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Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn • Longer, taller than Countryman • Creative use of interior space OVER at BMW-owned MINI, the company has revealed a new concept car, called the Vision Urbanaut. Its aim is to preview how a compact MINI designed to maximise interior space could look in 2030. The look of the Urbanaut is unlike anything we’ve previously seen from MINI. It’s a little longer than today’s Countryman but significantly taller, and almost MPV-like in its profile. However there are still some familiar design cues, such as digital interpretations of MINI’s headlamps-and-grille combination at the front end. Yet MINI’s head of design, Oliver Heilmer, was keen to distance the Urbanaut from traditional MPVs. “Directly compared, the Urbanaut is far away from this classical MPV,” Heilmer told Auto Express. “It’s a room…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths NINE new stretches of smart motorway covering 138 miles will be introduced, despite safety concerns from police and other road experts. These include a 32-mile portion of the M3, 17 miles on the M6, and 23 miles on the M1. Emergency refuge areas will be installed in place of hard shoulders at intervals of between 1.04 and 1.39 miles. There are currently around 500 miles of smart motorway in the UK, with plans for a further 300 miles by 2025. Smart motorways have seen 44 fatalities over the past five years, but their advocates highlight that data shows they are safer than, or as safe as, regular motorways. The roads increase traffic capacity without the expense of road widening or building, while geography often prohibits expansion. The Department…

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.consumerombudsman.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…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @AxleIngram Visit autoexpress.co.uk for the latest new cars and drives Running costs 40.9mpg (off icial) £48 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 6.7 seconds/137mph THE arrival of a new Fast Ford always fills us with a little bit of joy. Whether the Blue Oval’s ST division turns its attention to the Fiesta, the Focus or – going back a good few years – the Mondeo, it’s seemingly very rare for those engineers to have an off day. Now they’ve turned their attention to the latest Puma. But giving the hot treatment to a compact SUV might leave you wondering if this is a step too far for the ST division. There are a couple of hot compact SUVs already on the market – the Volkswagen T-Roc R and the scorching Audi…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler Running costs 51.3mpg (off icial) £48 fill-up Performance 0-62mph/top speed 15.2 seconds/105mph THINGS move fast in the supermini world. So much so that the new Citroen C3 we’ve just driven has already been updated, just over a month after the new model arrived in UK showrooms! The new C3 – the one we’re driving here – brought us a revised front end with LED headlights now standard, plus new interior trim and colour options. The new, new C3 now adds more efficient petrol engines into the mix. That means our brand-new 70-plate test car’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit has now been replaced by a version with a fresh battery and alternator, cutting C02 emissions by 6g/km to 124g/km and bringing a handy two per cent reduction in Benefit-in-Kind tax.…

MODELTESTED: Mercedes-AMG A 35 4Matic PRICE: £38,825 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 302bhp Running costs 27.0mpg (on test) £59 fill-up/£150 or 37% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 370/1,210 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.7 seconds/155mph MERCEDES is a relative newcomer at this level of the hot hatch market, but the £38,825 AMG-tuned A 35 is a talented machine. Does its ability run deep enough to overpower Audi’s new S3? Design & engineering LIKE the S3, this A 35 was baked into the product plan from the start, along with the forthcoming Audi RS 3 and the current Mercedes-AMG A 45 S, which represent the range-toppers in their respective line-ups. Here, AMG’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine produces slightly less power than the S3, at 302bhp, but an identical 400Nm of torque. An extra 80kg…

NEW: BMW M135i xDrive PRICE: £37,470 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 302bhp WITH 302bhp from its 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, four-wheel drive helping to serve up a 4.8-second 0-62mph time, and plenty of agility, BMW’s hot hatch makes an interesting alternative that boasts sound tech and practicality, too. USED: Audi RS 3 Sportback PRICE: £39,750 ENGINE: 2.5-litre 5cyl, 395bhp IF the S3 isn’t exciting enough for you, a used RS 3 might tick that box. The 395bhp five-cylinder engine sounds lovely and there’s huge performance and great traction. While the previous A3 might not look as modern inside, the tech is still slick.…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn Running costs Official range/tax 137 miles/£0 Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.3 seconds/90mph ONE of the latest arrivals on the Auto Express fleet, the funky new Honda e, has been helping me to answer one very simple question: can you live with an electric car without being able to charge at home? As with many people who these sorts of urban EVs are aimed at, I live in a flat without any option of charging at home. With a huge proportion of drivers living in urban areas and electric car sales growing, this is going to be a theme that becomes increasingly common. How exactly are people expected to live with them? A reliance on the public charging network is the only realistic option, so you can consider me a…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk Q Dash cam location fix IS it possible to fit a dash cam to my Ford C-MAX anywhere other than on the lower left of the windscreen? It seems to be the only place it’ll go. Ian Corke, E-mail A WE asked serial dash cam test-winner Nextbase, and it said that it should be possible to legally mount a camera close to the car’s rear-view mirror. The lens needs to be within the sweep of the wipers for a clear view, but it must encroach by no more than four centimetres to stay legal. Use an adhesive pad to fix the camera to a dimpled area of the screen. Q Overawed by track day gift I’VE been given a voucher for a track day for my…

DESPITE e-scooters flirting with legality, demand for them is growing as people look for cheap, clever ways to get about. There’s a vast array of new models with prices that can run into thousands of pounds, but the most popular cost £300-400. The biggest seller in the world is the Xiaomi M365, but in our recent scooter multi-test (Issue 1,637) it was knocked off the winner’s podium in that price bracket by the slightly cheaper Ninebot Segway E22E. Now there is a new challenger in the shape of the £399.99 Pure Air. It’s designed to counter one of the main complaints about e-scooters in Britain – that they just aren’t robust and rain-proof enough to survive everyday use. Is the new Air good enough to blow away the Segway? Well,…

LOST your job? Suspect the industry that once employed you is dead? ‘Too old’ to retrain, or attend college? Desperate for something – anything – that’ll put food on the table? You’re not alone. Millions are in a similar boat. But many who have lost their jobs, from airline pilots without flights, to hospitality workers with no events, have quickly found alternative employment in the road transport industry. The work isn’t glamorous or highly paid, but it is challenging. Welcome to the world of delivering parcels, groceries, prescriptions and take-away meals. Thankfully, the number of delivery jobs involving face-to-face interaction between drivers and residents grows daily. At a time when overall employment levels and prospects are disastrous, delivery work is available. It’s one of the fastest-growing and most inclusive sectors…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods Visit autoexpress.co.uk for your daily news updates • E-Power 185bhp hybrid to be joined by 1.3-litre petrol mild hybrids • British-built SUV gets major structural, suspension and tech changes NISSAN has confirmed that the next-generation Qashqai will be revealed early in 2021 before going on sale in Europe next summer, equipped with hybrid power for the very first time. Few cars have made such an impact on a brand’s fortunes than the Qashqai has for Nissan. Since its launch in 2007 the firm has sold more than three million across Europe, and last year the Mk2 model still accounted for 235,000 units across the continent. It’s also a hugely important car for the UK automotive industry. The Qashqai has been built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant since the model’s…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk @hugo_griffiths • ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’ would place onus of responsibility on drivers of larger vehicles • Pedestrians could get right of way when waiting to cross at junctions • Car occupants likely to be advised to use ‘Dutch reach’ when opening doors, to protect cyclists GOVERNMENT proposals to change the Highway Code could see a ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’ introduced, placing greater responsibility on drivers of larger vehicles. If the rules go through, car drivers will “bear responsibility to take care and reduce the danger they pose” to cyclists and pedestrians. This would apply to bus and lorry drivers, too, who would take more responsibility than car drivers, because their larger vehicles “can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision”. Similarly, cyclists would take more…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress HOT TOPIC Bentley goes electric FROM: Lewes Epps IT would be illogical for Bentley to do anything else. It’s not worth offering both internal combustion and electric powertrain options – time to embrace the future. People will wonder what all the fuss was about in 10 years. FROM: Grace Massie ALL new cars will have to be electric by the 2030s, so better to get on it early than crowbar the EV tech in at the last minute. I think of Bentleys as being grand tourers, though – wouldn’t hydrogen be a better fit for this purpose? Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk “Most Bentley owners will have a driveway or three, so charging won’t be an issue!”KLF “Shame to see real engines disappearing. We have to enjoy proper…

EXHAUSTS WE’VE already mentioned noise, but looks are a big part of each car’s personality too. The S3 uses Audi’s signature S-model quad tailpipes, whereas the A 35 has twin pipes in its chunkier bumper. Both have slightly swollen bodywork to cover their larger wheels and reinforce their performance credentials, but the Audi still looks more subtle than the Mercedes, even in bright blue. PADDLES SMALL details can make a difference. We’ve mentioned that some of the materials in the A 35’s cabin feel and look of higher quality. The shift paddles are a frequent point of contact for a keen driver and the real metal items in the Merc feel more expensive and are more satisfying than the plastic paddles in the S3, which are the same as in…

SuperFinds Michael Kliebenstein (Porter Press, www.porterpress.co.uk) Price: £90 Rating: THE term ‘barn find’ has been diluted by countless eBay listings, but it’s very apt here – with photos of the most incredible finds, as they were in the sixties and seventies. Not a cheap book, but it’s amazing to see so many cars outside the museum condition that most are in today. Peugeot 205 GTi Matthew Corrigan (Amberley Publishing, www.amberley-books.com) Price: £14.99 Rating: A CONCISE but well researched book looking back at one of the most legendary hot hatchbacks of all time. Not a buyer’s guide or a comprehensive history, but if you’ve been fond of the 205 GTi for a while without knowing much about it, this is a great point to jump off from. It’s nicely printed, and…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk Q Trouble registering my new SEAT on the smartphone app A TECHNICAL glitch is preventing me from completing the authorisation process to register my brand-new SEAT Arona on the SEAT Connect app. SEAT has been unable to resolve this for me so far. What can I do? Simon Barker, E-mail A WE contacted SEAT and were told that this is a known issue affecting a “small number of customers”. After you contacted us, a tech update was released. Anyone experiencing this glitch with the Connect app should contact their nearest SEAT dealer, where the update will be applied free of charge. We also understand that SEAT customer service has contacted you directly to arrange for this to be done. Q Counting the cost of tracing…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk Return to Americas and Asia Vietnamese race now unlikely FORMULA 1 is looking to recover from the heavily disrupted 2020 season with a record-breaking 23-race schedule for 2021, which includes the majority of American and Asian races that had to be cancelled this year. After a three-day pre-season test in Bahrain, the traditional season-opener in Melbourne, Australia, will return on 21 March, followed by races in Bahrain and China on 28 March and 11 April. There follows a ‘TBC’ slot on 25 April, which was originally occupied by the Vietnamese Grand Prix. However, the recent arrest of a senior Vietnamese official who was involved in organising the race, on unrelated corruption charges, means the event may not now happen. The return of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, which…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn • Range-topping 500bhp £100k electric SUV has 376-mile range • Goes on sale in 12 months, with 200kW charging capability “The iX features greater computing power and more sophisticated software than any BMW before” BMW has described its all-new pure-lectric iX SUV as a the “dawn of a new era” for the company. The car is still undergoing final development, but it will act as the firm’s new technology flagship when it goes on sale in 12 months’ time, and cost in the region of £100,000. Essentially a production version of the iNext concept that was first showcased back in 2018, the iX is the first model from BMW to be based on an all-new, scalable architecture that will go on to underpin a range of future vehicles.…

Hybrid Spanish hot hatch names its price PRICES have been revealed for the new Cupra Leon hot hatch (above), with the plug-in hybrid version of the brand’s Golf GTI rival kicking off from £34,495. Buyers get a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and a battery-electric motor, giving a total power output of 242bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds. Next year it’ll be joined by a Golf R-rivalling 306bhp petrol-only model, while Estate versions will also follow. Car owners take a stand against theft SOME 35 per cent of drivers would challenge a thief trying to steal their car, according to an InsuretheGap survey of 2,000 people. A further 17 per cent would take “drastic action” to protect their car, such as putting an electric-shock device on the car’s…

Dean_Gibson@dennis.co.uk @DeanGbsn FORD has revealed the all-electric E-Transit, a large van with a longer range than any electric commercial vehicle on sale today: a claimed WLTP maximum distance of 217 miles. From the outside, the E-Transit looks like the diesel van, but is marked out by a new grille with blue bars, a charging socket in the nose, and E-Transit badges. Under the bonnet is a 265bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels, while 430Nm of torque means the van can cope with payloads of up to 1,616kg. Ford will offer 25 configurations of E-Transit, with panel van, double cab in-van, and chassis cab variants all available. Since the battery is mounted under the body, the panel van has the same cargo volumes as the diesel, with up to…

Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler Electric motor Power/claimed range 141bhp/34 miles Performance 0-62mph/top speed 5.5 seconds/155mph A PLUG-IN hybrid is an essential in any car maker’s line-up these days, more so on models that appeal to company car drivers, because the Benefit-in-Kind savings that PHEVs offer are too good to ignore. So it might come as a surprise that it’s taken Audi so long to offer an electrified A6, but the new 50 TFSI e has just arrived in the UK and we’ve driven it. With an official CO2 emissions figure of 35g/km, you’ll pay company car tax at a BiK rate of just 10 per cent this tax year (11 per cent for 2021/22), saving a 40-per-cent-rate taxpayer more than £4,000 in tax versus an equivalent, slightly less powerful petrol A6. That’s…

MODELTESTED: Audi S3 Sportback S tronic PRICE: £37,900 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 305bhp Running costs 29.4mpg (on test) £63 fill-up/£150 or 37% tax Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 325/1,145 litres Performance 0-62mph/top speed 4.8 seconds/155mph THE recipe for the new S3 isn’t dissimilar from its predecessor’s, with this car refining the formula. Priced from £37,900 in Sportback form, the S3 is slightly cheaper than the A 35, but is it better value? Design & engineering AUDI has taken an evolutionary approach to this S3, when it comes to both the design and the engineering. We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you like the looks, but the reason it’s a familiar, albeit sharper shape than its predecessor is that, underneath, the S3 is still based on the brand’s MQB chassis…

Audi S3 MMI Nav Plus Standard Key features: Twin screens, connectivity THE S3’s infotainment is identical to the standard A3’s, comprising a 10.1-inch touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital dashboard, although there is a special Sport display mode for the S3. However, given that the basic tech is the same, it has the same result in the S3, so the screen responds rapidly to your inputs. The resolution is superb, too, and there are lots of features, including nav, some great connected services and brilliant Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone connectivity. Admittedly, there are some drawbacks – we don’t love the haptic feedback, for example, while wireless charging costs £145 extra – but these are only small when considered against the merits of the set-up. The digital dash panel is…

Electrifying prospect for Mini restorers IF you’ve got a classic Mini restoration project on the go, then why not consider an electric conversion (above)? Swindon Powertrain is offering a standalone kit that includes motor and drivetrain, which slots into any classic Mini. Total output is 107bhp, and the motor can be paired to other components such as a 12kWh battery pack, motor controller, on-board charger and more. Prices starting from £10,620. Find out more at swindonpowertrain.com. Award-winning motor books revealed THE Royal Automobile Club has revealed its 2020 Motoring Book of the Year winners. The overall title went to Richie Ginther: Motor Racing’s Free Thinker by Richard Jenkins, the first authorised biography of the US-born F1 driver. The Specialist Book of the Year – for a title priced over £75…

WHILE the technology dates back to the sixties, and LEDs are now the lighting of choice for car makers, development of halogen headlamp bulbs hasn’t stopped. Producers have long been pushing build tolerances to create brighter bulbs, with the best promising 150 per cent more light somewhere in the beam and Philips has just upped that increase to 200 per cent. To see how this new bulb compares with existing rivals, we put 10 brands to the test in the light tunnel. Howwe tested them WITH travel restrictions in mind, we sent our samples (which were bought to prevent filtering) to Philips’ light tunnel in Aachen, Germany. The bulbs were fitted to a BMW 3 Series headlamp unit, and we observed the results via video conference and multiple cameras. The…

W Series bounces back as F1 support HAVING been forced to cancel its entire 2020 season due to the pandemic, the women-only W Series single-seater championship (above) returns in 2021, this time on the Formula 1 support bill. W Series formed part of the DTM package in its inaugural year of running in 2019, but will now race at eight yet-to-be-determined F1 events in 2021. Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir said the move fulfils the W Series’ promise of being “bigger and better in the future”. Grosjean considering making IndyCar move OUTGOING Haas driver Romain Grosjean has set his sights on contesting the legendary Indianapolis 500 as he maps out his post-Grand Prix career. The Swiss racer said last week that he would be willing to “put fear aside a…