the inside, but the best bit isn’t the styling, it’s the fact it’s a new two-door coupé available with rear-wheel drive and a six-cylinder engine. Enjoy it while you can! Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ⏹ “The designers have put normal-sized kidney grilles on a new model of BMW. Hallelujah!” Tenon ⏹ “BMW is stuck in a styling rut. When they try for bold they get ugly, but this is just a bit…

SUZULIGHT (1955) Suzuki’s first car had a two-cylinder two-stroke engine and came as a saloon, van or pick-up. JIMNY (1970) Originally a kei-class 4x4, Jimny has grown a little over time but has always delivered off-road ability that belies its size. CAPPUCCINO (1991) Two-seater had rearwheel drive and a modest 63bhp. In 1993 it made it to the UK, where 1,110 cars were sold. WAGON R (1993) Japan’s best-selling kei car since 2003. Slightly larger Wagon R+ made it to Europe and was also sold as the Vauxhall Agila. SWIFT (2004) Previous-generation Swift introduced some design flair, while Swift Sport (above) offered rev-happy hot hatch thrills.…

Dean_Gibson@autovia.co.uk @DeanGbsn “Rigid suspension bounces you around like a pinball on rocky terrain, but the Jimny just keeps going” WHEN the new Suzuki Jimny arrived in 2018, it quickly became a cult classic. The small 4x4 was one of the best offroaders for sale at any price, and while it came with serious compromises, Suzuki dealers couldn’t keep up with demand. Unfortunately, the Jimny fell foul of European emissions regulations, so sales stopped almost as soon as they started. But fast-forward to 2021, and while a second-hand Jimny is a much sought-after machine, Suzuki is selling it as a new model again, this time as the Jimny Light Commercial. This is possible thanks to the less stringent emissions legislation that commercial vehicles must meet. So the SUV’s two back seats…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.2 seconds/115mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 527/1,591 litres Running costs 3.4m/kWh (on test) £10 charge/£0 or 1% tax MODELTESTED: Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate AWD PRICE: £48,145 POWERTRAIN: 72.6kWh battery, twin-motor, 302bhp THIS is the top-spec Ioniq 5 Ultimate, with the largest battery and four-wheel drive. It costs £48,145, but in this test we’re putting list price to one side to some extent. All three cars are available in some form from £40,000-£50,000, and since we were limited on which cars were available for us to test, our verdict will take that into account. The only option on this test car was ‘Gravity Gold’ paint at £685. Design & engineering OVER the coming years, Hyundai will release a new range of electric cars using the E-GMP platform first…

Hyundai Ioniq 5 12.3-inch Touchscreen Key features: Wireless phone charging HYUNDAI’S infotainment leads the pack here. The twin displays remind us of high-end Mercedes interiors, with two 12.3-inch screens side-by-side. One provides digital dials, the second is a touchscreen for other functions – but there are still real climate controls, so the Hyundai has better usability than the other cars in this test. It also looks just as modern and smart, if not more so. This top-spec model has a head-up display and a Bose stereo, but all versions of the Ioniq 5 get the excellent twin-screen set-up with sat-nav, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and wireless phone charging. It’s easy to use, works well with smartphone functions, is responsive and the graphics look sleek. The menus are well laid-out, too,…

YOUR FIRST 6 ISSUES FOR £1 Then if you continue to subscribe after your trial you pay from just £24.99 every three months SAVING 47% on the shop price FREE G3 PRO COLOUR RESTORER We offer every subscriber a free welcome gift when they come on board WORTH £13.95. FREE DELIVERY Every issue is delivered to your door, free of charge. It’ll arrive in paper packaging, too, making it easier than ever to recycle. £150 BUYACAR VOUCHER Get £150 off your next used car purchase at buyacar.co.uk. Look out for the link in your confirmation email. YOUR FREE GIFT G3 Pro Colour Restorer uses a high grade of light polishing abrasives to permanently remove minor defects such as micro-scratches, light oxidation, holograms and tree sap that cause dulling and fading.…

NEW PRODUCT Auto Vivendi Supercar Track Days Price: £7,140 Contact: autovivendi.com IF you’ve given up on that holiday abroad this summer, why not spend the money in Norfolk driving supercars on a track? High-end driving specialist Auto Vivendi has just announced the next dates for its six-car supercar track days, which will take place on the full Snetterton 300 circuit on 18 August and 8 September. The track boasts the longest straight in the UK, which will allow lucky participants to exploit the supercar sextet to the full. Just 20 drivers will be taking part, sharing Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens over four laps around the near-three-mile circuit. For Prancing Horse fans there is the F8 Tributo powered by a 710bhp 3.9-litre turbocharged V8. The same engine sits in the other Ferrari…

Porsche 928 David Hemmings (Amberley Publishing, amberley-books.com) Price: £15.99 Rating: A DETAILED and concise history. Each version has its own section with specs and, where possible, a review from an owner or a motoring publication in period. Imagery is impressive and there’s a useful section to help decode VIN plates, plus engine and paint codes. Quite handy, especially if you’re considering a purchase. Ford Cars 1945-1995: A Pictorial History David Rowe (Veloce Publishing, veloce.co.uk) Price: £16.99 Rating: LIKE other books in the series, this title gets a dose of authenticity from its photos. Otherwise it’s a dry but informative read, with space given over to stats, specs and history. As far as we can tell, it keeps its promise to include every model Ford UK sold over this 50-year period…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@autovia.co.uk Q Why can’t I have written proof of car’s recall work? MY dealer wrote to me saying some recall work needed doing, so I took my car in to get it sorted. I asked for a printout of exactly what had been done, but the dealer refused. Should they not have provided this? Steve G, E-mail A THERE is no valid reason why the dealer cannot provide details of exactly what work has been done to your car and give these to you on paper. Put a formal complaint in writing to both the dealership and the manufacturer’s customer services. It’s right for you to want printed details of the work that has been undertaken, not least because it may be of use when you eventually come…

Silverstone ready for F1 sprint qualifying THIS weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone will see the introduction of sprint-race qualifying on Saturday for the first time in Formula 1’s history. The podium finishers will earn points in the 100-kilometre sprint, which also defines the starting grid for Sunday’s main race. Max Verstappen’s three back-to-back victories in France and the two races in Austria see him now 32 points clear of Lewis Hamilton in the standings. Evans pursuing Ogier as WRC hits Estonia TOYOTA’S Elfyn Evans is hoping to close the gap to his championship-leading team-mate Sébastien Ogier at this weekend’s Rally Estonia. The Welshman is trailing by 34 points going into the event, having won just one rally to Ogier’s four in 2021. The Frenchman is looking to end his…

Luke_Wilkinson@autovia.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson • Eighth generation of hatchback officially revealed • Features Vauxhall’s latest design and infotainment IT’S all change for the eighth-generation Vauxhall Astra – the first version of the family hatchback to use a platform and running gear shared with sister Stellantis brands Peugeot, Citroen and DS. The new Astra draws plenty of design inspiration from the latest Mokka SUV, and adopts Vauxhall’s new Vizor grille. This includes the latest Intelli-Lux LED Pixel headlights, which feature 168 LED elements and can automatically adjust the beam pattern to suit conditions. Measuring in at 4,374mm long, 1,860mm wide and with a 2,675mm wheelbase, the new Astra is larger than its predecessor. That wheelbase is up by 13mm, so there should be extra space for passengers. Boot space has also grown to…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy • EV-only brand by mid-decade • Three cars in ‘dream garage’ THE forthcoming all-electric hot hatchback from Alpine will be a beefed-up version of the reborn Renault 5 featuring the more potent electric motor from the new Mégane EV crossover, the company’s engineering boss has confirmed. The French sports brand is due to switch to pure-electric vehicles by the middle of this decade and it has already issued teasers for its ‘dream garage’ – a large SUV with a coupé roofline, a sports car that it will develop with Lotus, and a muscular-looking hot hatch with a large spoiler. Our exclusive images show how the cars could look. The company’s executive vice-president for engineering, Gilles le Borgne, has confirmed to Auto Express that not only will the Alpine…

Volkswagen’s first EV hot hatch hits dealers VOLKSWAGEN’S ID.4 GTX (above) is now on sale in the UK, priced from £48,510. It’s a hot version of the ID.4 SUV with a 295bhp four-wheel-drive electric powertrain and a 77kWh battery pack, which are enough for a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds and a 301-mile range. Standard equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels, a sporty bodykit, matrix LED headlamps, stainless steel pedals and a 12-inch infotainment system. There’s also an ID.4 GTX Max version at £55,540, which includes all the optional packs as standard. Cars have outgrown garages, study shows MODERN cars have grown too large to easily fit in most garages, a new study has found. The top five best-selling cars in the UK are 1.8 metres wide on average, up from…

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) 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: 0113 222 2010 AA: 0800 316 3564 DVLA: 0300 790 6802 RAC: 0808 164 1923 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 Problems with…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 590/1,632 litres Running costs 31.0mpg (official) £87 fill-up VOLKSWAGEN’S R premium performance line-up is rapidly expanding. The Golf R estate has just been revealed and joining the Touareg R is this, the new Arteon R Shooting Brake. The recipe is predictable, but perhaps better for it. VW’s common 316bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and 4MOTION four-wheel drive, delivering superb performance. The 0-62mph sprint only takes 4.9 seconds, while in the Shooting Brake bodystyle there are 590 litres of boot space. That’s not quite as much as the new Golf R Estate, but you’ll have to wait until the end of the year for that car, while the Arteon’s svelte styling and sporty R modifications mean it delivers…

Luke_Wilkinson@autovia.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson Running costs 44.8mpg (official) £59 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.3 seconds/127mph Practicality Boot 130 litres SINCE the fourth generation of the MX-5 was launched in 2015, Mazda has released a steady stream of special-edition versions, following the pattern established by the three previous models. There was the Z-Sport in 2017, then a model that marked the roadster’s 30th anniversary in 2019, followed by a variant to celebrate Mazda’s 100th anniversary last year. Now the company has launched the MX-5 Sport Venture, and it carries a little bit of heritage with it, because the limited-edition nameplate returns from the previous-generation car. The formula remains pretty much the same, too. Sold only in limited numbers, this one comes painted in a new Deep Crystal Mica Blue shade and with a…

Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.5 seconds/99mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 543/1,575 litres Running costs 3.4m/kWh (on test) £11 charge/£0 or 1% tax MODELTESTED: Volkswagen ID.4 1st Edition Pro Performance PRICE: £40,800 POWERTRAIN: 77kWh battery, single motor, 201bhp HERE we’re testing a Volkswagen ID.4 in 1st Edition Pro Performance trim, which is fitted with the largest (77kWh) battery available and offers a claimed range of 310 miles. It costs £40,800, but the VW’s model line-up has since been restructured and the highly-specified Max model – which at £49,990, was a match for the top-end Ioniq 5 – is no longer sold. Design & engineering AS with the other cars in this test, the ID.4 uses a platform that’s built exclusively for electric power. In this instance it’s VW’s MEB architecture, which also…

1st HYUNDAI NEVER mind an EV shortlist: if you’re looking for a new car then the Ioniq 5 should be seriously considered. It’s got plenty of range, ultra-fast charging, excellent comfort and lots of kit. The interior is vast and packed with the best tech here, plus it has great performance for the cash – a Mach-E with similar speed is on the wrong side of £50,000. The Hyundai is practical, refined and has its own identity, cementing a deserved win. 2nd FORD THE Mach-E is a brilliant electric car, although in RWD Standard Range form it loses out when it comes to practicality, charging and range, hence its second-place finish. Yet the Ford offers the best driving experience in an electric car at this kind of price, with enjoyable handling and a…

Steve_Walker@autovia.co.uk Efficiency 124 miles range (official) 37kW DC charging Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 341 litres/1,146 litres WHERE some manufacturers tend to do their car designs largely by the book, Mazda has long since lost its library card. The Japanese brand has a history of bold innovation, and the MX-30 continues that. This is a small SUV with an electric powertrain and a relatively small 35.5kWh battery, delivering just 124 miles of range. It’s a five-door car but, like Mazda’s RX-8 sports car from the early noughties, the rear doors open the opposite way to the front ones, creating a wide opening with no B-pillars. There’s a long bonnet with very little under it, a large boot and a classy cabin, finished with eco-friendly cork and recycled fabric, yet not blessed…

Get on your bike with electric Ducati cycle DUCATI, best known for its motorbikes, has launched a new folding e-bike. The MG-20 (above) is the first cycle of its type to use magnesium for the frame, forks and rims, which provides maximum strength while also remaining light. It has 20-inch wheels, so the MG-20 folds small enough for public transport, while its 250W rear motor and 378Wh battery pack allow it to travel up to 31 miles at a maximum speed of 15.5mph. It’s available in Ducati dealerships or online at ducatiurbanemobility.com, and costs 1,599 Euros (£1,372). Virtual diagnosis can spot car problems CAR maintenance app Fixter has launched a contact-free way to get your car’s servicing needs assessed. The Fixter Virtual Diagnostic Consultation is a free service where customers…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler “When you get in, everything should feel just right, you should feel part of the car. You do with this” • F1 champ takes us for a drive • Latest Lotus on sale next year WHEN it comes to a first verdict on one of the most important British sports cars for a generation, there can be nobody better qualified than Jenson Button, Britain’s 2009 Formula One world champion and Lotus fan. Auto Express was invited to ride shotgun with Button as he drove the all-new Lotus Emira at the brand’s revamped Hethel home. This is the very first car off the production line, so Button says he’s taking it easy – it doesn’t feel like it. That trademark Button smoothness is still there as the car switches…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @jimmybrods • Experimental Polestar 2 ramps up power and boosts handling • Passenger ride at Goodwood confirms its potential A NEW ‘experimental’ Polestar 2 has been revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with more power and substantial chassis upgrades. Based on the Long Range model, its dual-electric motor powertrain has been recalibrated to produce 469bhp, an increase of 67bhp. The car has a 20mm wider track front and rear and is lower by 30mm. Widened wheelarches have been fitted, while 21-inch wheels and six-piston front brakes from the Polestar 1 coupé have been added. The Polestar 2’s adjustable two-way Ohlins dampers have been replaced by custom-made three-way units that are around 30 per cent firmer, while the car’s springs are 80 per cent stiffer at the front and…

Skoda names its price for hot Kodiaq SUV PRICES have been revealed for the facelifted Skoda Kodiaq vRS (above), which abandons diesel power in favour of the 242bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine from the Volkswagen Golf GTI. It is available to order in the UK now, priced from £44,635. Standard equipment features adaptive dampers and progressive steering, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel and a 9.2-inch touchscreen, plus Parking Assist, a rear-view camera, autonomous emergency braking and Travel Assist. Car sales rising, but still below average NEW-car sales rebounded last month compared with June 2020, but the latest SMMT figures show registrations were still down based on the 10-year average. A total of 186,128 new cars found homes last month, with the Tesla Model 3 topping the best-sellers’ chart. While that…

BMW has unleashed a trio of highly exclusive limited-edition SUVs. The brand-new X5 and X6 Vermillion Edition models will be limited to just 50 examples in the UK, with a Frozen Black paint finish, red kidney grille detailing, exclusive 22-inch Orbit Grey wheels, and full Merino leather upholstery. An even more exclusive version of the X7 gets a similar makeover. Called the Frozen Black Edition, the new car is based on the high-performance V8-powered M50i version of the X7, and just five will be available in Britain. Orders are open for all three SUVs now, with deliveries expected in September.…

Dean_Gibson@dennis.co.uk @DeanGbsn THE year 1920 was a busy one. The League of Nations was founded, the island of Ireland was partitioned and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe horse race was first run. Meanwhile in Japan, a firm that provided machinery for Japan’s massive silk industry was incorporated. That firm? The Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Company. Fast forward a century (plus one year, thanks to the pandemic), and Suzuki UK celebrated the company’s 100th birthday by gathering all of its divisions together at one event for the first time. Why is that so special? Well, if you’re reading Auto Express, then you’ll already know about Suzuki’s cars, and you’re probably aware of its motorcycles, too. But did you know that it’s also a market leader for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and that…

Alex_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @AxleIngram Running costs 21.9mpg (official) £85 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 3.4 seconds/198mph INTERNAL-combustion engines are getting more efficient. Emissions controls and more precise combustion means less wasted energy. A by-product of wasted energy is noise, which unfortunately means a slight loss of character, too. Some manufacturers scramble to claw back excitement with artificial pops and bangs from the exhaust, or augmented cabin noise. Porsche, on the other hand, fits its 911 GT3 Touring with a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six that revs to 9,000rpm. It’s mechanically identical to the unit fitted in the recently launched 911 GT3, but the Touring Package provides a cosmetically toned-down version of the track-honed supercar. It’s priced identically to the standard GT3, at £127,820, whether fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox or the dual-clutch PDK…

MODEL TESTED: Ford Mustang Mach-E Standard Range RWD PRICE: £41,330 POWERTRAIN: 75kWh battery, single motor, 265bhp THE car you see in our pictures is a high-spec long-range Mustang Mach-E, but for this test we’re using the figures and prices from the £41,330 RWD Standard Range version. Even though this is the entry-level model, it’s still a close rival for the Hyundai and VW in this form. Design & engineering WHAT does the Mustang Mach-E have in common with the Mustang sports car? Apart from the name, not a lot – some styling cues are familiar, it has a rear-wheel-drive layout and it has plenty of torque from low speed, but that’s about it. The Mach-E uses a dedicated EV platform with several battery options and rear or four-wheel drive layouts.…

NEW: Mercedes EQA 205 Sport PRICE: £44,495 POWERTRAIN: 66.5kWh/187bhp THE ID.4’s sister car, the MEB-based Audi Q4 e-tron, is one alternative, but if you want something a bit upmarket, consider the EQA. It’s not quite as good to drive as our rivals, but its hi-tech cabin and smart looks hold appeal, and it has a range of 263 miles. USED: Jaguar I-Pace SE PRICE: £43,000 POWERTRAIN: 90kWh, 394bhp YOU can now get the Auto Express 2018 Car of the Year for less than £45,000. It’s great to drive, powerful, roomy, smart inside, practical and has a range of 292 miles – so it really is a close rival for our trio. A nearly-new I-Pace is a very appealing proposition.…

Pete_Baiden@autovia.co.uk @PeteBaiden CAR makers are always looking for new ways to get customers to part with their cash. While the list price of a new car may initially look appealing, a quick dip into the options list can rapidly add hundreds, if not thousands of pounds to the price you’ll pay. The Audi Q2 that we’re running on our fleet is a prime example of this. The 35 TFSI S line S tronic model costs £31,870; however, you’ll need far deeper pockets to afford the car you see, because it has almost £10,000 worth of options. Yes, I really did say £10,000. A total price of £40,025 means it’s more expensive than the range-topping SQ2 (£40,015), which has lots of kit as standard and more power. So how many of…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Q Is it time for a change? I’VE been running my car for several years and can’t remember ever having the brake fluid changed. The brakes still feel fine, so should I bother getting it done? Andy Yates, E-mail A THE short answer is yes. The reason you need to change brake fluid is that it absorbs water and then boils at a lower temperature. Leisurely driving may not get close to the boiling point, but the absorbed water can also cause corrosion. You can buy a tester for a few pounds but given how long it is since the last change, a fluid refresh would be a good idea. Q How can I give my car a lift? I WANT to prepare my car for use on track,…

THE Titan TTB669PRW pressure washer has won our Best Buy award twice, but the brand has raised its game with a fresh version. The new TTB669PRW costs a fiver more than the now-replaced winner, but has more power, giving a better flow rate. Former test winner Nilfisk also has a new product in the form of the Core 130. This model is midrange in its new line-up of washers, and is aimed right at Kärcher’s best-selling K2 and K3 ranges. Those have been updated too, with easy-to-use nozzles and an app to help you understand the right way to use them. We tried the K3 to give it the best chance. This flurry of fresh product is great news for anyone wanting a pressure washer, especially since the cheapest here…

• SUV styling The X-Line is more common than you might think; it accounts for one in eight cars by the time the higher-spec X-Line S is added to the mix. • Safety kit Kia offered a £350 Advanced Driving Assistance pack on the 1 and 2, with auto emergency braking and speed-sensing automatic door locking. • Equipment The range-topping GT-Line comes with heated front seats and steering wheel, an electric sunroof, rear parking camera and artificial leather trim. • Auto gearbox When the Picanto was facelifted in late 2020 the previous automatic was replaced by a slicker, automated manual, dubbed AMT. • Back seats The rear seats do fold down, but their bases remain fixed. This means there’s a bit of a step in the cargo area when it’s…

IT’S half-time in the new-car sales game being played out across Britain in 2021. Despite component and car-supply issues, plus a few other Covid-related difficulties and uncertainties, more than 900,000 cars have been registered in the UK so far this year. With individuals, companies, our country and other vehicle-producing nations remaining a long way from pre-pandemic normality and confidence, almost one million UK registrations in the first six months, then two million possible by year-end sounds pretty damn impressive to me. Almost one in 10 new cars registered from January to June wears a Volkswagen badge, making the brand the undisputed number one in the sales league. Sister marque Audi is third, BMW fourth and Mercedes fifth. Only Ford, at number two, offers resistance to the might of the German…