Table of contents for 1848 in Auto Express

WHATEVER you think of EVs, there was news to solidify your position last week. Let’s start with the positive. Electric cars made up 22.6 per cent of new-car registrations in August, the first time this year that EVs have passed the 22 per cent figure manufacturers all have to hit for 2024. That doesn’t bode well for the chances of everyone surpassing that target for the whole year, but is at least progress. And it is worth noting that makers can do some creative accounting if they are short for 2024, including pulling forward EV sales from future years, so it’s not as set in stone as it looks. Even so, 22 per cent of new cars registered in August were electric, so it is possible. With the caveat that…

THE new Ginetta Akula has an amazing combination of stats: 600bhp and a 473-litre boot. This is a supercar that wants to be a track weapon, grand tourer and practical load-lugging hatch all rolled into one. We first saw it as a concept in 2019, but five years of development haven’t diminished the Akula’s wild bodywork – a result of aerodynamic modelling derived from the firm’s G61-LT-P1 LMP1 Le Mans Racer. There’s a lot of focus on making the Akula rapid on track, including a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, race-bred suspension and all the components positioned to give a perfect 50:50 weight distribution. The 6.4-litre V8 engine produces 600bhp and 670Nm of torque, and drives the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The 0-62mph time…

NEARLY a third of young drivers have admitted to using their phone at the wheel, and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is rolling out AI safety cameras to catch them. The devices are now in the field, and use the latest tech to spot those breaking the law. Research by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found that 31 per cent of 18 to 26-year-olds have confessed to filming themselves while driving. Two in five (41 per cent) of the 1,000 young drivers surveyed also said that they have texted while driving – an offence that could result in a £200 fine and six points on their licence. The rise in driver distraction has led to police forces turning to the latest technology to bring offenders to justice. GMP is taking part in…

Ellis.Hyde@autoexpress.co.uk THE Honda HR-V has received a gentle nip and tuck three years after it was launched, to help it look as fresh as possible in the hugely competitive compact SUV class. The tweaks consist of a new grille and a sharper front bumper, with all-black trim that’s meant to give the car a more purposeful look. Fresh headlight units feature darkened internals and a more prominent daytime-running light signature, while the LED light bar at the rear has also been updated. Three new paint colours are available too: Sage Green, Seabed Blue and Urban Grey. The interior has received similarly subtle refinements, such as the centre console and lower part of the dashboard being reprofiled to make accessing the wireless charging pad easier for the driver and passenger. Meanwhile,…

DACIA is poised to launch a brand-new model in its wallet-friendly range. The Bigster will be the brand’s first mid-size SUV, taking on popular models such as the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and Skoda Karoq when it arrives next year. Like the Renault 4 (above), the new Dacia will be revealed at this year’s Paris Motor Show. We still don’t know much about the SUV’s design, but the Bigster concept (below) shown in January 2021, should give us an idea of how the production version will eventually look. Last year, Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot revealed to us that the Bigster will start from less than £20,000 – only a little more than the new Duster, which has just gone on sale.…

Alastair_crooks@autoexpress.co.uk ORIGINALLY launched in 1997, the Toyota Prius has sold more than five million units globally. The Prius name is an icon of eco-conscious motoring, so when Toyota confirmed that the fifth-generation model wasn’t coming to the UK when it was revealed in 2022, we were a little surprised. But the firm has run the numbers again and backtracked on its decision, so the UK is now getting the new Prius in plug-in hybrid form. It starts at around £37,000, so it’s broadly £5,000 more than the old Prius Plug-in, and while it looks quite radical with its coupé-inspired styling, that price places it alongside PHEV family hatchbacks such as the Volkswagen Golf, Peugeot 308 and Kia Niro. The first thing you notice when getting into the Prius is the…

Alex.Ingram@autoexpress.co.uk IT seems like we’ve been twiddling our thumbs and glancing impatiently at our watches for ages, but it’s finally happened: EVs are now as cheap as the equivalent petrol or diesel models. Already in 2024 we’ve driven a Dacia Spring electric city car that costs only £15,000, and the brilliant Citroen e-C3 that’ll start from around £21,000. Now the BYD Dolphin Active is bringing even more value for money into the class above. Its 4.3-metre length means that it slips into the same area of the market as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, albeit with a taller, more MPV-like roofline than either. But with prices starting at £26,195, it comfortably undercuts the entry-level versions of both of those cars. The new base-model Dolphin, the Active, plus the £27,195…

WHAT WE WOULD CHOOSE HYUNDAI The Ioniq 5 N is incredibly well equipped, so the only option is the £1,250 ‘Vision Roof’. The panoramic glass opening lets much more light into the cabin when you want it, and an electric blind keeps it out when you don’t. ALFA ROMEO At £3,250, the Sparco Carbonshell front seats are a pricey extra, but they are superbly supportive and look fantastic. The £1,100 Driver Assistance pack is worth considering if you drive many motorway miles.…

Richard.Ingram@autoexpress.co.uk THE idea of the ‘perfect two-car garage’ often comes up in conversation in the Auto Express office. Some of my colleagues favour something big and practical alongside a small and sporty model, while others refuse to acknowledge that they’ll ever spend time in traffic, or on bumpy roads, and clearly never visit the tip or a builders’ merchant. It appears many are (theoretically) prepared to live with a pair of stripped-out race cars, day in, day out. But if I had to choose two cars to live with from now until the end of time, I know exactly which way I’d point. It’s a solution that’s been drawn into sharper focus during my time with our Peugeot E-2008. It might not be perfect for long motorway slogs, but as…

THIS year’s winter tyre test focuses on the big-selling 205/55 R16. Many of us risk running summer tyres through the coldest seasons, but winter designs are the best solution for the worst weather. In our last test of this size in 2022, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 was the winner and returns to defend its title. Unfortunately, a lack of stock prevented Bridgestone, the runner-up last time, competing with its new Blizzak 6, but there are six other contenders, a number of them also returning. These include the Hankook i’cept RS3, which was third last time, and the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 and Vredestein Wintrac, which were joint fourth. They are joined by Goodyear with its UltraGrip Performance 3, the tyre that wasn’t quite ready in time for the 2022…

OUR budget tyre, the Goodride, was well off the pace in almost every category. As you’d hope, it would be better than a summer tyre in the snow, but that’s all. The sixth-placed Falken is a better tyre, scoring reasonably in the dry but needing to deliver more in the wet and the snow. Same goes for the Vredestein, which has improved in the snow, but at the expense of wet and dry performance. Pirelli finished fourth, as it did last time out, but it was also one of the least economical tyres in this year’s test. The top three were all outstanding; the third-placed Hankook’s strongest suit was snow, with good wet and average dry performance. However, the Goodyear scored highly and consistently in all conditions, and was frugal…

Shane.Wilkinson@autoexpress.co.uk HOT hatches are common in Britain – and for good reason. The very best are great fun to drive, and have decent practicality and low enough running costs to be used every day. But which are the best of the current crop? This top 10 chosen by our expert test team reveals all… 1 Honda Civic Type R Prices from £50,050 THE Honda Civic Type R was our Hot Hatch of the Year for 2023 and 2024, and it’s not hard to see why. The old FK8 was a serial award winner, and Honda made small improvements in every area for this new FL5 model. While a five-door hatch with a manual gearbox and front-wheel drive could sound mundane, each element has been as finely honed as it would…

CONTROVERSIAL people and products enjoying lucrative comebacks at the minute include Oasis, the band, and diesel, the fuel. This is not some sort of conjecture on my part. Sales of factory-fresh, diesel-powered light commercial vehicles (LCVs) are up this year. Derv-head LCV buyers aren’t disappearing anytime soon. They like their diesel car-derived vans, pick-ups, 4x4s and traditional LCVs of the small, medium, large and XL variety way too much. Happy buyers/users include taxi and minibus firms, builders, farmers, collection/delivery drivers, utility companies and countless others who mainly need such vehicles as essential work tools. And in the case of the growing number of people priced out of the housing market, they’re tiny temporary or permanent homes. “PART OF THE POLITICIANS’ PLAN IS THAT IS THAT NEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL EVS ARE…

Jordan.Katsianis@autoexpress.co.uk WITH a price tag little different from most petrol crossovers, and an electric range of up to 372 miles, the new Kia EV3 looks set to shake up the market for small electric SUVs, with its simple yet bold styling combined with a hi-tech cabin. The newcomer – a rival to the likes of the Cupra Born, Volkswagen ID.3 and Volvo EX30 – will build on the success of the brand’s EV6 and EV9 models, bringing electrification to a more affordable part of the market. The company will offer the EV3 in three trim levels, and with two battery sizes. Prices will start at £32,995 for the entry-level Air model with a 58.3kWh battery, which is the only version available with this battery. The Air can also be configured…

MEANWHILE, at the unveiling of the new XC90, Volvo flashed up a teaser image of the new ES90 pure-electric saloon, and said the car will be revealed in March. The ES90 name follows the convention that began with the EX30 and EX90 electric SUVs. It denotes that Volvo’s next EV will be the zero-emissions replacement for the S90 saloon. The teaser image suggests the ES90 will have a sleek profile, steeply raked windscreen and sloped, fastback-style roofline. We can also make out a small nodule at the top of the windscreen, which suggests the ES90 will feature the same LiDAR technology found on the EX90 seven-seat SUV. Technical details are firmly under wraps for now, but the ES90 could use the same battery and motor combinations as the EX90. In…

Chris.Rosamond@autoexpress.co.uk INSURANCE scammers on mopeds have targeted more than 4,000 victims, with fraudulent insurance claims topping £70 million. That’s the startling claim of the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), which is working with the City of London Police to investigate an issue that’s reached a scale described as “unprecedented”. The crash-for-cash moped scam is especially prevalent in South and West London, and there are signs that criminal perpetrators are honing their approach by picking on vulnerable victims. “The scale and impact of moped scams is unprecedented and has grown to become one of the largest, most complex crash-for-cash investigations we’ve ever seen,” says IFB director Ursula Jallow. “Thousands of people have been targeted, and these shameless scammers’ tactics are becoming increasingly aggressive. For instance, women who are driving alone or with…

Alex.Ingram@autoexpress.co.uk AS 50th birthday presents go, a brand-new Volkswagen Golf GTI isn’t half bad. That’s exactly what Volkswagen has gifted itself – and also any buyers with £39,400 to spend. And who can blame the German brand for a little bit of backslapping? After all, very few hot hatches have even come close to achieving a fraction of the 2.3 million sales of GTIs worldwide since 1974. But popularity isn’t the same as ability, and the latest Golf came in for a little criticism when it was launched. Following on from the high standards set by the Mk7, it couldn’t quite live up to the same level thanks to the driving experience. Like the rest of the Golf Mk8 family, the GTI came with a string of ergonomic foibles that…

Thomas.Jervis@autoexpress.co.uk AT its core, the essence of Formula One has changed little since the first World Championship Grand Prix took place at Silverstone in 1950. Even after more than 70 years, it is still all about the fastest drivers in the swiftest cars competing to get around a racetrack quickest. Yet, just as all the teams race to develop their cars each season, the sport of F1 has undergone its own progression over the years, evolving from a wealthy gentleman’s pastime to a culture-crossing phenomenon that showcases some of the greatest minds, the most talented drivers and the most cutting-edge technology the world has ever seen. This is a story that spans decades, and making it approachable to modern audiences is the job of the new Formula One Exhibition, which…

VOLKSWAGEN ID. BUZZ I’VE waxed lyrical already about the ID. Buzz’s brilliant practicality, but eating dinner out of the back was a new one. The high, flat boot floor was the perfect height for serving pulled chicken burgers we’d made before heading up into Ashdown Forest to enjoy the last summer sun. Plus, the huge boot meant a folding table and four chairs could be lobbed in without a care, next to the inevitable football and other bits and pieces. PAUL BARKER MINI COUNTRYMAN SE YES, our MINI Countryman has changed both colour and powertrain. We switched from the 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol C EXCLUSIVE to the fully electric JCW. Initial impressions of the EV are positive. Its acceleration is literally electric, and more in line with the bold JCW graphics,…

AROUND 12 years ago I worked in a used-car dealership. Among the Ford Fiestas that kept my commission ticking over, there was one sale that sticks in my mind after all this time: a Mazda RX-8. I adored the way the car looked and drove – and I still do – but this one had seen better days. Its bumper was covered in scratches and this, plus a lack of a service history, was reflected in the £1,500 asking price. It didn’t take long before a prospective buyer showed up. He wasn’t that interested in cars, he explained, and he didn’t know anything about the RX-8 or how it worked. He just fancied a bit of a change from his ropey 10-year-old Vauxhall Astra and thought the Mazda looked nice.…

Ellis.Hyde@autoexpress.co.uk THE cutting-edge, all-electric Volvo EX90 has just hit the streets, but its faithful forebearer, the Volvo XC90, isn’t going anywhere soon, because the seven-seat SUV has received a fresh new look, an interior redesign and some comfort-boosting upgrades. The second-generation XC90 was launched back in 2015, but you wouldn’t know it, given that the car received its first facelift in 2019, while this second nip and tuck is meant to “ensure it stays at the top of its game” for the foreseeable. The more contemporary face features a new grille design that plays on Volvo’s classic diagonal bar motif, plus slimmer headlights with a new interpretation of the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ signature. There’s also a slightly more sculpted bonnet, new front wings, and the lower bumper is cleaner and much…

Ellis.Hyde@autoexpress.co.uk THE new Bentley Flying Spur Speed might look almost identical to the last one, but under the metal is the maker’s latest, highly potent plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain. The new Flying Spur is built around the firm’s ‘Ultra Performance Hybrid’ set-up, which also powers the latest Continental GT Speed. It consists of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, which works together with an electric motor integrated in the car’s eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The combination delivers 771bhp and 1,000Nm of torque in the Flying Spur Speed. That’s nearly 150bhp and 100Nm more than its predecessor. But more than that, the PHEV system creates more torque at low speeds, while the e-motor is claimed to offset the effects of turbo lag. The new car can do 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and its…

Chris.Rosamond@autoexpress.co.uk THE UK hit the quota for the Government’s Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate in August for the first time this year. However, while Vauxhall is celebrating its EV success in the new sales figures, the firm has hinted to Auto Express that it may have to limit the sales of its petrol-powered vehicles in order to meet legally imposed targets. More than 19,000 new EVs hit the road last month, with electric cars making up 22.6 per cent of the market share. That’s a 10.8 per cent increase year-on-year and the first time the tough quota of 22 per cent set by the Government’s ZEV mandate has been hit since the legislation was announced. It’s not all good news, though. The chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and…

VOLKSWAGEN has opened order books for the dual-motor ID. Buzz GTX (above), the sportier, all-wheel-drive version of its funky retro electric MPV. Deliveries begin this autumn, with prices starting from £67,435. That’s for a GTX with five seats, and is a premium of more than £8,600 over an ID. Buzz in Life trim (£58,915). VW has confirmed it will also offer the seven-seat ID. Buzz in GTX guise for £500 more than the five-seater. The regular GTX comes with a 79kWh battery, while the seven-seater has an 86kWh pack. Maximum charging speeds for each model are 185kW and 200kW respectively, so both take 25 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent capacity at their maximum rates. There’s an official range of 262 miles for the standard GTX, and 291 miles…

LOOK OUT Be vigilant of anyone on a moped (or motorcycle) who is lingering unnecessarily or trying to hide out of sight, at the end or sides of roads, or behind parked vehicles. KNOW THE SIGNS The moped scammer will drive head-on into their victim and may then throw their moped down and even drop to the floor to fake an injury, before taking photos of the incident. WATCH OUT FOR ACCOMPLICES Many of the moped scammers work with an accomplice to act as a witness and help facilitate the fraudulent activity. They might also use a van to obscure the victim’s view. COLLECT INFORMATION If targeted, it’s important to collect as much info about the incident as possible, including details of the other road user, any witnesses, photographs and…

mail@autoexpress.co.uk MERCEDES’ performance division, AMG, has a pretty decent record when it comes to its ‘cooking’ models – versions that sit between the regular range and the full-fat, ultra-hot variants that have made the brand so famous. There’s the AMG A 35, for example. Or, going back a few years, the AMG C 43, which offered hushed six-cylinder refinement when you wanted a quiet cruise, and a proper howl when you didn’t. Even so, AMG is still trying to find its feet in the electrified era, and the firm has been playing with both hybrid and four-cylinder power of late, so it’s interesting to see how it plans to arrange its wider line-up to match. And here’s a good challenge, in the form of the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53. There’s a…

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