Table of contents for February 9, 2022 in Autocar

Mercedes-Benz is putting the finishing touches to the all-new CLE Coupé and CLE Cabriolet ahead of a planned unveiling for the new two-door models, codenamed C236 and A236 respectively, in 2023. Due on sale shortly before the sixth-generation E-Class Saloon arrives next year, the CLE has been developed as a replacement for six Mercedes models: both the coupé and convertible versions of the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class. The move comes as Mercedes consolidates its R&D spending on conventional combustion-engined models in favour of expanding its line-up with dedicated EQ-badged EVs such as the new EQE saloon, EQE SUV and EQS SUV – all of which are set to hit showrooms within the next 12 months. The first stage of the consolidation plan was carried out in 2020 when Mercedes ended…

DS has revealed a dramatically reworked version of its E-Tense concept, heavily uprating the sports coupé’s mechanicals as a statement of intent for the design and capabilities of future production EVs. The new E-Tense Performance is an evolution of the 402bhp E-Tense shown at the 2016 Geneva motor show and is presented as a “high-performance laboratory”. Compared with the 2016 car, it packs significantly enhanced performance courtesy of a new twin-motor powertrain engineered by the DS Performance Formula E race team. A 335bhp motor at the front and a 469bhp motor at the rear combine for a total of 805bhp – more than three times the power of a Formula E racer – and 5900lb ft (at the wheel, not the motor’s exit). Full performance figures will be revealed following…

JAGUAR LAND ROVER boosted revenues by 22% in the third financial quarter of last year, thanks to an improved supply of semiconductors, but reduced production capacity, and thus sales volumes, contributed to a pre-tax loss of £9 million. Looking ahead, the manufacturer forecasted that stabilised supply chains would improve profits and allow it to start delivering the 155,000 cars for which it currently holds orders, 30,000 of which are for the new Range Rover.…

CHARGERS KEY FOR KIA Kia UK boss Paul Philpott has said the rapid rise in EV sales should be met by a commitment to improving the UK’s charging network, rather than continued grants for EV buyers. “The barriers are coming down,” he said after the EV6 won What Car? Car of the Year. “I don’t think range anxiety is a big thing any more. What I do think people have is charging anxiety, and that’s where the focus needs to be. There has to be absolute confidence in the charging infrastructure. And it’s why government policy has to move away from grants to entice people to buy an EV to real tangible investment in the infrastructure that every customer across the UK can feel confident with.” Philpott noted that none…

1 WEST MIDLANDS GIGAFACTORY £2.5BN Coventry City Council and Warwick District Council are seeking further investment in a 530,000m2 EV battery factory at Coventry Airport, targeting an eventual capacity of 60GWh. It could create 6000 jobs and contribute £434m to the local economy. 2 NISSAN SUNDERLAND £1BN Nissan is to transform its Sunderland plant into a “flagship EV hub”, dramatically upscaling the battery production capacity of partner firm Envision AESC and preparing the main factory to build a Leafreplacing electric crossover from 2024. 3 FORD HALEWOOD £230M Ford currently builds Fiesta and Focus gearboxes at its Merseyside factory but has committed to transforming it into an EV powertrain plant by 2024. It will produce 250,000 units annually, exporting them to Ford vehicle assembly plants across Europe. 4 STELLANTIS ELLESMERE PORT…

SEASON EIGHT OF Formula E began with a double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, recently. Defending champion Nyck de Vries crashed early in the first practice session but bounced back to win the opening night race, thanks to a clanger dropped by his Mercedes-EQ team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne. The ex-McLaren Formula 1 racer failed to trigger his second dose of Attack Mode power, costing him the lead. De Vries looked on course to complete a Diriyah double in race two, having led the early stages from pole position, but Lucas di Grassi, in his first weekend racing for the independent Venturi team, outmuscled him for the lead, and the Dutchman thereafter slumped to 10th. Edoardo Mortara, second in the standings last term, got the better of his Venturi teammate to claim victory…

The new GTS Sport Turismo is meant to be the sweet spot in the Taycan range. After a UK drive in early February, I’m not entirely convinced, but it’s still a compelling version of our favourite electric car. The Sport Turismo is sort of a station-wagon variant of the Taycan saloon, with the more practical, blockier back end and wide-opening tailgate of the Taycan Cross Turismo but forgoing that car’s additional ride height and rugged plastic ancillaries. I’m testing it in launch GTS spec, which sits somewhere between more ordinary Taycans and the super-fast Turbos. It gets its own suspension tune, which includes air springs as standard and active rear steering as a £1650 option (fitted to our test car). With two electric motors giving 590bhp and 626lb ft from…

MODEL TESTED 1.0 TSI 95PS SE COMFORT • Price £17,745 • Power 94bhp • Torque 129lb ft 0-60mph 9.9sec • 30-70mph in fourth 15.8sec Fuel economy 50.6mpg • CO2 emissions 115g/km • 70-0mph 60.2m We return to the bustling core of the European car market for this week’s road test subject. In spite of all the strategic plans for decarbonisation of model lines both great and small, and everything else going in more rarefied parts of the market, the petrol supermini remains an absolutely central player in our consumption of the new car. Four of the UK’s 10 best-selling cars in 2021 were superminis. On the European continent, it was five in 10. The inexorable rise and rise of the electric car, and of SUVs and SUValikes, might have pulled the…

As more electric cars take to UK roads, attention is turning to their safety, in particular fire safety. No matter that petrol and diesel cars can catch fire and many of them do (remember the spate of Vauxhall Zafira fires not so long ago?), an electric vehicle fire (there were 54 in London in 2019) commands a lot more attention. A few reasons: the technology is new, so newsworthy; EV fires are complex and often heralded by a highly toxic vapour cloud accompanied by a hissing noise and highly directional jets, followed, possibly, by an explosion; they can occur spontaneously; and putting out an EV fire is virtually impossible. You think it’s out and then it erupts again hours, days or even weeks later. All this considered, it’s no wonder…

Would it not be a wonderful thing if the people elected by us to parliament would focus on what is one of the most important things for the average person, namely fuel costs? We need oil and gas not just for heating our homes but also making our vehicles run, hybrid and electric ones included. The energy that the government and its opposition are using at the moment to argue about beer and sandwiches could no doubt keep most of those vehicles charged for a week. It’s a shame that this energy and enthusiasm isn’t put into bringing all fuel prices back down – as well as making a lot more hybrids and EVs affordable to the ordinary working man. At least some Chinese vehicles that might fit the bill,…

MILEAGE 3294 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To discover whether this chic new coupé-SUV has the substance to back up its obvious style Having spent most of its time in recent months on commuting duties or tackling local runs under semi-lockdown conditions, the Arkana relished the chance to stretch its legs as a holiday shuttle with a lengthy cross-country trip to Wales over Christmas. Beginning with an escape from London’s Christmas Eve Eve traffic and a rush up the A1 in time for a dinner date with friends, the plan was then to continue across to the West Midlands to pick up grandparents and their luggage ahead of a chauffeur’s challenge to drive as smoothly as possible to the middle of Wales – and finally the homeward journey on the M40.…

An owner’s view TOM GALLAGHER “Some might call me stupid but I decided to buy a Golf R32 over the current Golf R in August last year. I don’t regret it at all. While the new car is probably much more refined, the noise my car makes is unbeatable. I think it’s the most enthralling part of the car but, of course, it also drives like an absolute dream. I bought a completely unmodified car for £5500 and I’ve had few issues. If I had to highlight any problems with it, I’d say tax is a little high and the car I bought did have fogged up headlights, but they were an easy fix. I’ve also had to sort a few rust problems but they weren’t particularly noticeable.” Buyer beware……

We’ve driven a number of ludicrous limousines over the years, but few have earned the adjectives “epic” and “infallible”. One that has is the most extreme version of BMW’s 7 Series: the M760Li xDrive. Munich’s answer to the Audi S8 and Mercedes-AMG S65, the M760Li was the fastest BMW at the time of its launch in 2017, thanks to a twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre petrol V12 with 602bhp and 590lb ft. It had a supercar-baiting 0-62mph time of 3.7sec and a 189mph top speed (when fitted with the M Driver’s Pack). As standard, the M760Li was equipped with four-wheel steering, an active exhaust, active anti-roll bars, M-tuned air springs, BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system and M brakes. The other major difference from standard 7 Series variants was an M aerodynamic styling package…

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model. It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week. Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while…

“Following the Tonale’s arrival this year, Alfa Romeo will launch a new car every year until 2030” Alfa Romeo’s new Tonale marks the renaissance of the Italian brand under new owner Stellantis, in which it must radically overhaul its approach in order to survive. The compact SUV, a rival to the Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40, is not only the first model to be launched in this new era for Alfa but also its first foray into electrification, which will rapidly take centre stage for the brand. From 2027, Alfa will launch only electric cars. Following the Tonale’s introduction this year, the brand will launch a new car every year until 2030, according to CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, who previously ran Peugeot. Alfa’s first fully electric model, a small SUV understood…

SKODA IS SET to follow its Volkswagen and Cupra stablemates in offering a compact urban EV atop the Volkswagen Group’s MEB Entry architecture. The new model will essentially serve as a replacement for the axed Citigo-e iV. Asked when Skoda will show off a sibling to the Volkswagen ID 2 and Cupra Urban Rebel, Skoda CEO Thomas Schäfer said: “Our colleagues from Seat, Cupra and Volkswagen are pushing ahead a little stronger on that side. Within the group, we’re balancing this a bit. “We’re coming shortly with an announcement on this one but rest assured it will be differentiated from our sister brands and a beautiful concept that really fits Skoda.” Volkswagen and Cupra unveiled radically different takes on the electric city car formula at last year’s Munich motor show,…

Lotus has launched an in-house special operations division, Lotus Advanced Performance, to develop bespoke and limited-run projects. The new division will be headed by Simon Lane, previously head of the similarly positioned Q by Aston Martin outfit, who welcomed the “blank sheet of paper” opportunity to develop “the most exciting and exclusive Lotus cars, embracing our exciting electrified future while honouring our illustrious past”. The brand remains tight-lipped on LAP’s first project, but a preview image hints at an open-wheel track car inspired by historic Formula 1. END OF THE ROAD FOR FUEL DUTY? The Commons Transport Select Committee has recommended a new road-use tax to replace fuel duty as the shift to EVs continues. Motorists would be charged according to miles driven and pay “the same or less than…

IT’S BEING CALLED ‘industrial origami’, and it’s a new technology for folding high-strength duplex stainless steel that could have a dramatic impact on the way vehicles are produced. The process, called Lightfold, gets its name from the use of lasers to heat stainless steel sheet locally along a desired crease line. Folding duplex stainless steel sheet normally involves tools that make its use costly, but this new process has been developed to produce a low-cost electric scooter from Swedish start-up Stilride. The idea of a low-cost electric scooter has been in the sights of industrial designer and joint founder of Stilride Tue Beijer since the age of 19, in 1993. Since then, Beijer has worked for Giotto Bizzarrini (father of the Ferrari 250 GTO and Lamborghini V12 engine), BMW Motorrad…

There’s as strong a chance as not that your car insurance policy will cover windscreen chip repairs free of charge. Fixing a tyre that has a screw in it costs a few quid and takes only a little time at a tyre fitter, of which there will be one quite close to home. Both events are a pain; neither is a disaster. Nevertheless, I find Volvo’s new policy on this quite compelling. If you turn up at a Volvo dealership in a Volvo of any age with either of those problems, they will fix them for free. “Come in. Welcome. You’re one of us. Let us sort it.” Makes you feel good, right? Which is daft, I know. If I were in the market for one of two barges, one…

Aradical reshaping of automotive production lines to include flexible manufacturing cells, robotically guided vehicles and automated parts warehouses trackside are key to making EVs affordable, believes Europe’s second-biggest robot manufacturer, ABB. The Swiss firm is pushing a new production system that abandons the traditional assembly/trim line, with its dozens of sequential assembly stations, in favour of multiple flexible manufacturing cells between which vehicles and parts bins are hauled on trolleys by automated mobile robotic vehicles. Rethinking car production to drive manufacturing costs down will compensate for the high cost of essential componentry in electrics and is emerging as a key pivot point in manufacturing, ABB believes. “Manufacturers have got to reduce the price of battery-electric cars, and that means more efficient factory operations,” said Patrick Matthews, ABB’s assembly group manager.…

TUESDAY Few things in life lift your spirits like motorsport success, even when it’s other people’s. I was flattered to be invited to Motorsport UK’s Night of Champions in central London to see 2021’s winners receive their gongs; and the spectacular big-screen video of great competitors in action, even in low-key disciplines like production car trialling, made the initially unwelcome act of exhuming my dinner jacket from the wardrobe seem entirely worthwhile. And that was before counting the ambience and sumptuous hospitality. I sat on a hacks’ table between commentators Jenny Gow and Louise Goodman, whose trackside tales provided yet more entertainment. Note to self: do more motorsport. WEDNESDAY The news that ex-Formula 1 driver Max Chilton has joined McMurtry, the tiny performance-EV start-up based near me in Gloucestershire, set…

The Aygo X might look new and yet strangely familiar, but what you’re seeing here isn’t simply a facelift of Toyota’s city car with a bolted-on SUV-style bodykit. No, this is an all-new car that combines a shortened Yaris supermini platform with a rugged-looking body and raised suspension to tackle the hustle and bustle of inner-city motoring. Oh, and the name is pronounced Aygo Cross, by the way, not Aygo Ex (or Aygo Kiss). Even with entirely electrified motoring on the horizon, there’s still a place for small affordable city cars right now – but have we really reached the point where even these have succumbed to the SUV trend? At least this third-generation Aygo has no pretence of providing any off-road ability. Toyota claims the 11mm-raised ride height over…

This is actually the latest in a series of updates for the Mk2 Mazda CX-5 since it arrived in 2017 but the closest to what you would recognise as a facelift. There’s a new front end (note the chunkier grille surround and redesigned LED headlight clusters), claimed improvements to refinement and a newly integrated powertrain management system called Mi-Drive. Mazda stands out from its peers by virtue of its capacity to design driving environments that are nearuniversally appreciated, and the CX-5 continues to attract in this respect. The central infotainment screen is sensibly sized and controlled by a console-mounted rotary dial (thumbs up) and there’s a physical button or switch for all of the most commonly used functions (two thumbs up). There’s plenty of knee, elbow, shoulder and head room…

Ten years isn’t a particularly long time in the car industry. It’s about the lifespan of some models. Long enough for one trend to fade and another to appear, perhaps, or for a new segment-leading car to rise to prominence, or for an old one to sink into obscurity. That’s usually enough drama for one decade. In car industry terms, however, the past 10 years have held as much turmoil and upheaval as the average geological epoch. In 2012, Tesla had yet to launch the Model S. The Paris Climate Accords to which Donald Trump would one day make the US deaf were still three years away from even being agreed. On our side of the pond, there wasn’t even a Euro 6 emissions standard in place for engineers to…

BMW regained the premium-brand crown for the first time since 2015, selling 109,000 more cars than Mercedes-Benz. Bucking the general trend, BMW actually raised sales last year, while Mercedes, Audi, Lexus and Cadillac all fell back. Mercedes was especially affected by the semiconductor shortage and overall lost 210,000 sales compared with 2020. Hyundai’s Genesis marque arrived with a bang, selling 195,000 cars in its first year of going global, closing the gap on Porsche. Worryingly, sales of premium cars in the world’s biggest market for such things, China, fell back 10%. At least this was partly compensated by a 7% increase in the US. JATO ANALYSIS “Our figures show that premium car demand fell by 3%, while mainstream brands grew by 3%. The chip shortage could have been more visible…

Tesla had a splendid 2021, with two cars in the global EV top 10 and the enormous popularity of the Model 3 saloon pushing it into the overall top 10 for the first time. Given the Model 3’s £40k price tag, it does exceptionally well to outsell low-cost Chinaonly EVs like the Hongguang Mini EV and is showing the way to higher-tech rivals like the Renault Zoe and the Volkswagen ID 3. It’s early days for the ID 3, but the Model 3 is outselling it by nearly eight to one. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E SUV made its debut with a very solid 54,900 sales – not quite enough to break into the global EV top 10, but more affordable versions are due this year, which should lift sales.…

China drove most of the growth of Tesla in 2021, as the popularity of the Model 3 was boosted by local production, while the launch of the Model Y added further impetus. Tesla set a new sales record in its home market, although its growth there wasn’t as strong as in China, as the number of EV early-adopters in the US is possibly starting to tail off. In fact, demand in China for Tesla’s new compact crossover was so strong that volumes there were equal to those in the US. Europe also contributed, but Tesla might ultimately be held back there, because Europeans prefer hatchbacks to saloons. JATO ANALYSIS “The Model 3 is a best-seller for several reasons. It’s the reference model and the brand has become trendy. Plus, more…

Without doubt, there are at least seven ages of the average car – but only if it’s lucky. Progressing from the showroom to your driveway via a used car lot or two before morphing into a banger and then either being terminated in a scrapyard – sorry, recycling centre – or becoming a cherished classic in your garage. Then again, some marques are more special than others. Is a Ferrari ever truly ‘used’ in the accepted sense of the word? Certainly, they become pre-owned, loved or cherished, before missing several pre-terminal stages to become a classic. Indeed, are Caterhams ever truly used, with their marginal mileages? They pass go and straight to classic. Meanwhile, Jaguars usually tick all the life stages. However, for the purposes of explanation, let’s take one…

COMPARISON Audi Quattro vs Audi E-tron GT Audi’s greatest meets its latest to see just how far the firm’s fast four-wheel-drive cars have come over the past four decades DRIVEN Vauxhall Astra We rate the first new Astra created under Stellantis ownership FEATURE Crash testing Cars have never been safer nor tests stricter. We watch what a car goes through in 2022 EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Jeep Compass 4xe Plug-in hybrid technology comes to Jeep’s Nissan Qashqai rival DRIVEN Ford Bronco You could import Ford’s reborn 4x4 icon. Matt Prior sees if you should SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p20…

MILEAGE 1818 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a mid-engined supercar really can work as a commuting grand tourer You might or might not be surprised to hear that not everyone at Autocar gets to sample every new car we test. No, the priciest and most powerful are usually exclusively for the road test team. So until recently, my sole experience of a McLaren was five minutes I spent trapped inside a stationary Senna, as no one thought to tell me the door release was in the ceiling. A week with our long-term GT would surely make amends. Once you’re past the sheer presence of a mid-engined supercar whose dihedral doors open upwards, the most striking thing about the GT is how bespoke it all feels. The Audi R8…

Most mainstream cars are sold for about seven or eight years, with mid-life facelifts to keep them fresh. But some are retired early because they’re ahead of their time or just plain wrong so don’t sell strongly, or fall victim to corporate failures or other machinations well above their pay grade. Behold, then, the George Lazenbys of the modern British car market. Honda Logo 2000-2001 The Logo was on sale between April 2000 and January 2001 and so by our reckoning had the shortest on-sale run of any mainstream car sold in the UK in the modern era, cracking just nine months. Why? It was a dated and dull supermini that was memorable for absolutely nothing – except it seems it was extremely reliable. That was partly because it came…

A new Alfa Romeo sports car is on the cards for later this decade, once the firm has re-established itself as part of the mainstream luxury sector – and proven its financial credentials to its new owner, Stellantis. Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato confirmed that the brand is working on some one-off and limitededition projects and said he will be able to share more details this year. He name-checked the Spider ‘Duetto’ and T33 Stradale as reference points for future sports car designs, adding that he will never forget the heritage or passion of Alfa Romeo. “If I bring a good level of business, I’m sure that [Stellantis boss] Carlos Tavares and I will one day speak about some dream cars, because I have to support the storytelling of Alfa…

SKODA WILL INTRODUCE a hot vRS version of the Enyaq iV SUV this year, following the arrival of the Enyaq Coupé vRS in the coming months. Skoda has chosen to inaugurate its electric vRS line-up with the Enyaq Coupé because of its sportier looks, but when asked if the firm will offer a hot version of the existing Enyaq SUV, CEO Thomas Schäfer said: “Absolutely.” He added: “It’s starting [to be launched] from the second half of this year – and this variant looks fantastic.” It will pack a dual-motor, four-wheeldrive powertrain producing 295bhp and 338lb ft for 0-62mph in 6.5sec. A 77kWh battery will give it a near-300-mile range. SEVEN-SEAT SKODA EV STILL A POSSIBILITY Skoda hasn’t ruled out launching an electric seven-seater based on the upcoming Volkswagen ID…

JAGUAR’S NEW EV platform will be built in-house, Jaguar Land Rover has said, giving new details of its shift to an all-electric line-up from 2025 under its Reimagine plan. CEO Thierry Bolloré initially said the company would look externally for a platform to underpin a range of upmarket electric Jaguars, but Bolloré has now told investors that JLR is working on its own platform. Bolloré said JLR cars need a platform that combines design proportions and capabilities not offered by other makers, citing the MLA High platform, used by the Range Rover, and the future EMA platform for smaller Land Rovers. “Concerning the new Jaguar, we’re making unique proportion a priority,” said Bolloré. “That’s why at the moment we do it by ourselves.” The decision to go it alone on…

Aston Martin’s new V8-powered DBX 707 SUV just edges the V12-engined DBS grand tourer on outright acceleration, but boss Tobias Moers has no immediate plans to phase out the company’s own 12-cylinder motor. Asked if the DBX 707’s V8 – a modified version of Mercedes-AMG’s most potent engine – could replace the V12 in the DBS and the toprung DB11, Moers said: “No, we won’t do that. The V12 still has a bit of potential, and having the V12 Vantage shows there’s still room for a V12 in our sports car generation.” The new V12 Vantage is expected to use a similar powertrain configuration to the V12 Speedster, which makes 690bhp and 555lb ft. It has already been confirmed as a swansong for the V12 Vantage name, but Moers’s latest…

20 million Expected number of people with $1m in free assets by 2027 With its Beyond 100 plan in place, a strategy for five new EVs in five years from 2025 and record annual sales in 2021, Bentley is on a roll. We spoke to chairman Adrian Hallmark during an Autocar Business seminar to find out more. You’ve confirmed Bentley’s first EV will be built in Crewe. Was it ever not going to be? “There was always a chance. But in this transition period between combustion-engine vehicles and battery-electric vehicles, there’s even more pressure than has been in the past to not invest in more infrastructure and to fully utilise capacities and facilities that are already there. [But] it’s our commitment to maximise the number of cars that we bring…

JAGUAR LAND ROVER received an astonishing £68,000 for each car that it built and sold in the past three months of 2021 as Range Rover models dominated. The figure was up from an already impressive £61,000 from the previous quarter and reflects the extraordinary juggling that JLR has overseen to go about its normal business in the face of the global chip shortage. “This is probably the richest per-unit data we’ve had for more than 11 years,” said JLR chief financial officer Adrian Mardell. The extreme focus on higher-end models didn’t quite push JLR into the black, but the £9 million loss was far better than the massive £302m loss the company posted the previous quarter. The Range Rover and its Sport, Velar and Evoque range-mates accounted for 56% of…

It’s all about timing. Some car manufacturers and the models they produce can be absolutely on the zeitgeist. The Nissan Qashqai, for instance, or the first Volvo XC90. They define genres and shape the automotive landscape for years to come. And then there are others who never seem to get it right, like Renault, with its Koleos. The French firm had two stabs at the pie, failing both times. Take it from us, Renault, that’s a name to retire for good. Then we come to Dacia. On the one hand, it couldn’t be more on-trend, offering the sort of value-for-money motoring that has been bang-on for years, and never more so than since the financial crash and the seemingly never-ending economic rollercoaster that we’ve all been on ever since. But…

The people at the apex of Kia’s corporate hierarchy apparently don’t like to dwell on its heritage, which is understandable. Its rapid transformation from dumpy, irrelevant duckling to unambiguous class leader borders on the stuff of industrial legend. Conversely, execs now tasked with marketing it as a high-tech neophyte and legitimate premium-brand challenger feel that the less the public knows about its rustic back catalogue, the better. The original Sportage – built on a Mazda Bongo van platform – is no Mercedes-Benz 540K, but it’s worth looking up simply to appreciate the progress that Kia has made since designer Peter Schreyer arrived from Audi in 2006. The bold new Mk5 Sportage, built on a proprietary platform honed for European roads, won’t be to all aesthetic tastes, but it possesses things…

There are reasons why people buy expensive SUVs rather than luxury saloons, and one is they don’t want to look like they’re taxiing somebody more important than them to an airport. The EQS is actually a hatchback, giving it added practicality, but let’s not forget that saloons have their advantages: the cabin stays the same temperature when you open the boot and a bulkhead can contribute to reducing road noise in the rear. These days, climatecontrol efficiency – particularly in EVs – and noise suppression are so good that it’s not a big deal (not in the UK, anyway). Life in the back of the EQS certainly seems to me as cushy as in the S-Class. The EQS’s wheelbase of 3210mm is closer to that of an LWB S-Class (3365mm)…

GERMANY 2.62m -10.1% POLAND 0.45m +4.2% FRANCE 1.66m +0.6% BELGIUM 0.38m -11.2% UK 1.65m +1.0% NETHERLANDS 0.32m -10.5% ITALY 1.47m +5.8% SWEDEN 0.3m +3.1% SPAIN 0.88m -1.1% AUSTRIA 0.24m -3.7% New car sales in Europe set an unenviable record last year – the worst for 36 years – as the market slumped to a level not seen since 1985. Overall volume dropped by 1.7% from 2020, which was already a very bad year. Germany spearheaded the decline, down 10.1%, largely due to the slump in production of key models by Volkswagen, which also slowed progress in the penetration of the EV market – one of the few sectors in which sales grew for other brands. Stellantis was a beneficiary of the growing EV market, meanwhile, as it gained traction in…

It may have its origin in the US, but the SUV segment was dominated by the Japanese last year. The Toyota RAV4 was the global number one, with 965,000 sales, followed by the Honda CR-V on 713,000. These cars appeal across continents, fulfilling a role as rugged(ish) family haulers. Despite stability for Jeep, which sold 1.22m SUVs last year, it’s still beaten by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Ford and Kia. JATO ANALYSIS “The Toyota RAV4 keeps leading thanks to its strong presence in the US and China and increasing popularity in Europe. In 2018 it was only the 33rd best-selling SUV and last year it had risen to only 14th.”…

Up its own proverbial I was considering a BMW as my next car. However, after reading about BMW’s unveilings at CES (News, 12 January), I’ve not only changed my mind but vowed to never go near the brand. Ever. Ever. (Did I say ever?) As if commissioning the composer Hans Zimmer to create sounds for EVs wasn’t pretentious enough (they said it set “an acoustic mood that expresses the vehicle’s avant-garde and independent spirit”), it was the digital dashboard art (“to transform mobility into an individual, highly exclusive and emotional experience”) that led me to realise that BMW’s people are now so far up themselves that they combine the dual roles of car designers and proctologists. Mark Leigh Via email I’m a Seoul man Congratulations to Kia for winning What…

GM squares up to Ford… AT THE START of the 1960s, Ford realised it had nothing to trade for the considerable disposable income of fun-loving young Americans. The Mustang was its answer, and man was it the right one: more than a million examples were sold within two years, and very quickly many rival ‘pony cars’ had arrived. The most successful came from Ford’s arch-rival, General Motors, in late 1966: the Chevrolet Camaro. We got our first taste five months later, in Super Sport models with 5.7-litre and 7.5-litre ‘Big Red’ V8s. We said: “On normal roads, the Camaro sparkles like a magnum of champagne. Roadholding tends to be neutral. Fast and medium-speed bends can be taken in style, even with a controlled slide if you prefer. On the other…

MILEAGE 7632 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether Peugeot’s new sporting saloon can hold its own on luxury and performance in this competitive space This is a sorry tale, and one I didn’t want to have to tell, about running a plug in car in London – one of the areas where electric motoring is best suited. It has cemented my view that leasing an EV as a second car – which we were keen to do in the near future – is not a viable option until we have a house with a driveway. None of this is a reflection of the 508 PSE plug-in hybrid, apart from its lack of a three-pin plug as standard, which quickly wrecked the grand plan to charge while at my parents’…

Does the Volkswagen Golf’s serial appeal rule it out of being considered a ‘cult hero’? Not in the case of the Mk5 Golf R32, a car that blazed the trail for today’s Golf R with its GTI-trumping performance, a chassis you can trust implicitly and the sure-footed confidence of four-wheel drive. Throw in a 3.2-litre V6 engine and the model’s appealing balance of scarcity and availability – there are just under 2500 Mk5 R32s on UK roads, according to howmanyleft.com – and it has ‘cult hero’ written all over it. The Mk5 R32 arrived in 2005 as an alternative for drivers who thought the firm’s popular GTI was just a little bit too sensible, but questions were immediately asked about whether it could justify its £4000 premium over Volkswagen’s stalwart…

The Suzuki Ignis has the benefit of slotting into two market segments at once. Not only is it technically an SUV, but its size makes it an ideal city car, too. Measuring just 3.7m long, 1.7m wide and 1.6m tall, it’s barely larger than the Fiat 500 or Vauxhall Adam. Launched in the UK in 2017 with an attractive sub-£10,000 price, the Ignis continues to be one of the best low-cost options to this day. Despite its boxy look, this SUV is unexpectedly enjoyable to drive and offers brilliant fuel economy. Based on the same chassis as the Baleno supermini, it weighs a mere 855kg. This, in tandem with a short wheelbase, makes the Ignis surprisingly agile. It’s also the smallest car on sale that offers four-wheel drive – Suzuki’s…