VerdictOur Defender is proving to be everything we hoped and expected it would be – an exceptional vehicle that’s multi-talented (although we’ve yet to take it off road) and proving to be very easy to live with. We’re looking forward to seeing how the PHEV system affects overall economy as well as company car rates, but there’s an awful lot to like so far.Mileage: 3,119Economy: 32.2mpgThe best things in life come to those who wait, and as with so many people these days who are waiting for their new cars, my Defender took a while to arrive. Delivery times are improving now, we’re told, but at least it allowed my excitement to build; the latest Land Rover Defender is one of those rare cars that is so good, I can remember when and where I was when I first drove one.I wasn’t the only one excited by the new delivery. Friend, neighbour and local car dealer Jason Holt was keen to look around my new Defender, too. He runs CSG Motor Company in Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, and his pride and joy is an original Defender 130. Old and new Defenders are incomparable, other than in spirit. While Jason’s car is full of character and much loved, it’s full of frustrations, too – it’s an old design that was just left to soldier on.More reviews In-depth reviewsRoad testsUsed car testsThe new car is a clever piece of design and engineering – and much sought after, as those waiting lists prove. Not only does it look fantastic, but the new model also includes the kind of smart engineering that mad برچسبها :
VerdictThe Citroen e-Dispatch makes life easy in a number of ways. It’s better to drive than its diesel equivalent, while the fast-charging tech means you’ll have less downtime than most rivals when you’re plugged in.Mileage: 5,733Efficiency: 2.6m/kWhHere at Auto Express, we’ve had a bit of a shake-up when it comes to working practices. Most of us now work from home the majority of the time, so we get to enjoy the flexibility that it brings, yet we’re still able to produce the magazine you have in your hands. Personally, I’ve enjoyed this new regime, but my life as a desk jockey has changed again with the arrival of the Citroen e-Dispatch electric van. With no home wallbox and chargepoints thin on the ground in my neck of the woods, I’ve been heading 25 minutes up the road to Gridserve’s Electric Forecourt in Braintree, Essex, to keep the van topped up. Here, there’s high-voltage charging, and Gridserve makes life easy. Simply pull up, plug in, touch your contactless card on the reader, and the chargepoint does the rest.Of course, charging still takes longer than filling up a diesel Dispatch, but Gridserve offers plenty to keep you occupied. There’s a Costa coffee shop, M&S Food, WH Smith and a Post Office counter, so it’s just like a service station in that regard, while the first floor has restrooms and space where you can set up a laptop and connect to the free WiFi. It’s probably not ideal if you’re a trader who has to get to work, but it’ll be han برچسبها :
VerdictPetrol bills aside, moving back from an EV to the Fabia looks set to remind us of just what a compelling package a well sorted supermini can be. This could be yet another Skoda that does well over real-world miles.Mileage: 4,723Economy: 55.1mpgI’ve gone from one extreme to the other with my latest fleet test car. Out has gone the Lexus UX 300e – a pure-electric premium baby SUV. In has come the latest generation of Skoda Fabia – as conventional a supermini as you’d hope to get, shunning electrification in favour of pure petrol power.That’s not to say this fourth-generation Fabia didn’t represent a major shift for Skoda when it arrived in late 2021. After years based on older mechanicals, at last the Czech model moved onto MQB A0, the same platform as the current VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza. This, in tu, allowed greater levels of in-car tech, improvements in refinement and better efficiency.The core recipe didn’t change, though – Skoda’s engineers were never going to deviate far from the brand’s strengths – so the Fabia is on the large side for its class. When we tested it, we identified it as one of the few superminis you could use as a proper small family car. More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsRoad testsUsed car testsOver the next six months I’ll be looking at its ability to cope with whatever my husband and I can throw at it – not least as we renovate an apartment on the south coast, two hours’ drive away from our London house. Our spec mixes one of the t برچسبها :