Dealers are now taking orders for the new SEAT Arona, as the Spanish brand ramps up its SUV offensive.
SEAT’s first compact crossover model will arrive in showrooms on 17th November at prices from £16,555. It will slot into the brand’s line-up alongside the larger Ateca that has already proved highly successful.
With the Arona SEAT is also debuting a new grade format which the brand says will make choosing the right new car much easier for buyers. Instead of being offered basic grades with various options or option packs, customers will simply choose their trim level, engine and body colour.
Trimming the range
To accommodate the new thinking, the number of trims available is extended to six. The SE, FR And Xcellence trims familiar from other SEAT models are joined by more extensively equipped variations on each – SE Technology, FR Sport and Xcellence Lux.
Entry-level SE models include metallic paint as standard, and also come supplied with 17-inch alloy wheels, a two-tone roof, black roof rails, chrome front grille, power-adjustable door mirrors, LED daytime running lights and tail lights, front cornering fog lights and automatic headlights.
Highlights of the interior include air conditioning and a five-inch touchscreen controlling a six-speaker audio system with DAB radio, Bluetooth and aux-in/USB connections.
The standard active safety package is quite comprehensive, including frontal collision avoidance, hill hold and tiredness recognition systems, as well as cruise control.
Technology package
Those wanting more toys will be able to choose the Technology variant – this adds a larger, eight-inch colour touchscreen and a navigation package including a 3D map display and voice control.
Smartphone compatibility is also part of the Technology package, MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto phones able to connect through the SEAT Full Link system. A wireless phone charger, an extra USB port, two SD card slots and rear parking sensors also feature.
Five powertrains will initially be available for the Arona – a 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI petrol engine with 95 or 115hp, a 1.5 four cylinder with 150hp, and 1.6 diesels producing either 95 or 115hp. Depending on model chosen they will be available with five or six-speed manual gearboxes and a DSG auto unit.
Thinking of buying a hybrid car? Your best bet is the £80,000 Porsche Panamera – at least when you come to sell it again.
In a very bad month for new car registrations in September, the only bright spot was the alternatively-fuelled market, which includes hybrids and full electric cars. As sales of petrol cars slipped back just over 1% and diesels plummeted more than 22%, the alternative fuelled sector jumped 41%. At 94,125 cars year-to-date, it still represents just 4.6% of the overall market, but that is up from 3.3% a year ago.
Premium hybrids retain value
According to data specialists hpi, the Porsche Panamera tops the hybrid table in terms of Residual Value (RV) – how much of the original buying price an owner will get back when they sell the car after three years or 30,000 miles.
The four-seater Porsche will lose on average just £14,515 from its £79,715 average new price, giving it an impressive RV of 81.8%.
In second place comes the BMW 7 Series hybrid at 75.7%, losing £17,983 from its average £73,717 price, and then the much sought-after Volvo XC90 SUV, with a 70.6% RV cutting £18,489 from its average £62,817 new price.
In fact, the top of the hybrid RV table is dominated by the premium makes, and it’s only when one looks down in seventh that more mainstream models start to appear. The Volkswagen Passat petrol hybrid, selling for an average of £39,073, will return 64.5% of that price after three years, losing £13,891.
The only other non-premium brand to make it into the hybrid RV top 15 is Kia, with its Optima. This retains 56.1% of its value, losing £14,890 from its £33,940 average selling price.
According to hpi senior editor James Dower, the expanding choice of hybrid models is now providing credible options for buyers after all types of car, from small superminis to large SUVs”
“Petrol hybrid values increased for the fourth month in a row with average values rising by 1.1%,” Dower says. “It’s a growing market as we see more manufacturers releasing new models with hybrid powertrains and it appears that consumers have embraced the technology with few concerns over the life of a battery.”
Renault has launched a range of interest-free PCP and HP finance offers on selected new vehicles for the rest of 2017.
Three-year 0% APR (no interest or fees) personal contract purchase (PCP) offers are available on the Renault Clio, Captur, Kadjar, Megane, Scenic and Koleos model ranges. For customers looking for a four-year term, the interest rate goes up to 4.9% APR. Minimum customer deposits apply to these 0% offers, ranging from £499 for Clio and Captur to 10% for the other models.
Most models in the Renault range are also available with a four-year 0% APR hire purchase (HP) offer. This offer requires a 40% minimum customer deposit, and additional deposit contributions are available. These range from £500 for a Twingo up to £2,000 on a Kadjar and Megane.
Scenic/Grand Scenic and Koleos models have hire purchase offers at 2.9% APR rather than 0%, but do come with £2,000 deposit contributions.
Big discounts on ZOE electric car range
For the electric ZOE models, everything gets a little more complicated because you have to factor in the government plug-in car grant and battery rental. But the key messages are that there is more than £6,000 available in deposit contributions on a PCP agreement, with an interest rate of 4.9% APR.
If you prefer a hire purchase, the ZOE is available with 0% APR on a five-year HP agreement, with deposit contributions of up to £2,500 plus the government plug-in car grant. You still need to rent a battery for a minimum of £59/month (usually more, depending on your mileage), however.
The Car Expert examines the fine print
These finance offers are for selected new Renault models only. Renault PCP agreements are branded “Renault Selections PCP Finance”. HP agreements don’t get a catchy name.
The offers listed on the Renault website are only examples, and you are entitled to adjust the deposit and annual mileage to suit your own needs (within limits and above minimum requirements).
The annual mileages shown on the website examples are all set at 6,000. This is less than most drivers average per year, so make sure you are choosing an annual mileage allowance that suits your needs.
The 0% APR offers apply to selected terms only. If you want different terms (like four years instead of three), the interest rate may no longer be 0%.
The excess mileage on the PCP packages is 8p/mile. That’s £80 for every 1,000 miles you go over your limit, so make sure you allow yourself enough mileage when setting up the finance agreement. The fee only applies if you are giving the car back and claiming the guaranteed future value (GFV). HP customers do not need to worry about excess mileage.
Cars have to be ordered by 31 January 2018 and delivered by 31 March 2018.
The deposit contribution cannot be used in conjunction with any other advertised offer.
The finance offers are provided through Renault dealers by Renault Finance. If a dealer offers you a finance deal that does not match these details or from another lender, it is not part of this offer.
As with any car purchase, work out your budget before you visit the showroom and don’t be persuaded to go beyond it – regardless of what the smiling sales executive suggests. They don’t have your best interests at heart, but The Car Expert does!
Dacia has extended its free two-year extended warranty offer to customers who buy a new Dacia model on a PCP or HP car finance package. The offer now runs until the end of January 2018.
The offer is limited to buyers who purchase a new Dacia on a personal contract purchase (PCP) or hire purchase (HP) finance package. The press information stipulates a four-year finance plan, but the Dacia UK website makes no mention of this and customers have reported to The Car Expert that they have been offered the free extended warranty on a three-year PCP.
The two-year extended warranty offer is available on any model in the Dacia range, but excludes entry-level Access specification vehicles. It is normally priced at £395, and provides an overall five-year warranty on the vehicle.
Dacia Duster models also get a deposit contribution in addition to the extended warranty freebie, with £1,250 on offer for diesel engines (up from £1,000 previously) and £250 for petrol engines (down from £500 previously).
The Car Expert explains the fine print
This offer gives customers a free two-year extended warranty on selected new Dacia models, but only if the customer takes out a selected finance package.
The value of the extended warranty is £395, so you need to ensure that the cost of taking out the finance is worth it. Typically the cost of a PCP finance agreement will be several thousand pounds.
The finance package must be a PCP or HP agreement from Dacia Finance.
The offers set out on the Dacia website are only examples, and you are entitled to adjust the deposit and annual mileage to suit your own needs. The APR shown on the examples is 7.9%, but that does not mean you will be offered a similar rate.
The annual mileage used in all of the examples is only 6,000, which is lower than most people drive in a year, so bear that in mind.
The excess mileage on the PCP package is 8p/mile. That’s £80 for every 1,000 miles you go over your limit, so make sure you allow yourself enough mileage when setting up the finance agreement. The fee only applies if you are giving the car back and claiming the guaranteed future value (GFV). HP customers do not need to worry about excess mileage.
Cars have to be ordered by 31 January 2018 and delivered by 31 March 2018.
The finance offers are provided through Dacia dealers by Dacia Finance. If a dealer offers you a finance deal that does not match these details or from another lender, it is not part of this offer.
As with any car purchase, work out your budget before you visit the showroom and don’t be persuaded to go beyond it – regardless of what the smiling sales executive suggests. They don’t have your best interests at heart, but The Car Expert does!
Skoda has announced a range of deposit contributions and PCP finance offers on selected models for orders placed between now and the end of the year.
With incentives on Octavia, Superb, Fabia and Yeti models, Skoda will be hoping for a strong end to the year. The company is doing well in a shrinking market, but that is partly due to a growing model range rather than increasing sales of the core models. The new finance offers apply to personal contract purchase (PCP) agreements, which are branded as Skoda Solutions.
The soon-to-be-obsolete Skoda Yeti is available with interest-free 0% APR finance and a £1,500 deposit contribution. As the Yeti is no longer in production, the offer only applies to vehicles already in stock – however, it also means that dealers may be happy to haggle on further discounts to get rid of them.
Skoda Octavia and Skoda Superb models get a £3,000 deposit contribution on all specifications except SE Technology, as well as a representative interest rate of 4.9% APR.
Skoda Fabia models get a £2,000 deposit contribution, with a very competitive 2.9% APR interest rate. The Skoda Rapid also benefits from a 2.9% APR with a deposit contribution of £1,800, while the Skoda Citigo (except S specification) gets the same 2.9% APR with a £1,000 deposit contribution.
Skoda Kodiaq models (except SE Technology specification) get a £2,000 deposit contribution with an APR of 5.5%.
The all-new Skoda Karoq, which replaces the Yeti, is also available with a PCP offer even though the first cars are not set to arrive until January 2018. A £1,500 deposit contribution is available, although the interest rate is a fairly poor 6.1% APR.
The above finance offers are not available in conjunction with the Skoda scrappage scheme or any other offer.
The Car Expert examines the fine print
These offers provide a nominated deposit contribution towards selected new Skoda models, over and above any other discount you negotiate with the dealer.
The finance offers listed on the Skoda website are only examples, and you are entitled to adjust the term, deposit and annual mileage to suit your own needs.
The annual mileages shown on the website examples are all set at 10,000. It is handled somewhat confusingly by referring to a “42 month, 35,000 miles agreement”, which is not exactly best practice for clarity.
The APRs and excess mileage charges shown in the examples vary depending on the model chosen, so check the details carefully to make sure you are happy with what you are being offered.
The APRs shown represent a combination of interest and fees, so make sure you understand how much you have to pay up front, each subsequent month and at the end of the agreement.
Excess mileage fees only apply if you are giving the car back and claiming the guaranteed future value (GFV) at the end of the agreement.
Cars have to be ordered by 2 January 2018. The Skoda website does not specify a delivery date, so check with your dealer.
The deposit contribution cannot be used in conjunction with any other advertised offer.
The finance offers are provided through Skoda dealers by Skoda Financial Services (a division of Volkswagen Financial Services). If a dealer offers you a finance deal that does not match these details or from another lender, it is not part of this offer.
As with any car purchase, work out your budget before you visit the showroom and don’t be persuaded to go beyond it – regardless of what the smiling sales executive suggests. They don’t have your best interests at heart, but The Car Expert does!
The Range Rover Velar has shone in the latest set of crash tests performed by safety body Euro NCAP.
Range Rover’s new crossover model not only gained a top five-star safety rating, but earned extra praise from the testers with its suite of standard-fit active safety features including Autonomous Emergency Braking. EuroNCAP describes the new compact SUV as ‘ one of the best overall performers, with good results in all aspects of safety.’
The Velar is the 15th SUV tested by Euro NCAP since the start of 2016, reflecting the mushrooming popularity of the segment, but Matthew Avery, director of research at Euro NCAP’s UK member Thatcham Research, says that the Range Rover model’s performance stood out.
“Modern SUVs perform consistently well in impact testing, particularly for adult occupant protection,” Avery says. “The Velar however not only performs well in a crash – especially in Euro NCAP’s exacting side impact test – but also in active safety, with its suite of standard-fit technologies designed to avoid the crash happening at all.”
The Velar’s assisted safety feature score of 75% rates some 7% above average for the SUVs tested since January 2016.
Strong standard safety
Thatcham Research was recently among motoring bodies calling for greater standard fitment of Autonomous Emergency Braking, which is said to have the potential to cut rear-end collisions by 38%. The Velar includes Interurban Autonomous Emergency Braking as standard, alongside an Adaptive Speed Limiter, Lane Departure Warnings and seat-belt reminders for all passengers.
“Following five-star ratings for the Discovery and Discovery Sport, this is another signal from Jaguar Land Rover that safety is a priority,” Avery adds.
“With small SUV sales set to break the two million barrier in 2018, it’s exciting to see one of the leading carmakers in the category deliver on standard-fit active safety systems.”
The latest car finance results show that the media attention regarding car finance is not reducing the level of borrowing on either new or used cars.
Overall borrowing in August was up despite a continued slowdown in new car sales, according to the latest data from the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA). The number of new cars financed decreased by 8% compared to the same month in 2016, which is less than the 10% fall in private new car sales according to the corresponding SMMT registration data.
New car borrowing was up 2% despite the 8% decrease in volume, meaning that the average amount borrowed by private new car buyers was up 10% on the same period last year. This is in line with the year-to-date results for 2017, and on average new car buyers are borrowing £1,600 more for their new cars in 2017 than they did last year.
86% of private new car buyers financed their car through the dealership, with the vast majority of those using a personal contract purchase (PCP) to fund their new car. This figure has remained stable over the last 12 months, although it’s important to remember that private sales make up less than half of all new car sales, with the majority being fleet and business purchases.
Used car borrowing still growing
Used car results showed that borrowing continues to accelerate. There was 2% growth in the number of used car finance agreements for August compared to last year, but the amount borrowed increased by 8%, so on average buyers were borrowing about 6% more. Again, this is in line with the results for the year to date, with used car buyers borrowing about £540 more for each car than they did last year.
We won’t get used car sales results for the same period until sometime in November, so we will have to wait and see how the borrowing numbers compare to the sales numbers.
What is it?
The BMW 5 Series is the latest, all-new version of a car many regard as the definitive upmarket saloon.
Key features
New engine range, upgraded interior, more technology.
Our view
The new BMW 5 Series has evolved in all areas and remains the complete package that all the rivals have to beat. Rather than striking off in any radical new direction, the car gains significantly more efficient engines, a marked increase in interior quality, and a wholesale application of the very latest technology available, particularly in terms of driver-assistance systems and infotainment.
On the road, the handling is not quite as sharp as previous 5 Series generations and the sheer breadth of the tech available can become distracting. But overall the BMW 5 Series remains a car that the target buyer will need very good reasons for not choosing first.
The BMW 5 Series has long been the upmarket saloon that every rival looks enviously at, and a particular favourite of fleet drivers. Despite the best efforts of the likes of Audi with its A6 and Mercedes-Benz with the E-Class, the BMW inexorably keeps racking up the best-in-class awards for its combination of quality, practicality and a reputation for unrivalled driving ability.
The bad news for those rivals is that earlier in 2017, BMW launched an all-new 5 Series. Styling changes remind one of the larger 7 Series sister, but are just a minor element of the new package – far more relevant are the new modular engine range, significant quality upgrades to the interior, and a whole host of new technology.
For The Car Expert’s road test, we spent a week with the 520d, the core model of the 5 Series line-up, and in the case of our test car boasting all-wheel-drive to take on the best that Audi’s quattro can offer.
Familiar BMW styling disguises a whole host of new technology
Buying and owning the BMW 5 Series
Buyers of the new BMW 5 Series range have a symmetrical choice – four engines, two petrol and two diesel, all matched to a standard auto transmission. Rear-wheel drive is standard as one would expect in a BMW, but all-wheel-drive is also available, as is the option of rear-wheel-steering.
All the powerplants are examples of the latest modular range already seen in several other BMW and MINI models. The core of the 5 Series line-up will remain the 520d, with its four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel engine of 190hp and forming the entry into 5 Series ownership at prices from £36,025. Combine this with combined cycle fuel economy of close to 70mpg and a mere 108g/km emissions figure (in 2WD form), and one can see why it is chosen by so many fleet buyers.
Bigger sister is the 530d, costing from £43,835. Its six-cylinder unit puts out 265hp, producing a sub six-second 0-62mph time with still impressive plus-60mpg economy.
For petrol buyers the choice is between the 530i or 540i, costing from £43,985 and £46,645 respectively and the 540i fitted with AWD as standard. And there are more engines on the way, including a plug-in hybrid version with combined cycle fuel economy of 134mpg and an all-electric range of 28 miles.
Trim levels are simple too – basically a choice of SE or the more performance-imaged M Sport. And the days of BMWs with no standard equipment, everything on the options list are long gone – even choosing the ‘base’ SE one will get satellite navigation, DAB radio, parking sensors front and back, heated leather seats and dual-zone climate control as standard.
Of course, there is a lengthy options list, and by the time one gets to our M Sport test car with all the toys included, the amount of equipment is mind-boggling. Remote parking for example – the car will park itself if desired, with one able to jump out and move it backwards and forwards while standing by it.
This is achieved through a ‘Display key’ which looks like something out of Star Trek, and for a key is huge – pocket filling. It also recharges itself on a pad at the base of the centre console where one can also power up a mobile phone.
BMW’s Connected Drive services are available, part of a host of information one can access through the infotainment screen. In the case of our car this extended to weather reports and even Wikipedia online encyclopaedia entries – while at motorway speeds…
Overall the BMW’s safety package is impressive and has earned the car a five-star Euro NCAP rating, the crash-test body highlighting the autonomous emergency braking, active bonnet to reduce pedestrian injuries in a collision and the speed limit setting. Notable in the options is the Driving Assist Plus package which includes lane departure and blind-spot warnings, lane-keeping steering assistance and a system to keep the car stable if forced to make an emergency jink around an obstacle.
Outside and inside the BMW 5 Series
The cabin benefits from improved quality
The new 5 Series is effectively the same size car as its predecessor, if quite a lot lighter thanks to the wide use of new technology construction techniques. While boasting subtle styling updates which are clearly inspired by the larger 7 Series, notably the wide ‘kidney’ grille that dominates the front end, the shell includes a number of efficiency-improving measures. These cut the car’s drag by 10% and therefore improve fuel economy and emissions.
Among the clever tech are shutters on the grille that only open when the engine needs the cool air, at other times smoothing out the flow, and measures to cut out turbulence in the wheel arches.
Inside has seen rather more extensive upgrades, though seasoned BMW users will find the driver’s surroundings familiar – again, especially if they have previously driven a 7 Series.
The layout hasn’t changed much because it works so well – but the display is now completely digital, the infotainment screen sits at the very top of the centre console where it is easy to use with the merest glance from the road ahead. This is particularly useful, of course, if making much use of all that information one can have sent to the car.
Meanwhile, the surroundings are so plush – the materials are all soft touch and ooze quality, the seats very supportive and comfortable. There’s loads of space in the front cabin, still quite a lot in the rear, and an enormous boot – and this has a flat floor and a wide loading aperture.
Driving the BMW 5 Series
The new 5 Series is happier on motorways than B roads
BMW’s latest range of engines is a highly refined bunch. Our 520d is freely giving of its power, but the only way one knows it is visually – the engine is virtually silent in operation, while smoothly dialling in the propulsion.
Chassis setup is clearly biased towards serene progress, even in our M Sport version that has uprated suspension and brakes alongside the slightly more aggressive styling package. Our test involved a long drive from mid-Wales to north of Edinburgh in Scotland, and with supportive seats and the sheer quality of the interior we arrived as refreshed as when we started.
Yet while the chassis setup makes for oh-so-comfortable cruising over mile after mile of motorway, turn off onto challenging B roads and it’s not quite so satisfactory. Such a route would once have provided a perfect opportunity for the car to live up to BMW’s long-lived ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ slogan, but today it’s all a little less precise and not so perfectly weighted.
The car has plenty of grip – especially with the all-wheel-drive chassis in our test version – and it can still be fun, just not way ahead of rivals like it used to be.
Summary
The new BMW 5 Series has evolved with the times – the recipe appears to have been ‘wherever there is technology available to improve it, apply liberally.’ As a result, just as the latest contenders from rival brands almost catch up, the 5 Series eases ahead again.
Driving enthusiasts will find that this is not quite as satisfying a car dynamically as its predecessors, but to virtually every buyer that won’t matter. They will choose it because it is simply the complete package, with all the quality, technology and capability one could want. This is still the car that everyone else has to beat.
Private new car sales slumped to a five-year low in September to cap off a horror six months for the industry, according to the latest industry figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
With September being the second-biggest month of the year for new car sales (behind March), there had been hope of a strong market performance. However, the 2017 market decline continued unabated, with diesel sales continuing to flounder.
The overall new car sales market fell by 9% compared to the same month last year, with just over 426,000 new cars being registered in September. In what is always a very big month for private sales (with private buyers traditionally being more interested in the new number plate changes than fleet and business purchasers), private sales were 9% off 2016 numbers and fleet sales were also 10% down.
Another good month for hybrids, another shocking month for diesels
Despite most manufacturers launching scrappage schemes and/or finance offers largely aimed at boosting diesel sales, it was yet another disastrous month for diesels with registrations falling by 22% compared to September 2016. Diesel’s market share remains at last month’s 40%, compared to more than 47% at this time last year, and this trend can be expected to continue for the rest of the year.
After a strong opening quarter (helped by concerns about road tax increases), the new car market has plunged more 132,000 units over the last six months compared to the same period last year. Used car results for the year to date have remained strong. The next update won’t be until some time next month, and these results will be key to determining whether customers are turning from new cars to used cars, or if they are simply choosing not to buy cars at all.
The SMMT comments accompanying the monthly report were somewhat curious; CEO Mike Hawes used clairvoyance to state that “consumers should be reassured that all the new diesel and petrol models on the market will not face any bans or additional charges”, when clearly local or national governments could announce measures at any time to charge or ban petrol or diesel cars from certain high-pollution zones.
Hawes also suggested that everyone should keep buying new cars because “fleet renewal is the best way to address environmental issues in our towns and cities”, which rather contrasts with most environmental experts who suggest that it would be better if we all caught buses or rode bicycles rather than driving cars in urban environments.
Hybrids still powering up
Once again, the only bright spot on the horizon is the continued growth in “alternatively-fuelled vehicles” (hybrids and electric cars, essentially). More of these have been registered in the first nine months of 2017 than in all of 2016.
Market share for AFVs remains above 5%, with a performance in September 41% better than last year. While this is obviously good news, it still represents a small percentage of the overall market – to put it in perspective, diesel and petrol market losses were eight times greater than AFV gains. Hybrid gains will continue to increase as virtually every manufacturer rolls out plans to electrify their cars, but in order to hit the government’s 2040 plans for all new cars to be electrified, the rate of growth will need to increase much faster than at present.
Qashqai rises to the top
There was quite a bit of change in the market top ten this month, with the Nissan Qashqai vaulting to the top of the charts ahead of last month’s top-selling Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Fiesta. Having bounced from nowhere into the top three last month, the Vauxhall Mokka X fell straight back out again in September.
There was further mixing of the top ten, as the Ford Kuga and Kia Sportage fell out but the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and C-Class models both re-appeared, along with the MINI hatch.
With August being one of the slowest months of the year, and September immediately following as one of the busiest, the top ten is often mixed up by manufacturers pushing different models with different offers.
Year-to-date, the Ford Fiesta remains on top, ahead of its bigger sister the Ford Focus, which in turn is fractionally ahead of the Volkswagen Golf. Looking beyond the top ten individual models, it’s been a good year for brands like Infiniti, Abarth and SEAT, while brands like Fiat, Jeep, SsangYong and Vauxhall are well behind last year’s results so far.
The last three months of the year could see more change in the rankings as end-of-year offers ramp up and dealers desperately try to shift stock, so we’ll be watching closely.
Nissan Qashqai topped the charts in September, and Mercedes-Benz returned
The Car Expert says – it’s a buyer’s market
After a strong opening quarter (helped by concerns about road tax increases), the new car market has plunged more 132,000 units over the last six months compared to the same period last year. April, May and June could use the road tax changes and the election as excuses, but the slump has continued over the last three months as well.
This means that, all over the country, car dealers will have unsold vehicles piling up around their ears and will be falling behind their sales targets. They are going to be desperate to do deals.
We have been covering the numerous new car offers and scrappage schemes that have been announced in recent weeks, but it is very likely that canny buyers will be able to secure even greater discounts on models that are underperforming against manufacturers’ expectations. There are huge savings to be had on many diesel cars, although falling residual values are tending to cancel out much of the up-front savings – therefore monthly finance payments are not dropping as much as you might expect.
It’s definitely time to haggle hard to get the best deal, and be brave enough to walk away if you’re not getting what you want. Another dealer may well be more agreeable to meeting your needs. There will be plenty of offers around between now and the end of the year, so don’t be rushed into anything that’s not exactly what you want.
The Model X marks Tesla’s first foray into the SUV/crossover market. Elon Musk, the company’s CEO and founder, had a ‘master plan’ when he started the business that he hoped would see it grow from a small electric sports car maker to offering zero-emission models to the masses.
However, an SUV was never in the original vision and came out of what felt like something of a knee-jerk reaction to the booming segment. After early production delays and build quality issues, the Model X is back on track and available to the UK market.
The ‘Falcon’ rear doors, which hinge upwards to make getting in and out easier, are not only a source of entertainment but they’re useful too, while the electric motors’ power delivery is as addictive as ever.
Tesla’s biggest success has been making electric vehicles cool. With that in mind, among wealthy environmentalists there are few cars that carry badge appeal quite like a Tesla.
In the past, though, Tesla has struggled a little with build quality. Early US versions of the Model X suffered greatly, but after spending some time perusing Tesla’s owners’ forum, it appears the latest models have little to no issues at all. We poked, pulled and prodded our right-hand- drive model and could find nothing to complain about.
The materials used feel high quality and the seats, in particular, are incredibly comfortable. Our review vehicle was specced with bright white leather seats – they look great, but we’re confident young kids could ruin them quickly!
Space and practicality
In the large SUV segment space is king, and here the Model X excels. There’s plenty of headroom and a couple of well-sized cubby holes between the front seats. One of the advantages of an electric car is the lack of a transmission tunnel intruding into the cabin, so legroom is plentiful even for the centre passenger in the back.
The Model X can be specced with five, six or seven seats, with the latter two costing £3,000 and £4,000 extra respectively. There’s plenty of room for passengers in all seats, though taller adults may find legroom a little limited in the ‘boot’ seats.
The big talking point is the ‘Falcon’ doors for rear passengers, which are double hinged so that they can open even in narrow spaces. There are in-built sensors to ensure they don’t hit other cars or garage roofs, too. Once open, they give a huge entry point, which makes it ideal for putting kids in the back. Oh, and they’re seriously cool to watch in action!
Behind the wheel of the Tesla Model X
For people new to the whole electric drive thing, the experience can feel pretty alien from the get-go. Climb into the capacious cabin and there’s no ‘on’ button, no key to turn and no firing up of cylinders. Simply belt up, knock the steering column-mounted gear lever into ‘D’ and away you go.
There are two electric motors, one on each axle, fed by a battery — we had a 90kWh pack in our test car. There are four battery options available, ranging in size from 75kWh to 100 kWh, with ranges of between 259 and 336 miles.
Acceleration is exhilarating, as the nature of electric power delivery means that performance is available instantly at any speed and with only one gear there’s no waiting around for cogs to swap.
Regenerative braking replenishes the batteries by harvesting energy whenever you lift your foot off the accelerator. Once you get used to it, you can almost forget about using the brakes at all.
Cold weather and lots of motorway driving, which limits the effect of the regenerative braking as speed is more consistent, can have a negative impact on range.
Value for money
Here’s where it starts to get a bit trickier for Tesla. The entry-level 75D Model X starts at a snip over £80,000. For that money, you’re looking at a healthily-specced Porsche Cayenne or a top-spec Volvo XC90 with enough change for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. The most expensive Model X starts at an eye-watering £129,200.
For those looking purely for space, luxury and a commanding driving position, there are better-value cars on the market. To go for the Model X you really have to have bought into Elon Musk’s vision for a sustainable future – it’s admirable and the car holds its own with more established competition, but buying in ain’t cheap.
Who would buy a Tesla Model X?
This car is targeted at wealthy people with a big family who want to make a statement about the future of the planet. It helps that Tesla has made EVs cool, so it’ll also appeal to those who want to be seen in the latest trendy thing.
Model: Tesla Model X 90D Powertrain: Dual electric motors with 90kWh battery (371bhp, 440Nm) Transmission: Single-speed automatic Top speed: 155 mph 0-60mph: 4.8 seconds Fuel economy: N/A CO2 emissions: 0 g/km
For eligible part-exchange vehicles, Lexus is offering a part-exchange allowance of £3,500 against any new CT hatchback or IS saloon, or £4,000 against any new NX or RX SUV. All variants in those model ranges are eligible, including petrol, diesel and hybrid models.
The programme is open to any petrol or diesel vehicle first registered no later than 31 December 2009 and registered to the current owner for at least six months. There is no requirement regarding the car’s emissions level, unlike many other programmes.
The offer runs for any orders placed before the end of December, but cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer (like the new deposit contribution offer).
This offer is a part-exchange allowance, for selected used cars part-exchanged against selected new cars.
Your current car can be from any brand, but must have been first registered no later than 31 December 2009. The first registration date is found in your V5C logbook registration document.
You must be the owner of the part-exchange vehicle and the buyer of the new car (same name and registered address).
You must have owned the part-exchange vehicle for a minimum of six months, to stop people buying an old banger for £200 and then getting a £4,000 part-exchange allowance for it.
The scrappage price is fixed for any car part-exchanged as part of the scheme, not an allowance on top of the car’s value. You are effectively getting nothing for your car, but a discount on the new car (although it won’t be written that way on the contract).
New cars must be ordered no later than 31 December 2017, although Lexus has not set a deadline for when the new car must be registered.
This offer can be used on top of any other offers from the dealer/manufacturer/finance company.
The offer is not dependent on you taking any finance package or other products.
Goodwood Motorsport has announced provisional dates for its two flagship motorsport events for 2018 – the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival.
The dates are subject to the final Formula One calendar being released later this year, so there may be movement to the dates below (as happened this year). The dates for the Members’ Meeting in March are final as that pre-dates the opening of the F1 season.
76th Members Meeting: 17-18 March 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed & Moving Motor Show: 12-15 July 2018 Goodwood Revival: 7-9 September 2018
Tickets for the 76th Members’ Meeting are on sale now, while the two big events will go on sale in the next month or so. Tickets seem to sell out earlier and earlier every year (especially Saturday tickets), so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment.
2018 marks 20 years of the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) and the 25th Anniversary of the Festival of Speed, so Goodwood is sure to celebrate by putting on an even bigger show than usual.
The world’s top motorsport teams flock to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed each year, with most of the top F1 teams represented. Both Porsche and Audi have sent their winning Le Mans cars almost directly from the Sarthe circuit up to Goodwood for the last decade or more, usually still covered in dirt and grime from the world’s toughest race. The rally stage grows larger every year, and the other assorted attractions never fail to please the massive crowds.
The Goodwood Revival continues to attract some of the finest historic racing cars in the world, along with a formidable field of world-class drivers going wheel to wheel in what must be an insurance company’s nightmare. Make an effort to get into period costume and you’ll feel much more at home – this year, there seemed to be more people who didn’t bother getting dressed up and they looked completely out of place among the 1940s-1960s efforts of everyone else.
Lexus has announced a £2,000 deposit contribution for its hybrid models when bought using a personal contract purchase (PCP), as well as a scrappage scheme for selected new models.
The “Make the Switch” promotion offers a £2,000 deposit contribution for customers buying a new hybrid-powered Lexus on a PCP from Lexus Financial Services. Interest rates on PCP agreements are as low as 1.9% APR (representative) on the IS executive saloon range.
Lexus claims that 99% of the cars it sells in the UK are hybrids, and has sold a total of 1.2 million hybrid vehicles worldwide.
Cars have to be ordered by 17 December 2017, with delivery before 31 March 2018. The Lexus website T&Cs specifically reference a 42-month term, but presumably you will be able to go shorter or longer at a similar rate.
This offer provides a £2,000 deposit contribution towards selected new Lexus models, over and above any other discount you negotiate with the dealer.
The offers listed on the Lexus website are only examples, and you are entitled to adjust the term, deposit and annual mileage to suit your own needs.
The annual mileages shown on the website examples are all set at 8,000. This is less than most drivers average per year, so make sure you are choosing an annual mileage allowance that suits your needs.
The APRs and excess mileage charges shown on the examples vary considerably, so check the details carefully to make sure you are happy with what you are being offered.
Excess mileage fees only apply if you are giving the car back and claiming the guaranteed future value (GFV).
Cars have to be ordered and delivered by 31 March 2018.
The deposit contribution cannot be used in conjunction with any other advertised offer.
The finance offers are provided through Lexus dealers by Lexus Financial Services (a division of Toyota Financial Services). If a dealer offers you a finance deal that does not match these details or from another lender, it is not part of this offer.
As with any car purchase, work out your budget before you visit the showroom and don’t be persuaded to go beyond it – regardless of what the smiling sales executive suggests. They don’t have your best interests at heart, but The Car Expert does!
For the second year, Co-op Insurance, in conjunction with car safety experts Thatcham Research and road safety charity Brake, have been crunching numbers to decide the safest used family cars for 2017.
Safety continues to lag behind price and other priorities for used car buyers, and the aim of the annual Co-op Safe Used Car awards is to draw attention to the large number of used family car options that provide the best possible protection for you and your loved ones if the worst happens out on the road.
Thatcham Research – the UK’s world-class crash test research centre – once again ranked all of the affordable family used cars in terms of their safety features. The qualifying criteria were unchanged from last year; price (no more than £15,000 on the used car market), CO2 emissions (no more than 120g/km) and a five-star EuroNCAP rating. All of the cars ranked in the top ten are current models, with the formula considering a used car to be at least one year old.
One of the key safety technologies that contributes heavily to an outstanding safety score is autonomous emergency braking. Thatcham recommends that all car buyers should look for vehicles with this accident-avoidance technologywhen shopping for a new or used car. All of the top ten cars ranked below have basic AEB included as standard, with more sophisticated systems often available at additional cost.
The Volvo V40 hatchback features twice in this list, depending on whether it has the optional Driver Support Pack, which adds a number of advanced accident avoidance systems. It was a £2,000 option on any V40 model when launched in 2012, so the majority of cars don’t have it. It’s easy to spot whether or not the vehicle has the pack, as there will be a big black box inside the grille on the right side next to the Volvo logo.
Even without the additional safety pack, the Volvo V40 is still a very safe car for drivers, passengers and even pedestrians thanks to an under-bonnet airbag that pops up in a frontal impact to cushion the impact for a pedestrian striking the bonnet.
The Peugeot 308 hatchback remains in the top ten this year, but has fallen five places from last year’s results as rival vehicles have improved position. This is not because the 308 is any less safe than a year ago, but a larger number of other cars are now more widely available with class-leading safety features.
The Nissan Qashqai follows the Peugeot 308 in falling five places from last year’s results. Again, it’s not because the Qashqai is less safe than last year, but other cars are now more widely available with similar safety technology.
The Volkswagen Golf knocked the Ford Fiesta off the top of the sales charts in June
Another car to fall five places as a result of more competition in the marketplace. Last year, the Volkswagen Golf was rated the second-best safe used family car, but has slipped to seventh as other cars offer the safe technology at lower prices and with greater availability.
A new entry in the top ten safest used cars for this year, the Volkswagen Touran is a small people mover based on the Golf platform. As such it is available with all of the same safety systems as its more popular hatchback sibling, but lower residual values mean it’s a better second-hand buy than the Golf.
Another new entry is the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, a small people mover family car and the first BMW built on a front-wheel drive platform. It actually shares many of its underpinnings with the MINI Countryman, but with increased emphasis on passenger space.
It’s not the cheapest used car in the list, but if you’re looking for a premium family car with a BMW badge, it’s a good bet.
Another version of the Golf that ranks higher than the Golf itself, in fourth place is the Volkswagen Golf SV. Filling the very narrow niche between the five-seater Golf hatchback and the seven-seat Touran, the Golf SV has the height and general feeling of poor life choices that you get with a Touran, but with only five seats and more Golf-like styling.
With residual values that are much poorer than the genuine Golf, the SV is an opportunity for buyers wanting a safe family car with Golf-ish looks.
Debuting in the top ten list – and in a podium position, no less – is the Toyota Auris.
Built here in the UK at Toyota’s Derbyshire factory, the Auris is available in five-door hatchback or estate guise. Unlike pretty much every other car in this list, it is also readily available with a hybrid power option.
The Auris range is well kitted-out with safety equipment, with all models apart from the entry-level Active spec being fitted as standard with Toyota’s Safety Sense package. This includes autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and other accident avoidance systems. If you are looking at a used Auris, make sure the specification is Icon or above (basically anything except an Active model).
In second place, and improving five spots on last year, is the Mazda3. It’s the same car as last year, but another 12 months of sales has meant a much larger pool of vehicles to choose from in the used car market. And, of course, it means that prices of the latest model are starting to come down.
The Mazda3 has been an underrated car since it launched, but it is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a second-hand family car. Avoid the base-level SE models, as they don’t get autonomous emergency braking as standard. SE-L and above is what you’re after. Higher-spec Sport models are also available with additional optional extras like blind spot and lane departure warning systems.
The Volvo V40 holds onto its title as the safest used family car in the UK for 2017, on the same proviso as last year – only if your car has the optional Driver Support Pack.
The safety pack was a £2,000 option on a new car, so only a minority of buyers paid the extra to have it. It’s definitely worth hanging out for a used car with this pack on it, though, as it is a comprehensive set of kit comprising adaptive cruise control, lane departure and blind spot warning systems, cross-traffic assist system and more.
What is it? The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport is an all-new version of the brand’s traditional large car
Key features Much larger, upgraded interior, more safety kit
Our view The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport is a significant step forward over its predecessor, with better looks, more interior space and greater refinement. It also scores heavily on its low starting price, which is not at the expense of standard equipment.
Buyers are turning away from large, traditional cars. Big, generally dull machines such as the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and the Vauxhall Insignia have seen their sales eaten into by big SUVs, selling on their more imposing road presence and higher-up driving position. Others are opting instead for BMW or Mercedes-Benz badges as the upmarket manufacturers invade the market they previously looked down their noses at.
Mind you, the old Vauxhall Insignia was both dull and with far less room in the back than its size suggested. Vauxhall’s answer is to launch an all-new model, with five doors only, and to prove it’s all new to give it a slightly different name – enter the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport.
This is a much better looking car than its predecessor, with a swooping body style, sculpted doors and a sleek profile that at least gives it some presence in the company car parks most will live in.
Vauxhall believes it can still make such machines work – the Grand Sport is the first in a new range, joined by a Sports Tourer estate and an off-road styled Country Tourer. And the brand is boldly suggesting that at a time when everyone is watching their spending, the combination of the Insignia’s price, refinement and equipment could even persuade buyers to choose it instead of a BMW, Audi or Mercedes…
The new Insignia has a sleek profile that gives it quite a presence
Buying and owning a Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport
Cost is a prime weapon in Vauxhall’s efforts to persuade buyers into the Insignia Grand Sport. The car is priced from £17,185, which is £1500 cheaper than the cheapest outgoing Insignia. And depending on powertrain chosen the Insignia offers benefit-in-kind tax savings over rivals that could come close to £2,000 over a four-year period. Whole-life costs are tempting too, with potential savings of more than £5,500.
There are six engine choices, three petrol and three diesel with power outputs ranging from 110 to 260hp. All the petrol units are new, a 1.5-litre turbo with either 140 or 165hp and the range-topping 2.0-litre with 260hp. This engine only is matched to a new eight-speed auto transmission and all-wheel-drive.
Nothing so new in the diesel line-up – buyers get to choose from a 1.6-litre turbo with either 110 or 136hp, and the 2-litre turbo with 170hp. Six-speed manual gearboxes are standard, with six-speed autos also available.
Trim levels range across seven, but even the base Design level includes such niceties as air conditioning, electric heated mirrors, keyless entry and cruise control. Also standard is the IntelliLink infotainment system which includes DAB radio, Bluetooth and Apple/Android smartphone compatibility, but not satellite navigation – to get that on a one-inch larger screen you pay another £795 for Design Nav trim.
The Insignia also boasts an impressive safety package, scoring a five-star rating when tested by Euro NCAP. Plenty of driver assistance technology is available, though how much one gets depends on how much spends. Having said that, all cars include the Front Camera System, which powers such aids as a lane keeper, a forward collision alert, braking aids to reduce the severity of low-speed collisions and active emergency braking.
Also standard is Vauxhall’s OnStar assistance programme that allows access to a range of services from a central control centre and automatically alerts emergency services when it detects the car has been in an accident.
Inside the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport
The new Insignia has a cleaner and more elegant look to the interior
First impression on getting inside the Insignia is the space – it’s simply huge. Vauxhall has stretched the car by 55mm overall, and the space between the wheels by 92mm. In car terms this is a lot, and the roominess, particularly in the rear, will have in particular Skoda fans cursing – the Czech brand only recently put down an interior size challenge with its latest Superb.
It’s not all good news, however – the necessity of making the Insignia look good on the outside, courtesy of that swooping roofline, does translate to cosy headroom in the rear. The boot space is also similar to that in the old car, and looks quite impressive when one first opens the tailgate. But it will swallow significantly less luggage than will rivals from Volkswagen and particularly Skoda.
Adding to the refinement is the driver’s environment. Vauxhall has done a complete redesign, taking the smaller Astra as its benchmark, and by principally replacing many individual buttons with functions on then central touchscreen. The result is a cleaner, more elegant and yes premium look to the dash, while available options such as a head-up display add an extra layer of technological kudos.
The designers have also taken time to mould the car around the driver. The seat is easy to get comfortable in, if a little low, and the controls fall easily to hand. Overall the Insignia is an upmarket environment in which to travel many miles of motorway.
Driving the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport
The Insignia remains composed and calm through corners and over bumps
The diesel engine in our test car appeals to the core business market of the Insignia, being a 2.0-litre unit with 170hp on tap. This particular engine first appeared a couple of years ago, and it does its job very well, combining reasonable potency – a little over eight seconds to 60mph – with equally reasonable, if not outstanding, economy and emissions. More recent engines from rival brands are also more efficient in both miles per gallon and emissions.
All this is helped by some serious weight loss – the Grand Sport may be bigger than its predecessor but it tips the scales up to 175kg lighter.
Work the Insignia engine hard, however, and you will expose some rough edges to the refinement, with just an element of the old diesel clatter that simply shouldn’t be a part of today’s package. With smaller, more efficient diesels available and especially the new petrol engines, one wonders if the 2.0-litre oil burner can maintain its current popularity.
On the road the Insignia is certainly not a performance car – though we are promised a pretender in the forthcoming GSi version. But under cornering it remains composed, with enough feel through the steering wheel to enjoy progress through a series of bends.
In its natural environment, cruising on a motorway, it is highly refined. Bumps and indentations are soaked up by the effective chassis, and very little noise permeates through to the interior. This is possibly where the Insignia comes closest to proving itself an alternative to a more traditionally upmarket, and more expensive, rival.
Summary
Vauxhall will always struggle to completely rebrand the Insignia – the name has been around too long and gained a firm image as a sales rep’s motorway muncher. But the Grand Sport makes a bold bid to revise that image.
The car is better looking than its predecessor, with a much more upmarket interior. Its on-the-road performance will deliver all that the vast majority of its target market will ever need, and it comes in at a very competitive price. The Insignia Grand Sport should not be dismissed without a test drive.
Buying a new car? Insist it has Autonomous Emergency Braking and you could help save hundreds of lives, say road safety and motor industry bodies.
According to a coalition that includes experts on car and road design, fleet operations, driving for work, driver training and human behaviour, cars fitted with AEB systems could potentially save a total of 1,100 lives and 122,860 injuries over the next 10 years.
AEB systems scan the road ahead and will apply the brakes to avoid an impending crash with another vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist. While more manufacturers now offer the technology on their models, it is not standard equipment – so the answer is to persuade both private buyers and fleet managers to insist on AEB.
Cheap safety
“There’s an urgent need to change the consumer and fleet mind-set around car safety, especially when AEB can cost as little as £200,” says Peter Shaw, CEO of the UK’s Euro NCAP crash test representative Thatcham Research.
“Safety should be a deal-breaker, not a nice to have – if it doesn’t have AEB, it shouldn’t be a sale,” Shaw adds.
The call also has the full backing of the UK’s industry commercial vehicle body the Road Haulage Association. “Measures such as this need very little consideration – if the system has the potential to save lives then what’s to consider?” says CEO Richard Burnett.
“AEB systems have been fitted as standard to almost all newly registered heavy goods vehicles since November 2015. No matter how good a driver’s skills may be, the road network remains a dangerous place and any measure that can be taken to reduce that danger and the subsequent reduction in the risk of accidents is an obvious solution to a long standing, and distressing problem.”
According to the coalition, more buyers choosing AEB with their next car could result in 308 fewer deaths by 2025, and in the process save society £138 million.
Even budget models such as the SsangYong Tivoli can be specified with Autonomous Emergency Braking.
The Hyundai i30 N, the brand’s first outright performance model, will go on sale in January with prices starting from £24,995.
The petrol-engined hot hatch is the first car to be released under the N performance sub-brand that Hyundai intends to expand into other models. We are told the N stands for both Namyang – Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea where the car was created – and for the Nürburgring circuit in Germany, home to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre where the i30 N was developed.
Two versions of the car will be available, the i30 N and i30 N Performance, both using the same 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine. The stock model will produce 250hp, the i30 N Performance an extra 25hp. Torque figures are 353Nm across both cars, with an overboost feature that can add an extra 25Nm, resulting in a 6.4 second 0-62mph time for the i30 N, three tenths quicker for the Performance model.
Performance modifications
Added to the i30 standard equipment list are performance upgrades, including 18-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres, electronically controlled Suspension, 17-inch ventilated front brake discs with 16in rear versions. A Torque Vectoring System and steering wheel mounted Drive Mode Buttons allow the driver to customise engine and suspension settings.
The Performance version carries a £3,000 higher price tag. The alloy wheels grow to 19 inches with bespoke compound Pirelli P-Zero tyres, an electronic Limited Slip Differential is added and the brakes increased by an inch in diameter all round. An Active Variable Exhaust system adds a bespoke sound while inside the front seats are electric and upholstered in leather and suede.
Further modifications over stock i30 models include body stiffening – the front suspension strut rings are reinforced, the front subframe reinforced, a central tunnel support bracket added along with a rear stiffness bar across the rear wheel arches. Both cars include Launch Control to make the most of acceleration from a standing start, a Rev Match Function for more effective gear changes, and ‘Brake Control knock back pre-fill’ – this helps keep the braking response at a peak after high-load cornering.
Volvo is launching a premium leasing programme called ‘Care by Volvo’.
The scheme is regarded as an answer to the increasing trend, particularly amongst premium buyers, to lease a car rather than make an outright purchase.The Swedish brand claims that Care by Volvo will make running a car as simple as owning a mobile phone.
Described as a subscription service, the programme will be based on a pre-negotiated monthly fee, and will provide customers with a new car every 24 months.
Fixed prices
Volvo says that those using the service will not have to worry about traditional extras such as deposits, insurance, taxes, service fees and differing prices based on buyer age and their location. The programme will offer standard rates with no negotiations – research suggests that this is an element of the car-buying process that most puts off customers.
There are also plans to launch a range of digital concierge services to Care by Volvo customers – these could include fuelling and cleaning the car, picking it up for service and delivering online orders to it.
According to Volvo, even full-service leasing does not offer all the elements, such as digital services, planned for the Care by Volvo programme – there will even be a facility to switch cars temporarily.
The new programme is being launched with the new XC40 SUV and Volvo says buyers will be able to share their car with friends using a new digital key technology. This will be offered as standard to Care by Volvo customers.
“In a time where consumers are used to transparent flat fees for all sorts of services, the traditional process of buying and owning a car can be perceived as rather complicated – Care by Volvo changes all of that,” says Volvo president and CEO Håkan Samuelsson.
In the UK, Care by Volvo will be launched alongside the new Volvo XC40 when it arrives in early 2018, but only to customers inside the M25 to start with. The company intends to widen the reach of the programme and expand it to other models, as well as introducing the digital concierge services, over time.
The Volvo XC40 expands the Swedish manufacturer’s SUV line-up to three and gives it a direct rival to the Range Rover Evoque and Audi Q3 in the growing market for smaller premium SUVs.
Available to order now at prices from £27,905, and with first deliveries in early 2018, the XC40 is the first car built on the brand’s new modular vehicle architecture, CMA. All future 40 series cars will use this platform, which will include full electric vehicles.
The Volvo XC40 measures 4425mm long, which is 263mm less than its XC60 sister model, on a wheelbase of 2702mm. Volvo says that the new model offers a new take on interior storage, the same level of safety, connectivity and infotainment services available in the larger 60 and 90 series cars, and one of the best equipment levels in the sector.
Clever storage
New ideas for use of interior space include more storage in the doors and under the seats, a bespoke space for phones (including inductive charging), a fold-out hook for small bags and a removable waste bin in the tunnel console. Meanwhile among a suite of driver-assistance features available will be the Pilot Assist system with its semi-autonomous steering, and a 360-degree camera that helps drivers manoeuvre their car into tight parking spaces.
Styling-wise the XC40 will be clearly related to its larger siblings, though the interior is a step forward – the infotainment retains the portrait-style screen of the latest larger cars while the cockpit also includes a digital TFT display for the driver’s instruments.
Initial powertrain choices for the XC40 will range across 190hp D4 diesel or 250hp T5 petrol engines built to Volvo’s Drive-E programme. These will be added to later by the first model to use the brand’s new three-cylinder engine as well as hybrid and pure electric versions.
The Skoda Karoq SUV will cost from £20,875 when it goes on sale on 3rd October.
The newcomer, which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show, effectively replaces the Skoda Yeti and targets the booming compact SUV market and in particular the segment-leading Nissan Qashqai – though the Skoda’s starting price is almost £1,600 more than the Nissan.
Four engine options will be available to Karoq buyers at launch, with more expected to follow at some point. The choice will be between petrol units of 1.0-litre size with 115hp outlet and 1.5-litre with 150hp, and diesels of 1.6 115hp and 2.0 150hp – the latter the only engine that can be combined with all-wheel-drive. Six-speed manual gearboxes will be standard but seven-speed automatics will be optional.
Trio of trim levels
Three trim levels will be on offer, Skoda’s familiar SE and SE L and the new Edition grades, though the top Edition model will only be available with the 150hp engines. Among standard equipment on SE models are 17-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, LED rear lights, dual-zone climate control, front and pedestrian driver warnings and a driver fatigue sensor.
SE L models start from £23,165 and among the additional equipment are an increase in the alloy wheels to 18 inches, satellite navigation with and eight-inch touchscreen display, keyless entry and start/stop, full LED headlights with adaptive front lights, heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors with a camera on the rear, and Alcantara upholstery.
Range-topping Edition models, £2,595 more expensive than SE L equivalents, grow the wheels further to 19 inches, and add a panoramic sunroof, metallic paint and leather upholstery as standard.
The infotainment touchscreen grows too, to 9.2 inches and includes gesture control, an electric tailgate is fitted as is LED ambient lighting are several extra safety and driver assistance systems. These include a lane departure warning, blind spot protection with a rear traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.
First Skoda Karoq customers are likely to receive their cars in mid-January 2018.
The new Kia Stonic small SUV will cost from £16,295 to £20,495 when it arrives in showrooms at the end of next month.
The newcomer, which debuted at the Frankfurt motor show earlier in September, is Kia’s first entry in the booming small SUV/crossover market. Sales of such vehicles have soared by 50 per cent since 2014 and are expected to go up another 40 per cent by 2020 by which time across Europe there are expected to be 2.2 million such vehicles. Kia expects to sell at least 7,000 Stonics in the UK in 2018, rising to 10,000-plus a year.
The Stonic is based on the same underpinnings as the Rio supermini and reflects the trend among buyers to move out of smaller cars into small crossovers, which are felt to have more presence on the road. The Stonic measures 4140mm long which is only slightly more than the Rio, but it is 70mm taller and rides 42mm higher off the ground.
Five choices
Kia will offer the new model in five versions – three powertrains and two trim levels. Engine choices will be across 99hp 1.4-litre and 120hp 1-litre turbo petrol units, or a 1.6-litre turbodiesel of 110hp, all with six-speed manual gearboxes and stop-start functions. All versions will be front-wheel-drive – very few buyers in this market want all-wheel-drive.
All versions will be available in ‘2’ trim, but buyers will not be able to choose the 1.4 petrol with the higher specification ‘First Edition’ grade. Standard equipment in 2 models includes a 7-inch infotainment screen with DAB radio and MP3 compatibility, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. All models get a safety package that includes Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Management and a hill-hold system.
First Edition models upgrade the infotainment to a seven-inch touchscreen and navigation system with Kia’s Connected assistance service. Auto-emergency braking, a lane departure warning system, blind-spot warning and an alert of crossing traffic when reversing are also standard, along with a driver attention monitor and auto high-beam headlamps. The First Edition also features two-tone paintwork.
Ford has reduced its Mondeo range from seven to five models, trying to maintain sales in the face of the never-ending growth of SUVs at the expense of large saloons.
With 85% of Mondeo sales going to business users as company or lease vehicles, Ford has paid particular attention to reducing Benefit in Kind (BIK) tax liabilities, with reduced prices across the range.
On-road prices have been reduced by £2,500 on the entry-level Zetec Edition model up to £3,000 on the top-spec Vignale. Ford claims that this will save company car drivers of up to £240 per year, plus a £300 saving on an employer’s fleet National Insurance costs.
The price and specification revisions have also meant that finance and leasing prices remain competitive, with average lease prices remaining at current levels despite added equipment in each model.
The Mondeo range now starts with the Zetec Edition model AT £19,445 on-road, and then branches in either a more sporting direction (ST-Line and ST-Line Edition) or a more luxurious direction (Titanium Edition and Vignale). The ST-Line Edition and Titanium Edition models are new additions, while the Vignale flagship now incorporates the previously-optional Nero appearance pack. This includes dark-tinted 19-inch alloy wheels and dark chrome trim.
There are no mechanical updates, so the 2018 Mondeos will be the same as the current-spec cars to drive. First deliveries of the upgraded models should start in November.
The Frankfurt motor show is, by far, the largest motor show in Europe and held every two years. Geneva might be the darling of the supercar manufacturers, but Frankfurt is a tour de force for the big German car companies and other major brands.
This year, the overwhelming theme for almost everybody was electrification. Almost every concept car and new production model featured either a hybrid or fully-electric drivetrain of some sort. With numerous governments planning to ban purely petrol and diesel cars in coming decades (the UK expiry date for non-electrified new cars is 2040), the car manufacturers were rolling out their latest ideas for electric vehicles.
Three-pointed star of the show
There was no doubt about the leading attraction at Frankfurt this year. Mercedes-Benz finally took the wraps off its long-awaited Mercedes-AMG Project ONE supercar. As close as you can possibly get to a Formula One car for the street, this 1,000hp monster is powered by a hybrid powertrain developed from Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning F1 car.
Bentley’s next big leap
We’d already seen the photos, but Frankfurt marked the public debut for the all-new Bentley Continental GT, powered by a substantially reworked 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine. The original model revolutionised Bentley when it was launched in 2003, and was updated in 2010. Now the third-generation model promises to lead Bentley into the next decade, with a plug-in hybrid and possibly even a fully-electric model to follow.
Ferrari redefines the “entry-level” model
Replacing the successful California model, which has marked the gateway to the Ferrari range for the last decade, is the new Ferrari Portofino. With 600hp on tap and a handy 70kg weight reduction, however, its performance is anything but pedestrian. Styling is also smoothed out compared to the rather fussy California, especially with the folding hard-top roof in place.
Audi finally builds a rear-wheel drive car
For decades, Audi has championed the safety benefits of all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive over the driving dynamics of rear-wheel drive. When the brand took control of Lamborghini nearly 20 years ago, the first thing it changed was to add all-wheel drive to the Italian supercars to make them safer and easier to drive.
So it was to everyone’s great surprise that Audi whipped the covers off a special version of its R8 supercar called the RWS, which stands for Rear Wheel Series (as usual, Audi is great at catchy names). Only 999 are planned to be built, and they are likely to sell out quickly.
Ford has unveiled the new Focus RS Edition, claiming the vehicle provides even more driving appeal over the regular Focus RS for those looking for something extra.
Dynamic torque vectoring and a Quaife limited slip differential are the key features of the RS Edition, which can be differentiated from a garden-variety Focus RS by its searing Nitrous Blue paint with matte black and carbon fibre detailing.
Focused on performance
The Focus RS Edition boasts the same 350hp from the 2.3-litre engine as the regular Focus RS, but the Quaife LSD promises greater traction for improved acceleration. Ford claims the Focus RS Edition can reach 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, thanks to its combination of all-wheel drive, Quaife LSD and launch control system.
Inside, drivers will be welcomed by Recaro shell seats, trimmed in Nitrous Blue to match the exterior, and carbon fibre trim details throughout the cabin.
Standard safety technology includes privacy glass, rear parking sensors and an autonomous emergency braking system.
The Focus RS Edition was on display at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show, and is available to order now from £35,795.
Honda has announced at the Frankfurt motor show that electric technology will feature in every new model the brand launches in Europe.
The company aims for ‘electrified’ vehicles (conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles) to make up two-thirds of its new vehicle sales in Europe by 2025, as part of its ‘Electric Vision’ strategy. Globally, it hopes to achieve the same levels by 2030. This would set Honda well on the way to hitting the UK government’s requirement for all vehicles to be electrified by 2040.
To support this new vision, Honda also unveiled the Urban EV concept car and a CR-V Hybrid prototype at the show.
“Here in Europe, we see this move towards electrification gathering pace at an even higher rate than elsewhere,” said Honda President and CEO Takahiro Hachigo.
Hachigo also confirmed that the company’s electric future could be with us very soon, as a production version of the Urban EV has been confirmed for 2019. The futuristic design features of the concept could be the first glimpse of what future Honda vehicles may look like.
The CR-V Hybrid – set to launch in 2018 – will also be Honda’s first hybrid SUV available in Europe.
