Innholdsfortegnelse for Awards 2024 i What Car?

A lot has changed since I was involved in my first What Car? Car of the Year Awards, more years ago than I care to remember. Back then, remote working meant a week-long comparison test in Wales; the cover of the magazine was still shot on film because digital cameras didn’t have the necessary resolution; and our reviews team shared a single laptop, with the person assigned to the most important launch getting to take it. However, what hasn’t changed is the fundamental purpose of the awards: to help people buy the right car for their needs. And that’s why we’ve spent the past 12 months putting every new and updated model through the most comprehensive range of tests in the motoring journalism business. We’ve debated the merits of the…

WHAT CAR? IMAGE ‘The electric version is said to match its V8 petrol stablemates on performance’ YOU DON’T GET a second chance to make a first impression, so the saying goes. But that’s precisely what the new Range Rover Electric is seeking to do. You see, for some, the luxury SUV’s diesel and petrol engine lineup is a symbol of a time gone by. So, could the introduction of the electric Range Rover change those perceptions? The hope is that it’ll appeal to EV (electric vehicle) fans and Range Rover devotees alike; Land Rover bosses say it’ll be the quietest and most refined Range Rover so far, yet it will still be able to wade through water up to 850mm deep – just 50mm shy of what other Range Rovers…

WHEN IT COMES to SUVs, Mercedes-Benz has pretty much every niche covered. Looking for a rugged yet prestigious off-roader? The G-Class is for you. Want something big, luxurious and also electric? The EQS SUV has you covered. So, where does the GLB fit in? Well, the GLB is for families who want a posh seven-seater but don’t want anything enormous. Its closest rival is the similarly accommodating Land Rover Discovery Sport, and despite looking every inch the SUV, the GLB actually shares its underpinnings with the rather smaller A-Class hatchback. Launched back in 2019, the GLB has now been updated with exterior styling tweaks, a revised infotainment system and modified petrol engines. Really, the revisions seem minor, but with an all-new version of its Hyundai Santa Fe rival arriving soon,…

EVEN IF YOU currently own a Range Rover Evoque, we’d be impressed if you could identify this updated version from a glance at its exterior. Other than a few new paint colours (including the Corinthian Bronze in our photos) and simplified front and rear light signatures, not a lot announces this mid-life refresh. You’ll be better off peeking at the interior. It remains as luxurious as before, with plenty of plush, soft-touch materials covering most surfaces, but the biggest visual change concerns the infotainment system. The previous rectangular Pivi Pro 10.0in touchscreen has been replaced by a larger, squarer 11.4in one, running the firm’s latest software. Its crisp graphics and quick response times are very welcome, but it now has a lot more work to do than before, assuming duties…

AFTER A FAIRLY slow start, introducing just two new models during its six years in the UK car market thus far, Polestar is looking to expand its horizons – along with its sales figures – with its first electric SUV. Expected on sale this spring, the Polestar 3 will go head to head with the likes of the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX. It will be followed by the Polestar 4 coupé SUV, and there’s a Polestar 5 performance car in the pipeline. The Polestar 3 is powered by two electric motors – one on each axle, giving it four-wheel drive – and produces 483bhp in standard form. That’s enough for 0-62mph in 5.0sec, and if that’s not quick enough, there’s also a Performance Pack that adds another 27bhp…

In association with IN THE BACK of this magazine, you’ll find data on more than 4000 variants of 445 models from 57 brands. But while such a broad array of choice increases the chances that someone is offering a car that’s ideal for your needs, it can also be overwhelming. And that’s where the annual What Car? Car of the Year Awards come in. First held back in 1978, our awards are the culmination of 12 months of rigorous testing, during which we’ve driven hundreds of new or updated models. To be eligible, a car has to have been tested back to back with its rivals – both on British roads and at our private test track – and it has to be available to order now. We’ve looked at…

Sponsored by Some reviewers have criticised the #1 for being the antithesis of everything the Smart brand had come to represent. However, while we agree with that assessment, we see it as great news. You see, until recently, Smart specialised in tiny cars that were unlike anything else on the road. The trouble was that they were impractical and uncomfortable. By contrast, as a small electric SUV, the #1 sits in one of the most competitive sectors of the new car market, and yet it still manages to better all of its rivals. Inside, it gives four occupants loads of room in which to stretch out – more than they get in the closely related Volvo EX30. And while this has been achieved by making the boot small, Smart provides…

Mileage 5807 List price £63,835 Target Price £63,835 Price as tested £68,375 Test range 260 miles YOU KNOWYOUR car is a design classic when you spot a miniature version of it on a toy shop shelf. That’s what happened recently when I stumbled across a Hot Wheels Volkswagen ID Buzz when out shopping with my kids. Okay, the Lime Yellow paint of the toy doesn’t match the Energetic Orange of my Buzz, and the wheels aren’t a bit like the 20in Solna alloys fitted to the full-size model, but it’s close enough. The novelty of seeing my electric car immortalised in 1:64 scale still hasn’t worn off. Hot Wheels has a tradition of recreating left-field cars in miniature, but the models it chooses are always desirable or pretty – and I’d…

Mileage 810 List price £54,950 Target Price £51,835 Price as tested £56,125 Test range 186 miles THE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT in myToyota bZ4X isn’t as roomy as you might expect of a large SUV. A high, wide centre console creates a surprisingly cocooning, cockpit-like feel, and my hair brushes the ceiling if I lean forwards for a better view at junctions. Thankfully, the bZ4X stops well short of feeling cramped. As long as I adjust the driver’s seat so that it’s most or all the way down, there’s enough space for my 6ft 1in frame to fit behind the wheel comfortably, and the seat itself is supremely cosseting. The driving position isn’t flawless – the steering wheel and pedals feel slightly offset to the right of the seat, and my left…

BACK IN THE 1970s, if you wanted a big, upmarket car to carry your family around in, you bought a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate – even though it wasn’t officially called that until 1993. Yep, Merc’s wagon had no direct rivals, so it was either that or ‘slum it’ in a Ford Granada. These days, though, most rivals, including Audi and BMW, also do big estates, and there are countless posh SUVs to pick from – the latter being the avenue that most family buyers now go down. So, is Mercedes flogging a dead horse by launching an all-new E-Class Estate? Should it follow Volvo and kill off anything that isn’t SUV-shaped – or is there something about a seemingly old-fashioned, traditional estate car that too many people are overlooking? Well,…

IT’S SAID YOU should be wary of meeting your heroes, because they might not live up to expectations. And this doesn’t only apply to people; cars that dazzle from a distance can sometimes disappoint up close, too. One such model was the Aston Martin DB9 Volante, a stunning machine to look at, but one that flexed like it was made from wet cardboard, with vague handling and a crashy ride as a result. However, its replacement, the DB11 Volante, was much more impressive, and now that’s been given a thorough overhaul to become the DB12 Volante. A sister model to the DB12 coupé we drove a few months ago, this latest Volante (the name Aston Martin has long applied to its convertibles) uses the same twin-turbo 4.0-litre petrol V8, with…

“WITH AGE COMES wisdom”, Oscar Wilde once said. And with more than 70 years of evolution behind it, the next-generation Toyota Land Cruiser SUV looks set to be the smartest yet. The 2024 Land Cruiser blends new technologies with the resolute focus on ruggedness with which Toyota’s flagship SUV has been associated since its introduction way back in 1951. As with the most recent model, the latest iteration will be available with a choice of five or seven seats, and we expect it to be just as practical as before. The new Land Cruiser acknowledges models from the line’s history in its styling, but does so while adding up-to-date touches, such as LED lighting, sharp creases along the bodywork and plenty of protective cladding. The previous model’s side-hinged tailgate –…

UNLESS YOU’RE AN aviation geek, the concept of a ‘middle of the market’ aeroplane might be unfamiliar to you, but you’ve probably flown in one. This term refers to an aircraft designed to replace both smaller narrow-body jets, such as the Boeing 737, and larger wide-body jets like the 787, with one plane that does it all. Hence their popularity with airlines. But could this concept work in the car world? Well, Mercedes-Benz is about to find out with the introduction of its new CLE. This indulgent coupé replaces not just one model but two. The theory is that buyers of the old C-Class Coupé now have a slightly larger, more practical machine to upgrade to, without a huge leap in price, while E-Class Coupé fans can move over to…

FAMILY SUV Dacia Spring Things are bouncing at the affordable end of the electric car market, with Dacia uncoiling a model to undercut even Citroën’s upcoming e-C3. With four seats and a small (25kWh usable) battery for up to 149 miles of official range, it could be just the job for hopping around town. Price from £18,000 (est) SMALL/FAMILY CARS AND MPVs Alpine A290 Summer 2024 Sports car specialist goes mainstream with a hot hatch partner to the reborn Renault 5. MG 3 Autumn 2024 Small hatch takes style tips from the electric MG 4, but sticks with mild hybrid petrol power. Renault 5 Summer 2024 A290’s sensible sister could offer a range of up to 249 miles, yet affordability will be key. SMALL SUVS AND FAMILY SUVS BMW X2 and…

50 million Tyres sold in the UK each year for cars, vans, HGVs and buses THERE ARE A whole host of new questions to ponder when you switch from an internal combustion-engined (ICE) car to an electric one. How will you cope with the logistics of charging? What do you do in the event of a flat battery? Even the simple prospect of choosing replacement tyres throws up a new quandary: should you buy tyres that have been specially designed for electric vehicles (EVs), or will any tyres do the job just as well? What makes EV tyres different? Continental Tyres produces the tyres fitted to many new EVs, including those made by BYD, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Tesla. The company’s head of technical services in the UK, Steve Howat,…

In association with Did you ever grow disinterested in a holiday destination, only to return a few years later and find it transformed enough to make it your new go-to place? Well, that’s pretty much what has happened with the Renault Clio. It was always a decent small car choice, but the update visited upon it in 2023 has turned it into a class leader, leapfrogging the Honda Jazz and Skoda Fabia en route. To be honest, just like decorating your house is easier if it isn’t a complete ruin, the Clio didn’t have any serious flaws to make its makeover a major challenge. The latest generation was launched in 2019, and not only was it an attractive machine, but it was also an impressively practical, economical, well equipped and…

Sponsored by Fully electric cars may be the future, but then so is wearable tech – and not everyone has bought a virtual reality headset or even a smartwatch yet. The truth is that right now there are valid reasons for not going electric. If you don’t have off-street parking, for example, you’ll have the added inconvenience of lengthy (and expensive) charging stops. And then there’s the price of the car. Sure, you’ll be quids in if you’re a company car driver paying benefit-in-kind tax, but if you aren’t, you’ll face a bigger initial outlay or higher monthly finance repayments than for an equivalent petrol model. But what if you still want to do your bit for reducing air polution? Well, in that case a hybrid like the Lexus LBX…

In association with ‘THE LEXUS NX FAMILY SUV IS A REAL STAR PERFORMER’ There’s one thing that owners of Lexus cars up to five years old can pretty much be assured of: if their car develops a problem, it will be fixed for free. Indeed, one reason why Toyota’s luxury brand tops the reliability ratings for the seventh consecutive year is that it covered the cost of 100% of the fault repairs that owners told us about. It’s about more than covering the cost of repairs, though. To be the best for reliability, a car brand has to provide owners with topnotch, timely remedial work. And that’s just what Lexus has done over the past two years. In most cases, any issues its cars had were dealt with swiftly and…

Sponsored by If cars experienced sibling rivalry, the Kia EV6 could host a podcast on it, because two of its direct rivals are close relatives. In fact, one of them – the Genesis GV60 – won this award last year, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a formidable contender too. Yet, compared with those models (and many more family electric SUVs besides), the EV6 currently offers the best combination of a great battery range, fast charging, a fine ride/handling balance and generous equipment levels for a competitive price. Our favourite RWD GT-Line version, which has a single 226bhp motor that drives the rear wheels, can officially manage up to 328 miles between charges, and our experience suggests this will translate into 230-270 miles in realworld driving. The quicker and pricier…

Sponsored by Whether you’re ready to go green right now, or are waiting until the final days before the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars kicks in, it’s a fact that more of us will be driving electric vehicles (EVs) every year going forwards. That means more people will be using public charging points, and Tesla’s latest Superchargers will help to ease that transition – even if you’re not driving one of the brand’s models. That’s because the fourth-generation (V4) Superchargers have been designed with any EV in mind. Non-Teslas have been able to top up at some Supercharger sites around the UK (31 at the time of writing) for the past 18 months or so, but the process hasn’t always been quick or easy. This promises to…

In association with Choose any of our 2024 award winners and you’ll be getting the best car of its kind. However, the overall Car of the Year title is reserved for the model that has moved things on the farthest in the past 12 months. And this year, that’s the Lexus LBX. Sales of small SUVs like the LBX are booming right now, with car buyers loving their blend of chunky looks, elevated seating and sensible running costs. However, while almost every mainstream manufacturer offers at least one of these vehicles, small SUVs that wear a prestige badge are rare. Lexus has spotted a gap in the market, then. And this limited direct competition could have easily led it to penny pinch. But instead, it has created a proper mini-Lexus…

Mileage 7548 List price £22,595 Target Price na Price as tested £22,595 Test economy 46.9mpg IF LOOKS COULD kill, the one my partner shot at me when I announced that we should go on a winter camping holiday in Wales would have stopped a raging bull in its tracks. However, when I said that I’d prepare everything and she wouldn’t have to lift a finger, her mood softened, and I knew I needed to get to work while the going was still good. Step one was to turn my Dacia Jogger from a seven-seat car into a five-seater – a task that meant removing its third row of seats entirely. Fortunately, this is easy to do, because once you’ve folded the backrests down, you simply have to pull a red…

FINAL REPORT IN THE 2017 film Downsizing, Matt Damon’s character decides to shrink himself in an effort to live more sustainably and make his money go further without compromising on the creature comforts that he’s become used to. And I embarked on a similar experiment with my Audi Q2. When I started running it, I’d just come out of a full-fat Range Rover. But while I wanted to reduce my running costs – as well as the stress of trying to park on increasingly crowded streets – I also wanted to retain the sort of luxury I’d enjoyed with the larger car. So, did I manage to have my cake and eat it by choosing Audi’s smallest SUV? Well, the Q2 certainly feels like a proper Audi inside, mixing cloth…

Mileage 5742 List price £39,695 Target Price £39,695 Price as tested £39,695 Test range 234 miles AT 6.30AM ON a workday, usually slightly bleary-eyed, I disconnect my BYD Atto 3 from my home charger and prepare for my commute to the What Car? office in Twickenham. I stab the car’s start button, check that Eco mode is on and the air conditioning is switched off to preserve range, then select BBC 6 Music on the DAB radio to preserve my sanity on the M25 motorway. Before I hit the road, however, I have to negotiate my own driveway. It’s quite steeply inclined and rather narrow, aggressively bordered on one side by the bluff brick cliff of my house, with a vicious kerb on the other that’s hungrily poised to gouge chunks…

In production 2019-present Price from £19,000 Our favourite version Standard Range Plus MARKETERS ARE CLEVER people: to catch your attention, they throw around adjectives like ‘game-changing’, ‘revolutionary’ and ‘ground-breaking’, even when the product isn’t. Say those things about the Tesla Model 3, though, and we wouldn’t revolt. Since its arrival, the Model 3 has remained a class leader; it’s received both new and used car awards from us, partly because it offers exceptional performance and range in any form. The first Model 3s in the UK, in entry-level Standard Range Plus form, sprint from 0-60mph in 6.1sec and have an official range of 254 miles. Next up is the Long Range, which shifts those figures to 4.4sec and 348 miles respectively. It’s this version of the Model 3 that, in…

KIA’S NEW SEVEN-SEAT electric SUV is here to be noticed. For one thing, it’s very big; the EV9 is substantially taller, longer and wider than Kia’s former flagship SUV, the excellent combustion-engined Sorento. Secondly, the EV9 looks like nothing else on the road; its ‘Robocop’s family transport’ looks mean it stands out like, well, a cyborg at a police picnic. It’s not just all about presence, though. The EV9 is designed to be a practical, usable electric SUV. To that end, its bulky exterior translates to a very accommodating interior, particularly if you go for a seven-seat model. Six-footers can occupy even the rearmost seats with space to spare – as long as those in the middle row refrain from sliding their seats all the way back. Top GT-Line S…

CHEAPNESS AND GOOD value don’t always go hand in hand; what looks a bargain on the shelf can prove to be a false economy when you get it home and find that it falls to bits or doesn’t work like it should. MG, though, has nailed the art of selling thoroughly decent cars at budget prices, and its updated HS is no exception. It’s similar in size to large five-seat SUVs such as the Mazda CX-5, yet it undercuts not only those models on price but also some much smaller models, including the Volkswagen T-Roc. There’s nothing obviously cheap about how the HS looks, either, with the recent tweaks giving it more aggressive front and rear bumpers, redesigned LED lights front and rear, and new alloy wheel designs. The cheapest…

IF YOU’VE BEEN put off electric vehicles (EVs) thus far by high prices, the upcoming Renault Twingo could be the model to change your mind. When it arrives in 2026, it’ll be one of the cheapest new EVs around. Indeed, with a price that’s expected to start at just under £17,000, or from less than £90 per month on a PCP finance deal, the new Twingo will be cheaper than such small car stalwarts as the Seat Ibiza, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Polo – none of which is available in fully electric form. The Twingo is one of seven EVs that Renault plans to have on sale by 2031. Among those are the upcoming Renault 4 and 5, the Megane E-Tech (already on sale) and larger Scenic E-Tech SUV. Unveiled…

THINK OF THE Toyota bZ2X as being the baby bear in Toyota’s growing range of electric vehicles (EVs). It will be the brand’s smallest EV when it goes on sale next year, sitting below the existing bZ4X and the upcoming bZ3X, which is due later this year. Unveiled in concept form, the new model will take on the Jeep Avenger, upcoming Mini Aceman and Smart #1 in the growing market for small electric SUVs. And while it shares some design elements with its larger counterparts, including thin LED headlights and a rear light bar running the full width of the car, it also takes on a more upright, aggressive stance than those models. Although no technical details have been released, we know what could power the bZ2X, thanks to Toyota’s…

IN THE FIRST half of 2023, criminals stole £580 million from consumers through scams and fraud, and a growing number of those fraudulent transactions were for second-hand cars or car parts. Automotive scams are proving highly lucrative for fraudsters. And the worrying news for car owners and buyers is that scams such as these increased by 74% between January and June 2023, compared with the same period the previous year, according to data released by Lloyds Banking Group. The most costly vehicle scams are ones where criminals advertise fake cars for sale at temptingly low prices, get buyers to pay for them up front and then disappear with the money. The used Ford Fiesta is the model most commonly reported as being the subject of a scam, followed by second-hand…

Sponsored by From frantically waving a torch to finding the tallest person around, you’ll see people adopt all sorts of inventive ways to attract their friends while standing in a packed crowd at Wembley. To stand out among the ever-growing family SUV crowd, the Kia Sportage has been much more subtle and instead lets the fact that it’s a great all-rounder do the talking. Even when you simply look at the range of engines, there’s something for everyone, with the Sportage offering petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. Even so, we think the entrylevel 1.6 T-GDi is the way to go. You see, with 148bhp, that engine gives you plenty of performance when you need a sudden burst of pace for overtaking or joining a motorway, but it’s still efficient…

Sponsored by The MG brand has been through a number of hands, but with the MG 4, the now Chinese-owned company has, in a way, gone back to its roots. You see, where its Abingdon-based ancestor made its name with sports cars that the ordinary person could afford, today’s MG Motor (part of the Shanghai-based SAIC Motor) has done the same with electric cars. And we’re not talking about cheap and nasty, either. The MG 4 is a genuinely good car – good enough to have you wondering if there’s any point in spending more. It’s a five-door hatchback, comparable in size and shape to the hybrid-powered Honda Jazz, but with a fully electric power set-up that makes it a rival to the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric, for…

Sponsored by ‘THE ID 7 EXCELS AT PROTECTING VULNERABLE ROAD USERS’ Not only did the Volkswagen ID 7 gain the highest scores of the year in three of the four Euro NCAP testing categories, but when you delve deeper into its scores, it’s also the top performer in a number of key areas. It collected full marks for the full-width frontal crash test; it was found to provide excellent protection for occupants of most statures (tested using dummies in a range of sizes), and this shows that Volkswagen takes an inclusive view in its cars’ crash protection. In addition to keeping those inside it safe, the ID 7 does a good job of sharing the energy of an impact with another vehicle. This helps it to protect the occupants of…

FINAL REPORT HOMES BUILT TO Passivhaus principles (like the one above) incorporate details such as triple glazing, solar panels and recycled newspaper insulation to reduce their environmental impact. And in much the same way, my fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge helped me take a big leap towards living a more eco-friendly life. For example, a lot of its interior is made from recycled PET plastic. And while running on electricity didn’t make it completely clean (the car’s exact impact on the environment depends on where you charge and how that energy is produced in the first place), it did mean I wasn’t contributing to local air pollution. I didn’t have to sacrifice any fun or comfort to go greener, though. Indeed, one of the things I loved about my XC40…

Mileage 9200 List price when new (2022) £99,245 Price new with options £100,790 Value now £90,498 Test economy 31.2mpg THESE DAYS, BUYING a diesel car is about as fashionable as wearing socks with sandals. However, with the exception of company car drivers – who will benefit from the low benefit-in-kind tax bills that the plug-in hybrid model brings – I’d urge anyone in the market for a Range Rover Sport to seriously consider the D350 engine that I’ve got. You see, this six-cylinder unit is supersmooth, even when cold. It’s also all but inaudible when you’re cruising at speed or pottering around town, emits a lovely burble when you put your foot down, and delivers pace worthy of the car’s‘Sport’ name. The only thing that might leave you feeling underwhelmed…

FIRST REPORT IN 1997 (COINCIDENTALLY, around this time of year), when I was still in primary school, one of the group tests I was reading in What Car? was quite an important one in the SUV world. You see, the original Land Rover Freelander had just arrived on the scene, becoming the smallest and most affordable model in the brand’s range. It was pitted against the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, and while the Freelander (unsurprisingly) felt the most rugged of the three, the CR-V was recognised as having the best engine, and its Honda Civic-style controls made it the most car-like to drive. Twenty-six years later, I reckon there are some parallels between that original CR-V and the sixth-generation version currently parked on my driveway. The petrol engine may…

Mileage 7523 List price £28,235 Target Price £26,408 Price as tested £28,235 Test economy 42.2mpg I’VE BEEN CHEWING through the miles in my Vauxhall Mokka – around 7500 of them so far – which means I now feel well qualified to talk about how this car feels once the showroomfresh shine has worn off. The first thing to note is that I’ve spent those miles sitting very comfortably. It was easy to find a bang-on driving position from the first time I got behind the wheel, and I particularly like the fact that it places me a little higher than I’d be in a regular family car. It’s no Range Rover, of course, but I still have a commanding view ahead, which is a pleasure on the motorway. Plus, I’m…

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 9000…