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John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy MERCEDES will push its saloon styling to extremes for the next generation of its CLS four-door coupé, the company’s chief designer has revealed. The next edition of the car – which originally made its debut back in 2004 – is expected to be unveiled to the public at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. It will be based on the recently launched E-Class and share the executive model’s engines and transmissions. But the CLS will now form part of a twocar appendix to the E-Class line-up, focusing on style and luxury. The other car, the production version of the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept (see below) – AMG’s second bespoke model – will major on performance. EXCLUSIVE IMAGE “To promote the AMG GT Concept’s performance, Mercedes is likely to keep V8…

New Juke-rivalling Hyundai noses in HYUNDAI is gearing up to do battle with the Nissan Juke with a new crossover called the Kona – and we’ve been given our first proper look at the SUV ahead of its full unveiling in the summer. This darkened teaser shot (above) reveals a bold new design, with a gaping grille flanked by ultra-thin LED daytime running lights. The Kona will make its debut next month, before arriving in showrooms before the end of the year. Renault and Dacia models freshen up PRICES and specs have been announced for the new Renault Captur crossover and Dacia Logan MCV Stepway estate. Both are available to order now, priced from £15,355 and £11,495 respectively. The Captur gets a new look designed to mimic the larger Kadjar…

Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer EXCLUSIVE CAR buyers who shop around for the best finance deal are losing £100million a year, as unregulated lenders damage their credit scores with unnecessary checks. Motorists who visit multiple loan providers in search of the best rates are being punished the more they hunt for deals, because lenders conduct hard credit checks before providing final interest rates – which act as a serious red flag on your credit profile. Hard credit checks show up as loan applications, and multiple records of these can lead to buyers being charged higher interest rates or refused finance altogether in the future. A new report by the TSB Bank found 61 per cent of personal loan lenders were guilty of the practice, with car buyers losing an average of £375 each,…

ames_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor Videowatch AT youtube.com/Autoexpress this week, we drive the new 228bhp MINI Countryman JCW and thrilling Porsche 911 GT3. We pile on power in Countryman JCW HOT on the heels of the new MINI Countryman comes the John Cooper Works version – and it’s the most powerful MINI ever produced. With a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine pushing out 228bhp, four-wheel drive, a loud exhaust and racier exterior styling, is this the perfect hot MINI? Steve Sutcliffe drove it in Spain to find out. Log on now to watch his review. Behind wheel of brilliant new GT3 IT may look very similar to the old car, and the one before that, but the new Porsche 911 GT3 is a stepchange over the model it replaces. There’s better steering, a more…

WOULD you buy a car with 693,000 miles on the clock? That’s what Rod Green did – or more accurately, it’s what his son did for him. However, while a mega-mileage saloon might seem like a risky gamble, Rod knew the car’s history from day one, because he’d put most of those miles on its clock. Rod said: “I started a new career as a corporate chauffeur in 2001, and I leased a pre-registered S80 2.5D with fewer than 20 miles on the clock. With an annual mileage of 80,000 to contend with, I needed something that would be reliable and not cost too much to run. However, 10,000-mile service intervals meant the Volvo would visit a garage every six weeks. I never skimped on servicing but I avoided main…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE THE Mercedes E-Class is one of our favourite large saloon cars, blending a classy interior with a composed driving experience and a strong range of engines. That doesn’t automatically mean we’ll love this new Coupé model, but with such a good base, what could go wrong? We first drove the car in Spain last month, and came away impressed with the Coupé’s refined, calm and cosseting character. Happily, that holds true back in the UK, even on our notoriously rutted roads. Our test car was fitted with standard springs rather than the pricey adaptive air-suspension (a £1,495 option), but even on bumpy tarmac, we found the big E-Class to be extremely comfortable indeed. The ride is a little firm at low speed, but push on and it irons…

MODEL TESTED: Renault Mégane Sport Tourer 1.5 dCi Dynamique S Nav PRICE: £22,640 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 4cyl, 108bhp THE Mégane Sport Tourer made a winning debut (Issue 1,456) against the Vauxhall Astra and Peugeot 308 estates, so it’s the car to beat here. Spacious, stylish and refined, the well packaged Renault is a desirable choice for growing families. Once again, we test the car in popular and greatvalue £22,640 1.5 dCi Dynamique S Nav guise. DESIGN & ENGINEERING score 4.1 THE five-door Mégane is one of the most eye-catching hatchback models, and happily the same design flair has been carried over to the Sport Tourer. By stretching the wheelbase by 43mm and the overall length by 267mm, Renault’s designers have added an estate rear end without spoiling the Mégane’s proportions. It…

THE sleek and stylish Mercedes C-Class is our current favourite upmarket compact convertible. Not only does it look the part, it’s also decent to drive, generously equipped and features a particularly well-integrated fabric roof. On paper, the C 220 d is at an immediate disadvantage to its rival, with its 168bhp 2.1-litre diesel 19bhp down on power compared with the Audi’s 2.0-litre unit. However, its 400Nm torque figure is a match for the A5’s, and in combination with the closely stacked ratios of its nine-speed gearbox and its four-wheel-drive traction, it allowed the C 220 d to sprint from 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds, which was a tenth faster than the Audi. The result was equally close during our in-gear tests, where the Mercedes trailed the A5 in the lower ratios,…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy “On the motorway, the GLC was in its element. The revs hovered at barely more than idle” After several years without a proper rival to the Audi Q5 and BMW X3, Mercedes plugged the gap with the GLC. This car’s predecessor, the GLK, wasn’t offered here, so the GLC has filled a yawning chasm in Mercedes UK’s line-up. And the best news of all? It’s done it while staying true to Mercedes’ values. There was a time, you see, when Mercedes went through a bit of a jealous phase. Perhaps frustrated at the progress being made by its more sporty rivals, Audi and BMW, the three-pointed star decided to try to join them in offering ‘focused’ road cars. The results were far from positive. Mercedes is back on…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Best garage security set-up My neighbour recently had his garage broken into, so I am looking for some sort of security system for my workshop. Which is the best set-up that would alert me if I’m burgled? Phil Ruppert, E-mail A We’ve had good results with the Nest Cam security system (www.nest.com). A mainspowered camera (above) links to the WiFi and sends an alert to your smartphone if movement is detected. The app lets you see what is going on in the garage. It costs £159, although you’ll need a subscription to view recorded footage. Q How to keep caps’ colour The centre caps on my Volkswagen Golf have discoloured and it looks like there’s corrosion around the edge under the clear plastic. What’s…

WHEN David Cameron first sought leadership in 2010, he agreed to be interviewed by yours truly. Why? Because DC twigged that, by speaking to me, he’d get through to some of the 50 million daily car users whose votes he craved. The man told me to tell you he was a “friend of the motorist”, and you and your car would be safe in his Conservative hands. Smart – if cynical – bloke. As most car users have voting cards up their sleeves, he knew they had – and still have – enough political clout to put parties in power. Not that anyone has told the Liberal Democrats. If I had to name the mainstream party that’s been most hostile towards cars, drivers and passengers over the decades, it’d be…

▪ We try early version of Karoq ▪ Same platform as SEAT Ateca Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn EVEN with the psychedelic disguise, it’s clear that the new Skoda Yeti is a completely different car to the one it’s about to replace. In fact, the crossover has undergone such a dramatic transformation that Skoda has decided to give it an allnew name, too – welcome the Karoq. Now a more conventional rival for the likes of the SEAT Ateca and Nissan Qashqai, the new name helps the Karoq slot into Skoda’s reshaped SUV line-up spearheaded by the Kodiaq. The Karoq will be officially unveiled later this month, and ahead of the crossover arriving in showrooms at the end of the year (priced from around £17,000) Auto Express joined Skoda’s development team in Estonia…

What do you think? Contact Martin Saarinen mail@autoexpress.co.uk @Autoexpress Write to: Watchdog/Letters, Auto express, dennis Publishing, 30 Cleveland Street, London WIT 4JD HOT TOPIC Lexus NX revealed FROM: Stu889 I SAT in the current NX recently and found it nice and comfortable. However, I was surprised the lower-spec models do not come with bi-xenon lights – something I’m hoping the new model rectifies. A car like this should come with these as standard. FROM: HTG LEXUS has always been a Marmite brand – you either like its cars or you don’t. I think the new NX looks great. The only thing it could do with is larger wheels and tyres to compete the look. I have never owned a Lexus, but this may just tempt me to visit the showroom.…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk WHEN McLaren unleashed the MP4-12C in 2011, the rarefied world of the supercar was very different from the way it is now. But even then, it was a landmark car. It wasn’t quite as good as a Ferrari 458, perhaps, but it wasn’t far wide of the mark. Six summers on, McLaren has reached stage two of its plan to rule the world of supercars, and the 720S is the result. It has a new chassis tub called the Monocage II, a new 4.0-litre version of the familiar twin-turbo V8, and a new design language that does away with the huge air intake vents on the sides, but brings F1-inspired dihedral doors. The 720S also gets a comprehensively rethought interior, with a lot more emphasis on quality and greater…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram PLUG-in hybrid vehicles have come a long way in the past two or three years, but the fact remains that you’ll need regular access to a charge point to get close to manufacturers’ fuel economy claims. In fact, many will actually return fewer miles per gallon than normal petrol or diesel rivals if you fail to plug them in at the end of every journey. In theory, the Prius Plug-in is no different. It has only a 30-mile EV range, so you’ll need a short commute to run the car solely on battery power. That formed part of our verdict when we tested the plug-in Prius in Europe earlier this year, but now we’ve got the car here in Britain to see if it can challenge the standard…

MODEL TESTED: Skoda Octavia Estate 1.6 TDI SE Technology PRICE: £21,790 ENGINE: 1.6-litre 4cyl, 113bhp SPACIOUS, sensible and great value, the Skoda Octavia Estate has always been a rational and reasonable car. However, this facelift aims to inject a bit of showroom shine, with refreshed looks, updated infotainment and revised engines leading the way. There are numerous trim variations to choose from, but here we sample what’s expected to be the most popular combination of SE Technology trim and 1.6-litre TDI, which weighs in at £21,790. DESIGN & ENGINEERING score 4.0 AS with the closely related and recently revised VW Golf and SEAT Leon, the Octavia’s updates have been kept to a minimum – although they’re easier to spot than on the Golf. The biggest change is at the front,…

SKODA OCTAVIA score 4.4 Amundsen Standard Key features: Phone connectivity and apps AS part of its facelift, the Octavia has a new infotainment system – essentially a reskin of the unit that made its debut in the Golf. All versions get an eight-inch touchscreen as standard. The entry-level Bolero is fitted to S and SE models and features DAB and Bluetooth, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It’s easy to use, with slick graphics and a logical menu system. SE Technology models and above benefit from the Amundsen unit, which uses the same clean interface but adds 3D sat-nav. Also included is a year’s subscription to Skoda Connect, which gives you remote access to several functions, plus automatic emergency notification in the event of an accident. For £400 the…

NEW product New Bentley Home range Price: From £3,220 Contact: www.bentleymotors.com “Range is for those who appreciate fine craftsmanship and architectural design” The sight of a Bentley on the driveway marks out a property as a cut above the rest, but how does the discerning owner keep that up inside the front door? The British brand has the answer with a new range of homeware and furniture for those who appreciate fine Italian craftsmanship and architectural interior design – and who don’t mind spending £3,000-plus on a table lamp. The £3,220 Morpeth lamp has a leather shade with slender openings to filter light “elegantly”, as Bentley puts it. And what better to sit your lamp on than the £19,340 Eastgate cabinet? You’ll need one of Bentley’s larger models to go…

The Le Mans Model Collection Porter Press (www.porterpress.co.uk) Price: £200 (three-book set) Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆ This set of books is a stunning feat of research. Every single Le Mans 24 Hours racer is immortalised in model form, photographed from three angles, and captioned with some useful facts. A few specially commissioned paintings make an appearance, too. The high price and lack of much actual reading material mean it’s a specialist choice, though. How to Restore Classic Car Interiors Veloce Publishing (www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £25 Rating: ⋆⋆⋆ there are hundreds of classic car restoration manuals about, but as the name suggests this one focuses on the interior. It covers all the bases you’d expect – plus there are useful sections on modernising your car. It would be easier to follow numbered or step-by-step…

Got any car queries? Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Reject car over history A FEW weeks ago I bought a used Skoda Octavia, and I was told the car had only one previous owner. When I got the paperwork, it showed two. Am I entitled to a refund or can I reject the car, as I’m worried about its history? David Rock, E-mail A YOU’RE allowed to reject the car within 30 days of purchase if it is not as described. But before doing so, contact the DVLA to clarify who the second owner was; the dealer may be marked as the second owner, which will be easier to rectify. Q Economy shortfall a fault? I check my fuel economy every month and have found that the Fiat Tipo 1.4 T.Jet Estate…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk FOLLOWING an incredibly close battle for the win at Silverstone’s Easter weekend season-opener, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) is back in action at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium this Saturday. The six-hour event represents the last chance for the teams to hone their cars ahead of the blue-riband Le Mans 24 Hours in June, and sees a third Toyota join the fray in the LMP1 class. Toyota’s Anthony Davidson, along with co-drivers Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, will be looking to make it two wins out of two after narrowly edging out the Porsche crew of Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard at Silverstone. In #7 Toyota, touring-car convert Jose Maria Lopez is fully recovered from his big Silverstone crash and will be hoping for a better result…

MORE than a third of England’s motorway network is without 4G coverage, presenting an obstacle to the trials of driverless cars. Inconsistency of 4G signal on UK motorways The M6 through Birmingham has the worst signal of any major motorway at 46.89 per cent, according to research by Global Wireless Solutions, which also found that 3 was the poorest network for consistent 4G coverage. Government is now pushing ahead with funding for the 5G required for autonomous cars, but the latest findings show how five years after 4G was rolled out, huge signal gaps still exist. It puts a question mark over plans to test cars on motorways between London and Oxford by 2019, too. Paul Carter, of Global Wireless Solutions, said: “Action must be taken by Government and local…

A MONTH from now, the UK will head to the polls once more to choose its leader, after Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to call a snap General Election on 8 June. The early indication is a landslide victory for May and her ministers, but if we’ve learnt anything from recent pre-voting polls, it’s that they can’t really be trusted at all. Whichever way the election goes next month, what does it mean for the motorist? It’s a question we asked before the Brexit vote 12 months ago, and again back in 2015 when David Cameron’s Tory Government was elected. The answer has been largely the same – a general disinterest towards drivers and car owners from all angles, with manifestos concentrating on battles over the EU instead. Sure, there…

Joe_Finnerty@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer HUNTING through the classifieds for a new motor can be an exciting prospect, as you look to unearth your perfect car. Everyone has their own criteria during the search, with certain cars to be avoided, such as those that don’t have a full service history or are described as having some ‘bodywork issues’. Many will also place a mileage limit on a new purchase – 100,000 miles on the clock is a barrier that many buyers are tentative about crossing. What hidden dangers are lurking on cars that have covered so much ground? While high mileage on a newer model can indicate it’s been heavily thrashed, dismissing a prospective new car purely because it has a high number on the odometer is both unfair and unwise. A low-mileage…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THE Honda Clarity is a fuel cell vehicle designed to get around one of the most persistent problems with electric cars: recharging. Plenty of EV owners top up their batteries at home, but when out and about, things become more of a lottery. Fuel cell technology offers a solution – albeit one with compromises. You fuel the Clarity from a hydrogen pump, in much the same way as you would a regular car, and it takes roughly the same amount of time to do so. Then, the car’s fuel cell stack turns the hydrogen into electricity to power the motors. It emits nothing but water. Honda claims the Clarity has the greatest range of any zero-emissions vehicle (403 miles), but with only a dozen hydrogen refuelling stations in…

MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen Golf Estate 1.6 TDI SE Navigation PRICE: £22,975 ENGINE: 1.6-litre 4cyl, 113bhp AS with the Octavia, the Golf has been treated to a recent mid-life refresh. We’ve already been impressed by the hatchback, which took a narrow victory on its road test debut (Issue 1,466), but now it’s the turn of the practical estate. Featuring the same trim, engine and infotainment updates of the five-door, it promises to be a formidable opponent. Here we sample the frugal 1.6-litre TDI model in well equipped £22,975 SE Navigation guise. DESIGN & ENGINEERING score 4.0 AS with its hatchback sibling, the Golf Estate has been treated to a subtle facelift. In fact, if you’re not paying attention it would be easy to confuse it with its predecessor. Look closely, though,…

Steve_Walker@dennis.co.uk @Steve_cars BIG, practical, well built, comfortable, reasonably priced; the Skoda Superb is hard to pick fault with. Unless, perhaps, you’re after a bit more excitement. The big Skoda’s unyielding competence almost works against it when it comes to standing out from the crowd, which is partly why Skoda introduced the Sportline trim last year. It’s also the main reason why we’ve been running one on our fleet. So can this Sportline model inject the Superb with a bit of extra sporty pizzazz, reinforcing a major dent in the car’s amour? I think it at least makes a valiant attempt. Outside, once your eyes have become accustomed to the glare of the Dragon Green paint job on our car, the black gloss trim on the grille, mirrors and rear spoiler…

New Mercedes store pops up at Westfield A NEW Mercedes Pop-Up store has opened at Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in East London. The temporary site puts customers up close with the brand’s latest cars – such as the new C-Class Cabriolet (above) – plus it sells three-pointed star-embossed merchandise, from keyrings to baseball caps. There’s also a full range of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One merchandise, and an F1 simulator. The first-floor store is opposite H&M, and will be open seven days a week until 11 June. Extreme bodykits for Lambo stunners custom bodykits don’t always suit supercars. They can upset the looks, and also affect the resale value. So bodykit manufacturer Liberty Walk has come up with something different called the Exchange Fender. This replaces the existing panels with…

PRODUCT GROUP TEST 3 | 5 | 2017 Every week, we extensively test all the latest car kit from tyres to trim cleaners. Log on to www.autoexpress.co.uk to look through our huge online test archive. A good impact wrench is a great addition to any workshop, taking virtually all of the strain out of wheel changing. Modern battery and motor technology means the best cordless electric wrenches are as good as their compressor-powered predecessors, and are much more convenient because they have no hoses to contend with. The latest designs are also light and compact, which makes them good for use in general maintenance jobs, such as brake and suspension work. So which is the one to take the strain out of your DIY car maintenance work? We tried eight…

WE’RE big fans of the new Peugeot 3008, which is no surprise considering it’s the current European Car of the Year. However, we also liked the outgoing model, which may not have the rugged good looks of the new 3008, but it’s still a great all-rounder with its blend of generous equipment, practicality and versatility in one affordable package. As a family car, the 3008 majors on safety, and thanks to the availability of some efficient, punchy engines this is also a car that’s good to drive and strong on fuel costs. No wonder the 3008 proved such a runaway success for Peugeot; now you can buy one for less than £4,000. History THE 3008 arrived in spring 2010 with 1.6-litre (120bhp or turbocharged 150bhp) petrol engines and 110bhp 1.6-litre…