Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i What Car?

The first hydrogen fuel cell car that I drove was based on the Hyundai ix35. At the time, conventional versions of the ix35 had already been discontinued, and yet this SUV, whose exhaust emitted nothing but water vapour, felt like the future. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t write off hydrogen fuel cell power just yet’ Since then, of course, the majority of car makers – and governments – seem to have decided that battery-electric power is actually the way forward and the hydrogen fuel cell car is destined to be one of those concepts that never quite makes it. But perhaps we shouldn’t write it off just yet. Some big brands are continuing to develop hydrogen models, including BMW, whose latest prototype we’ve driven on page 19. And there are other factors that…

IT’S EASY FOR smaller family members to be overshadowed by bigger relatives, and the Renault Clio’s new styling should ensure that it doesn’t come across as the runt of the litter. Freshly updated, the Clio now has a new front-end design that aligns its looks with the brand’s Megane E-Tech electric car and the recently launched Austral family SUV. The Clio’s engine range remains unchanged: you can have a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine (badged TCe 90) or a 1.6-litre hybrid (E-Tech Hybrid 145). Renault had previously planned for the Clio to go hybrid-only with the refresh, but because of the current economic climate, the more affordable petrol option has been retained. The Evolution and Techno trims also remain, but the previous range-topping RS Line trim has gone, replaced by Esprit…

NON-IDENTICAL TWINS MAY not look the same on the outside, but they share a good portion of their genetic make-up. Similarly, while the new Fiat 600e has its own, unique look, it’s actually twinned with several other electric SUVs under the metal. And in this case, sharing with other cars is a good thing. The 600e uses the same underpinnings and 154bhp electric motor as the Jeep Avenger and Peugeot e-2008 – both of which get a four-star rating from us. The 600e should be reasonably nippy for a heavy electric SUV, too (the 0-62mph sprint takes 9.0sec), but if that sounds too pedestrian for you, in-house performance division Abarth is expected to unveil a hotter version next year. The 600e’s 51kWh (usable) battery – also shared with its Jeep…

SKODA’S FIRST SUV quickly made a strong name for itself; the original Kodiaq combined a classy interior with seven-seat versatility and great value for money, wrapped up in a fashionably chunky shape. Now, a new generation is on the way that promises to build on those virtues, while offering a revised range of engines designed to improve efficiency. With production beginning early next year, the Kodiaq will continue to share parts with other family SUVs from the VW Group, including the Volkswagen Tiguan. We’ll have to wait until later this year for prices, trims and standard kit to be confirmed, but we know that racier-looking SportLine models will be offered alongside the more restrained regular trims, and a hot vRS version is likely to arrive later. At launch, there will…

JUST AS THE Samsung Galaxy Fold was created to replace smartphones and tablets with one do-it-all device, the new Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé blends two existing models – the C-Class Coupé and E-Class Coupé – into a single one. With seating for four, the CLE Coupé is similar in size to the old E-Class Coupé, at a bit over 4.8 metres long. It will be joined next year by a CLE Cabriolet, to replace the existing C-Class and E-Class convertibles. Initially, the CLE will be available with four engine options, each connected to a nine-speed automatic gearbox and featuring mild hybrid electrical assistance to improve performance and urban fuel economy. Entry-level versions feature a 201bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine with rear-wheel drive, although four-wheel drive is optionally available. Next up is a…

A DECADE AGO, if you were thinking about buying a new car, you’d simply check out the latest offerings from the usual list of car brands: Citroën, Peugeot or Skoda if you wanted an affordable, no-nonsense model, Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen for a mid-range model, and Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz for an upmarket motor. All that has changed in the past few years, with lots of new brands appearing online and on the high street. One reason behind this is the rise of fully electric vehicles (EVs) ahead of the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars that comes into force in the UK in 2030. Relatively new brands such as Tesla have come to prominence by focusing solely on selling zero-emissions cars. Others have followed, including Volvo’s…

INTRODUCTION IT’S FAIR TO SAY that the UK has something of a love affair with SUVs, due to their high driving positions, spacious interiors and, not least, their rugged looks. But shall we let you in on a little secret? Peel the body panels away from a lot of modern SUVs and you’ll find that they share underpinnings with regular family hatchbacks. That’s good news for comfort, fuel economy and handling, but it tends to limit their capabilities off the beaten track. So, what if you need a car that won’t be phased by a steep, rock-strewn hill, a flooded road or a deep quagmire? Which cars fit the bill? To find out, we’ve gathered together 10 SUVs equipped with four-wheel drive and divided them up into rival pairs. The…

FIRST REPORT YOU NEVER FORGET the car you learned to drive in. For me, it was a Citroën C3, and I still vividly recall the thrill of taking it those first 20 metres or so at 5mph – and managing to avoid crashing into anything. It’s safe to say that I was no road tester, but nevertheless, during the course of my lessons, I was still able to notice and appreciate a subtle, calming waft to the C3’s ride. And ever since then, I’ve had a soft spot (no pun intended) for models that place comfort ahead of handling. With this in mind, I leapt at the chance to run a Citroën C5 Aircross family SUV as my company car, because the French manufacturer is well known for its policy…

Mileage 3898 List price £77,495 Target Price £73,841 Price as tested £84,035 Test range 228 miles BEAUTY MAY BE in the eye of the beholder, but I reckon the same is true of practicality. After all, with much bigger electric SUVs available for similar money, a car like my Jaguar I-Pace will never get a five-star What Car? rating in this area, yet I’ve found it more than spacious enough for my family needs. A few examples: my 6ft-tall friends have travelled in the back with no risk of head butting the panoramic glass roof, and after my daughter’s sixth birthday party, the I-Pace’s boot easily swallowed presents from 20 of her friends, plus all of the rubbish and recycling they’d created. So, yes, if you regularly travel five up,…

FIRST REPORT WHEN YOU SOMETIMES watch cars being crashed into each other as part of your day job, and you spend a large chunk of your time writing about models that have suffered a litany of costly faults, the importance of safety and reliability are really brought to the fore. So, while I love a car that’ll pirouette around roundabouts and raise a smile on a winding country lane, I think it’s more important to go for something that actively minimises my risk of being involved in an accident, and which isn’t likely to leave me stranded at the roadside. A Volvo XC40 should be a great choice on both of those counts, because it comes with a suite of sophisticated active safety systems and has a solid reputation for…

‘FIESTA’ MEANS ‘PARTY’, so if the regular Ford Fiesta is an enjoyably casual get-together, this ST hot hatch version is a whirlwind night out in Las Vegas. It may have only a 1.5-litre petrol engine under the bonnet, but it puts out a punchy 197bhp. All of that power goes to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox – an endearingly old-school approach. In other areas, the Fiesta ST sports some modern toys. The Performance Pack – an optional extra from new that became standard and is common on used models – comes with a limited-slip differential (LSD) for enhanced front-end traction, as well as launch control and shift lights to tell you when you’re about to hit the rev limiter. You can dismiss the entry level ST-1 trim,…

BMW 5 Series Price from £51,010 Data fact Executive saloon is more than five metres long and officially returns 48.7mpg in petrol engined 520i M Sport form Maserati GranTurismo Price from £145,350 Data fact Italian sports car blasts from 0-62mph in just 3.5sec Volvo EX30 Price from £33,795 Data fact The cheapest version of the Swedish brand’s smallest electric SUV can officially take you 213 miles on a charge ELECTRIC CARS WITH THE LONGEST OFFICIAL RANGES 1.Mercedes-Benz EQS Up to 453 miles 2.Fisker Ocean Up to 440 miles 3.Polestar 2 Up to 406 miles 4.BMW i7 Up to 387 miles 5.BMW iX Up to 382 miles 6.Mercedes-Benz EQE Up to 376 miles…

What happens when two superpowers join forces? Well, Batman and Superman made light work of Lex Luthor when they teamed up for the first time in 2016’s Dawn of Justice, those new Burger King Whopper-flavoured Doritos are a smash hit, and who can deny that Queen and David Bowie’s collaboration on Under Pressure is one of the defining songs of its era? You’d expect greatness to shine through, then, when two of the world’s leading car makers work together to create their new electric vehicles – particularly when they already have a successful track record of combining their strongest attributes. The two brands in question here are Audi and Porsche – both part of the expansive VW Group and already successful collaborators, with the Audi E-tron GT electric performance car…

IF YOU WERE to use the Scoville chilli scale to measure the spice of an electric car, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N would be at a Carolina Reaper level of heat. You see, when it goes on sale later this year, it will be one of the most powerful electric cars you can buy. Hyundai’s N performance division has given this practical hatchback a serious injection of spice, with two electric motors (one for each pair of wheels, making it four-wheel drive) and a total power output of 601bhp. What’s more, an ‘N Grin Boost’ mode lifts power to 641bhp for short periods, resulting in a scorching 0-62mph time of 3.4sec. That’s 0.1sec quicker than the closely related Kia EV6 GT can achieve. The Ioniq 5 N isn’t just about…

IF SOMEONE ASKED you to guess what the fastest car you can buy for less than £40,000 is, we’d wager your answer wouldn’t be an MG 4. Why would it be? This electric family hatchback has long impressed us with its relatively low price and respectable range between charges, but a performance car or hot hatch it most definitely is not. Or at least it wasn’t. You see, it appears MG has grown weary of its newfound fame for building budget runarounds, so it’s decided to revive its decades-old reputation for making affordable sports cars. It plans to launch the all-new Cyberster drop-top next year, but to inject a bit of excitement into its line-up before then, MG has given its Volkswagen ID 3 rival more power than a Mercedes-AMG…

THE FIRST STEP in healthy living is to remove the excess fat from your diet. Stick to nutritious essentials and the pounds will soon fall off, and that also explains how the electric Dacia Spring carries such an alluringly lean price tag. Set to proudly assume the title of the UK’s cheapest new electric car when it goes on sale, the circa-£20,000 Spring will substantially undercut our current favourite small electric car, the MG 4 EV (which starts at £26,995). Before we go any further, we should point out that the car we’re testing here is the current European-market model; the UK will get a refreshed version. The changes are unlikely to be radical, though; it’ll still be a small hatchback with an air of SUV style, but with front-wheel…

SMALL ELECTRIC SUV Fiat Panda This reborn Panda, inspired by the Fiat CentoVenti concept car of 2019, will take on the upcoming Dacia Spring at the affordable end of the electric car (EV) market. Sharing tech with the Jeep Avenger, the Panda is expected to have a range of around 200 miles, and a versatile, simple interior design. Price from £27,000 (est) WHAT CAR? IMAGE SUMMER 2024 SMALL AND FAMILY SUVS Cupra Raval Summer 2024 Baby electric car will be joined by near-twins from Skoda and Volkswagen. Lexus LBX Early 2024 Posher sister to the hybrid-only-Toyota-Yaris Cross promises front and four-wheel drive Mini Countryman Spring 2024 Borrows engines from the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, including a 322bhp plug-in hybrid. Toyota bZ3X Autumn 2023 Volvo C40 rival will share tech…

Although it seems like everyone is setting their sights on battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to enable us to reach the point where all cars are emissions-free, they are by no means the only solution, and not necessarily the most effective. Hydrogen is a different source of clean energy that could help countries realise their green ambitions quicker and more affordably. Given that hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the universe (being found in water, for example) and can hold energy in a similar way to petrol and diesel, its potential as a fuel for vehicles is almost limitless – in theory. It can be fed directly into suitable internal combustion engines, or it can be combined with oxygen in an on-board fuel cell to produce electricity, with the only…

Mileage 1590 List price £54,370 Target Price £53,430 Price as tested £54,990 Test range 238 miles SOMEHOW, WHILE SURFING the internet, I came across a photo of Lake Vyrnwy, a reservoir in north Wales that was created in the 1880s to supply Liverpool with fresh water. With an impressive stone dam spanning the head of the valley, the lake looked so picturesque that it inspired an idea: a road trip there in my Skoda Enyaq Coupé, with no objectives other than to visit a part of the world I’d never been to before and get to know my car better. With Google Maps showing a sea of red on the motorways around Birmingham on the day I set off from London, I opted for a largely cross-country route instead. I knew…

Mileage 8233 List price £49,345 Target Price £47,891 Price as tested £53,341 Test economy 44.9mpg I COULD’VE GONE for a regular petrol or diesel Volkswagen Multivan, but, as someone who likes the idea of electric power but also needs the extended range of a combustion engine, the 1.4-litre plug-in hybrid version seemed like the perfect compromise. To maximise economy, though, I have to keep the hybrid battery charged. And while I can sometimes top it up at the office, I’m otherwise reliant on public chargers. So far, I’ve used whatever charger happens to be nearby; I’ve never made a special trip just to charge up. Unfortunately, though, these top-ups on the run aren’t a whole lot of use. If I plug in at a supermarket while shopping, the battery only goes…

Mileage 10,275 List price when new (2022) £36,450 Price new with options £36,450 Value now £33,000 Test economy 56.5mpg A VERY MEMORABLE sequence in sci-fi epicTerminator 2 involved John Connor trying to escape the clutches of the sinister T1000 cyborg on a two-stroke dirt bike that seemed to have an infinite number of gears. And in a very specific way, my used Honda Civic brings that chase vividly to mind. I’m talking about Sport mode. As with many cars, using this mode instructs the Civic to put economy aside in favour of living a little. But in the Civic, it’s a lot more transformative than is usual. The simple act of toggling the mode on builds the excitement; it makes a sound that could have come straight from an in-game menu…

STAR RATINGS TARGET PRICE The What Car? Target Price is the maximum you should pay for a new car and is set by our mystery shoppers. It’s updated each month and most of our approved dealers will match it. However, in a lot of cases they can save you even more: just visit whatcar.com/new-car-deals. All Target Prices are correct at the time of going to press. TARGET PCP The Target PCP is a fair monthly fee if you’re taking out a £ personal contract purchase (PCP) finance deal, also set by our mystery shoppers. Most are over 48 months with a 15% deposit and an 8000-mile annual limit. Those marked with an asterisk are over 36 months and those with an apostrophe are over 42 months. Ford deals are over…

WALKING OUT OF our swanky hotel situated in the heart of Vienna’s historic Petersplatz square, a fellow journalist and I head towards our test car for the day – the all-new, sixth-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class – and attempt to open the door. The salient word here being ‘attempt’, because it’s only when the retractable door handles fail to deploy from their recessed cubbies that we realise we’re trying to jump inside an S-Class support car. Mistaking one car for another is a rather embarrassing faux pas for an automotive journalist, but since Mercedes has purposely designed the new E-Class to closely resemble its big brother, it can hopefully be excused. More conservatively styled than its all-electric parallel, the EQE saloon, it retains a classic saloon ‘three-box’ design with a long bonnet,…

ONE CAN HAVE a dream, but two can make the dream so real. As the Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston classic says, it takes two. And that’s something BMW has taken on board in its ambition for a zero-emissions future. The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is part of the brand’s plan to offer not only regular battery-electric cars, but also ones that get their electricity from hydrogen. The idea is that hydrogen fuel cell cars will be a better fit for those who can’t fit their life around regularly charging a battery. You see, refuelling a hydrogen-powered car takes just a few minutes. That hydrogen, in liquid form, is reacted with oxygen to produce electricity, and the only emission is water. The first car to properly showcase BMW’s hydrogen technology is…

THE PEUGEOT E-2008 has been an appealing prospect since it was originally introduced in 2020, not least for its sense of style inside and out. However, the small electric SUV class has changed dramatically since then, and the e-2008 has plenty of newer rivals to fend off. There couldn’t be a better time for a refresh, then, and a larger front grille, a reshaped front bumper and revised front and rear lights ring in the changes. Meanwhile, under the surface, the e-2008’s electric motor (driving the front wheels) is boosted from 134bhp to 154bhp. The outgoing e-2008 was always punchy around town, but the additional grunt makes merging with traffic on the motorway easier and the e-2008 now has enough power to give confidence in most everyday driving situations. The…

WHETHER IT’S ALDI versus Lidl or Adidas versus Nike, rivalry between businesses is often healthy, because it can lead to better products and lower prices. In the electric car class, one such contest is between Polestar and Tesla, with the former doing everything it can to keep the latter’s class-leading Model 3 honest. To help in this mission, and to fend off newer rivals such as the BMW i4 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, the Polestar 2 executive car has given a refresh. All versions get larger batteries, faster charging speeds and tweaked electric motors to improve performance and efficiency, while the cheaper Single Motor versions swap from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, in a bid to make them more fun to drive. With its new 79kWh (usable) battery, the Long…

HYUNDAI’S SECOND-SMALLEST SUV has been reborn. The Kona now channels the futuristic styling of the brand’s bigger, all-electric Ioniq 5, emphasising the fact that the Kona line-up includes a fully electric version, as well as petrol and hybrid models. Here, we’re looking at the Kona Electric, which offers batteries of 48.4kWh and 65.4kWh usable capacity. The smaller unit yields an official range of 223 miles and the larger one 319 miles. The latter figure is farther than rivals such as the BYD Atto 3 (260 miles), Kia Niro EV (285 miles) and Smart #1 (273 miles) can go between charges. With a peak charging rate of 102kW, the Kona can replenish its battery from 10-80% in 40 minutes – slightly quicker than the Atto 3 and Niro but slower than…

Mileage 6523 List price £39,495 Target Price £36,881 Price as tested £40,445 Test range 245 miles I’M NOW MANY thousands of miles into life with the Renault Megane E-Tech, so it feels like a good moment to reflect on what it does and doesn’t do well. For starters, to my eyes, it looks great inside and out; the exterior styling sets it apart from other mainstream electric cars, while the interior generally blends modernity and functionality well. Initially, I was worried that I’d be overwhelmed by the plethora of dials, buttons and switches hanging off the steering wheel; with gearshift paddles and volume controls, plus a gamut of stalks, including the gear selector, it all seemed a bit much. However, as is so often the case, time has taught me…

FULL TIME REPORT WHEN I PUT my shorts and jersey on, I’m transformed from professional photographer to a footballer of such prowess that a top club will beat a path to my door any day now, desperate to tempt me away from team What Car?. Or so I’d like to think, anyway. In that regard, my BMW X1 is on the same page: it wants to be the sports star, but its real talents lie elsewhere. Not that it’s short of pace on the pitch. In my chosen xDrive23i spec, it packs 215bhp, which endows it with a nippy 7.1sec 0-62mph time. And while I’ve not had much cause to do a lot of standing-start drag racing, this set-up certainly has what it takes to get you away from the…

Mileage 4733 List price £113,120 Target Price £113,120 Price as tested £122,770 Test economy 31.0mpg THE 1% RULE in business shows that small changes can make a big difference. And in the same vein, two minor features of my Range Rover contrive to greatly enhance the overall experience. The first is the ClearSight rear view camera, which comes as standard with HSE trim and can be switched from working as a conventional mirror (in other words, one that shows a reflection of what’s behind) to a rear-view camera display at the flick of a switch. This is obviously handy when the boot is piled high with luggage and you would otherwise have next to no view of what’s behind the car, but I’ve found it’s also helpful at night, even…