Innholdsfortegnelse for 1715 i Auto Express

DACIA is actively considering adding further variants to its Jogger line-up – and they could include a commercial version or even a camper. The seven-seater, which is based on a stretched version of the Renault Clio’s CMF-B architecture, offers up to 2,000 litres of load space. It’s launching with a 1.0-litre petrol engine, but a hybrid automatic version is due next year, and Dacia claims that it could spend 80 per cent of its urban journeys on electric power alone. That could support a low-cost suburban delivery van. Speaking to Auto Express, Dacia’s vice-president for product performance, Lionel Jaillet, declined to confirm any specific plans, but he admitted, “We are still thinking of new possibilities.” He also hinted that the firm could help the Jogger to be more than a…

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…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars Running costs 58.8mpg (official) £52 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 14.9 seconds/98mph C02/tax 110g/km £155 or 26% APPROACH the new Toyota Aygo X, and it’s difficult to grasp exactly what you’re dealing with. It looks undeniably fresh – the pert proportions and chunky plastic body protection are striking in the right ways, but there’s still some familiarity. The Aygo X draws clear inspiration from its predecessor. The new car has the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine as the outgoing Aygo, too, but it rides on a new GA-B platform, and there won’t be any siblings from Citroen or Peugeot. So, is this the simple, affordable city car we need before EVs take hold? Despite other makers abandoning city cars, Toyota hopes that the X’s SUV-inspired twist will draw in buyers.…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler THE car industry is facing some stormy waters right now. The combined effects of lockdowns and the global chip shortage are presenting challenges to the world’s car makers on a daily basis. But what does that mean for those looking to buy a new car in 2022? Quite a lot, as it happens. You may have to wait longer for your car than anticipated, and you might also have to compromise slightly on spec. Plus those looking to switch PCP deals might have to think slightly differently. But as we’ll show, buying a new car is still perfectly possible. Over the coming pages, we’ll highlight the top choices, the brands to target if you want your next car quickly, and explain what dealership life is like today.…

Christofer_Lloyd@autovia.co.uk CASH is king, so they say, but in the world of car finance, the king is dead. More drivers than ever are looking to the ‘monthlies’ instead, reflecting how we pay for many big-ticket items. A remarkable 93 per cent of new cars – and a growing proportion of used cars – are now paid for in monthly instalments. Today there are several schemes, each with their pros and cons, and all of them work in different ways. Cash prices no longer reflect what most drivers pay, because four £30,000 models could have four completely different monthly repayments, depending on the type of finance, deposit amount, contract length, mileage allowance and interest rate. Cars’ predicted second-hand values affect PCP finance instalments, too. So, which type of finance do you…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk HUGE numbers of cars are financed with Personal Contract Purchases these days, but many PCP customers coming to the end of their contracts and looking for their next new car could be facing a very different car-buying landscape to the one they expected. When signing a PCP deal three or four years ago, it was reasonable to think you’d easily get a replacement new car when you needed it, and that the optional final payment (also known as the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value or ‘balloon payment’) would be a little less than the car’s actual value at the end of your contract. That difference or ‘equity’ might typically be used as a deposit to put towards a replacement car on a new PCP. Thanks to the semiconductor shortage, long…

Running costs 100.9mpg (official) £109 fill-up/£480 or 16% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 505/1,625 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.8 seconds/149mph MODEL TESTED: Audi Q8 55 TFSI e quattro S line PRICE: £75,935 ENGINE: 3.0-litre V6/e-motor, 376bhp AT the top of Audi’s SUV range is the Q8, and the ‘e’ suffix at the end of the 55 TFSI e badge means that it uses a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. We’re testing the S line model here, although the car in our pictures is the more powerful (but now-discontinued) 60 TFSI e Competition. Design & engineering WITH a big body and a relatively low roof line, the Audi Q8 is a chunky-yet-sporty looking luxury SUV. Under the skin, it shares its platform and running gear with the Q7, but the shallow angle of…

Audi Q8 TFSI e MMI Navigation Plus Standard Key feature: Amazon Alexa integration AS you might expect from a premium SUV, the Q8 benefits from Audi’s advanced infotainment systems. The MMI Plus set-up comprises three high-definition displays and plenty of functionality. Central on the dashboard is a 10.1-inch touchscreen for all navigation, audio and connectivity functions. This has clear graphics and a logical menu system that’s easy to understand, while the screen is responsive to inputs. The 8.6-inch panel below is used to operate the climate system. Since there are no physical controls to grab, it’s a bit trickier to use on the move than the Range Rover Sport’s set-up. You can use voice commands, though, as well as integrated Alexa services. In addition to these screens, the 12.3-inch Virtual…

OFF-ROAD THE Q8 is an SUV geared for tarmac use, so it has a limited range of off-road functionality. There’s hill-descent control, an auto diff lock and an off-road mode for the air suspension, but that’s about it. If you need to head for the hills, then the Range Rover Sport makes life easy. Terrain Response optimises the car for different conditions, while the air suspension has a wide range of heights to help clear obstacles. The car has far more off-road ability than many owners will ever need. INCENTIVES AUDI has joined forces with Octopus Energy to offer plug-in buyers a £90 credit if they switch to the energy supplier. Audi estimates that this is enough for up to 4,500 miles of free electric driving. Land Rover doesn’t offer…

The Book of the Mazda MX-5 Miata Brian Long (Veloce Publishing, veloce.co.uk) Price: £19.99 Rating: PACKED with interesting history and detail on the original, NA-generation Mazda MX-5. It’s a good resource if you want to learn more, but the poor-quality printing means the images are fuzzy and lack colour. And the pages are fairly crammed together, which doesn’t make them that easy to digest. Here We Are… On Route 66 Jim Hinckley (Motorbooks, quartoknows.co.uk) Price: £28 Rating: FEW roads are so evocative and well documented, yet this book takes a different approach to most. It dives further back in the history of towns and attractions along this route, rather than just the fifties, where many other books would start. Full of fascinating nuggets and facts, its definitely great to have…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@autovia.co.uk Q Must I replace all four tyres at once on a 4wd car? I WENT to get my front tyres replaced, because they had worn close to the legal limit. The garage told me that, thanks to my car being four-wheel drive, all four tyres need changing at once. I said I would look into it and return. Are they right?Michael L, E-mail A CARS with full-time four-wheel drive need to have all their tyres changed at once, because tread wear makes old tyres slightly smaller than new ones. If you only replaced the front set, the wheels would turn at different rates, which could risk putting stress on the drivetrain. If your car only has part-time four-wheel drive, though, you may be able to…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk “Dynamic road pricing will be able to charge drivers different amounts at busy periods” TAXES on petrol and diesel could soon be scrapped alongside Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), with motorists instead paying taxes based on where and when they drive. That’s the recommendation of the influential Transport Select Committee of MPs in its report on road pricing, released at the start of February. It calls for a system of ‘dynamic tax charges’, based around a telematics system that logs details of every journey that individuals make by car. They call the proposed system ‘dynamic’, because it will be able to charge drivers different amounts at busy periods or in areas where traffic is to be discouraged. Rates will also differ according to the type of vehicle being driven, and…

COMMENTING on Jaguar Land Rover’s £9million loss for the final quarter of 2021, CEO Thierry Bolloré said that the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips vital in modern cars is continuing to “constrain sales” at JLR. However, this £9million figure represents a reduction in loses compared with JLR’s £302million pre-tax loss reported in Q2 2021. In more positive news, the company has secured a £625million loan (including £500million of taxpayers’ money) to boost development of electric vehicles in the UK. The money comes from 12 investment banks, with 80 per cent backed by the ministerial department UK Export Finance, and will support JLR’s research, development and export of electric cars. It’s part of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan, to pump £850million into the UK automotive supply chain.…

Fresh Spirit of Ecstasy arrives with Rolls EV ROLLS-ROYCE will launch its first electric vehicle in 2023, along with a redesigned and ‘streamlined’ version of the brand’s iconic Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet figure. The company says that this new iteration of the famous sculpture is not only more suitable for an EV, but closer in shape to the first drawings of the figurine drafted by the Spirit’s original creator. The Spectre EV will launch next year as a full-size electric luxury coupé. Dirty car could lead to failed driving test LEARNERS who arrive for their practical test with a dirty car may have their test cancelled before it begins, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has warned. Under Covid-related rules, any car to be used in a test must have…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy Visit autoexpress.co.uk for the latest new cars and drives Running costs 48.7mpg (official) £75 fill-up DACIA is absolutely on fire at present, with its Sandero scoring a podium place in the European sales rankings in 2021. Now the Romanian brand is setting its sights on the people-carrier market, with the Jogger. In typical Dacia fashion, this is not your normal MPV. For starters, its styling is downright odd – a basic supermini profile up to the B-pillar, where there’s a sudden 40mm step up in the roof height – and yet it almost works, because the rest of the car’s profile is a mish-mash of SUV and estate car. The tailgate has neat vertical tail-lights that help to deliver a metre-wide load bay. The car is based on…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler Running costs 48.7mpg (official) £80 fill-up WE’RE a bit posh, us Brits. Whereas our American cousins pronounce Sportage like baggage, we take a slightly more refined approach, rhyming it with barrage. Either way, this new, fifth-generation model is still designed for Europe and built in Europe. And given that it shares much with our favourite mid-size SUV, Hyundai’s Tucson, it has to be good, doesn’t it? Well, yes, it is. Kia has worked hard to give its Sportage plenty of points of difference, and that starts with the look, although both cars use the latest LED lighting tech to good effect. The Sportage features bold boomerang-shaped LED running lights either side of a super-slim version of Kia’s ‘Tiger Nose’ grille. Looks don’t dominate practicality though, because the tailgate…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk IF you’re thinking about buying a new 22-plate car, we’d be amazed if you haven’t heard about the semiconductor shortage that’s hitting new-car supply. It’s a huge problem for the industry and consumers alike. The shortage reared its head in 2020 at the start of the pandemic and is still some way from being resolved, as anyone visiting their local new-car showrooms will attest. Why? Because most new-car outlets are currently so bereft of stock that you’ll likely be gazing at coffee-stained carpet tiles instead of shiny new metal on your shopping spree. It’s not Covid social-distancing that’s to blame for the less than crowded showrooms, but the pandemic certainly played its part in the chain of events that led to currently dismal displays of dealer stock. But where…

PERHAPS the most controversial question of all is whether you need a car in the first place. It’s certainly a route that many motorists have chosen. Broadly speaking, there are two options available: firms such as Zipcar (right), which enable motorists to rent a car by the hour, or there are peer-to-peer operations, where owners can rent out their own car, or share a ride to an agreed destination. Arguably car-sharing schemes work better in a city, where you’re likely to have a choice of public transport, cycle lanes or walking as alternatives to driving. But for those who travel little more than on the occasional trip to see a relative or journey to the shops, it could be a cost-effective solution. Generally speaking, you’ll need to hand over your…

APR: The Annual Percentage Rate, or the amount of interest and any other charges for borrowing money. DEPOSIT: The up-front payment on a PCP finance or Hire Purchase contract. This can be as little as zero. DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION: A discount on the finance provided by the manufacturer or finance company. EXCESS MILEAGE CHARGE: A per-mile fee charged for exceeding any pre-agreed mileage cap. FAIR WEAR AND TEAR: The amount of damage accepted as a normal sign of everyday use when returning a car at the end of a lease or PCP finance contract. This is commensurate with the age and mileage of the car; a greater amount of wear is accepted on older and higher-mileage cars. INITIAL RENTAL: The up-front payment required with a lease. Typically presented as a multiple…

Running costs 88.3mpg (official) £133 fill-up/£480 or 19% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 623/1,463 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.9 seconds/137mph MODEL TESTED: Range Rover Sport P400e HSE Silver PRICE: £75,495 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl/e-motor, 398bhp LAND Rover offers its P400e plug-in hybrid drive system in a variety of models, but it’s the Range Rover Sport that is the closest match to the Audi Q8 on price. We’re testing the HSE Silver, an edition that adds extra kit to the HSE model pictured. It undercuts the Q8 55 TFSI e S line by £440. Design & engineering IN the past, it wasn’t unheard of for a car to have a production run spanning almost a decade, but these days it’s a rarity. The Range Rover Sport has achieved such longevity courtesy of…

1st AUDI IT’S a close-run thing, but the Q8 TFSI e takes victory here, and it’s arguably the best model in Audi’s coupé-SUV line-up, too. It’s packed with tech, has acres of space – despite the sporty-looking body – and it delivers first-class comfort to match the Range Rover Sport, but with a hybrid system that is integrated more smoothly. The EV range isn’t the longest in the class, but there’s plenty to play with. 2nd R. ROVER YOU wouldn’t regret buying a Range Rover Sport, because it’s a hugely comfortable and refined SUV. It’s just that the Q8 manages to do everything a little bit better. Back-seat space isn’t as good as you might expect from such a large car, while the hybrid system isn’t quite as smooth as…

john_mcilroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy AS a child of the seventies, and a terminal geek, I’m still impressed that I can type something up on a computer and then get a hard copy of it on a printer sitting six feet away. So the concept of doing something on my smartphone that affects a car that could be parked up, minding its own business at the other side of the world, blows my mind completely. And yet phone links to cars have been a bit of a failed promise so far. We’ve heard many marketing speeches about ‘connected vehicles’ but in truth, car companies have, to this point, proved that while they are generally rather good at making their core products, they are pretty rubbish at writing apps that allow remote access to…

Enyaq’s seat fabric has a lot of bottle SKODA’S latest Enyaq iV has seat covers made from a blend of wool and recycled PET plastic bottles. The bottles are crushed, melted and processed into granules. These are then used to make a durable yarn, which is blended with wool to become a fabric suitable for car seats. Skoda says the use of “innovative, sustainable materials that stand up to everyday use” is an example of the brand’s Simply Clever ethos. You’ll find the new material in Lodge specifications of the Enyaq iV. A car reg is all you need for right parts AUTOMOTIVE spares and crash repair product supplier Partbusters has launched a new website to make life easier for technicians and DIY-ers. The new website allows customers to easily…

MOST of us have a smartphone and know keeping it charged throughout the day is essential. Many phones now have wireless fast-charging capability, which makes getting a suitable phone holder a practical no-brainer. Just pop the phone on to it and charging begins without faffing around with plugs and cables. While the units will all charge, they may not do so at the same rate, so which will top up your phone while keeping you en route and entertained? We plugged in eight to find out. How we tested them ANY mount has to be simple to use, so we assessed build quality, ease of fitting and stability on a bumpy road. We wanted a USB 12V adaptor and the more sockets, the better. Charging was checked using an Android…

CO2/tax 124-164g/km £155 Running costs 40-44mpg (320i auto) £86 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 7.1 seconds/149mph WHEN BMW launched the original 3 Series in 1975, little could it have known just what an institution it was creating. While that original 3 Series was spartan and the model line-up was narrow, with each successive generation the 3 Series range would grow, and so would its talents. It soon became the car of choice for sales reps and junior executives everywhere. By the time the seventh-generation 3 Series arrived in 2019, the BMW led the pack in so many ways. That year we pitched it against the Volvo S60 and V60, Mercedes C-Class, Jaguar XE, and Audi A4. All impressive cars, but the 3 Series beat them, which tells you everything you need…

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/EMISSIONS/RANGE: Combined WLTP economy in miles per gallon, emissions in grams per kilometre of CO2 and maximum claimed range for EVs. Figures are 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 and…

Stephen_Errity@autovia.co.uk • VF-22 first out of the blocks • Aero is ‘complete revolution’ RENDERINGS of the new Haas VF-22 released last week have given fans their first look at a 2022-spec F1 car. Although the images are not thought to be fully representative of Haas’s final design, which is set to make its debut at preseason testing in Spain on 23 February, they do give the first indication of how teams will interpret this season’s reworked rules. Key features mandated by the changes include a ground-effect floor, a simplified front wing and a more dramatic shape for the rear wing. Also evident are the larger 18-inch wheels wearing low-profile Pirelli tyres. This measure is intended to reduce overheating, letting drivers push harder. Haas has retained its 2021 driver line-up of…

FOR decades they’ve been targeting, disrespecting, bullying and short-changing us. But now their spiteful slaps are becoming more of a comprehensive kicking. And to add insult to injury, the monetary pain we’ve struggled with for so long is now in real danger of morphing into financial ruin for many of us. To be clear, ‘they’ are the motoring/car taxation/road-related politicians representing all the major parties at national and local levels. And who are ‘we’? Their easy-target victims – humble, self-reliant people, young and old, who drive or travel in motor cars. For almost 40 years I’ve been interviewing professionals and amateurs tasked with running the show for – and taking the big money from – car users, and consistently they’ve been far better at the latter than the former. But…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk • Sleek new compact SUV heralds changes at Italian firm • Sporty handling, new tech and plug-in hybrid drive feature “Plug-in powertrain comprises a 1.3-litre engine, 15.5kWh battery and rear-mounted e-motor for a total of 271bhp” AFTER an initial delay due to Alfa Romeo’s new CEO stating the car needed extra development, the Italian brand has unveiled its new Tonale compact SUV. In a first for Alfa, it will be available with plug-in hybrid power when it goes on sale in April, three years on from its concept debut. In Europe the Tonale will also be available with more affordable hybrid tech, while the brand has placed a big focus on improving quality, infotainment and connectivity, and the plug-in hybrid model’s performance – all areas for improvement identified by…

Department for Transport/Treasury THE Treasury is responsible for taxation, but the Department for Transport (DfT) is driving the switch from petrol and diesel to EVs. As such, the report recommends that the two departments work closely on a roads pricing project. “The Government has committed to ensuring that motoring tax revenues keep pace with the changes brought about by the switch to electric vehicles, whilst keeping the transition affordable for consumers,” a Treasury spokesman told us. “We will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in full in due course.” The DfT declined to comment, but it’s thought the Government will be supportive of the recommendations given by the Transport Committee. The Times newspaper recently reported that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is in favour of road pricing, and that a…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods • Race-car tech in new concept • Previews new design for DS DS is a two-time Formula E world champion, and its new concept car, the DS E-Tense Performance Prototype, is the best manifestation yet of the brand’s zero-emissions racing tech in a road car. The E-Tense Performance is an all-electric coupé with a body made entirely from carbon fibre and a powertrain derived directly from DS’s Formula E racer. This consists of a dual-electric motor set-up, driving all four wheels and giving maximum power of 804bhp, while the system’s peak torque output stands at a colossal 8,000Nm. No performance figures have been confirmed, but it’s not hard to imagine that the concept would achieve similar numbers to a second-generation Formula E car, with 0-62mph taking around 2.8…

tristan_shale-hester@autovia.co.uk @tristan_shale VOLVO owners in the UK can now get punctures and windscreen chips on their car repaired for free, regardless of their vehicle’s age. The “industry-first free repair service” is aimed at getting Volvo owners back on the road safely as soon as possible after their car has sustained tyre or windscreen damage, the Swedish brand says. Owners who want to take advantage of the scheme can take their Volvo to any of the brand’s dealerships, where qualified technicians will check to see if a repair is possible and carry it out if so. In most instances, the firm says, this can be done on the spot while the customer waits. If it’s not possible, the technician will advise the customer what to do, arranging for a new tyre…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating Plymouth City Council’s decision to issue accessibility guidance for new electric vehicle chargepoints, meeting the call of an Auto Express campaign to make chargepoints accessible for all. The new guidance is a first from a local authority, and it will be used on all future EV charging installations in the city. The guidance states that all obstacles such as bollards and kerbs must be removed, and that sufficient space be provided around the chargepoint for wheelchair users. There will also be a new standard for highly visible signage to further improve accessibility. Our campaign, which is backed by TV presenter and wheelchair basketball star Ade Adepitan, has highlighted the many obstacles that disabled drivers face when it comes to EV adoption. “Disabled people can shout until…

A NEW ‘special operations’ division has been created at Lotus, to work on fresh halo cars, deliver special-edition models, motorsport-ready vehicles and allow customers complete personalisation. Called Lotus Advanced Performance, its first halo car project has been teased, hinting at a modern interpretation of a Lotus Can-Am racer. Judging by the exhausts, it will be powered by a combustion engine. The Lotus operation will be led by Simon Lane, former boss of Aston Martin’s ‘Q’ division.…

Luke_Wilkinson@autovia.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.5 seconds/125mph Running costs 41.5mpg (official) £83 fill-up THE CX-5 is one of Mazda’s bestselling cars in the UK. It accounts for around 25 per cent of the company’s total volume and played an instrumental role in boosting the brand’s sales by almost 14 per cent between 2020 and 2021, during the make-or-break post-Covid period. However, the section of the market it occupies is incredibly crowded, so for 2022 the CX-5 gains a series of updates to keep it competitive. Mazda’s engineers have dedicated time to making the CX-5 ride better. So, there are new dampers, slightly softer springs and redesigned seats that offer a little more support – and, for the most part, we’d say Mazda’s efforts have been worthwhile. The CX-5 makes for…

NEW: Jaguar I-Pace EV400 HSE PRICE: £74,445 POWER: 90kWh/e-motor, 395bhp LAND Rover’s sister firm Jaguar went full-electric with the I-Pace SUV, but the tech was never carried over. The I-Pace is still an excellent EV, and offers great handling and performance to go with a refined drive and up to 292 miles of electric range. USED: Tesla Model X 100D PRICE: £74,780 POWER: 100kWh/2xmotor, 602bhp THE Model X is still the benchmark for electric SUVs in terms of EV range, technology and performance. There’s a 0-60mph time of 5.0 seconds and a range of up to 351 miles, while seven seats are available. It can match these rivals for comfort, too.…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 380/1,210 litres Running costs 32.1mpg (test) £73 fill-up WHEN the Cupra Leon TSI first arrived on our fleet, late in the summer of last year, I wondered whether it might grow on me and mature with age and miles. I hoped that I’d fall for the Spanish hatchback’s charms on a deeper level, once I’d got used to the bits I initially wasn’t so convinced by: its slow-to-respond central touchscreen, its clumsy lane-assist system and its oddly forgettable exterior design. And in many ways, my respect for the Leon has indeed blossomed. But it also remains a hot hatch that could, and probably should, be a fair bit more exciting to drive and live with than it is, given that it costs almost £37,000 before…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Q Are small washers any use? I’M looking for pressure washer, but I have very little storage space. Are the small washers I’ve seen online worth buying?Tim Dean, E-mail A INEVITABLY there are compromises with a small washer. It won’t be as powerful as bigger machines, plus storage for the hose, leads and accessories will be less than ideal. If you’re after something that could go in a small cupboard, we’ve had good results with the Bosch EasyAquatek 120 (right), which is available for just under £100. Q Why no whiter bulbs in test? I READ your headlight bulb test (Issue 1,714) with interest, but wondered why there were no bulbs promising a whiter beam. There are plenty around at similar prices to the bulbs you…

KEEPING the children entertained on a journey is key to having a stress-free trip. Using a smartphone or tablet to download episodes of shows such as Peppa Pig or to play a game will ward off the boredom and mean parents can concentrate on the driving. To avoid neck aches, sore thumbs and car sickness, an in-car tablet and phone holder is essential, keeping the device secure and at eye level. When we tested seven holders we found one of the cheapest mounts from Amazon – the Vidence – was the best and cost only £8.31. In the time since then, it has had a slight name change and risen substantially in price, costing just over £13 at the time of publication. Here it meets the Travel Bear, which uses…