Car News

CAR NEWS JUNE 2020

By Dhiren Ganesh

IN THIS MONTH’S ARTICLE WE LOOK AT NEW VERSIONS FROM EUROPEAN MANUFACTURERS FOR 2021, TWO A REFRESHED VERSION OF AND ONE A HYBRID SALOON FOR 2020.

2021 Mini Countryman – this is the facelifted Mini Countryman that retains the cutesy styling and proportions of its iconic hatchback sibling. It does, however, get more aggressive front and rear bumpers than before. Plus, LED lights are now standard and there’s a wider selection of paintwork and personalisation options, including alloy wheels of up to 19in in diameter. Move inside, and you’ll find the 5.0in digital instrument cluster from the recently introduced Mini Electric. What’s more, an 8.8in infotainment screen is standard controlled by a dial. The system is permanently connected to the internet, allowing it to show you real-time traffic information and answer your questions using Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. You’ll be able to choose from 134bhp and 176bhp

petrol engines, a 176bhp diesel and a 217bhp plug-in hybrid. Expected to be availble from August this year prices will start from around £24,000.

2021 BMW 5 Series – the BMW 5 Series is one of those rare things: a car that’s always at or very near the top of its class. Part of the reason for this sustained success is BMW’s habit of updating the 5 Series before it really needs to be and it’s no surprise that it’s been given refreshed looks and more technology. The front grille has been enlarged in an effort to make the car appear more imposing and get wider and taller vents in the front bumper throughout the range. LED lights are standard front and rear, with laser headlights that increase the range of illumination to 600 metres available as an option. On the inside, where a 12.3in infotainment screen replaces the old 10.25in unit. This is allied to a faster operating system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring and, for the first time in a BMW, remote software updates. The engines largely remian the same with a new six-cylinder 545e plug-in hybrid saloon available. Prices will start from £37,480 and will be on sale from July 2020. 2020 Peugeot 508 Hybrid – plug-in hybrids look very tempting at the moment – for the Peugeot 508 hybrid you get an electric only range of 39 miles and fuel economy is up to 235.4mpg. For performance the 1.6 tubrocharged version with an electric box is the quickest version. The batteries prove to be a double-edged sword, however. While they can give excellent economy, their additional weight (equivalent to three very burly adult passengers) also impacts how the car rides and handles. There’s no doubt that the 508 Hybrid has a ‘wow’ factor inside, with its highmounted digital instruments, glitzy trims and a big 10.0in touchscreen on most models. There’s a good spread of pleasingly squishy plastics although you don’t have to look too hard to find scratchier stuff. Its available to order now with prices starting at £34,945.