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HAVING launched in 2021, the current Vauxhall Astra is ripe for a facelift and we’ve just been given our first glimpse of the updated version ahead of its unveiling next year. The official images are of the Astra in its Opel-branded European specification, showing that the ‘Vizor’ family face has a slimmer, more purposeful look. The grille badge is illuminated, while there’s a new LED headlight signature with the lights almost meeting the central badge. We’d expect the same selection of powertrains to be available on the new Astra as the current car, including the revised plug-in hybrid with its larger 17.2kWh battery and the new Hybrid 145 engine that joined the range in 2025. The Vauxhall Astra Electric with its 54kWh battery offering up to 258 miles of range…

“The 308 Hybrid is the model keener drivers will be happier to hustle when the right road presents itself” PEUGEOT still has faith in the traditional C-segment family hatchback and estate, so the French firm has high hopes for its revised 308. The easiest way to spot the new 308 is via the dramatic new radiator grille and headlight arrangement, which does away with the old ‘slash’ running lights that used to run down the outer edges of the Peugeot’s front end. Instead, there are neater ‘triple-claw’ lamp units, and even a full-width illuminated band centred on the company’s first-ever light-up badge – which, in a bit of aesthetic trickery, hides the radar needed for various advanced driver-assistance systems. However, if you want the fancy new light pattern on your…

“IT HADAMORE SOPHISTICATED RIDE AND HANDLING BALANCE THAN NOT JUST ITS MAIN RIVALS, BUT ALSO MANY HIGH-END PERFORMANCE CARS OF THE ERA” IT’S easy to forget now, but the Ford Focus was one of the most revolutionary new cars of its era. A model that set the template for incredible sales success over almost three decades. First, a little context. By the nineties, the iconic Escort had become a shadow of its former self. What was once a class-leader had declined into a rather underwhelming machine, whether judged by its styling, its driving experience or its family car credentials. The likes of the Peugeot 306 and the Volkswagen Golf demonstrated, respectively, how well a family hatchback could drive and how well finished it could be. Being shown up by the…

“THE DESIGN IS A HOMAGE TO THE ORIGINAL, THROUGH A SIMILAR SILHOUETTE AND FEATURES SUCH AS THE RALLY-STYLE DRIVING LIGHTS” TEN years ago, only serious petrolheads, motorsport obsessives and French car fanatics would have come across the name Alpine. Now of course, it’s a globally recognised brand with a Formula One team, cars starring in Hollywood movies and plans to launch no fewer than seven models within the next few years. And that’s all thanks to the phenomenal Alpine A110. Alpine was founded 70 years ago by Jean Rédélé, a charismatic racing driver who instilled in the company an ethos of pursuing elegance, lightness and agility. The original A110 arrived in 1963 and made its mark by winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1971, plus the inaugural World Rally Championship…

“YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU’RE SITTING OVER THE REAR AXLE, THE BONNET MILES AWAY” THE BMW Z4 has split opinion ever since it was unleashed in the summer of 2002. Back then, its underpinnings were based unashamedly on those of the E46 3 Series, and there was not a lot wrong with that. But the main talking point was always its ‘flame surfacing’ design. That’s what polarised people on day one, and has done so ever since – over three generations and both coupé and roadster forms. Now, though, BMW’s seminal two-seat sports car is about to reach its end. The firm will keep making this latest G29 version in Austria until spring next year, but the UK order books are already closed, with final deliveries of the last examples…

PANDA ITALIA ’90 THE Panda has become famous for its varied and often quirky special editions, including the Mk3 Alessi, which was tied into the Italian kitchenware brand, and the Rossignol whose roof bars were magnetic so owners could attach a pair of skis from the brand after which it was named. But we reckon the most memorable of all was the Italia ’90 (below) – a version of the Mk2 Panda designed to mark the Italians hosting the 1990 FIFA World Cup. It was finished almost entirely in white – colour-coded bumpers weren’t really a thing on the rest of the range at the time – with an Italian Tricolore pinstripe. But the football-motif wheel trims were arguably the most distinctive ever fitted to any car, and screamed louder…

THE next decade saw buyers demand a little more from their small cars. They no longer needed to simply get from A to B, so brands needed to give drivers a more complete experience. More refinement, more safety and a little more tech, too. By 2011, the Mk4 Panda arrived, and while its chunky proportions were familiar, the styling was more rounded. It saw Fiat coin the phrase for a new shape: the ‘squircle’. The theme of rounding off squares with softer edges runs throughout the design inside and out; the headlights, the window surrounds, even the reversing light. Inside, the cabin carries over many fundamentals from the Mk3, most notably the arrangement of the four heating/ventilation switches surrounding the dash-mounted gearlever. There’s a noticeable step up in the level…

TWO miles. That’s as far as it takes driving the Ariel Atom after a 4.30am start on a cool autumn morning before we realise that a sweatshirt isn’t going to cut it. Time to put the big coat on before making it onto the M4. It takes another 15 miles or so before realising that the wind chill factor is particularly stark, too, and we have to stop again to put on some gloves as well. Of course, the Atom isn’t designed for long motorway slogs, but finding some roads that will do it justice makes the two-and-a-half hour (and bracing) trip worthwhile, because the latest Atom 4 is as exciting as it looks. Previous experience with Ariels meant that we never thought that was in doubt. What we want…

HOTKIT Ring custom mats Price: From £25 Contact: shop.ringautomotive.com IF your floor mats are looking a little worn, treat your car to a bit of made-to-measure tailoring. Ring Automotive has launched a new range of customised car mats, which are ordered and processed through its website and then are made on demand in the company’s Yorkshire factory. The range includes a choice of carpet or rubber mats, with original equipment-style clips, hooks or eyelets for a secure fit. There are also different options for the thickness of the carpet, with entry-level to high-end premium choices. The textile mats can be personalised with colour trim and embroidered names or logos, too. The least expensive are the Classics, which are 4.6mm thick. Classic Plus takes the depth up to 6mm for an extra…

HOWEVER much you love your car, cleaning it can sometimes seem like a bit of a chore – especially at this time of year. To do a thorough job you need to assemble all the products, unravel a hose and connect the pressure washer to the socket. This can mean you are tempted to take short cuts or just choose to stay on the sofa in the warm. In fact, a survey for car care product maker Autoglym showed that only 36 per cent of drivers who clean their own car always use a pressure washer, saying they are time-consuming to set up, or they don’t have a handy supply of water or electricity. The cordless pressure washers tested here take away a lot of the hassle. They don’t have…

MERCEDES has released pricing and specifications for its new CLA Shooting Brake. On sale now, the model comes in five trim levels and with two EV powertrain configurations – a single-motor and a dual-motor. Like the four-door CLA saloon, the Shooting Brake will only be offered as an EV to begin with, but hybrids, plug-in hybrids and hot AMG models will arrive within 12 months. The CLA Shooting Brake kicks off in 250+ guise from £47,750. That’ll get you into the Sport trim, with the Sport Executive rising to £49,900 ahead of the £52,285 AMG Line Executive, the £54,185 AMG Line Premium and finally the £56,885 AMG Line Premium Plus. The dual-motor 350+ can only be had in mid-range AMG Line Executive and above, costing from £56,235. The Shooting Brake…

“THEY WERE THE MODELS THAT PROVED ENGINEERS HAD THE BACKING OF THE BOARD BEHIND THEM. SIX CYLINDERS IN A FAMILY HATCH? BONKERS, BUT BRILLIANT” ESSENTIALS Volkswagen Golf R32 Price (new): £22,340 Powertrain: 3.2-litre V6, 238bhp 0-62mph: 6.6 seconds Top speed: 153mph Fuel Consumption: 24.4mpg Annual VED: £430 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA Price (new): £22,450 Powertrain: 3.2-litre V6, 247bhp 0-62mph: 6.3 seconds Top speed: 153mph Fuel Consumption: 23.3mpg Annual VED: £430…

“EVEN WITH 324BHP, THE CIVIC IS NOT THE TORQUE-STEERING BEAST YOU’D EXPECT” IT’S been more than 30 years since the Type R badge first appeared on a Honda. The NSX got the ball rolling, but the Integra Type R that followed set a template of rev-happy, front-wheel-drive performance that the Civic Type R has emulated ever since. We didn’t get the original EK9-generation Civic Type R in the UK, although some have found their way here as grey imports. But the following EP3 model, which was developed and built here in the UK, gained a cult following that continues to this day. That car’s running gear was then transplanted into the larger, space-age-looking FN2 that offered a more grown-up drive, while the later FK2, FK8 and current FL5 versions swapped…

BURIED deep in Volvo’s genetic core lies the estate car. Practical Americans may have invented the station wagon concept, but the Swedes cottoned on early with the Duett in 1953. Taking coachbuilders’ estate-conversion work in-house, the name celebrated the vehicle’s dual purpose: delivery van during the week, a more luxurious family-mover come the weekend. Volvo continuously produced a big estate from then on: the big 260 my dad’s best friend drove in the seventies, the immaculate, green V70 I pass walking the kids to school, its deep glasshouse and horizontal roof shaped by the millennium era’s more utilitarian approach to design. Its final descendant, the V90, is no relic to look at or drive. The roofline and side-glass curve in coupéesque fashion, the glossy black grille and mirror caps remain…

“IT WASN’T UNTIL 1989 THAT A VERSION BASED ON THE R32 SET THE TEMPLATE FOR THE GIANT-KILLER’S TECHNICAL MAKE-UP” IN the preceding few pages, you’ll have seen my colleagues sending love letters to some of our most beloved cars that won’t live on beyond this year. But there was one more that called it quits in the past 12 months, and it’s a car that began – and will now end – its life halfway across the world. We’re in Japan to drive the final Nissan GT-R as we know it, a genre-bashing super-sports car that throughout its lifetime constantly proved the European ultra-highperformance establishment wrong. Technically, the GT-R stopped being sold in the UK in 2023, but it continued in other markets for another couple of years, culminating in…

FEW car brands have managed to nail the small car formula quite as consistently as Fiat. Ever since the original 500 was launched back in the late fifties, buyers have bought Turin’s smallest cars by the millions. The replacement for the 500, the 126, arrived in 1972, but towards the end of the mid-eighties, the rear-engined, air-cooled format had been improved upon by the front-engined, front wheel-drive format, which allowed for more efficient packaging. So while the 126 soldiered on – and with great success – right up until the year 2000, Fiat wanted a new small car champion to usher in the eighties. It didn’t hold back, either; for the design of the Type 141, as it was internally codenamed, Fiat enlisted the help of Italdesign – co-founded by…

WITH a name like Grande Panda, it’s no surprise to see the latest car dwarf the original model in terms of size. However, at 3,999mm long, it’s still dinky by modern standards – and 75mm shorter than a Volkswagen Polo. Much like the two examples that came before it, the Panda takes advantage of platform sharing to help maintain an affordable cost. Explore the wider Stellantis group, and the Grande Panda can find much in common with both the Citroen C3 and C3 Aircross, and the Vauxhall Frontera. But out of those four cars, it feels like by far the most design effort has gone into the Fiat. Wherever you look, this small car is teeming with neat or sweet design details; the Panda lettering pressed into the doors, and…

Price: £17.99 Contact: smythstoys.com THERE is always talk of the hottest toy for Christmas, which will have parents scrabbling around the shops trying to find one before it sells out. This year it appears to be a Hot Wheels model set that is in huge demand – but it’s aimed at adult collectors rather than kids. The Premium Team Transport 2 packs is a new collectors’ series that features pairings of classic works racing cars and their transporter trucks. Past sets have included seventies Honda and Ford teams, but this sixties Ferrari pairing is undoubtedly the most iconic. The Premium Team Transport Ferrari 250 GTO & Fiat 642 RN2 Barto 2 pack is the latest result of the renewed licence between Ferrari and Hot Wheels, which has seen several fresh models…

FRENCH car makers don’t have a great track record of selling large cars in the UK. The Peugeot 605 and 607, DS5, Citroen C6, Renault Avantime and Vel Satis all failed to deliver, and it’s always been the same. So when Citroen announced in 2021 that its C5 X was set to come to the UK, there were some who wondered why. But there were also those who cheered, because this was a car that had a foot in three segments: saloon, estate and SUV. Citroen marketed the C5 X as a model with “audacity combined with innovation for a serene touring experience”, but buyers weren’t impressed and they largely stayed away – across the whole of Europe, not just the UK. HISTORY THE C5 X went on sale in…

DACIA has announced specs and prices for the facelifted Jogger, which arrives in January. Starting at £18,995, it costs just £25 more than before, but comes with extra standard kit – along with a new look and a new engine. The Jogger received a mild facelift in 2022 when it dropped the old Dacia logo for the current one. The 2026 update is more extensive with new LED lights at the front and rear, a reshaped grille, new alloy wheel options and a shark fin antenna. Previously, the Jogger came with plastic wheelarch cladding to go with Dacia’s rough and tough branding, but now this is made from ‘Starkle’. The material was first used on the current Duster before featuring on the Bigster and is made from 20 per cent…

DISABLED people renting cars under the Motability scheme will no longer be able to select models from premium brands such as BMW and Mercedes under new rules. The changes have been introduced to meet Motability Operations’ aim of 50 per cent of the vehicles leased by the provider being built in Britain by 2035. Motability Operations’ chief executive, Andrew Miller, said: “The Motability Scheme makes a difference to disabled people’s lives every day and our customers tell us it is a lifeline to freedom and independence. “Working with government and the automotive sector, we want to do even more to support the economy and our ambitious commitment should put British car manufacturing into top gear.” The Motability scheme allows those claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) to exchange their monthly allowance…

HERE at Auto Express, we like to think that we’re pretty forward thinking. We embrace new technologies, approach new manufacturers with an open mind, and most of all, we try our best to not get all rose-tinted and suggest that cars used to be better in the old days. But for all the progress in safety, technology and efficiency in modern cars, there are definitely areas where we’d admit that the market isn’t what it was a couple of decades ago. And for the petrolheads we all are, one of the places where it hits home the hardest is in the hot hatch market. Move back to the early 2000s, and we were undoubtedly at a high point for the segment – in sheer quantity every bit as much as quality.…

WE'RE here not to bury cars, but to celebrate them. The peak hot hatch. A Ford that transformed hatchback dynamics for the benefit of millions. Two rear-wheel-drive sports cars. Sales of these seminal models – plus an archetypal estate, iconic SUV and once-zeit-geisty MPV – have either ended, or will very soon, because the car world has changed. For every two new cars bought in Europe, one is an SUV, according to analyst S&P Global Mobility. The do-it-all practicality of the 4x4, combined with the subconscious fear of being struck by one in a smaller car, has fuelled the SUV arms race. Car makers who 25 years ago didn’t offer one – Audi, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen, Volvo – are now all in. They have to be. That’s because something has to…

HERE in the UK, it’s Land Rover that reigns as the de facto king of the 4x4s. However, across the pond in the land of baseball, it’s the Jeep Wrangler that’s the off-road president. Now a standalone brand in its own right, the Jeep name can trace its origins all the way back to 1940 when the US military gave three American firms – Willys-Overland Motors, American Bantam Company and Ford – 49 days to design and engineer a general purpose vehicle for reconnaissance use. Willys-Overland won the contract, and in 1943 trademarked the name, but a ‘Jeep’ can now be defined as any one of a large number of models, from the Avenger electric crossover all the way to the Gladiator pick-up truck. However, it’s the Wrangler that’s undoubtedly…

IT’S not controversial to say the Volkswagen Touran isn’t the sexiest car here. Hell, even VW itself digitally tagged the first pictures of the original Touran as “brotwagen” (breadvan in German) as an internal joke. Which the company then forgot to delete before issuing them. Ouch… At the time, compact and practical seven-seaters were part of the furniture. No more. The passing of the Touran, which is now only available to order from stock, is the tip of the iceberg. This is the end of a whole breed of nameplates that once swarmed our roads; from Ford’s C-MAX to Vauxhall’s Zafira, the various cars to wear Citroen’s Picasso nameplate and the Renault Scenic, these cars were big business at the beginning of this century. The mini-MPV was the birthplace of…

THE Fiat Panda celebrates its 45th birthday this year. That means it’s the same age as Kim Kardashian and 2009 Formula One world champ Jenson Button. The Panda was never intended to be as racy as either of its fellow 45-year-olds, but when it comes to deciding which has had the greatest success, that’s a much harder one to answer; since the original launched all that time ago, Fiat has shifted the best part of eight million units across the world. To mark its birthday, an all-new generation has arrived: the Grande Panda moves the Panda’s game on when it comes to space, safety and tech, but it hasn’t turned its back on its humble roots, because simplicity and considered design are still key. And value is still at the…

WHILE UK sales of the Mk2 Panda ended in 1995, production soldiered on until 2003, when the Mk3 arrived. It didn’t take long to see that there had been more than two decades of progress between the two generations. While the new model maintained some family ties with its predecessor, such as the square lights at the front and its boxy shape, the overall proportions had grown taller, for a near mini-MPV-type shape. With the addition of a pair of doors at the rear, the new Panda instantly became a more practical, usable small car – especially for families. Creature comforts had drastically grown from one generation to the next, too. There was no fabric-trimmed bulkhead here. Now, Panda owners got the luxury of a full dashboard, and a really…

ESSENTIALS Ariel Atom 4 Price: £54,898 Powertrain: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo petrol, 320bhp Torque: 420Nm @3,000rpm Transmission: Six-speed manual/rwd 0-60mph: 2.8 seconds Top speed: 162mph Power-to-weight ratio: 538bhp/tonne Caterham Seven 420 R Price: £44,585 Powertrain: 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol, 210bhp Torque: 203Nm @6,300rpm Transmission: Six-speed manual/rwd 0-62mph: 3.8 seconds Top speed: 136mph Power-to-weight ratio: 375bhp/tonne…

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HOW OUR GUIDE WORKS PERFORMANCE: This is the manufacturer’s claimed acceleration time for a car, and is measured from 0-60mph or 0-62mph (0-100km/h), in seconds. ECONOMY/EMISSIONS/RANGE: Combined WLTP economy in miles per gallon, emissions in grams per kilometre of CO2 and maximum claimed range for EVs. Figures are achieved in the latest WLTP tests, but will vary according to equipment and are unlikely to be representative of everyday efficiency. INSURANCE: Group rating as quoted by the Association of British Insurers. WARRANTY: Next to each manufacturer’s name is the basic warranty period in months and miles for the mechanical parts. EVs and hybrids will have dedicated battery cover. LIST PRICE: This is the on-the-road figure and includes VAT, delivery to dealer, the first 12 months’ of emissions-based road tax, number plates…