November 4, 2026
The walkers, cyclists and assorted day-tripping visitors of the Peak District should have no trouble hearing us coming. It’s an early July day in the middle of the working week (and, yes, this does count as work, although I never cease to be amazed about that), so I’m not too sorry to interrupt their peace.
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Abarth has revealed a retro two-seat sports coupé to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Called the Abarth Classiche 1300 OT, it’s based on the Alfa Romeo 4C and is described as a ‘modern reinterpretation’ of the 1965 Fiat-Abarth OT 1300 race car, which claimed high-profile victories at the Nürburgring, Monza and Mugello in period. The 1300
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The Omoda E5 is intended to have a rather upmarket feel, and Hyundai and Kia are a particular target. However, there is a whiff of tackiness to the trim in our top-spec Noble prototype test car. Small details like the chiny, chrome speaker covers, and the wave pattern on some of the plastic trim. It’s
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Lexus has removed the LC and RC sports cars from sale in the UK, which means it now sells only hybrids and no longer offers a V8. The two-door GTs were approaching the end of their expected life cycles anyway, at seven and 10 years old respectively, but a spokesperson for the brand cited “legislative and
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NAME Armor All Glass Cleaner Price £6.00 (500ml) Buy from Amazon Price per litre? £12.00 If you don’t mind the rather chemically smell, the Armor All does a decent job even on very dirty exterior glass, as well as on the typical dust film that builds up on a car’s interior. It does need some
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Alpine’s radical Alpenglow concept will hit the track for the first time next month, using a hydrogen-fuelled combustion engine that the brand suggests could soon feature in its road cars. Revealed as a static concept at the Paris motor show in 2022, the futuristic Alpenglow will be driven for the first time at Spa-Francorchamps ahead
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The Mercedes-Benz EQS electric saloon has gained an extra 51 miles of range and a new front-end design echoing the firm’s traditional radiator grille as part of a range of major upgrades. The BMW i7 rival will also receive a host of interior updates, with the option of more luxurious rear seats, new driver assistance features and the deployment
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Kia has revealed pricing and specification details for the new Sorento SUV, which gains a new look inspired by the all-electric Kia EV9, a suite of new technology and interior design changes for 2024. The new Kia Sorento, the brand’s flagship SUV which has been a part of its model line-up for 21 years, is priced
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Modifying – fixing, improving, making more obnoxious – cars in the UK has been alive and well since, basically, the invention of the cars. The first Japanese car sold in the UK came in 1965. But it took another 15-20 years before the modification of Japanese cars became ubiquitous in the car scene. And since
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Inside, Volkswagen has provided the upgraded Golf with a new multifunction steering wheel. It reverts back to button controls, dropping the widely criticised capacitive controls used on the pre-facelift Golf. There are also higher-quality materials throughout the cabin to help lift perceived quality. Ahead of the driver is a revised instrument display with new model-specific
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New Mercedes-AMG GT E Performance PHEV is all but identical to pure-V8 GT 63 New AMG GT 63 S E Performance coupé will be revealed at the Beijing motor show later this month Mercedes-AMG will reveal the new plug-in hybrid version of its GT super-coupé later this month, having shown a prototype at the Munich
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Is this PHEV really all the car you need in your daily life? Here’s our final judgement Why we ran it: To find out if this revised plug-in hybrid luxury SUV could offer the best of both Month 1 – Month 2 – Month 3 – Final report – Specs Life with a BMW X5: Final report Every time
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This car may be large by supermini class standards but, in some ways at least, you wouldn’t know it. Although it feels wider across the cabin than is typical of a car in this class, offers quite generous front-row head room and has a 360-litre boot that is fairly roomy by the standards of its
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We set out to find the cheapest Ferrari and Porsche and ended up inspecting these two Always wanted an Ferrari or Porsche but never had the funds? Richard Bremner has the answers Depreciation: it can be as much a friend as an enemy. It shrinks the value of your wheeled assets but can also bring
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But I can tell you it rides well, deftly and softly, because on generous tyres and weighing around 700kg (it’s hard to discern the precise figure from historical records), it doesn’t need to be overtly stiff. Besides, nobody thought to make cars hard-riding at the time. The steering, then – given some flex in the
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‘Smaller, fewer, lighter, shorter, beauty’ is a Suzuki corporate philosophy that pertains to the company’s compact cars, like the new-generation Swift that I recently drove. Obviously they say it in Japanese (‘sho-sho-kei-tan-bi’), but the mindset translates to the Swift being 3.8 metres long, so shorter than most superminis, and weighing less than a tonne, so
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Tesla has scrapped plans for a new ‘Model 2’ entry-level electric car, Reuters reports. The long-promised new model line, which boss Elon Musk recently suggested could enter production late next year, was tipped to come to market at less than £25,000 as a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen ID 2, Renault 5 and
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4. Toyota Yaris 8 Yet another great supermini on this list, the Toyota Yaris is offered with an automatic gearbox as standard, but things are slightly different here. It’s an e-CVT, which is programmed to select the most efficient gear itself. Luckily, on the surface, it works the same as a traditional automatic. The Yaris
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Model names come from many places, but one of the easiest ways to establish an image is to borrow the name of an evocative location: think Ferrari with the yachts of the Italian Riviera’s Portofino harbour, Seat with the party island of Ibiza, Bentley with the iconic Le Mans racing straight of Mulsanne or Chrysler
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The Renault Captur has been redesigned and heavily upgraded for 2024 in a bid to propel it up the ranks of Europe’s hotly contested small SUV segment. Renault calls it “the B-segment car for living”, touting its small footprint but spacious (and ‘modular’) interior as attributes that make it “at home in the city or off
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He also suggested that Flexis’s software platform will be capable of learning a company’s routes and factoring in charging stops, reducing the burden on drivers. All of Flexis’s vans will be based on a highly modular skateboard platform with 800V electricals – boosting charging speeds – and a choice of two battery pack sizes. De
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The Dacia Jogger, Sandero and Sandero Stepway have been updated with safety features mandated by the European Union’s new safety regulations – without the price hike imposed on many rivals. The General Safety Regulations 2 (GSR2) mandate that all cars on sale in the EU from 7 July 2024 include systems including speed limit detection, lane-keeping assistance and driver
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Already three years in conception and planning, the K1 aims to build on the success of the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Macan, Porsche’s two best-selling models over the past two decades. When it arrives, it will be the sixth Porsche EV after the Porsche Taycan, the electric Macan, an electric Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman pairing due in 2025 and an
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BYD’s UK bosses are keen for the company to offer the low-cost BYD Seagull electric car to British buyers. No decision has yet been taken however on if and when the 3.8-metre-long Seagull would launch in the UK, but if it does it would likely be the cheapest electric car on sale in the UK. In
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There was a good column in The Times recently about the state of Britain’s roadsides, which frequently are liberally strewn with litter. It suggested that we get serious about cleaning it up. Any campaign to get that done would receive my support, too. But I don’t know that we should feel quite so much shame
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5. Mercedes AMG GT (2014-2022) 9 Believe it or not, a few of these creep into our budget with middling mileages, full service histories, and high specifications. But choose wisely. AMGs historically let their dynamic flourishes come to life with low-slung, top-rung GTs like this. And the AMG GT gets off to a good start,
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The facelifted X6 and X5 have had quite the interior makeover – not entirely for the better, we must say – and most of those changes have come to the M versions as well. Nearly the whole dashboard was binned and replaced in order to accommodate BMW’s Curved Display, which is a combination of a
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It will tighten its line on the throttle (although not by you coming off it, unlike the 911) but doesn’t do so as naturally as any longitudinally engined roadster from Affalterbach should. It clings doggedly onto that feeling of stability that seems to be its chosen calling card. It’s all very ‘fast grand tourer’, rather than
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Last week, Lotus announced a new programme called Chapman Bespoke. It promises to offer greater personalisation and unique options, right up to the production of one-off cars, for your Lotus. What would Colin Chapman, Lotus’s founder, after whom the scheme is named and whose signature adorns its badge, have thought? No idea. Never met the
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There’s more. Though the essential design has been in production 12 years, a recent Zoe feels entirely modern with its LED lights, automatic dipping, automatic wipers, automatic locking and thoroughly decent phone-connected audio and nav systems. Best of all, it’s fun to drive. The ride is fairly soft and nicely damped in a way that
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If the Tonale was intended as the car to save Alfa Romeo – and, let’s face it, there have been a few – you wouldn’t really know as much from a pair of electrified powertrains whose outright performance and drivability each leaves a fair bit to be desired. Alfa’s engineers will tell you that the
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The ND MX-5 is now nine years old – positively geriatric in the context of model cycles. Nevertheless, the no-nonsense interior still feels fresh. It was a huge leap compared with the NC generation, but if you’re unaccustomed to MX-5s, it’s likely that the cabin’s incredibly compact dimensions will need to sink in before you
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The motors even did energy regeneration, whereas a shock absorber would just let energy go to waste, meaning the suspension system’s power use was only a third that of an air-conditioning system. American Amar Bose earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1956. He bought a premium
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The 2024 season of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) will be streamed live via TikTok, in a move designed to bring the UK’s popular event to a new, younger audience. ITV Sport, the media outlet responsible for the coverage, has said that this is the first time a major organisation like itself has livestreamed an entire competition across the social
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Several design details separate the HR-V and e:Ny1, most notably the removal of the front grille. Instead, the eNyl has a blocky front panel with a fold-up flap to house the charging port. It looks a bit ungainly to me, but not offensively so. More subtle is the switch to a white H badge on the
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Pricing and specification details for the updated Toyota GR Yaris have been revealed, with the high-performance hot hatch increasing in cost by more than £12,000. Prices for the Volkswagen Golf GTI rival start at £44,250 in the UK, with the Sébastien Ogier Edition and Kalle Rovanperä Edition specials coming in at £60,000. The GR Yaris once again
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Genesis has launched a new performance-focused sub-brand with the radical GV60 Magma Concept. Magma’s priority, according to Genesis creative chief Luc Donckerwolke, is to “look beyond” raw speed and performance, “prioritising the driving experience to kindle the joy of sporty driving”. The GV60 Magma sits notably lower and wider than existing versions of the GV60
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The Kia EV9 GT is in the final stages of testing ahead of its launch as the Korean brand’s most powerful and expensive car yet. The GT transformation will bring more power, performance-focused chassis tweaks and angrier styling to the three-row electric SUV, which was launched in standard form last year. The current most powerful EV9
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Power comes from two hub motors, one in each rear wheel. They produce 19bhp in extended running and can briefly peak at 30bhp, making the S04 good for a top speed of 52mph. There are two battery packs, one under each seat. Intelligently, they are exactly the same as the ones used in Silence’s motorbikes
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Adrian Hallmark’s decision to join Aston Martin later this year after six high-achieving years as CEO of Bentley is just about the only move he could have made that could universally be regarded as a huge positive. Hallmark has created a culture of style, excellence and high organisation at Bentley that promises to translate perfectly
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In his role, the third-generation Velebný leads a team of five people at the depository: one engine specialist, two bodywork specialists and another two ‘hybrid’ specialists. “And me, the boss,” adds Velebný. But for him, this is much more than a day job. “Of course,” he laughs when asked if he owns any classic Skodas himself.
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The latest Swift is a conventional small car offering and very Suzuki: light and frugal, with a strong list of equipment and keenly priced. Although small cars’ share of the overall UK market has shrunk from 20% to 15%, “the B-segment is important and our customers want a small car”, says Suzuki UK’s cars director, Dale Wyatt. The new
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13.00: Arrive in Northumberland. Weather is biblically wet now. Settle down to some work. 19.00: Flick through news app. Twitter. Dinner, Merlot, bed. Day two: 07.00. Northumberland. Disable phone alarm, flick through news app. Twitter. Shower, change, get in car. No traffic, no grey skies and no four-cylinder thrum of the BMW X3 I drove up here
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The quirkiness and sense of fun of the original Juke’s interior design was toned down a little for the Mk2 version and it was augmented by a pretty clear effort to add some richer material and technological allure. There’s still plenty of visual character and a bit of fun factor in evidence, though. While the
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The accelerating march of progress must be giving product planners at car manufacturers a tough time. Car technology has never been in such a state of flux as it is now, and given lithium ion batteries only really became a commercial big deal in the 1990s, the sudden shift towards cars powered by them is
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The Black Edition’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel, in midfield 282bhp spec, felt very much in tune with the Touareg’s size and weight and suited the car exceptionally well. Also boasting 442lb ft torque there is more than enough punch and more. Only at lower speeds do you detect a bit of gruffness from the engine, but that soon fades into
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With or without it the N’s dynamics are first rate, especially given this is a 2200kg performance car. As a result of the mass there is notable pitch under acceleration and roll in cornering, even with the dampers stiffened, but the steering weights up nicely to let you lean against it. You’d barely know the
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Ford has added a plug-in hybrid powertrain to the Tourneo Connect MPV, touting a 68-mile electric-only range – one of the longest of any PHEV on sale today. The powertrain takes after that of the larger Tourneo Custom in featuring a 1.5-litre petrol engine, a high-voltage battery and a front-mounted electric motor. The system sends a combined
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Comparing the two pothole funds, the MPs said: “All indications are that the Pothole Action Fund made a clear improvement between 2015 and 2020. It was extra funding, but it was allocated directly to local highway maintenance. With the Potholes Fund being merged into more general road funding, this has reversed.” Their conclusions were echoed
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Mercedes-AMG has unveiled an entry-level version of its GT sports car, dubbed the GT 43, which is said to offer greater agility. It swaps the GT 63’s snarling 577bhp 4.0-litre V8 for the mild-hybrid 2.0-litre turbo four-pot from the AMG A45, which puts out 416bhp and 369lb ft. As in the GT 63, power is transmitted through Mercedes’ nine-speed
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Millions of pounds of compensation payments are being readied by lenders after an investigation was launched into the mis-selling of car finance over more than a decade. The issue concerns so-called discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs), sold between 2007 and 2020, that allowed dealers and brokers to adjust lenders’ interest rates to reward themselves with commission
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Do you have to balance the new technology with a design that will be familiar to customers? “We have a clear strategy for our E-tron models, which we respect – but you also have to do the next step. Looking inside, I see it really as ‘step, step, step’. You can’t jump too far into
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But you’ll still be taking full account of Bentley heritage? “Very much so. There are iconic elements in every successful Bentley in history. Ignore those and people will say what you’ve built isn’t a Bentley – that it has lost its identity.” Do you have any plans for a concept to announce a new design
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Adaptive air suspension comes as standard and has been specially tweaked to make up for the weight of the battery. Predictably, that means it’s a whole lot stiffer than the relatively soft petrol versions. That’s a good thing when it comes to handling, because it allows you to take better advantage of the impressive chassis.
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The idea was that Prior and I – plus Ariel’s own technical expert, Kelvin Marshall – would do a series of coastdown tests in the tunnel, with and without screen, accelerating to 60mph, then coasting in neutral to 20mph and doing it again. The loggers would record variations in speed and time, assessing the effects
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I hop off the train at Byfleet & New Haw, about half a mile north of the diversion route, and head for the A245, expecting it to be transformed into a car park. Cut down the alley, head down the path towards the roundabout and… Oh. Everything is fine. Byfleet isn’t a dystopian future vision
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But he then discovered a fresh and unexpected challenge: “The major problem is resisting driving too quickly.” Thanks to the car’s tall gearing equating to just 3750rpm at 85mph in fifth, plus its 1.6-litre Zetec engine’s supreme refinement, particular care was needed to avoid setting off the speed cameras that even then were part of
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“As a result, some smart charging tariffs are affected,” the company said, adding that it was “working with energy companies to keep our mutual clients informed of their options”. JLR added that this closing off of third-party access to I-Paces was because there was a chance that vehicle data could “be obtained through unofficial apps”. The move also
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Next-generation powertrain and battery technology will be crucial to keeping costs down too. Tesla touts a 75% reduction in silicon carbide for its next batteries and the eradication of rare-earth metals in its new motors. No powertrain details have been revealed for the Model 2, but it is likely to follow Tesla’s other models and
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The U8 is not a cute kitten, looking more like a cross between a Land Rover Defender and the Kia EV9’s evil twin. What it is instead is a collection of all the gimmicks your heart could possibly desire. Aside from being semi-amphibious (the U8 does it in emergencies only and needs to be checked
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The Panda is pure utilitarian chic. From its simplistic interior to its blocky design, it screams practicality and usefulness. It’s especially popular in Italy, because of its value for money and robustness. In the UK, you will do well to find one on a 23 plate, as we Brits tend to prefer more upmarket cars and tend to
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Legendary car designer Marcello Gandini, who shaped some of the best known and most revered Italian cars of all time, has died at the age of 85. The Turin native, widely recognised as one of the most prolific and influential car designers of his era, made a name for himself in the mid-1960s while working
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BYD is looking to break the 1200-mile range barrier with its next petrol-electric cars, which are set to adopt a fifth-generation plug-in hybrid system and a fourth-generation EV platform. The new range-busting PHEV system, elements of which are expected to be revealed at the Beijing motor show in April, is an evolution of the Dual Mode (DM) system
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The Maserati Grecale Folgore has gone on sale, priced from £109,905, and will arrive in dealerships in June as one of six new Maserati EVs due by 2025. The Italian brand’s first electric car to go on sale, the mid-sized SUV will be sold alongside the existing petrol Grecale, plus electric versions of the reborn Granturismo and Grancabrio
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Dacia has finally broken its long silence on UK pricing for the new Spring EV, revealing that it will cost from just £14,995 – less than the petrol-powered Renault Clio. The Spring was recently confirmed for a UK launch in the coming months, following a wide-reaching visual and technical overhaul aimed at sustaining its strong
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Close 5 mins read 11 March 2024 The volume of ICE cars entering the used car market is set to decline by as much as 69% by 2028 as car makers prioritise EV sales to hit government-legislated targets. This forecast, from Cox Automotive, also calls on dealers to “prepare now” or be left behind as more EVs begin to
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JLR announced last week it had cancelled plans to axe wholesale model Close 4 mins read 11 March 2024 JLR’s decision to cancel its planned move to the so-called agency model of direct selling to customers is the clearest sign yet that car makers are rethinking their shake-up of their distribution system amid a return to
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This car’s interior represented a huge improvement over its predecessor. Renault, however, did not cure its every quirk and shortcoming in one fell swoop, so there’s still a mixed story to report. But overall, the car can be considered pleasant, usable and well equipped, although it was no standard-setter on material quality, practicality or passenger space. The wheelbase
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“Manufacturers will do some pre-release awareness-raising – whether print media, online, digital or heavily targeted towards the customer database – for three weeks before the movie release and several weeks afterwards. “This often goes through a specialist agency like ours. We get the scripts, then go to clients and explain the opportunity. Manufacturers and production
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While Avis Prestige is the name above the door, the company actually providing and operating the cars is called Miles & Miles. Founded in London in 1953, it claims to be the capital’s oldest independent car rental company. The head office and main garages, which are stuffed with a spectacular array of performance cars and
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Unlike Rally1, with its bespoke spaceframe machines, Rally2 is a customer category with a price cap and strict rules ensuring that cars are based on production examples – so the developments on the road-going GR Yaris really help make this version competitive. The shells are taken directly from the Yaris production line before being strengthened
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The results did not disappoint. The more powerful 568bhp version of the Lightning tipped our scales at a little over 3.1 tonnes, and needed more than 15m for its turning circle. And yet it still dispatched 60mph from rest in 4.5sec and a standard quarter mile in less than 13.5sec – faster, in both cases,
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The company’s roadmap shuffling comes as hype builds for the electric Range Rover, due later this year. More than 16,000 interested buyers have already signed up to the waiting list ahead of the official market launch in the coming months. JLR remains tight-lipped on precise technical specifications but has revealed certain elements of its make-up, which
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To my relief, it looks like the answer to the question “is it just me?” is no. Too many cars in recent times have had me despairing at the number of controls that have migrated away from physical buttons and onto touchscreens. In some cases this is slightly annoying; in others I believe it’s borderline
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Renault’s bi-directional charging is claimed to make home charging a lot cheaper Close The cost of charging an EV at home is about to get a lot cheaper, in theory. Renault is pioneering a service that promises to cut electricity bills in half. Meanwhile, UK energy provider Octopus is now offering a new tariff with the hook that
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There’s a sleek wraparound digital panel atop the dashboard, which looks suitably classy and speaks volumes to KGM’s designs on establishing itself at the upper end of the ‘value’ car market, as do the copper-effect trim panels. But the premium sheen is easily wiped away. The steering wheel – conspicuously still wearing the old Ssangyong
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Episode 78 of the Autocar podcast My Week In Cars finds our resident car hacks Steve Cropley and Matt Prior talking about spending days in many electric cars, commercial vehicle speed limits, news from the Geneva show and much else besides, including your correspondence. Make sure you never miss an Autocar podcast. Subscribe to our podcasts
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A standard electronic tailgate function makes accessing the boot easy, and a low loading lip and a flat boot floor further contribute to its outstanding practicality. The Passat now exudes a more upmarket feel than at any time in its long history. The dashboard and other parts of the interior use higher-quality materials than those found
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Electric version of V-Class seeks to deliver an even more luxurious service to wealthy passengers You could argue that the Mercedes-Benz EQV, the electric alternative to the Mercedes V-Class, gets very close to being the perfect battery-powered car.The MPV is generous in size and tall, so a big battery (90kWh in this case) slips underneath it a treat,
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Trundle away from rest in this car and perhaps the most striking thing about its dynamics is how deftly it rides. Okay, it can’t rival a Mercedes S-Class or anything, but you would be pushed to criticise a car rolling on 245/35 ZR20 rubber for riding in such a compliant manner. The VXR steers smoothly and accurately,
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Close The crumbling values of electric cars pushed rental company Hertz to a loss last quarter, caused the collapse of UK EV provider Onto in September and dented the 2023 bottom line of one Europe’s largest leasing companies after it made a loss on EV disposals. Stable used car values have become critical to new
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There’s a bit of modern technology, too, in the form of a 9.0in touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although it can be a bit tricky at times to hit the right icon. That’s partly because the 5-Door uses the same ladder-frame chassis and three-link rigid-axle suspension as the standard Jimny, which means
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For Aston Martin, the position is slightly different. Aston Martin is an exclusive brand, but the native infotainment experience is built on an outdated Mercedes system. In recent cars, there has been a disconnect between the brand and the user experience. Again, accepting a fully integrated Apple CarPlay experience side-steps that – and when you’re
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On the whole, I don’t like telling people what to do. Where governments have a clear choice about whether to interfere in people’s lives or not, I usually think they shouldn’t. Overreach is tiresome and we will probably get along just fine without it, so unless it’s really obvious that something needs intervention, governments should
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Nissan is reportedly in talks to invest $400 million (£316m) in ailing electric car start-up Fisker. Fisker yesterday announced it has paused development of its affordable compact EV, the Pear, having made a loss of $463.6 million (£366m) during the fourth quarter of 2023. CEO and founder Henrik Fisker added that the company was seeking a collaboration with
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As for the camper Marco Polo, it is available in two trim levels also. The entry-level Sport model comes with all the equipment that a standard V-Class benefits from plus the addition of two seater luxury sofa bed, three-zone climate control, pop-up roof with a double bed, yacht wood flooring, swivelling front seats, and a
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Lower raw materials will help make EVs more affordable said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares Close Car companies are not loving the negativity around consumer demand for electric vehicles right now. However it does have one major advantage – pushing down prices of the materials needed to make them. Which, as Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares pointed
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Bugatti’s next hypercar will use a mammoth V16 engine, the company has confirmed. Announcing that the new hypercar will be revealed in full in June, Bugatti has revealed that it will swap from the W16 engine used by the Chiron and its Veyron predecessor to an all-new unit of a different shape. It will be the
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The BMW 5 Series range opens with the electrified 520i, which runs the latest version of BMW’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-pot mild-hybrid petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. Power stands at 205bhp and 228lb ft of torque, it completes 0-62mph in 7.5sec – matching the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, it’s biggest rival – and it has
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High levels of personalisation have pushed the average price of an Aston Martin to a record £213,000, but the firm has no plans to branch out into the luxury car market. The company had to planned to launch luxury cars under previous CEO Andy Palmer, who was working on plans to revive the Lagonda marque as an
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Europe’s largest EV battery factory will be located in Bridgewater, Somerset, owner Tata Group has today confirmed, with construction to begin imminently ahead of battery production starting in 2026. The £4 billion facility, backed by £500m of government funding, will be located at the 620-acre Gravity Smart Campus, the site of a former Royal Ordnance
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Long added: “The focus on performance as a pillar of the brand is critical. Historically, we’ve been a performance brand as well as a luxury brand, and we’re moving back to that.” Crucial to Aston Martin’s desire to cement its status as a maker of top-drawer sports cars as well as more luxury cars will
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Close 4 mins read 27 February 2024 The lumpy progress on the journey to electric cars is favouring hybrids as a transition technology, particularly when chasing private buyers. Ford, for example, has become a recent advocate of petrol-electric drivetrains as it works out how it’s going to match the likes of Tesla and the Chinese
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Mercedes-Benz will offer a traditional grille on its EQS electric limousine as part of a wider overhaul designed to reverse a sales slump for the flagship EV. The Mercedes EQS will be offered with either a newly designed conventional grille with the three-pointed star mounted on the bonnet or with the current, sleeker-looking grille with the star emblazoned
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Confirming that it has a larger footprint than the current car, Fiat refers to the City Car concept as “a sort of ‘Mega-Panda’”, but it is still expected to be among the smaller full-sized cars available in Europe. The new Panda is expected to morph into an ultra-compact crossover, like the Citroën to which it is
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Porsche’s chassis controls can make life easier for inveterate track-day nerds We take advantage of the GT3 RS’s chassis adjustability, offering a world of configuration – is it worth the hassle? It’s at 160mph on Hangar Straight that my internal monologue pipes up for the first time since leaving the pits. Who the hell do
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I’ve got a new Chinese-brand stereo amplifier at home. There’s probably company in which one wouldn’t admit that, but I did have a (very old) British-brand amp before, talking to a couple of (very old) British-brand speakers. Then the amp gave out terminally and I wanted a replacement cheap and now, so I went to
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The 5 is being developed to be the most fun small electric car to drive, according to Renault boss Luca de Meo and his fellow company executives. “The Renault 5 is the car that everybody wants. It’s a legend that inspired all generations, and everyone is looking forward to it,” de Meo said at a recent event.
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Mercedes-Benz will continue to sell combustion-engined cars “well into the 2030s” as it adjusts to changing demand for its electric vehicles, the company’s CEO has said. Mercedes announced in 2021 that it planned to become all-electric “wherever market conditions allow” by 2030. “Artificially trying to hit the number by pushing product into the market doesn’t make sense,”
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Ratcliffe continued: “BEVs are perfect for certain uses – shorter trips and urban deliveries – but industry and governments need to have realistic expectations around other technologies that can help accelerate the necessary pace of change. That is the reason we are offering an additional powertrain for the Fusilier, one that dramatically reduces emissions but has the
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The Kimera Evo38 has been revealed as a vision of “what would have been” if the legendary, WRC-winning Lancia 037 had continued being developed beyond 1992, rather than retired. It’s an evolution of the Italian firm’s debut model, the Evo37, with the most notable modification being the addition of a driven front axle to make
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Yes, its cabin has plenty of ergonomic quirks and it still lags behind the best for perceived quality, but we can’t help but feel grateful that a car like the Corvette exists at all, and in right-hand-drive form to boot. It’s not an unequivocal recommendation, but the caveats are small and easily offset by the car’s
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With a wealth of engineering changes underneath and visual updates to the body and interior, this Porsche Cayenne facelift isn’t one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it surgeries. The new LED matrix headlights are easy to spot (and, if you like, you can have high-definition ones at extra cost), while the new bumpers front and rear make for
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IM Motors, MG’s premium electric sister brand which is set to launch in the UK next year, will unveil its new L6 saloon at the Geneva motor show. IM (Intelligent Mobility) was founded in late 2020 as a tie-up between MG parent brand SAIC, e-commerce giant Alibaba and R&D specialist Zhangjiang Hi-Tech delivered the first
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The interior is a clever and well-realised mix of modern minimalism and just enough retro touches to keep the Mini faithful happy. It’s bright and open and feels premium while still quirky and fun. As you would expect, there’s plenty of space, too. It’s roomy up front and adults should have no problem in the
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Want to stay up to date with the latest motoring news every week? From UK driving legislation to new launches and first looks – nothing moves in the automotive world that you won’t know about. Plus, you can get under the bonnet of your favourite cars, with the most rigorous and detailed appraisal of new
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The new Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid has been revealed with shorter charging times and a longer electric-only range than its predecessor – and it’s quicker off the mark than the BMW M3. Available to order now from £90,300, the new plug-in hybrid is the latest version of the third-generation Panamera, which was revealed late last year and is due
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Vauxhall/Opel’s product planners freely admit that, in today’s SUV- and crossover-dominated era, traditional hatchbacks need to be designed differently. Those who want a more spacious, versatile and convenient compact car than the new Astra aren’t short of options, after all. For that reason, Astra designers will tell you that they gave aesthetic appeal higher priority
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Component design goes from around 18 months to a matter of weeks, according to Lukas, and there’s no conventional prototyping process to factor in, so “as soon as that design is done, your part is typically right first time”. Furthermore, the lack of hard tooling means designers and engineers have more freedom to change the
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In a similar vein to its exterior, the supposedly new-age design of the Scala’s cabin doesn’t represent a big departure from what we’ve come to expect from Skoda. Functionality and convenience continue to be prioritised, however, and they are epitomised by familiar ‘Simply Clever’ features such as the umbrella holster in the door, the ticket holder on
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Clearly, the demand is there, given the first two years of production are spoken for already, with more than 2000 deposits taken. Plus, hints Potiker, the inherent characteristics of an EV powertrain could even be a boon in the context of its dune-bashing credentials, with the company planning to compete at Baja with the 2.0
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Prior discusses Autocar’s research that found that 83% of motorists would use a machine over apps Autocar research has found that 83% of motorists would prefer to use cash or contactless payment machines in car parks over smartphone apps. Feedback revealed that people don’t like having to download so many apps (there are more than
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The XC40’s interior design was perhaps less bold and adventurous than that of its exterior. Nevertheless, applying the same themes that brought us the lounge-like cabins of the Volvo XC90, Volvo XC60 and Volvo V90 to a class whose last words on cabin sophistication had, by 2017 at least, been the Audi Q3 and Range
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This budget gives you access to Dusters that are just a couple of years old, so this has the potential to be one of the most sensible financial decisions you can make. With seating for five and a compelling, chunky aura to both the way it looks and drives, it combines SUV space with hatchback
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Push harder on the road and some of that sense of dynamic sophistication can ebb away a little, the car’s electronic stability controls seeming peculiarly underdeveloped by JLR’s typically high standards (see ‘Track notes’). But generally, it is precisely that easy-going pleasure you would hope it might be. The SV variant is a different proposition. Not
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Visually, the 3008 and e-3008 are as good as identical. The only changes other than that ‘E’ badge in front of the 3008 on the bootlid are that the wheel arches are slightly less flared on the hybrid, and they don’t get a gloss finish either. Full geek points if you also spot that the
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Lancia announced that the EV hatchback will offer a range of 403km (250 miles). This means it uses the same 51kWh battery as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 8.2sec and a top speed of 93mph. It also has the ability to charge from 20% to 80% in 24 minutes. The firm has
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Lancia announced that the EV hatchback will offer a range of 403km (250 miles). This means it uses the same 51kWh battery as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 8.2sec and a top speed of 93mph. It also has the ability to charge from 20% to 80% in 24 minutes. The firm has
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Its rakish, low-slung silhouette was obviously conceived with an stringent focus on aerodynamic efficiency – enhanced by the integration of a huge front scoop that passes through the front of the car to smooth airflow. This large vent, Chrysler highlighted, is visible from the front seats, giving “the driver a real-world connection with the concept’s
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Double-cab pick-up trucks are set to lose their status as commercial vehicles when it comes to paying company car tax. Massive changes to the benefit-in-kind (BIK) rules will mean that company car drivers will face a near-fivefold increase in personal tax bills for any such pick-up purchased from 1 July 2024. Currently, any pick-up that meets the
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Saloon and Avant estate bodystyles will be offered for the standard A5, with each unlikely to grow in size compared with the current A4. For reference, it stretches to 4772mm in length, 1847mm in width and 1435mm in height. Only the estate has been spotted testing so far in full-bore RS guise, and it is
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Chinese car brands Seres and Skywell will be launched in the UK later this year by importer Innovation Automotive. Seres was founded in 2017 by Chongqing-based industrial group Sokon but is headquartered in California. Its 3 electric car will be brought to the UK in May, priced from £29,995 – £500 cheaper than the MG ZS EV. The Nissan Qashqai-sized SUV has a 161bhp motor on the
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The aluminium chassis has been extensively revised as well, in the name of improved rigidity and engagement. The front cross-member has been moved rearwards to make the front suspension mounting points more rigid, for example, and the new engine bay brace is both lighter and stiffer. Aston also claims the rear end is up to
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All Taycans now get air suspension as standard for improved ride quality, and there’s an optional Active Ride system that is promised to all but eliminate roll, dive and squat under the obscene loads that will be put on each axle and corner. Our economy-focused test route didn’t let us ascertain whether the new Taycan
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But I also think it’s easy to forget that, for example, a late-1990s Daewoo Lanos was unspeakably bad in a way that we don’t have to tolerate today. It’s not the quality of today’s cars that underwhelms me but rather the quantity that overwhelms. In 1993, I could have told you the trim level and
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The DB12 is bigger and wider and more chiselled in its muscular features but no less evocatively proportioned – handsome, perhaps, rather than pretty. For the Granturismo, however, we seem to be in tougher territory. Its proportions aren’t quite perfect. Oddly long-looking in its wraparound ‘cofango’ bonnet, it seems that little bit drawn and stretched.
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BMW designed a radical mid-engined hybrid supercar to succeed the i8 – but never put it into production. Kept secret for four years but now revealed by BMW head designer Domagoj Dukec on social media, the striking i16 could have been the M performance division’s second bespoke model after the 1978 M1 supercar. As it
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Flush-fitting pop-out door handles more like those of a Range Rover Velar than of a Kia EV6 admit you to the interior. On occasion, they fail to present when you need them or, worse, seem to need a second or third tug to open the driver’s door, but they work about as well as any
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Fiat performance brand Abarth has revealed the 600e electric crossover as its most powerful car yet. Based on the new Fiat 600e, it’s the second Abarth EV – after the Abarth 500e hot hatch – and the first SUV to bear the scorpion badge in Europe. The striking Hypnotic Purple car pictured here is the Scorpionissima launch edition, just 1949
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He hailed an impending “huge moment”, pointing to the rate at which prices of hybrids and electric cars are aligning in the US, once EV subsidies are factored into the equation. US president Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act last year introduced a $7500 (£6000) tax credit toward the purchase of an electric car. From this
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Porsche claims that the Sport Chrono-equipped Turbo E-Hybrid will crack 60mph from a standstill in 3.4sec, which is one-tenth quicker than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid. As with the handling, you’ll be hard-pressed to detect the shaved tenths of a second on the road, where the Cayenne remains blisteringly, almost anti-socially, fast. Peak torque remains at a monstrously
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“Car manufacturers have a binding target for the proportion of zero-emission vehicles that we sell. I think it would be useful to have binding targets for infrastructure roll-out. “If you’re providing an infrastructure for the national take-up of an environmentally beneficial product, then there’s going to have to be some level of intervention to make
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This week in Autocar, we have all you need to know about the new Audi RS5, reveal the new Porsche Taycan, and look at a Renault redesigned with Lego. News The Audi RS4 will soon be called the RS5, bringing with it a hybrid-assisted V6 and a set of dynamics to take the fight to
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The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) has announced its launch date for the 2024 season, as well as three test days ahead of the official campaign starting in April. The opening ceremony for the 2024 season will take place at Donington Park on 16 April, alongside the final pre-season test ahead of the competitive campaign beginning
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The government’s “mixed messaging” around the transition to electric cars threatens the UK’s prospects of meeting its transport emissions targets for 2050. That’s the verdict of a new report from the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee titled ‘EV Strategy: Rapid Recharge Needed’. The report identified several key areas of confusion for motorists. These were the perception that
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The i20’s predecessors have typically had fascias that seemed simply laid out rather than ‘designed’. It has never been a car to seem at all ‘loaded’ with technology. How quickly things can change. Some early low-spec versions have analogue gauges, but most i20s have a fully digital instrument screen integrated into a flight console-like panel
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The reason it’s not the ideal Range Rover is because of the PHEV element. While that is enabling us to achieve fuel economy in the mid- to high 30s, the 38.2kWh battery sits low under the chassis, thereby reducing the ramp angle by 2.5deg and the ground clearance by 11mm from a regular Range Rover.
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The GR Corolla steers more sharply than the WRX and the engine responds more quickly. The TIE-fighter styling is matched by its agility and the trick centre differential allows for some very tail-happy antics. Everything about this little hatchback feels lightly deranged. It’s less stable under braking than rivals from Honda and Hyundai and it
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This is particularly good news. Most cars aren’t fully electrified, and getting hybrid drivetrains to behave well is evidently difficult. They stop-start, they shunt between motor and engine and they can take an age to get going or change gear as they try to make human demands match emissions-regulated response. The ability to refine them
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If you’re looking for the extra head room, raised vantage point and enlarged boot of a more typical mid-sized SUV, or the sleek digital technology or premium cabin quality of so many European-market rivals for that matter, you’re barking up the wrong tree with the Subaru Crosstrek. While its ride height grants at least some
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“And at the end we think: ‘Is it useful? And how much does it cost?’ And we’re fighting about this ratio and deciding what to do. That’s an intensive process. It takes a few months.” There was no single prevailing priority for this facelift, Giek explained, but rather an overarching aim to cement and bolster the
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Italian motorsport firm Kimera Automobili is preparing to launch the Evo38 – the latest iteration of its significantly modernised and updated take on the Lancia 037 Stradale. Set to be unveiled on 22 February before appearing at the Geneva motor show, it will have wide-reaching dynamic revisions to make it even more potent than its predecessor,
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An irrepressible and likable character, Vasseur has made a strong start to leading Ferrari out of its latest era of underachievement. The project remains a work in progress – but the operational errors of previous years were fewer in number last year. Vasseur has been a unifying presence. But from Ferrari’s side, why does it
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An irrepressible and likable character, Vasseur has made a strong start to leading Ferrari out of its latest era of underachievement. The project remains a work in progress – but the operational errors of previous years were fewer in number last year. Vasseur has been a unifying presence.But from Ferrari’s side, why does it want
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More than four in five motorists dislike using car-parking apps, according to new research by Autocar. In a survey of 1387 UK-based motorists, 83% preferred to use cash or contactless card payments to park because they do not like having to download so many apps, worry about online fraud, or find that many of the
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Stellantis’ Parisian premium brand aims to blend fashionable style and onboard comfort to retain its familiar selling point Between so many of the Stellantis Group’s compact electric cars that are now clamouring for your attention and cash, the DS 3 E-Tense suddenly seems like the forgotten child. It was facelifted at the end 2022, losing its
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Inside, the 4 Series and M4 retain their dual-screen infotainment and instrumentation displays, measuring 14.9in and 12.3in. The software has been updated from version 8.0 to 8.5, with enhanced voice controls for the climate functions. The ambient lighting has been extended into area above the central air vents, with a choice of nine different colours
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The next-generation Peugeot 5008 will be unveiled in March, the brand has confirmed on its second E-Lion Day. The new 5008 will be based on the same STLA Medium platform as the smaller Peugeot 3008, offering a similar mix of hybrid and battery-electric powertrains. For reference, the 3008 hybrid pairs a 1.2-litre petrol engine with
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This simplification extends to the instrumentation and infotainment, which is all displayed through a central touchscreen in similar fashion to the Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, and the upcoming Volvo EX30. A large 17.1in display will be offered as an optional extra. The interior will be offered in five- and six-seat configurations, with the
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Reichman also said Aston’s road car operation will be making full use of the Formula 1 team’s resources, likely resulting in several tweaks in the Vantage’s design. The upgraded model was recently seen testing at the Nürburgring, revealing a smaller grille and smoother lines around the front end. The car’s rear appears to have received a
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That doing well, Ford began building a factory with a foundry for engine production in nearby Poissy. The future looked bright – until 3 September 1939, as France declared war on Germany, whose border was a stone’s throw away. A new Ford of France restarted work in 1946, muddling through with an upgraded Alsace until
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Just days after revealing the new 2024 Golf, Volkswagen has shown the four-wheel-drive R hot hatch in public for the first time. The Golf range-topper was on display in prototype form – alongside the already-revealed GTI, GTE and eHybrid variants – at the Zell am See ice race in Austria over the weekend. Wearing a
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It was engineered to be only as big as it needed to be. Ariel’s Simon Saunders has designed lightweight bikes and cars. He knows the Atom doesn’t have much spare room, but said that finding “2mm in the battery box” of the Ace bike “was a cause for great celebration”. If you love engineering purity,
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It comes, I suppose, from years of experience and conditioning. There are back-of-mind stereotypes about small cars. See a Ford Fiesta or Fiat 500? That will be a young budget-limited buyer with places to go. See a very old, very cheap small car? That will be driven by a middle-aged, blue-collar bloke who fixes it
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The many journeys that we have already shared have all been a breeze. It really is a car made for relaxed travelling, and I’ve started to pick up on the many things that Lexus has done to make that so. This includes the quietest windscreen washer motor you’ve ever heard (honestly, it’s creepily muted) and
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LEVC, the maker of the London taxi, will launch a luxurious, eight-seat electric MPV in the UK within the next two years. It’s called the L380 in reference to the Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner, and is the first vehicle based on the Geely-owned firm’s new Space-Oriented Architecture (SOA). It was already confirmed to
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Toyota has detailed two special editions of the recently upgraded GR Yaris hot hatchback, which will go on sale in limited numbers later this year. Named the GR Yaris RZ High Performance Sébastien Ogier Edition and the GR Yaris RZ High Performance Kalle Rovanperä Edition, they were first revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon last year. As their names
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Modern ‘streamliner’ EV saloons like this haven’t always proven quite as roomy as conventional executive options, but the ID 7 avoids that pitfall. Taller adult occupants can sit very comfortably indeed in the car’s excellent front seats – but could also travel in the back without slouching much. A Hyundai Ioniq 6 wows you with its leg room, but
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The area where the old Qashqai particularly showed its age was in its interior, but this has generation made some big steps in this respect. That said, it’s avoided taking on digital technology for the sake of it. With a classier dashboard, some horizontal trim strips and a big touchscreen in the middle, it looks
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“Exactly: you’re stuck,” says Steiner. “And these people need to make money, otherwise why would they do it? But it’s also having a vision, how to get this done. And I’m not saying buying the Ferrari suspension is wrong. But at least there needs to be a trend to do things better. “Also, to attract
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Vauxhall is reviving the Frontera name for the chunky compact SUV that will replace the Crossland later this year. Due to be revealed in the coming weeks ahead of deliveries starting at the end of the year, the new Frontera is larger than the Crossland and will introduce the option of an electric powertrain. It will
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Have some spare cash knocking about? Read our Bugatti Veyron used car buying guide… =9. Aspark Owl – 258mph It seems as if a new hyper-EV is launched every week, but few can lay claim to bragging rights like Japan’s Aspark Owl can. Like the Nevera (below), the Owl claims a clutch of records: at 258mph, it’s
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Kia recognised an emerging appetite for slightly more rakish ‘SUV coupés’ with the third-generation Kia Sportage back in 2010. While this car was never officially defined in those terms, the latest version is more of the same: a design-led product that doesn’t offer quite as much interior passenger space as boxier mid-sized rivals such as the
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The new Fisker Alaska electric pick-up truck will be exported and sold in Europe, following the 2023 arrival of its Fisker Ocean SUV sibling. Confirming the decision to Autocar at CES in Las Vegas, company boss Henrik Fisker emphasised the model’s exclusivity, saying: “It’s not going to be in huge volumes.” The Alaska, which was revealed last
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Mercedes-AMG is developing a hot version of the new third-generation CLA, due in 2025 as an electric alternative to the fearsome CLA 45. A disguised prototype of the new AMG model caught testing in northern Sweden this week reveals several changes over the standard car. As well as uprated brakes behind AMG sports wheels, this early
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SE Connect trim’s 15in wheels and relatively meagre tyres can be replaced by bigger ones if you insist, but I strongly suspect some of the car’s surprising ride suppleness, even refinement, would be lost. As for gadgets, this base model has four electric windows, a decent audio system with wired smartphone mirroring, good head lights
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“My wife and I had just learned we were going to have a baby, so I’d swapped my much-loved Fiat Barchetta for a four-seater, a ratty old Porsche 911 SC that was permanently in danger of exploding. But I drove it to meet Jeremy [Clarkson] and Andy Wilman, the TG producer. They saw it and
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What I suspected was the case with the Toyota GR Yaris has turned out to be about right. “It’s no wonder I’ve had correspondence from people with big car collections who drive a Yaris every day,” I wrote in 2021 after spending a few months living with one and finding that it offered a driving experience so
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Importantly, claimed Stellantis, the platform “enables several segment-leading capabilities” that will play to the strengths of each brand that will use it. Alfa Romeo, for example, will benefit from its “high-performance vehicle dynamics”, while Jeep can exploit its “trail-rated off-road driving” credentials. Outlining the platform’s flexibility, Marc Issner, who has overseen its development, said it can accommodate
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In terms of top speed, you have to wind the clock back 41 years to the 1983 3.0-litre SC to unearth a 911 with a top speed lower than that of the Dakar. But acceleration? That’s a different matter. We tested the car on a near-freezing cold day, when the traction potential of its all-terrain tyres would have
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5. Auto Glym Ultimate Screenwash (500ml) £8.99 (£17.98/litre) (Halfords) Minimum temperature: -45C 4/5 The most expensive option here, and while Auto Glym’s screenwash is also the most heavily concentrated, diluting it down to -6C strength results in 2.5 litres of washer fluid – which is about the same as you’d get from 1.25 litres of
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Commended: BMW i7, Hyundai Ioniq 5 On-board comfort was a character facet of modern cars overlooked for much of the late 20th century, but is now making something of a resurgence with EVs. A gentle, absorptive, quiet ride is a dynamic quality you can enjoy on every journey, and while we just somehow expect electric
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Dutch coachbuilder Heritage Customs has started production of its soft-top convertible Land Rover Defender, with the firm’s second example already under way at its Enter factory. Based on the L663-generation Defender 90, the Valiance Convertible has been heavily modified to feature a sixth seat, forged wheels, bespoke leather trim, sports seats and other changes to both its
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The facelifted Ford Kuga will go on sale in the UK imminently, more than a year after it landed in the US as the latest Ford Escape. The headline change is the introduction of Ford’s Sync4 infotainment system. As in the Ford Focus and Ford E-Transit, this uses a landscape-oriented 13.2in touchscreen and is said to offer
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The new Subaru Crosstrek has arrived in the UK as a replacement for the XV, bringing a design overhaul and strong focus on off-road driving. Designed for “utility and sportiness that lends itself to an active lifestyle”, the family SUV touts a series of drivetrain revisions to make it easier to drive off-road. It gets a “class-leading” ground clearance of
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Toyota has no immediate plans to offer a small, cheap electric car due to the high cost of battery materials, making the prospect of an electric Aygo X unlikely. Rival brands including Volkswagen, Renault and Kia have each confirmed plans to offer compact, entry-level electric cars at around £25,000 in the next two years, but
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MG has confirmed that it will unwrap the next-generation MG 3 at the Geneva motor show on 26 February. The Chinese brand made the announcement on X, posting an undisguised image of the new supermini’s front end. Trademark filings from September previously revealed the exterior design of the new 3, confirming that it has taken influence from
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The money, diverted from the controversial HS2 rail project, is claimed by Westminster to be sufficient for resurfacing some 5000 miles of road over the next 11 years. It’s the biggest road-specific fund ever announced in the UK. Williams said in November that the funding should “go a considerable way to bringing our roads back to a
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Anyone hoping Merc’s ‘bridging model’ strategy means the E-Class’s interior stays traditional will be disappointed: our Superscreen-equipped test car is wall-to-wall display, but the MBUX system is, at least, one of the best for usability. Most of the interface is the same as in other recent Mercedes, so almost everything is controlled via a big
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Rather more gratifyingly, this time it’s a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6, which, even though it has been sanitised from 400bhp in Australia to 288bhp here so that it meets our emissions rules, is much more like it. Particularly as it makes 362lb ft of torque from an accessible 2300rpm. And while a 0-62mph dash of
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I’m intrigued by James Attwood’s recent drive of the Audi Q8 E-tron Edition Dakar. It’s a car that at once could be easily dismissed as an expensive folly: only a few will be a few made, it costs some £20,000 more than a regular Q8 E-tron and Audi will charge you another £8600 for a
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Labour responded on 10 October. Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the Tories demonstrated how out of touch they were with the reality facing drivers. “Labour’s plan means action on unfair petrol and car insurance costs, removing barriers so infrastructure improvements are actually delivered, reducing the traffic clogging up our roads and boosting the charge-point
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Chinese manufacturer Changan will launch its Deepal brand in the UK with a new 4×4, company officials have confirmed. The new Deepal G318 is the latest in a number of dedicated off-roaders from Chinese firms including BYD, Chery and Great Wall Motor. Deepal has yet to provide any official technical information on the G318, although Changan officials
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The lower seat improves the driving position so that you feel more in the car than on it and your forward visibility is massively enhanced. I’m slightly sorry to see the old analogue dials go, but the digital instruments focus on the important things – speed, gear position, revs – and overall the dashboard is
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Missing in action at CES: the Tesla Cybertruck. You’d have thought the newest model from the firm that has done the most to accelerate the automotive industry’s tech transformation would be a shoe-in for the world’s leading tech show, but no. An early rumour that the divisive electric pick-up truck was part of the fleet on
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The Avenger is electric, which is another Jeep first, but it won’t be sold solely as an EV. When we first drove it, the UK was only going to take the electric Avenger, but there’s now also a 1.2-litre petrol version with a manual gearbox coming to bring the entry price point down by about
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The BMW plant in Munich will produce only electric cars from 2027, following a €650 million (£560m) investment to expand and upgrade the 102-year-old site. The German firm has confirmed that it will produce the first of its radical new Neue Klasse EVs – a saloon that will serve as the next-generation 3 Series – in Munich from 2026.
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Departing so radically from the design of current Honda models was all about “starting from zero”, said Miniami. “We rethought the design from a human-centric viewpoint and this is what we landed on.” Its rakish silhouette stems from Honda’s desire for “lower and wider vehicles”, said Minami, but it has not been conceived as a
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“In a car, my naivety and spontaneity aren’t taken advantage of”, says Prior Prior decides its better to travel by car and thinks the train ticketing system leaves you feeling foolish It’s 4.15am and I’m in my kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil while flicking between the Google Maps and Waze apps on my
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What determines the price of fuel? The price of petrol and diesel you buy at the pump is largely determined by the wholesale price of Brent crude oil. Fluctuations in the price of this, however, can take weeks to filter through to the forecourts. The price of crude oil has gone up nearly $12 per
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Read our Vauxhall Corsa review 4 Kia Sportage – 36,135 units Consistency is key for the Kia Sportage, which entered its fifth generation at the tail end of 2022. The SUV was once again a smash hit for Kia in 2023, thanks to its eye-catching design, on-trend powertrains and strong value for money. It consistently finished
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This additional cost does not apply to electric vehicles, and this exemption is set to be in place until 31 March 2025. For cars registered before 1 March 2001, then the engine size in cubic centimetres (cc) is what’s important. Cars with engines equal to or smaller in capacity than 1549cc (roughly equivalent to 1.5
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The Volkswagen Group has revealed that new solid-sate battery cells developed by partner QuantumScape have shown encouraging results in recent tests, with a better range and significantly less degradation than both its existing lithium ion batteries and rival solid-state cells. During the tests, run by Volkswagen Group battery division PowerCo in Germany, the cells are claimed
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6 – Radical SR8LM – 6:48:28 The Radical SR8LM had held the lap record since 2009, when it lapped in just 6min 48sec in the hands of Michael Vergers, until it was dislodged by the Porsche GT2 RS. The king may be dead, but the Radical still holds a place in the top five. Vergers was
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New reality or virtual insanity? The most unsettling moment of the Cupra Exponential Experience comes when you first step into the Urban Rebel. It’s a familiar racing car environment, with a minimal dash, a purposeful roll-cage and tight bucket seats into which a helpful Cupra mechanic implants you by yanking on a six-point harness seatbelt.
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Surprisingly, fewer Touring Sports than hatchbacks are diesels. Lesser-powered Auris models run a fairly basic suspension set-up but the 1.2T, 1.6 V-Matic, 1.8 VVT-h and 1.6D benefit from a more sophisticated arrangement that brings a smoother ride and, at least in Auris terms, keener handling. The model was facelifted in 2015, when it gained new
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Autocar is a sponsor of the award, and yours truly represents the magazine on the jury. This year, there were 22 cars from 14 different brands. In some ways, the event is like a motor show where you can actually drive the cars – models that are so new that the ‘big reveal’ covers could
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BMW M4 The M4’s at the halfway point – Leigh Delamere services, if you will – and needs a little touch-up. While a hardcore CS version will come out to bridge the gap between the standard car and CSL. We expect a few carbonfibre trinkets to reduce weight, and a bit more power to help
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At our road testers’ Christmas dinner, I was roundly derided for nominating the BMW M340i as my most underrated car of 2023. “I can’t remember the last time a 3 Series lost a group test,” spat one of my colleagues disdainfully. “How can it possibly be underrated?” “Nice work. Maybe next time you could bring
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Winner: Toyota GR Supra Runner up: Peugeot 408 He voted for it in every category, so it’s only right we give the first word on the Supra to Verpraet: “Duh.” That really is all he offered in support of why the Supra got his vote here. So let’s elaborate on his somewhat concise assessment by
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