VerdictThe Kangoo is a neat little van that works well with electric drive. Refinements to the powertrain mean it’s far better than its predecessor – we’ll just have to see how we go when it comes to range.
Mileage: 5,923
Efficiency: 3.2 miles/kWh
If you’ve always driven petrol and diesel cars and vans, then you’ve probably got a pretty good gauge on how efficient an engine is. Over 40mpg for a petrol car is decent, more than 60mpg for a diesel is becoming the norm. But what about EVs?
With miles per gallon thrown out of the window, I’ll have to admit that it’s taken me time to lea how to judge whether an EV powertrain delivers good efficiency or not. I think I’m getting the hang of it now, and I’m currently being helped to understand miles per kilowatt hour with the latest arrival on our fleet, a Kangoo E-Tech.
The Renault scooped our Van of the Year title at the 2023 New Car Awards, and it was helped to overall victory thanks to the fact this second-generation electric variant has been available from launch.
As before, the Kangoo E-Tech features the same running gear as the Zoe electric supermini, so what you’re getting is a tried and tested EV system. There’s a 45kWh battery, which isn’t the biggest on offer in the class, but a WLTP-tested range of 186 miles is 12 miles longer than you’ll get in a Citroen e-Berlingo, for example. However, a revised Berlingo is on the way, and this should improve on those numbers.
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VerdictChanging hands mid-term has shown the Cupra’s good and bad points. It’s a worthy family car, and great fun to drive – but with chunky fuel bills. Our man is looking forward to swapping ICE f0r EV again soon.
Mileage: 4,985
Economy: 30.9mpg
It's always interesting to inherit a car mid-way through its time on the Auto Express fleet. Whether it’s a change in circumstances, or the departure of a colleague to pastures new, the ability to compare notes by reading past reports often adds a different perspective on things.
That’s exactly what happened recently, when associate editor Sean Carson handed me the keys to our Formentor VZN, shortly before leaving the Autovia offices for the last time. I’d recently given back my Volcano Orange MG4, so volunteered to take the super-cool Cupra for the rest of its loan.
First impressions were good. While I’m probably the biggest EV advocate to grace these pages in recent times, it felt great to be back in a characterful, petrol-powered crossover. The Formentor is essentially a Volkswagen Golf R in a fancy frock, and it’s razor sharp to drive, with a suitably sporty soundtrack and limpet-like grip.
Indeed, on a recent trip to the Lake District and in the midst of Storm Debi, the Cupra still felt as solid as a rock. No amount of wind or rain could knock it off course – something that was particularly evident on the long slog up the M6 motorway. Big patches of standing water were no problem for the Cupra’s excellent all-wh برچسبها :
VerdictThe Duster’s no-nonsense approach is finding many fans among the Auto Express team, and Alex is the latest driver to be bowled over by its charm and capability. For fitness of purpose, it’s very hard to look beyond the Dacia, even when placed alongside a tech marvel such as the McLaren.
Mileage: 5,002
Economy: 35.8mpg
Dacia Duster custodian Pete Baiden kindly allowed me to borrow the keys to his long-termer twice in recent weeks so I could get under its Arizona Orange skin. One loan was for a real-world twin-test that you’ll see soon, and another for a comparison that isn’t exactly the most sensible you’ll see in these pages.
That’s because I whisked Dacia’s rugged family SUV away to the Goodwood Motor Circuit, where I’d been invited by McLaren to sample its hybrid supercar, the Artura, on track. The trip got me thinking not only about how little these two cars have in common, but also, the more I thought about it, how both share one specific quality, too.
Differences first, though, and most obviously, there’s the price. In the mid-spec Expression trim and powered by the TCe 130 petrol engine, this Duster with options comes to £20,645. For the price of one Artura, you could buy yourself a fleet of nine Dusters, and you’d still have enough money to buy enough fuel to drive them, at the current 35.8mpg we’re achieving from our car, a combined total of 17,500 miles.
More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsLong-term testsRoad testsUsed car testsBut then the Duste برچسبها :
VerdictBMW has done a fine job of packaging the most advanced tech in a luxurious car to make it both usable and desirable. The iX is proving to be an easy and enjoyable car to live with, while not forgetting that it’s a BMW, so it’s also really enjoyable to drive, whatever the speed or conditions.
As Auto Express’s resident geek, I love my tech. Yet even I will admit that some car makers seem to go overboard on gadgets that will either never be used or are so distracting that they verge on dangerous.
For me, BMW has always managed to strike the perfect balance between exciting tech and usability; its iDrive system has been the best since day one. And now, with the company’s flashy iX on my driveway, it’s proving that BMW is still way ahead when it comes to useful tech.
I may be overplaying it slightly, but BMW’s Digital Key has changed my life. For all that BMW does right, its car keys are so wrong – huge, lumpy and uncomfortable. So allowing me to use my phone (which is always with me) as the key is simply genius.
As I approach the car, the lights greet me and then, as I get closer, the doors unlock. The system uses ultra-wideband technology for added security, but I’m sold on the sheer convenience. And it’s quite cool, too.
BMW’s use of AI has also proven useful. It means the car can sense that I’m searching for a parking space and offer to guide me in (in such a polite voice). The iX has also realised that when I’m leaving my driveway, I tend to lower the driver-side fron برچسبها :
Find your Volkswagen ID.3Offers from our trusted partners on this car and its predecessors...Find your perfect new carBiggest comparison websiteOr are you looking to sell your car?Find your highest offerAdvertisementVerdictThese are early days in my crash course of ‘Running an EV’, but I feel as if I’m doing well on the theory. There’s still much for me to lea about the ID.3, but it’s very much a case of so far, so good. Now it’s on to the practical test, so here’s hoping that goes equally well.
Mileage: 2,104
Economy: 4.1mi/kWh
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but as I embark on six months with a Volkswagen ID.3, I feel like a leaer driver all over again. You see, although I’ve been reviewing cars for more than 30 years and driven plenty with plugs, this is the first time I’ve ever run a pure-electric car on a long-term basis.
True, I’ve run a couple of plug-in hybrids, so I’m more than happy to top up a car’s battery at home. But I confess I’ve never really dug into the details of kilowatt hours, batteries, cables and chargers.
Then again, the ID.3 – and this 77kWh version in particular – should mean the leaing curve isn’t too steep. It’s quite clearly a conventional five-door hatchback, which means it’ll slot into our family life very easily; and I already know that I can run a charging cable out under the garage door to the driveway at the front of our house.
In due course, I’ll need to look into the challenges of public charging, but to start with, I برچسبها :
VerdictSix months in an Atto 3 have left us convinced that it’s a very solid first effort from BYD. UK buyers should feel comfortable putting it on their shortlists, thanks to decent practicality and real-world range.
Mileage: 7,353
Efficiency: 4.1 miles/kWh
Six months have passed since BYD’s first official offering in the UK market, the Atto 3, landed on my driveway, with a promise to build my dreams and, frankly, a sackful of unknowns. How well built, I wondered, could a Chinese vehicle be? Would it unravel as the miles piled on? How would the in-car technology stack up?
Now it’s time to deliver the pros and cons – and I ought to start by saying that there are more of the former than the latter. First up, the Atto 3 does the ‘EV stuff’ really rather well – better, I’d argue, than many vehicles from more established brands.
Our car arrived in the summer, of course, but even as the autumn closed in, and the moings grew cooler, it always seemed good for around 250 miles of range in the real world – helped, naturally, by the heat pump that is integrated, as standard, into BYD’s electric powertrain.
More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsRoad testsThe drive itself was never particularly involving or exciting, but there was enough composure at low and high speeds for the Atto 3 to be a good all-rounder – a perfect size for the school run, and a decent cruiser on the longer joueys allowed by its good efficiency. The 201bhp/310Nm front-mounted mo برچسبها :
VerdictAssuming you can work with the packaging compromises, the sleek Corolla is much more than just a reliable five-door hatch. It features impressive tech, it’s fun to drive, comfortable, efficient and environmentally responsible, too.
Mileage: 10,480
Economy: 53.2mpg
Our Corolla’s last hurrah on the Auto Express fleet tued out to be a trip to the West Country with one adult, two kids and no dog. Which meant it was a useful reminder of the popular hatchback’s many strengths, without any of the frustration associated with my family’s frequent need to overwhelm the car’s less than class-leading accommodation.
I’ve banged on about the constrained packaging several times before, but there have been very few other causes for complaint in almost six months of driving Toyota’s global best-seller, and plenty of things to admire. That second list starts with our Corolla’s swoopy styling, which gives the model a fresh and fashionable feel, even though this version has been in production at Buaston in Derbyshire since 2019.
The last Corolla I spent more than a few hours driving at any one time was a ninth-generation long-term loan car in the early noughties, and while I remember being impressed with the Toyota’s overall build quality and cabin ambience, it wasn’t what you’d call eye-catching, inside or out.
More reviews Car group testsIn-depth reviewsLong-term testsRoad testsUsed car testsThis mode-day variant looks good from both perspectives, and while t برچسبها :
Find your Citroen C4Offers from our trusted partners on this car and its predecessors...Find your perfect new carBiggest comparison websiteOr are you looking to sell your car?Find your highest offerAdvertisementVerdictThe Citroen C4 X is already playing to its strengths: its load-lugging ability has been a real boon, while a spacious interior and comfortable seats all get a thumbs up. The car fits in perfectly so far and looks to be great value.
Family life can be pretty hectic, so when news arrived that I was to be the custodian of a new Citroen C4 X, it seemed the perfect fit. With two sporty kids and a lively Labrador to keep entertained, I was quietly confident that the clan’s new wheels would be just the ticket to help smooth along the organised chaos at la maison Adam.
My first experience of Citroen was my dad’s XM way back in 1990; I still remember thinking its Bertone-designed exterior looked stunning and a cut above next door’s starchy BMW 5 Series, while the comfortable seats were just fantastic on longer trips.
The French manufacturer clearly made an impression, because although dad now runs a Volvo as a daily driver, he still has a Citroen Berlingo tucked away in the garage. Me? I’ve always had a hankering for the XM’s eventual replacement, the C6, mainly for the model’s equally attractive styling and premium wafting ability.
While our new C4 X may not be quite as remarkable to look at as its cool forebears, it still trades on its maker’s reputation for quirky, un برچسبها :