Reviews – Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric 2024 review: Clean-living estate has the manners, but at a cost

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Like fusion food that shouldn’t really go together – Mexican sushi, for instance, or maybe trout a la crème dolloped into a big Yorkshire pudding and passed off as a long-served delicacy of Pontefract – the combination of an electric vehicle’s (EV) running gear with an estate body is something the automotive manufacturers have been reluctant to try.

Sure, Porsche got in early with both Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo versions of its sporty Taycan, while Chinese-owned British relic MG quickly saw a gap in the market and gave us the affordable MG5 back in 2020.

But these two are the exceptions to the rule rather than the norm. So while you can get any number of electric hatchback or big saloon or SUV, electric estates are much thinner on the ground.

Stellantis to the rescue

That situation looks to be changing and one of the companies at the vanguard of this new zero-emissions wagon movement is Vauxhall.

Benefitting from its inclusion in the vast Stellantis conglomerate of car makers — which includes Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and yet more — it means Vauxhall has easy access to the building blocks of a serviceable EV.

And because Peugeot has managed an estate version of its electric e-308 hatchback, which is essentially the same underneath as the Astra Electric hatchback, we also get an estate version of the Vauxhall that goes under the Luton brand’s preferred nomenclature of Sports Tourer.

The two brands’ efforts all sit on the same underpinnings and the estate models use the same 115kW electric motor and 51kWh (usable capacity) battery pack as their less commodious relations.

Vauxhall says its electric estate will do up to 256 miles to a single charge, while it has enough performance to reach 62mph from rest in less than 10 seconds.

Vizor visage

The Astra Sports Tourer Electric, like other models in the wider Vauxhall range, will come in all three specifications of Design, GS and Ultimate. You’ll want to avoid the former, as the GS gives you luxuries such as adaptive cruise control, dual-zone climate, heated front seats and a 360-degree camera, among more.

In terms of the appearance, there are few qualms about the Sports Tourer’s lines. It’s both shorter and lower than the estate model it replaces in the Astra’s lineage, but it has a longer wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) so interior room is claimed to be better.

On the higher-grade GS and Ultimate cars, a contrast black roof gives the Vauxhall a touch of added definition, while the corporate “vizor” grille up front keeps the Astra’s design clean.

Overall, it’s got decent showroom and kerbside appeal.

Plain Jane cabin

Inside, the report card isn’t quite as glowing. There are high points, of course: every model of Astra Sports Tourer gets the Pure Panel dashboard array, made up of twin 10in digital screens sitting alongside each other.

This is powered by something called a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that makes the response times of the central infotainment touchscreen suitably rapid. There’s also wireless smartphone connectivity for both Apple and Android devices, so tech-heads should be more than happy.

But design aesthetes won’t. Crikey, the Astra’s cabin is incredibly plain to look at. The materials used are all fine but visually there’s nothing daring inside at all. It’s a sea of flat, dark-coloured surfaces wherever you look.

The issue here is that the related Peugeot e-308 SW has a far more interesting cockpit design than this. On the other hand, if you find modern car interiors too flashy, then the ultra-reserved Astra may actually be just the tonic.

At least the AGR-approved front seats are good and supportive, and will be comfortable for your back on long journeys. Practicality is also OK as well, with adequate rear-seat space for passengers and a decent 516-1,553-litre boot out the back.

Saying that, the EV lags behind the petrol-engined versions of the Astra Sports Tourer, which gain another 81 litres of storage capacity.

Nice, but dim

To drive, the Astra Sports Tourer Electric is perfectly pleasant, if also utterly unremarkable. It seems to do most things with a high degree of polish but does nothing exceptional in the fun-to-drive stakes.

Part of the issue here is that this modest electric drivetrain is starting to reach the threshold of its propulsion limits in cars the size of the Astra.

So while 154bhp might be OK for a smaller EV, such as a Corsa Electric for instance, it’s marginal whether it’s ample for the Sports Tourer — which clocks nearly 1.8 tonnes in this spec, making it more than 360kg heavier than any pure petrol-fuelled alternative in the Vauxhall estate’s range.

Yes, the powertrain has a touch more punch here than it does in smaller Stellantis EV applications, with torque rising to 199lb ft (from 192lb ft) but you won’t feel that on the road.

Because, in order to access the Astra’s maximum power and torque outputs, you have to put the car into Sport mode. It defaults to Normal every time you drive it, which means you’re down to 134bhp from the electric motor.

How many estate car owners are actually going to get into their car in the morning and reach for the Sport button before they set off, in order to get the advertised power figure?

And even in Sport mode, the Astra Sports Tourer Electric never feels fast. It’s acceptably swift and cultured, yes, but if you’re expecting a massive shove-in-the-back feel of loads of electric torque from the Astra, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

That said, it does nothing particularly wrong. The ride comfort is smooth, traction is decent in all conditions and the calibration of the Sports Tourer Electric’s major controls is well judged.

Visibility out is good in all directions, so placing it on the road is easy, and thus the Astra Sports Tourer Electric makes every drive into a simple, non-dramatic affair. You basically don’t have to think too much about anything while driving it. Just click it into D and go.

The elephant in the roomy boot

There’s something of a pachyderm loitering, though, and that’s the elephantine price of the Astra Sports Tourer Electric. Whereas petrol models start from £28,810, the Electric’s base ticket is a whopping £39,995.

That’s for a basic Design model with flat paint; stick metallic on there, or go for one of the other two specs, and you’ll be the wrong side of 40 grand before you know it.

And when you’re driving around in an Ultimate-spec version, as pictured, that rocks in at a scarcely believable £46,160. At that level, it’s very hard not to start idly wondering to yourself what a proper long-range, premium EV might cost you. Something like a Tesla Model 3 or Polestar 2, for example.

Granted, Vauxhall makes a big play of the PCP deals and the lower running costs of the Sports Tourer Electric, citing the fact that if you charge it at home, overnight, at an electricity rate of about 8p/kWh, then with all things considered it won’t cost any more to finance or run than a petrol model across a period of four or five years.

But that’s not practicable for all owners, especially folk who don’t have a driveway. And if you have to resort to public charging, the electricity prices shoot up and the running-cost advantages of the Astra Electric dwindle away.

Whereupon you’re left answering the awkward question of “46 grand? For an Astra?!” and trying to justify why it’s worth consideration.

The rub

Taken in isolation the Astra Sports Tourer Electric looks good, it’s filling an electric body-type niche that desperately needs to be expanded, it drives in a discreet and assured fashion, and it’s widely available from the marque’s considerable UK network of dealers.

With its tax and company car incentives, plus the appeal of its large boot area, it’s likely to be a hit and balance the books for Vauxhall.

But as a private proposition? It’s less convincing. The Electric just doesn’t have the headline range figure or the sort of strong EV performance credentials that would convince vacillating buyers to opt for it over a petrol-powered Astra Sports Tourer.

And when you factor in the headline price figure, even if we talk monthly PCP figures or not, it’s simply going to be too big an obstacle for many potential customers to get over. Especially when a 319-mile Tesla Model 3 starts from less than £40,000 in the UK these days.

So while we commend Vauxhall for trying to get us to try a new (kind of) type of fusion food in the automotive world, as things stand the Astra Sports Tourer Electric isn’t quite a tasty enough confection for us to recommend it to you wholeheartedly. It needs to be cheaper to buy, or have longer range… or, preferably, a bit of both.

If you were interested in the new Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric, did you hear that Vauxhall announced GSe, a new performance electric sub-brand?
Keen to go electric instead? Here are the top 10 longest-range electric cars
Vauxhall to boost electric car on-street charging with data and funding for councils

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Smart #3 review 2023: Stylish, roomy electric crossover reinvents the brand … again

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:35:08 +0000

Smart has spent the past two days trying to eradicate memories of the teeny-tiny ForTwo from our minds. It is a brand that never intended to make only small cars, it’s now claimed, and now stands for the most roomy and practical cars in any class.

We’re told that it cost the same to engineer a ForTwo as it does a Mercedes E-Class, so today’s radically different models are designed to help Smart finally sell something at a profit. Ok, that last bit wasn’t actually part of the official line, but it was heavily implied.

Heading into its 25th anniversary year in 2024, Smart is now jointly run by Mercedes and Chinese car company Geely. Geely also owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and many more brands, and has developed the electric car platform that both this #3 and the taller, stubbier Smart #1 use, hence a close mechanical relationship to the likes of the Volvo EX30 and the incoming Polestar 4.

So, you’ll be able to buy this #3 — yes, it’s pronounced “Hashtag 3” and no, that hasn’t got less silly since we tested its stablemate — with a choice of two batteries, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, as well as a sportier Brabus model.

The entry-level #3 Pro costs a very sharp £32,950. This comes with a cheaper battery, one using lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which, combined with a basic 7.4kW AC charging system for home wall boxes, for example, is more than £4,000 cheaper for Smart to make than the longer range model.

The Pro’s battery has 49kWh of useable energy, giving it an official range of 202 miles on a full charge. It’ll replenish at up to 130kW from a DC rapid charger, which means 10-80 per cent takes as little as 30 mins.

Upgrade to the £36,950 Pro+ or the £39,950 Premium model under test here and you get a 62kWh battery which uses more energy-efficient lithium-ion technology.

This gives a potential range of up to 283 miles, although there’s no extra power — the same rear-mounted 268bhp electric motor is used.

That’s not a bad thing as it has plenty of poke, able to push the #3 with the larger battery to 62mph from rest in just 5.8 seconds.

Brabus tuning

There is an upgrade available for those who do want even more performance, though. Brabus made its name cramming massive V12 and V8 engines into the engine bays of various Mercedes, and now it’s making electric Smarts go quicker.

The £45,450 Brabus #3 gets two motors, four-wheel drive and 422bhp, with a faintly ridiculous 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds.

That’s a fraction of second slower than the closely-related Volvo EX30 Performance, but then the #3 is a little longer and larger than the Volvo. And anyway, it’s faster than many petrol-fuelled sports cars can manage.

When it comes to the interior, Smart’s promise is that the #3’s inherent Smart-ness is in how much interior space it offers.

Certainly, it feels more than sufficiently roomy inside, with lots of legroom and headroom in the back in spite of it sitting some 80mm lower than the Smart #1.

The boot’s not great, though — it holds just 370 litres, and the luggage compartment under then bonnet accommodates a vaguely pointless 15-litres. Still, not all EVs offer that, even.

Front passengers get a pair of tasty high-backed sports seats, which are heated and electrically adjustable across the entire range.

The big panoramic glass roof is standard, too, and makes the cabin feel pleasantly airy in spite of how low-down it all is.

Between the front seats is a tall centre console and it has a large open storage area underneath, with smaller, covered compartments for odds and ends.

Curiously, the whole centre console — from the armrest all the way up to the three little round air vents — looks as if it has simply been lifted from the old Mercedes C-Class and resprayed. Maybe one was lying around handy on the day the interior was designed.

Maddening touchscreen

All models get a decent 12.8in touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, though the basic Pro model must do without the neat little strip of driver’s information screen that sits behind the steering wheel.

That’s a shame, as it is much less distracting to glance down there to check your speed, range etc than to look across at the big screen.

There’s also a head-up display projected onto the windscreen for higher spec models.

As for the big touchscreen, it comes incredibly close to ruining your experience of the #3. True, you’d probably get used to its byzantine menu layout with a bit more practice over time, but you’ll be constantly maddened by the endless parade of beeps and warnings that it issues.

Now, fair enough, these are for mandated safety-sensitive items such as speed limits, lane departure and approaching too close to the car in front, but you’d be less maddened by them were they actually consistent.

The speed limit warning — which chides you in a full synth-human voice if you drift above the limit — is especially dense, seemingly unable to post the correct speed limit for a given road for more than a few seconds at a time. No, Smart, it is NOT acceptable to do 50mph through this tiny village.

The digital voice assistant is similarly useless, no matter how cute you think the on-screen Cheetah avatar is. It seemed oblivious to repeated utterances of the “Hello Smart” command initiation and when I eventually did get through, it was able to lower the driver’s window (ironically, one of the few items that still has a physical switch) but couldn’t turn the steering wheel heater on.

If anything, the navigation is even worse, repeatedly directing us down prohibited streets, or insisting that the airport was in the centre of town.

Combine that with excessively fiddly controls for things such as the door mirrors, and you’ll start wishing that Smart provided a branded lump-hammer, so that the screen can be permanently dispensed with.

Lots of power…

Will the driving experience provide any relief? A little, but the #3 is not what you’d call an especially thrilling car to drive. With 268bhp for the rear-drive model, it’s never less than brisk, although it can run out of puff a little on long motorway climbs.

It cruises quietly and smoothly on main roads, but that unfortunately gives you ample opportunity to listen to the various creaks and rattles of the cabin (a pre-production vehicle, in fairness) or loose items clattering around in the unlined door bins.

It goes around corners. It brakes quite neatly and smoothly. But the #3 never exhibits anything other than a passing interest in the business of driving. The steering is entirely numb in any of its adjustable weight settings, so there’s little-to-nothing here for the keen driver.

It’s not even particularly good in town, where the long wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) makes for a broad turning circle which could see you having to back up and have a second go at mini-roundabouts.

At least the range holds up well. Our Premium test car showed a full 280 miles on a full charge, and in spite of motorway and mountain driving, it seemed to stick mostly to that promise, using a kWh for about every 3.5 miles.

The Premium’s heat-pump climate control, which lesser versions lack, doubtless helped.

Should keen drivers upgrade to the Brabus version? Maybe… It’s certainly wildly rapid in a straight line, enough so that vomit will rarely be more than an ankle-flex away for some passengers.

That said, for the most part, it doesn’t feel as if it has the agility nor driver appeal to really convince, but then again if you switch it into the special ‘Brabus’ driving mode, it does perk up a bit, with more linear steering weight and speed, and a sense of muscular enthusiasm.

It’s not a great driver’s car, certainly not by Brabus’ traditionally lofty standards, but it’s fun, if a touch pointless given that you lose about 30 miles of range, so any extra speed you generate will be nullified by an earlier charging stop.

Clearly, Smart had to adapt and evolve beyond its dinky two-seat city car roots, quite simply because not enough people were buying those and the profit margins were wafer thin.

The #3 should prove to be a lot more popular, thanks to being the car that apparently everyone wants right now — an electric crossover — and more profitable thanks to those low Chinese factory costs.

Car market fixed by ‘brutal’ China and the West is ‘too scared’ to fight back, says Iain Duncan-Smith

What it lacks is a true sense of purpose, of something that allows it to yell “look at me!” louder than the morass of other electric crossovers that will surround it — aside from perhaps its eye-catching entry-level price tag. It’s generally handsome, certainly roomy and fine — if no more — to drive. Will all that be enough to revitalise the Smart brand?

If you were interested in the new Smart #3, you might like to read our review of the stylish new Volvo EX30
Looking for other options to go electric? Here are the top 10 longest-range electric cars
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 N review 2023: A Korean super-hatch that just so happens to be powered by electricity

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 23:01:00 +0000

Albert Biermann’s reputation is on the line. Most normal people (petrolheads don’t count) won’t have the foggiest notion who Biermann is, but they’ll have heard of acclaimed sports cars such as the BMW M3, and that’s just one of the many vehicles for which the engineer was responsible during his time at the German company.

Biermann defected to Hyundai in 2015 to become president and head of R&D, and while improving the way in which humdrum models from the Korean brand drive, he was also instrumental in setting up the firm’s “N” sub-brand — unashamedly just one letter away from BMW’s M division in the alphabet and with a very similar remit: to develop truly exciting cars that will get driving enthusiasts frothing at the mouth.

Again, most normal people (petrolheads still don’t count) won’t know that Biermann has been highly successful in his Korean post, overseeing the development of numerous cars from Genesis, Hyundai and Kia. He has only recently stepped down from his senior position as he eyes up retirement in the not-too-distant future, but he can’t collect his carriage clock just yet, as his life’s work will come to nothing if the car you see here is a lemon.

This is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the sub-brand’s first attempt at an electric performance car and the start of a new era for the firm where there will quite likely never be another petrol-fuelled car to bear the N badge.

Can this model really give keen drivers the excitement they crave despite the lack of exploding dinosaurs under the bonnet?

BMW M3-baiting performance

The bare numbers are encouraging for starters, with a dual-motor setup producing up to 641bhp and a BMW M3-beating 0-62mph time of just 3.4 seconds.

That maximum figure is only available if you press the N Grin Boost button (cringe) and for “only” 10 seconds, but if you’ve ever managed to keep an accelerator pedal pinned to the carpet for that length of time in a car as powerful as this then we can only assume that you’re reading these words from inside the walls of one of HM’s finest prisons.

Suffice to say that the always-available 600bhp figure is ample and, as ever in an electric car, it’s the instant torque output that makes it feel so neck-snappingly responsive. In this car, one minute you’re ambling along and the next you’re whooping and hollering in a visceral reaction to your organs wrapping around your spine.

The world is not short of excessively powerful electric cars that can out-accelerate what are now know as “legacy” sports cars, so that’s not going to cut the mustard with those that really relish driving, as fun as it can be to scare your in-laws.

That’s why Hyundai is claiming that the Ioniq 5 N is the first super-fast EV “to provide the enthusiast driver with an emotional, aural and sensory connection to the vehicle.” That sounds like a load of marketing codswallop, but actually there’s a lot of interesting stuff to unpack here.

First up is the “N e-shift” function, using software to control the two electric motors in a bid to make the car feel like it has an eight-speed, dual-clutch gearbox. It even introduces little jolts in the power delivery and allows the driver to control the simulated gearshifts via paddles (usually used to alter the level of brake energy regeneration) behind the steering wheel.

Faking it never sounded so good

This feels a little pointless unless you have the N Active Sound+ feature enabled, a synthetic noise system, effectively, but one that’s considerably more advanced than most on the market. It plays sound through eight internal speakers and two on the outside of the car as well so passersby can enjoy/ be annoyed by your tomfoolery.

Three different themes are selectable, ranging from the hilariously sci-fi “Supersonic” fighter jet sound through the rather forgettable “Evolution” setting to the remarkably convincing “Ignition” mode that emulates the boisterous exhaust sounds of Hyundai’s own i30 N hot hatch.

Normally this sort of stuff irritates us (see our Abarth 500e review) but the in this case, with the fake gearchanges, it suddenly doesn’t feel so pointless. I found my scepticism taking a back seat as I began to engage with the car in a very old-school kind of way, and starting seeking out the twistiest of back roads.

On which the Ioniq 5 N does not disappoint. To go along with the software-led interactivity, Hyundai has endowed this car with a serious engineering specification.

There are bigger dampers than in the standard Ioniq 5 and adaptive damping with three different levels. In its default setting, even on the low-profile 21in tyres, this car isn’t particularly uncomfortable, while its body control is exceptional at the other end of the scale, allowing you fling the car through quick direction changes with wild abandon.

Its composure into, through and out of tricky corners is helped by a proper electronically-controlled rear differential, allowing the driver to exploit the considerable performance on tap even in the middle of a tight bend.

Cleverly, the car utilises the brake energy regeneration function of the drive motors to further enhance its cornering ability by actively managing weight transfer into a turn. It hides its 2.2-tonne mass well, but to make sure the already beefy brakes can survive time on track they’re augmented by more use of the brake energy recovery system (which are usual on regular EVs).

Yes, it drifts

On track you can also explore the success of the N Drift Optimizer function (yes, we’re still talking about an electric Hyundai here), which turns every driver into a drifting pro.

It even has a function that allows the more experienced to initiate a drift with a “torque kick” feature, simulating the technique of rapidly releasing the clutch pedal in a manual-equipped, petrol car in a bid to overcome the grip of the rear tyres. You’ll want to get a friends-and-family discount from your local Pirelli stockist before trying this out.

To reduce foot slippage during such shenanigans, the Ioniq 5 N gets special pedals. They are marked out by a new chequered flag motif that also references Hyundai’s distinctive “parametric pixel” design language that defines this car’s exterior lighting. The rest of the exterior makeover is relatively restrained, though impossible to miss thanks to an orange pinstripe all the way around.

Back inside, the cabin has been suitably upgraded, and it somehow mixes a hot hatch ambience with plenty of sustainable materials. The snug sports seats offer loads of support and sit 20mm lower in the car than the standard Ioniq 5’s, though there’s still room for three passengers in the rear, and while the boot is a little smaller to accommodate the extra hardware underneath, it’s still a practical enough car.

As in the regular model, the dashboard is dominated by a dual-screen setup though the N car gets unique graphics and menus.

Indeed, there’s a bewildering amount of customisation of the car’s sub-systems offered. For example, there are three different settings available for the launch control depending on how much traction you think is available. Those familiar with the approach of BMW M in that regard will feel at home here and in a similar manner, the driver’s favourite groups of settings can be quickly accessed via prominent, programmable “N” buttons on the chunky steering wheel.

It’s a bargain … honest

All this unique stuff comes alongside a generous standard specification with very few optional extras available. That’s just as well given the £65,000 asking price, over £20,000 more than the entry-level Ioniq 5.

Then again, the previous range-topper (the 320bhp, all-wheel-drive Namsan Edition) is knocking on for £59,000, so perhaps it’s not as silly a figure as it seems. And don’t even ask what the cheapest petrol car with this much performance costs.

First impressions suggest that the Ioniq 5 N lives up to the short heritage of that letter. It’s undoubtedly a very different performance car to what has gone before, but no less compelling nor exciting.

Whether it can provide such thrills and maintain driver involvement for more than a quick test drive remains to be seen of course. Does its appeal have longevity? That’s a big unknown, but for now we’d say that Albert Biermann’s work is done. But thankfully the Hyundai N is a template that heralds the beginning of something brilliant.

If you were interested in the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N review, you may like to read our review of the Hyundai Ioniq 6, too
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Peugeot 208 and e-208 review 2023: Bright future for updated supermini?

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:13:37 +0000

There’s a train of thought that suggests small electric cars make the most sense of all the battery-powered vehicles. After all, it’s those in city centres — the natural habitat of the small hatchback — that suffer most at the hands of dirty air, and it’s the kind of journeys covered by small hatchbacks, which are often second cars, that would see a big petrol or diesel car at their least efficient.

Despite that, though, it’s larger cars that are being turned over to electric power first, while smaller cars struggle on with petrol or — perhaps more often — are put out to pasture. See the Ford Fiesta for example.

The fact of the matter is, there’s more profit in SUVs than in small ones, and they’re more in demand, and so that’s where the manufacturers are putting their effort.

A French Vauxhall Corsa Electric?

But small electric vehicles can still make sense for the big car makers, as long as they can share their underpinnings with their partners. The Peugeot e-208 is a shining example of this, because under the skin, it’s exactly the same as Vauxhall’s Corsa Electric hatchback.

Normally, that would be a pretty unappetising situation, but the Corsa Electric is one of the brand’s better products. That said, Peugeot-branded equivalents of the Vauxhall products often prove to be marginally better, despite some quirks related to the cabin ergonomics. And so it proves here.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, because it has been this way ever since the latest-generation Peugeot 208 was launched. Stylish, comfortable and better built than most would ever expect a French car to be, it has risen to become one of Europe’s top sellers. And now it’s even better, thanks to a little nip-and-tuck surgery designed to ensure it can still challenge at the top for years to come.

Under the surgeon’s knife

Obviously, the bold Agueda Yellow paint job pictured here is quite the talking point, but that’s one of many additions that are worthy of note.

More important, for example, is the new grille with body-coloured flashes in it, and the new lights, which are designed to make the car look sportier — Peugeot’s words, not ours.

The new Peugeot badge makes an appearance, too, with the lion motif in a slightly jarring black shield on the car’s nose.

To be honest, while the new look is an improvement, it’s only a small one, because the 208 was already a great car to look at. The distinctive “fang” lights (now “claw marks”) and solid proportions immediately put it among the best in the business, and it remains there to this day.

Business as usual inside — and that’s a good thing

We could say something similar about the interior, too. While Peugeot has changed it slightly with a new touchscreen infotainment system that’s sharper and more modern but still quite confusing to use, the basic design is more or less the same.

Screen aside, the biggest difference we can think of is the new toggle-style gear selector. It’s hardly game-changing stuff.

But then it didn’t need to be, because this is arguably the best-looking interior found in any small car on the market. The material quality is high for something so small — by which we mean you can’t really spot the inevitable cost-saving measures that easily — and the way in which it’s stitched together is remarkable.

Nor is it especially roomy. You couldn’t swing a lion in the back of the 208, and you’d probably struggle with a conventionally sized mog, too. We wouldn’t recommend it, though, because we’re told the RSPCA takes a dim view of such practices.

What you definitely shouldn’t do, however, is put a 6ft 2in adult in the back of a 208 for any longer than about 20 minutes, because that definitely is cruel. Especially if they have to sit behind someone equally blessed in the growth hormone department.

Admittedly, our view of the car was coloured by testing a top-of-the-range one with a glass roof that pilfers a little rear headroom, but even making a generous allowance for that can’t change the fact headroom is tight in there. And legroom isn’t brilliant either. It’s fine for a quick dash to the pub, but not for long journeys.

The boot is equally challenged in terms of capacity, although that’s a problem that’s much worse in the electric e-208 than the petrol-powered alternatives. The standard car’s luggage space is competitive — it’s about the same size as that of a Volkswagen Polo — but the battery steals more than 10 per cent of that capacity, leaving it looking somewhat less impressive.

You don’t have to have electric power

All of which brings us on (semi-neatly) to the powertrain options.

We’ve already ascertained you can have a petrol- or battery-powered 208, but there are also 48-volt mild hybrid options.

What is a mild hybrid car?

In truth, the hybrid system is little more than a glorified stop-start fuel-saving device, but it’s fitted to engines that are generally more powerful than the little 1.2-litre petrol engines at the foot of the range.

Those who want something more eco-friendly would probably be better served by the e-208, which now comes with a bigger battery than before and an extra 20bhp.

In fact, as with the Corsa Electric, with 154bhp on tap I t’s the most powerful version of the model you can buy, and though it’s no GTi it certainly feels nippy enough around town.

And because it comes with a new battery, it also comes with a little more range. Peugeot reckons you’ll get just over 200 miles from a charge, which we think is probably a bit optimistic, but you might manage that if you just drive around town. On the motorway, however, you’ve probably got little chance of achieving much more than 150 miles, depending on conditions.

At least it’ll charge relatively quickly. Find a charger capable of delivering more than 100kW and it’ll take less than half an hour to fill the battery from 20 to 80 per cent. Using a less powerful domestic wallbox charging unit means it’ll take almost five hours to recharge the battery completely.

Still, that means it can easily be done overnight, and that’ll be fine for most owners. And the e-208 is at its best in town, anyway, where the instant acceleration and agility play well.

It’s good on a country road, too, but it’s less at home on faster A-roads and motorways, where quite a lot of tyre roar seeps into the cabin.

Still, it’s pretty comfortable as small hatchbacks go.

You pay for all this goodness

The biggest problem with the electric 208 is the price. Whereas you’ll spend just over £20,000 on a basic petrol version, the e-208 costs more than £32,000. And our high-end test car cost more than £36,000.

Yes, you get plenty of kit — Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard across the range, while built-in navigation, climate control and a posh reversing camera are all thrown in with the higher trim levels — but so they should be as £36,000 is an awful lot of money for a small hatchback. A basic Tesla Model 3 starts at just under £40k these days, as does a much larger Skoda Enyaq.

As a result, the e-208 seems destined to be a bit of a niche option as a new car buy. While it’s good fun to drive and it makes a lot of sense for some drivers, the high price will keep others at bay.

But there’s no reason to avoid the petrol-powered versions of the 208, which have many of the same qualities at a much lower price.

So, while electric power might suit small cars in many ways, the electric 208 is unlikely to become the biggest seller any time soon. (It could be a cracking secondhand buy, mind you.)

If you were interested in the updated Peugeot e-208, you may be interested in our review of the Peugeot E-2008
Here are 10 things to know before you buy an electric vehicle
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Volkswagen ID.7 2023 review: Sleek Tesla Model S rival is the perfect SUV antidote

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 12:14:42 +0000

Cast your mind back some 11 years: London played host to the Olympic games; Felix Baumgartner stepped off the ledge on the edge of space and (successfully) fell to Earth; and Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra was the biggest song of the year. Europe’s best-selling car was the Volkswagen Golf while the German marque also held the third and tenth spot in Europe with the Polo and Passat, respectively. Nobody had yet heard of Dieselgate, while in the US, a little-known company called Tesla began production of an electric car called the Model S.

A seismic shift in the automotive landscape was about to unfold and Volkswagen, tail between its legs after cheating those diesel emissions tests, scrambled to play catch-up in the suddenly burgeoning electric vehicle market. An electric version of the Golf was a toe in the water, but Volkswagen realised it needed to vastly scale up its ambitions with a whole family of dedicated EVs.

That began with the Golf-sized ID.3, for which the carmaker designed a new vehicle structure that would go on to underpin a multitude of new EVs.

Those included the larger ID.4 and ID.5, as well as the terrific-looking ID. Buzz — one of the coolest electric vehicles on the market (and our best-designed car of the year in 2022), if slightly compromised.

Moving on from SUVs

Now Volkswagen is getting serious with the introduction of the ID.7, a large electric car that’s not only an alternative to the Passat but a model capable of taking on rivals from Tesla and Hyundai, and even premium alternatives from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The ID.7 uses the same 77kWh battery as the ID. Buzz, but whereas that has a driving range of 254 miles before it needs to be recharged, the sleek and slippery shape of the ID.7, combined with powertrain efficiency improvements, mean that the range increases to a far more useful 385 miles.

While the ID.7 is hardly what you’d call drop dead gorgeous, it is a less challenging design than the bug-like Hyundai Ioniq 6 streamliner. Yet both cars’ aesthetics have been primarily shaped by aerodynamics, ensuring they create as little drag as possible through the air to extend the range.

Volkswagen has always been a conservative company in designing its cars, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the ID.7 is far from radical in how it looks. There are already enough whacky looking EVs on the market and not everybody wants to drive a car that looks like something George Jetson would own.

Spacious interior dominated by touchscreen

If the ID.7 is one thing, it’s long. Measuring just less than five metres in length, it’s longer than the Volkswagen ID.5 SUV and the popular Tesla Model 3, though actually marginally shorter than the Model S.

While the ID.7 might not have the high roofline of an SUV, the curved roof extends further back than in a traditional saloon and features a hatchback opening, making it easier to get bulkier items into the boot.

Other rivals, including the Chinese BYD Seal, retain a separate boot lid that can limit access. You get a voluminous 532 litres of luggage room in the ID.7, and Volkswagen will add an estate variant in 2024 for even more load-lugging ability.

As you slip your hand under the flush-fitting door handle and access the interior, you’ll first notice the 15in touchscreen display affixed to the centre of the dashboard. It is unapologetically large and is the centrepiece of what is otherwise a stark-looking interior.

Perhaps the bigger news is that, following widespread criticism of the previous ID. models, the lower touch bar element of the display (used for volume and temperature adjustment) is now backlit so you can see it at night.

Material and build quality inside are to the typical standard we expect from Volkswagen. Everything feels solidly made, and any areas you frequently come into contact with feel nice to the touch.

There are remarkably few physical buttons, though, most of which are on the door and include VW’s wimpy rotary switch for adjusting the door mirrors. The ID.7 is not as minimalist as a Tesla for its lack of actual buttons, but it continues a concerning trend of making drivers spend more time using a touchscreen instead of buttons and knobs they can locate and twist without ever taking their eyes off the road.

Volkswagen also sticks with haptic controls for the multifunction steering wheel that click and pulse as your finger slides across them, often accidentally. The steering wheel is a standard size and feels good in your hands, while the drive selector is mounted on the steering column to create more space between the front seats.

The long, sloped roof provides generous headroom for all passengers, while the stretched distance between the front and rear wheels helps open up cabin space and means plenty of legroom to stretch out on a longer journey in the back, too.

Plenty of power from new motor

Volkswagen has fitted its newest electric motor to the ID.7, driving the rear wheels with up to 281bhp. Not only is this motor more powerful than previous units from the firm, but it’s more efficient, too.

Only a light touch of the accelerator pedal is needed for quick progress, and although the ID.7 doesn’t feel overtly sporty, you sense there’s always plenty of performance in reserve should you need it. By Tesla acceleration standards it’s a sedate driving experience, but the ID.7 is certainly quick enough by any other measure.

That’s not to say the Volkswagen is dull to drive. Despite its size, the ID.7 doesn’t embarrass itself when you show it a series of bends, and with power going to the rear wheels, there’s no corruption of the steering feel, either.

It will cover ground at a healthy clip when switched to Sport mode — you even get some red ambient lighting inside for added effect — but the ID.7 is a more mature package that focuses on comfort and refinement. Indeed, with the adaptive damping left in its default setting, the car is notably plush and comfortable.

The interior remains appreciably hushed as the speed builds up, with little in the way of road or wind noise bleeding into the cabin on the motorway to interrupt your driver’s seat massage.

Nevertheless, you will need to stop at some point, so it’s helpful that the native navigation software can not only show the nearest charging stations but also indicate the maximum speeds of the chargers. That can be valuable information when making a call on where to stop.

Fast-enough charging

And the ID.7 charges at up to 175kW using a DC rapid charger. Now, that isn’t as fast as the Hyundai Ioniq 6 manages, but Volkswagen sensibly states that it can add 126 miles of range in just ten minutes, with a recharge from 10 to 80 per cent taking 28 minutes.

In typical VW fashion, in some ways the ID.7 is almost too sensible. You won’t find snazzy seats that turn into recliners as you would in a Kia EV6, for example, and there aren’t built-in games to keep the kids occupied while you charge as Tesla offers. Instead, Volkswagen has taken a very grown-up approach to the ID.7, perhaps because it wants to be taken more seriously for its EV efforts.

There is plenty of useful technology included, though, such as the neat, augmented reality head-up display providing navigation support, as well as Android Auto and Apple Carplay (neither of which you get on a Tesla).

Less impressive is the assisted lane change function that’s part of the Travel Assist pack. Owners can have the car perform lane changes on a motorway at speeds above 55mph with just a tap of the indicator stalk. Great in theory, but as with Tesla’s Autopilot system there were several instances where it didn’t perform as desired in our test of the car. When it did, the manoeuvre was drama-free.

There is plenty to like about the Volkswagen ID.7, even if it isn’t the most striking-looking car to go on sale this year. Sure, it’s more relaxing than thrilling, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It feels like a car its owners will enjoy driving day in, day out because of its quietness and comfort.

It has taken a decade, but Volkswagen now has the products to be taken seriously in the electric car world. Now, if only it could sharpen its pencil when it comes to pricing — especially when the Tesla Model 3 now starts at under £40,000.

If you are interested in the Volkswagen ID.7, you might like to read why Richard Porter gave two stars to the VW ID.5
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Range Rover Evoque 2023 review: Squint or you’ll miss plug-in baby Rangie’s updates

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 15:16:49 +0000

Tinkering with a product’s winning formula is fraught with danger. Some of us are old enough to remember what happened when “New Coke” came onto the market, for example (hint: it wasn’t a terrific success). If you’ve got something that’s working, why tear it up and start again?

The car brand that really understands this is Porsche. Look at the 911: next year the legendary sports car turns 60 but the design today can easily be traced back to the 1964 original.

At JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover), the Range Rover sub brand is largely responsible for lining the company coffers today. Global demand for its top-line models, the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, are outstripping supply, but at the other end of the family is the Evoque and the brand’s smallest car too has proven to be a phenomenal success.

So, sensibly, when it came time to apply the traditional mid-life facelift for this generation of Evoque, which can be seen in the pictures (trust us), its designers opted for reservation and subtlety rather than attempting any radical changes.

Squint or you’ll miss the design changes

You’ll have to squint almost as much as its slender LED pixel headlights appear to to spot any differences, but they are there. The previously wavy grille pattern has been swapped out for a more rectangular design pattern that apes the look of the big Range Rover for a start.

Those fancy matrix headlights can dynamically “shade” multiple vehicles on the road at night, too, leaving the surrounding areas fully illuminated by the high beams. However, you’ll have to choose from the Dynamic HSE trim level upwards to get them as standard.

All versions get LED headlights in some form, though the base Evoque S doesn’t get the signature daytime running light element — not that the neighbours are likely to notice.

Some minor changes to the front bumpers will most likely only be picked up on by dedicated Range Rover spotters, as will the darker red graphic on the rear light clusters, though the Corinthian Bronze accents that are available do add a layer of sophistication to the Evoque’s appearance.

Alloy wheels up to 21 inches in diameter are available, though if you’re considering the plug-in hybrid the choice is limited to 20in rims.

All the budget went on the new cabin

More noticeable changes occur inside where the design team has looked to mimic the experience you get in the larger Range Rover models. It’s a case of less being more, as the centre console loses its dual-screen setup in favour of a single ‘floating’ 11.4in touchscreen.

Losing the physical controllers for temperature and ventilation isn’t ideal, though, even if the climate controls are permanently visible on the display and can be adjusted by sliding your finger up or down along the curved panel. There is a valid argument that touchscreens can be more of a distraction for drivers, though Range Rover states that drivers can reach 80 per cent of all functions within two taps of the menu system. Amazon’s Alexa is built into the system to handle some voice commands as well.

Previous versions of Range Rover’s Pivi Pro infotainment system did prove buggy, but we can report a clean bill of health with the current setup. The display’s graphics are pin-sharp and there’s no lag from inputs. If you prefer what your phone can do there is wireless connectivity with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so you can run popular apps such as Google Maps, Waze and Spotify seamlessly in the car.

A centre console redesign means there is a hidden stowage area beneath the central display, too, which is home to the wireless charging pad, cutting out the need for any phone cables inside for many owners.

On the subject of clean interiors, the Evoque has an advanced air filtration system that Range Rover claims can keep pathogens, bacteria and odours from entering the cabin. The PM2.5 Filtration standard can also prevent allergens such as pollen from reaching the interior, and it is claimed to reduce the level of carbon dioxide inside the car, which can heighten alertness. That might sound a bit sci-fi, or even like something from an episode of Black Mirror, but speaking as a hay fever sufferer, every bit helps.

An array of cameras lets you see quite literally everything around the Evoque and it enables a genius system that provides a view as if you’re looking through the bonnet. ClearSight Ground View, as its called, was developed for use off-road, to help spot any nasty boulders beneath the car, but in the real world, it’s perfect for showing how much room you have left on either side before you risk gouging those nice alloy wheels when driving into a car park, for example.

Wool, or leather if you insist

Leather was once the interior upholstery of choice for premium vehicles such as the Evoque. These days, a growing number of customers want an alternative on both environmental and taste grounds. For the Evoque there’s a Kvadrat wool blend fabric that looks and feels great. This material is less than half the weight of leather and is produced using more responsible processes with content recycled from discarded fishing nets.

But if you’re more of a traditionalist, of course Range Rover will still sell you Windsor Leather with a new Diamond Herringbone perforation pattern, on Dynamic HSE and Autobiography versions.

There was a time when Range Rover offered a choice of body styles for the Evoque — even a convertible one (which, with just two doors and compromised packaging, proved as popular as a poo in a swimming pool and was quietly killed off two years after it went on sale).

But these days only a five-door shell is in production. In fairness, it was by far the most popular choice and the extra rear doors make life easier for anyone getting in and out of the rear seats. Space back there is adequate despite the sloping roofline.

Petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power

Power for the Evoque comes in several forms, with two diesel and three petrol engines, all of which include mild-hybrid tech to make modest improvements to fuel consumption and emissions. In the hunt for efficiency, the old nine-speed automatic gearbox gives way to an eight-speed unit that weighs 5kg less.

For those that see combustion engines as old hat or poor for their public image, the bad news is that there’s currently no electric Evoque option. That’ll most likely have to wait until the next generation comes along, but there is a plug-in hybrid that serves as a halfway house and now goes that bit further between charging sessions.

Although the Evoque’s hybrid battery pack hasn’t physically grown, its internal composition has been updated to increase the energy density. Another plus is Range Rover’s decision to fit a 50kW DC rapid charge port to the Evoque, which means that the battery can theoretically be topped up from empty to 80 per cent in 30 minutes. If you don’t feel like catching filthy looks from EV owners by plugging your hybrid into a public fast charger, charging the battery at home on a 7kW AC charger will only take 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Whichever way you do it, when fully charged, the Evoque can drive up to 39 miles on just the battery — at least, according to the official WLTP figure. Range Rover knows that WLTP doesn’t quite reflect real life, so it remains one of the few carmakers to quote what it considers a real-world range, which is 29.8 miles in this case.

Naturally, you get the most refined experience when the Evoque is running on its battery as the power delivery is smooth and performance is brisk. There will of course be times when you’ll need to fall back on the petrol engine to continue your journey and so long as you’re not trying to wring every last bit of performance from the powertrain it clips along with a healthy degree of refinement. Under more severe loads the off-beat nature of the three-cylinder engine does become more audible, though it’s never harsh or unpleasant.

Range Rover has ensured that the Evoque can tackle some pretty rugged terrain, and provides a multitude of different driving modes to suit a variety of surfaces. In reality, the Evoque is more likely to traverse between Waitrose and Marks and Sparks; that kerb outside the school gates should provide little challenge. At least with the PHEV you can sit there with the heating on and the engine off. Providing you charged the battery that is…

On the road, there’s a stiffness to the suspension that results in a fair bit of head toss from your passengers as the car covers broken tarmac — far from the sort of magic carpet ride you’ll get from larger Range Rovers.

Still, the Evoque’s compact size does mean that it’s agile and when calling upon the PHEV’s performance on a decent road, the Evoque feels a bit more rapid than the official numbers suggest it will. That electric motor gives it a generous dollop of shove and in its hybrid mode will shut off the three-cylinder engine when it’s not required.

It might be in the middle of its current model cycle, but the Evoque still very much lives up to its premium billing and the enhancements to the battery and PHEV setup still give it a slight edge over similarly sized rivals.

A decluttering of the interior hasn’t done it any harm either, and while it may be the smallest vehicle in the family, it retains all of the typical traits to warrant its Range Rover badge. Did you expect anything new?

If you were interested in the Range Rover Evoque you might like to see our review of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV
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Extended test: Honda HR-V 2023 review

Will.dron@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 14:50:00 +0000

Honda HR-V specifications

Model Honda HR-V 1.5i-MMD Advance Style e-CVT
Price from £35,615 OTR
Price as tested (with options): £36,265
Cost options fitted: Metallic two-tone paint £650
Colour Meteoroid Grey
Engine 1498cc 4-cylinder petrol engine plus two electric motors
Transmission Electronic continuously variable transmission (automatic)
Power output 129bhp
Torque 253 lb ft
Weight (DIN/EU) 1,380kg / 1,401kg
Luggage capacity 304 / 1,274 litres (seats up / rear-seats folded)
Top speed 106mph
0-62mph 10.7sec
Fuel consumption (WLTP combined cycle): 52.3mpg
CO2 emissions (WLTP): 122g/km
VED (road tax) £170 for first year; £145 thereafter
BIK tax payable (2022/23) 29%; £1,909 (20%) or £3,818 (40%)
Insurance group 31A

Test details

Test period August – December 2023
Starting mileage 9,565 miles

Updates

October 5, 2023 Will the hybrid HR-V electrify or give me a flat battery?
November 8, 2023 Can the HR-V handle a hybrid of different family holidays?

October 5, 2023: Will the hybrid HR-V electrify or give me a flat battery?

With the ongoing commentary about what the UK’s automotive future will look like, I was more than intrigued about whether the Honda HR-V and its “self-charging” hybrid system would make a sound bridging step before full EV ownership.

My journeys are generally local with the need to go on longer stretches only a few times a year, for family trips and holidays. Whether a full hybrid offers significant fuel savings compared with traditional petrol cars will be interesting to discover. I’m also wondering if it’ll actually push me towards considering a full electric vehicle in future. The next few months will tell.

While still very much part of the crossover/ small SUV segment, I was immediately drawn to the sleek coupé bodystyle of the HR-V. Its sporty appearance goes against the pre-conceptions I held about Honda, namely they are cars either for boy racers (Civic Type-R) or the retired (Jazz).

Interestingly, this HR-V’s powertrain is derived from the Jazz hybrid system, but updated to suit the larger body with extra performance and efficiency.

A couple of other early impressions stand out. Despite being a small SUV, you get a commanding view of the road from the driver’s seat, and I felt elevated with good sight lines in all directions. As many other female drivers may attest, this can add to the driving experience and feeling of security when around larger vehicles or driving alone.

The smartphone wireless charging pad is also a bonus. I’ll probably keep this quiet from my two children, with their YouTube Shorts-hungry mobiles.

With regards to rival types of cars, to help give an idea of what it’s up against, the HR-V sits within two subsets depending on your point of view. I’d put it in the same group as the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 or Vauxhall Mokka, for example; established players at the affordable end of the market that appeal to everyone from urban adventurers and young families to pre-retirement empty nesters.

However, in terms of the HR-V’s unique styling, the Toyota CH-R and Mazda CX-30 are more interesting and closer competitors, standing out from the crowd while not falling into a niche. The CH-R, incidentally, is another full hybrid.

What are ‘mild hybrid’, ‘full hybrid’, ‘plug-in hybrid’ and ‘pure-electric’ cars?

In my first month of driving, I’m loving the fuel economy, hitting the heady heights of 58mpg before settling at an average of 53mpg when my journey mix levelled out.

I’ll examine the driving experience more fully next month as I continue to get to grips with the hybrid set up. I’ll also have had the dog-friendly options installed by Honda at that point, which I truly hope are more genuine than its Pet Co-Pilot Front Seat that ran as an April Fool’s prank in April 2022.

Miles this month 813 miles
Average economy 53.1mpg

As ever with our extended tests, you can ask questions using the comments section below.

November 8, 2023: Can the HR-V handle a hybrid of family holidays?

Our HR-V test car arrived just as we were due to set off on a couple of getaways to different corners of the UK. It was certainly dropped in at the deep end.

First up was a family camping trip to Kent. Over the years we seem to have accumulated a lot of the gear required to make a few nights under a canvas roof more comfortable, a mix of both essentials and nice-to-have luxury items (portable larder anyone?). So my first concern was how on earth would we fit all of this paraphernalia into the Honda’s compact and snug interior?

Thank goodness both my growing lads were meeting my husband and me at the campsite, as this size of car simply isn’t capable of carrying four people and their camping gear. But for two people plus a cavapoo, it was excellent.

I found the pull-down levers on the rear seats, which are slick to operate and the seats themselves have a slick mechanism, which drops them forward logically and seamlessly. This created a huge and completely flat area for me to load into (1,274 litres in total), which to be honest was perceptually larger than I had been expecting.

I didn’t need it for this trip but the HR-V also features Honda’s clever “magic seat” set-up, where the rear seats fold up cinema-style to allow for carrying taller items. It’s simple features like this that really help you warm to a brand.

The journey involved local roads and faster stretches, and it was the first time I’d take the car over longer distances. The initial electric-powered surge from a standing start is super smooth and has an impressive gliding quality.

Honda is very proud of its regenerative braking technology, meaning that slowing down recovers some energy, normal lost as heat, back into the battery. It can then deploy it again when you begin to accelerate.

However, as we began to negotiate longer uninterrupted stages of the journey it became very noticeable how hard the HR-V’s petrol engine was having to work. The increased engine noise was palpably loud at 70mph on the motorway, and unused to hybrids and the way the engine revs seem to bear little relation to what your right foot is doing, it was a slightly uncomfortable feeling at first. In fact I wondered if there was something wrong with the car.

These fears did ease after a few minutes as the engine settled down but it returned after further periods of acceleration, as the engine worked hard to charge the battery pack.

A spot of research suggests this issue is due to how the continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic gearbox works with the engine and battery, and is perfectly normal. But I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.

On arrival at the campsite, the HR-V was unloaded pretty quickly and had only one more job — namely to help with inflating the air mattresses. This is when my husband committed an error that he ultimately took full responsibility for. Having got our airbeds and my brother-in-law’s mats pumped in record time, the HR-V was given a rest until we departed at the end of a fun weekend. It was at this point we realised we had a dead battery.

A quick call to Honda Assistance (awesome service via their partners at the AA) and the friendly repair guy was with us in five minutes. We lucked out as it felt like he had stepped out from behind a tree the moment we put the phone down but he only lived up the hill from the campsite.

He explained for a job such as using an air pump we should have fully powered up the car’s ignition, in order to enable the engine to fire up and recharge the 12v system, which runs all the car’s electrics, as the high voltage traction battery can’t do that — it’s merely there for propulsion (lesson learned!).

A quick boost charge from his vehicle (it’s critical to not leave the keys inside while doing this, he told us) and we were back on schedule to get home, with the return motorway trip also helping charge the 12v system back up to optimal levels.

Next up for the HR-V was a longer run down to Cornwall for a week of beach trips and tricky hilly corners, full of caravans and tractors coming the other way. The HR-V took to the task with relish, effortlessly holding its grip on inclines as we patiently waited for large vehicles to pass within inches of us and the high hedgerows.

I’d read other reviewers’ comments that the HR-V’s suspension was relatively lumpy on more difficult terrain, but I can’t say I thought this to be a problem and found the ride nicely sorted.

Yes, the heightened rev noise returned as we moved up and down the rugged Cornish landscape and the Honda worked to adjust, but it wasn’t unexpected by now.

On trips to the beach, the hard-wearing plastic mats did a great job of stopping the car from filling with sand. They are easy to remove, brush and clean and can be interchanged with the carpet versions as needed.

The HR-V may only have 304 litres of regular boot space but this proved sufficient for our wetsuits, bodyboards and beach gear. Notable mention goes to the flexible boot load cover. Unlike a solid parcel shelf, this folds away when not in use and is easy to store. It then can spring back like a pop-up tent when required and tethers in place with some simple hooks. Very convenient and helpful.

So, the HR-V took our family escapes in its stride and pretty much took on board everything we threw at it (human errors withstanding). Fuel efficiency continues to impress, hovering at just above 52 mpg, which while a drop from last month is understandable given the long motorway stints.

The HR-V has been in the Honda workshop recently to get its dog-friendly equipment installed. We’ll be giving this the once over in the next review instalment as well as the chance to compare the HR-V with its sister model the ZR-V, which we were given as a courtesy car for a couple of days.

Mileage this month 920 miles
Mileage to date 1,733miles
Average Economy 52.1 mpg

As ever with our extended tests, you can ask questions using the comments section below.

Did you enjoy Tina’s Honda HR-V long-term review? Check out what she had to say about the Mini Clubman
For more in-depth car reviews, check out our long-term car reviews here
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Audi Q8 2023 review: Is Audi’s flagship SUV a little off-colour?

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Paint is remarkably important stuff. Obviously, it’s the medium through which some artists express their brilliance — thanks to it we have treasures from Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet et al — but that’s only the beginning. From the earliest caves paintings to the tanks of the Second World War, and from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the moon landings, paint has played a pivotal role. It can be used to tell a story, express a mood, set the tone of a room, protect a boat from the corrosive sea or hide people and objects from prying eyes. Whether it’s applied delicately and deliberately or slapped on with reckless abandon, its effect cannot be understated.

And it’s just as important in the car industry. Originally, carmakers saw paint as little more than a protective layer with which they would (often unsuccessfully) attempt to keep the dreaded rust at bay. Henry Ford famously kept costs down by offered his Model T in any colour, as long as it was black. But now it has become a fashion statement, a style accessory and a marketing tool.

In the case of Audi’s new Sakhir Gold hue, we can’t decide which one applies best.

Not what we’d call gold

As you can probably see from these pictures, gold is one of the many words we’re unlikely to use in a description of the new paint job, which is one of three freshly introduced options available for the new Audi Q8. It’s more the colour of an American tourist’s shorts — a dirty beige that kind of goes with desert camouflage, but definitely shouldn’t be paired with improbably long white sports socks and a gaudy pair of Brooks trainers. The owner of anything this colour clearly owns a USS Missouri baseball cap and has a grandchild named Blake. That or they’re suspiciously keen to hide in the desert.

Whatever, it’s one of those colours that’s going to divide opinions. Pretty much everyone blessed with the gift of sight will despise it, while a small minority will think it’s just a bit grim. But an even smaller minority will love it, and while it isn’t down to us to question their sanity, we extend them our best wishes and hope they feel better soon.

Normally, of course, that would be that. We’d have our say on Audi’s, erm, bold new paint job, then get on with our lives and try to forget that something so unpleasant was ever signed off by the bosses at Audi’s Ingolstadt HQ. But this one deserves special attention, because Audi itself has made a bit of a song and dance about Sakhir Gold. Or Burger Bun Beige if you prefer.

That’s because this is one of the launch colours for the new Q8, although when we use the word “new” we do so advisedly. Yes, the Q8 — billed as a slightly more stylish version of the massive Q7 SUV — has been lightly revamped, but the differences aren’t especially obvious.

It has new headlights

Audi made a lot of noise all three of its new colours — a red and a blue — though in fairness, neither of those is such a heinously ugly hue as Baby Food Brown. But point is that when a carmaker starts banging on about paint colours early doors, you know it doesn’t have all that much to say about its updated model.

What else is new, though? The bumpers, lights and alloy wheel designs are the only real changes to the exterior, save for the colour options, and the cabin has changed even less. Some new interior design inlays are on offer, but that’s your lot.

If you’re wondering about changes to the chassis or engine range, you’re out of luck. Yes, some new plug-in hybrid options are heading this way in the next year or so, but otherwise it’s business as usual.

That’s not such an issue for the Q8, mind you. It is a spacious, solidly built car with plenty of equipment and a chunky premium style — the new model does nothing to damage those points. Admittedly, one of the new trim inlays looks as though it was designed by the people who fit the wall panels to the inside of airliner cabins, but it’s largely very upmarket in a Germanic kind of way.

Screens? We got ’em

The tech hasn’t changed either, and while Audi’s Virtual Cockpit digital instrument display remains one of the best things fitted to any Audi ever, and was an innovation that all other carmakers have now followed, the Q8’s touchscreen is not such a triumph.

In fact, with strange haptic feedback that forces you to poke the screen with all the vigour of a football manager jabbing the chest of a particularly hapless referee, it’s a bit of a dud. Don’t get us wrong, logical menus and clear graphics mean it does the job, it just isn’t necessarily pleasant to use.

V8 says the heart, TDI says the head

Thankfully, the engine range is much more pleasant to use, if no different from before. For the time being, there’s a choice of petrol and diesel engines, with the majority of those being smooth 3-litre V6 lumps.

The 4-litre V8 in the SQ8 is something of a dreamboat, with its smoothness and simmering performance potential, but the 3-litre diesel is the only sensible option. Refined, powerful and great for towing, it’s eminently useful, and it’s also the only engine to offer economy that won’t leave you drowning in a muddy puddle of destitution.

Whichever engine you opt for, the Q8 offers a broadly similar driving experience. Sure, the SQ8 is a bit of a roadrunner, and there’s something beautifully effortless about that V8, but every version is more than punchy enough.

And while it doesn’t handle as sharply as a Porsche Cayenne or a BMW X6, the Q8 is still very secure and stable in corners. The ride is adequate, too, although it’s at its best on smaller wheels, and there’s an unsettled undercurrent to the way it deals with small imperfections in the road, particularly around town. On a motorway, though, it wafts along gloriously.

There is one change that you won’t find in any of Audi’s publicity material, however, and that’s the price. We’re all aware that most new car prices are shooting up faster than one of Elon Musk’s rockets — ironically all except Elon’s Teslas, which seem to keep having their prices cut — so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the new Q8 is a little more expensive than its predecessor.

Even the cheapest of the new Audi Q8s comes in at more than £75,000, and that’s a huge amount of money, whichever way you cut it. Even compared with rivals from Porsche and BMW, it isn’t exactly a bargain.

So the new Q8 is essentially like Sakhir Gold. You probably don’t want one — there are other, better looking alternatives that do the job just as well, if not better — but those that do want it will love it. There are no major weaknesses in the Q8 package, and it epitomises the style and substance that makes an Audi different.

However, we reckon the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5 are far more appealing ways to spend the thick end of £100,000.

If you were interested in the updated Audi Q8, you might also like to check out what we had to say about the updated Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid
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AMR Mustang ePower review: The 1960s restomod Pony car powered by volts rather than a V8

Will.dron@sunday-times.co.uk — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 12:40:50 +0000

I’ve never watched an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, but nobody could have escaped the fact that the reality show existed. I’m aware of someone from the Kardashian clan called Kim, who may or may not be married to a mad rapper, and that there is a matriarch called Caitlyn who used to go by the name Bruce. I have no feelings at all about the programme, or Caitlyn, though I know other people have rather extreme opinions about both.

Similarly, I have no strong feelings either way about cars that were born to run on petrol but have subsequently been converted to run on electricity.

I am also not bothered at all that Alan Mann Racing (AMR) — a team that was contracted by Ford in the 1960s and prepared race-winning Cortinas and Falcons, and even a lightweight GT40 during the famous Le Mans push — has started taking a knife to original Mustangs, removing their combustion engines and replacing them with electric motors. But I know that some of you will be outraged.

Even Henry Mann (below), son of the legendary Alan Mann and director of Alan Mann Racing, acknowledges that his clients are split 50:50 on the issue: half find it sacrilegious to have a Mustang without a V8 in it, and aren’t at all behind electric cars in general, while the other half have been “very receptive” to his new AMR ePower Mustang. A couple have even driven the near-production prototype I got to try out.

Stripped and rebuilt from the ground up

So what exactly has AMR done? Well, a lot. Way more than other classic car converters such as Electrogenic or Lunaz would attempt. Those guys try to keep as much original as possible, and Electrogenic even specialises in keeping the gearbox as part of the electric drivetrain (due to the immediate torque from an electric motor, you can start off in pretty much any gear, with first used exclusively for burnouts).

But the AMR ePower Mustang is first and foremost a restomod, so it’s heavily updated to include modern parts, inside the cabin and under the bonnet, which most obviously involves fitting the electric motor, but also stripping out the transmission, adding more supportive seats and luxuries such as air conditioning and a touchscreen infotainment system.

New front and rear subframes were designed to accommodate the electrical components, with the battery pack split in two — one under the bonnet and one below the boot floor, replacing the fuel tank. That ensures an even weight distribution, Mann says.

And despite the dense powerpacks, overall weight isn’t massively increased over the original — up around 100kg or so — because removing the engine and gearbox alone sheds 285kg, and the electric motor and reduction box are lighter than the original gearbox alone.

There’s further weight-saving in the uprated suspension and brakes, too. The forged steel front units and rear leaf springs have been replaced with lightweight aluminium independent double wishbones all round, featuring billet aluminium uprights, while stopping power comes from lightweight ventilated front and rear discs, with six-piston callipers in front and four-piston callipers behind.

Bad news for Brits

The problem with what AMR has done, though, is that it goes way beyond what the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) views as “radically altered”. That means the car can’t keep its original registration number in the UK so it needs to be tested for safety by the DVSA, which in turn means paying a fee for a person with a clipboard and a stern look to spend a couple of hours poring over each car to roll out of the workshop. And AMR isn’t considering that right now (though if Mann’s phone rings off the hook with UK orders, his arm could be twisted).

Instead, initial AMR ePower Mustangs are destined for foreign markets — mainly America, where classic Mustangs are more common and the regulations are more relaxed, particularly in certain States.

It’s handy, then, that AMR has partnered with an engineering firm in the USA — Mann ePower Cars, based just outside Philadelphia — to do the restoration and conversion work to its specifications.

You might have noticed that both firms contain the name Mann; that’s a coincidence, apparently. AMR’s Henry Mann met his American namesake at a car show in Chicago, and the two decided there and then that their combined engineering expertise and experience of Fords could result in a pretty decent electric restomod.

It’s what’s inside that counts

How decent? Well, the signs from my test drive are promising. While Brits will find it harder to get behind the wheel due to the extensive modification and the DVSA’s draconian regulations, the updates are to the benefit of owners: the AMR ePower Mustang is in many ways — objectively speaking — better to drive and sit in than the original machine.

Let’s start with the front seats, which are so much more supportive than the originals, and mercifully add headrests. There’s no B-pillar to which AMR could fit belts, even on the coupes and fastbacks, so the new seats also include modern inertia-reel three-point seatbelts. Though the perches are fixed solidly to the floor, they’re on runners, which means you can slide them forward and back, and there’s adjustment for recline and even lumbar, but not for height.

For that reason, I was able to provide further useful feedback to AMR: the maximum height for drivers is 6ft 5in, as getting my right leg under the original wheel — now leather-trimmed — required a certain amount of contortion.

Once in, though, I was comfortable, with enough head room, and able to appreciate the rest of the interior. As is the way with restomods, it’s an intriguing amalgam of old and new, though AMR’s is one of the more successful applications.

Those unfamiliar with a 1960s Mustang’s instrument panel might think the ePower’s was completely original at first glance, featuring the dial speedometer introduced from 1965 (in place of the early horizontal speedo), flanked by a pair of further dials. The typeface is suitably period-looking, though rather than showing fuel levels and oil temperature, a closer inspection reveals they show voltage, charge level, battery temp and motor temp. All working accurately, as I discovered on the trip.

Unchanged are the controls for the wipers and lights by your left knee, and the ignition switch and cigarette lighter by the right. The handbrake, too, is as per the original car, and the pedals very much the same as you’d find on the automatic petrol models.

Glance to the right, though, and you notice the radically different centre console, with its pair of cupholders, a phone holder and a second handy storage tray below a pair of air vents and electronic dial control for the air conditioning system. Above that is the touchscreen — an off-the-shelf unit from Pioneer that runs Apple Carplay and Android Auto.

This last element is less successfully integrated with the cockpit than the rest, with its surround rather detracting from the rest of the well-executed retro-modern aesthetic. Perhaps the best decision made by AMR was to create a drive selector based on a gearlever from a Ford Cortina, and machined in-house complete with the inscription, “AMR 1964” — the year the firm was founded by Alan Mann himself.

Hittin’ the highway

To start, it’s as simple as turning the key, putting your foot on the brake and sliding the lever forward from Neutral into Drive (you pull back for Reverse). The initial eeriness of the silence (to AMR’s great credit, there’s no silly synthetic noisebox on the ePower Mustang) quickly gives way to a broad smile as the car stealthily creeps forward.

True, it lacks the sense of occasion of a rumbling V8 but there’s an understated confidence to this car, as if it doesn’t need to shout and scream because it knows it has the necessary performance chops to raise a smile.

Given the fact that the AMR ePower Mustang prototype had been gutted of its petrol powertrain, and extensive modifications had been made to the suspension, of course out on the road this wasn’t going to feel much like the original machine.

That 1960s ‘stang was well received by the motoring press when it launched in 1964 — at least with its optional “handling package” — but you can’t deny it was decidedly crude by modern standards.

The first thing you notice about the ePower is the weight of its steering — turning out of the Alan Mann workshop was like opening the hatch door of a rusty submarine. Reviews of the original Mustang pointed out that its power assisted rack was fairly light, whether you went for the sportier package or not, but as the AMR ePower Mustang prototype I drove lacked assistance, I could feel every kilo of the car’s 1.4 tonnes when turning the wheel.

Asked if I thought it might benefit from power steering I couldn’t nod fast enough, and apparently I wasn’t the only one to give that feedback. Mann says AMR will add the system for future models, using readily available Mustang column-mounted units. That said, while still heavy the steering wasn’t unmanageable once up to speed. Beats going to the gym, anyway.

What was tricky to manage at any speed was the armfuls of lock required. Modern cars have clever steering systems with variable ratios that increase as the wheel is turned, allowing fine adjustments around the centre position but more rapid changes of direction when at speed. There’s none of that with the Mustang Mk.1, so sharp turns require constant turning of the wheel… and then furious unwinding as you come out the other side of the corner.

And the AMR ePower shares with its ancestor a very slow rack. The original car had two versions, offering either 4.5 or 3.5 turns lock to lock (depending on the handling package), and the steering in the AMR ePower feels similarly laborious. Combined with the long bonnet and deceptively generous wheelbase, low-speed 90-degree corners, for example into or out of side roads, can feel a bit like turning a narrow boat.

At a lick, things are more lively. Again, slightly exaggerated movements of the wheel are needed to keep the car following the ebb and flow of a B-road, but sharp movements are punished with what feels like feedback in the opposite direction, as if the front end is fighting you a little. Power steering might help eliminate this unwanted pendulum effect, or adjusting one of the settings at the front end (camber angle or anti-roll?), which is easily sorted by pros such as AMR.

There was also a shudder from the e-motor when pressed hard, from around 30mph, which Mann identified from the passenger seat and promised to investigate after the test drive — it’s not something he’d experienced before himself.

And while we’re on negatives, the ride quality felt overly harsh on potholed British roads… though may well suit less crumbling surfaces in, say, California.

It’s an education

Those points aside, driving the AMR ePower Mustang is a terrific experience. One of the selling points of the Mustang was its low-slung shape, and resulting low centre of gravity, which helped with stability, and this is carried over into the AMR ePower.

The balance is spot on, while a Torsen limited slip differential at the rear takes power from the front-mounted e-motor and feeds it to the back wheels, resulting in a car that feels like it wouldn’t be hard to catch if either end started sliding — something I decided to avoid attempting on wet public roads with the owner sitting next to me.

What was obvious was that the performance available is more than adequate. The headline figure is 300bhp, which gives it more power than even the high-performance version of the 4.7-litre V8 original that delivered 271bhp at 6,000rpm. While torque is down in the electric Mustang compared with that heady petrol powerplant, from 312 lb ft (at 3,100rpm) to 229 lb ft, it’s delivered evenly and immediately on demand, meaning eager acceleration and a very modern turn of speed.

In fact, I reckon that with more time behind the wheel you could hustle this car along with relish. It’s certainly more composed than the original, and far less wayward than an electric conversion with original suspension components. I’ve driven some, and they’re… interesting.

As with all electric cars, how far you can drive the ePower Mustang before it needs to be plugged in will depend greatly on the weather conditions and what sort of driving you’re doing. Over a mix of roads, though, AMR claims a range of 200 miles, which exceeds that of the 1960s car on a tank of gas. When you do need to top up in a hurry, rapid DC charging is possible: a 20 to 80 per cent recharge takes 40 minutes.

Once you’ve settled down to a cruise on a longer journey, you begin to notice some finer details: the surprising lack of rattles and creaks, which a petrol motor would do a good job of hiding. Mann told me he worried the road and wind noise would be more noticeable, too, though surprisingly that doesn’t seem to be an issue with the ePower Mustang.

And while you have Google Maps and air con, which proved very handy for preventing fogging during our rainy test, things such as the wipers are delightfully old-school, activated by turning the switch left (slow) or right (fast) with a satisfying click.

All things considered, if learning how to drive a classic car well over time — gelling with it — is part of its appeal, by removing the engine the ePower Mustang has lost very little. It’s just a different kind of education, and importantly this is an electric car with huge amounts of character, which isn’t to be sniffed at in the modern age.

The big question

Prices start at £200,000 (depending on whether you have a donor car and how much restoration work is required, plus local taxes and duties), which is hefty, no doubt. But consider the work that has already gone into its design and engineering, as well as the circa 1,000 hours of work required to complete the car. That price then seems reasonable — a bargain, even, compared to some other restomods out there.

The bigger question is why do it at all? If you’re the sort of enthusiast who has an answer for that, whether it be future-proofing, eliminating the question of “Will it start?” on a cold morning, or simply wanting something with the Alan Mann badge attached to it, then you might be sold. But if you’re part of the classic car community that can’t see any merit in electrification, then it doesn’t matter what I write — you ain’t biting.

But then again, those guys probably didn’t get past the headline. What they should take into account is that no-one is forcing anyone to do anything… at least not in the foreseeable future. Life’s too short to argue about such things, and in my view variety is the spice of life. I reckon Caitlyn Jenner would probably agree.

If you enjoyed this review of the Alan Mann Racing ePower Mustang, you might also like to check out our Healey by Caton review, and why this half-million-pound restomod is a little too authentic in its classic car experience
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Volvo EX30 2024 review: Swedish carmaker’s smallest and most affordable EV so far … but also its fastest

Shane.odonoghue@sunday-times.co.uk — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000

A small Volvo really ought to be a contradiction in terms. After all, even for those of us born relatively recently, the Volvo brand still triggers mental images of a car that’s large and sensible, practical and useful. The idea that a Volvo can’t be small, or that a small Volvo can’t be good, has been disproven over the years.

Now, though, Volvo is plunging itself into the overflowing pool of small crossovers. Ironically, given that these cars are in large part displacing traditional family hatchbacks in the sales charts, it’s very much the case that buying a small crossover is like buying a hatchback, but worse. In so many cases, you’re getting less for your money (for example, a Ford Puma costs as much as a Focus but is based on the Fiesta).

It’s actually Chinese

Does the new Volvo EX30 do that? In a word, no; the mechanical bits under its crisp, understated styling are all-new, though they are shared with other cars and car makers. Most notably, the EX30’s underpinnings — the Sustainable Experience Architecture 2 (SEA2) platform if you must know — has been developed by Geely, the giant Chinese car-making company that has owned Volvo since 2010. So the same bits that underpin the EX30 will also be used by the Zeekr X (a brand that Geely owns, and which will shortly come to the UK) and the Smart #1 (which is already on sale here). It’ll also form the basis of the new Polestar 4.

So, while the EX30 looks Swedish, has a Swedish badge and has a dinky little Swedish flag stitched to the passenger seat, it’s actually made — and largely designed and engineered — in China. Which makes EU moves to tax Chinese electric cars (for the reasons claimed here) to try and protect British and European brands a little complicated.

But still feels like a Volvo

Small it may be, and born in China, but the EX30’s aesthetic exudes a very Volvo-like sensation of blocky strength. The styling is really very plain and it’s the lights — clever LED units, front and rear — that give it character. It probably helped that our test car was painted in ‘Cloud Blue’, a colour that varies in appearance from baby blue to flat grey depending on the ambient light.

Underneath, the EX30 can be had with a choice of batteries, not just in terms of their size, but also their chemical composition. Without the need for a local college night course in battery chemistry, it’s probably enough to know that the cheapest EX30 has a lithium-iron phosphate battery which is cheaper, but less efficient than the more expensive, more powerful lithium-ion battery used by the pricier Extended Range and Performance versions.

It’s not right to suggest that the basic EX30 battery comes from Lidl while the more expensive one comes from Waitrose. But it paints a picture that’s not far off the truth. The cheaper one has an energy capacity of 49kWh (useable) which gives it a range of up to 213 miles. That’s not massive mileage, but for a price tag of £33,795 it’s none too shabby for a car with a Volvo badge.

Nearly 300 miles of range

The pricier £38,545 Extended Range and £40,995 Performance versions use a 64kWh battery, and the Extended Range can theoretically stretch to 295 miles between charges. That seems like a realistic figure, as our test car (Volvo didn’t have a cheap-o model on hand at the launch event to try out) was showing 279 miles of range on a 99 per cent charged battery with the air conditioning going.

The smaller battery can be charged at up to 150kW from a DC fast charger, while the larger one will handle 175kW and can be optionally fitted with 22kW AC charging.

Both the Extended Range and the basic single-motor model share a common electric motor — a 268bhp unit, which also produces 252lb ft of torque. Those are pretty senior figures for a car which is (a) this affordable and (b) a small crossover aimed at families and latte-swilling hipsters.

It’s not so long ago that those figures wouldn’t have disgraced a mid-range Porsche, and the Extended Range EX30’s 0-62mph time of 5.3 seconds is enough to outpace a Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport.

That’s nothing compared to what the Performance model can manage, but let’s stick a pin in that thought for a second, and turn to the EX30’s interior which — arguably — is its best asset.

Reliant on a single touchscreen

Volvo has been a dab hand at making really good car cabins for years. The EX30, though, has almost no buttons at all. The only truly physical controls are the column stalks (which manage the wipers, lights and gear selection), the electric window switches (annoyingly they use the Volkswagen ID principle of just having two switches and a selector that allows you to control the rear windows) and hazard light and (oddly) max-defrost buttons mounted on the roof.

Everything else is controlled through the 12.3in touchscreen in the centre of the dash. This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

It’s good in that the software, which is based on a Google Android system, is impressively easy and responsive to use. The screen is divided up into four sections. At the top is a permanent display of your speed, gear selection and any vehicle-specific data that you need to know, including a surrounding traffic graphic.

Below that is a big navigation display, which of course runs Google Maps. Below that are two small panels for your chosen music player (Spotify and TuneIn Radio are built into the car’s infotainment) and your phone status, and finally at the bottom there is a bar which has shortcut buttons for the home screen, vehicle functions and settings, plus the air conditioning system.

It all looks impressive, but there are issues. Not least of which is that the big central screen is also your only instrument panel — there’s no screen for the driver behind the wheel, nor a head-up display projected onto the windscreen. Volvo’s safety experts swear that they’ve carefully researched where your eyeline naturally falls and all that, but surely it must be more distracting to keep looking at the big, feature-filled screen every time you want to check your speed? It certainly feels that way.

There are other irritants, such as actions that ought to be simple — adjusting your door mirrors, changing the stereo volume, opening the glovebox — being buried deep within menus and needing too many clicks and swipes to get there. Again, for a company built on a dogged devotion to safety and practicality, surely this can’t be as safe nor as intuitive as actual physical buttons.

Volvo claims that the one-screen set-up helps to save on resources, and is part of the EX30’s claim for a very low whole-lifecycle carbon emissions figure, but there must be cost savings behind some, or all, of this, too, suggesting it’s as much a business decision as anything else.

At least those savings have been spent elsewhere, because the rest of the EX30’s cabin looks and feels terrific, especially for a car with its pricetag. From the all-metal door handles to the squared-off steering wheel, to the exceptionally comfortable seats, the front of the EX30’s interior really is beautifully designed.

It’s spacious and cleverly-packaged, too, with lots of handy storage areas in the centre console, neat slide-out cupholders and door bins lined with soft fabric to cut down on rattles. The centre section of the dash and a big section of the door trim is made from recycled plastics, which in our test car had an odd, mottled effect that made it look slightly like the floor of a soft-play area.

There are, thankfully, other finishes but at least you can be lightly smug that your car isn’t over-using precious resources.

It’s a shame that the EX30 isn’t as impressive in the back. Headroom, even with the optional big glass roof, is good but there’s just not enough kneeroom for anyone over five-foot-five, and the high-set floor means your feet and knees are too jacked-up.

The boot is OK, but at 318 litres (below the luggage cover), stretching to 400 litres (if you pack the boot to the roof) it’s hardly in keeping with Volvo traditions. There’s a small storage space in the nose that’ll hold charging cables, mind you.

While people try to justify buying SUVs and crossovers by claiming that they’re practical, it’s probably worth pointing out that the old Volvo V40 hatchback had a bigger boot than this EX30.

Great visibility in town

At least the EX30’s compact exterior, and its inherently good all-round visibility (backed up by an optional all-round camera system) means that it feels nippy and agile in town, so it’s perfect for ducking and diving through early morning rush-hour traffic.

The light, fast steering really helps here, but it’s less good on the open road if you’re a keen driver.

That said, the EX30 never feels less than eager, and it’s sweetly balanced through corners as long as you avoid the optional 20in alloy wheels, which induce too much rumble-thump.

It’s fast, too. That 0-62mph time is backed up by an ability to accelerate in a manner you’d almost describe as vicious when you need it.

Which brings us back to pulling the pin out of the Performance model, hand-grenade pun most definitely intended. This EX30 gets an extra electric motor up front, which brings its power total to 422bhp and its torque output to 400lb ft.

Stamp hard with your right foot, and this EX30 will rocket to 62mph from standstill in just 3.6 seconds. In old money, it’ll to 0-60mph in just 3.4 seconds. That’s proper Ferrari speed — enough to keep pace with a V8-engined Roma for instance — yet in a supposedly family friendly small crossover with nothing on the outside to give notice of its venomous acceleration other than those optional 20in wheels.

Too much performance?

Is it fun? For about five minutes, yes. Then, when you’ve tired of wrapping your stomach around your spine, you realise that Volvo hasn’t changed the suspension of the EX30 Performance, so it’s no more fun to drive when you get to a corner, but it’s way, way less efficient than the (still quick, let’s not forget) Extended Range model. In the Extended Range, we recorded a decent 3.45 miles per kWh battery use. In the Performance, it was more like 2.4 miles per kWh.

So, once you’ve finished mopping up the child vomit from the back seat, you’ll be left wondering where your range went. At least we can say this of the EX30 Performance — at £40,995 it’s one of the most cost-efficient ways of embarrassing the owners of large, exotic Italian cars that we can think of.

So, definitely go for the standard version. The Extended Range EX30 seems to offer a decent balance of solid range, pleasant handling and steering, plus that exceptionally lovely cabin. And then again, the entry-level version still has a range of over 200 miles, which will suit most drivers.

OK, so the touchscreen is a mixed blessing at best, and the rear seat space is actually quite poor, but here’s an opportunity to get a proper premium Volvo badge on your driveway for less than the price of a Volkswagen ID.3. Whether or not you care that it’s possible to do so because Volvo is part of a Chinese mega-conglomerate is up to you.

If you were interested in the new Volvo EX30 EV, you may want to read our review of the updated Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge
Looking for other options to go electric? Here are the top 10 longest-range electric cars
Read how the EX90 aims to be the safest Volvo yet

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The post Volvo EX30 2024 review: Swedish carmaker’s smallest and most affordable EV so far … but also its fastest appeared first on Driving.co.uk from The Sunday Times.

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You don’t have to have electric power

You pay for all this goodness

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Moving on from SUVs

Spacious interior dominated by touchscreen

Plenty of power from new motor

Fast-enough charging

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Range Rover Evoque 2023 review: Squint or you’ll miss plug-in baby Rangie’s updates

Squint or you’ll miss the design changes

All the budget went on the new cabin

Wool, or leather if you insist

Petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power

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Extended test: Honda HR-V 2023 review

Honda HR-V specifications

Test details

Updates

October 5, 2023: Will the hybrid HR-V electrify or give me a flat battery?

November 8, 2023: Can the HR-V handle a hybrid of family holidays?

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Audi Q8 2023 review: Is Audi’s flagship SUV a little off-colour?

Not what we’d call gold

It has new headlights

Screens? We got ’em

V8 says the heart, TDI says the head

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AMR Mustang ePower review: The 1960s restomod Pony car powered by volts rather than a V8

Stripped and rebuilt from the ground up

Bad news for Brits

It’s what’s inside that counts

Hittin’ the highway

It’s an education

The big question

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Volvo EX30 2024 review: Swedish carmaker’s smallest and most affordable EV so far … but also its fastest

It’s actually Chinese

But still feels like a Volvo

Nearly 300 miles of range

Reliant on a single touchscreen

Great visibility in town

Too much performance?

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