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WE’VE kind of been here before (insert Renault where you see PSA), but the news that FCA (think Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Maserati, Abarth, Dodge and others) is joining forces with PSA (Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall/Opel, DS) fills me with huge excitement. Sadly that’s not the case everywhere, with Unite union boss and doom-monger-in-chief Des Quinn saying: “Merger talks combined with Brexit uncertainty is deeply unsettling for Vauxhall’s UK workforce, which is one of the most efficient in Europe. “The fact remains, merger or not, if PSA wants to use a great British brand like Vauxhall to sell cars and vans in the UK, then it has to make them here in the UK.” I totally agree that Vauxhall’s UK workforce is super-efficient, but Mr Quinn clearly doesn’t realise the…

ARMANDO Ortega from Yuma, Arizona, died in June last year after the Takata airbag in his 2002 Honda Civic malfunctioned in an accident. Ortega was struck by metallic shrapnel from the airbag, dying three days later. Honda confirmed the Civic’s airbag deployed defectively, and that 12 recall letters had been sent to previous owners of the car, which Ortega purchased less than three months prior to the accident. An estimated 24 people have been killed worldwide by Takata airbags. “An estimated 24 people have been killed worldwide by defective Takata airbags.”…

VW ID.4 teased ahead of Chinese production VOLKSWAGEN has teased the upcoming ID.4 all-electric SUV in China (above), revealing the shape of its upcoming Tesla Model Y rival ahead of it going into production in 2020. Using the firm’s MEB platform for electric vehicles, the ID.4 will follow the ID.3 hatchback as a VW Tiguan-sized electric SUV. VW has confirmed that the vehicle will be produced in China, while Chinese production of the ID.3 hatchback has also been confirmed. PAGE 22: Inside VW’s new EV factory Nearly 20k banned for drug-driving DRUG-driving offences meant 19,615 motorists were disqualified from driving in the 15-month period between 1 January 2018 and 31 March 2019. Data released by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency shows 18,175 (92.7 per cent) of the banned drivers…

ELECTRIC vehicle maker Fisker has confirmed its Tesla Model X rival will be called the Ocean. A prototype will be unveiled on 4 January, while the finished Fisker Ocean isn’t due to arrive until 2022. However, these official shots give us a glimpse of how it will look. According to Fisker, a focal point for the car will be sustainability. As a result, the SUV’s carpets are made from nylon sourced from abandoned fishing nets, while the seats are trimmed using recycled polyester fibres. The Ocean will be powered by an 80kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which Fisker says will provide a range of between 250 and 300 miles. In addition, the roof features a full-length solar panel that can provide an additional 1,000 miles per year of range.…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk Sharper Alpine A110S put through its paces WE love the Alpine A110. It arrived last year and scooped an Auto Express New Car award in 2019. But perhaps the only problem with the French sports car was power – a Porsche Cayman had it beaten. Alpine has retaliated with the A110S, and Steve Sutcliffe has driven it. Time spent in Aston Martin’s new SUV JOIN me on an Aston Martin development drive like no other. The DBX is arguably the most important Aston ever, so we joined chief engineer Matt Becker on road, in the rough and on track in the new SUV. See the story behind Aston Martin’s ambitious new 4x4 – head over to our YouTube channel for the full video. You can watch any of our…

MOTORISTS who touch a handheld mobile phone when driving are set to face a £200 fine and six penalty points, after the Government moved to modernise laws surrounding the issue. Current mobile phone rules – in place since 2003 – only prohibit the devices from being used for “interactive communication”, a definition that technically allows drivers to take pictures or videos from behind the wheel. One motorist had his prosecution for filming an accident overturned this year, with the judge describing existing legislation as “cumbersome”. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the law would be updated by Spring 2020, although grey areas surrounding Internet-connected infotainment systems, or mobiles being used as sat-navs in cradles, may well remain.…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk “There will be a big ramp-up in electric car production over the next five to 15 years”THOMAS ULBRICH VW e-mobility EARLIER this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to the Volkswagen factory in Zwickau in the country’s eastern state of Saxony. She was there to witness the beginning of series production of VW’s new Golf-sized electric car, the ID.3. It was the culmination of years of work at the site, which has a long history of automotive production and is on course to build only electric cars – over 300,000 of them per year – by 2021. The huge effort reflects the fact that while there are concerns about the lack of charging infrastructure, equally vital is the production capacity to build enough cars to meet customer…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk NOT content with its extensive range of SUVs, crossovers and jacked-up estate cars, Audi is looking at more ways to exploit this profitable part of the market. Whether that’s adding a sloping roofline to its popular Q3, or slapping some black cladding to the A6 Avant, Audi – with its venerable quattro four-wheel-drive system – has this swelling segment sewn up. Now Audi’s engineers have turned their attention to the smallest model: the A1. Called the Citycarver, this raised supermini is designed to give premium small car buyers a dose of off-road style without compromising running costs. Measuring a smidge over four metres long, the Citycarver has the same footprint as the standard A1. The rugged look is achieved thanks to a 50mm ride height increase, a set of…

BMW 330e Live Cockpit Professional Standard Key features: Navigation, connectivity BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional is standard on all 330e models. It features a 12.3-inch digital dash display and a 10.25-inch central touchscreen, which can also be operated by the rotary iDrive wheel. This is a more intuitive device to use on the move than the Volvo’s touchscreen operation. The BMW’s graphics are great, it processes inputs quickly, and Apple CarPlay works well, but it’s a shame there’s no Android Auto. The standard nav and traffic info are so good it’s worth using this set-up anyway. You get BMW’s voice-activated personal assistant, which is one of the better systems we’ve tried, but the 330e also gets some bespoke plug-in features, such as an energy-flow monitor, info on the battery’s state of…

MINI Clubman Navigation Plus pack £1,300 option Key features: Nav, traffic info, CarPlay A 6.5-inch screen with sat-nav is standard on the Clubman, but our car was fitted with the larger 8.8-inch unit as part of £1,300 Navigation Plus pack. This option also adds some connected services, including traffic and weather info, wireless phone charging and a concierge service. It even has integration with Amazon’s Alexa service. Apple CarPlay comes in the pack as well, but there’s no Android Auto offered at all. At least wireless phone charging is included, and MINI’s own interface and nav are very good. The rotary control dial is easy to use and the menus are quick to flick through, while the sat-nav is easy to read. In addition the traffic info that comes with…

Darren_Wilson@dennis.co.uk Running costs 40.6mpg (on test) £73 fill-up LET’S be honest, driving in the UK isn’t much fun these days. I’m increasingly resigned to using public transport to get to work at my central London office, because of the delays and costs of driving in the capital. So I’d been really looking forward to taking our CR-V on its final journey to Northumberland and do some walking. It’s a long drive and while I didn’t think it’d be a breeze, I wasn’t expecting the sheer weight of traffic, roadworks, contraflows and average speed checks that littered the roads. The 700-mile round trip from South London to Kielder in Northumberland took well over 16 hours. It was mind-numbing, but time enough to really evaluate my six months behind the wheel of…

Look to Halfords for Nextbase cam offer NEXTBASE and Halfords have teamed up to offer a dash cam trade-in deal. This lets customers claim 20 per cent off the price of a new Nextbase dash cam if they trade in their old cam or sat-nav, in any condition. Nextbase says it’s important to have an up-to-date model, especially in the winter, with low-light conditions a challenge for some older cams. The Nextbase range at Halfords runs from £49 to £149 without the discount, and can be seen at www.halfords.co.uk – although you’ll need to go in-store to take advantage of the deal. Hands-on with MINIs at parkrun UK events MINI has entered into a three-year partnership with parkrun UK, which provides free, weekly, timed 5km running events across the world. Attendees at…

PRODUCT GROUP TEST 6|11|2019 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 CAR makers are moving towards adaptive LED headlights and even laser units, but the humble halogen bulb is still the most common headlight. The technology has survived thanks to continued development of these filament-based lamps. Aftermarket performance bulbs started out promising 30 per cent more light within the beam than a standard version, but that figure is now at 150 per cent. As a result, our Figure of Merit (FOM) calculation – which combines light readings at two points 50 metres in front of the car, and another 75 metres ahead – has trebled. So which is the best…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk ● $175m-per-season budget cap ● Closer competition promised FORMULA One has announced a radically overhauled set of regulations for the 2021 season, aimed at making the sport more competitive, entertaining and cost-effective in the coming years. Details of the revamp were unveiled ahead of last weekend’s United States Grand Prix. F1 chiefs are promising it will allow the cars to battle closer on track and reduce the current gap between the top teams and the midfield. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the package is the addition of a budget cap – of US$175million per season – for the first time in the history of F1. The intended effect is that success will be determined “more by how well a team spends its money, not how much it spends”.…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk ● Mild-hybrid, plug-in and diesel options ● Pure EV could have bespoke styling LAND Rover is in the midst of the largest product overhaul in its history, which will involve the firm launching a fully electric Range Rover and an all-new crossover model for the very first time. The fifth-generation Range Rover, due in 2021, will be the most radical and technically advanced there has been in the SUV’s 50-year history. It will be a completely new model, based on Land Rover’s new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) that can accommodate mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains. Engineers have been testing prototypes around the firm’s HQ in Gaydon for a year. The development mules are a combination of new running gear and existing Range Rover bodyshells, which don’t give…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk ● More power for new M2 ● Weight loss boosts handling THIS is the BMW M2 CS, a limited run, track-focused version of the German firm’s small two-door coupé. It sits one rung up the ladder from the M2 Competition and is priced from £75,320, although BMW has not specified how many units will be made available in the UK. Under the skin, the M2 CS sticks with the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six from the Competition model, but it features a host of tweaks to increase power and improve on-track performance. That means its output rises from 406bhp to 444bhp, although torque remains at 550Nm. BMW says that the power hike enables the M2 CS to reach 0-62mph in four seconds when fitted with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Opt for…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk ● FCA and Groupe PSA boards approve deal ● FCA boss hails move as ‘potentially industry-changing’ FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Groupe PSA – the parent company of Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall – are to merge, creating the world’s fourth largest car firm by sales volume. The decision has met with approval from both firms’ boards, with a legally binding memorandum of understanding set to be signed “in the coming weeks”. The news comes just five months after merger talks between Renault and FCA fell through. FCA and PSA will build 8.7 million vehicles annually – behind only the Volkswagen Group, Toyota and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance – and generate projected profits of 11billion Euros (£9.5bn) on annual revenues of 170bn Euros (£146.4bn). The union will provide Groupe PSA with…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk FORD is readying a hot version of its upcoming Puma crossover – and these spy shots give us our best look yet at the ST model before its official release towards the end of next year. While the test car is almost completely camouflaged, the hallmarks of a hardcore performance model are already clear to see: it rides closer to the ground and on larger wheels than the standard Puma, while a pair of exhaust tips, instead of a single pipe, poke out from the rear bumper. It appears that this model is still wearing the standard Puma bodywork beneath its disguise, but our exclusive image shows how the ST could look. We can expect it to follow the lead of other recent fast Fords by featuring a larger…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk @AutoExpress Write to: Watchdog/Letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing Ltd, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP HOT TOPIC New Toyota Mirai FROM: Kristof Weckx MORE expensive to buy, fill up and repair than an electric car. Plus the majority of hydrogen isn’t produced via clean methods – and even if it were, this wouldn’t be efficient enough. Not to mention hydrogen isn’t exactly safe. FROM: bajhuj HYDROGEN fuel cells are a better choice than batteries. Only take five minutes to refuel, with no cables or lengthy ‘coffee breaks’. Also, hydrogen can be – but is not always – produced in an eco-friendly way, just the same as electricity. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ■ “The Government is ploughing so much money into EVs, nothing else will get a chance.” John…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk Running costs 54.3mpg (official) £54 fill-up Performance 0-60mph/top speed 11.8 seconds/116mph C02/tax 99g/km £130 or 23% THE Renault Clio has been the best-selling French car in the world since 1990. More than 15 million examples have hit the road since it was launched, and over five generations it has established itself as a common sight on British roads. This new version is aiming to hit the Ford Fiesta head-on for pure driving fun in the popular supermini market. Renault has also targeted the Volkswagen Polo from a quality and practicality perspective. While there are clear visual similarities between old and new models, this car is totally fresh, and even sits on a brand-new platform. Called CMF-B, this architecture has been developed by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance and is also found…

Alex_Ingram@dennis.co.uk WHEN we first tried the new SsangYong Korando back in August (Issue 1,590), we were impressed with just how much it had improved. Doubts remained, however, most notably with regards to the diesel engine, which sounded gruff and felt lethargic. But from December, there’s a new petrol model joining the range. Like the diesel, the 1.5-litre turbocharged unit is developed in-house, but with 161bhp, it makes an additional 27bhp. There is slightly less torque, but it’s spread across a wider range. The petrol is much smoother than the diesel, and for the most part it’s quiet, only piping up under hard acceleration. Power delivery is linear, too, but it never feels quick. Outright speed isn’t a vital quality for a family SUV, but the Korando feels sluggish, even when…

MODEL TESTED: BMW 330e M Sport PRICE: £39,980 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol + electric motor, 288bhp THE 330e is BMW’s next logical step in its roll out of 3 Series models. The firm’s new junior executive saloon was launched this time last year, but this important plug-in model will be of big interest to company car users. So what’s it like? Design & engineering BMW always designed the G20 3 Series with a plug-in variant in mind, so the car’s CLAR architecture was engineered to accept a battery. It’s mounted under the boot, so it does demand a little compromise when it comes to practicality, as we’ll see, but it also brings benefits. This is the second generation of plug-in hybrid 3 Series, but the formula is different. The battery…

CHARGING UNLIKE full EVs, plug-in hybrids don’t get the option of DC rapid charging, because with batteries around 12kWh in size there isn’t the need for the added complexity, which would also add to the price. Most PHEVs can be charged overnight using a wallbox, or at a public charging post instead. It’s worth plugging in at every opportunity to maximise efficiency, or else economy could take a dip. AERO THE 330e features active aero – the grille opens and closes depending on the engine’s cooling needs to keep the BMW as slippery as possible moving through the air. But the S60 doesn’t have this, which might partly explain the 3 Series’ better official CO2 emissions. Both cars sit in the same BiK bracket anyway, so it isn’t too much of…

MODEL TESTED: MINI Clubman Cooper Exclusive Auto PRICE: £26,450 ENGINE: 1.5-litre 3cyl, 134bhp THE new Clubman has a refreshed trim range, and it matches the hatch variant with Classic, Sport and Exclusive versions. It’s the latter spec we’re testing here in Cooper form, which starts from £26,450 with an automatic transmission. Design & engineering THE Clubman is based on BMW’s UKL2 platform, which means it shares parts with the larger Countryman SUV, as well as BMW models including the latest 1 Series hatchback. It features MacPherson strut suspension up front and a multilink axle at the rear, while the Clubman Cooper version features a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 134bhp and 220Nm of torque. Probably the most distinctive and unusual feature on the Clubman is its rear-end design, which…

BOOT DOORS THE MINI’s barn doors aren’t as useful as a hatchback most of the time, but there are benefits. You can open just one door if you only have a few bags to put in, which is easier than raising a hatch, and they’re great for garages with low ceilings. Neither car has powered rear doors, even as an option, so you have to close them manually, although there’s a button on the MINI’s key to swing them open. STYLING THE Mazda 3 is much more limited as to what you can do to personalise it. The Clubman has plenty to change: you can add bonnet stripes, contrasting roof colours, different mirror caps and there are lots of paint colours to choose from. On Exclusive models you can change…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk Practicality Boot (seats up/down) 467/1,410 litres Running costs 40.0mpg (on test) £65 fill-up/£145 or 26% tax Performance 0-62mph/top speed 8.3 seconds/136mph THIS week we welcome an all-new model to our test fleet. Unlike many of the cars we are currently running long-term, the Skoda Scala is in its first generation, so it has a lot to prove. Just as the name implies (Scala comes from the Latin for stairway or ladder) the Czech model not only needs to prove it can match the best cars in its class, but it also has to establish itself as a new name. You could say it has a mountain to climb. Our Scala is the most powerful model you can buy: its 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit has 148bhp. It’s matched to a…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Do I need pre-winter polish? I HAVE a BMW X1 with Protect X paint protection. The car is now a year old, and I was wondering whether I should polish it before the winter sets in. BMW says there is no need, but I am not so sure. Can I have your opinion, please?Gillian Nichols, E-mail A YOUR dealer should know what is best for the car because this is a BMW product. We also think that what he says is right because a polish, which contains abrasives, would only damage the protective finish. If you were seeking to add protection, that should not be necessary because the coating is intended to last years. Q Is old clay still safe to use? IS there…

IF you’re going to clean your alloys properly, you need a wheel brush. It will help to reach the awkward inner rim and shift those tough, baked-on deposits. A new option has just gone on sale from foam specialist Hygan. The firm has a range of sponge-tipped tools, and we tested the wheel design against a conventional brush – test winner Muc-Off’s Two Prong design. We tried both on a grimy new wheel using a specialist cleaner, checking how well each tackled the inner rim, bolt holes and spokes. We then used them on a wheel with broken lacquer and paint, as well as long-neglected brake dust. Finally we took price into account, although neither was dear. Muc-Off has the edge here thanks to its comfortable handle and robust bristles. The…

Dear Luke, I have a budget of £15,000 and I’m in the market for a non-German executive saloon. What models do you recommend? Dan Clarke, E-mail Contact: Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk • THE SPORTY CHOICE Jaguar XF FOR: Smart style, plenty of rear legroom, great handling AGAINST: Sub-par infotainment, high emissions, thirsty JAGUAR’S updated XF is an excellent package, providing space, comfort, sporty handling and strong interior quality. Its usual German rivals are a little more refined and have slicker in-car technology, but the XF offers more panache and character than many executive saloons. You can buy tatty, high-mileage XFs for £9,000, but we suggest you spend a bit more to get a newer, better-maintained example. We found a 2016 model with the 2.0-litre diesel engine and 83,000 miles up for £13,000. THE…

NEWLY crowned World Rally champion Ott Tänak is to make a shock move from Toyota to Hyundai for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Estonian will join Thierry Neuville, one of his major rivals for the 2019 title, at the German-based South Korean squad starting with January’s Rally Monte-Carlo. The team’s third car will alternate between Dani Sordo and Sébastien Loeb. Tänak said of the move: “I am really excited to join Hyundai. The vision that [team boss] Andrea [Adamo] has set out is very promising and matches my own ambitions for the future. I have big respect for what Hyundai has accomplished and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together over the coming years.” Adamo added: “This will enable us to continue at the forefront for…

Motoring’s most outspoken and opinionated columnist sounds off “There were reports in October that car growth in the western world will now stop at current levels and may never increase” ’ORRIBLE October, I call it. It was the maddest month for drivers, motor manufacturing and motoring, plus the thriving climate-change industry, road-closure obsessed bureaucrats and the filthy rich ‘enforcement’ agencies who rob us blind. Or try to. Let’s start with one Ford Focus driver, who racked up fines of around £13,000 for failing to pay Ultra-Low Emission Zone charges in London, illustrating the scale of the potential profits for state or private enforcement agencies. It’ll be a fascinating legal test case. Why hasn’t the car been clamped, for example? And can we be surprised there’s now a mini-boom in sales…

Hugo_Griffiths@dennis.co.uk More than 1.7 million UK vehicles subject to airbag recall 4.5 per cent of all vehicles in the UK have the defective airbags Dealers selling unrepaired cars risk prosecution MORE than 1.7 million UK vehicles are still subject to an outstanding safety recall because of defective airbags that could deploy incorrectly, firing shards of metal at occupants’ necks and faces, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. The issue relates to vehicles fitted with airbags manufactured by Japanese firm Takata, which supplied the defective bags to around 20 manufacturers globally, who fitted them to as many as 60 million cars. Takata airbags were first recalled in 2008 by Honda, with several other firms following suit over the years. Auto Express uncovered data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk ● Firm’s chief engineer takes us for a ride ● 542bhp SUV unveiled later this month YOU wouldn’t describe Matt Becker as an off-road specialist. As Aston Martin’s chief engineer (and a Lotus man for 26 years until 2015), he’s more used to fine-tuning the handling of Aston’s exotic GT cars, not considering wading depths or departure and approach angles. “I’m having to learn,” he tells us, as we climb into the brand’s all-new and all-important DBX for the first time. The DBX is not only the British brand’s first-ever SUV, but also its first four-wheel-drive car. Built in Aston Martin’s sparkling new factory in St Athan, Wales, it’ll cost £158,000 when it gets its official unveiling later this month. But before the car’s debut, we’ve joined Becker for…

THE following provide help with motoring problems. Some services are free, others charge a fee or operate on premium-rate lines (p), while some offer advice for members only (m) Legal AA: 0345 850 1130 (m) RAC: 0330 159 1446 (m) Which?: 01992 878329 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: 01722 422422 AA: 0800 316 3564 DVLA: 0300 790 6802 RAC: 0330 159 0364 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…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk IT was the height of summer (Issue 1,590) when we first tried the Skoda Kamiq in Europe. We loved its blend of practicality, performance and running costs; the Kamiq was “predictably brilliant”. The small SUV is now on sale in the UK, with first customer deliveries expected in the coming weeks. Prices start from £17,100, and every version gets alloy wheels, LED lights and a touchscreen infotainment system. But while Skoda expects the S model’s low list price to entice new customers into its showrooms, it’s the better equipped SE and SE L cars that will make up the bulk of Kamiq sales. Here we’re driving a top-spec model with the middle 113bhp 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine in the UK to see if it should be labelled as the…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk PLUG-in hybrid power is back on the menu for the BMW X5, but this time with a key difference. The firm is aiming to make the new xDrive45e version of its long-running Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 rival more than just a niche choice. Compared with the previous-generation X5 xDrive40e, the addition of two more cylinders is the biggest change. A 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine now sits under the bonnet and it links up with an electric motor attached to the eight-speed automatic transmission. Total system power stands at 389bhp, but of more interest is the 24kWh battery pack, located under the rear bench, which feeds the electric motor. That’s a large battery for a plug-in hybrid car. For context that’s as big as the pack found in…

MODEL TESTED: Volvo S60 T8 AWD R-Design Plus PRICE: £49,805 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol + electric motor, 385bhp THE S60 T8 takes Volvo’s Twin Engine hybrid technology and packages it into a junior executive saloon that rivals the BMW 330e. However, is it a better-executed solution than its German rival? Design & engineering THERE’S one great difference to the Volvo compared with the BMW: the price. In R-Design Plus trim to match the M Sport 330e, the S60 costs £49,805. That’s £9,825 more than the BMW, which is significant. As we’ve seen, the Volvo offers more power. Its 2.0-litre turbo and supercharged four-cylinder engine combines with an 86bhp electric motor to produce a total of 385bhp and 400Nm of torque. But unlike the BMW, the e-motor doesn’t drive the eight-speed…

Mercedes C 300 de Sport PRICE: £43,015 ENGINE: 2.0 diesel + e-motor, 302bhp MERCEDES’ take on a plug-in junior exec uses a four-cylinder diesel and an electric motor for a total of 302bhp, so it’s more powerful than the BMW – but it’s also pricier and Sport Edition doesn’t feature as much kit as M Sport. The 300-litre boot is small, too. Tesla Model 3 Standard Range PRICE: £38,500 ENGINE: 1x e-motor, 235bhp DESIGNED with batteries and electric motors in mind, while the Tesla’s 254-mile claimed range limits usability a little compared with these PHEVs, it’s cheaper and will cost less to run, while the boot is bigger, too. It’s our reigning car of the year.…

MODEL TESTED: Mazda 3 2.0 SkyActiv-G GT Sport Auto PRICE: £25,895 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 120bhp THERE are two petrol engines in the Mazda 3, a clever new SkyActiv-X unit and a mild-hybrid-equipped 2.0-litre petrol. It’s the latter we are testing here, and as a GT Sport auto, it costs from £25,895. Design & engineering THIS latest version of the Mazda 3 was launched earlier this year, and it was a major overhaul. Its new look is striking and it now features clever engine tech to boost efficiency. The SkyActiv-X motor uses new compression ignition technology to improve economy, but the model we’re testing is the SkyActiv-G, which is a normal petrol unit combined with mild-hybrid assistance. It’s a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre petrol, and it’s available with a manual or automatic gearbox.…

Range Rover L322: Essential Buyer’s Guide James Taylor (Veloce Publishing, veloce.co.uk) Price: £13.99 A TYPICALLY concise and well presented buyer’s guide from this publisher. However, the format feels wasted on more modern cars, especially ones as complicated as this Range Rover. The information seems rushed, and tackling a potential purchase armed only with this little book would be brave. Jaguar: The Art of the Automobile Zef Enault & Nicholas Hedet (Mitchell Beazley, www.octopusbooks.co.uk) Price: £40 THIS gorgeous book was created in collaboration with Jaguar, so expect nothing but praise for the brand. Instead, you can revel in wonderful photos of some of Jaguar’s most spectacular models. When it comes to history, Jaguar has plenty, and this is a gorgeous way to celebrate it. Draw Race Available for: iOS, Android Price:…

Got any car queries? Tristan_Shale-Hester@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Choosing the right car I WANT a new car that’s enjoyable to drive, but am worried about putting money into a petrol. EVs are too expensive, and I fear hybrids aren’t great to drive. What can I do?Ron Smith, E-mail A THE 2040 ‘ban’ is some way off, and is set to only apply to new cars that are not plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). If you can stretch to a PHEV, many have a torque converter or dual-clutch gearbox rather than a CVT transmission, which makes them more enjoyable to drive. Examples include the BMW 330e and VW Golf GTE. Q Kia clutch complaint THE clutch on our Kia Sorento failed after six months and wasn’t covered by the seven-year warranty. Can you help?…