Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i What Car?

During lockdown, my wife started talking about how nice it would be to have a dog around the house, but in normal times we’re both out at work during the day, so I can’t help thinking that a cat would suit us better. And there’s a parallel with electrified cars. ‘With hybrids and plug-in hybrids, you don’t need to rethink your routine’ You see, today’s best fully electric models are fantastic in the right circumstances. However, they don’t fit seamlessly into all lifestyles, whereas hybrids and plug-in hybrids promise many of the same benefits – reduced running costs and air pollution, for starters – without the need to rethink your routine. There’s now a huge variety to choose from, too, so in this issue we’ve rated them all. Plus, we’ve…

IF MONEY TALKED, the Ford Kuga plug-in hybrid would register little more than a whisper, demanding surprisingly little of your money to keep you motoring. When its electric motor and 2.5-litre petrol engine work in unity, it officially returns up to 282.5mpg, and you’ll still see 50mpg when the engine goes it alone. That’s the kind of economy you might expect from a diesel, few of which are as smooth, plus diesel fuel is pricier than petrol. The Kuga PHEV’s 8.6sec 0-62mph time is plenty quick enough for everyday driving, and the engine itself is hushed until you put your foot down hard. Running on electric power alone, meanwhile, you’ll experience exam hall silence. Despite the additional weight of its batteries, the handling is good, too, thanks to quick steering…

Max.Adams@haymarket.com WE ALL WANT to make the world a better, cleaner, healthier place, and with Planet Earth being what it is today, the new Volvo C40 has the potential to earn a whole crowd of fans. The fact that it’s a shapely premium coupé SUV will please the fashion conscious; the fact that it’s electric will sate the eco-aware, and, with the number of vegans in the UK quadrupling in the UK in the past five years, its leather-free interior should go down well, too. The C40 shares its underpinnings with the more conventionally shaped (and rather pricey) XC40 Recharge. Initially, it’ll be available in just one high-spec trim with two electric motors and four-wheel drive, pitching it against top-end versions of the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback and Mercedes-Benz EQA.…

Will.Nightingale@haymarket.com THE PAST DECADE has brought a hot hatch arms race that’s seen power and speed soar to levels previously seen only in ‘proper’ performance cars. It all started when Audi launched the original RS3 back in 2011, with nearly 340bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 4.6sec. It wasn’t actually that good, but the limited number built sold quickly and for enough money that Mercedes-Benz took notice. The brand responded with the A45 AMG and both manufacturers have been playing a game of one-upmanship ever since, adding more and more power to new generations of each car, to the point that today’s A45 has 415bhp and can accelerate faster than a Porsche 911 Carrera. The car you’re looking at is Audi’s response – and the big headline is that…

Doug.Revolta@haymarket.com THE VOLKSWAGEN ID.3 is a fine electric car, but it isn’t perfect. Its main weaknesses are ones that, you would imagine, are relatively simple to rectify – namely, the so-so interior quality and an infotainment system that is about as cutting edge and usable as hieroglyphics. At which point, enter the Cupra Born. It is essentially identical to the ID.3, but with a different look, a slightly sportier edge and, crucially, an altered interior. So, has Cupra – Seat’s sporty offshoot brand – stolen all of VW’s homework and beaten it to full marks? Well there’s little to split their specs. The Born line-up mirrors the ID.3’s, offering a choice of batteries with 45kWh, 58kWh and 77kWh usable capacities, powering a single electric motor that drives the rear wheels.…

whatcar@haymarket.com THE RENAULT MÉGANE E-Tech Electric is big news, both for Renault and for anyone considering a pure electric family hatchback. It’s big for Renault because this is the first of its cars to sit on a new, bespoke electric vehicle (EV) structure that will form the basis of many models in the years to come, including the upcoming Nissan Ariya SUV (Nissan and Renault being part of the same group). And it’s big news for anyone shopping for a family car because this all-new version is available only in fully electric form (albeit sold alongside the existing petrol and diesel Mégane until 2024). Plug-in just became the default, then. The Mégane EV comes with a choice of 40kWh and 60kWh batteries. The former is paired with a 129bhp electric…

Age 51 Job Company director Drives 2019 Volvo XC90 “My car has a suite of active safety features and I leave them all switched on. I think it’s great that Volvos have more advanced driver aids than many other cars; the brand doesn’t make enough noise about them. “Of the cars here, some brands seem to have skimped on how lane-keeping assistance is implemented. I found the system on the Mercedes best, because it felt unobtrusive; it nudged the car back to a safer position on the road rather than forcing it. The Golf, on the other hand, was too assertive for my liking and felt like it was treating its driver like an idiot. “A head-up display proved helpful by making the lane support graphics more visible in the…

Age 47Job Finance director Drives 2020 Land Rover Discovery, 2006 Porsche 911 Cabriolet “Although my 911 is too old to have many electronic aids, my Discovery is loaded with all the latest toys, including lane-keeping assistance and automatic emergency braking, and I use the systems a fair bit, especially on motorways and dual carriageways. Its lane-keeping assistance works well, but having tried the lane support systems in the cars in this test, I have to concede that those in the C-Class and Polestar 2 are more sophisticated and easier to live with. “The Mercedes’ system in particular really gels with the driving experience, cutting in when necessary but not bothering me at other times; even though I’ve never been a huge Mercedes fan, it’s the best system here. “The Polestar’s…

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Max.Edleston@haymarket.com Mileage 8922 List price £50,610 Target Price £48,878 Price as tested £50,595 Test economy 36.7mpg I’VE HAD MY Toyota Highlander for only a couple of months, but I’ve already put several thousand miles on the clock. And while the good news is that this large, seven-seat SUV is proving every bit as practical as I’d hoped, the better news is it’s making my life easy in other ways, too. For example, its lane-keeping assistance technology positions the car just right, instead of trying to steer me too close to one side of the lane or letting the car bounce from side to side like a pinball, in the way that some rival systems can do. when you combine this with adaptive cruise control to keep me a safe distance…

THE MINI FACTORY in Cowley, near Oxford, has a long and storied history. Last year, my five-door Mini Cooper Sport rolled off the production line there, but cars have been built on the site for almost a century, wearing Mini, Austin, Morris, Triumph and even Honda badges. Rover badges, too. In fact, the silver 800 pictured above emerged from the same facility 24 years before my Mini. It once belonged to my grandfather, and I now cherish it myself. The Rover is here because the more I drive the Mini, the more I think about my Rover. That’s not because the two are in any way similar – they really aren’t – but because of how I connected with the Mini. It got beneath my skin in a way that…

Darren.Moss@haymarket.com Mileage 1341 List price £22,500 Target Price £21,259 Price as tested £22,995 Test economy 61.4mpg IT’S FRIDAY EVENING and I’ve got 164 miles to cover in my Honda Jazz. You see, I’ve taken to spending the odd weekend in Norfolk, at the idyllic seaside town of Wells-next-the-Sea. It’s the kind of location that features on postcards, and the perfect place to unwind after a big week at work. But right now it’s not getting much closer, because the M25 motorway around London is heavily congested. Thankfully, the Jazz has everything needed to keep me feeling calm and fresh in the traffic nightmare. The standard-fit four-speaker stereo is sending soothing sounds through the interior with pleasant clarity, while the adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance systems mean that, when I…

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 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 and those with…

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.…

George.Hill@haymarket.com IF YOU’RE HEADING to a red carpet event or require a suitably prestigious ride to your private jet, you’ll need a limo, and the Audi A8 has long been a VIPs’ favourite. You’ll see them wherever A-listers like to go, from country pubs to exclusive members’ clubs. The fourth-generation A8, which was launched in 2017, is our current favourite luxury limousine. Now, an update for 2022 aims to keep it at the top of its game. The refreshed A8 is distinguished by a more detailed grille design and reshaped Digital Matrix LED headlights. These can now focus a “carpet of light” into your specific lane, to help you stay in lane “more instinctively”. Meanwhile, a proximity sensor now illuminates all segments of the rear lights if another vehicle comes…

Darren.Moss@haymarket.com THE THEORY BEHIND diversification is simple: take the product you’re best known for and put a fresh spin on it to capture a larger audience. Take Apple, for example. It introduced the iPhone in 2007 as a single model, but today’s iPhone 13 can be had in standard or Pro forms, each with two screen sizes and a plethora of colour and storage options. Car makers like to diversify too, and that’s why the Ford Focus family is so large. Now freshly facelifted, the Focus might be most familiar to you in five-door hatchback form, but there’s also an estate model to consider, a sporty ST variant, and even a chunky Active version designed to bridge the gap between estates and SUVs. Whichever version you go for, it’ll have…

Doug.Revolta@haymarket.com THE FORD MUSTANG Mach-E GT is, quite simply, by far the fastest-accelerating Ford that money can buy you in this country. As the range-topping ‘halo’ version of the fully electric Mach-E, it gets a sportier look than the rest of the line-up, along with upgraded Brembo brakes, tweaked suspension and – perhaps most importantly – loads more power. Indeed, with 480bhp and 634lb ft of torque, this 2.2-tonne electric SUV will see off the 0-62mph sprint in just 3.7sec. And despite that pace, its big battery (with a usable capacity of 88kWh) can officially keep powering it along for 310 miles on a single charge. So, yes, plant your right foot and the GT takes off like a bolting horse. It’s far quicker than the BMW iX3, and it’ll…

Steve.Huntingford@haymarket.com WHILE ALMOST EVERY car maker offers an SUV or five, the majority of them are more focused on the U (utility) than the S (sports). However, Porsche’s Macan has always been an exception, and it’s just been given a second refresh in an effort to make it even better to drive. To that end, the sharpest-handling GTS version has adopted the 434bhp 2.9-litre V6 that was previously reserved for the flagship Turbo, with the latter dropped from the line-up. At the same time, the S has received the old GTS engine (a 375bhp 2.9 V6), while the entry-level Macan’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit now produces an extra 20bhp. This shaves 0.3sec off the 0-62mph time, bringing it down to 6.4sec, but the S dispatches the same sprint in 4.8sec and…

Claire.Evans@haymarket.com JUST LIKE HOW a seatbelt is of no help whatsoever if you refuse to wear it, driver assistance systems are pointless if they’re switched off. This is the stark reality that underpins recent studies by Thatcham Research, which, as a member of Euro NCAP (the independent organisation that encourages ever-higher standards of new car safety across Europe), seeks to ensure that people don’t find such technology a turn-off. Most recently, Thatcham has put lane support systems – the umbrella term for advanced driver aids such as lane-keeping assistance and lane departure warning – under particular scrutiny, having received adverse feedback from many who’ve experienced them. The technology has been with us for some years, but Thatcham has identified huge variations in how successfully lane support is implemented. In too…

Age 75 Job Retired Drives 2020 Tesla Model 3 Long Range, 2004 Porsche Boxster “I liked the Hyundai’s lane-keeping system best; it was assertive but not too intrusive, keeping the car in its lane and not letting it veer off the edge of the road. It felt like the most dependable system, giving me confidence that it would help if I started to get into a sticky situation. “That said, the Mercedes was also very good at preventing the car from driving into the verge. In contrast, the system in the RAV4 was the least proactive; it almost felt like it wasn’t going to help out at all, especially when I drove close to the edge of the road. “Taking part in this test has changed my perception of automated…

Age 58 Job Company director Drives 2019 Tesla Model 3 Long Range “I’m really interested in automated car systems. In fact, I’m a bit of an early adopter when it comes to new car technology; that’s why I bought the Model 3, and added the Full Self Driving system to my car, even though I can’t yet use it on UK roads. So, I was intrigued to see how the lane-keeping systems on other cars compared with mine. “In order of best to worst, I rated them as follows: Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Toyota. It was a close-run thing between the RAV4 and Golf, though; the former wasn’t active enough and the latter was so overt that it would become aggravating. Overall, I preferred the way the Mercedes system…

Claire.Evans@haymarket.com THERE ARE PLENTY of compelling reasons why we should park up our conventional petrol and diesel cars and get behind the wheel of a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric model instead. Reduced CO2 and harmful exhaust emissions are major incentives for people to stop driving older, more polluting vehicles in urban areas, and cheaper running costs from using electricity are another big appeal. However, overall ownership costs are also an important consideration. And with a growing number of new models being offered in a variety of fuel types, from petrol through to electric, you need to crunch the numbers for each to find out if switching to a greener model will save money or put a hole in your finances. The biggest expense of buying a new car is…

Kiall.Garrett@haymarket.com I’VE BEEN A fan of the facelifted Peugeot 5008 ever since we filmed our YouTube video review of it earlier this year. To my eyes, it’s a real head-turner, and one of the few cars that manages to offer the dimensions of a large, practical SUV without having an awkward or bulky design. As a result, it stood out as an obvious choice when the time came to replace my Mini Countryman. Over the years, the 5008 has been a regular winner at our annual Car of the Year Awards and, thanks to that aforementioned facelift, it now features a tidier front end, LED headlights, an upgraded infotainment system and more standard safety equipment. The Countryman was just about big enough for my needs, but I did have to…

Louis.Shaw@haymarket.com A WISE PERSON once said: “If you don’t look back at your car after you’ve parked it, you’ve bought the wrong model.” And one thing I can say about my new Mazda MX-30 at this early stage is that it’s making me owl-neck more than the night-time predator itself. It’s a stunning thing to behold, and I’m reminded of that every time someone stops me to ask about it in the street, or at a car wash, rest stop or public park. Take note, supercar owners: you don’t need to spend big money to get the world staring. The fact that the MX-30 is difficult to pigeonhole only adds to the intrigue. Although it looks compact in photos, at 4.4 metres long it’s the size of a regular family…

Oliver.Young@haymarket.com In production 2016-present Price from £35,000 Our favourite 718 Boxster 2.0 PORSCHE KNOWS HOW to build a sports car. Its expertise spans more than 70 years, and the Boxster distils it into a very arresting package. In current 718 form, it’s been around for five years and is now a compelling used buy. If you have your heart set on one of Porsche’s legendary flat six engines, though, you might want to look before you leap; when introducing the 718, Porsche decided instead to use a range of turbocharged flat fours. These consisted of a 295bhp 2.0-litre for the standard car, a 345bhp 2.5-litre for the S and a 360bhp 2.5-litre for the Boxster GTS that arrived in 2018. As a result, overall performance – as well as fuel…

Steve.Huntingford@haymarket.com ACCORDING TO LAND ROVER, the new Range Rover isn’t the last evolution of the brand’s flagship as we’ve known it for the past 51 years, but the start of the next era. However, in reality it’s both of those things, because it will be both the last full-fat Range Rover to be offered with petrol and diesel engines, and the first to be sold as a fully electric car. From the front, it’s easy to mistake it for its (admittedly handsome) predecessor. And while the flanks are less fussy than before – not least because the door handles now sit flush with the body until you unlock the car – we’re not exactly talking about a revolution. No, that’s reserved for the back, where the body cuts off dramatically…

Darren.Moss@haymarket.com IF VARIETY IS the spice of life, Volkswagen’s SUV range must already be at vindaloo levels of hotness; the brand offers an SUV to fit just about every niche, from small to large, and with petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and electric power. And now, tipping the scale to phaal levels of heat, is the new ID.5. The ID.5 is as on-trend as it’s possible to be right now. It’s an SUV, it has the swooping roofline of a coupé, and it’s fully electric. It’s based on the ID.4, but its more rakish looks mark it out as the ‘sporty’ relative. Unlike in the ID.4, there’s just one battery option available in the ID.5 – for now at least. Its 77kWh usable capacity can officially take you up to 323…

George.Hill@haymarket.com AS STUART LITTLE taught us, size should be no measure of ability. So, while the new Toyota Aygo X is one of the smallest SUVs yet, it still has the potential to be mighty. Replacing the Aygo, which was developed alongside the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108, the Aygo X is all Toyota’s own work, and the shift from city car to small SUV is intended to give Toyota’s baby a broader appeal. Toyota has certainly given the car a suitably rugged look, helped by pronounced wheel arches, chunky 17in alloy wheels and plastic cladding around its lower edges. Other design features include standard LED headlights and two-tone paintwork. With underpinnings that are related to those of the Toyota Yaris and Yaris Cross, the Aygo X is longer, wider…

The way lane support tech is implemented differs between cars and manufacturers. Some systems (including that fitted to the Volkswagen Golf in our tests) are wholly image-based and rely on cameras to identify road markings, while others (including that of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class) also incorporate radar sensors. Those sensors enable the lane support systems to identify hazards that might exist in the adjacent lane, triggering responses on a ‘threat-dependent’ basis – from advice (warning that you’re crossing the centre line) to evasive manoeuvres (steering you back into your lane) as appropriate. Thatcham believes threat-dependent lane support systems to be the way forward, deeming them to be less intrusive in operation than those that take over whenever the centre line is crossed. If no hazard is identified, a threat-dependent system will…

Age 57 Job Business development manager Drives 2017 Skoda Octavia vRS, 1990 Porsche 944 Cabriolet “I was surprised by the variation in the lane support systems fitted to the five cars we drove on the track. The way they’re implemented feels as different as the engines and gearboxes in each car. “I was particularly surprised how much more heavy-handed the Golf’s system is in operation to that of my Skoda Octavia. It was too intrusive when it did cut in and spoiled what was otherwise a great car. “I was impressed by the systems in the Mercedes and Polestar; both of them were gentler in their approach than the systems in my car and the Golf, yet they were more effective at keeping the car in a safe position on…

We share Thatcham’s concern that lane support systems aren’t always designed with the driving experience in mind. While the Volkswagen Golf’s camera-based system certainly works and earns the car points in Euro NCAP tests, the fact that it aggravates drivers to the extent that they might want to switch it off suggests that a rethink is needed. Fortunately, there are signs that manufacturers are catching on; new systems from Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Polestar all received compliments from our reader test team. Opinion was unanimous, though, that lane support systems must operate unobtrusively in the background if they are to find universal favour among drivers. They should offer a helping hand to ease the strain of driving, rather than brusquely forcing drivers to alter their behaviour.…

How long should I wait for my car to be repaired? I bought my dream car – a 2017 Ford Mustang V8 – in 2020, but I’ve hardly been able to drive it since a crash in October that year relegated it to a Ford workshop. After the accident, the car needed a new steering rack as part of the repair work, but the independent repairer working for my insurer, Admiral, wasn’t able to fit this, so the Mustang was taken to Allen Ford of Nuneaton in November 2020. I was expecting to get it back within a couple of weeks and was given a small hatchback as a courtesy car. However, I had great difficulty getting any meaningful updates from Admiral throughout November and December. I made a formal…

Neil.Winn@haymarket.com Mileage 1350 List price £34,580 (not including £2500 gov’t grant) Target Price £34,580 Price as tested £35,230 Test range 151 miles DURING THE RECENT fuel panic, when filling stations up and down the country ran out of petrol, I saw friends and family suffering from range anxiety in their conventional cars – a rather novel experience. However, without the ability to charge my fully electric Vauxhall Mokka-e at home, the smugness I felt turned out to be short-lived. Let me explain. Despite living in an affluent London suburb where every third car now appears to be electric, there is a surprising shortage of fast public chargers nearby. Indeed, the closest one to me is a 150kW Shell Recharge unit that is 20 minutes away. It is located on a…

Jim.Holder@haymarket.com Mileage 1948 List price £58,300 Target Price £58,300 Price as tested £65,440 Test economy 45.9mpg WHAT DO YOU want from an estate car above all else? Most likely space, and the V90 delivers in every area. For starters, there’s plenty of room up front, complemented by seating that adjusts every which way, and a plethora of cubbyholes. Only the shallower-than-expected central storage area slightly lets it down. It’s worth noting, too, that the huge panoramic glass roof – a feature that bathes the interior in light – does nothing to compromise head room for me, at 195cm tall. There’s no compromise in the back, either, as some test volunteers discovered while being taken to Norfolk on holiday in a fully loaded car. Sitting behind two tall adults, they not…