VerdictThe more I drive the C5 X, the more I like it. It ticks many boxes on my wish list, including comfort, safety and simplicity. The fact that the fuel economy has jumped when out of town is another big plus point!
Mileage: 6,025
Economy: 42.9mpg
I often find that the longer I live with a car on our test fleet, the more niggles I uncover. But that’s not the case with our C5 X. I’m actively searching for reasons to jump behind the wheel of our plush Citroen and struggling to find things to put in our ‘don’t like’ panel. I’m happy to jump in the car to help out on photoshoots for work, while a recent 400-mile weekend round trip for the family was a stressless joy.
The reason I enjoy the Citroen so much is that it ticks a set of boxes specific to me. As a fifty-something parent and grandparent, I enjoy comfort and safety over thrills when I’m driving, and the Citroen oozes quality and cossets you. Sure, if you whack a pothole the 19-inch alloy wheels will let you know about it, but when I’m driving on half-decent A roads or motorways, the C5 X quietly glides effortlessly along.
The raised driving position sits above a standard hatchback’s and not far below an SUV’s, so you feel confident, thanks to the excellent visibility. The steeply raked rear window doesn’t really limit my view, because there are decent-sized wing mirrors with well placed blind-spot waings at the tips of the glass.
More reviews Car group testsRoad testsIn fact, most of the tech is برچسبها :
VerdictIt’s a flawed car, but the SQ5 has still won me over thanks to the ease with which it integrated with my life. That’s one of the most important qualities of all in a vehicle. The engine is still a monster, even if diesel might be an odd choice for the sporty flagship model in a range. But while there are still a couple of lingering niggles, my time with the SQ5 has been great. I’ll be green with envy of the car’s new owner now it’s moved on.
Mileage: 15,594
Economy: 39.4mpg
I’ve lived with this Audi SQ5 Sportback for nearly 12,000 miles now. Depending on who you believe, that’s more than double the annual mileage of the average UK motorist in 2022, and I’ve come to a conclusion: the Audi has something of an identity crisis.
I’ve touched on it before, but I’m firmly of the opinion that the SQ5 doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. That’s not to say it’s a bad car – far from it, because it has many admirable qualities, which I will come to – but it could be better. It doesn’t know whether it wants to be an agile, sporty athlete of a car, or a tucked-up-in-a-blanket-with-a-warm-drink cruiser.
More reviews In-depth reviewsRoad testsTake the engine. I’ve praised the grunty turbodiesel for the 700Nm of torque it serves up, but the moment you apply an S badge to a sleeker-bodied car like this, you expect more: sharper response, more hunger for revs and a more authentic soundtrack. I’m still not totally sold on the artificial noise piped through the speakers in Dynamic برچسبها :
VerdictThis Volkswagen SUV may be seen more often on the school run or doing the supermarket shop, but there’s a surprising sporting side to the T-Roc for those who take the time to seek it out.
Mileage: 1,526
Economy: 42.9mpg
Volkswagen’s T-Roc is not the first car that would come to mind when contemplating motorsport. It’s not even the first in VW’s range, despite the marque’s low-profile race and rally involvement. But it is what I picked for a day at the world’s oldest motorsport venue: Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb in Worcestershire.
To be honest, the VW wasn’t my first choice, because when the invitation came through from Shelsley Walsh commercial partner Motul to join the venue’s hill-climb school, I planned to take one of my track cars, which regularly compete in speed events. But administration complications, logistics and the growing appeal of doing something in the T-Roc other than visit my mum and go shopping put the VW in pole position.
A recent six-hour round trip to Leeds gave me no conces about the similarly lengthy trip to Shelsley, with the T-Roc a good place to be for long distances. The format for the day, following the welcome breakfast, was to walk the hill alongside one of the four instructors, among whom was three-time British hill-climb champion Trevor Willis, then do four runs following the course tu-in and apex markers. After every second run, on the retu from the top paddock back down the hill, pupils stop at each instructor for their observation برچسبها :