The main focus of Kia’s UK SUV range is the top-selling Sportage mid-size and, increasingly, the Stonic small crossover. But the firm does sell a third SUV, the range-topping Sorento large SUV seven-seater. And, to give it a boost for 2018, it’s bringing in a sporty-look new GT-Line Series.
Offered in GT-Line and GT-Line S guise, the fancy new Sorentos have 19-inch alloys and red brake calipers, Kia’s distinctive ‘ice cube’ foglights, twin exhausts and either GT-Line projection headlights or, on the S, full LED lamps.
Both cars also have black leather seats with contrast grey stitching, perforated leather steering wheel and a GT-Line leather gearshifter for the eight-speed auto. Yes – an eight-speed auto, which keen Sorento watchers will know is two more gears than before.
This new eight-speed gearbox improves average fuel economy of the 2.2-litre CRDi turbodiesel to 43.5mpg combined, with a subsequent (small) cut in CO2 from 174g/km to 170g/km. Unlike many who offer eight-speed automatics, this isn’t ZF-sourced technology, but is an in-house Kia-Hyundai design.
You even get standard paddleshifters on the new GT-Line models.
If you don’t mind a bit of physical input, the six-speed manual alternative averages up to 49.6mpg and emits as low as 149g/km CO2; all Sorentos use the same 197bhp CRDi motor.
Changes elsewhere are more limited, with KX-1, KX-2 and KX-3 models continuing with the same equipment lines, including standard all-wheel drive. Kia has, however, added standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to all models, to the undoubted delight of smartphone users.
As the new Aston Martin Vantage finally breaks cover, we’re finding ourselves getting all misty-eyed over the 2005 original. Early examples can now be bought for less than £30,000 – but would it be a wise move to invest in an ‘baby’ Aston rather than the more conventional Porsche 911?This review on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was first published on MotoringResearch.com in 2005.
Ulrich Bez is a matey guy, a polo shirt and trainers man when half his guests are in jacket and tie. And he bats off my comment over dinner about the steering in a light-hearted manner. “Of course the steering has enough feedback – you just need to drive it faster.”
He may be right. We’ve had a short 40 miles behind the wheel of his new V8 Vantage, a car he takes enormous personal pride in. The Tuscan roads are slow with holiday traffic and plenty of tight corners, and there’s little chance to stretch the legs of the Vantage even in third gear, let alone the final three. It’s enough time to find out that the gearchange is heavy work, the engine roars like a wounded lion and it goes like hell. It is also the most drop dead gorgeous coupe you’ll buy in 2005.
Some argue that Aston Martin is running a risky tactic by making its three models all so closely similar. It’s all very well building a family likeness, but the DB9 is so similar in size and appearance to the Vanquish that even AM salesman are known to make mistakes (tell-tale – the bonnet line on the DB9 runs right through to the front of the car, the Vanquish has a front bumper). That’s more than a minor issue when the Vanquish costs 50% more.
The lower and more compact Vantage stands apart, the taughter, tougher kid brother. It owes a great deal to the DB9 though, the company strategy being to build both on a common engineering platform. There are, too, some remarkable visual similarities when you look a little more closely. Doors, bonnet, dashboard and seats all look identical and indeed some are, final trimming apart. Aston Martin has gone bust five times and by making savings like these Dr Bez is making sure that it doesn’t happen a sixth.
Economies of scale help too. 3000 V8 Vantages a year is the business plan and with close to 6,000 names already on the list, things look good, though they will look better still when a deposit has been collected on each car. The big deal for any potential Vantage owner is the exclusivity. Porsche build the 911 at ten times the rate. Maserati and Ferrari sales are closer in volume but both offer a different ownership proposition to the British machine.
So just what are you buying into with this new Aston Martin? The raw details are a 4.3-litre quad-cam, 32 valve V8 producing 380bhp at 7000rpm and 410Nm of torque at 5000rpm. The engine is pushed so far back under the bonnet that the balance is almost exactly 50:50 front:rear; the rear-mounted Graziano 6-speed gearbox aids the equilibrium. Bodywork is a mix of aluminium, composite and, surprisingly steel – those curvaceous rear wings would be too heavy in composite and too floppy in alloy. Everything is mounted on, or hung off, AM’s unique VH Vertical Horizontal aluminium chassis architecture.
This is all a far cry from Aston Martins of old, yet it comes together with devastating efficiency. Everything about the Vantage is sharp. The acceleration, the steering, the engine note, the sheer presence of the machine. It reaches 100kph in 4.8 seconds and, like the DB9, the engine has a soundtrack that sends a tingle down your spine. In place of the higher frequency shriek of the 2+2 there’s a more guttural bellow of a V8 that’s talking serious business. This may be more commonplace in the US and Australia, but it adds a fresh dimension for European supercar drivers.
And onlookers. If you think car from Gaydon sounds good inside, the added dimension of volume and an extra crackle puts this alongside an F430 in the jaw-dropping stakes. For those who judge their cars by the impact they make on others, Aston Martin has got it spot on in both aural and visual terms.
At 1570kg it’s both lighter and nimbler than a DB9, and can polish off a lap at Nurburgring a good eight seconds quicker. But compared to the 3.8-litre 911 Carrera S, the Vantage’s 25bhp power advantage doesn’t seem to outweigh its additional 150kg. I say “seem” because comparisons at this stage are necessarily tentative but there is little doubt that below 4,000rpm the Vantage feels fast but without the punch of the German rival.
As for the steering, there is no denying it does what’s asked of it very well. The turn-in response is sharp and immediate. The test cars were on the optional 19 inch rims, and the grip from the Bridgestone Potenza tyres is unwavering. Punch the Vantage aggressively into and then out of bends and the DSC stability control does its stuff with little intrusion, but such is the measure of adhesion in the dry that you have to deliberately provoke the car to get to that state. The truth is, though, that you never get the level of feedback through the wheel, that final intimate delicacy, that gives you the confidence to enjoy to final reaches of the driving envelope. It does ride well, however, even on those bigger wheels.
The shift quality is undoubtedly an issue, but swapping around cars suggests that mileage may ease the heavy nature. Certainly the downshift from third to second for a tight curve can take long enough for the revs to drop off after a bit of deft heel and toe work. There will be alternatives before too long anyway, either a full auto box or a similar paddle shift system to the Vanquish.
Dr Bez takes pride in the fact that he can get his mountain bike in the back of a 911, and says you can do the same in the Vantage. Both sound unlikely scenarios, but there’s little doubt that the Aston’s lifting tailgate means you’ll get a couple of golf bags or skis in. Boot capacity for more everyday luggage is impressive, and there’s plenty of room for a couple of soft bags and coats behind the seats too.
The interior may take the fascia and seats straight from the DB9 but it feels snugger and more focussed inside. This is an extremely comfortable environment to contemplate an expedition across continents, though there’s little of the visual delight of a Maserati or Ferrari. While the wood panelling of the DB9 would be out of place, it’s all a bit too monochrome to make an impact.
With the move away from the hand built legacy of Newport Pagnell to the hand assembly of Gaydon in Warwickshire, Aston Martin is striving to hang onto the bespoke tag that its cars have always enjoyed. So the leather is all hand stitched and the fact that the stitching sometimes veers away from total machine-produced perfection, rather adds to the appeal rather than detracts. The engines still have the craftsman’s name etched onto a plaque, but these days, like the V12s of the DB9 and Vanquish, they are hand assembled in Köln Germany and shipped over for installation.
The V8 Vantage may hark bark to the style and ethos of Aston Martins of old but, with absolute necessity, the engineering design and manufacturing processes have changed completely. The new baby Aston may have a few question marks over its final execution, but there’s little doubt that it is the right car at the right time.
The used car market is four times the size of the new car market in Britain. We buy more than 8 million secondhand cars every year, which means that the research activity around used cars is also huge.
Auto Trader is Britain’s biggest online used car marketplace, so its insights count. And it has just released figures that reveal Britain’s most searched for cars in 2017.
Search for a used car on Auto Trader
It is claimed 4 in 5 dealers selling used cars in Britain advertise on Auto Trader. Interestingly, 7 in 10 people using it do so via a mobile device: the smartphone is powering Britain’s used car searches more than ever before. There are a lot of them, too: 60 million cross-platform visits every month, says the analytics data.
Which, then, are the top 10 most searched for used cars in 2017? From the top, join us as we count them down.
10: Vauxhall Astra
The Vauxhall Astra has been built in Britain in years, and has been a top 10 new car best-seller for decades too. Needless to say, it’s a popular used car purchase as well – although perhaps not as popular as it used to be…
As the most-searched rankings of 2017 prove, Brits love their secondhand premium cars. The first entry in the top 10 is for Mercedes-Benz, with the executive-sized E-Class range.
The only Audi in the top 10 used car chart is the premium hatchback A3. It’s a posh alternative to cars such as the Ford Focus (and the Vauxhall Astra), and it was the eighth most-searched used car on Auto Trader in 2017.
The Ford Fiesta has topped the new car rankings for, literally, years. It’s no surprise to see it also appear in the top 10 used car searches, but it is a surprise to see it down in seventh place. Used car buyers are less eager to own a Fiesta than new car buyers, it seems.
The first BMW is, as with Mercedes-Benz, the executive-sized 5 Series. The 5er beats its arch-rival from Stuttgart though, with its driver-focused appeal seeming to hit the spot for more secondhand buyers than the plush Merc.
Following up the big 5 Series is BMW’s family hatch contender, the 1 Series. It’s not the most practical of cars, with rear seat space compromised by its rear-wheel drive layout, but the resultant enthusiast-pleasing drive impresses many a used car buyer.
The Ford Focus trails the Fiesta in the new car sales charts, but the tables are turned in the used car rankings. That’s despite the Fiesta brand name being around since the 1970s; the Focus only arrived in the late 1990s. Ford’s family fave also outranks its Vauxhall Astra arch-rival.
It’s an all-German top-3 in the most-searched used car rankings 2017. First up is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a classy mid-size executive car that’s also a regular visitor to the top 10 new car sales charts.
In second place is Britain’s most sought-after used family hatchback, the Volkswagen Golf. It’s been sold since the 1970s and the firm has built more than 36 million of them: despite the Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal, many thousands of secondhand car buyers still hanker after a Golf.
Britain’s most searched-for used car in 2017 is… the same as 2016. And 2015. And… indeed the BMW 3 Series has been the most searched for secondhand car in Britain for seven years running. We really do love the 3 Series.
We also love our premium brands – Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz appear six times in the top 10 used car searches. Ford? Just twice, with Vauxhall appearing just once. When it comes to the used car market, secondhand buyers are hunting for luxury premium brands more than ever.
Auto Trader has also broken down its search rankings in 2017 by fuel type. This is in recognition of the increased demonisation of diesel in 2017. So, which is the diesel we’re keenest to search for? Why, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the BMW 3 Series.
It might be encouraging for Volkswagen to see that in the petrol car rakings, the Golf actually leads the BMW 3 Series. For more than 8 million secondhand car buyers, the scourge of dieselgate may already have been overcome…
Want to ditch diesel and petrol to go for an alternative fuel car instead? A hybrid is a great stepping stone to fully-electric cars, but the leader of the British market for hybrids perhaps isn’t the car you’d think – yes, the Toyota Prius has the awareness, but sales of the British-built Toyota Auris Hybrid still better it in the UK, which carries through to the used car market.
Zero-emissions electric cars comprise an ever-greater proportion of new car sales. The market leader is the Nissan Leaf, and it carries through this advantage to used car searches too – but there are some surprises amongst the top 10 cars. Predictions for the electric Mercedes-Benz B-Class coming out in third place, beating the Renault Zoe, anyone?
To some people, the auction catalogue for the forthcoming sale of 65 cars from the Citroen Conservatoire collection might seem like one of those chocolate selection boxes you’ll receive this Christmas.
It promises so much on the outside, but once you’ve prized open the box, you discover an awful lot of filler and not much in the way of tasty treats. I say to ‘some people’ while acknowledging that to Citroen enthusiasts, this remains a rare and exciting opportunity.
Exciting, and perhaps a little dispiriting. Allow me to explain.
Back in the summer – remember that? – I was fortunate enough to spend a morning in the Citroen Conservatoire, surrounded by some of the firm’s all-time greats. From concept cars to presidential limos, and motorsport heroes to true icons, the warehouse is like a dimly-lit spotlight on the history of Citroen.
While there, I was told about a ‘reserve’ collection: more cars in another part of the building, off-limits to anyone beyond Citroen circles. I tried, unsuccessfully, to gain access. If your name’s not down, etc, etc.
Fast forward a few months and Citroen has thrown open the doors to the reserve collection, as it prepares to move away from the sprawling Aulnay-sous-Bois site and to L’Aventure Peugeot Citroen DS in Sochaux.
With a collection of more than 400 cars and associated memorabilia, something has to give, which is why 65 vehicles and 90 items of automobilia are deemed surplus to requirements.
It all feels a bit like clearing the attic following the loss of a loved one. It’s not that anybody or anything has died – although no cars have been produced at Aulnay-sous-Bois factory since 2012, and the Citroen and DS divorce was a little awkward – it just seems a tiny bit sad to see the collection split up.
I’ve seen the auction lots described as ‘weird and wonderful’, but to casual onlookers and non Citroenians, the collection will be more ‘weird and a little underwhelming’. You won’t find a proper DS, SM or 2CV in the sale. There is a Traction Avant, mind, which is very much the genesis of modern Citroen.
You’re unlikely to find the items of automobilia featured in any auction previews, but there are some genuinely significant lots. Racing overalls worn by the likes of Jacky Ickx, Timo Salonen and Hubert Auriol are expected to fetch between €200 and €500 each.
There are numerous photos, brochures, models and dealer display items on offer, along with spare parts for a Citroen ZX Rallye Raid, if you feel the urge to take your ZX Aura to Dakar. Fancy the bonnet from Sébastien Loeb’s Xsara WRC car? It could be yours for between €500 and €1,000.
But, as ever, the cars are the stars, so what will see me hovering over the ‘bid’ button come 2pm on 10 December? Nobody asked me to create a list of my top 15 auction cars, but here are my favourites anyway.
Citroen GS: €2,500 – €5,000 (£2,250 – £4,500)
I managed to grab a brief go in a Citroen GS X3 during my visit to the Conservatoire, realising a lifelong ambition to drive one of the best cars my father owned when I was a child. You can read about it here.
This Spanish-registered GS is much older than my father’s, and indeed the X3 I drove in July, but it has covered just 921km from new and features the same red interior I remember from my youth.
Franco Sbarro has done some wild and crazy things with Citroens over the years, with the Berlingo a particular favourite of the Swiss coachbuilder. The Flanerie is like some kind of theme park safari ride that has managed to end up in a game of Crazy Taxi.
Citroen AX: €3,000 – €6,000 (£2,750 – £5,250)
There’s an electric Citroen AX available in the auction, but this one appeals because it was donated to the collection by Auguste Genovese, a former director at the Citroen plant in Rennes. It has covered just 11,414km since it rolled off the production line in 1991.
Citroen Visa Super: €1,500 – €3,000 (£1,250 – £2,750)
When was the last time you saw a Citroen Visa, let alone one as early as this? As a Super, it’s powered by a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine, and features the wonderfully idiosyncratic dashboard of the early cars. Also, note the polypropylene bumper and grille.
Given the crazy prices being achieved by certain performance cars of the 80s and 90s, this Citroen BX GTI has a reasonable pre-auction estimate. It has picked up a few battle scars in storage, but there are only 21,499km on the clock.
Just 2,600 Xantia Activa V6 models were ever produced, all left-hand drive. Which means the V6 was never officially exported to the UK, making this the holy grail of the Xantia Activa world. There are just 1,575km on the clock. *Bites the back of his hand*
Citroen ZX Reflex: €800 – €1,500 (£725 – £1,250)
You have to wonder where the likes of this ZX Reflex will end up. It’s in excellent condition, as you’d expect from a 20-year-old car with 1,765km on the clock, but will it be used on the road or stored away in a private collection?
This isn’t the tidiest or lowest mileage Citroen XM in the auction, but it’s arguably the most interesting. It was owned by Roger Hanin, who played the lead role in the French TV police drama, Navarro. Hanin was also the brother-in-law of President Mitterrand.
Citroen Ami 6: €800 – €1,200 (£725 – £1,000)
Being polite, this 1961 Ami 6 is blessed with a delightful patina, but in truth, it’s in need of a complete restoration. These were incredibly popular in France, but less so in the UK.
Simply wonderful. In mileage terms (15,220km), this is effectively a one-year-old Citroen CX. Not only that, it’s a Series 1, complete with the idiosyncratic dashboard layout and desirable Pallas trim. Oh, to be able to drive home from Paris in this.
The C4 Cactus is arguably the most Citroen of modern Citroens, although the facelift version will see it lose some of its eccentricity. This is the C-Cactus concept of 2013, which built on the original design from 2007. It wasn’t a massive leap from concept to production.
Citroen C5: €3,000 – €6,000 (£2,750 – £5,250)
This appeals more than it should, but to me, the original Citroen C5 has ‘future classic’ written all over it. It features clever active hydropneumatic suspension – so it’s a proper Citroen – while the 3.0-litre V6 petrol is the ‘right’ engine. A €6,000 upper estimate for a C5 with 1,151km on the clock seems like excellent value
Citroen Xsara Coupe VTR: €3,500 – €5,500 (£3,000 – £4,900)
There’s no Xsara VTS in the auction – although I was told about one in the ‘reserve’ collection – so this phase 2 VTR will have to do. With 477km on the clock, it’s practically brand new, and you’ll stand more chance of becoming friends with Claudia Schiffer if you buy it. Probably.
I make no apology for featuring a second Citroen Xantia because this is essentially a brand new and very early 2.0-litre 16v model. The mileage: an incredible 89km. Stick a Ford badge on the front, and you could add a zero to the upper estimate. Don’t be surprised to see this break into five figures.
The Tubik was unveiled in 2011 and soon became part of the furniture at subsequent motor shows. My highly original plan for this: turn it into a mobile deli and tour festivals like some kind of Type H van from the future.
Restricting myself to 15 cars was tough because the other 50 vehicles hold strong appeal. The C-Elysee WTCC car could be fun, and I’m drawn to the Citela, Iltis and FAF, not to mention the Meharis, in various states of repair.
One thing’s for sure: I’m very, very tempted to register for online bidding, with the Xantias top of the wish list. Or maybe I should concentrate on perfecting the cars I already own.
It might be sad to see the Citroen collection being broken up and moving away from the famous old factory, but there’s no denying that this is a terrific opportunity for fans of the weird and wonderful.
Or maybe it’s the fans who are weird and wonderful. About that low-mileage ZX Reflex…
Ford has revealed the latest RS Edition limited-run model – and this time, it’s painted in Race Red paint, a suitably festive colourscheme for the future collectable. Ordering is already open, too: prices start from £36,295.
The new Focus RS Red Edition follows the template set by other ‘Edition’ RS. It contrasts the red paint with black 19-inch alloys concealing grey brake calipers, and also has a black roof, door mirrors and rear spoiler.
Inside, there are part-leather Recaro seats and some flashy carbon trim for the dashboard. More importantly, underneath, Ford fits a Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential, for better traction and less wheelspin.
The RS Edition has been developed by the Ford Performance division, building upon the already-impressive regular RS. Key to it is this Quaife LSD: Ford of Europe performance director Leo Roeks said it “makes it even easier to carry speed through a corner on the track and maximise acceleration on the way out.
“The new setup also delivers greater mechanical stability and control when braking hard, and will help drivers set the car up for power-slides using Drift Mode.”
“The Focus RS Edition represents accessible performance at its finest”, said Andy Barratt, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain. “As RS production nears its end, we wanted to celebrate with a limited run of cars for those who want to stand out as an RS fan.”
Ford says it will build the 300 Focus RS Red Editions between February and March 2018, with deliveries beginning in the spring.
Nissan’s Sunderland car factory is the biggest automotive manufacturing plant in the UK. It has now begun production of the much-anticipated second-generation Leaf electric car, which the firm hopes will sell in even larger numbers than the class-leading current model.
It’s an important milestone for Nissan to successfully switch from the first-generation Leaf over to the new car. The first customer deliveries are scheduled for February 2018, meaning it was vital to start production this side of Christmas to ensure dealers received their stocks of cars in time.
Cue a very excited Nissan Europe vice president for manufacturing Kevin Fitzpatrick. “Nissan led the way in introducing electric vehicles to Europe in 2011, and every year since then it’s been clear that more and more customers share our vision for the future of driving.”
The launch of the new car couldn’t be better timed, as British car buyers increasingly move away from diesel cars into modern petrol cars and, increasingly, alternative fuel vehicles such as fully-electric models.
With a longer range of 235 miles on a single charge, plus better performance, refinement, onboard technology and overall design, the Leaf is one of the most anticipated mainstream new car launches of 2018.
Nissan has built the Leaf in the UK since 2013, following investment of over £400 million by the firm. Since then, a further £36 million has been invested in Nissan Sunderland to support more than 2,000 jobs: it is a significant vote of confidence in UK automotive and the British workforce by Nissan to build the new Leaf here.
The firm will be hoping UK car buyers reward this with continued growth in new car sales…
There’s been no shortage of car-related news this year. So far in 2017, Motoring Research has published 825 news stories – from the rather serious to the downright bizarre. While there hasn’t been a ‘Dieselgate’ moment in 2017, the government has announced plans to ban sales of all new petrol and diesel from 2040, while the anti-diesel agenda appears to be building.
Meanwhile, Lamborghini has revealed an SUV, while Renault’s new Alpine brand has launched a sports car that appears to be a genuine Porsche Cayman rival. In no particular order, we’ve selected our top news stories of 2017. Read on…
New Ford Fiesta arrives
While this might not sound like a massive deal, the Ford Fiesta constantly tops the charts as the UK’s best-selling car. That’s incredible, seeing as the outgoing model is largely the same when it first appeared in 2008. It’s important, then, that Ford doesn’t mess it up – and fortunately, it hasn’t. From our first drive in June, it was clear that the Fiesta is going to be another surefire winner for Ford, with impressive handling and a much improved interior compared with its predecessor.
Audi lost the plot
In a move intended to better reflect the performance on offer from electric powertrains, Audi replaced its current model designations with a new naming structure. Great, except it’s incredibly confusing. The Audi A8 3.0 TDI petrol is now badged the A8 50 TDI, while the 3.0-litre TFSI petrol is now the 55 TFSI. We’ve got the full explanation here.
General Motors sold Vauxhall to PSA…
PSA Group acquired Vauxhall/Opel from General Motors earlier this year, as part of a deal amounting to £1.9 billion. It led to uncertainty at Vauxhall’s UK plants, while it made PSA the second biggest car manufacturer in Europe – behind Volkswagen Group. The first ‘French Vauxhall’, the Crossland X, is now on sale. But not all is well at Vauxhall…
…and then PSA asks for a refund
Yup, PSA Group decided it wasn’t happy with the deal and went crawling back to General Motors asking for some of its cash back. You couldn’t make it up. “We became aware a few weeks after we finalised the closing that the company was going to the wall on CO2 emissions,” said Peugeot chief Carlos Tavares. That’ll cost some serious cash to sort out, unless it wants to be hit with heavy fines from the EU.
Aston Martin reveals its new Vantage
This is the Aston Martin we’ve been waiting a long time for: the new Vantage has finally arrived. While its looks are dividing opinion (few would argue it looks as pretty as its 2005 predecessor), it certainly stands out in its Lime Essence launch colour. It’ll pack a punch, too, with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG and producing 510hp. While it’ll be auto-only at first, Aston assures us a manual is on its way…
Richard Hammond crashes
Another series of The Grand Tour, another headline-hitting crash. The Hamster (does anyone still call him that?) was competing in a hillclimb event in Switzerland, at the wheel of a Rimac Concept One electric supercar. While the pictures from the scene were quite dramatic, Hammond managed to climb out of the car before it burst into flames. His worst injury was a fractured knee, which required an operation.
New Tesla hits 60mph in 1.9 seconds…
“The new Tesla Roadster will be the fastest production car ever made,” said Tesla boss Elon Musk as the firm revealed its 2+2 electric sports car. With a claimed 0-60mph time of 1.9 seconds, that’s hard to dispute, especially as it’ll apparently hit 100mph in 4.2 seconds and be good for a top speed of more than 250mph.
While intriguing, the new Tesla Roadster won’t be arriving before 2020 at the earliest. And it wasn’t the coolest thing Tesla announced this year.
…while this truck will do it in 5.0 seconds
Yes, that credit goes to this all-electric truck, which will supposedly hit 60mph in five seconds flat and return a 500-mile range. Sounds the stuff of fantasy, right? Maybe so. Orders are open, though, with truckers being asked to put down a $5,000 deposit if they want to add a Tesla to their fleet in 2019.
Diesel drivers are penalised
If you drive a diesel, you’ve had a bit of a hard time in 2017. The general resentment towards diesels continues to build in the wake of Dieselgate, with councils looking at penalising drivers by charging them more to park. London has introduced a new T-charge for older petrol and diesels, meanwhile, and Philip Hammond has announced an increase in road tax for certain diesel cars. The result? Diesel car sales are in decline. Shocker.
Greenpeace becomes anti-VW pirates
What were we saying about anti-diesel resentment? In September, those jolly folk from Greenpeace boarded a 23,000-tonne ship carrying a load of new Volkswagens in a bid to stop them selling their ‘toxic cars’ in the UK. It didn’t work. The ship eventually docked and no customer deliveries were delayed by the protest.
Petrol and diesel new cars banned from 2040
‘Petrol and diesels will be BANNED from 2040’ screamed the headlines in July. Yes, the government announced a blanket ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2040. But all is not as it seems: hybrid models will be OK, and most manufacturers are already going down that route. And if you’ve bought a conventional petrol or diesel before the deadline date, you’ll still be able to drive it.
Carmakers launch scrappage schemes
While the government has resisted pressure to introduce an official scrappage scheme for older, more polluting vehicles, most car manufacturers jumped on the scrappage bandwagon in the run-up to September. These proved to be controversial, with some classic car enthusiasts getting angry at seeing rare older vehicles face the crusher.
Subaru is axing the WRX
With hot hatches like the Volkswagen Golf R getting increasingly competent, it was only a matter of time before Subaru (now an SUV brand, apparently) pulled the plug on the WRX. At least enthusiasts will get one last opportunity to buy a special Scoob: there’s a Final Edition, on sale now, with just 150 being sold.
Lamborghini reveals a shocker of an SUV
It’s been rumoured, teased and previewed for a while, but this year we finally saw what Lambo’s new Urus SUV will look like. And it’s, erm, bold. Prices for the ‘super sport utility vehicle’ will start at £157,800 in the UK, with power coming from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
Alpine launches a Cayman-killer
We could have laughed Renault out of the room when it announced that it was planning to launch a sports car brand with a view to taking on the Porsche Cayman. But, not only is the A110 a looker, early reports suggest it really is as good as a Cayman. That’s a shock none of us was expecting.
Geely buys Lotus
Chinese firm Geely has worked its magic with Volvo in recent years, and in 2017 it completed its takeover of a majority stake in British sports car manufacturer Lotus. It means the small-time manufacturer – which is now in profit – could be one to watch over the next few years. Anyone fancy a Lotus SUV?
MOT exemption for classic cars
The government asked the public whether classic cars should be exempt from the annual MOT roadworthiness test, and the public said ‘no’. But then the government introduced a classic car exemption anyway, for all cars over 40 years old. The move has proved to be controversial but, don’t worry, if you own a classic car, you can still get it MOT’d if you want to.
Mercedes-Benz launches a pick-up
Everyone’s launching an SUV, but a genuine premium pick-up truck is a surprise. Well, not too much of a surprise, given we’ve seen not one but two concept trucks from Mercedes. What is also a surprise is just how good it is, considering the X-Class is heavily based on the Nissan Navara.
The driving test is changing
Take your driving test from now on and it’ll involve 20 minutes of independent driving, using a sat-nav or road signs for directions. The changes have proved to be controversial and examiners are striking, saying it means more work for them.
Classic car prices continue to boom
Despite a rocky financial outlook in 2017, we’ve not see any signs of classic car sales slowing down. Highlights include a Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 which fetched £112,500 at auction in November, while a Del Boy Reliant Regal sold for nearly £42,000 – almost twice its estimate.
Renault is launching a new turbo petrol engine that it’s co-developed with Nissan, Mitsubishi and Daimler. The new 1.3-litre Energy TCe will be available first in the Scenic and Grand Scenic range, before rolling out into other Renault models through 2018.
The new engine will open for ordering on 1 January 2018, with prices starting from £22,005. It will be offered in both 115hp and 140hp guise, with either manual or EDC automatic gearboxes.
The new motor packs in a lot of technology for the money. Renault’s fitted dual variable timing camshafts, which is a little bit like the Honda VTEC system. It varies the intake and exhaust valves according to engine load, so there’s more pulling power at lower revs and more power at higher revs.
It’s a direct fuel injection motor, with high-pressure injection of 250 bar, and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has also developed so-called ‘Bore Spray Coating’ technology. This reduces friction and aids more efficient heat transfer.
And the result is? A better spread of power, improved acceleration, yet better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions than the 1.2 TCE motor the new engine replaces. An example of positive upsizing rather than downsizing – rather like Volkswagen’s replacement of its 1.4 TSI engine with the new 1.5 TSI Evo.
In punchy 1.3 TCe 140 guise, the Scenic will do 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds, produces a healthy 177lb ft of torque from just 1,600rpm, while also averaging 52.3mpg. At £24,005, it’s priced almost identically to the 1.5 dCi 110 turbodiesel, which seems perfectly judged to capitalise on cars buyers’ recent drive away from diesel.
Deliveries of the new 1.3 TCe Scenics and Grand Scenics begin in February 2018; expect a first drive review from Motoring Research early in the new year.
Back in the mid-1970s, London’s Overfinch became the world’s first specialist Range Rover tuner. Now, for 2018, it’s readying a new Range Rover which it describes as the most luxurious SUV ever created.
Derived from the recently-enhanced 2018 model year Range Rover, the new Overfinch models are priced from £114,990 for the 3.0- TDV6, and £144,990 for the supercharged V8 Autobiography (in the U.S, it will be $129,500 for a 3.0 supercharged V6 and $144,850 for the supercharged V8). And these can quickly swell further with bespoke commissioning; Overfinch even offers armoured vehicles.
What’s new? On the outside, the firm teases in new sketches, a more aggressive front end complete with carbon fibre air dam. There’s a complementary carbon fibre bumper at the rear, and an improved diffuser, into which sit engraved exhaust tailpipes. The exterior has more extensive colour coding and a broader array of bespoke colours and trims (check out all the carbon fibre in the image above).
Inside, Range Rover model year upgrades such as upgraded infotainment, rear heated arm and footrests, thicker glass and wider seats combine with Overfinch’s own trim upgrades, which it says are again broader than ever. Even the cushioning of the seats has been increased for yet more comfort.
Overfinch chairman Kevin Sloane said that the combination of 2018 model year Range Rover upgrades, combined with the firm’s own design and engineering changes, mean “this Overfinch conversion will be the most luxurious SUV to date.
“The visual impact of the vehicle has been maximised, giving it a stronger on-road presence with an interior enjoying elevated levels of sophistication.
“Such bespoke craftsmanship is synonymous with Overfinch and the result of the 2018 model year is a distinctive, elegant interpretation of the flagship vehicle that is as exclusive as it is desirable.”
Overfinch is even planning its first-ever zero-emissions Range Rover: the launch of the new PHEV model means it intends to roll out its own Overfinch Range Rover PHEV later in 2018 for UK buyers and 2019 for those in the U.S.
Thanks to Japanese components supplier Denso, the new 2018 Lexus LS is equipped with the world’s largest head-up display (HUD). The system projects information across a whopping 24-inch projection, which ‘virtually’ appears three metres ahead of the car.
The system is made from thin-film transistor (TFT) and liquid-crystal display tech, and is so feature-packed, Denso’s actually describing it as a full human-machine interface (HMI).
Not only can the 24-inch HUD show basic data such as vehicle speed and local speed limits, it cleverly can also show where pedestrians are located using data from external sensors: the image above shows icons pinpointing exactly where the pedestrian is walking.
When combined with sat nav data, it will display an arrow over the lane the driver should be in, and provide augmented reality (AR) style guidance at junctions and intersections.
It will smartly reconfigure as well, ensuring information is presented as clearly and logically as possible – the reconfiguration even stretches to the colours used. Denso says the display itself is also brighter than most other HUDs, so it’s easier to use in bright sunlight.
The firm believes HUDs will become a key safety feature of the future, due to their ability to project vital information right into the sightline of the driver. When combined with information from external sensors and other feeds, Denso says the HUD will be a core part of its policy envisioning, by 2030, “a society free from traffic accidents”.
The main focus of Kia’s UK SUV range is the top-selling Sportage mid-size and, increasingly, the Stonic small crossover. But the firm does sell a third SUV, the range-topping Sorento large SUV seven-seater. And, to give it a boost for 2018, it’s bringing in a sporty-look new GT-Line Series.
The used car market is four times the size of the new car market in Britain. We buy more than 8 million secondhand cars every year, which means that the research activity around used cars is also huge.
Ford has revealed the latest RS Edition limited-run model – and this time, it’s painted in Race Red paint, a suitably festive colourscheme for the future collectable. Ordering is already open, too: prices start from £36,295.
The RS Edition has been developed by the Ford Performance division, building upon the already-impressive regular RS. Key to it is this Quaife LSD: Ford of Europe performance director Leo Roeks said it “makes it even easier to carry speed through a corner on the track and maximise acceleration on the way out.
Nissan’s Sunderland car factory is the biggest automotive manufacturing plant in the UK. It has now begun production of the much-anticipated 
Renault is launching a new turbo petrol engine that it’s co-developed with Nissan, Mitsubishi and Daimler. The new 1.3-litre Energy TCe will be available first in the Scenic and Grand Scenic range, before rolling out into other Renault models through 2018.
Back in the mid-1970s, London’s Overfinch became the world’s first specialist Range Rover tuner. Now, for 2018, it’s readying a new Range Rover which it describes as the most luxurious SUV ever created.
Thanks to Japanese components supplier Denso, the new