Table of contents for 1469 in Auto Express

Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan OFFICIAL VAUXHALL is aiming to grab a bigger slice of the SUV market, with a raft of new or updated crossovers on the horizon. And this is the latest: the Grandland X – the company’s rival for models such as the SEAT Ateca and Volkswagen Tiguan. The Grandland X is set for a public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and is the third member of Vauxhall’s ‘X’ family – joining the smaller Mokka X and Crossland X models. At 4.48m long and 1.84m wide, it’s the largest SUV we’ve seen from the brand since the Antara, and 20cm longer than the Mokka X. It’s also the first all-new model from Vauxhall to emerge since PSA Peugeot Citroen confirmed the £1.9bn acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall from General…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn “Designers have developed a new lighting system for the car” THE second of Audi’s three electric cars that will be on sale by 2020 will be a production version of this new e-tron Sportback concept. Audi unveiled it at the Shanghai Motor Show, but Auto Express was given exclusive access to the newcomer ahead of the show, with lighting designer Cesar Muntada showing us around the car. Confirmed for production in 2019, the concept will enter what Audi is calling a ‘completely new segment’ for fully electric coupé SUVs. The Sportback will follow Audi’s first pure electric car, the e-tron SUV, which arrives next year. The Sportback will sit alongside that model as a style-led alternative, in the same way the A6 saloon and A7 Sportback sit side-by-side.…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy OFFICIAL VOLKSWAGEN used the Shanghai Motor Show to preview the third member of its I.D. electric vehicle family – a large pseudo-SUV called the I.D. Crozz. The model is larger than the first of the I.D. concepts, last year’s five-door hatchback; at 4,625mm and 1,891mm, it’s also about 200mm longer and 50mm wider than the current VW Tiguan. The concept is around 40mm lower than the family SUV, though, living up to its badge as a crossover rather than a proper off-roader. Despite this, VW claims that the fourseater’s cabin space can match that of the long-wheelbase Tiguan Allspace. That’s because the car is based on the company’s new MEB chassis technology, which is designed specifically for EVs and offers short overhangs on a long wheelbase in order…

A LACK of electric car charging infrastructure remains a concern for many thinking about making the switch to battery power. It’s easy to forget, though, that plug-in hybrids or pure EVs still only make up a fraction of the cars on UK roads. It’s growing, and one day it will take over as the main source of vehicle energy, but for now petrol and diesel remain the number one choice for the majority – and by quite a distance. The long-term trend of forecourts closing has been a concern for many, but a report published last week by the Energy Institute has brought welcome relief. It found the fall has slowed, with 8,489 petrol stations in the UK in 2016. By contrast, there were 8,472 sites in 2015 and 8,609…

Joe_Finnerty@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer “The spherical tyre has a brain that can morph its bionic skin into tread to suit the surface” A BEAT-UP old diesel hatchback and a gleaming, showroom-fresh hybrid supercar. These two vehicles are worlds apart in performance, quality and price, yet they have one thing in common: tyres. These four rubber rings represent your only, palm-sized contact with the surface upon which you’re driving, and no matter how good your car, if your tyres aren’t up to scratch, you’re running the risk of having a serious accident. Low pressures, barely legal tread depths and cheap rubber are all issues faced by motorists, although the addition of tyre pressure-monitoring systems (TPMS), which were made mandatory from 2012, has helped to improve safety. However, that still hasn’t cured all tyre…

EXPERT JUDGES Tom_Barnard@dennis.co.uk @TomBarnardPR FROM the original Mini to the latest Land Rover Discovery, the small island of Great Britain has punched well above its weight by producing some hugely impressive cars in its time. But what model is the best of the bunch? Auto Express set itself the unenviable task of naming the best British-built car of all-time, taking into account sales success, groundbreaking design and unbeatable performance. For a task this big, however, we couldn’t do it alone. That’s why we enlisted the help of some industry big-hitters who’ve graced our own Brit List over the past few years, including previous winners Andy Palmer and Ian Robertson. Of course our own team of experts who’ve driven and tested some of these special motors over the years also had…

MODEL TESTED: Volkswagen up! 1.0 TSI beats 3dr PRICE: £11,490 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 89bhp IN sporty three-door beats specification with Volkswagen’s 1.0 TSI 90 engine, the up! undercuts both of its rivals – and by quite some margin, costing £11,490. Even the five-door model costs less, at £11,890. However, does the less powerful up! make a convincing sporty city car, or is your money better invested in the Twingo? DESIGN & ENGINEERING THE up! is designed around the VW Group’s New Small Family (NSF) platform, and it’s used on sister cars such as the SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo. After a facelift last year, the up! returned with a few minor styling tweaks both inside and out, but the big addition to the range was the German firm’s turbocharged 1.0-litre…

Graham_Hope@dennis.co.uk SPEED thrills; there's no denying that. :ilJ But arguably even more exhilarating is unexpected speed. In my opinion, it's one of the reasons that record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt has proven such a phenomenon. Yes, he's supremely fast. But the gangly Jamaican with the unusual technique is an even more compelling athlete because he doesn't fit the traditional stereotype of a short, squat sprinter. And that's why I think you could make a reasonable argument that our Audi SQ] is the Bolt of the car world. At first glance it looks like the sort of standard SW commonplace on the school run throughout Britain. It's big and imposing, but there's little sense of its potential. Yet floor the accelerator and all bets are off. With a 429 bhp twin turbodiesel…

Got a query? products@autoexpress.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Easy fix for bonnet chips THERE are some stone chips on my bonnet which I want to get sorted. Is a smart repair the only option, or is this something I can do myself? Felix Grace, E-mail A A DIY fix is possible and there are various solutions around, from simple touch-up paints to more sophisticated kits which provide everything you need. Chipex (chipex.co.uk) has a comprehensive kit that comes with paint matched to your car, cleaners, brushes, polish and even gloves. Prices start at £29.95. Q All-season tyre dilemma WE have a 59-plate Honda FR-V which needs new tyres. I’m considering the all-season Goodyear Vector 4S Gen 2, but am worried it would be too much of a compromise on dry braking. Are…

£7,500 for a mid-size estate, but which one? Dear Lawrence, It’s time to replace my Ford Focus with a petrol family estate. I don’t want anything too big, but it needs space for three kids and cost £7,500. Karen Clifton, Cardiff Contact: Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk THE DRIVER’S CHOICE Ford Focus FOR: Good to drive, best engine, comfortable AGAINST: Least practical, reliability concerns CHANCES are you’re already looking at a Focus to replace your old one, and it’s still a decent buy. It’s not the most spacious estate around, so you’ll need to make sure the kids fit properly, but it’s still one of the best in this class in terms of ride and handling. The engines are pretty good, too, with our highlight being the punchy 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol. We found a…

NEW York, April 2017: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. And Jaguar just did. Big time. Half a century after England lifted the World Cup at a shabby Wembley Stadium, an English car company has just rocked the global motor industry by winning the World Car of the Year trophy at a glitzy ceremony in Manhattan. True, the Midlands-based Jaguar team did feature several top non-English players, including Director of Design Ian Callum (Scotland) and CEO Dr Ralph Speth (Germany). And to be fair, it’s these two who probably did more than anyone to claim England’s (or should that be Britain’s?) first outright World Car of the Year victory. This is history in the making. So let’s savour the moment and put it into perspective.…

steve_fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler ▪ New platform, more space and improved comfort for supermini ▪ Our first verdict delivered after secret test drive in South Africa VOLKSWAGEN’S new Polo isn’t due in showrooms until the end of the year, and we won’t even see official pictures until the car’s unveiling in the summer, but Auto Express has already been behind the wheel of this crucial new model on a secret test with VW engineers in South Africa. There are currently no official details on anything other than engines, but we drove the new, three-cylinder 94bhp 1.0- litre in an early, disguised prototype. In spite of the car’s camouflage inside and out, it’s clear that the new Polo’s styling will be evolutionary. Our exclusive image (opposite) gives you an idea of how it’ll…

James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods OFFICIAL CITROEN has kick-started its SUV roll-out by revealing the all-new C5 Aircross at the Shanghai Motor Show. With styling inspired by the Aircross concept revealed at the same show in 2015, it sits on the PSA Group’s EMP2 platform, which is shared with sister cars the Peugeot 3008 and the DS 7 Crossback, plus Vauxhall’s Grandland X (see Page 12). What’s more, it features plug-in hybrid technology. Citroen says that the 2015 concept exhibited a ‘colourful’ personality in terms of design, and the production C5 Aircross carries over a near identical shape, although some design elements have been toned down for production. The floating roof with 360-degree windows, capped off with the new chrome C-pillar design, has made the cut, alongside flared wheelarches and Airbump-equipped body cladding…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy OFFICIAL THE S-Class has always been Mercedes’ technological tour de force – and the manufacturer is maintaining that position with a facelifted version of the car, launched at the Shanghai Motor Show and due on sale in early summer. On the surface, the S-Class gets only mild exterior tweaks, with revised front and rear bumpers, the V12 edition’s grille and new LED headlamps. However, there are extensive revisions to the engine line-up, including new straight-six diesels with a choice of power outputs, and 48-volt technology to boost efficiency on a straightsix petrol that’s likely to come to the UK. The S-Class also gets Mercedes’ latest autonomous tech, rolled into the most sophisticated Distronic cruise control. The main change is the inclusion of mapping data; this helps the car…

James_Batchelor@dennis.co.uk @JRRBatchelor Videowatch WE take a lesson as a chauffeur and rate the best powerful new cars this week at youtube.com/Autoexpress. What it takes to become a chauffeur I’D like to think I’m the least likely member of the Auto Express team to be taught how to be a chauffeur – which is exactly the reason I was dispatched for a crash course. As I discovered, it’s not a case of just putting on the hat and driving, but a skill that takes years to master. Head over to our YouTube channel to join me in a Maserati as I show you the art of chauffeuring. We name our top performance cars REASONABLY priced cars packing a punch are all the rage. Every week, another model is released with a…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE THE Toyota Yaris is one of the Japanese firm’s best-selling models, and in the UK it competes with the soon-to-be-updated Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo (Page 8). With such strong competition, it’s easy to see why Toyota has given it a facelift. It’s a subtle change, but the new front end is sportier than before, and it draws inspiration from the current World Rally Championship Yaris with its new grille and headlights. The rear has been overhauled, too, with a completely new tailgate and updated lights. The Yaris was already a handsome little hatchback, and the changes have built upon that. It’s certainly more interesting to look at than a Polo, just like the other two Japanese superminis that have recently launched: the Nissan Micra and the Suzuki…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram SEAT’s product portfolio is changing. Once famed for its high-value hatchbacks, the Spanish manufacturer is investing big in fashionable SUVs – with the new Ateca already selling well and an Ibizabased Arona crossover due soon. A larger model, the Formentor, is in the pipeline, too. But SEAT refuses to hide its heritage – and this updated Leon is as important now as the pre-facelift car was when it launched in 2012. Based on the recently updated Volkswagen Golf, it uses an identical range of engines and is paired with the same tried-and-tested MQB chassis. We first drove the new Leon late last year in 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo guise. Now we’re trying the faster 2.0 TDI, which is available in a choice of outputs. It’s the cheaper 148bhp car…

MODEL TESTED: Smart ForTwo Brabus Coupé PRICE: £16,585 ENGINE: 0.9-litre 3cyl, 108bhp THERE’S a five-door, four-seat Smart Brabus ForFour to match the Twingo, but like the up! it’s the three-door Smart ForTwo Brabus we test here, the sportiest version of the little city car. However, this smaller, two-seat Smart costs an eye-watering £16,585 (although our pictures show a top-spec Brabus Xclusive, which costs £19,755). Given city cars need to be compact, is it a better bet than its rivals? DESIGN & ENGINEERING DESPITE its even smaller dimensions than the Twingo GT, much of the ForTwo’s hardware is shared with the Renault. However, a shorter wheelbase means the ForTwo has an even tighter 7.0-metre turning circle, which should make parking and manoeuvring even easier. The 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbo engine is the…

THERE’S no mistaking the Mercedes-AMG C63 S for a common or garden C-Class. Even if you miss the power bulges in the bonnet, the flared wheelarches and quad exit exhaust, you won’t be able to ignore the rumbling V8 soundtrack. The 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged unit delivers 469bhp and 650Nm in the standard C63, while this S version raises these figures to 503bhp and 700Nm respectively. As you’d expect, this translates into explosive performance. Better traction off the line meant the Mercedes blasted from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds, which was four-tenths quicker than the Alfa Romeo. The Giulia hit back during our in-gear tests, where the shorter ratios of its eight-speed auto delivered quicker acceleration than the sevenspeed Mercedes. However, in the real world there’s little to separate our duo, while…

Steve McQueen: Le Mans in the Rearview Mirror Don Nunley, Marshall Terrill (Dalton Watson Fine Books, www.daltonwatson.com) Price: £59 Rating: A BEHIND-the-scenes look at the 1971 film Le Mans, which follows star and producer McQueen as he battled budget woes, a studio war and months of delays to bring his film to fruition. Told by the prop master, it gives an insight into the man and the movie. Worth a look for fans of McQueen and the 24-hour race alike. Toyota MR2 Coupés & Spyders Brian Long (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk) Price: £35 Rating: A THOROUGH piece of research which will appeal to fans of Toyota’s small sports car. The MR2 spans three generations, and has become an icon of affordable mid-engined motoring. This book offers plenty of detail on the…

Got any car queries? Martin_Saarinen@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer Q Concern over recalled Zafira I RECENTLY bought a Vauxhall Zafira, only to realise it was a model affected by the fire recall. It’s had work done, but I’m still worried about its safety. My dealer says I can’t reject it, even during the first 30 days. Is he right? Helen Davis, E-mail A YOU can only reject the car in the first 30 days if there is a fault. As it’s had the recall work done, the car is fit for purpose, so you’re unlikely to be able to reject it. There’s also no safety risk as the recall cleared the fire hazard. Q Automatic insurance hike? I AM about to start learning to drive, and will be buying an automatic car after…

Punchy SUV focuses on style ▪ Shares platform with Audi Q2 steve_fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler VOLKSWAGEN bosses speak a lot these days about more “emotional” cars, and the upcoming, Golf-based T-Roc SUV is the first all-new embodiment of that. When we drove prototype T-Rocs in South Africa they were well covered in camouflage, but the shape and new-found emotion was just about visible. In size and scale, the T-Roc is very similar to Audi’s new Q2, with squared-off wheelarches, a chunky shoulder line and that signature C-pillar. It even uses the same platform and wheelbase as its Audi stablemate. So it’s based on the adaptable MQB platform with all the tech-sharing benefits that brings. And it’s no surprise that it feels very similar to the Audi behind the wheel. As with the…

Exclusive McLaren 570GT storms in McLAREN has unveiled the limited-run 570 GT Commemorative Edition at the Shanghai Motor Show. The special model marks three years since McLaren first entered the Chinese market. It features Pacific Blue paint, a carbon fibre bodykit and bespoke Nappa leather, plus extra kit such as a Bowers & Wilkins 12-speaker sound system. Only three will be made at an undisclosed price, while the McLaren 720S will also appear in Shanghai. British cars hold their value better UK-built cars retain their value over the first 12 months better than those from any other nation, according to data from car leasing specialist OSV. Models from JLR, Nissan, Rolls-Royce and Vauxhall all roll off UK production lines and retain an average of 65.5 per cent of their original…

Now Hyundai joins the luxury SUV race HYUNDAI luxury division Genesis has showed its intentions to venture into the SUV market, with the GV80 concept. Unveiled at the New York Motor Show, the concept is powered by a plug-in hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. It rides on 23-inch alloy wheels, and uses an evolution of Genesis’ current design direction, which should influence future models. Inside, a curved 22-inch digital dashboard display features. Driving test gets a modern makeover TRANSPORT Minister Andrew Jones has announced changes to the driving test that will come into force from 4 December. Candidates will now have to use a sat-nav to find their way, while the independent driving section will double from 10 to 20 minutes. Manoeuvres like reversing around a corner are to be replaced…

TOP AWARD FOR F-PACE IN a decision that reflects the increasing dominance of SUVs, the Jaguar F-Pace was crowned World Car of the Year for 2017 at last week’s New York Motor Show. It’s the first time a British car has taken the overall crown since the inaugural awards in 2003. Other winners included the BMW i3 for World Urban Car of the Year, and the Mercedes E-Class for World Luxury Car of the Year. Porsche’s 718 Boxster scooped the Performance Car of the Year award. OFFICIAL JAGUAR has introduced a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine to the F-Type line-up. It’s a version of the brand’s 2.0-litre Ingenium unit, producing 296bhp and 400Nm of torque, and is paired exclusively with an eight-speed Quickshift automatic transmission powering the rear wheels – there…

Inbox What do you think? Contact Martin Saarinen mail@autoexpress.co.uk @autoExpress Write to: Watchdog/letters, Auto Express, Dennis Publishing 30 Cleaveland street, London WIT 4JD FROM: Petrillo123 LOCAL councils have been carrying out poor repairs for years. I often find a road that’s been repaired is breaking apart after just a few months. Councils should be investing in good technology that lasts, rather than quick repairs. FROM: Jonathan Price I GUESS rising levels of traffic do little to help broken roads. Any road closures will cause congestion, so it’s understandable councils want to limit the time they need to shut the roads for. There are usually two sides to every story, and road repairs are no different. Join the debate at www.autoexpress.co.uk ▪ “Many of the roads in central Scotland are in…

Sean_Carson@dennis.co.uk @Sean_Carson_ Essentials WITH diesel a seemingly dirty word these days, if you’re after an efficient family car, then a plug-in hybrid could be the way to go. They balance a usable range, low CO2 and good fuel economy, but without the range anxiety of a fully electric car. Building on the all-electric Ioniq and Ioniq Hybrid, Hyundai has now added this plug-in version to the line-up. This increases the all-electric range of the standard hybrid with a bigger 8.9kWh battery pack, and improves efficiency in the process. Any hybrid has to be about the numbers, and the Ioniq PHEV’s are fairly impressive. The car is yet to be officially approved for sale, but Hyundai is targeting 257mpg and CO2 emissions of 26g/km. These figures are impressive, but does the…

MODEL TESTED: Renault Twingo GT PRICE: £14,085 ENGINE: 0.9-litre 3cyl, 108bhp AS with the standard Twingo, this GT is only available as a five-door. Renault’s history with sporty small cars means this Twingo GT has a lot to live up to, but this is a different concept altogether due to the car’s unique rear-engined layout. At £14,085 it’s relatively pricey, but is it worth it? DESIGN & ENGINEERING RENAULT developed a rear-engined platform for the current Twingo, which thanks to its partnership with the Daimler group, it actually shares with the Smart. MacPherson struts take care of suspension up front, while there’s a De Dion rear axle. However, for the GT, Renaultsport has lowered the ride height by 20mm, firmed up the suspension damping and added a thicker anti-roll bar…

RENAULT TWINGO GT R-Link £600 option Key features: Sat-nav, app store THE Twingo’s optional R-Link system comes as part of the £600 Techno Pack on the GT. It adds sat-nav with live traffic information, an eco driving coach function and voice control – although this didn’t work too well for us. DAB and Bluetooth are standard, but as well as the seven-inch colour touchscreen, the R-Link system adds some higher quality speakers and other vehicle apps. Given city cars spend plenty of time in town, the TomTom-based sat-nav unit with a three-year subscription to Live Services is useful and works well. The Techno Pack also includes a reversing camera, but the Twingo is so small and manoeuvrable that it’s not a vital feature. Rear parking sensors are standard. While you…

NEW PRODUCT Car Genie Price: £29 (annual subscription, AA members) Available: iOS, Android (from 1 May) Contact: www.theaa.com THE AA is to launch a new app for its members that can predict a third of breakdowns before they happen. Car Genie is a self-install device that helps drivers to understand what is going on under the car bonnet by plugging into the on-board diagnostics (OBDII) port and reading the vehicle’s system. It then transmits information to a corresponding mobile app and generates a push notification, which the driver can pick up before or after a journey. An error code is given along with a simple explanation, so the driver can seek help from a dealer. The 1 May launch comes after a 10,000-strong trial. The system is capable of diagnosing faults…

Free smart charger offer for EV users CURRENT or prospective owners of electric vehicles in the Midlands, south-west and South Wales can get a free smart charger, thanks to the Electric Nation project. Now the latest area to be added to the scheme is Milton Keynes, which has been given £9m to promote EV ownership. Electric Nation is seeking out a further 500-700 people buying or leasing EVs of all makes, including plug-ins, range extenders and pure electric cars. To see if you’re eligible, check www.electricnation.org.uk. New SUV tyres on offer from Hankook HANKOOK is increasing its range of tyres by expanding its SUV line-up. The Ventus S1 evo2 SUV tyre is available as original equipment for several high-end Mercedes, including the GLC and GLC Coupé, as well as being…

PRODUCT GROUP TEST 19 | 4 | 2017 Every week, we extensively test all the latest car kit from tyres to trim cleaners. Log on to www.autoexpress.co.uk to look through our huge online test archive. WHEN you consider the many types and sizes of fastener that are used on cars nowadays, buying a complete screwdriver set to cover all bases is a financial non-starter. The answer is to buy a single driver or ratchet with a range of interchangeable bits. These can also be used in cordless drills, which is especially useful when you have lots of screws to fit or remove. Some sets also include a selection of quarter-inch drive sockets which increase versatility, as many half-inch drives are too large for smaller tasks. Here we test eight sets…

Stephen_Errity@dennis.co.uk McLAREN’S Fernando Alonso is set to skip next month’s Monaco Grand Prix to race at the Indianapolis 500 in the US. In a deal announced last week, the 35-year-old double world champion will enter the iconic event at the wheel of a McLaren-branded, Honda-engined car run by top-flight US team Andretti Autosport. The surprise move was orchestrated by new McLaren boss Zak Brown, working with IndyCar CEO Mark Miles. As well as bringing huge publicity to McLaren, Honda and their sponsors on both sides of the Atlantic, it should also boost Alonso’s motivation in the midst of another Formula One season with an uncompetitive car. The Spaniard said: “I’ve never raced an IndyCar car before and never driven on a super-speedway, but I’m confident that I’ll get to grips…