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John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy BEFORE VW’s range of all-electric I.D cars hits showrooms in 2019, the German brand will roll out mild hybrid technology across its range of models. The systems are expected to be offered first on the next generation of the Golf, and we’ve been to the company’s test facility in Germany to try out some prototypes. There are two levels; the first VW calls MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle), which has a 48v-powered belt-driven startergenerator. The second, MHEVplus, adds an electric motor producing 25kW (34bhp) and a lithium-ion battery pack. The combustion engine in both cases is the VW Group’s 148bhp 1.5-litre turbo petrol unit, as seen in the Golf. The transmission is the firm’s latest seven-speed DSG, which has been engineered to be compatible with the forthcoming hybrid…

MINISTERIAL action to actively incentivise millions of motorists to buy diesel cars – and then later penalise them for doing so – could be ‘unlawful’ and leave the Government open to a major legal challenge, lawyers have warned. Harcus Sinclair, the law firm spearheading the current UK class action suit against the Volkswagen Group over the Dieselgate emissions scandal, says the Government has “a case to answer” over the way consumers have been misled and then punished for buying diesel cars. Damon Parker, partner at law firm Harcus Sinclair, told Auto Express: “There is evidence that the previous Government promoted diesel car sales on a knowingly false basis. On the basis of the evidence, the Government has a case to answer. “The tactic of forcing diesel owners to part with…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor Videowatch TWO new SUVs from Volvo and BMW take centre stage this week. You can see both at youtube.com/Autoexpress. Behind the wheel of new Volvo XC40 WITH two smash hits in the shape of the XC90 and XC60 over the past couple of years, Volvo has a lot riding on the XC40, which features in our Top Story (Page 8) this week. The new baby SUV competes in a new marketplace for Volvo, and looks set to follow the success of its bigger brothers. Watch our video review as deputy editor John McIlroy runs the rule over the car. First drive verdict on the all-new X3 BMW effectively kicked off the whole small premium SUV craze in 2003 with the X3, and now a new model is here.…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler HOW different could some of today’s cars have been if, 38 years ago, Ian Robertson had accepted the offer to go and work in mud engineering in Kuwait when he left university? The man who has played such a big part in some of the past few decades’ most iconic cars – from the Land Rover Freelander to BMW’s all-electric i3 – always had an inkling he’d go into the oil industry with a degree in maritime studies from Cardiff University. “I lived on the coast in North Wales and had a very strong interest in the sea,” Robertson tells us. “I had it in my mind that the sea would play a big part in where I wanted to go. But at the same time I had…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram SEAT has already hinted at big plans for its forthcoming Cupra sub-brand. But until the standalone models arrive, bosses are looking to add a little heat into the line-up by installing the VW Group’s new 1.5-litre TSI Evo engine across the range. First up is the Ibiza supermini. Available only in FR trim, the four-cylinder TSI Evo is now the most powerful Ibiza on sale. It packs 148bhp and 250Nm of torque and can go from 0-62mph in a claimed 7.9 seconds. The Ibiza has been one of our favourite small cars since it launched this year. Its taut chassis and direct steering mean even the most basic cars are fun to drive, while the snappy gearbox is a great match, too. By choosing this new 1.5, you’ll…

Steve_Walker@dennis.co.uk @Steve_cars GIVE it another decade or so, and every new car that isn’t a full EV will be a hybrid of some description. At least, that’s the stated aim of many of the world’s top automotive makers. Should we be living in fear of this rapidly dawning new age of electrical assistance? Well, ‘frightening’ certainly isn’t an adjective that leaps to mind when considering the hybrid Kia Niro we’ve been running on our fleet. Far from it; this is a car that we’ve gained a healthy respect for during its time with us. Its general ease of use has been a highlight – and while battery-impacted boot space of 373 litres is a major drawback, overall Kia has created a competitive compact crossover that also happens to be a…

NEW PRODUCT Carrera slot car sets Price: £115 Contact: www.hobbyco.net THE battle for the Formula One championship may be over, but you can rerun the fight between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel with the latest slot car set to join Carrera’s line-up. Officially licensed, highly detailed 1:32-scale Mercedes and Ferrari F1 models fight it out around a 7.3-metre digital track that allows cars to switch lanes at the touch of a button. The Night Contest set costs £299.99. The same track is used in the £349.99 Passion of Speed digital set, which pitches a Ferrari 488 and Porsche RSR against each other. For a more light-hearted approach, try the £159.99 Most Wanted set, featuring a Sheriff’s Chevrolet Camaro trying to catch a classic Ford Mustang GT. And for younger racers…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Moving abandoned cars Q I LIVE on a farm, and two old cars have been dumped on my land. While they’re not blocking access for me, I’d still like them moved because they’re bound to start leaking oil or petrol eventually. Who can I contact to arrange for them to be moved? Ben Wilson, E-mail A GETTING abandoned cars moved can be tricky because it’s a civil matter, not a criminal one. Your council should be your first port of call, but if you think the cars are leaking fluids, contact the police via the 101 number. Can I upgrade my ECU? Q MY Skoda Yeti has the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine, which produces 123bhp – but I understand there’s a 148bhp version of this engine as well.…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy VOLVO is on a roll at the moment, thanks to the XC90 and XC60 SUVs, and the S90 saloon and V90 estate. And the next phase in the Swedish brand’s recovery from near-obscurity of five years ago starts here, with the XC40. Auto Express has been behind the wheel of the new challenger to see how it stacks up. The XC40 is clearly a Volvo, although the styling (which the designers say was inspired by sci-fi movies) is more edgy and youthful than the relatively mature XC60 and XC90. The newcomer is a little bit longer in body and wheelbase than Jaguar’s newly launched E-Pace, and a touch taller – it’s very much an SUV, not a crossover. The greatest significance of the XC40 arguably lies beneath it,…

Lexus adds Sport trim to top-end RX LEXUS has launched a new RX 450h Sport (above), intended to inject some racy appeal to its flagship SUV range with some eye-catching styling tweaks. Black exterior detailing is the most significant visual change, with a new black Spindle grille, 20-inch wheels and door mirrors being added. Only available as a range-topping hybrid 450h model, the Sport arrives in the UK in early 2018. New Jeep Compass priced from £23k JEEP has announced that its new Compass SUV, which will take on the Skoda Karoq, will cost from £22,995. The Compass line-up includes two petrol and three diesel engines, while four trim levels are offered to buyers. Standard kit on all Compasses includes alloy wheels, LED tail lights, forward-collision warning and cruise control,…

www.thedrivingdoctor.org @drpaulripley FROSTY mornings can leave roads in a hazardous condition, and such dangers may be misjudged as surfaces and grip can vary greatly. Always set out to prepare the vehicle so it’s free of all ice and snow, and ensure all the lights and windows are clear and demisted. Black ice is hard to spot on the road, and that’s why it’s often referred to as “invisible ice”. In these conditions, even 10mph may be unsafe, so judge speed accordingly. When driving at these times always take extra care where the road is shaded by trees, bridges or buildings, as these may be the last areas to thaw. And don’t forget the low winter sun can often blind you, so make early use of your visor. Be careful on…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk THE Continental GT was the first car Bentley produced after it was taken over by Volkswagen in 1998. It went on sale in 2003, and was heavily revised in 2011. Now, though, Bentley has released the latest Continental GT, which it claims is 100 per cent new. And the big news this time is that it shares its underpinnings with the latest Porsche Panamera. Bentley’s engineers were involved at ground level with their Porsche equivalents during the car’s development, so they could dictate exactly which parts they were going to end up with. And that, say the folks at Bentley, has made an enormous difference to the quality of the end product. “The new Continental GT feels properly rapid. The way the engine summons its considerable energy has to…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @Jimmybrods THE fifth-generation E-Class has already proven itself as one of the finest choices in the executive market. Now Mercedes has expanded the range to fill another niche: the jacked-up, soft-roader estate. Car makers such as Audi and Volvo have offered tougher, higher-riding versions of premium wagons for years. But this is new territory for the E-Class All-Terrain – although Mercedes’ knowledge of off-roading with its G-badged SUVs should hold it in good stead. The brand has played it safe by offering the All-Terrain as a lone model with a single engine choice. It gets a 3.0-litre diesel that sends power to the 4MATIC all-wheeldrive system via a nine-speed dualclutch gearbox. There’s no doubting the powertrain’s refinement and performance; and the six-cylinder motor under the bonnet barely makes a…

Fiat Fullback 2.4 180hp 5Spd Auto LX PRICE: £31,303 ENGINE: 2.4-litre 4cyl, 178bhp FIAT’S Fullback is one of the newest pick-ups around, and since it uses most of the same drivetrain and chassis parts as the L200, it’s another top truck. There’s lots of kit, plus strong pace with power from the Mitsubishi’s 2.4-litre diesel engine. Nissan Navara 2.3 dCi 190 Tekna Auto PRICE: £31,630 ENGINE: 2.3-litre 4cyl, 187bhp THE latest Nissan Navara marks itself out from the pick-up pack with its multi-link rear suspension, which makes it feel more like an SUV on the road. However, it’s not that much better to drive, even if it can tow up to 3,500kg.…

Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk THE Ford Edge hasn’t always scored with everyone during its time on our fleet – but it hit the back of the net when I took it on a 500-mile trip from North London to my home town of Montrose in Angus a few weeks ago. The motorway is where this car is in its element as a spacious, comfortable, familyorientated cruiser. Straight roads and big mileages are its forte – no surprise, really, given it’s a car that was developed in the USA. One thing I’d been concerned about before taking the keys was how family-friendly it would prove – specifically the £175 inflatable rear seatbelts, which I had problems with when I ran a Mondeo for a while in 2015. Although they offer safety benefits in a…

products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Best seasonal screenwash Q AS winter approaches I want to make sure the screenwash in my car does not freeze, because I’ve been caught out by this before. Which is the best screenwash for cold conditions? AnilSharma, E-mail A OUR test showed the best combination of price and performance came from overall winner Prestone Extreme Performance Screen Wash (above, www.holtsauto.com), ahead of Michelin Concentrated Screen Wash (www.fdev.co.uk). Both offer protection beyond -20 degrees Celsius, and lasted well in our freezer test. What scratched my glass? Q THERE are some scratches on the inside of my car’s windscreen in front of the driver. I can still see through them, but they are distracting. What caused them, and can they be removed? Richard Sargent, E-mail A A DIAMOND ring on…

Alan Mann Racing F3L/P68 Ed Heuvink (McKlein Publishing, www.mcklein.de) Price: £74.99 Rating: “ANY racing car that had an advantage over the opposition in racing, one tends to remember,” says racer Richard Attwood in the foreword. Ford’s three-litre sports cars never had the success they deserved, but this great work charts the whole fated project. It’s up there with Heuvink’s book on the Escort RS1600 rally car (Issue 1,496). Jaguar Mark 1 & 2 Nigel Thorley (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £40 Rating: THIS book doesn’t break any new ground, which is disappointing, but enthusiasts will enjoy the wealth of period photos here. All the info is there, although in some places it’s oddly presented; one particular moment sees the author leaping from contemporary road tests to Jaguar setting up an assembly…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk AS other motorsport championships start their winter break, the fourth season of the FIA Formula E electric series begins this weekend in Hong Kong. Reigning champion Lucas di Grassi, who remains with the Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler squad, is expecting to be challenged by several teams. “I have strong expectations of Renault and Mahindra,” he said last week. “At the same time, we should have Virgin, Andretti and Jaguar on our radar as well. There are at least five or six teams in contention for winning races. “In addition, in AndreLotterer,Edoardo Mortara and Kamui Kobayashi there’llbe some strong new drivers, so it’s nearimpossible tomake any predictions. The only thingwecan be sure of is that this will be the hardest-fought season yet.” Di Grassi’s team-mate at Audi at Audi will…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy VOLKSWAGEN is aiming to fight back against the likes of the Tesla Model 3 when it brings its I.D. range of pure-electric cars to market from the end of this decade. The process will start with a hatchback that promises to trump anything else in the class on space and practicality. The production version of the I.D. concept that was shown at last year’s Paris Motor Show will make its debut in 2019, with deliveries due the following year. Underpinning the hatchback – and the full range of I.D. products – will be VW’s new MEB platform. Auto Express understands that the architecture will be offered with a range of up to four battery capacities. Assuming that the entry-level I.D. hatchback uses the smallest of the units –…

700bhp Audi RS 7 spied on the road AUDI has been caught testing its new RS 7 Sportback ahead of its launch next year. The hot five-door coupé will be available with two engine options: the base car will use a 4.0-litre twinturbo V8 producing 650bhp, while there will also be a plug-in hybrid developing around 700bhp. Both will be four-wheel drive, and the hybrid will offer a short all-electric range. It’ll be Audi’s first plug-in RS model. Traffic delays in UK are worse than ever TRAFFIC levels on Britain’s roads have reached an all-time high, with drivers facing up to six minutes of delays for every vehicle mile travelled, new figures from the Department for Transport show. Motorists drove 324 billion miles on UK roads in 2016, up 2.2…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods FOLLOWING last week’s prototype drive of the Infiniti QX50 and its new variable compression ratio petrol engine (Issue 1,500), the Japanese brand has revealed its all-new BMW X3 rival at the Los Angeles Motor Show. We’ve already see the QX50 in concept form on a number of occasions, but this is the finished article, sporting a fresh design language, a new platform and semiautonomous driving tech, along with the revolutionary petrol powertrain. At 4,693mm long, the QX50 is slightly shorter than the latest X3, although it’s wider and taller. It’s lighter, too, with frontwheel- drive versions tipping the scales at 1,736kg. Maximum luggage capacity is 1,699 litres with the rear seats dropped. The most intriguing aspect of the QX50 is the all-new engine found under the bonnet. It’s…

DIESEL drivers haven’t had it easy in the past 12 months. The Government has just announced it will increase taxes on new diesels next year if they fail to keep up with real-world emissions, while cities such as London are leading the charge against existing owners. Islington has become the latest council to unfairly target diesel drivers, by requiring them to pay an additional £2 for parking. The blanket rule, which comes into force early next year, will see drivers of all diesel vehicles – regardless of age or type – forced to pay an extra £2 an hour to park in council-run bays. The council said that residents “suffer from some of the highest pollution levels in London”, and went on to blame diesels as a major source of…

Contact Hugo Griffiths mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Watchdog/Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP HOT TOPIC New Hyundai Kona FROM: Arthur Brown HYUNDAI’S designers have had a shot at trying to produce an inspired and distinctive look for the Kona. It’s a shame the boot is small, but this seems to be down to the majority of models getting a space-saver spare tyre. I’m not sure about the name, though. FROM: Mike THE side and rear are great, but the nose doesn’t look quite right. Still, it’s exactly what’s needed when so many crossovers share the same styling cues. Great to see brands like Hyundai doing things differently and taking steps other manufacturers would avoid. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ▪ “It actually looks nice, but…

Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan JEEP has enjoyed extensive growth in Europe over the past few years, moving from around 300,000 sales in 2009 to nearly 1.4 million in 2016. That success looks set to continue, too, with cars like the all-new Compass vying for market share against some established class giants. Those who recognise the Compass name may remember the last model, which was launched in 2011. It lasted three years before slow sales forced its axe, but Jeep has higher hopes for the new car. Design is always subjective, but it’s also a crucial aspect of a Jeep’s rugged appeal. All the basics are there, with an upright front end, the trademark sevenslot grille and trapezoidal wheelarches adding plenty of macho kudos. Some bright colour options give it personality, although the…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @Jimmybrods MERCEDES sold over two million vehicles around the globe last year, but the SLC roadster (formerly known as the SLK) remains a small part of that success. In fact, sports cars accounted for just 27,000 Mercedes sales in 2016, representing a seven per cent drop year-on-year. To inject some life into the class, a new entry-level SLC 180 has joined the line-up. Equipped with a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine linked to a six-speed manual gearbox, it offers a lower starting price of just £32,439. An equivalent SLC 200 is £2,500 more. While that list price seems unlikely to trouble cars like the Mazda MX-5 RF, Mercedes now offers its baby roadster with enormous dealer deposit contributions. It means you can get an SLC for less per month than…

VOLKSWAGEN AMAROK score 3.5 Discover Media Option (£672) Key features: Sat-nav, voice control SINCE the Amarok in this test is the entry-level Trendline model, you’ll have to pay extra to get an infotainment system with a similar level of functionality to its competitors here. While the 6.3-inch touchscreen Discover Media option costs £672, adding this means the VW will still be cheaper than the Ford. The sat-nav is easy enough to use, with clear graphics and intuitive controls. The small screen is a bit of a barrier to usability in some ways, because the virtual buttons displayed on the screen are quite small and fiddly, but the good news is that with VW’s App-connect system you can run your smartphone’s mapping programme through the infotainment system. That’s probably a better…

Stuart_Milne@dennis.co.uk @stuartjmilne CUTTING straight to the chase, the Skoda Kodiaq isn’t just good; it’s a candidate for being one of the very best all-rounders available to buy today. It’s not just that it’s a well thought-out car – Skodas usually are – but like the Octavia and Superb, the Kodiaq’s fundamentals are expertly judged. That means the driving experience is on the comfortable side of engaging, the engines are pretty efficient and the interior offers a simply staggering amount of space. As a practical, usable family car, it’s just about unbeatable. It’s jam-packed with storage spaces in all the places you’d expect, plus a few you won’t, such as the double-stacked glovebox and under-seat drawers. Space in the front is first rate, but thanks to the 60/40 sliding rear seats,…

CHRISTMAS is a time for indulging in a few luxuries, so after our round-up of £50-and-under gifts in Issue 1,500, we’ve selected some of our favourite blow-the-budget motoring presents. Some of these eye-opening gifts come with eye-opening price tags, including Honda’s robotic Type R lawnmower and a scale model McLaren from the Gran Turismo game. But you don’t have to break the bank, because we have plenty of cheaper festive alternatives on offer. Illustrator Guy Allen’s cool Lambo print and BMW’s M-Experience are just two of this year’s highlights. Whatever your budget, there’s a host of great ideas... AudiJunior Quattro Price: £165 Contact: http://store.audi.co.uk ONLY 600 of these ride-on Junior Quattros are being sold by Audi – so they really would be an exclusive Christmas treat for any child. The…

Hammond’s Budget didn’t include plans to make UK a driverless tech world leader, and we’ve got decades of catching up to do SEEMS a decent man, Philip Hammond. But can anyone remember anything he did for the motorist or the car industry from 2010-11 as Transport Secretary? Me neither. He talked of 80mph motorway speed limits. But they didn’t materialise. Now he’s Chancellor, there are plenty of other hints from Phil, but I fear he won’t deliver. Take early 2017. He said enough to hint a scrappage scheme may be on the cards – which it wasn’t. Then, a week or so ago, he put his name to an eve of Autumn Budget column in which he stated that the “dream” of driverless cars will “soon” (you sure?) become a…