Table of contents for October 2024 in What Car?

August is usually a quiet month for new car launches, with many manufacturers effectively shutting shop and sending staff on holiday. However, this time our events diary was anything but empty, with five of the UK’s most popular cars being either refreshed or replaced entirely. That list includes mainstays of the UK best-sellers chart, such as the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Golf, alongside slightly more recent additions in the form of the Hyundai Tucson and MG HS. But it’s another car that’s changed most of all; it’s even got a new name. ‘Audi sees electric and combustion-powered cars co-existing for some time to come’ Well, sort of. Instead of directly replacing today’s A4 line-up, Audi has merged it with that of the A5 and used the latter name. This is…

Do you struggle with parking in a multi-storey car park? Find squeezing your car down a narrow lane challenging? Does it barely fit in your garage? Ever pondered whether your car might just be too darned big? Well, you’re not alone. Since the 1970s, cars have been growing in size, with the average car’s width increasing by 1cm (0.4in) every two years, according to non-profit organisation Transport and Environment, a leading European advocate for clean transport and energy. Factors that drive this growth include the perception that bigger cars are safer and more refined. But is it really necessary? We’re not so sure. That’s why we’ve rounded up three of the smallest cars currently on sale for a road trip. We’ll navigate everything from the narrowest street in London to…

Mileage 7382 List price £57,064 Target Price na Price as tested £59,824 Test economy 25.3mpg “CAN YOU GET one last photo,” is a phrase that’s often uttered late in the day, when the light is fading and I’m faced with a two-hour drive home. It’s even more grating when – as on the most recent occasion – it has to be taken from a decidedly off-road perspective. Fortunately, having experimented with my pick-up’s various off-road systems, what I’ve learnt is that the Raptor makes things easy. Before starting out along a series of deeply rutted farmer’s tracks to reach my shooting destination, I simply put the truck into four-wheel drive mode and selected the mud setting via the rotary controller on the centre console. This optimises the traction control for…

In association with 1 RENAULT CLIO Our pick 1.0 TCe 90 Techno List price £19,695 Target Price £17,636 MPG 53.3 CO2 119g/km For Very well priced; smart interior is packed with equipment; fine ride and handling balance; practical boot Against Tight for taller adults in the rear seats; slightly firm low-speed ride; high boot loading lip WHAT CAR? SAYS WITH A BROAD spread of abilities and tempting pricing, the latest Clio represents such great value that it’s our reigning Small Car of the Year. As well as being agile and more fun to drive than rivals such as the Skoda Fabia, the Clio has a smart-looking and generously equipped interior with a portrait-style infotainment screen. Although the rear seats are a bit on the snug side for tall adults, the Clio’s…

In associaton with 1 LEXUS LBX Our pick 1.5 Premium Plus List price £34,505 Target Price £34,087 MPG 61.4 CO2 103g/km For High-quality interior; efficient hybrid system promises low running costs; very well equipped Against Fidgety low-speed ride; refinement could be better; short on rear seat space WHAT CAR? SAYS THINK LEXUS MAKES only big, expensive cars? Well, think again, because the LBX is a small SUV with a comparatively small price tag. Yet despite this, there’s nothing cut price about how it looks, feels or drives. The interior is the classiest you’ll find in any small SUV, with plush materials and rock-solid build quality, even if it’s a little tight in the rear seats. Our recommended Premium Plus trim comes with plenty of standard equipment, including a head-up display that…

1 TESLA MODEL 3 Our pick RWD List price £39,990 Target Price £39,990 Range 318 miles CO2 0g/km For Class-leading efficiency; fast charging via Tesla’s own network; surprisingly practical; well priced Against Some fiddly controls; saloon boot opening is relatively small; windscreen pillars hamper visibility WHAT CAR? SAYS AS WELL AS being one of the best electric cars you can buy, the Model 3 makes complete sense for company car drivers, largely thanks to its lowly 2% benefit-in-kind tax rating and outstanding efficiency. Even the entry-level rear-wheel-drive (RWD) version we recommend has a long official range (318 miles), while the Long Range model promises 390 miles between charges (on 19in wheels). We know from our own tests that the Model 3 can go farther than most electric rivals in real-world use,…

1 BMW 4 SERIES COUPÉ Our pick 420i M Sport List price £44,195 Target Price £40,969 MPG 44.8 CO2 144g/km For Great to drive; comfortable ride on adaptive suspension; high-quality interior; decent space in rear seats Against Looks won’t be for everyone; some rivals have larger boots; some wind and tyre noise at high speeds WHAT CAR? SAYS ITS LOOKS MAY be divisive, but whether or not you’re a fan of this 4 Series’ aggressive styling, you’ll love what’s underneath. You see, this is one of the most rewarding driver’s cars in the class; it’s more agile and capable through corners than the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé. And as long as you specify the optional adaptive suspension (which we recommend), it’s more comfortable than most rivals and on a par with the…

1 PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN Our pick GTS 4.0 List price £77,695 Target Price £77,695 MPG 25.9 CO2 247g/km For Sublime handling; GTS’s rich and soulful six-cylinder engine; smooth ride; high-quality interior Against Lacks the level of standard kit you’d expect of such a pricey car, both in terms of luxuries and safety WHAT CAR? SAYS IT’D BE EASY to write off the Cayman as a poor man’s 911. It can be bought for as little as half the money, so it must be half the car, right? Well, actually, no; in the ways that matter most, the Cayman is the best sports car on the planet. The only caveat is that you need to go for the GTS version, because this swaps the uncouth four-cylinder engines of lesser versions for a…

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NEW Lexus LBX 1.5 Premium Plus List price £34,505 Target Price £34,087 Our reigning Car of the Year is a small SUV with hybrid power for efficiency, plus an interior worthy of much pricier Lexus models USED BMW X1 xDrive23i M Sport (Pro Pack) Price new (2023) £42,970 Price now £36,000* Larger than the LBX, the X1 promises greater practicality, plus it’s got a more powerful petrol engine When Apple launched the iPhone 12 Mini as a smaller, cheaper alternative to the regular iPhone 12, many people assumed it would be a comprehensive downgrade, but that was far from the case. Bar the battery, the 12 Mini had the exact same internals as its bigger sibling, so it performed just the same. Similarly, the Lexus LBX is the smallest and…

Mileage 8106 List price £54,105 Target Price £54,105 Price as tested £59,605 Test range 300 miles ACCORDING TO THE Office for National Statistics, almost half of the UK population works from home at least part of the week. The reality for me as a journalist, however, is that I’ll work wherever I can find an internet connection and power for my laptop – whether that’s in the office, at home or out on the road. And that made the Vehicle-to-Load Pack a must-have option when speccing my Genesis GV60. Essentially, it turns my electric car into a power station, complete with two three-pin sockets. Impressively, it can power devices that consume up to 3.5kW. In theory, it could run a washing machine, a fan heater or even an electric oven,…

Price today £10,000* Suzuki Swift Sport 1.4 Boosterjet List price when new £21,570 Available from 2018-2024 It has a larger and more powerful engine, but is the Swift Sport as agile as its rival? Price today £10,000* Volkswagen Up GTI 1.0 TSI 115 3dr List price when new £16,140 Available from 2017-2023 The regular Up is a great city car, and this sporty GTI version adds a slug of extra power to the mix SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT VOLKSWAGEN UP GTI SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT VOLKSWAGEN UP GTI IF YOU HAVE ever wondered why the Red Arrows favour the petite Hawk jet trainer and not the bigger, faster Typhoon fighter, it all comes down to nimbleness. Putting on the same show in Typhoons as the famous aerobatics team performs in Hawks would take a…

1 TOYOTA COROLLA Our pick 1.8 Hybrid Icon List price £30,505 Target Price £28,362 MPG 61.4 CO2 104g/km For Frugal in real-world driving; comfy and good to drive; generously equipped; well built and reliable Against Tight for adults in rear seats; so-so infotainment system; instrument panel could be more user-friendly WHAT CAR? SAYS THE COROLLA IS a car that will work for just about everyone in the market for a family hatchback. Being a hybrid, it can help you save money, because it can run partly on electric power to conserve petrol. In our real-world economy test, our preferred 1.8-litre model (there’s also a punchier 2.0-litre version) averaged an impressive 50.5mpg. True, it can’t go as far on electric power as a plug-in hybrid, but for many owners it’ll be more…

1 KIA SPORTAGE Our pick 1.6 T-GDi 3 List price £32,890 Target Price £30,899 MPG 44.1 CO2 146g/km For Smart-looking and spacious interior; large boot; good comfort/handling balance; generous warranty Against Very few options available; slightly unsettled low-speed ride; rear seating could be more flexible WHAT CAR? SAYS SOME PEOPLE MIGHT think they’re getting a superior car if they go for a premium-badged model rather than something more down to earth, but when a car is as well rounded as the Sportage, it’s really difficult to justify the extra outlay. As well as being good to drive and a bit comfier and more refined than the closely related Hyundai Tucson, the Sportage has a smart-looking and user-friendly interior, with loads of space for rear passengers and a large, practical boot. Although…

1 BMW X7 Our pick xDrive40d M Sport (Ultimate Pack) List price £110,060 Target Price £103,340 MPG 35.3 CO2 210g/km For Super-quiet and cosseting; hugely practical, with loads of room for seven adults; high-quality materials Against There are cheaper alternatives; feels its size and weight; looks won’t be to all tastes WHAT CAR? SAYS IT MAY BE an SUV, but the X7 is everything a luxury car should be, and more. As well as having a sumptuous and tech-laden interior, the X7 benefits from a commanding driving position and easily enough room to seat seven adults in complete comfort; these last two things are not available in saloon alternatives such as BMW’s 7 Series. Decked out in plush, high-quality materials, the X7’s interior has a real wow factor. And if you…

1 BMW 4 SERIES CONVERTIBLE Our pick 420i M Sport List price £51,280 Target Price £47,553 MPG 41.5 CO2 155g/km For Sharp handling; comfy ride on adaptive suspension; user-friendly infotainment system; classy interior Against Some visibility issues; folding rear seatbacks don’t split; adjustable lumbar support costs extra WHAT CAR? SAYS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT we can pay the BMW 4 Series is that on its journey from coupé to convertible, it has remained excellent to drive – something that’s often not the case, given the extra strengthening (and weight) an open-top car needs. In the 4 Series, however, it retains the sharp handling and punchy performance that we so enjoy in the coupé. Plus, the 4 Series features the kind of high-tech, comfortable interior that will make even long journeys a breeze,…

Smart #1 WHAT CAR? SAYS Model Premium List price £38,950 Target Price £36,950 Target PCP £398 The #1 is much better than the city cars that Smart made its name with. Being great to drive, with an eye-catching, high-quality interior and lots of safety kit, helps this small electric SUV earn our top rating. Plus, in Premium trim, it has a competitive official range of 273 miles. SCAN FOR A GREAT DEAL ON THIS CAR BMW X5 WHAT CAR? SAYS Model xDrive50e M Sport List price £82,055 Target Price £77,389 Target PCP £752 Our pick of the X5 range is the xDrive50e plug-in hybrid. It combines a 3.0-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and a 25.7kWh (usable) battery, which means it can officially cover up to 65 miles on electric…

1 MERCEDES-AMG A45 Our pick S Plus List price £63,370 Target Price £59,870 MPG 30.8 CO2 208g/km For Savage acceleration; immense grip; entertaining handling; quick-shifting automatic gearbox Against Very expensive to buy; some hot hatches are comfier; infotainment controls could be easier to use WHAT CAR? SAYS YOU’LL HAVE NO need for an alarm clock if you own an A45, because you’ll want to wake up at the crack of dawn just so you can go for a blast in it. Not only is this 416bhp, four-wheel-drive rocketship absurdly rapid in a straight line, but it’s also agile and entertaining through corners. Although it isn’t quite as civilised as the similar-priced Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the A45 is barely any less practical or easy to live with than a regular A-Class.…

1 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Our pick 1.6T Hybrid Premium List price £46,775 Target Price £44,849 MPG 41.5 CO2 155g/km For Outstanding practicality; great driving position; plush interior; long warranty; impressive refinement Against Touchscreen controls for most climate functions; acceleration feels a little laboured WHAT CAR? SAYS LIKE ITS PREDECESSORS, the latest Santa Fe is a hugely practical SUV that can transport up to seven people in comfort. But it looks a lot more stiking on the outside and feels far more upmarket inside. The driving position is fantastic, too; there’s a huge amount of seat and steering wheel adjustment, plus you sit high off the ground for a terrific forward view. In fact, visibility is good all round, so the Santa Fe is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre. The fact that you…

1 TOYOTA COROLLA TOURING SPORTS Our pick 1.8 Hybrid Icon List price £31,840 Target Price £29,602 MPG 62.7 CO2 101g/km For Impressive fuel economy; comfortable ride; practical boot; well equipped; very dependable Against Engine can be noisy under hard acceleration; more wind and road noise than in some rivals WHAT CAR? SAYS THERE’S MORE TO being an excellent estate than the ability to accommodate a family in comfort or the occasional wardrobe, because the best of them are also cosseting, frugal and dependable. And it’s these qualities that propel the Corolla Touring Sports to the top of this category. Unlike any of its direct rivals, the Touring Sports is a hybrid, so it can run on electric power alone for short distances to help conserve petrol. In our recommended 1.8-litre form,…

1 PORSCHE CAYENNE COUPÉ Our pick S List price £99,700 Target Price £99,700 MPG 22.6 CO2 284g/km For Powerful engine; fantastic handling for its size; classy and spacious inside Against Expensive to run; you’ll want to add options; some rivals have a more comfortable ride WHAT CAR? SAYS PORSCHE’S UNCANNY ABILITY to transfer its sports car know-how into its more practical SUV models is one of the key reasons why the Macan and Cayenne make such great sports SUVs. For such a large, heavy car, the latter has no right to handle or perform the way it does, with the even sharper Coupé version being our pick. No version of the Cayenne Coupé is slow, but stepping up from the entry-level V6 model to the 468bhp 4.0-litre V8 S is well…

1 BMW M3 TOURING Our pick xDrive Competition List price £87,945 Target Price £82,692 MPG 27.2 CO2 234g/km For Scorching performance; sharp and entertaining handling; practical boot; comfy cruiser; snappy gearbox Against Engine doesn’t sound all that inspiring; expensive to buy and run, and you’ll want to add options WHAT CAR? SAYS IT TOOK BMW 37 years to offer the M3 in estate form, but it was worth the wait. You see, much as we love the M3 saloon, the Touring is even more desirable, thanks to its extra versatility. The M3 Touring uses the same 503bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol engine as the saloon, and it comes with traction-enhancing fourwheel drive as standard to help you make the most of all that power. As well as being incredibly quick (0-62mph takes…

p134 Ford Capri Price from £48,075 Data fact Ford Explorer’s coupé SUV sister offers 572 litres of luggage space. Entry-level Select trim brings an official range of 374 miles. p147 Renault Symbioz Price from £29,295 Data fact Hybrid-powered family SUV is 174mm longer than the Renault Captur small SUV on which it’s based. Official fuel economy is 60.1mpg. p150 Toyota Land Cruiser Price from £74,995 Data fact Seven-seat SUV to rival the Land Rover Defender 110. It’s almost five metres long and the most frugal version officially returns 26.7mpg. p152 Volkswagen ID Buzz LWB Price from £59,035 Data fact Extended electric MPV is 270mm longer than the regular model, yet it’ll set you back just £510 extra. Gone but not forgotten EQC – the first electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz p153…