Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i What Car?

A recent study commissioned by Bristol Airport found that the average British person spends four and a half months of their life talking about the weather. And I reckon that’s only likely to increase as more and more of us move into electric cars. ‘You could drive wearing gloves and a scarf, but who wants to do that?’ You see, these vehicles simply don’t go as far on a charge when the mercury plummets, partly because batteries don’t work as efficiently in cold temperatures, and partly because running the heater to keep yourself warm consumes a lot of energy. True, you could drive around in gloves and a scarf and only turn the heat on for short bursts when the windows start to mist up, but realistically, who wants to…

THE AUDI A8 has long been a familiar sight at red carpet events – mainly because it’s frequently the vehicle of choice for chauffeuring around VIPs such as Hollywood A-listers. And now, like a lot of those stars of the silver screen, it has received a facelift. Visual changes include an even wider front grille that’s flanked by reshaped headlights, with these incorporating Digital Matrix LED technology if you go for high-end Vorsprung trim. This is said to help them better illuminate the lane you’re in on the motorway or widen the pool of light they produce for dark rural lanes – all without dazzling oncoming traffic. Other cutting-edge technology includes predictive air suspension that uses a camera to ‘read’ the road ahead and prepare the car accordingly, although this…

SUVS ARE POPULAR with buyers thanks to a combination of practicality, desirability and a high vantage point, but the compromise of hauling their bulk around might be offputting for some – especially if your city commute includes tight width restrictors. The solution might be the new Toyota Aygo X, which combines the looks and added height of an SUV with smaller, city-friendly dimensions. The Aygo X (said as ‘Cross’) is a reinvention of Toyota’s traditional city car, now using shortened Yaris underpinnings (rather than being related to models from Citroën and Peugeot, as before). It’s longer and wider than its predecessor, while drivers should find that they can spot cyclists and pedestrians more easily, thanks to an 11mm increase in ride height. Despite this extra suspension travel and body cladding…

‘Access to the rearmost seats is good, thanks to a second row that folds right out of the way’ TALK ABOUT SHOOTING at an open goal. MPV rivals to the Dacia Jogger are relatively thin on the ground these days, with the majority of players favouring the SUV division instead. And the few stars that remain – the Ford Galaxy and Volkswagen Touran, for example – have become quite expensive. That leaves the lowcost Jogger facing an undefended net. The Jogger’s trim line-up is easy to follow: keep things basic with Essential, get all you need with Comfort, or splash out on Extreme SE. The only options are metallic paint and a spare wheel. The engine range is even more limited. The sole option is a 109bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol…

RENAULT MEGANES HAVE been around since the 1990s, but you’ve never seen one like this before. It’s an all-new electric car, built on underpinnings that Renault and partner Nissan plan to use for a string of new electric models. Confusingly, the existing Mégane hatchback will still be available for a couple of years, but here we’re focusing on the E-Tech Electric, which comes with a choice of two batteries, with usable capacities of 40kWh and 60kWh. The smaller battery is matched with a 129bhp motor for an official range of 186 miles, while the 60kWh model can be had with the same motor, or a beefier 215bhp one, for ranges of 292 and 280 miles respectively. Having tested a prototype Mégane E-Tech Electric late last year, we’ve now driven the…

LOTS of us dream of owning an exotic supercar with a glorious-sounding engine and incredible acceleration. In reality, though, the ludicrous running costs, zero practicality and sheer terror of what will happen to it in a multi-storey car park can make living the dream a bit of a nightmare. That’s the joy of a hot hatchback like the Ford Focus ST: you get to enjoy a thrilling drive with four passengers on board (and a dog in the boot), and you don’t have to worry about keeping it wrapped in cotton wool. But what if you want an ST with even more oomph? Well, a small Essex tuning company called Mountune might have the answer with its m365 upgrade. It increases the standard 2.3-litre engine’s power output by 84bhp with…

When you’re shopping for a small car, we’d bet that value for money sits high on your list of priorities. This is where Renault’s line-up shines, with the Clio and the all-electric Zoe providing two budget-friendly options. The Zoe offers a much greater range than most similar-priced rivals, making it easier to take advantage of the substantial savings in running costs provided by electric power. However, the previous-generation Clio could also be a tempting proposition, with a one-two punch of low second-hand prices and fuel-efficient petrol engines. Almost a quarter of Zoe owners reported a problem with their car, and a large proportion of those were related to the electric motor. And if your Zoe was faulty, it’s unlikely that you’d describe the repair process as smooth. A quarter of…

Age 51 Job Marketing director Drives Land Rover Discovery and Volkswagen Touran “As a household, we don’t need a car as big as the Discovery any more, and the Tonale seems to be a perfect fit. I’m impressed by the boot; I reckon Hamish, my golden retriever, will be fine in there when the adjustable boot floor is in its lowest setting. It’s great that the plug-in hybrid version offers the same 500 litres as the regular hybrid. “I expected the Tonale’s styling and stance to be strong and in keeping with recent Alfa design, and I think the designers have done an excellent job, both in the details and the overall form; those ‘telephone dial’ alloy wheels never disappoint. I’m equally impressed inside; from the driver’s seat, everything feels…

CAN YOU RUN an electric vehicle (EV) like the Vauxhall Mokka-e as your only car when you don’t have the ability to charge at home and often have to travel fairly long distances to see family and friends? That was the question I posed at the start of my journey with the Mokka-e, and one I’m now confident to answer. Despite living in an affluent London suburb where there has been a high uptake in EV ownership over the past couple of years, I found it surprisingly difficult to access on-street charging. You either have to hold a parking permit – which I don’t – so you can use ​the local lamp-post chargers, or you have to pay sky-high rates to providers such as Source London that charge by the…

Mileage 7840 List price £30,545 Target Price £29,050 Price as tested £31,070 Test economy 35.5mpg MY PUMA ST has got me thinking about Gerry Anderson’s legendary puppet heroes, the Thunderbirds. Okay, I’m not about to take any business away from International Rescue, but if you need rapid-response photography, the sporty Puma ensures that I can be ready to point my lens at things at the drop of a jauntily peaked hat. In fact, a recent cold snap brought my car’s readiness for action to the fore. While many cars would have had me battling with scrapers and de-icers, the Puma’s heated front windscreen gave me a clear view swiftly and at the touch of a button. In addition, any cold weather’s grip on my bottom and hands is loosened by the…

The What Car? Target Price is the maximum you should pay for your new car and is set by our team of mystery shoppers. Every day they haggle to see what discounts are available across the UK, and those savings form the basis of the deals offered by our free New Car Buying service. In a lot of cases, however, you can save even more. Just head to whatcar.com/new-car-deals and select the car that you’re interested in, and participating dealers will compete for your business. It’s all done through our website, so they won’t see your details until you’re ready.…

‘Sport mode sharpens the accelerator and gearbox for minimal hesitation’ WE ALL LIKE to get value for money. Why buy one movie on Blu-ray when you could pay the same for access to thousands of films online for a month? You might not get the ultimate in terms of viewing quality, but it’ll be good enough to keep you entertained. When it comes to buying a car, the Vauxhall Astra has long filled a similar good-value role in the family hatchback class: it performs well in most areas, so why would you spend much more? And now it has a sharp new suit to help it fend off its Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Seat Leon and Volkswagen Golf rivals. The closely related Peugeot 308 is hot on its heels too,…

WHILE MPVS USED to be the go-to vehicles for families, they’ve been hard hit by the rise of trendier small SUVs – a class that made up more than half of the top 10 best-sellers in the UK in January. How exactly do you tempt those families out of their high-rise wagons and back into an MPV? For BMW, the answer is the new 2 Series Active Tourer. It won’t be easy, though, especially when you consider that it’s up against not only small SUVs such as the Ford Puma, but also traditional MPV rivals that include the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and Volkswagen Touran, both of which want a piece of the proverbial pie. How will the Active Tourer secure its slice? Let’s start with engines. You can choose from the…

MANY OF US remember being terrified by the Velociraptors in the 1993 film Jurassic Park – ferocious beasts that were created using animatronics. Fast forward to 2015’s Jurassic World and the raptors were back, but this time they were computer generated – making them faster, scarier and even more thrilling. The point is that, over time, technology takes big leaps forward, and that’s why the latest Ford Ranger Raptor promises to be one of the most exciting pick-up trucks you can buy (and certainly no dinosaur). Like its prehistoric namesakes, the latest Ranger Raptor looks like it could hold its own in a scrap. Features include muscular styling all round, 17in alloy wheels and LED lights at the front and rear. Those looks are backed up by a monstrous engine:…

‘Despite its soft and supple ride, the bZ4X feels surprisingly at home in corners’ BELIEVE IT OR not, this is Toyota’s first modern battery electric vehicle (BEV). It’s surprising because the Japanese manufacturer was a trailblazer for electrification in the late 1990s, when its first-generation Prius hybrid helped push the entire automotive industry towards an electrified future. Its only other recent fully electric car, the Mirai, gets its energy from a hydrogen fuel cell rather than a battery. Still, Toyota is throwing itself into batterypowered motoring with gusto with the bZ4X. Similar in size to the conventionally powered RAV4 large SUV, it’s the first car from the brand to use new underpinnings (shared with Subaru) that are designed specifically for BEVs. At least six more bZ-branded EVs are on the…

A VAN-BASED MPV is great for family-friendly versatility, but if the van it’s based on is big and unwieldy, your MPV will be too. The Volkswagen Caddy avoids this because of its relatively small size, and might suit you if you want practicality without a struggle parking. VW gives you the choice of a short-wheelbase five-seat Caddy – which we’re testing here – or the longer Maxi, with seven seats. Your engine options are a 112bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine, or a 2.0-litre diesel with 101bhp or 120bhp. Performance is brisk once you’ve got over the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox’s hesitancy to get going, with lots of low-down shove making accelerating up to motorway speeds easy. The Caddy’s grumbly 2.0 TDI diesel engine needs the seventh gear to keep engine noise…

Age 34 Job Production technologist Drives Alfa Romeo Giulietta “The Tonale looked great in the pictures, and now I’ve seen it in the metal, I really think it’s the best-looking car in its class. I like how it references Alfa Romeo models of the past, but subtly, so it has its own look. “The form works so well that I don’t reckon it’ll depend on specification to look good. So many family SUVs look awkward without the biggest wheels or sporty body kits, but I suspect the Tonale will look good even in its entry-level trim. “I like how the engineers haven’t forgotten about practicality, despite those sporty looks; looking at the rear seats, the Isofix points are easy to access and I reckon a pair of child seats will…

Age 45 Job GP Drives Mercedes-Benz GLB and Peugeot 3008 Aryana “I think it looks flawless. I love that there are USB sockets for the back seats, and there’s loads of space for my feet.” Krish “I love all the details inside, especially the stitching on the dashboard and the ambient lighting, and the headlights make me think of a Bugatti.” Priya “I was absolutely mesmerised by the alloy wheels. Their design is so intricate and open – almost transparent.” Yogesh “I’m so pleased that the Tonale looks like a proper Alfa Romeo; there are lots of nods towards the Brera coupé in its styling. For a pre-production car, the build quality is impressive, although some of the interior plastics feel a bit cheap. “It’s rather dark inside and a…

If you’re a regular reader, you might remember that last July we put 10 electric vehicles (EVs) through a ‘drive ’em till they die’ test to find out how realistic the official (WLTP) range figures are – the figures you’ll see in a brochure or on any manufacturer website. We discovered that the answer is: it depends on the car. The Porsche Taycan, for example, got very close to the official figure, whereas the Fiat 500 fell 29% short. Importantly, though, none of the cars we tested actually matched its official range, even in near-ideal conditions on a warm day. We know EV batteries don’t work as well in cooler conditions, so what happens to their ranges in winter, when the mercury plummets and the wind picks up? To answer…

Mileage 4048 List price £58,300 Target Price na Price as tested £65,440 Test economy 48.2mpg IT WAS HALF-TERM and we were packing up for a week away in Matlock, Derbyshire. That meant a car full of walking boots, heavy coats and multiple changes of clothes. It also meant having to accept that my plug-in hybrid V90 wasn’t going to be anywhere near its efficient best, given that driveways in the part of town where we were staying – all steep hills and side-by-side housing – were at a premium, and ones with charging points even more so. So, I loaded up the car and family and unplugged the car at home at the last minute after one last top-up, jumped aboard… and discovered that I’d overlooked another fundamental of taking…

AS ELECTRIC VEHICLES (EVs) glide inexorably into the mainstream, the Volkswagen ID.3 might well become the one that defines the family car category in the new era – just as the Volkswagen Golf has done for a good portion of my lifetime. The Golf itself isn’t ready to be pensioned off just yet, but it surely won’t be long before the ID.3 surpasses its stablemate in the sales charts and takes over as the people’s car for the zero-emissions age. Given its significance, I’m excited about the prospect of joining the fast-growing club of ID.3 owners. On the face of it, this is a car that ticks a lot of boxes. It’s strong in a number of key areas, from range and performance to interior space and practicality. Indeed, it…

Mileage 4800 List price £80,675 Target Price £76,677 Price as tested £84,795 Test range 210 miles LOOK AROUND THE average car park and it has about as much colour as a 1950s TV screen. But why? Why are the most popular car ‘colours’ in the UK grey, black and white? Well, the fact that many brands seem to offer half a dozen greys and silvers and only one blue doesn’t help, although they’d probably argue that they’re merely responding to customer demand. The desire to protect resale values almost certainly plays a part, too, with monochrome being the automotive equivalent of painting every room magnolia when you’re trying to sell your house. And yet I’d argue that my E-tron Sportback’s distinctive Antigua Blue finish actually adds to its desirability. No,…

THE TEAM BEHIND Sir David Attenborough’s epic nature series Planet Earth spent five painstaking years working on the project – a huge gamble in the fast-paced world of TV. It paid off, though, and it’s become one of the most-watched nature series ever made. The Alfa Romeo Tonale you see here has had a lengthy development period too, having first appeared in concept car form in 2019. It’s now ready to go on sale three years later, and, like Sir David, the Italian brand will be hoping the time it’s spent beavering away was worth it. Expectations are high, and as a premium family SUV, the Tonale faces some polished performers, including the Audi Q3 Sportback, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40. That’s a tough crowd to beat by any…

LATE LAST YEAR, Bentley announced that British buyers would no longer be able to specify its Bentayga luxury SUV with the manufacturer’s iconic 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine. Dwindling demand and tightening emissions legislation had proved that you really can have too much of a good thing. And yet, here at What Car?, we didn’t shed a tear. You see, the lighter V8 model, introduced in 2018, has always been the better all-rounder, striking a chord with those who prefer to drive, rather than be driven. So when we heard that Bentley would be replacing the range-topping W12 with a more driver-focused version of the V8, we were in full support. And it’s finally here. Called the Bentayga S, it doesn’t get any more power than the regular car, but it…

VOLKSWAGEN’S FAMILY OF all-electric ID models has grown very rapidly since the ID.3 came along in 2019, but the newest member of the band might not be a car you’re expecting. In fact, this ‘car’ is a modern, reimagined take on the much-loved Volkswagen ‘Type 2’ van, which arrived way back in 1949. It was known by all kinds of names, from the VW Camper to the Microbus – or just the VW Bus for short. Volkswagen has christened this new version the ID. Buzz in tribute. This new model takes the form of an MPV that, size-wise, sits between the likes of the Citroën e-Berlingo and the much larger Mercedes-Benz EQV. That makes the ID. Buzz just short enough to fit easily within the bounds of the average parking…

WE FIRST DROVE the DS 9 last summer and concluded that its exclusivity and relatively low price weren’t enough to make up for its numerous shortfalls. Our verdict? Two stars. Barely eight months later, French brand DS – the premium arm of the company that owns Citroën and Peugeot – has made some tweaks to its BMW 5 Series rival in the hope of increasing its appeal to luxury car buyers. The main difference is that the cheaper of the two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions has gained a larger battery. That’s extended the electric range to 38 miles (from 29 miles), putting it in a lower benefit-in-kind tax band. In short, it’s now a cheaper company car than an equivalent 5 Series, rather than a more expensive option. That’s a…

THE DAYS WHEN company car drivers’ main concern was getting the most miles out of a single tank of diesel are long gone. Now, it’s all about maximising the distance you can go without burning any fossil fuel at all. This is the Peugeot 308 Hybrid’s key mission. You see, the farther you can go without using fuel, the smaller the dent made on your pay packet by company car tax, and the 308’s plug-in hybrid system will enable many to commute on battery power alone. Joining the peppy 1.2-litre petrol and economical 1.5-litre diesel (both of which produce 128bhp) in the 308 line-up, the 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid is offered as a 225bhp 225 and a cheaper 178bhp 180. It’s the latter version we’re testing here, and frankly it’s hard…

Go to youtube.com/whatcar for all of our latest videos, including: Top 10 plug-in hybrids If you’re not ready for a fully electric car, check out our pick of the best PHEVs Which family SUV is best? We test the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage head to head – find out the winner Lexus NX PHEV full test See why we crowned the NX our What Car? Plug-in Hybrid of the Year 2022 Citroën electric van rated Watch as Edd China runs the rule over the e-Berlingo fully electric small van…

ELECTRIC CARS HAVE crossed into the mainstream, accounting for one in 10 new car sales in 2021 and one in eight so far this year. But if you’re considering making the switch, you might have some concerns about reliability. After all, electric cars are on the bleeding edge of technology, so does that mean they’re more likely to go wrong than your current petrol, diesel or hybrid car? Well, thanks to the annual What Car? Reliability Survey, we can provide the answer. We asked more than 16,000 people to let us know if their cars had developed faults in the previous 12 months, and if so, what they were and how expensive they were to fix. Then we used this data to give each model a unique Reliability Rating. Here,…

WHEN ALFA ROMEO introduced the Stelvio back in 2017, it brought the brand’s trademark style and driving excitement to the large SUV class. Now, the long-awaited Tonale family SUV is charged with bottling the same lightning to make it an appealing alternative to the BMW X1, Audi Q3, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40. While we’ve yet to drive it, you’ll know a lot about what makes the Tonale tick if you’ve read our first look story on page 8. We’ve outlined the facts, covering its engines and the technology it offers, and we’ve described what it’s like inside. However, sometimes pure objectivity doesn’t tell the whole story; a car’s success can be very dependent on whether it captures the public’s imagination. Not only must it have the potential to…

Age 27 Job SEO marketing specialist Drives Mercedes-Benz A-Class “The Tonale seems to really capture the essence of Alfa Romeo in the way it looks. It certainly looks great here in the studio, but, that said, it’ll be really interesting to see it parked next to a Stelvio to get more of a sense of the Tonale’s scale and proportions in the real world. “We chose our family Mercedes-Benz A-Class partly on the strength of its interior quality and detailing, and the Tonale seems a big improvement on previous models from Alfa Romeo. The leather on the seats is really nice, and I can imagine the Tonale being a really pleasant place to sit for a long trip. “I love the thoughtful design flourishes, such as the little Italian tricolour…

Mileage 3260 List price £34,995 Target Price na Price as tested £34,945 Test range 276 miles IT WAS ARGUABLY the toughest test that an electric car is likely to be subjected to: could my Soul EV take me and my wife on a camping trip to Cornwall, more than 300 miles from home, without making us miserable? Not only did the success of our holiday hang in the balance, but matrimonial harmony, too. The stakes were pushed higher still by our departure date being only the day after I picked up the car. I was entirely new to electric cars at that stage and had no idea what living with one would be like. As a result, I turned into my own dad on the journey down. His shouts of…

AS A WHAT CAR? videographer, my primary concern when choosing a new car is how easy it’s going to be to live with. I need something big enough for all my gear, comfortable enough for long drives to filming locations and frugal enough that it won’t cost me the Earth to run. And on paper my Peugeot 5008 looked to have all those bases covered. But how has the reality matched up? Well, the boot is absolutely huge once the third row of seats has been folded down into the floor, so I was able to fit all my camera cases and awkwardly long tripod bags very easily. I never needed to fold down the second row of seats, so there was still plenty of room left in the car…

In production 2017-present Price from £8000 Our favourite version 1.0 TSI 95 FR IF THE SEAT IBIZA and the island it’s named after have one common trait, it’s a vivid sense of fun. It’s exuded in the vibrant party scene of one of them and from the engaging driving experience of the other – we’ll let you figure out which is which. However, while the Balearic island really comes to life in the summer, the car will make you smile all year long; it’s one of the most well-rounded used small cars of all. Its broad choice of engines gets things off to a strong start. Initially, a 74bhp 1.0-litre petrol opened the range; this non-turbocharged unit is suitable for urban use, but we’d recommend stepping up to the 94bhp…

STAR RATINGS TARGET PRICE The What Car? Target Price is the maximum you should pay for a new car and is set by our mystery shoppers. It’s updated each month and our approved dealers guarantee to match it. However, in a lot of cases, they can save you even more: just visit whatcar.com/new-car-deals or call 03302 216207 between 9am and 5pm (standard network fees apply). All Target Prices are correct at the time of going to press. TARGET PCP The Target PCP is a fair Target PCP monthly fee if you’re taking out a personal £ contract purchase (PCP) finance deal, also set by our mystery shoppers. Most are over 48 months with a 15% deposit and an 8000-mile annual limit. Those marked with an asterisk are over 36 months…