Auto Express 1765

I’VE driven a fair few hundred miles over the past week and one thing has struck me: the standard of driving on UK roads these days is shocking. My biggest bugbear – after many hours spent on the motorway – is the Middle Lane Owners’ Club, who seem to be out in force these days, especially at weekends. The Highway Code appears to be forgotten by most people once they’ve passed their test, but it’s crucial reading for all drivers. And if they were to re-read the Highway Code, they’d see that Rule 264 states: “If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so.” That doesn’t mean sit in lanes two, three or four just in case you have to overtake something else. I…

I’VE driven a fair few hundred miles over the past week and one thing has struck me: the standard of driving on UK roads these days is shocking. My biggest bugbear – after many hours spent on the motorway – is the Middle Lane Owners’ Club, who seem to be out in force these days, especially at weekends. The Highway Code appears to be forgotten by most people once they’ve passed their test, but it’s crucial reading for all drivers. And if they were to re-read the Highway Code, they’d see that Rule 264 states: “If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so.” That doesn’t mean sit in lanes two, three or four just in case you have to overtake…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Flagship Astra combines turbo petrol engine with electric power ● GSe promises more pace and tauter dynamics than standard car VAUXHALL has gone through a sober patch of late. After an era of fierce VXR models, the company has had a dry spell short of genuinely exciting driver’s cars, but the arrival of the Astra GSe could change that. It’s pitched as a more powerful, electrified version of the Mk8 Astra, and provides a first taste as to the future of fast Vauxhalls. In the coming years, the GSe badge will be attached to numerous performance flagships that will offer more pace and tauter dynamics with either hybrid or fully electric power. The Astra GSe, plus the Sports Tourer estate and Grandland GSe crossover (Page 9), gets the treatment as it takes…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Flagship Astra combines turbo petrol engine with electric power ● GSe promises more pace and tauter dynamics than standard car VAUXHALL has gone through a sober patch of late. After an era of fierce VXR models, the company has had a dry spell short of genuinely exciting driver’s cars, but the arrival of the Astra GSe could change that. It’s pitched as a more powerful, electrified version of the Mk8 Astra, and provides a first taste as to the future of fast Vauxhalls. In the coming years, the GSe badge will be attached to numerous performance flagships that will offer more pace and tauter dynamics with either hybrid or fully electric power. The Astra GSe, plus the Sports Tourer estate and Grandland GSe crossover (Page 9), gets…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Sporty SUV is hottest Vauxhall ● 4WD GSe produces 296bhp THE most powerful Vauxhall on sale today is a hybrid-powered SUV with more torque than a Porsche 911 Carrera. The Vauxhall Grandland isn’t the obvious choice for a performance flagship, but with 296bhp and four-wheel drive, the GSe has the raw power to justify that title. Vauxhall’s new GSe – or Grand Sport Electric – models recall cars such as the Manta GSi coupé and Carlton GSi sports saloon, but the Grandland GSe takes on a very different form to these traditional offerings in both layout and conception. The 296bhp plug-in hybrid GSe features a series of styling and chassis upgrades similar to the Astra, while the £43,700 GSe is the most generously kitted-out Grandland. Its cabin feels pretty robust, but some of…

Yousuf_Ashraf@autovia.co.uk @ashrafoncars ● Latest concept previews rugged electric 4x4 ● Augmented reality glasses replace cabin controls AUDI is gearing up for what could be the most significant period of launches in its history, with more than 20 new models set to arrive over the next three years. A wave of cutting-edge EVs will revamp its range, and to tease one of these models, the firm has unveiled the Activesphere concept. It’s the last of Audi’s ‘sphere’ concepts – including the Grandsphere luxury saloon, Skysphere roadster and Urbansphere electric MPV – and the Activesphere is a rugged, high-riding coupé-SUV. It could go on sale in 2027. The brand is plotting a rival to the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class within the next few years, and according to Audi’s Head of Design Marc Lichte, this could take…