Table of contents for 1879 in Auto Express

A 600-mile Easter holiday trip through France really rubbed in the raw deal that drivers get from the British road network. Yes, I know France is a bigger country with a similar number of people, the toll road system is different to here and our motorway network runs fairly smoothly given the number of vehicles on it. But hundreds of miles barely having to come off a cruise-controlled 80mph compared rather favourably to my experience getting to and from Dover for the ferry. I spend enough time in the car to be very familiar with the concept of variable speed limits, but it was a new one on me to find a free-flowing M25 down to 50mph, explained by the overhead gantries as “speed limits in force for safety test”.…

MERCEDES is planning to shake up the way people view its luxury cars with this new Vision V concept MPV. It takes the notion of a traditional people carrier and pushes it ever closer towards a whole new type of luxury electric van. In contrast to the Mercedes EQV and e-Vito, which share their underpinnings with commercial ICE models, the Vision V previews production vehicles that will run on a bespoke VAN.EA architecture that’s been designed for a new range of high-specification people-carriers. As such, we already know that Mercedes will offer an 800V electrical system with up to 320kW fast charging, as has already been revealed on the CLA saloon. It’ll also be available with a single or dualmotor set-up, and a range of at least 310 miles. High-end…

CANCEL your pre-order for the Nintendo Switch 2, because your Volkswagen will now offer you all the gaming fun you need. A new update will allow drivers (and passengers) to play Pac-Man in their People’s Car. One of the features of modern VWs is AirConsole. This essentially enables you to download games to your car, and play them using your smartphone as a controller. Now available exclusively on over 300,000 Volkswagen models across the UK and Europe (those with ID. Software 4.0 built-in, or from the 2025 model year onwards), Pac-Man Championship Edition is just like the original – but with a few differences. For example, in Volkswagen’s iteration, the ‘power pellet’ dots have been redesigned to look like VW logos, while you get extra points for eating silhouettes of…

“THE EU DIRECTIVE ATTEMPTS TO CLASS CARBON FIBRE AS ‘HAZARDOUS’, ALONGSIDE THE LIKES OF LEAD AND MERCURY, AS WELL AS CADMIUM” IT’S bad news for sports car brands, petrolheads and makers of tacky-yet-expensive bodykits alike because carbon fibre could soon be banned, having been declared a “hazardous substance”. The EU is drafting a new version of its End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive, with the principal aim being to ensure the clean recycling of cars at the end of their lifespans, while also avoiding the usage of harmful substances, such as lead and mercury, throughout the production of new models. A new amendment to the directive attempts to class carbon fibre as “hazardous”, alongside the likes of the aforementioned lead and mercury, as well as cadmium and hexavalent chromium. The amendment also…

VOLVO has just revealed a heavily facelifted version of its traditional ICE-powered S90 saloon. The model will initially go on sale in China this summer, before being rolled out to other selected markets – but the UK will not be one of them. The updates are focused on streamlining the S90’s design, with upgrades to the interior tech and electrified powertrains also part of the revisions. A range of hybrid engines will be offered. Key changes start with a new set of headlights and lower grille. As with the XC90, these now intersect and help make the nose look even lower. The lower bumper is simplified, and models fitted with a bright chrome finish – a dark chrome option is also likely to be available – best highlight the new…

THE Tivoli is the entry point to KGM’s range, and the firm describes it as a ‘value-priced compact SUV’. That claim is comfortably backed up, because it costs from £23,955 for a manual version or £25,745 for the automatic. Although the Tivoli is keenly priced, it still faces tough competition from the Dacia Duster, Vauxhall Frontera, Citroen C3 Aircross and MG ZS. There are also B-segment supermini-based crossovers to contend with, such as the Renault Captur and Nissan Juke. Unlike the Vauxhall, Citroen and MG, the Tivoli doesn’t have the option of a pure-electric drivetrain and is only offered with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with manual or automatic gearboxes sending power to the front wheels only. The Tivoli is generously equipped in its sole K40 guise. Highlights inside include heated…

THE latest 2025 model-year updates are the most significant the Model Y has received yet, and look to focus on a wide range of improvements across the board. Many of these, including the more aerodynamic, Cybertruck-inspired face, aim to eke out even more range from what was already one of the most efficient cars in its class. A revised spoiler helps here, too, but there are also tweaks to the powertrain, including optimised lubricants and revised gear designs. A stiffer body structure, new suspension geometry and improved dampers aim to enhance comfort, while the steering ratio has been revised, too. Elsewhere, Tesla has made some changes inside the cabin, with a redesigned interior that features 300 per cent faster WiFi, 65-watt USB-C charging, and a new glass roof, which reflects…

IF you think I’m going over old ground by talking about the Honda e:Ny1’s range and efficiency then I apologise, but it’s simply the biggest factor to consider when thinking of switching to an electric car. I’ve been plagued by horrendous inefficiency in the Honda, which even dropped below 2.0 miles per kWh during exceptionally cold periods over the winter. But hallelujah, the sun has come out and the e:Ny1 is enjoying the spring weather even more than the hundreds of daffodils that have made a welcome appearance. I know EVs are far better suited to the warm, but I’ve never seen such an increase in efficiency from a temperature jump of a few degrees. It’s such a marked improvement that I find myself looking to the skies and praying…

THE other week, I was talking to Peugeot boss Alain Favey when he said something about car buying that got my brain whirring. “We ask ourselves every day whether to do a £20,000 electric city car, but Peugeot has no plans to go further down than an E-208,” he told me. “The petrol A-segment cars we sold in the past have disappeared from the market, and they didn’t cost £20,000. Today, the entry-level price segment is covered by used cars in good condition.” He’s not wrong. The 108, a badgeengineered baby hatchback co-developed with Toyota and Citroen, used to be Peugeot’s smallest car and it cost from around £10,000 when it went off sale in 2022. Yet the cheapest new car I could find on Peugeot’s UK website recently was…

“THIS CAR WILL DELIVER THE FUNCTIONALITY CUSTOMERS EXPECT, BUT IN A SMALL EV”MAKOTO UCHIDA Former CEO, Nissan NISSAN is rushing a small crossover powered by an affordable electric drivetrain into production to rival Volkswagen’s ID.1. And the Japanese car maker, in the midst of a battle to turn around its flagging business, is calling on family members Renault and Dacia to help deliver its ‘baby Juke’ in late 2026. The small crossover will tap into the components set of Renault’s reborn Twingo and its all-new lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery, to speed up the model’s introduction and help peg its cost below £20,000. That’s an impressive price for an electric car that will be assembled in eastern Europe, not China. China is where the original version of its other sister car,…

THE Mercedes G-Class’ has become a staple of posh London streets, but providing a slight antidote to this is the new ‘G-Class Edition Stronger than the 1980s’. The clunky name refers to the original W 460 G-Class, and just 460 examples will be built. The new model, which is priced at £152,815, is based on the G 450 d and uses the same 362bhp mildhybrid 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox. The chassis is unaltered, too, so the ‘Stronger than the 1980s’ G-Class will be just as competent off road as the standard car. Two colours are available on the new special edition: Agave green and Colorado beige, both of which were very popular choices on the original eighties model. And to give the new car an oldschool…

FAST Fords may well have a future beyond the transition into the electric era after the brand’s ST and RS-badged performance models were given a lifeline. Although there are no plans yet to launch an all-electric Ford with either ST or RS badging, the company’s European Product Marketing Chief, Jan Herzog, told Auto Express that the company “would love an ST or RS variant” of its EV models. Herzog also gave some hope of a performance-focused version of the new electric Puma Gen-E, even if it’s based on the next-generation car. He said, “A sportier version? It’s definitely coming, if not on this model then the model after.” Ford has already dabbled in sporty variants of its electric cars, with the 480bhp Mustang Mach-E GT getting a bespoke chassis along…

THE Easter Jeep Safari, held annually in the Moab desert region of Utah, US, has led to seven bespoke concepts being developed by Jeep and Jeep Performance Parts. They show the degree of customisation that’s possible with the iconic Wrangler 4x4 in all the variants that make up the current line-up. Of the seven vehicles, it’s the Jeep Convoy Concept that takes the customisation to the highest level, using the Gladiator pick-up truck as the basis for a model that takes its inspiration from the J-Series, which was built until 1987. Changes over the regular car include a bespoke bonnet whose shape references the original Wagoneer. This totally changes the car’s front end, creating a cowling over the usually flat face that includes two LED headlights, while Jeep has also…

SUZUKI’S first pure-electric car is just around the corner, and we’ve been given early access to the new e Vitara in prototype form. It looks very similar to Toyota’s next electric vehicle, the Urban Cruiser, which is no surprise because Toyota and Suzuki have partnered on several cars recently, such as the latter’s Swace and Across. However, unlike those two cars, Suzuki took the lead role in developing the e Vitara. Underpinning the e Vitara is an allnew Heartect-e architecture that Suzuki jointly developed with Toyota and Daihatsu. The brand says it allows for a “lightweight structure, highvoltage protection and a spacious interior due to short overhangs”. It also caters for dual-motor set-ups as well as single ones, which means Suzuki’s AllGRIP four-wheel-drive ability lives on in the electric era.…

“As you build speed, the M5 flows with the road in ways some previous M5s haven’t” BMW has only made an estate, or Touring, version of the M5 twice before, and frankly neither really made much sense. The most recent had a naturally aspirated V10 paired with a singleclutch transmission and quite astonishingly high fuel consumption, but this third iteration is quite different. Whether by design or not, this all-new G99-generation M5 Touring combines immense pace and capability with surprising practicality. In place of a highly strung and expensive-to-run powertrain is a far more sensible plug-in hybrid that doesn’t just add performance, but could also dramatically reduce the cost of ownership. Yet even if we ignore that, the crux of the new M5 Touring is simple: this is an astonishingly…

IF you’re in the market for a Ford Ranger, you’re certainly spoiled for choice. Beyond the basic version of the firm’s big-selling pick-up lies a glut of fancier options; there’s the plush Platinum, well-stocked Wildtrak and an off-roadfocused Wildtrak X, while the Ranger Raptor is the go-to option for a performance pick-up. Now there’s the Ranger MS-RT entering the mix, which Ford is marketing as a ‘street truck’. That tag conjures up images of neon-finished ‘rad rides’ in the US from the eighties and nineties, but this Ranger is a more modern interpretation of the theme. It’s based on the V6 diesel version of the Ranger Wildtrak, but has been given a significant makeover to help it stand out. It’s certainly different from a Ranger Raptor. With that model covering…

THE Ioniq 5 was a landmark model for Hyundai. While the brand had made very capable cars before – in some cases good enough to challenge the very best in their respective segments – it wasn’t until this angular, retro-futuristic hatchback burst onto the scene that Hyundai offered family-car drivers something that was truly desirable. When it arrived in 2021, nothing looked remotely like it, and that’s still the case four years later. Even among its mechanically similar siblings, the Kia EV6 and the Genesis GV60, which look unique in their own right, it’s the Hyundai that turns the most heads. The design isn’t just striking, but cleverly executed, too. In pictures, its proportions suggest it’s the size of a family hatch such as a Volkswagen Golf, but in reality…

MINI TEST OUR testing is all about ensuring you can buy products with confidence. Sometimes producers dispute our findings, but the best use them to improve performance. And the Twenty20 H7 bulbs tested here are a prime example of the latter. Last October, the bulbs failed before they could be tested, but brand owner AutoBulbs Direct (ABD) has since sorted the issue. Using Ring’s light tunnel and test winner Philips as a comparison, we measured beam length, maximum brightness and area more than 30 lux. We also calculated the figure of merit (FOM), which combines light levels at 50 and 75 metres. The H7 Twenty20 doesn’t have the performance of its rival, but is legal, safe and provides a useful increase in performance over a standard bulb. Still, the best…

WHEN you’re armed with an imaginary £25,000, the used car classifieds on Auto Express offer a goldmine of possibilities. I was after something fun and flexible for family use, a car with a touch of class for summer cruising and a cost-effective town car. I’ve hit the jackpot with this trio. 1 BMW 320i TOURING £12,350 FAMILY cars that are also fun when you’re on your own aren’t that easy to come by, but the BMW 3 Series Touring has always been squarely in the box marked ‘All the car you’ll ever need’. Admittedly, a 330i or 330d would be more fun while still not breaking the bank, but the 320i also has a sweet powertrain, and the example we found hasn’t quite ticked over the 60,000-mile mark in its…

THEY’VE taken longer than usual to do the sums and sign off their final figures for the previous year. But in recent days, accountants representing the global auto industry have said that 67,674,745 is their magic number. This, they insist, is how many cars (not vehicles in general) were built in 2024. At first glance, the figure seems healthy enough. But the world’s population is eight billion and rising. So tens of millions of new cars produced annually for the 8,000 million people on the planet could reasonably be described as huge under-production. Radio, TV, phone and personal computer makers have impressively exploited the benefits of truly global economies of scale, thereby putting their products within the financial reach of billions of consumers. Now’s the time for auto makers to…

SUBARU was the centre of attention when the New York Auto show opened last week as it revealed three new models.. First up is the new Trailseeker, which is the brand’s second electric SUV, but the first it has designed in-house. It has a boxy, estate car-like shape, which will be familiar to the brand’s more loyal customers, because it is similar to that of the long-serving Subaru Outback. In fact, the pair are very similar in size as well. It sits on an updated version of the e-SGP (Subaru Global Platform), which is designed to deliver more range when on the motorway, less noise and fewer vibrations, plus better handling. The chassis and powertrain have also been tuned to handle off-road work in a variety of tough conditions, plus…

DESPITE the huge rise in popularity of coupé-SUVs over the past decade, Renault has decided to pull the plug on its Arkana. An official statement from the French firm read: “With Symbioz and Rafale joining Captur and Austral last year, the decision has been taken to focus Renault’s UK SUV range around these four core models.” The Arkana has already been removed from sale in this country and it’s understood that the firm has no plans to replace it. Instead, Renault’s growing EV range has seen the rebirth of old nameplates such as the 5 and the 4, with the latter occupying similar crossover territory to the outgoing model. Sitting on the same CMF-B platform as the Captur, the Arkana was originally introduced in Russia ahead of its launch in…

WHEN reviewing cars at Auto Express, we generally divide our personal opinions about a car from how competent they actually are. At times, this can mean there are cars we rate highly if you’re buying with your head, but that we’d admit might be a bit dull. Conversely, there are vehicles that are incredibly likeable, but that we’d find hard to recommend. So when we say that we think the Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX looks incredibly striking and is very charming, you’ll probably be able to figure out where this review is going… Even at first glance, it’s easy to fall for the new range-topping version of Volkswagen’s eyecatching MPV. That iconic VW bus shape has been brought into the 21st century with fantastic effect, especially in the GTX-only split…

BEING a new parent is an unenviable task; late-night screaming fits and nappy changing aside, having the responsibility of bestowing upon a child a name that will define them for the rest of their lives is daunting. The same goes for car brands preparing to name their latest model; pick the wrong order and combination of numbers and letters, and a potential sales success could turn into a financial flop or, perhaps even worse, a national punchbag (we’re looking at you, new Ford Capri). WHAT’S THE KEY TO A GOOD CAR NAME? So what makes a winning car name? Lee Waterhouse is the founder of leading UK car branding and marketing firm, WDA Automotive, and according to him, the recipe for success is to find a name that “creates a…

AUDI’S EV family is seemingly growing by the month, although the Q4 e-tron still remains among the most popular choices with buyers. It’s easy to see why; the family SUV offers the premium badge appeal that Audi buyers love so much, at a price which isn’t too far beyond the level of a range of mainstream models. It’s a well trodden formula for Audi; after all, the A3 hatchback shares its mechanical make-up with a Volkswagen Golf, and here, Audi uses the same MEB architecture as the VW ID.4, but with a posher bias to its cabin. There are other premium contenders that the Q4 e-tron has to beat, and it holds up fairly well against them. It’s more efficient than the expensive Genesis GV60, its range is better than…

THE market for dash cams is booming as more drivers seek to protect themselves from careless drivers and fraudsters. The little cameras can be fitted and forgotten about, but will be there with vital footage when you need it, potentially saving your no-claims bonus and possibly even your licence. As sales grow, the competition is hotting up with cheaper prices and more advanced tech. This gives better-quality footage and features that make the cameras easier to use and more effective. To reflect the booming market, we’ve gathered together the latest models and the top sellers for our biggest ever dash cam test, with 15 different models covering the whole spectrum of budgets and tech. We have awarded an overall Best Buy, but have also given Recommended rosettes for the more sophisticated…