Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i What Car?

Management consultant and author Peter Drucker once said: “Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.” Fortunately, you don’t have to guess what’s coming in the world of cars. That’s because, from page eight, we’re revealing everything we’ve learnt about the most exciting new models due to be launched in the next 12 months. As a result, after reading this issue, you’ll know for sure whether you can go ahead and purchase one of the cars we recommend in our buyer’s guide (which kicks off on page 89), or if there’s something on the way that’s worth waiting for. So, put away your crystal ball and your tarot cards, and read on to…

THE WORLD IS GETTING smaller, or so the saying goes – in which case, the Skoda Elroq is the right car for the right time. Essentially, it’s a Skoda Enyaq (an electric SUV we like very much) that’s been shrunk in the wash and given a smart new look to rival the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30. In entry-level guise, a 52kWh (usable) battery provides an official range of 232 miles. That’s more than the equivalent #1 and EX30 can manage, although the cheapest version of the Kia EV3 eclipses all three. Still, 59kWh and 77kWh versions of the Elroq should broaden the appeal for long-distance drivers, delivering official ranges of 279 and 360 miles respectively. That said, even the latter is still slightly behind the EV3 Long Range’s 375-mile…

WHEN A PERSON goes on sabbatical, it’s a chance for them to rest before returning rejuvenated, and Jaguar is clearly hoping the same applies to car companies. The storied British brand recently took its entire line-up off sale, meaning that the only Jaguar models currently in showrooms are either used or pre-registered. What’s more, that will remain the case for more than a year, at which point Jaguar will be reborn as an upmarket electric car specialist. According to managing director Rawdon Glover, the long hiatus is designed to act as “a firebreak that will give customers and dealers the chance to reset”. An SUV and a luxury saloon are part of the planned future line-up, but the first of the new-generation models to arrive will be a four-door GT…

IN THE YEAR that Oasis released their debut album Definitely Maybe, the 33-year-old Renault 4 (R4) finally bowed out of production. So, there’s a certain symmetry to the fact that 2025 marks the return of both the R4 – along with its Renault 5 (R5) sibling – and Manchester’s most famous brothers. Like the Gallaghers, the new R4 bears more than a passing resemblance to its historical self. You can see echoes of the original in the shape of the rear windows, the optional fabric roof and round headlights, for example. But as you might expect, the interior of the spartan 1960s R4 is a world away from the new car’s, at least tecnologically speaking. The dashboard is dominated by twin digital screens, with infotainment that employs AI voice recognition…

IF YOU THINK aerodynamics are important only for supercars and racing cars, it might surprise you to learn that the new A6 e-tron is the slipperiest car Audi has ever made. True, that’s in Sportback guise, but even the Avant estate version is as aerodynamically efficient as the E-tron GT performance car. But why is this important for an electric vehicle (EV) that’s designed primarily for covering long distances in comfort? Well, the ease with which an EV moves through the air has a direct impact on how far you can travel between charges. Of course, battery size also plays an important role, but the A6 e-tron has that covered, too. You see, even the entry-level Sport version comes with a 75.8kWh usable battery capacity and offers an official range…

‘SEALION 7’ MIGHT SEEM like an odd name, but it’s no weirder than an SUV called a Puma or a sports car called a Cayman. Lots of cars are named after animals, so why should pinnipeds be left out? Okay, the ‘7’ in the Sealion’s name doesn’t mean anything at present, but it suggests smaller versions are on the way. But enough about the name; what exactly is the Sealion 7? Well, it’s an electric family SUV that’s a direct rival for Britain’s best-selling electric car, the Tesla Model Y, as well as the slightly smaller Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. BYD describes the Sealion 7 as a ‘performance SUV’, and there’s no doubt it’s pretty rapid in a straight line. Even the entry-level Comfort model, which has a…

WITH ITS ALLURING badge, sharp driving dynamics and first-rate engines, the BMW 3 Series has long been the executive car of choice for many. Recently, though, its appeal has waned among company car users, and that’s all to do with benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax. Company car users once loved BMW’s plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 330e; its low CO2 emissions and 37-mile electric-only range meant they’d pay 12% BIK tax, as opposed to 34% for the purely petrol-powered 320i. However, rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz C300e have stolen the 330e’s thunder in recent times; the former’s official electric range of up to 71 miles means company car tax can be as low as 5% – an extremely welcome saving. To compete, then, boosting efficiency was a must, and that was a key aim…

THE NUMBER 23, it turns out, is a significant one. In science, the Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23 degrees, while humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. In basketball, 23 is one of the most sought-after numbers to wear, with Michael Jordan famously associated with it when he played for the Chicago Bulls. Meanwhile, Dacia Spring owners in Europe apparently travel an average of 23 miles a day – at an average speed of 23mph. By this notion, this diminutive new electric car’s official range of just 140 miles and maximum power output of 64bhp should be all you need for those short, low-speed journeys, while its inherent simplicity means the Spring can be priced well below its rivals. But does that mean it’s a bargain, or…

SHOULD ALL OTHER electric SUVs just throw in the towel? At the very least, the rivals of the new Kia EV3 must surely be exchanging some nervous glances towards their corner. We first test drove this electric SUV in Korea, and not only did it have the measure of rivals such as the Peugeot e-2008 (which it handily undercuts on price), but it also seemed to challenge much bigger, more expensive cars. Well, we’ve now had a chance to really get to know the EV3 in the UK – and our positive first impressions have only intensified. The EV3 line-up opens with a ‘standard range’ 58.3kWh model. That figure relates to its battery’s total capacity; the usable capacity is 55kWh. This version has an official range of up to 270…

NEW BMW X3 20 xDrive M Sport (Technology Pack) List price £52,460 Target Price £49,789 Latest iteration of BMW’s family SUV promises to be comfier and more practical than ever, while still being sharp to drive LEXUS NX 350h Premium AWD (Lexus Link Pro) List price £48,795 Target Price £46,174 The NX is not only cheaper to buy but, in regular hybrid guise, should also be less costly to run. It’s not short on power, either The year 2004 was a pretty big deal in many respects. Social media platform Facebook was launched, hugely popular television show Friends came to an end… and the first-generation BMW X3 went on sale in the UK. The concept of a smaller, cheaper SUV option than BMW’s established X5 was certainly something to get…

TYPING ‘THE BEST of both worlds’ into Google brings up lots of results about a Miley Cyrus song of the same name, plus a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode in which Captain Picard becomes part of the Borg Collective. But I think there’s something missing that potentially deserves a spot next to them: my new Cupra Formentor. Having previously run a fuel-guzzling Genesis GV70, which was practical but left my bank account decimated, and a Lexus LBX that allowed me to save money at the pumps but wasn’t massively spacious, I went hunting for a larger car that could still be frugal. Enter the Formentor – a family SUV that promises the best of petrol and electric motoring. It’s able to do this because of what’s under the bonnet…

Mileage 7012 List price £18,395 Target Price £16,392 Price as tested £18,795 Test economy 54.9mpg IF YOU’RE A landscape gardener, the chances are that you’ll need a proper commercial vehicle to accommodate all your machinery. But for someone like me, who just needs a decent amount of space to carry out my day job, a van is definitely overkill, and even a small car like my Renault Clio can carry out the job better than you might think. I’m a few months into Clio ownership, and I’ve never once wished I had more space available to me. While my car can’t accommodate six people on holiday or transport a digger, it’s a great daily companion. On video shoots for the What Car? YouTube channel, where I need all of my…

Mileage 9082 List price £51,550 Target Price £50,550 Price as tested £56,080 Test range 315 miles THE ROAD TO Hell was musician Chris Rea’s biggest-selling single in the UK, and was famously inspired by his frustrations with the M25 motorway. Of course, the London Orbital doesn’t have a monopoly on endless, grinding traffic, but it is one of the UK’s busiest roads – and, as any regular user will tell you, one of the most miserable. And given that I live in Essex and our office is in Middlesex, on the opposite side of London, I’m very much a regular. Indeed, it was while stuck in an M25 jam that I first noticed something rather odd about my Volkswagen ID 7’s window switches – namely that there’s only two of…

‘We’ve got Best Buys for every need’THE WHAT CAR? TEAM ? TARGET PRICE The What Car? Target Price is the maximum we think you should pay for your new car. It’s set by our team of mystery shoppers, who spend every day haggling with dealers to see what discounts are available across the UK. HOW WE RANK OUR TOP 10s Every year, we drive hundreds of new or updated models. We test them back to back with rivals. We look at everything from comfort to costs, practicality to performance, and refinement to reliability. Then, armed with all the facts, we can definitively name the best model in each class, plus its closest rivals (and the ones to avoid). No matter what your priorities are, you’ll find a car that’s ideal for…

MATHEMATICIAN TERENCE TAO is said to be the cleverest person alive, with an IQ of around 230. And if Mr Tao is in the market for a new car, his intellectual match could be the upcoming BMW iX3. Based on last year’s Vision Neue Klasse X concept car, the new iX3 will be one of the smartest new cars on sale when it arrives in showrooms next summer. That’s because it’s the first BMW to feature the company’s new ‘brain’, which will allow many of the car’s individual driving processes to be controlled by one computer, rather than many. In short, this should lead to smoother, more efficient driving. Indeed, BMW says it will “redefine what is meant by sheer driving pleasure” – a bold claim by any stretch. To…

WHEN IT LAUNCHED the EV6 electric SUV, Kia dispelled any notion that a seven-year warranty was the most exciting thing about its vehicles – and won our 2022 Car of the Year award in the process. We’re therefore hoping for great things from the EV5, which will slot between the recently facelifted EV6 and the freshly introduced EV3 in the South Korean brand’s line-up. For starters, the EV5 is likely to be practical, because it’s only slightly shorter than the EV6, and taller with it. Indeed, in terms of size and proportions, it more closely resembles the conventionally powered Sportage – our reigning family SUV champion. The 2023 EV5 concept even featured an interior that could be turned into a bedroom, although we’d be surprised if that was retained on…

DESPITE OUR DREARY climate, British car buyers are among the most devoted fans of convertibles around. And that means the new Mini Cooper Convertible is big news – despite the fact that, unlike the hatchback, it’s not available with electric power. Instead, all versions have 2.0-litre petrol engines. The entry-level Cooper C gets 161bhp, enabling it to sprint from 0-62mph in 8.2sec. The Cooper S drops that time to 6.9sec, thanks to its 201bhp output, and the range-topping 228bhp JCW model will be even faster. Inside, there’s no instrument panel in front of the driver; instead, driving information is presented on the central infotainment screen and (on most versions) a head-up display. The circular touchscreen has crisp graphics and responds promptly to prods, but some of its smaller icons are…

YOU COULD BE forgiven for getting a feeling of deja vu when you first see the pure electric versions of the Boxster roadster and Cayman coupé, because the new Porsche sports car pair will closely resemble their internal combustion-engined counterparts. They are very similar in size and are likely to have similar exterior features, including full-width LED lights at the rear. This gives a strong signal that their philosophy will remain aligned very closely to their namesakes’. However, there’s a host of innovation going on under the skin. For a start, they sit on bespoke electric sports car underpinnings that differ from those of most EVs because the batteries are situated behind the driver instead of under the car’s floor. This puts them in the same central location as the…

AS PART OF its drive to become an electric-only car brand by 2030, Volvo launched the EX90 in 2024; it’s a fully electric seven-seat SUV that deposed the combustion-engined XC90 as the brand’s flagship. It hasn’t, though, replaced it; there’s still demand for posh family holdalls with petrol or plug-in hybrid power. That means the XC90 gets to continue, and with the third-generation model now nine years old, measures have been taken to try to ensure it isn’t left behind by the competition. Yes, it’s facelift time, and – distinguished by a new, diagonally slatted grille and slinkier new LED headlights – the updated XC90 now looks more like its younger EX90 sister. The engine line-up has been slimmed down to the B5 petrol and T8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Both…

THERE ARE TIMES when being a jack of all trades can get you far in life, but a potential downside is that when you need to excel in one particular area, you can end up missing the mark. The Skoda Octavia vRS is a great example of seemingly being all the car you’d ever need, and yet it can leave some drivers a little cold when it comes to excitement in the hot hatch class. The rest of the Octavia line-up received a mild update earlier this year, and this performance version has now undergone a similar level of treatment. So, other than tweaked headlights and bumpers, the vRS looks the same as before, with minor details setting itself apart from regular versions, including red brake calipers and black exhaust…

DESPITE THE VAST breadth of the Porsche 911 range, the entry-level Carrera is all you’ll ever need unless you’re a regular track-day goer. Forget the Carrera 4, the T, the GTS and the Turbo – just keep it simple. But is that also true of the new Porsche Macan Electric? Well, on paper at least, there’s plenty going for the entry-level single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model. Not only is it the cheapest, but it’s also the most efficient and will travel the farthest on a full charge. Its 398-mile official range beats those of the Polestar 4 Single Motor (385 miles) and upcoming Audi Q6 Performance (393 miles), not to mention the Tesla Model Y Performance (319 miles). And if you can find a public charger that can make the most of…

IT’S BEEN A case of ‘close but no cigar’ for the Mercedes-Benz CLE because, despite arriving later, it hasn’t managed to supplant the BMW 4 Series as our favourite coupé. However, this plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 300e is a novel offering that might give buyers something to think about. With the only other PHEV two-door coupé on sale being the much pricier Bentley Continental GT, this CLE could be ideal for company car drivers who can afford to trade outright practicality for a bit more visual flair. The PHEV is available only with 19in wheels (regular CLEs can have up to 20in ones), but the biggest difference is the addition of a charging port on the rear bumper. Elsewhere, boot capacity shrinks from 420 litres to 290 litres. The electric motor…

Here’s a resolution you’ll want to keep: spend more time doing something you love – reading your favourite magazine. Why choose What Car? For just £1 an issue, you’ll enjoy: ✔ Comprehensive buyer’s guides and head-to-head comparisons ✔ In-depth reviews and first drives of new models ✔ Unbeatable advice on buying and selling Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll get exclusive subscriber-only content, access to unforgettable events, discounts on tickets and unique experiences with Subscriber Extra. OFFER ENDS 31 JANUARY Get 3 issues for £3 today! Call 0344 848 8807quoting JAN25PA Visit www.themagazineshop.com/JAN25PA/wca Get 3 issues for £3 on our other great titles too at themagazineshop.com/JAN25LP SAVE 86% “All the latest news and developments of new cars, and a valuable guide for used cars. Just the thing for anyone driving today.”Nigel…

Would you like to be part of a future Reader Test Team? Email us with your details at readertestteam@whatcar.com Check out other family SUVs in our buyer’s guide on p98 AS ITS NAME suggests, the Bigster is the largest model yet from Romanian brand Dacia – but it’s also its most ambitious. That’s because this new family SUV is tackling the likes of the hugely popular Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai head on. Essentially a production version of a 2021 concept car of the same name, the Bigster has rugged, go-anywhere looks, with angular bumpers featuring a large air intake at the front. The wheelarches are hexagonal, while the slim front grille is similar to that of the Duster small SUV. Engine options include two 1.2-litre mild hybrid petrols: a…

WHETHER YOU NEED an extra bedroom, a larger kitchen/dining area or a downstairs toilet, adding an extension can transform your home and make it a better place in which to live. Likewise, extending the range of the Mazda MX-30 by adding a small petrol engine to generate electricity on the go has had a dramatic effect on this small SUV’s usability. You see, the original, fully electric MX-30 couldn’t travel very far between charges. One of my colleagues ran one a couple of years ago and found its short range (barely 100 miles in real-world use) seriously inconvenient for outof-town journeys. In contrast, my more recent plug-in hybrid (PHEV) MX-30 R-EV reeled off longer trips with ease, while retaining many of the qualities that I like so much in fully…

WE ALL OWN lots of things that bear the stamp ‘Made in China’. Yet until recently, Chinese-built cars were as rare a sight in the UK as giant pandas – and even now, driving a car from a Chinese brand remains novel. But not for long, if BYD has its way. Founded in 1995 as a battery manufacturer, it launched its auto division in 2003, and has become so successful in its home market that late last year it overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest maker of electric vehicles. True, it still has a long way to go before it’s as big as Tesla on these shores, having introduced its first car here – the Atto 3 SUV – only in spring 2023. However, BYD is certainly ambitious, as…

THE HONDA CIVIC has frequently been reinvented in an effort to divert buyers away from such rivals as the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf; witness the spaceship-shaped eighth generation and aggressively styled 10th gen. That model’s successor, though, reverted to a more mature and conventional look, but one that concealed some very cunning new thinking beneath the skin. There is (if we ignore the fire-breathing Type R hot hatch version) only one engine option: the e:HEV, a clever hybrid set-up that promises impressive fuel economy. At its heart is a 2.0-litre petrol engine that serves purely as a generator most of the time; it powers an electric motor that propels the car, as well as topping up a battery that enables zero-emissions driving around town. At motorway speeds, though, the…

STAR RATINGS TARGET PRICE The What Car? Target Price is the maximum you should pay for a new car and is researched by our crack team of mystery shoppers. Haggling for the best price with salespeople can be an uncomfortable experience, but it’s made much easier with our Target Price as a realistic figure to aim for. TARGET PCP Based on the Target Price figures set by our mystery shoppers, Target PCP is a fair monthly payment to aim for if you’re taking out a personal contract purchase (PCP) finance agreement at a car dealership. Most of the deals 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.…

HYUNDAI IS NO stranger to the popular SUV market, but it’s entering new territory with the upcoming Ioniq 9. You see, the Ioniq 9 is not only the South Korean brand’s largest model yet, but also its first electric seven-seat SUV. This supersized model is based on the same underpinnings as the closely related Kia EV9. However, the Ioniq 9 has a larger, 110.3kWh battery that promises a range of up to 385 miles, compared with the EV9’s official maximum of 349 miles and the new Volvo EX90’s 375 miles. Like the EV9, the Ioniq 9 offers ultra-fast charging, with a 10-80% top-up possible in 24 minutes. The Ioniq 9 line-up kicks off with a Long Range RWD (rear-wheel drive) model, with a single 215bhp motor at the back. There’s…

‘The quality of the materials is good, albeit not up to the standards of the old Q5’ THE Q5 HAS been one of Audi’s best-selling models since it was first introduced in 2008. Think of it as the classic Barbour wax jacket of the car world: something that’s stylish and upmarket, yet functional, so a favourite of many well-heeled families. It’s always offered plenty of room for five (the car, not the jacket), lots of creature comforts and a wide range of economical engines. And while none of that will change with the new, third-generation version, Audi hasn’t been resting on its laurels. The mild hybrid technology fitted to the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines is more advanced than before. What’s more, for the first time it has been applied…

‘Prices are expected to start at around £22,000, undercutting most rivals’ THEY SAY BIG things come in small packages, but when you add affordability into the mix, you’ve potentially got something special – and that’s what the all-new Volkswagen ID 2 has been designed to offer. Based on the ID 2all concept that was shown in 2023, this electric hatchback is a similar size to the Peugeot e-208 and Mini Cooper E. It’s the first VW Group model to use all-new, simplified underpinnings designed specifically for small electric cars; unlike in other existing ID models, the motor drives the front wheels. The ID 2 will be available with two battery options. At the lower end of the spectrum is a 38kWh unit that should offer a range of around 220…

MERCEDES-AMG’S ‘ONE man, one engine’ manufacturing ethos has been past its sell-by date for a while – and the GT 4-door EV performance car buries it completely. You see, instead of an engine, the next GT 4-door will be powered by two electric motors, making it the first bespoke all-electric car to roll off the performance division’s production line in its nearly 60 years of creating the quickest Mercedes-Benz models. And while there have been plenty of AMG-tuned Mercedes variants, this is a rare example of a car developed from the ground up by AMG (the AMG GT sports car is another). It will, of course, be very powerful – even more so than the current GT 4-door Coupé 63 S E Performance plug-in hybrid, which uses a 4.0-litre V8…

THEY SAY CHANGE is good for us, but that doesn’t make it any easier. In fact, it’s fair to say that many of us push back against change, making the job of cars like the new Alpine A290 even harder. You see, as a spiritual successor to the 1970s Renault 5 Alpine, the A290 promises to harness that car’s old-school hot hatch thrills and relative affordability. The twist is that it uses electric rather than petrol power. Based on the latest Renault 5 (R5), the A290 comes in a choice of two guises, each fitted with a 52kWh (usable capacity) battery and a single electric motor that drives the front wheels. The entry-level GT has a power output of 174bhp, while the pricier GTS (the only one we’ve driven so…

WHILE ALL CUPRA models are named after places in the brand’s Spanish homeland, it’s usually hard to see why the specific location was picked; if we were told someone in the marketing department had simply thrown a dart at a map of the country, we’d believe it, but the new Cupra Tavascan is an exception. The village of Tavascan is best known for using its lakes to produce green energy, and that was always going to make it a tempting choice when Cupra sought a name for its first electric SUV. But does the car itself hold as much appeal for buyers of this sort of vehicle? There are actually two versions of the Tavascan: a 282bhp, single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model and one with 335bhp, two motors and four-wheel drive. Whichever…

THE ORIGINAL VAUXHALL Frontera was hewn from girders, powered by bulletproof engines and could climb every mountain and ford every stream. Or so the period marketing bumph would have you believe. What we can say with greater certainty is the farthest the all-new Frontera will venture off piste is when its owners rock up at the leisure centre to scale an indoor climbing wall. In truth, the latest Frontera is more of a replacement for Vauxhall’s outgoing Crossland model than for its rock-bashing namesake; it occupies the gap between the slightly smaller Mokka and the larger Grandland SUVs. It’s available as a pure electric vehicle (EV), powered by a 44kWh (usable capacity) battery and a 111bhp electric motor, or with a 1.2-litre mild hybrid petrol engine in 99bhp and 136bhp…

IF YOU BUY a cheap HDMI cable instead of an expensive one, you generally expect it to do the exact same job, although the picture quality on your hi-def screen might not be quite as good. The thing is, if you’re not planning to wow tech enthusiasts with your home movies, does that actually matter? In much the same way, is the entry-level Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica just as good as the speedy 280 Veloce if you aren’t worried about setting lap times? The good news is that, despite missing out on fancy kit such as a mechanical limited-slip differential and lower suspension, it’s still pretty sharp to drive; it manages body lean well and has accurate steering that encourages you to push on. It’s certainly more fun and confidence-inspiring…

Mileage 8468 List price £53,530 Target Price £49,273 Price as tested £57,210 Test economy 40.7mpg EVERY SUMMER, MY wife and I head to the West Country on holiday. We feel right at home as soon as we arrive, but was my Audi A6 Avant also in its element? Well, the 340-mile run from Mistley in Essex to Millendreath in Cornwall simply evaporated, with the car achieving 39.2mpg in the process. That’s impressive for a big, four-wheel-drive estate with a 261bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine. Admittedly, the economy plummeted west of Dartmoor, but my overall average wasn’t outrageous, given the nature of the driving that we found ourselves doing. Cornwall is basically made up of two kinds of road: fast, undulating sweepers and medieval cart tracks with a loose dressing of Tarmac…

Mileage 15,971 List price £57,064 Target Price na Price as tested £59,824 Test economy 26.3mpg THE TOTAL COST of a professional photographer’s camera gear can exceed £5000, which means keeping mine safe is an important consideration when I’m choosing my company cars. But while you might think this should rule out a pick-up truck (due to the open load bed), there are actually a range of different solutions. When I ran a Mitsubishi L200 pick-up, for example, I opted for that model’s enclosed hard-top cover, which offered me lots of space in which to store my kit. But what let it down was the big windows that passers-by could peek through, meaning I had to carry a blanket that I could drape over my camera bags. Then I tried the…

MUSICIAN BOB SEGER once decreed that he prefers “that old-time rock ’n’ roll”, and he’s not the only one. Many folk see the value of keeping it old-school, as it were – be that with music or cars – and machines like the Mazda CX-5 are here to prove that tradition doesn’t necessarily mean out of date. This family SUV held out against Johnny-come-lately technologies, such as hybrid power – and even turbocharging – for much longer than most of its rivals; in 2021, you could buy one with a petrol or diesel engine with no hint of electrification. By contrast, the Kia Sportage had one foot in the future; at launch in 2021, it was offered with turbocharged petrol, diesel or hybrid power, and the Tomorrow’s World theme was…

‘Jaguar’s Tesla-rivalling electric SUV was no half-hearted effort’ WHEN THE JAGUAR I-Pace arrived in 2018, it was like learning that your grandmother had joined a hip-hop collective. Yes, your nan was now spitting sick rhymes over dope beats, and Jaguar – famed for its refined, understated saloons, elegant SUVs and pleasingly roguish sports cars – was suddenly a purveyor of radical-looking premium electric SUVs. With electric vehicles (EVs) everywhere these days, it’s worth remembering that the market was in its infancy in 2018. The Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe dominated the more affordable end, and Tesla held the monopoly on the posher side of things. With the I-Pace, Jaguar was the first premium brand to challenge Tesla’s stronghold, getting in there before Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz could get their ducks…