Innholdsfortegnelse for 1729 i Auto Express

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Sportier RS models revealed ● Limited number coming to UK NEW Competition and Competition Plus packages have been announced for Audi’s RS 4 Avant and RS 5 performance models, which are designed to uncork the full potential of each car’s four-wheel-drive chassis. Both models continue to use a 444bhp 2.9-litre twin turbocharged V6, but the upgrades should make more effective use of that power. The Competition-spec cars will be limited to less than 100 units in the UK, although Audi is yet to decide if this cap will apply to the RS 4 and RS 5 individually, or across both models. Either way, the Competition and Competition Plus variants will be added to the existing trim levels in the range. Cosmetic changes include black exterior trim and…

FULL UK pricing for the new Peugeot 308 has been confirmed, with the range kicking off from £25,270 in hatchback form, and £26,470 for the SW estate. The new 308 will be available in five trim levels – Active Premium, Allure, Allure Premium, GT and GT Premium. All cars feature Peugeot’s EAT8 automatic gearbox as standard, plus EcoLED automatic headlights, LED tail-lights, rear parking sensors and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. GT trim adds a range of upgrades, such as 18-inch alloys, matrix LED headlights, a dark chrome grille and extended side sills. Inside, there are 3D instruments, a heated steering wheel and Alcantara seat trim. GT cars start from £28,650. Power comes from PureTech 130 petrol and BlueHDi 130 diesel engines, or there are two plug-in hybrid…

ROLLS-ROYCE has given its flagship limo an update for 2022, by revealing the ‘Series II’ version of the eighth-generation Phantom. It features a slightly redesigned nose, with a new chrome strip sitting on top of the vertical struts of the car’s imposing front grille and aligning with the daytime running elements of the headlights. The grille now comes with an illumination feature too, lighting up the vertical elements at night. The model is still offered with standard and extended wheelbases, but new wheel options have arrived. A 3D-milled stainless steel design is offered, and available with a fully or partially polished finish. More striking is a new retro ‘disc wheel’ design. Further exterior details have been added to the list of extras, including the option of a darkened chrome grille…

VOLKSWAGEN has announced a new brand for the US called Scout, which will be dedicated to electric off-road vehicles and pick-ups, serving as a rival for EV start-up Rivian and the Tesla Cybertruck. VW has already issued a teaser image (above) of what the forthcoming pick-up truck and SUV will look like. Both have clean, boxy proportions, chunky off-road tyres and raised ground clearance. The cars won’t use the VW Group’s MEB platform. Instead, the Scout range will use what bosses call a “new technical platform concept” for off-road EVs. Volkswagen says prototypes are set to be unveiled next year, while the first production Scouts will arrive in 2026. There will also be a $100million (£82m) investment to kick-start the new brand.…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars SCRAMBLING along brutal rutted tracks in the Sahara desert, kicking up dust and nipping at a hydraulic handbrake was not how we envisioned our first acquaintance with the Nissan Juke Hybrid. Even so, the new powertrain’s first application comes in the form of a hulking, toughened-up rally car built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Datsun’s East African Rally-winning 240Z, and we’ve driven it. It’s difficult to fathom how an electrified crossover could pay homage to the dainty, straight-six-engined coupé that danced through the desert 50 years ago, but Nissan has had a fair crack at it. The Juke Hybrid Rally Tribute evokes the seventies classic with a red livery, Shell branding and the original car’s number 11 stamped on the flanks. As on the 240Z, the bonnet…

Alex_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @AxleIngram Running costs 56.4mpg (official) £58 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 14.9 seconds/98mph TOYOTA’S Aygo X city car has been released at a time when many brands are leaving the segment. So with more opportunity to steal a significant market share, what does Toyota’s latest model offer to make you turn away from the likes of the Volkswagen up! or Hyundai i10. Unlike its predecessor, which shared tech with its mechanically identical siblings, the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108, this time the Japanese giant’s city car has gone it alone. To make the most of the brand’s in-house know-how, the Aygo is based on a shortened version of the platform used by the Yaris. The new Aygo is quite a bit longer than its predecessor, however, but at 3.7 metres,…

Stuart_Milne@autovia.co.uk “IT’S a 1956 Mercedes Gullwing. We’re looking for someone to buy it, and we’ll work with them to restore it.” The price? A not-inconsiderable £1.7 million. It’s hard not to recoil when such sums are casually mentioned, but it’s clear from looking around that the cars on display at the UK’s newest (and possibly most upmarket) showroom are pretty special. The building belongs to Hilton & Moss, which is part of the Hilton Group, a firm that counts the UK’s largest insurance approved accident repair business, and Lotus and TVR specialist Castle Sportscars among its line-up. Jack Nicholls, Hilton & Moss’s head of marketing, says the prices on the windscreens of the showroom’s fleet of classic and exotic models represent a price well worth paying, adding: “We’re the Rolls-Royce…

Running costs 47.9mpg (WLTP) £81 fill-up/£165 or 32% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 395/1,291 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.1 seconds/130mph MODEL TESTED: Kia Ceed 1.5 T-GDi GT-Line PRICE: £24,985 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4cyl, 158bhp THE closest Ceed in price to the 308 is the GT-L ine S auto. However, that model has been taken off sale; a statement from Kia confirms this is due to “success” of the facelifted model, “coupled with new supply challenges”. However, Kia insists that this is only temporary, and the auto will be available again soon. In the meantime, we’re testing the Ceed in GT-Line trim, priced at £24,985, although the model in our pictures is the base 2 trim. Design & engineering WHEN the third-generation Ceed was released in 2018, it brought with it further progress…

KIA 1st THE updates to the Ceed are hardly revolutionary, but in this company it manages to edge ahead for victory. All three of these cars have flaws, but the Kia’s are the easiest to forgive – partly because they’re mostly down to subjective things such as interior design and quality, but also because it’s the most affordable option here. Cabin aside, it doesn’t feel cheap, though; in fact it’s great to drive, quick, roomy and generously equipped. VW 2nd THIS result further cements our belief that the latest generation of Golf has been something of a backward step for the company. Here it’s beaten by the great-value Kia, because the Golf no longer feels special enough to justify its extra cost. However it remains great to drive, practical for…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk Running costs 53.2mpg (on test) £83 fill-up, £170 or 27% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 326-440/1,149 litres AFTER six months of daily driving I’ll miss our Renault Captur hybrid, which we’ve sent home at the end of term with a very positive school report. The French car is comfortable, practical family transport, with an eager, adaptable attitude and an ability to get on well with everyone. It’s the comfort on longer trips that has impressed me the most about the Renault, I think. After a day on your feet at a work event miles from home, the car’s easy-going nature means you can relax into that ‘clocked-off’ feeling as soon as you settle behind the wheel, not two or three hours later when you put the key in the…

Arad’s Fiat 500s are as pretty as a picture A NEW auction, named Reverse Again, marks artist Ron Arad’s first venture into NFTs (non-fungible tokens). His muse for the artworks is the Fiat 500. The collaboration between Arad and Fiat celebrates the integration of art and tech, and references the artist’s long-standing fascination with the 500 from paintings to digital artworks and now NFTs, where your purchase comes with a certificate that guarantees its authenticity, uniqueness and ownership. The auction is open now on global art platform Shifting Vision. Visit shiftingvision.org for more info. GoHub solution for portable EV charges PORTABLE EV charging firm Zipcharge has designed the GoHub. It’s intended to be a solution for portable public charging that can be installed in any location and at a faster rate. A…

WITH motoring costs rocketing at the moment, it’s vital for most of us to try and save money where we can. One easy way is to ensure your tyres are always correctly inflated. At the right pressure they’ll last longer and you’ll get better economy while reducing emissions. And as a bonus, your car’s handling, braking and cornering will be maximised. Although there are pressure gauges on most garage forecourts, they are often knocked about and inaccurate. It’s better to use your own, well looked-after gauge, making sure your pressures are as recommended either in the vehicle handbook, Haynes manual or a sticker on the car itself, typically on the door pillar or inside the fuel-filler cap. How we tested them ALL the gauges were tested at 20, 25 and…

CO2 /tax 102g/km £165 Running costs 62mpg (1.0 T-GDi 99PS) £74 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 10.3 seconds/115mph KIA is a brand that has undergone a big transformation over the past two decades, and nowhere is this more apparent than with its Rio supermini. When the original Kia Rio arrived in 2000, there was very little about it that appealed, from its styling to the driving experience and the technology that it featured. But it was good value and dependable, and it was these two cornerstones that allowed Kia to get a foothold in the UK. In January this year Kia was the UK’s biggest-selling brand, and in 2022 it looks set to sell more than 100,000 cars here, claiming more than five per cent of the market. Kia still sells the…

Stephen_Errity@autovia.co.uk ● Rovanperä leads standings ● Anniversary events planned WORLD Rally legends Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier will go head to head for the second time in the 2022 season on this weekend’s Rally Portugal. The French pair – who have 17 world titles between them – are both undertaking part-time campaigns this year. Loeb is at the wheel of the M-Sport Ford Puma and Ogier is driving for his former full-time employer Toyota; neither has appeared since Monte Carlo’s season-opener, where Loeb finished in first and Ogier second. Speaking to the championship’s official website ahead of Rally Portugal, Ogier said: “It’s a challenge to come back after three months. It’s not huge, but I have to try to find the right feeling. It’s more exciting when you come back.…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods ● Exterior tweaks and new infotainment for top-selling model ● Petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options with added efficiency THE BMW 3 Series has been given a mid-life facelift, introducing a new exterior design, an updated interior and the latest technology for the German brand’s best-selling vehicle. There’s a mix of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid drive options, but a pure-electric model hasn’t been added to the line-up. An electrified version of the G20-generation 3 Series has been confirmed for the Chinese market, but Europe will have to wait until the next-generation 3 Series arrives in 2025. Following the template set by the larger 5 Series in 2020, the updated 3 Series features a restyled front end. The headlights are slimmer than before, so although the kidney grilles…

Italian duo join forces for a techno special FIAT has partnered with tech company Garmin for special-edition versions of its Tipo and Panda models (above). The Panda Garmin and Tipo Garmin both feature Foresta Green paint with orange accents inside and out, while buyers also get a Garmin Venu Sq smartwatch. The Panda Garmin is powered by Fiat’s 69bhp 1.0 GSE Hybrid engine, while the Tipo uses the 1.5 T4 Mild Hybrid unit. Prices have yet to be announced. Growing age of UK vehicle fleet revealed NINE million (one in five) of the UK’s 40.3 million vehicles have more than 100,000 miles on the clock, DVSA figures acquired by Co-op Insurance reveal. The insurer’s own data shows how, in 2018, 10 per cent of Co-op Insurance policies were for cars…

Fisker’s PEAR is set to bear fruit in 2024 AMERICAN EV maker Fisker has confirmed that its second model, the PEAR (above), will begin production in 2024. Set to be built at the brand’s new plant in Ohio, the smaller SUV could cost from $29,900 (around £24,452) when it goes on sale in the US in two years’ time. PEAR stands for Personal Electric Automotive Revolution, and this model will sit below the recently unveiled Ocean SUV, so it’s feasible that this new entry-level EV’s battery will be closer to 60kWh for a range of around 200 miles. Used-car sales strong in first quarter of 2022 A WHOPPING 1,774,351 used cars changed hands in the first quarter of 2022. That’s 86,596 (5.1 per cent) more than in the same period…

Alastair_crooks@autovia.co.uk ● Four-door EV due in 2023 ● May offer range of 435 miles OUR spy photographers have spotted Volkswagen’s upcoming Aero B model undergoing testing, giving us our best look yet at the firm’s rival for the Tesla Model 3. The shots show that the new all-electric saloon will have a similar design to VW’s ID range. At the front the nose is short and low to help aerodynamic performance, while the look of the lower grille and headlights is reminiscent of the ID.4 SUV’s. The grille is still camouflaged, but is likely to be smaller and blanked off on the production car, previewed in our exclusive image (right). Set to go on sale next year, the Aero B was first shown as a concept, dubbed the ID. Vizzion,…

We want to hear your views. Send your questions or opinions to the E-mailaddress below Contact Tristan Shale-Hester mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress HOT TOPIC Vauxhall Manta FROM: Nick Bull I HAD a Vauxhall Cavalier back in the day. By comparison, this looks like a fitting evolution. Sceptics need to get over their criticism of new EVs. Not only are they the future, but quite frankly, they’re better than what we had. FROM: Wayne Gillions ANOTHER boring electric SUV making a mockery of the name of what was a superb car years ago. It feels as though manufacturers are resurrecting old names to encourage people of that generation to go electric. No, thank you. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ■ “A coupé-SUV that isn’t a sports car or an off-roader; just what the…

matt_robinson@autovia.co.uk FROM the sounds of it, there was a fair amount of internal debate about what Volkswagen should call its performance focused electric vehicles. The company’s product line spokesperson, Martin Hube, told us at the launch of the ID.5 that he had argued strongly for the use of GTI, asserting that in such settings the ‘I’ could stand for ‘intelligence’. In the end, the brand went another way, and the GTX performance EV sub-brand was born. But after this first drive in the new Volkswagen ID.5 GTX, we’re glad that it isn’t wearing a ‘GTI’ badge. The company pitches GTX at the same level as diesel GTD and plug-in hybrid GTE models, but in reality, it doesn’t even offer the same levels of excitement or involvement found in those cars.…

Running costs 49.6mpg (WLTP) £81 fill-up/£155 or 30% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 381/1,237 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.5 seconds/139mph MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen Golf 1.5 eTSI DSG Style PRICE: £30,295 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4cyl, 148bhp FOR a little less than you’d pay for the top-spec 308, it’s possible to combine the Golf’s highranking Style trim with the 1.5 TSI mild-hybrid turbo petrol engine and an automatic gearbox. Before options, it comes to £30,295. The car in our pictures is the plug-in hybrid Golf eHybrid. Design & engineering EVER since its original release in 1974, the Golf has been a constant in the family car segment. Throughout each of its eight generations so far, it has almost without fail been the benchmark when it comes to classless design, sturdy build quality and class-leading…

Ford Focus 1.0 E’Boost Titanium Vignale PRICE: £29,275 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl mHEV, 153bhp THIS year has seen the evergreen Ford Focus revised with some styling tweaks and a much-improved infotainment system. As before, it remains the choice of the keen driver in this segment, but it’s also more spacious inside than our three contenders, too. Skoda Octavia 1.5 TSI e-TEC SE L PRICE: £29,465 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4cyl mHEV, 148bhp CAPABLE though these three hatches are, none has enough to topple the Octavia from the class lead. In terms of comfort, cabin accommodation and boot capacity, it leads the class comfortably, while its build quality runs the 308 very close.…

Steve_Fowler@autovia.co.uk @stevefowler IT’S AMAZING how much has changed over the past couple of years. Take our central London office, for example. As you can see from our main picture, the street outside has been transformed into a park to be used by those who still venture into town. We’re only in the office once or twice a week now, but when I do go into London, driving an EV is essential to avoid the £15-a-day Congestion Charge. And my Audi Q4 e-tron is the perfect companion. Most of my 22-mile commute is along the A40, where I make use of the Audi’s driver-assistance features, combining adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist. I set the cruise at the speed limit, which the car automatically adjusts and sticks to (very handy along…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Q After a compact compressor I’M looking for a cordless compressor to keep in the car, preferably in the spare-wheel well. However, the ones I’ve seen are too large. Can you recommend a suitable compressor? Nathan Jones, E-mail A IF inflation speed isn’t a concern, then Ring’s RTC2000 (above) could be the way to go. It’s about the size of a large drinks can and would probably fit in a cup-holder. It gets the job done, but at a slower rate than a full-size compressor. It also charges from a USB socket, so can be revived in the car. Expect to pay around £40. Q Looking for low-cost lance I READ your snow foam lance test with interest, but wondered if there was a less expensive…

THE advances in batteries and cordless tools have seen the launch of entire ranges built around the same charger and powerpack. We’ve previously tested drills and impact drivers, but what are the other options in these ranges like? To find out, we got Ryobi’s One+ Project Area Light onto our test bench to compare it with our current choice for illuminating large spaces, Ring’s MAGflex Utility RIL3700HP. We checked light output, beam spread and run time, plus looked for battery state indicators and charging options. We also considered price. The Ryobi makes sense if you already have the One+ system, but it lacks the small details included in specialist alternatives like the Ring, which remains our choice. “We checked light output, beam spread and run time” CORDLESS SYSTEM Ryobi One…

Verstappen on a roll as F1 heads to Spain FORMULA 1 heads to the familiar ground of the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, this weekend, after the novelty of the first-ever Miami Grand Prix. Although Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc still holds the points lead, the momentum is with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who’s looking to make it three victories on the trot after passing polesitter Leclerc to take the win in Miami. The Dutchman is 19 points adrift going into the weekend. Mercedes, meanwhile, remains in what team boss Toto Wolff describes as “no man’s land” – well off the pace of both Red Bull and Ferrari, although both Hamilton (sixth) and Russell (fifth) scored a haul of points in Miami. Marrakesh plugs gap in Formula E calendar FORMULA E…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk ● M division’s first PHEV ● XM SUV boasts 644bhp BMW’S M division turns 50 this year, and to mark the occasion, the brand will build itself a birthday present. It’s called the XM – previewed by last year’s Concept XM – and we’ve had the chance to try a pre-production model. This large SUV is the M division’s first plug-in hybrid and is powered by a new 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. This is supplemented by a 25kWh battery that powers an electric motor mounted inside the car’s eight-speed automatic gearbox, which sends power to all four wheels through BMW’s M xDrive set-up. Total output stands at 644bhp and 800Nm of torque, with the electric motor delivering 194bhp on its own for up to 10 seconds (the rest of…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy ● Zero-emissions sports car will hark back to classic Spider ● Platform layout will allow for rear or four-wheel drive “There are strong hints that the roadster is taking inspiration from the classic rear-drive model” ALFA Romeo is kick-starting its recovery under new owner Stellantis with the newly launched Tonale SUV – but the company isn’t likely to wait too long before it ends enthusiasts’ wait for a successor to the fabled Duetto Spider. Alfa Romeo’s CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has previously revealed that work on a reborn roadster has already been prepared by the company’s design chief Alejandro Masonero-Romanos – while insisting that a return for a badge last seen more than a decade ago cannot even be considered until higher-volume models have been successfully launched or renewed.…

ELSEWHERE at Audi, the German firm has revealed a number of new paint finishes that are part of its ‘Audi Exclusive Programme’. More vibrant shades are offered on the RS Q3 and TT RS (below) in the brand’s RS line-up, while new colours are available on most of the standard range, too. The updates are part of a number of revisions for the 2023 model year, including new driver-assistance features and interior upholstery options. The revised Audi line-up is on sale from late May.…

tristan_shale-hester@autovia.co.uk @tristan_shale ● Government will introduce a legal framework for scooter use PRIVATELY owned e-scooters will be legalised for use on UK public roads and cycle lanes in a new Transport Bill. Transport minister Baroness Vere said the Government planned “to create a regulatory framework for smaller, lighter, zero-emission vehicles, sometimes known as e-scooters”. She added: “It is our intention that the Bill will create a low-speed, zero-emission vehicle category that is independent from the cycle and motor vehicle categories. New powers would allow the Government to decide the vehicles that fall into this new category in future and how they should be regulated to make sure that they are safe to use. We hope that e-scooters will be the first of these vehicles.” The confirmation followed a series of…

Dean_Gibson@autovia.co.uk @DeanGbsn FORD has added another electric commercial vehicle to its growing zero-emissions line-up: the new E-Transit Custom. It slots into the one-tonne van segment and will rival the likes of the Citroen e-Dispatch, Vauxhall Vivaro-e and their Peugeot, Toyota and Fiat equivalents. Ford has yet to confirm specifications, but it’s aiming for the E-Transit Custom to have a range of around 240 miles, 40 more than the best from the Stellantis group models. On the outside, the E-Transit Custom has an evolutionary look similar to the current Transit Custom. The large honeycomb grille has been smoothed off to improve its aerodynamics and is flanked by slender LED headlights. Overall the van is less than two metres tall, so it has a sleeker profile than the combustion-engined version. However, Ford…

Chris_Rosamond@autovia.co.uk WEEKS before the scheduled publication of the British Standard Institute’s PAS 1899 chargepoint accessibility standard, Motability is funding research to determine accessible cable weights. It comes after Auto Express tested a public chargepoint deemed to meet PAS 1899 guidance that was published in draft form in March. Our test highlighted accessibility barriers faced by disabled testers, who couldn’t manage the heavy cables. The PAS 1899 draft was published by the BSI for public consultation, following a process announced in June 2021 involving Motability, the Department for Transport’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles OZEV (the two joint funders of the PAS), chargepoint makers, local authorities and others. Both the DfT and chargepoint industry have routinely implied the new standard would be game-changing for disabled EV drivers, following criticism over existing…

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…

Alex_Ingram@autovia.co.uk @AxleIngram Running costs 47.1mpg (official) £70 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.5 seconds/110mph THE Lexus UX is a car that has impressed us greatly in some areas, but a few flaws have held it back from being a plausible alternative to the Audi Q3, BMW X2 and our class favourite, the Mercedes GLA. For 2022, there’s been a rejig of the trim structure, and there are now four on offer. At the bottom is the basic UX, with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a seven-inch infotainment screen and fabric upholstery. Above that is the Premium Sports Edition. This model’s wheels are an inch larger, while inside there’s an artificial leather material on the heated front seats. It also gains a reversing camera, parking sensors all round and lane departure warning.…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.8 seconds/137mph Running costs 40.9mpg (official) £74 fill-up THE Mazda MX-5 is an affordable sports car icon, with Mazda shifting more than a million units during the 30-odd years it’s been on sale. Most of these were soft-top cabrios, but the Mk3 featured a retractable hard-top and the RF kept this feature when it arrived in 2016. This diversified the MX-5 range and gave customers a slightly different choice in the small two-seater sector. Now, like the soft-top, it’s been updated for 2022, with a number of minor tweaks to keep the car feeling fresh in a class that’s not exactly crowded. At £33,960, this topspec 2.0-litre RF GT Sport Tech’s closest competitor will come in the form of the Toyota GR86 coupé when that car…

Running costs 43.5mpg (WLTP) £84 fill-up/£165 or 31% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 412/1,323 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 9.7 seconds/130mph MODEL TESTED: Peugeot 308 PureTech 130 GT Premium PRICE: £31,520 ENGINE: 1.2-litre 3cyl turbo, 129bhp WE’RE testing the 308 in its highest trim level here. The GT Premium model is paired with the PureTech 130 petrol engine, while every model in the line-up comes with an automatic gearbox. The list price is £31,520, and with the £545 optional Cumulus Grey paint of our car, the total is £32,065. Design & engineering AS with many other Peugeot, Citroen, DS and Vauxhall products, the latest 308 is underpinned by the EMP2 architecture originally developed by PSA before the Stellantis group was formed. Here it’s able to accommodate petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid…

Peugeot 308 Peugeot i-Cockpit Key features: Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto THE 308 is the first Peugeot to benefit from a newly updated user interface for its infotainment set-up. While it’s a huge improvement over the systems in previous models, it’s still not without its flaws. On the great side is the screen itself. The resolution is very high, which means that the graphics are crisp and clear, and the rear-view camera looks as detailed as the best systems on the market. Beneath the main display sits a bank of touch-sensitive shortcut keys, which can be customised to show the controls you use the most. Loading times are excellent, too. However, Peugeot has chosen to stick with the same climate-control arrangement, so all functions are selected via the touchscreen, including temperature controls…

SAVE 43% ON THE SHOP PRICE After your initial 6 issue trial, your subscription will continue at £26.99 every 13 issues representing a saving of 43% on the shop price. FREE DELIVERY Never miss an issue with every copy delivered straight to your doorstep. FULLY FLEXIBLE You are able to cancel at any time using a dedicated customer portal or by getting in touch. There are more options than ever to subscribe to Auto Express with both print and digital versions available, or perhaps you’d like a combination of both, the choice is yours OK I’M IN! HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? 1 ORDER ONLINE AT autoexpress.co.uk/subscribe (or call 0330 333 9491 if you prefer the human touch). 2 ENTER THE OFFER CODE DMAY22 and select the offer you’d like to take.…

Raring To Go! Ted Macauley (Veloce Publishing, veloce.co.uk) Price: £16.99 Rating: THE autobiography of newspaper sports journalist and columnist Ted Macauley is a very interesting read. It’s full of exciting behind-the-scenes tales, including encounters with some of the author’s personal friends, such as Mike Hailwood and Barry Sheene. These sit alongside photos from Ted’s collection. Ford Mustang: The First Generation Clive Branson (Amberley Publishing, amberley-books.com) Price: £14.99 Rating: THIS publisher’s trend for brief, compact books is rather limiting when it comes to an icon like the Ford Mustang. There’s simply not enough space to do the subject matter justice. It is otherwise interesting and possibly a good first Mustang book for a younger fan, but seasoned enthusiasts will be left wanting. Bus Simulator: Ultimate Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free Rating:…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@autovia.co.uk Q Is dealer right to declare car warranty is now invalid? MY wife’s car broke down and a local garage advised that the fault should be fixed under warranty. The dealer claims the warranty is now invalid because an independent mechanic has looked at the car. Is this right? Name withheld, E-mail A AS long as any work carried out by the independent garage was done with manufacturer-approved parts and in line with manufacturer recommendations, your warranty should not be invalidated. Ask the dealer again to book the car in for repair under warranty. If they refuse, ask them to state their reason in writing. Consider a written complaint and/or a report to the Motor Ombudsman. Q Will hazard lights still work if an EV…

TWO years after Covid first clobbered us, the car business in the UK remains badly bruised, but still alive and kicking. It’s down, but not out. And believe it or not, in some departments, it’s healthier today than two years back. I’ve accessed the like-for-like (Spring 2020 vs Spring 2022) figures. Thankfully, they state that we still have 60-plus specialist manufacturers and that all seven of our major premium and sports car makers remain. Mainstream manufacturer numbers dipped from six to five – thanks to Honda abandoning its Swindon factory. But the fact is that the struggling, isolated firm (now in need of a new partner or owner, surely) long ago lost its appetite for building cars in Blighty. On a happier note, in the same pandemic-ravaged period, the number…