Just like tins of Christmas confectionery, Volkswagen’s range-topping Arteon has succumbed to shrinkflation. But there is at least an added bonus.

Previously the fastest Arteon came fitted with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol TSI engine, producing 280 (metric) horsepower. However, the new 2019 model-year Arteon sees that figure drop to just 272hp.

In real terms this is a very modest power reduction and, perhaps more importantly, torque remains the same as before.

Sibling rivalries

With a standard 4Motion all-wheel drive system, and a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox, the 272hp Arteon remains one of the quickest models sold by Volkswagen.

Covering the 0-62mph sprint in 5.6 seconds, the revised Arteon accelerates just as quickly as the previous version. Top speed also remains more than sufficient for UK drivers at 155mph.

Only the illustrious Golf R is faster, making it the only new Volkswagens Arteon TSI 272 drivers will have to fear at the traffic lights.

Economic outputs

Ironically, the Golf R has also recently undergone a small engine performance reduction, seeing peak power drop by 10hp.

Blame it on the need for compliance with the latest World Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) emissions regulations, which has seen the Volkswagen Group make sweeping changes to engine lineups.

What it does mean for the Arteon is an increase in the official fuel consumption figures. Combined fuel economy is now recorded as 40.4mpg – an improvement of 1.7mpg. CO2 emissions have also fallen from 164g/km to 160g/km.

Those interested in the dramatically styled fastback can at least be pleased that Volkswagen has not increased prices.

Offered in a choice of two trim styles, the Arteon TSI 272 starts at £39,065 for the fancy Elegance version, or £39,850 for the sporty R-Line model.

Orders can be placed at your local Volkswagen dealership now.

The exclusive Range Rover SV Coupe went home a winner from the recent Interior Design 2018 Best of Year Awards.

Held for the past 13 years, the ceremony saw Interior Design magazine dish out prizes in a wide range of categories. From flooring and rug patterns, to even large-scale architecture projects, the awards cover a staggeringly wide array of topics.

This year saw automotive categories held for only the second time, and the limited edition Range Rover SV Coupe took the prize in the ‘Automotive: Overall Design’ class.

High rollers

According to Cindy Allen, Editor-in-Chief of Interior Design magazine, the automotive categories are important as ”good design moves both of our industries forward.”

With a design that pays tribute to the original two-door Range Rover, the modern SV Coupe retains the signature floating roof and tapered tail. Unlike the 1970 model, the SV wears gigantic 23-inch wheels – the biggest ever fitted to a Range Rover.

Such bling clearly impressed the judges at Interior Design, along with the contrasting interior trim options for the front and rear seats. Buyers can also specify a wealth of wood veneer options, plus bespoke badging and exterior paintwork.

Super luxury creation

Land Rover believes the SV Coupe is more analogous to a yacht or private jet in terms of interior accommodation. We imagine most of the 999 buyers for the big two-door creation already have boats and planes amongst their playthings.

Indeed, with a starting price tag of £250,000 ($295,000), the SV Coupe is certainly an exclusive offering.

Along with the knowledge that their SV Coupe is an award winner, buyers also have the satisfaction of owning the fastest full-size Range Rover. A top speed of 165mph is matched with a 0-60mph sprint in 5.0 seconds.

Honoree recognition went to the new Volvo XC40, and Infiniti QX50, making the Overall Design category an all-SUV affair.

Volvo did however win the prize in the Automotive: Innovation category, courtesy of the futuristic 360c concept, unveiled earlier this year.  

Lighting a candle for some added cosiness this winter could be tantamount to firing up a diesel generator in your front room. That’s according to scientists at Copenhagen University, who have been investigating what else candles emit other than light and homeliness.

Joining the obvious dangers of fire are particles that reportedly cause more damage than the nitrogen oxide fumes from a diesel car engine. Yes, the very same NOx fumes that have so dominated newsrooms and courtrooms alike in recent years. Is this candlegate?

• U-turn by EU lawmakers could mean a total ban on diesel cars

All joking aside, the scientists conducted tests on mice involving continuous exposure to the candles as they burned. Effects found included ageing on chromosomes in the lungs, lung inflammation and arteriosclerosis. The lead author of this study, Professor Peter Møller, reckons the issue of what these candles and other home combustibles emit is under-researched.

It seems to be a mostly Danish issue, however. The Danes burn more candles than any other country on Earth, according to Professor Lars Gunnarsen, who sits on the scientific advice committee for the Danish Health Authority.

House fire rates seem to jump in the region around this time of year, too. The numbers seem to correlate with this ‘hygge’ period – an originally Danish but now Europe-wide cultural phenomenon of cosiness and snuggling. “We have lots of candles inside homes so we can hygge; it is something we have done forever. But people do stupid things,” said Mads Dalgaard of the Danish emergency management agency BRS.

“Hygge is a wonderful thing… but beware of candles.”

Well, we’ve been warned. Not only can fashionable scented candles start fires, but they can also attack your lungs more aggressively than a dirty old diesel. Beware that the ambience isn’t all you’re basking in this Christmas.

Read more:

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Meridien Modena in Lyndhurst has been named Ferrari Dealer of the Year 2018 and given an F1 car once raced by Michael Schumacher for its efforts.

The dealership, on the south coast of England, is now showing off the F1-2002 Scuderia Ferrari F1 car in its showroom, alongside other new and used Ferrari road cars.

The Dealer of the Year award is the highest accolade an official Ferrari dealer can receive.

It’s not the first time Meridien Modena has been honoured by Ferrari Maranello, though. In 2018, it was named Aftersales Dealer of the Year, and in 2014, it won the Showroom of the Year prize.

For those two awards, it was given an engine each time: one from the Ferrari FF and one from the Portofino. Stepping up to actually receiving a car marks Meridien Modena’s status as the only Ferrari dealer in the world to have ever received all three awards.

“Being recognised as Ferrari’s Dealer of the Year 2018 means so much to a family owned business like ours,” said Meridien director Glenn Butt.

“All of our customers are the driving force behind this achievement, and we would like to thank them for their continued support.”

Assessment criteria for Ferrari’s Dealer of the Year award include sales, aftersales, marketing and events – with special emphasis also placed on customer service and satisfaction.  

Meridien Modena has been a Ferrari official dealer since 2000, after opening in Lyndhurst in 1988. The 70-strong team includes seven technicians trained at the Ferrari factory in Italy, and three apprentices from the official apprenticeship scheme.

The Bloodhound land-speed record will continue under the ownership of a new investor, despite a previous announcement that appeals for funding had been unsuccessful.

“We have been overwhelmed by the passion that clearly exists for Bloodhound and are thrilled that we have been able to secure a buyer who is able to give this inspiring project a future,” said Andrew Sheridan, partner at specialist advisory firm FRP Advisory LLP.

The 1,000mph car’s future has been hanging in the balance since October, when the project went into administration. As of now, however, a Yorkshire-based investor by the name of Ian Warhurst has secured Bloodhound and all its associated assets for an undisclosed amount.

• Bloodhound bleeding out: land-speed record project urgently seeks funding

“Ian has a strong background in managing highly successful businesses in the automotive engineering sector and he will bring considerable expertise to bear in taking the project forward,” said Sheridan of the project’s new custodian.

An update on what Warhurst’s plans are for the project is due early in 2019. The car has been tested up to 200mph and preparations for a track on which to make a full-speed run were underway.

By all accounts, a legitimate attempt was possible in the not-too-distant future. Here’s hoping this new-found funding is enough to get Bloodhound SSC to a new land-speed record.

Read more:

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• Volkswagen GTI range expands into new niches for Christmas
• Land Rover turns Eastnor into a winter wonderland for Christmas

The M48 Seven Bridge and M4 Prince of Wales Bridge are both now free to use, as tolls are abolished on Monday 17 December for the first time in more than half a century.

The abolition of tolls has been timed to help people make a Christmas getaway into Wales for free, rather than paying a fee to use the Severn Crossings.

Government officials estimate it could save regular commuters as much as £1,400 a year. The Welsh economy will also get a £100 million boost.

“Businesses will also benefit from strengthened links between communities ranging from west Wales to the south west of England by making it easier for consumer and employees to cross the border.”

The fee for crossing the Severn was £5.60 for cars, £11.20 for double-cab pickups and £16.70 for HGVs and coaches. The fee only applied westbound, from England into Wales: the reverse journey was free.

The final person to pay the Severn Crossing toll was Welsh secretary Alun Cairns.

“The end of the tolls is a major limestone for the economies of south Wales and south west of England,” he said, “and will remove historic barriers between communities.

“Delivering this has been one of my key aims as Welsh secretary.

“A week before Christmas, drivers will no longer have to pay every time they cross the border… helping the cost of living and leaving them with more cash to spend in their local areas.”

The original Severn Bridge was opened in 1966 by Queen Elizabeth II. It was listed in 1999. The Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996, and was renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge earlier this year.

Cutting tolls was a manifesto pledge in the Conservatives’ 2017 General Election campaign.

Land Rover is the only car company to use the grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire to develop its vehicles. It also now becomes the only automaker to hold a festive winter wonderland there.

Running in the build-up to Christmas, the Land Rover Experience at Eastnor has become yet more magical with a wintery makeover, a magical off-road course and even Santa’s Grotto where the big man himself has taken up residence.

Land Rover will run the experience this weekend (15 December) and also on the 22 December. There’s something there for all ages to experience, it says – from bauble painting and tree decorating for the kids, to a fun off-road drive through the forest for adults (and there are ‘forest friends’ hidden along the way for children in the back to spot).

Eastnor venue manager Will Garrity says the package has been developed to “appeal to all ages [rather than] focus on entertainment for the younger members of the group”.

Two packages are on offer. The ‘Santa Package’ costs £35 for a family of four and includes the tree decorating activities and a visit to Santa’s Grotto.

The ‘Santa and Drive Package’ is £139 and this includes the 45-minute drive at Eastnor, taking in slippery inclines, muddy ruts, deep water and extreme drops.

What’s it like? The Aucock clan tried it out on a pre-launch weekend, and it’s safe to say everyone loved it. Land Rover’s complex at Eastnor is a cheery place to visit anyway, but doubly so when you’re seven and four and about to go off-roading for the first time.

I drove the Discovery, our instructor was in the passenger seat and Daisy and George got the birds’ eye view out as Mrs. A sat in the middle. Well, they had forest friends to spot – and they got them all, despite pausing to scream every now and then as we drove down another sheer slope or crawled around a concrete slope at 30 degrees sideways. 

Buzzing, we arrived back at base, for toasted marshmallows, cookies and mince pies, and SNOW! 

Then, in to see Santa, before heading back out to consume more sugar before the drive home in darkness.

It was all really rather lovely, and helped get us in a cheery festive mood. If you like Land Rovers, and the countryside, and Father Christmas, I’m sure you’ll like it too. Follow the link to book a place… but be quick! Santa won’t be there for much longer as he’s got presents to load onto his sleigh, you know.

Home electric car chargepoints will be smart and accessible remotely from July 2019, the government has announced. What’s more, it will continue to fund them.

In committing to the existing chargepoint grant of £500, roads minister Jesse Norman hope to make the UK “the best place in the world to build and own an electric vehicle.

• There will be more electric car chargers than petrol stations by 2020
• Electric car chargepoints ‘will become law at petrol stations’

“We have already supported the installation of over 100,000 home chargepoints. Now the measures announced today will give more people the opportunity to make the move to electric.”

A smart chargepoint can be remotely accessed and is able to receive, interpret and react to a signal. This enables ‘smart charging’ – which will manage peak electricity demand and ensure the electricity grid is not overloaded.

Consumers will also benefit because a smart charger can tap into cheaper off-peak electricity.

• Google Maps now shows where to charge your electric car

Part of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme which was introduced in 2014, more than 60,000 grants have been supported to date. The government’s 2018 Road to Zero strategy, now targets all new cars to be “effectively zero emissions by 2040”.

If it is to deliver on this, in just 12 years’ time, it needs to start building the infrastructure now.

“Today’s measures will make it easier for consumers to move towards electric vehicles,” said automotive minister Richard Harrington.

The Road to Zero Strategy, adds the government, amounts to nearly £1.5 billion of investment “and represents one of the world’s most comprehensive packages of support for zero-emission vehicles”.