Table of contents for 1837 in Auto Express

Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk • V8 PHEV packs 716bhp • 1,000Nm and 43-mile EV range THIS is BMW’s long-awaited new M5 super-saloon, complete with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, bespoke body and an aggressive new look. The M5 is always one to create plenty of controversy when a new generation arrives, and the latest is no different; it’s the first of its kind to feature an electrified powertrain – all to the benefit of performance and driver engagement, or so BMW says. It’s available to order now for £110,500 and customer cars will arrive from November, alongside a Touring version that’ll be revealed in the coming months. Starting with the body itself, the new M5 follows the smaller M3’s lead by using a bespoke body with wider arches not just at the front, but…

AUDI will also reveal a sleek coupé version of its brand-new Q6 e-tron electric SUV in the coming months, before later pulling the covers off a potent RS Q6 e-tron range-topper, Auto Express can reveal. The new Q6 e-tron Sportback was hinted at via a darkened teaser image shown to media last week. Audi said the new model is “to come” – and we expect to see the covers pulled off later this year. Visually similar to the standard Q6 e-tron, the Sportback will get a more rakish roof and small spoiler. The RS version is expected to use the electric Porsche Macan Turbo’s 621bhp dual-motor powertrain.…

ALONGSIDE the new Golf R (left), Volkswagen has revealed official pricing for the GTI, GTE (above) and eHybrid versions of its evergreen hatchback. The iconic GTI hot hatchback starts from £38,900, which in a surprise twist is around £1,000 less than it was before. Meanwhile, the plug-in Golf GTE now offers a pure-electric range of more than 80 miles and is priced from £39,750. The Golf eHybrid will manage nine miles more, and starts from £36,760. The GTI is on sale now, while the two PHEVs are available to order from 27 June.…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Audi Q4 EV makes my A5 seem old hat FROM: Mark Allen I’M on my second EV, a 2024 Audi Q4 45. I’m also fortunate to own an A5 40 TFSI cabrio. It’s lovely on a sunny day, but objectively the Q4 is better in every way: smoother, more powerful, quieter and just so relaxing to drive. I’m a car nut, but the A5 now feels like a product from a bygone era. Proceed’s boot space is larger than most FROM: Alastair Stewart YOU stated that due to its sloping roof, the Kia Proceed had less space than regular estate cars (Issue 1,835). The Proceed has a 592-litre boot with the rear seats up, making it one of the largest in its class. Kia’s Ceed estate, at 625…

LIB DEM MANIFESTO PLEDGES • Reinstate the 2030 ban on the sale of ICE cars with the stipulation that all new cars and LCVs sold from this point onwards emit zero emissions i.e. not even hybrids • Reintroduce the discontinued plug-in car grant to make buying a new EV cheaper • Roll out more public and on-street chargepoints, and reduce public-charging VAT to five per cent, bringing it in-line with the cost of home charging • “Protect motorists from ripoffs, including unfair insurance and petrol prices” by launching an investigation into sky-high fuel prices and expanding Rural Fuel Duty Relief to more parts of the country, including Cornwall, Yorkshire and rural areas of Scotland and Wales • Pledge £600million to fix Britain’s potholes, plus provide local authorities with more power…

IF you finance either of these cars via a PCP deal, as the overwhelming majority of new-car buyers do these days, then the figures for both are sweetened by generous deposit contributions from the manufacturers. Vauxhall knocks a whopping £1,800 off the list price, so if you rustle up a £5,000 customer deposit, a three-year PCP with a 10,000-mile annual limit comes to £330 a month. The Fabia, however, is even cheaper. While its £1,250 deposit contribution isn’t quite as tempting, a lower rate of interest (5.9 per cent APR representative versus 8.9 per cent) and a higher optional final payment at the conclusion of the three-year period both squeeze the monthly costs down to just £248 per month. Given that there’s very little to separate the two models on…

SUPERMINIS There are petrol, hybrid and electric superminis on the market, so what is the opinion of our experts? John McIlroy Editor-at-large “IF the Corsa’s hybrid tech appeals but you want more style, then the Peugeot 208 is the supermini to have. It’s mechanically identical to the Corsa, but has sharp looks and class-leading cabin quality. Stronger residuals and lower interest rates mean it’s cheaper on a matching PCP deal, too.” Rich Ingram Deputy editor “THE Corsa is also available as a full EV, and on matching PCP terms, the entry-level Yes trim costs only £40 more each month than this GS hybrid. If you can charge at home, much of that will be offset by lower running costs, all for a Corsa that’s smoother, quieter and faster.” Jordan Katsianis…

Ellis_Hyde@autovia.co.uk @EllisDrives Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.6 seconds/106mph Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 490/1,495 litres “I’m troubled by the amount of road, tyre and wind noise” THE idea of a long-term test is that over a period of weeks and months, we learn new things about the vehicles we’re running. But in the case of this latest arrival, a BMW iX1, I’ve been instantly taken aback by a character trait that I simply hadn’t expected. You see, the majority of my journeys are spent on the UK’s motorway network – in particular, the soul-sucking stretches of the M25 as I head to Heathrow or Gatwick airports for work-related trips. So if there’s one area where I hoped the iX1 would excel, it’s at tackling longer trips. I didn’t consider this unreasonable, either.…

NEW PRODUCT AA Road Atlas 2025 range Price: from £10.95 Contact: amazon.co.uk JUST in time for many drivers’ summer breaks, the AA has released its line-up of 2025 road atlases, including a new edition aimed at caravan and motorhome owners. With free smartphone apps and many cars now having sat-nav systems, these are primarily aimed at drivers who want to plan a journey in advance, and they include more information than just maps. The top-selling A3 Big Easy Read Britain Atlas comes in paperback, spiral-bound and flexibound versions and includes details of National Trust and World Heritage sites, as well as tourist attractions, all with sat-nav-friendly postcodes. The three editions are currently discounted to £13.09 on Amazon. The new £15.43 spiral-bound Caravan & Motorhome Atlas has a scale of 2.6 miles…

The Complete Catalogue of the Austin Seven James Taylor (Herridge & Sons, herridgeandsons.com) Price: £37.50 Rating: A GREAT reference title. Dozens of varieties of Seven were made – by Austin itself, military variants, competition and hillclimb cars, plus coachbuilt specials and models made outside the UK. The sheer number means some entries feel a little condensed, but that’s a fair compromise when there’s so much detail. Racing in the Dark Peter Grimsdale (Simon & Schuster, simonandschuster.co.uk) Price: £9.99 Rating: THIS is a look at a really interesting period in the early years of Bentley. It’s presented as prose, which makes it really appealing to read, and focuses on the characters as much as the cars. Not exhaustive, but it’s a great jumping-off point if there’s anything you’d like to know…

CO2/tax 226-250g/km £190 Running costs 29-32mpg (D250) £125 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.4 seconds/117mph FEW cars deserve to be called an icon, but Land Rover’s original Defender can justifiably lay claim to the tag. There aren’t many cars as instantly recognisable the world over, with the exterior design having barely changed from the car’s introduction in 1948 until its demise in 2016. When time was finally called on the original Defender, it created a massive problem for Land Rover: how far upmarket should it take the new Defender, bearing in mind the no-frills appeal of the original? What the firm made was a posh car that was very different from its ancestors, but which moved the game on for the brand and the sector. And huge sales success means there…

Dean_Gibson@autovia.co.uk @DeanGbsn • 4WD GT flagship makes 496bhp for 3.2-second 0-62mph sprint • £60k price tag puts MG in competition with Porsche and BMW THE arrival of the MG Cyberster marks a significant moment in the story of the now Chinese-owned brand. With the old Morris Garages MG having a rich history of sports cars, any flagship performance model from the new MG will have a large weight of expectation placed upon it, because not only will it need to attract potential buyers, but it will need to please the enthusiasts, too. With a list price that’s a fiver short of £60,000 in top-spec GT guise, it also marks uncharted territory for MG when it comes to pricing. That puts it in the same ballpark as the BMW Z4 M40i…

Ellis_Hyde@autovia.co.uk @EllisDrives • New small SUV revealed • Petrol, hybrid and EV options WE had our first look at the new Citroen C3 Aircross back in April (Issue 1,828), but the beefy-looking compact SUV has now been fully unveiled – and we’ve even been given a chance to have a poke around both petrol and EV versions. Although seven seats will be an option, Citroen expects the five-seat C3 Aircross to be more popular. Without a third row to accommodate, the 40:60-split bench seat sits 65mm further back to make the most of the 2.76-metre-long wheelbase and create more space for those in the rear. In fact, Citroen claims the C3 Aircross offers best-in-class knee and elbow room. There’s also a 460-litre boot with a wide, square load space, plus…

Electrified Alfa Romeo Junior packs a punch ALFA ROMEO has revealed more details about the Junior SUV (above), confirming that the range-topping Veloce model will boast an electric powertrain with 278bhp – enough for a VW Golf GTIrivalling 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds. As we already knew, this model’s performance credentials will be bolstered by a Torsen differential, lowered suspension and 20-inch wheels. Visual upgrades include two-tone paint and a set of Sabelt seats. Joint venture to revive the Freelander badge JAGUAR Land Rover (JLR) and Chinese car giant Chery have announced a letter of intent for the co-development of a new range of electric vehicles to be built under the ‘CJLR’ joint venture. They will be tailored for the Chinese market, but will later be sold globally under a…

Legal AA: 0345 850 1130 (m) RAC: 0330 159 1446 (m) Citizens Advice Consumer helpline: 03454 040506 Local Trading Standards Local Citizens Advice Bureau Used car inspections AA: 0800 056 8040 RAC: 0330 159 0720 Technical advice AA: 0370 142 0002 (m) Driving licences DVLA: 0300 790 6801 Car registration/history HPI: 0113 222 2010 AA: 0800 316 3564 DVLA: 0300 790 6802 RAC: 0808 164 1923 Traffic information AA: 0906 888 4322 RAC: 09003 444999 (p) Problems with dealers The Motor Ombudsman: 0345 241 3008 Consumer Ombudsman: www.consumer-ombudsman.org RMIF: 0845 305 4230 Scottish Motor Trade Assoc. 0131 331 5510 Problems with makers The Motor Ombudsman: 0345 241 3008 Financial problems Financial Ombudsman: 0800 023 4567 Safety concerns/recalls www.check-mot.service.gov.uk…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy Running costs 42.2mpg (official) £92 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.0 seconds/134mph THE world, including Skoda, is pushing towards electrification – so the latest version of the Czech brand’s family SUV stalwart, the Kodiaq, may well be the peak of its combustion-engined breed. Larger than before, with even more practicality and a solid range of engines (including, yes, diesels), it impressed us when we drove it abroad in April. Now it’s time to see how it stacks up in UK spec. A quick recap first: the new car is 61mm longer than before, and is available with a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol, a plug-in hybrid based on the same motor, and two 2.0-litre diesels. One has front-wheel drive and 148bhp, while the car we have here produces 190bhp and features…

MODEL TESTED: Corsa Hybrid 1.2 100PS GS PRICE: £25,280 POWERTRAIN: 1.2-litre 3cyl turbo petrol hybrid, 99bhp 99bhp Powertrain 1.2 litre 2cyl 45 litres Fuel tank £66 fill up 10.7 seconds Performance 116mph 309 litres Seats up/down 1,118 litres THE Hybrid edition adds another level of electrification to the Corsa line-up, joining the range’s pure-petrol and fully electric options. We’re testing it in mid-spec GS trim, but at £25,280, it looks a bit pricey when compared with the Fabia. Tech highlights LATE 2023 saw the Corsa treated to a mid-life refresh that added a sharp new design, featuring the brand’s ‘Vizor’ front end, plus improvements to the in-car tech and trim materials. However, we’ve had to wait another six months for a significant mechanical upgrade to arrive. The eight-speed automatic gearbox…

WINNER Skoda Fabia 1st THE Fabia has only received minor updates, but they’re enough to cement its position as one of the best superminis in the business. Space, comfort and refinement are all as good as it gets at this size, and while it might seem a shame that there’s no hybrid option, this pure-petrol version is so frugal that it’s only around town where hybrid models will have a slight edge. Things can get a touch expensive if you decide to pick some of the more desirable options available, but there’s little else to fault here. • Smooth ride• Impressive refinement• Spacious cabin• Improved interior tech • Options list can get pricey• Not that fun to drive• No full-EV option• Cheap plastics in rear INTERESTED? Scan the code for…

SAME CLASS Toyota Yaris IF outright economy figures matter to you the most, then look no further than the Yaris. Even against a swell of newer petrol-electric rivals, Toyota’s hybrid set-up remains the smoothest and most frugal around. Better still, because the latest Yaris has been on sale since 2020, used examples are now falling as low as £11,000. Early models have clunky infotainment systems, but all versions ride and handle very keenly. • Superb hybrid tech• Good to drive • Infotainment on early cars• Tight rear-seat space SAME CLASS Honda Jazz THE Fabia is spacious inside, but it’s no match for the Honda Jazz for cabin versatility. Thanks to its boxy mini-MPV shape, the Jazz maximises space on its four-metre-long footprint, and returns superb leg and headroom. Its back…

Chris_rosamond@autovia.co.uk Running costs 38.4mpg (on test) £85 fill-up Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 579/1,634 litres I’VE never been very drawn to personalised number plates, although there are plenty of good ones around. I’d like to have CAR 1, but that belongs to Ford, and given that any other combination would be sub-optimal from a personal perspective, I’m pleased that Honda has monogrammed the CR-V for me instead. Wikipedia will tell you that CR-V stands for Comfortable Runabout Vehicle or Compact Recreational Vehicle, but given that neither of those monikers really fits the bill these days, I’m going to stake a claim for the initials. After spending three months or so driving the latest model – more comfortable than ever but hardly a runabout, and ideal for business or recreation but scarcely…

Atom maker turns to two wheels ARIEL may be known for its Atom and Nomad cars, but the company has built something totally different – the Dash e-bike. Using ultra-lightweight components, it weighs just 10.9kg, but features a 250W hub motor and a battery with up to 50 miles of range. The Dash (above) is available in Urban or Adventure forms, the former with a single-speed belt drive and the latter with a chain and 12 gears. It starts from £9,984 and you can find more info at arielmotor.co.uk. Millions lost due to underinflated tyres A STUDY by the Motor Ombudsman has revealed under-inflated tyres may be costing UK motorists more than £112million a year in premature wear. Figures from the British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association and charity Tyresafe estimate that…

LONG journeys, whether a day trip or weeks in a camper van, invariably involve regular visits to cafés or motorway services. Doing this can be seriously expensive, so taking food and drink with you in a cool box is a practical way to save some money. We reckon that 20-24 litres is about right for a smallish picnic, although for a family spread, 30 litres-plus would be better. Most boxes can run from the mains as well as 12V, making them more versatile. The same applies to boxes that can heat as well as cool. The aim of any box is to maintain the temperature of food/drink that has already been cooled or heated. Most boxes work by using a simple motor in the lid and are on or off,…

Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk • Wraps off 1,774bhp Tourbillon • 0-62mph in two seconds “While the design themes are similar to what went before, the execution is very different” IT’S not every day that a truly all-new Bugatti is introduced. The brand has consistently been a pioneer in the hypercar space, and the new Bugatti Tourbillon is no different to the Chiron it replaces, in that it represents a huge leap forward for this most exotic of automotive genres. And in pretty much every department. Once again, this is a car defined by the numbers. But the means by which they are achieved are very different to before, and arguably even more impressive. Gone is the W16 engine, replaced by an all-new, naturally aspirated V16. For good measure, it’s assisted by a sizable…

THE Audi RS Q8 has been given a mid-life refresh to keep pace with the biggest, and most powerful, SUVs money can buy. Changes include a revised grille with new honeycomb pattern and Audi’s recently updated four-ring logo, plus the latest matrix LED headlights and a more aggressive bumper and air intakes. The tail-lights now use OLED tech and have five different signatures, while the rear bumper features the honeycomb pattern, oval exhausts and a reflector in between. The RS Q8’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 is available in two states of tune: the standard version delivers 591bhp and 800Nm of torque, while the RS Q8 Performance ups the ante to 632bhp and 850Nm for 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds. Customers get model-specific adaptive air suspension, and a newly developed, lighter exhaust. A…

Jordan_Katsianis@autovia.co.uk • Exterior revisions cloak plug-in system with 771bhp • Up to 50 miles of EV range, with CO2 emissions of 29g/km IT hasn’t taken long for Bentley to get used to life after consigning its iconic W12 engine to the history books. This is the new Continental GT Speed, and it ushers in a new age for the brand with an ‘Ultra Performance’ V8 plug-in hybrid. Both the GT coupé and convertible GTC use the same MSB platform as the old car, but Bentley says they have been thoroughly enhanced, with nearly 70 per cent of components being brand new. The plug-in hybrid powertrain produces a combined 771bhp and 1,000Nm – 121bhp and 100Nm more than the outgoing W12-powered GT. A large proportion of that (584bhp) is generated from…

ANALYSIS of costs for diesel, petrol and electric cars shows UK drivers are among the hardest hit in Europe and the US. While many drivers know EVs are the cheapest way to get around, a survey by Xcite Car Leasing reveals the UK price of electricity is second highest, only behind Italy. UK diesel is fourth most expensive, behind Switzerland, Finland and Norway, while the cost of UK petrol is 11th. Danish drivers have to pay the most for petrol, but those in the Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, France, Finland, Germany and Portugal are all paying more at the pumps for petrol than UK drivers, too. USA and Turkey come out equally as the cheapest countries for fuel, with Turkey lowest on electricity prices and the USA being lowest for…

Tom_Jervis@autovia.co.uk @thomaswjervis WITH polls suggesting that Conservative Transport Secretary Mark Harper could soon be replaced by his Labour shadow, Louise Haigh, Auto Express has challenged both to provide their solutions to the issues we think matter most to motorists, based on our own Motoring Manifesto (Issue 1,834). If you’re still undecided and want to know who best represents your interests as a driver, check out the responses from the two chief protagonists battling for your vote. We’ve also rounded up policy highlights from the other major parties in the General Election. 1. When will you ban ICE car sales? Mark Harper, Conservative “THE original plan was to phase out all new ICE cars except hybrids by 2030, and then allow hybrids until 2035. We changed that to allow all engines…

Paul.Barker@carwow.co.uk @paulbarkerauto FORD is finally getting serious about electric vehicles, but it has plenty of catching up to do with the new Explorer. The detractors would say revamping a Volkswagen ID.4 – not the most inspiring of electric cars to start with – and resurrecting another old brand name previously seen on a larger SUV (and predominantly in the United States) doesn’t exactly scream of a new beginning. And that’s before you mention the delays to a car that has finally emerged around nine months later than initially hoped, as Ford held off until battery tech was where it wanted it to be. Anyway, some basic facts: the Explorer is Ford’s second proper production EV, joining the Mustang Mach-E. It comes with a choice of two trim levels; the higher…

Ellis_Hyde@autovia.co.uk @EllisDrives Running costs 21.1mpg (official) £130 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.4 seconds/171mph PORSCHE’S hallowed GTS badge was introduced on the 911 way back in 1963. Six decades later, almost every model in the firm’s line-up has been offered with these three letters on the bootlid. They’ve come to represent a kind of sweet spot in the range; GTS variants get chassis tweaks and more power than lesser models, but don’t boast about their performance like the range-topping Turbo editions. It’s the same story with the new Cayenne GTS. It uses the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 you’ll also find in the S, but with an extra 39bhp and 40Nm. That means there’s now 493bhp and 660Nm at the driver’s disposal – enough for the 2.2-tonne-plus SUV to crack 0-62mph in just…

MODEL TESTED: Skoda Fabia 1.0 TSI SE L PRICE: £23,415 POWERTRAIN: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 114bhp 114bhp Powertrain 1.0 litre 3cyl 40 litres Fuel tank £58 fill up 9.7 seconds Performance 125mph 380 litres Seats up/down 1,190 litres WHILE the Fabia tested in these images has a six-speed manual gearbox, we’re testing it with an optional automatic gearbox to make it a match for the Corsa. With a DSG auto and in SE L trim, the Fabia costs £23,415, but there is a reason why that price undercuts the Corsa by £1,865. Tech highlights THAT margin is down to the Skoda using a simpler powertrain. While the Corsa makes use of the Stellantis group’s latest hybrid tech, the Fabia is a pure-petrol model instead. There’s only one mechanical change for the 2024…

SAME PRICE Renault Clio EVERY generation of the Clio has marked highly against the competition for style and desirability, but the new model has more substance than ever before, too. A pure-petrol model adds simplicity (if a slight performance shortfall) at the bottom of the range, while the clever hybrid systems are as fuel efficient as the very best models in this class. If we take finances out of the equation, the Fabia’s extra space and marginally smoother ride make it more competent overall, but the Clio’s lower price swing things in its favour. Look out for the zero-per-cent PCP finance deals and it becomes an absolute bargain. • Great to drive• Frugal hybrid tech• Tempting finance rates • Hybrid engine can be vocal• Pure-petrol models short of power• Less…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk THE short answer is no, even though they can now be used in Ireland. Fitting LED lights to headlamps designed for halogen bulbs remains illegal for the vast majority of cars on UK roads. The exceptions are pre-1986 classics and single-source vehicles like motorbikes. All other cars must retain the original halogen bulbs they were designed for which, despite now delivering up to twice the light at some point within the beam, can’t match the 230 per cent-plus of LED versions. The retrofit LEDs also last around five times longer than regular halogen bulbs – and even more compared with the high-performance versions that sacrifice run time for output. Osram even guarantees its Nightbreaker LEDs for four years. These retrofit options should not be confused with…

WHEN you’re investing in a pressure washer, it’s easy to think the safest option is a brand you know and trust. For most people, that will mean a Kärcher. The yellow machines are best sellers, but in the past we’ve found that they’re not the greatest value for money and have awarded test wins to less familiar brands. The company is fighting back with bundles that aim to make its products more attractive. The latest is the K4 Power Control Car & Home Plus, which is based around the mid-range K4 and includes accessories to make cleaning your car and driveway easier. It’s cheaper than our previously Recommended AVA P60 bundle, but can’t get close to matching the value of our Hawksmoor Best Buy. We like many of the Kärcher’s…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk JUST over 10 per cent of Driver Power 2024 respondents with a Mokka drive the electric model, with the remainder sticking with petrol power. But increasing numbers of EV owners may be partially behind the Mokka’s rise through the ranks. This year we’ve seen a decent performance in the powertrain category, with 11th awarded in the noise section and 18th for smoothness, on top of 15th position for handling and 20th for driving pleasure. The Mokka’s best scores are for its style, with the Vauxhall taking third spot for external design and ninth for interior. Owners seem impressed by many elements of the infotainment category, including how the touchscreen and physical controls relate. WE SAID “Its sharp and distinctive lines offer plenty of kerb appeal, while the Mokka’s up-to-date…

IT’S two years, almost to the day, since I argued that Elon Musk was making so much money out of his cars that he could afford to charge less for them. And to be fair to the Tesla CEO, he has since reduced the prices of some of his models. So far, so good. But now the richest bloke in the motor industry has gone and spoilt it all by fighting for and taking a $56 billion (£44 billion) remuneration package. Now I’m the first to acknowledge that a brilliant, hard-working, risk-taking, game-changing car guy such as him should be handsomely rewarded for the job he does at Tesla. But something inside me also says it’s almost obscene for one person to be remunerated to the tune of £44,000million for…