Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2024 i What Car?

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NEW Nissan Juke Hybrid 143Tekna List price £30,595 Target Price £28,251 A refresh for this bold-looking small SUV includes updated tech inside and new exterior colour options. We’re testing it in high-spec Tekna trim, which comes generously equipped NEW Renault Captur E-Tech Full Hybrid 145 Techno List price £26,295 Target Price £26,295 A comprehensive overhaul brings a new look, more tech and a revised range of engines and trims. And as with other recent models from Renault, the new Captur is very keenly priced NEW Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5 Hybrid Design List price £27,130 Target Price £25,299 It’s not only a practical contender but also an exceptionally frugal one. Minor updates include a revised dashboard and the promise of quieter driving manners Renault is taking electrification very seriously right now. In…

Mileage 2432 List price £22,915 Target Price £19,811 Price as tested £23,605 Test economy 44.0mpg WHENEVER I UPGRADE my mobile phone, I briefly think about whether I should switch from an iPhone to something from a different brand. However, I always end up returning to an Apple store, because I’m comfortable with how its phones work. Plus, their ubiquity is reassuring; all of those iPhone users can’t be wrong, right? I reckon it’s a similar story with the Vauxhall Corsa. It, too, is hugely popular, with more than 40,000 of them sold in the UK last year. And now that I’ve lived with mine for a few months, I realise that it’s easy to drive, practical for its size, and basically does everything you need it to with little fuss.…

1 MERCEDES-AMG A45 Our pick S Plus List price £63,370 Target Price £59,870 MPG 30.8 CO2 208g/km For Savage acceleration; immense grip; entertaining handling; quick-shifting automatic gearbox Against Very expensive to buy; Audi RS3 is more comfortable; infotainment controls could be easier to use WHAT CAR? SAYS YOU’LL HAVE NO need for an alarm clock if you own an A45, because you’ll want to wake up at the crack of dawn just so you can go for a blast in it. Not only is this 416bhp, four-wheel-drive rocketship absurdly rapid in a straight line, but it’s also agile and entertaining through corners. Although it isn’t quite as civilised as the rival Audi RS3, the A45 is barely any less practical or easy to live with than a regular A-Class. Bespoke features…

1 TESLA MODEL 3 Our pick RWD List price £39,990 Target Price £39,990 Range 318 miles CO2 0g/km For Class-leading efficiency; fast charging via Tesla’s own network; surprisingly practical; well priced Against Some fiddly controls; saloon boot opening is relatively small; windscreen pillars hamper visibility WHAT CAR? SAYS AS WELL AS being one of the best electric cars you can buy, the Model 3 makes complete sense for company car drivers, largely thanks to its lowly 2% benefit-in-kind tax rating and outstanding efficiency. Even the entry-level rear-wheel-drive (RWD) version we recommend has a long official range (318 miles), while the Long Range model promises 390 miles between charges (on 19in wheels). We know from our own tests that the Model 3 can go farther than most electric rivals in real-world use,…

1 TESLA MODEL 3 Our pick RWD List price £39,990 Target Price £39,990 Range 318 miles CO2 0g/km For Well priced; surprisingly practical; good to drive; outstanding efficiency; Tesla’s excellent charging network Against Some fiddly controls; saloon boot opening can hinder access; windscreen pillars hamper visibility WHAT CAR? SAYS AS WELL AS being our pick in the executive car category, the Model 3 is an easy electric car to recommend to a wider audience; frankly, it makes all other cars in this class look like they’re not trying hard enough. The Model 3 is good to drive (albeit with a firm edge to its ride), offering sweeter handling than the rival Kia EV6 and Polestar 2, plus it’s fast in any guise. What’s more, it’s surprisingly practical for a saloon, with…

1 BMW 4 SERIES COUPÉ Our pick 420i M Sport List price £44,195 Target Price £41,184 MPG 44.8 CO2 144g/km For Great to drive; comfortable ride on adaptive suspension; high-quality interior; decent space in rear seats Against Looks won’t be for everyone; some rivals have larger boots; some wind and tyre noise at high speeds WHAT CAR? SAYS ITS LOOKS MAY be divisive, but whether or not you’re a fan of this 4 Series’ aggressive styling, you’ll love what’s underneath. You see, this is one of the most rewarding driver’s cars in the class; it’s more agile and capable through corners than the Audi A5 Coupé and Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé. And as long as you specify the optional adaptive suspension (which we recommend), it’s more comfortable than the A5 and on…

1 PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN Our pick GTS 4.0 List price £77,695 Target Price £77,695 MPG 25.9 CO2 247g/km For Sublime handling; GTS’s rich and soulful six-cylinder engine; smooth ride; high-quality interior Against Lacks the level of standard kit you’d expect of such a pricey car, both in terms of luxuries and safety WHAT CAR? SAYS IT’D BE EASY to write off the Cayman as a poor man’s 911. It can be bought for as little as half the money, so it must be half the car, right? Well, actually, no; in the ways that matter most, the Cayman is the best sports car on the planet. The only caveat is that you need to go for the GTS version, because this swaps the uncouth four-cylinder engines of lesser versions for a…

FIRST DRIVE Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Alfa’s first electric SUV aims to deliver driving thrills in a practical and well-priced package On sale September Price from £33,895 PT BARNUM FAMOUSLY remarked that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”, and in the case of the Alfa Romeo Junior, we’d be inclined to agree. Following a ban on using the name ‘Milano’ by the Italian government (due to a legal dispute over the car being named after Milan but built in Poland), Alfa Romeo had to hastily rename its first electric SUV. This move garnered Alfa a lot of free mainstream coverage and resulted in what we reckon is a more appropriate name for its latest car. ‘Junior’, you see, references the iconic 1966 GT 1300 Junior, a compact car that…

In association with 1 RENAULT CLIO Our pick 1.0 TCe 90 Techno List price £19,695 Target Price £17,636 MPG 53.3 CO2 119g/km For Very well priced; smart interior is packed with equipment; fine ride and handling balance; practical boot Against Tight for taller adults in the rear seats; slightly firm low-speed ride; high boot loading lip WHAT CAR? SAYS WITH A BROAD spread of abilities and tempting pricing, the latest Clio represents such great value that it’s our reigning Small Car of the Year. As well as being agile and more fun to drive than rivals such as the Skoda Fabia, the Clio has a smart-looking and generously equipped interior with a portrait-style infotainment screen. Although the rear seats are a bit on the snug side for tall adults, the Clio’s…

Sponsored by 1 KIA SPORTAGE Our pick 1.6 T-GDi 3 List price £32,890 Target Price £30,899 MPG 44.1 CO2 146g/km For Smart-looking and spacious interior; large boot; good comfort/handling balance; generous warranty Against Very few options available; slightly unsettled low-speed ride; rear seating could be more flexible WHAT CAR? SAYS SOME PEOPLE MIGHT think they’re getting a superior car if they go for a premium-badged model rather than something more down to earth, but when a car is as well rounded as the Sportage, it’s really difficult to justify the extra outlay. As well as being good to drive and a bit comfier and more refined than the closely related Hyundai Tucson, the Sportage has a smart-looking and user-friendly interior, with loads of space for rear passengers and a large, practical…

1 BMW X7 Our pick xDrive40d M Sport (Ultimate Pack) List price £110,060 Target Price £103,609 MPG 392.6 CO2 16g/km For Super-quiet and cosseting; hugely practical, with loads of room for seven adults; high-quality materials Against There are cheaper alternatives; feels its size and weight; looks won’t be to all tastes WHAT CAR? SAYS IT MAY BE an SUV, but the X7 is everything a luxury car should be, and more. As well as having a sumptuous and tech-laden interior, the X7 benefits from a commanding driving position and easily enough room to seat seven adults in complete comfort; these last two things are not available in saloon alternatives such as BMW’s 7 Series. Decked out in plush, high-quality materials, the X7’s interior has a real wow factor. And if you…

1 SMART #3 Our pick Premium List price £39,950 Target Price £39,950 Range 283 miles CO2 0g/km For Even better to drive than #1; smart interior; reasonably practical; great safety rating Against Slightly unsettled low-speed ride; can be jerky when slowing down; efficiency could be better WHAT CAR? SAYS THE SMART #3 is more than just a #1 with a lower roofline. Although they share many components, the #3 is longer and wider than its sibling. As a result, rather than being compromised by its sleeker shape, it improves on the already excellent #1 in useful ways. A larger (though still not huge) boot makes the #3 a more practical proposition for families, and it still has plenty of space in the rear seats. You sit slightly lower (which might not…

1 BMW 4 SERIES CONVERTIBLE Our pick 420i M Sport List price £51,280 Target Price £47,553 MPG 41.5 CO2 155g/km For Sharp handling; comfy ride on adaptive suspension; user-friendly infotainment system; classy interior Against Some visibility issues; folding rear seatbacks don’t split; adjustable lumbar support costs extra WHAT CAR? SAYS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT we can pay the BMW 4 Series is that on its journey from coupé to convertible, it has remained excellent to drive – something that’s often not the case, given the extra strengthening (and weight) an open-top car needs. In the 4 Series, however, it retains the sharp handling and punchy performance that we so enjoy in the coupé. Plus, the 4 Series features the kind of high-tech, comfortable interior that will make even long journeys a breeze,…

1 BMW M3 TOURING Our pick xDrive Competition List price £87,945 Target Price £82,692 MPG 27.4 CO2 232g/km For Scorching performance; sharp and entertaining handling; practical boot; comfy cruiser; snappy gearbox Against Engine doesn’t sound all that inspiring; expensive to buy and run, and you’ll want to add options WHAT CAR? SAYS IT TOOK BMW 37 years to offer the M3 in estate form, but it was worth the wait. You see, much as we love the M3 saloon, the Touring is even more desirable, thanks to its extra versatility. The M3 Touring uses the same 503bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol engine as the saloon, and it comes with traction-enhancing four-wheel drive as standard to help you make the most of all that power. As well as being incredibly quick (0-62mph takes…

SAVE £1474 Audi A3 Sportback WHAT CAR? SAYS Model 35 TFSI Sport List price £30,530 Target Price £29,056 Target PCP £289 Audi has recently revised the A3, refreshing its exterior design and smartening it up inside. As before, it’s comfortable and practical, plus it has an impressive line-up of engines, our favourite of which happens to be the cheapest. Badged 35 TFSI, this 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol pulls very strongly. SCAN FOR A GREAT DEAL ON THIS CAR SAVE £1151 MG HS WHAT CAR? SAYS Model 1.5 T-GDI PHEV SE List price £31,095 Target Price £29,944 Target PCP £405 The HS offers a lot of car for the money, with highlights being its classy, spacious interior and tidy driving manners. The plug-in hybrid version is surprisingly quick, too, providing an official…

Remakes are rarely more popular than the originals, but the ‘new’ Mini (including Clubman and Countryman) has now outsold the car it was inspired by. Yes, the BMW version, first launched in 2001, surpassed the sales tally of the Alec Issigonis classic a couple of years ago. There have been several generations of the BMW Mini in the 23 years since the German brand took over, of course, but the basic design of the three-door hatchback has only evolved slightly during that time. Indeed, we wouldn’t blame you if you struggled to tell one generation from the other. Is it the same deal with the new, fourth generation, which has just gone on sale? Well, yes and no. As expected, the looks haven’t changed much, but, somewhat confusingly, there are…

FIRST LOOK Hyundai Inster All-new baby electric SUV promises to be very keenly priced On sale January 2025 Price from £22,500 (est) FOR A PERIOD of time last year, the cheapest new electric vehicle (EV) on sale in the UK cost almost £27,000 – no doubt putting off many prospective buyers. Thankfully, more and more EVs are undercutting that figure now, and the all-new Hyundai Inster is set to join them, with an anticipated starting price of around £22,500. On top of that, the Inster is an SUV, albeit a very small one. The Inster is slightly shorter than Hyundai’s conventionally powered i20 small hatchback, but taller. If it reminds you of the diminutive Suzuki Ignis, you’re on the right track. A few aspects of the Inster suggest it’s more…

Mileage 4008 List price £77,105 Target Price £71,200 Price as tested £92,570 Test range 318 miles I’VE TALKED PREVIOUSLY about my car’s overtaking prowess, but I actually spend far more time on congested urban streets than fast and flowing back roads. Still, don’t go thinking that the lively performance of the BMW i5 is irrelevant in town. On my commute, for example, I have to cross a busy roundabout, where you can sit waiting for ages if you can’t take advantage of small gaps in traffic. Fortunately, the i5 can, getting away from the mark like an Olympic sprinter. By comparison, in automatic petrol and diesel cars, there’s often a gap between you pressing the accelerator pedal and any actual forward movement – something that can leave me with my…

Price today £16,000* Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 2.0 Hybrid Design List price when new £29,275 Available from 2019-present With fuel-sipping hybrid power in a practical package, this is a great alternative to a traditional diesel estate like the Octavia Price today £16,000* Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0 TDI 150 SE L First Edition DSG List price when new £29,540 Available from 2020-present A long-time favourite of ours in this category, offering tremendous space and practicality at a sensible price *Price today is based on a 2020 model with average mileage and full service history, correct at time of writing SKODA OCTAVIA ESTATE TOYOTA COROLLA TOURING SPORTS THE AVERAGE MOTORIST spends £1190 on fuel every year, so it’s understandable that costconscious families want to stretch as many miles out of every gallon as…

1 TOYOTA COROLLA Our pick 1.8 Hybrid Icon List price £30,505 Target Price £28,214 MPG 61.4 CO2 104g/km For Frugal in real-world driving; comfy and good to drive; generously equipped; well built and reliable Against Tight for adults in rear seats; so-so infotainment system; instrument panel could be more user-friendly WHAT CAR? SAYS THE COROLLA IS a car that will work for just about everyone in the market for a family hatchback. Being a hybrid, it can help you save money, because it can run partly on electric power to conserve petrol. In our real-world economy test, our preferred 1.8-litre model (there’s also a punchier 2.0-litre version) averaged an impressive 50.5mpg. True, it can’t go as far on electric power as a plug-in hybrid, but for many owners it’ll be more…

1 LAND ROVER DEFENDER Our pick D250 S (7 seat) List price £62,490 Target Price £60,666 MPG 33.1 CO2 223g/km For Comfy on road and unstoppable off it; plenty of space in second and third rows; glacial depreciation Against Fuel economy and emissions are below par; higher trims are very pricey; Land Rover’s reliability record WHAT CAR? SAYS THE DEFENDER HAS come a long way from its utilitarian workhorse roots, but it certainly hasn’t forgotten them. The latest iteration of this rugged four-wheel-drive SUV is right up with the best in terms of off-road ability, yet, unlike its illustrious forebear, it also has fine on-road manners, including a comfortable ride (air suspension is standard in our preferred 110 guise) and reasonable refinement. The Defender comes in a choice of three lengths,…

1 MAZDA MX-30 R-EV Our pick Prime-Line List price £31,495 Target Price £30,002 MPG 282.5 CO2 21g/km For Good ride and handling balance; smart interior; well priced; much more usable than fully electric version Against Not particularly practical; cramped in rear seats; average predicted resale values WHAT CAR? SAYS BETTER LATE THAN never, as they say. Arriving a few years after the electric MX-30, the R-EV is a plug-in hybrid that drives just like its sibling but has a rotary petrol engine to top up the battery that powers the electric motor. This helps to address the main weakness of the electric version – its short range – and makes the R-EV far more usable for out-of-town trips. Whether you plug it in or make use of the petrol engine to…

1 TOYOTA COROLLA TOURING SPORTS Our pick 1.8 Hybrid Icon List price £31,840 Target Price £29,447 MPG 62.7 CO2 101g/km For Impressive fuel economy; comfortable ride; practical boot; well equipped; very dependable Against Engine can be noisy under hard acceleration; more wind and road noise than in some rivals WHAT CAR? SAYS THERE’S MORE TO being an excellent estate than being able to accommodate a family in comfort or the occasional wardrobe, because the best of them are also cosseting, frugal and dependable. And it’s these qualities that propel the Corolla Touring Sports to the top of this category. Unlike any of its direct rivals, the Touring Sports is a hybrid, so it can run on electric power alone for short distances to help conserve petrol. In our recommended 1.8-litre form,…

1 PORSCHE CAYENNE COUPÉ Our pick S List price £99,700 Target Price £99,700 MPG 22.6 CO2 284g/km For Powerful engine; fantastic handling for its size; classy and spacious inside Against Expensive to run; you’ll want to add options; some rivals have a more comfortable ride WHAT CAR? SAYS PORSCHE’S UNCANNY ABILITY to transfer its sports car know-how into its more practical SUV models is one of the key reasons why the Macan and Cayenne make such great sports SUVs. For such a large, heavy car, the latter has no right to handle or perform the way it does, with the even sharper Coupé version being our pick. No version of the Cayenne Coupé is slow, but stepping up from the entry-level V6 model to the 468bhp 4.0-litre V8 S is well…