VerdictWhile the Peugeot 308 is good to drive and oozes style, the space on offer in the hatchback is definitely a struggle with a family. Hopefully our new 308 SW estate should solve that issue, though. Mileage: 6,306Economy: 72.4mpgThe term ‘family hatchback’ applies to a lot of cars, with almost every manufacturer having a contender in this sector. There’s the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Kia Ceed, Honda Civic, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and many, many more. Included in that list is the Peugeot 308 that we’re currently running on the Auto Express fleet, and the more time I spend with it, the more I’m starting to realise that whoever coined this term probably doesn’t have a family.I have two children aged five and two, and it can be a real struggle to fit everybody inside, along with the sheer amount of kit that needs to be crammed into the boot.Because my kids still need car seats, the rear legroom is extremely compromised, meaning both myself and my wife have to move our seats forward more than we would like. I can cope with it when driving, but whoever sits in the front passenger seat inevitably ends up with their legs jammed into the glovebox area, which protrudes quite a long way in the 308.More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsRoad testsBut the even bigger issue is the size of the boot. Once my daughter’s buggy is inside, there isn’t really much room for anything else. Add a few coats and bags and you can forget it. Now this is partly down to the برچسبها :
VerdictIt’s not going to win any fashion contests whether it has wheel trims or not, but the Corolla Commercial is still delivering plenty of appeal. It’s not the most spacious ‘van’, but the car-like comfort makes up for it.Mileage: 2,739Economy: 60.2mpgIt’s safe to say that unless you’re buying a high-end pick-up truck or a Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo, you’re not in the market for a commercial vehicle for its looks. And yet, van makers insist on adding trinkets and baubles to their models in a bid to jazz them up.Our Toyota Corolla Commercial comes in one trim level, which is based on the entry-level Icon version of the Touring Sports estate. But instead of kitting it out with that car’s 16-inch alloys, the Commercial makes do with 15-inch steel wheels and silver plastic trims. I can’t say I’m a fan of wheel trims. Even when they’re designed by a manufacturer, they can still look more like aftermarket accessories, and the Corolla’s trims sit proud of the tyre sidewalls, so there’s the constant fear of mangling them on high kerbs when parking: if there’s one thing worse than wheel trims, it’s that damaged ones look even uglier. So I took the Corolla’s off almost as soon as it was delivered, and to my eyes immediately improved its looks.More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsRoad testsUsed car testsWith the black ‘steelies’ on display, there’s something altogether more workmanlike about the Corolla. Then, when it snowed at the start of December, and with a layer of wi برچسبها :
VerdictOur cross-channel jaunt reinforces our first impressions of the car. Its cabin is genuinely nice, and there’s plenty of space, but the powertrain is a major weak spot, especially next to seriously polished rivals.Mileage: 2,824Economy: 42.7mpgIt’s always interesting to try a car late in its development, and then revisit it once it’s made it into showrooms. That was the case recently when Mazda organised a road trip to the Brussels Motor Show and suggested that we might like to take our CX-60. I purloined the keys from chief sub-editor Andy Pringle – and roped my family in for the trip, to see how the big plug-in hybrid would cope with a longer jouey.There’s no denying that Mazda has got the cabin right. The company wants to rebrand its products as “crafted in Japan”, and while it pains me to praise any marketing slogan, this one feels every bit as accurate as it is clever. We were instantly impressed by the mix of plastics and materials, with a brighter-than-usual feel (helped further by the large sunroof) and some novel Japanese finishes like the intricate weave on the dash.There’s a weight and heft to all of the switches, too; you really need to put in effort, for example, to slide the central air vents from side to side. They feel like they’re counterweighted by a lump of rock.More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsRoad testsSadly, the Mazda’s powertrain can’t quite match the polish of its cabin environment. The disappointment begins when you pull away برچسبها :
VerdictPicking the right level of electrification requires a razor-sharp focus on your usage patte – and in this respect, we’re finding the Niro Hybrid an excellent choice. It doesn’t require plugging in, but it has a great mix of performance and efficiency – allowing us to enjoy the practical interior and the excellent cabin technology.Mileage: 8,726Economy: 46.6mpgIt must be hard for car manufacturers when they come to replace a successful model. Admittedly, Kia’s first-generation Niro wasn’t exactly the biggest-selling vehicle in the world, yet it had its dedicated followers, drawn in by the wide choice of powertrains – hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric – offered across the range.But as the miles pile on in our Niro Hybrid, I keep catching sight of the Korean car on my drive or in car parks and filling stations, and noting what an effective job Kia did of evolving such a solid formula. It’s a larger car than before, with a longer wheelbase that helps to deliver improved cabin space, and yet I think a lot of how it seems to have grown up is down to the styling details more than the overall increase in scale.The car’s profile is basically the same as the old model’s, and the Niro’s sharp edges mean it still feels compact when you’re parking it. But the totally different front end and those narrow tail-lights, angled over the rear coers, give it a more planted look and, I would argue, a bit more premium appeal. More reviews Car group testsIn-depth re برچسبها :
VerdictThe idea of a family estate car seems a little old fashioned in this day and age – but time with the Focus has shown that, in lots of ways, it’s a choice that has lots of appealing facets, beyond mere practicality. Mileage: 4,595Economy: 43.3mpgI love estate cars, but it’s fair to say that the average UK family car buyer doesn’t. If sales figures and the proliferation of different model types across the market are any indication, most people would much rather have an SUV. And who can really blame them? Whereas the good-old estate was once the practical family car of choice, it was first usurped by the origami seating systems of MPVs, and then blown out of the water as SUVs transitioned from specialist rough-terrain tools to cars for all occasions. The traditional estate lacked versatility and seemed dull by comparison. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) classes SUVs as Dual Purpose Vehicles and tells us that 156,000 of them were sold in 2010. By 2019, before the pandemic hit, it was 562,000 – quite a jump. In 2022, Ford sold around 22,000 Kuga SUVs. It only shifted 800 examples of the similarly sized Focus Estate like our long-term test car. You get the picture.More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsRoad testsThe customer, of course, is nearly always right, but are they giving estates a fair hearing before deciding against the ‘middle-aged antiques dealer’ look and buying an SUV instead?We decided to give our trusty Focus a shot a برچسبها :
VerdictFrom one electric SUV to another, the Volvo XC40 Recharge is fitting into daily life well. The cold temperatures haven’t done the range any favours, however, and there are a couple of bits of kit I’m missing more as time passes. With fewer optional extras available, it means picking the right spec is more important than ever.Mileage: 1.712Efficiency: 2.9 miles/kWhIt seems electric SUVs are everywhere these days – or at least, they are in my part of suburban southwest London. Every coer I tu, I’m confronted by the gentle hum of a battery-electric 4x4, or a green-plated crossover ferrying families from one end of the High Street to the other.So it should come as no surprise that even before I was asked to retu the keys to my old electric SUV, a BMW iX3, I found myself immediately eyeing up a similarly practical EV alteative. For the next six months or so, I’ll be running this Volvo XC40 Recharge Plus.As is often the case at the moment, lead times on cars like these are lengthy. We placed the order for our XC40 way back in March 2022, and it only arrived at Endeavour Volvo in Chiswick late last year. We waited for it so long, in fact, that some fundamental changes have subsequently been made to the Volvo’s spec sheet.More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsLong-term testsRoad testsWe opted for the less powerful single-motor XC40, whose 69kWh battery feeds a 228bhp motor on the front axle. However, Volvo has since confirmed the entry-level XC40 will switch to a برچسبها :