Drive - July 2019

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Drive

FORD MOND E

ISSUE 5: JULY 2019

BRITAIN’S ONLY FREE MOTORING NEWSPAPER

O Latest versio n of the family favou rite plays it safe inside b ut still ticks every box as an everyday family wago n

LE VW CARAVELac ticality, Overwhelming pr ent, cool premium equipm nally good image, sensatio is a van, residual values… st car actually, the be y? money can bu

Seventh Heaven As seven-seat SUVs continue to grow in popularity, we pit the Land Rover Discovery Sport against its closest rivals from Kia and Volkswagen

SECOND-HAND: First-generation Peugeot 3008 Buyers’ Guide

TESTED: Skoda’s tiny Citigo is small but perfectly formed

MODIFIED: When a Vauxhall Astra VXR just isn’t fast enough…

INSIDE 2 News 6 Road Tests 20 Buying Second-Hand 24 Volkswagen Up! GTI 30 Classic Cars Two high-value rivals from opposite ends of the massively popular crossover SUV market clash, as the quirky Citroen C3 Aircross sets out to fight off the challenge posed by the more athletic Kia Stonic.

Will practicality win out against greater flair on the road?

2

Issue 5: July 2019

To advertise in Drive, call our team on 01283 553245

CONTENTS

BMW plays it sensible with third-generation 1 Series

2 News

New model is shorter, wider and taller • Increased boot capacity and passenger space • Five-strong engine range • Up to 61.4mpg • From £24,430 • On sale now

Issue 5 • July 2019

New and forthcoming models, concept cars and special offers

6 Road Tests Full tests of the Ford Mondeo Estate and Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport, Jeep’s latest Renegade, Citroen’s C5 Aircross and the Skoda Citigo, as well as the practicality monster that is the Volkswagen Caravelle

12 Sorento v Tiguan Allspace v Discovery Sport Three seven-seat SUVs show you what you can get for around forty grand – or less if you’re smart

16 Kia Stonic v Citroen C3 Aircross It’s not as simple as just practicality against driving fun… though that may be what it comes down to

18 Our Cars An ever-popular soft-top joins our fleet, just in time for summer

20 Second-Hand Peugeot 3008 buyers’ guide, Volkswagen Golf factfile and a quartet of luxury motors to tempt you at £6000

24 The Big Story A hearty blast in the country aboard the Volkswagen Up! GTI serves as a timely reminder of what small performance cars are meant to be like – fun, fun and more fun

28 Modified When a Vauxhall Astra VXR starts of as the sensible choice in life…but ends up as a mission to gain more and more power

30 Classics The original Fiat 500 L is, quite simply, one of the cutest cars you’ll ever set eyes on

ISSN 2632-3761 01283 553243 enquiries@assignment-media.co.uk www.facebook.com/@DriveUK Group Editor Alan Kidd

Editorial Executives

Mike Trott, George Dove

Contributors

Dan Fenn, Rob Ronson, Robert Bracegirdle

Photographers

Vic Peel, Richard Hair

Advertising Executive Abigail Cooper Tel: 01283 553246

Advertising Sales Manager Gary Simpkins Tel: 01283 553245

Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent Tel: 01283 553242

Publisher

Sarah Kidd Email: sarah.kidd@ assignment-media.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure that the contents of Drive are accurate, however Assignment Media Ltd accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these When responding to any advertisement in Drive, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take

reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for any losses incurred as a result of responding to adverts Drive is distributed through a network of supermarkets and other outlets. It is free to readers Where a photo credit includes the note CC-BY-2.0 or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence. Details are available at www.creativecommons.org Drive is published by Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby DE15 0YZ

© 2019 Assignment Media Ltd

THE COVERS HAVE been pulled from the all-new BMW 1 Series – which is shorter, wider and taller than previous models.

In other words, the 1 Series is getting a boxier frame in pursuit of additional cabin space and practicality.

That sounds like common sense in a market where legroom and boot capacity matter. But those attributes will also be improved by the fact the lower-spec models will be powered through the front wheels – as opposed to the traditional rear-drive format favoured by BMW machines, and their owners, for decades.

Handling purists may be disgruntled by the news of such change, but some may be at least buoyed by the benefits to the front-wheel drive platform. Despite having a 20mm shorter wheelbase than its predecessor, the third-generation 1 Series boasts a 20-litre larger boot capacity, while rear headroom is up by 19mm and elbow room by 13mm in the rear and 42mm in the front.

A mix of power trains is available, with three and four-cylinder units offered across a range of three diesel and two petrol options. These are variously mated to improved six-speed manual, new seven-speed Steptronic dual-clutch auto and revised eightspeed Steptronic auto gearboxes.

Outputs range from 114bhp for the three-cylinder, 1.5-litre 116d, through to 302bhp for the twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder M135i xDrive.

The latter is one of two models to come with BMW’s xDrive all-wheeldrive technology as standard, the other being the 120d xDrive Sport. The M135i accelerates from 0-62mph in

just 4.8 seconds, yet fuel economy is quoted at a respectable 34.4-35.3mpg on the combined WLTP cycle.

The 116d can manage the same sprint in 10.3 seconds, but trumps the range on economy with WLTP figures quoted as between 54.3 and 61.4mpg.

Completing the line-up are 118i and 118d derivatives.

Trim levels consist of three variations, notably the SE, Sport and M Sport, before the range-topping M135i xDrive finishes the team. Each spec adds progressively more kit than the

last, but SE models have 16” alloys and all get cruise control, autonomous city braking, Lane Departure and Apple CarPlay as standard.

Naturally, there’s also a raft of technologies available to select from the options list, with BMW’s head-up display, Digital Key and Live Cockpit Plus all being offered to customers.

Wireless charging is also enabled.

First deliveries will take place in July, however the order book is open now, with prices starting at £24,430 on the road for the 118i SE.

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4 Skoda

CITIGOe iV is Skoda’s first all-electric car

Skoda has unveiled it first all-electric vehicle. The CITIGOe iV is powered by a 61kW electric motor and has a 36.8kWh battery giving it a range of 164 miles.

Only available in five-door form, the CITIGOe iV retains the four-seater capacity of the standard model, losing only a few litres of boot space with the back seats down.

There are two trims levels in the range at launch. The higher of these includes the Combined Charging System and cable required for fast charging; thus equipped, the battery can be boosted from flat to 80% in one hour.

There’s no word yet on an on-sale date in the UK, however this is expected to be later in the year.

Mercedes-Benz

Prices announced for new Merc GLC

Mercedes-Benz’ new GLC is available to order now, with prices starting at £39,420 for the SUV-bodied model and £44,045 for the Coupé.

At launch, all models are powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine developing 194bhp in 220 d versions and 245bhp in the 300 d. There are six trim levels in the SUV range and one less for the Coupé; at the top of the range, list prices are £54,795 and £57,670 respectively.

Jaguar

Chequered Flag edition adds flair and value to E-Pace

Jaguar has added a new Chequered Flag edition to its E-Pace range.

This is available with a choice of two diesel and two petrol engines, in each case with automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive, and comes with a wide range of equipment as well as styling tweaks, special badging and a unique Photon Red paint colour to ensure it stands out. It’s available now, priced from £40,050.

Issue 5: July 2019

To advertise in Drive, call our team on 01283 553245

New platform and powertrains for revised Discovery Sport Major updates include chassis, engine and interior changes • Priced from £31,575 • Available to order now

LAND ROVER HAS unveiled what is to all intents and purposes a new Discovery Sport. The vehicle is officially presented as a revamp rather than a whole new model – however with a new platform and revised powertrains including the addition of hybrid propulsion, as well as a major freshen up inside, it’s about as different from the previous model as a facelift can be.

The cabin retains the original Disco Sport’s five-plus-two seating arrangement, with a folding middle row planted on runners and two popup seats behind it. Oddment stowage has improved, with bigger door bins and an enlarged cubby box creating 48 litres of space, and a new floor console features a removable tray, a pair of cupholders and a net to keep any cables or the like from tangling themselves around everything.

The console’s base is also a wireless charging pad – a first in Land Rover products. The multimedia system gains Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too, as well as a bigger 10.75” screen, and there’s a 3G Wi-Fi hotspot on board.

In the boot, there’s room for 1179 litres of luggage when in five-seater mode. Folding the second row flat affords you an extra 615 litres on top, and standard equipment includes a cargo net to stop items rolling about.

At launch, the Disco Sport offers a quartet of powertrains – one petrol option and three diesels. The 150bhp version of the latter is the most economical, capable of up to 51.4mpg while sending 50.4bhp to the front axle via a manual six-speed box.

At the top of the range, a 250bhp petrol engine with 269lbf.ft is the zestiest. Driving all four wheels as standard, this sees off the 0-60 sprint in just 7.1 seconds.

A 48-volt hybrid option available at launch harvests energy usually lost under braking and stores it in an underfloor battery, calling on it when needed to assist the engine in pulling away and acceleration. At speeds below 11mph, the engine will also shut off to minimise emissions, with the unit able to reach 40.9mpg.

Before the year is out, there will be a plug-in hybrid option using a new three-cylinder Ingenium engine.

The other options are the D180 unit, producing 180bhp and 317lbf. ft, and the 240bhp, 369lbf.ft D240.

An updated version of the existing ZF nine-speed automatic gearbox

has been adopted; it’s a little more efficient than the last, and Land Rover says it’s responsible for a 2% increase in fuel economy.

Promising to be a true Land Rover, the new Discovery Sport has a towing capacity of 2500kg in addition to superior off-road ability in its class. All things are relative, but 212mm ground clearance and approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 30 and 20 degrees respectively mean business in this part of the market.

Four-wheel drive models get Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 off-road system, offering Comfort, Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow and Mud and Ruts modes to try and keep the Discovery Sport sure-footed on all surfaces. It also features Hill Descent Control and All-Terrain Progress Control (on 4x4 models only), and it can also be fitted with the ClearSight Ground View technology debuted in the all-new Evoque, which effectively makes the bonnet transparent.

For a safer time on the road, equipment includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Steering Assist, and the seats boast

three ISOFIX fittings. Other standard safety features include front and rear parking sensors, a rear camera, Driver Condition Monitor, Lane Keep Assist and Autonomous Emergency Braking.

There will be twelve exterior paint options for the Disco Sport’s newly sculpted bodywork, while the interior features fully redesigned seating and the dash now incorporates the aforementioned 10.25” Touch Pro Infotainment screen. There’s a mix of rotary dials and buttons, too, set into the gloss black interface.

The three-spoke steering wheel features capacitive switches that integrate with the multimedia system and the driver has a clean and crisp digital instrument cluster. There are many responsible material options for the revolutionised interior, such as non-leather Luxtec – which is made from recycled polyester microfibre.

The extensively revised Discovery Sport is available to order now, with pricing starting at £31,575 on the road for the two-wheel drive model and rising to £50,000. Deliveries are expected in the late summer.

Hyundai unveils Tucson N Line

Handling and steering enhancements add sharpness to warmed-up SUV HYUNDAI HAS ADDED a warmed-up N Line model to its Tucson range. This gains chassis tweaks for improved steering and handling, and will come with and choice of 1.6-litre petrol and hybrid diesel engines, both of which will be available

with six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic gearbox options.

The rest of the car features a vast array of convenience, safety and connectivity kit. It kicks off at £25,995 for the petrol T-GDi unit, with the hybrid diesel starting at £27,495.

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Issue 5: July 2019

To advertise in Drive, call our team on 01283 553245

“If you can afford it in the first place, it’s almost certain to make financial sense”

VOLKSWAGEN CARAVELLE 2.0 TDI 150 DSG EXECUTIVE Van-derived people carrier takes family-car practicality to a whole new level THE VOLKSWAGEN CARAVELLE is the inheritor of a pretty long tradition. It’ll soon be seventy years since the first split-screen Type 2 model was built, and during that time it has become a cult car of the highest order.

The current model is very different to those old splitties, but it knows its history. Just look at the two-tone paint on our test vehicle, which harks right back to the old days.

And like all car makers who know their history, Volkswagen also knows

what that history is worth. If you want the same two-tone finish, you’ll find that it costs £2562.

Between that and various other options (including leather, sat-nav, adaptive cruise, heated memory seats and all-round parking sensors), this Caravelle Executive 2.0 TDI 150 auto would cost £55,961 on the road. And it’s not the most expensive model on the range – with a more powerful 2.0 TDI engine, the range-topping Edition Six model costs around £7000 more.

So, this is not a cheap form of transport. It had better be pretty damn good, then.

Promising signs

The portents for this are promising.

The Caravelle has long been an expensive vehicle – but that hasn’t done its popularity any harm. It absolutely defines its place in the market – even though many other A-list car makers build van-derived people carriers too.

The first thing to note about the Caravelle is that it feels like driving a car. A premium car at that – and one with a supreme seating position, not to mention a degree of practicality that knocks everything else out of the park.

Obviously, being based on a van gives it a vast advantage in terms of sheer space. But it’s the way this is used that makes it so good. Behind the front seats, there’s a second row of two which slide back and forth, allowing epic levels of legroom, and rotate to let your rear passengers sit in a sort of lounge surrounding a central table.

The third row is a three-seat bench which again slides; you can accommodate seven fully grown adults here

VW CARAVELLE 2.0 TDI 150 DSG EXECUTIVE Seats 7 Fuel Diesel Engine 1968 cc, 4-cyl Performance 13.0 sec, 112 mph Economy 42.8 mpg (NEDC)

171g/km (NEDC) PRICE £48,515

VERDICT The Caravelle manages to combine the practicality of a van with the cult status bestowed by its heritage. It’s beautifully designed and put together, and better to drive than you dare hope. It holds its value in a vice-like grip, too

HHHHH

with no complaints, and there’ll still be room for luggage behind them.

Comparing it with traditional family cars seems unfair. But while it’s pricey, it’s still cheaper than plenty of the estates and SUVs people buy, and ultimately it’s another way of doing the same job. So that comparison is justified – the problem being that you simply can’t judge it on the same scale. If the very best SUVs get ten out of ten for practicality (and they do), the Caravelle is worth about fifteen.

Up front, as we mentioned the seating position is exceptional. It’s quite a climb up into the front cabin, but once there the view you get of the road ahead more than outweighs any concerns you might have about the vehicle’s sheer size. It’s easy to place on the road, relaxed to steer and surprisingly refined, whether over shamefully pot-holed city streets or when cruising on the motorway – which it does with remarkable calm.

Naturally, it’s not the chariot you’d expect to choose for a life of dynamic thrills on twisting B-roads. You’d be surprised at how willing it is to be hustled along, however – and even the

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lower-powered 150bhp diesel engine we tested is capable of shifting it really well, to the extent that we can’t really see why you’d bother upgrading to the 199bhp alternative.

a dash-mounted phone holster which means sat-nav – usually an expensive addition – isn’t required at all for the modern customer.

Simple and functional

Impressive performance

We’d also be tempted to specify the standard six-speed manual gearbox, even though the seven-speed auto on our Caravelle was in the main very good. You can control the auto with paddles behind the steering wheel, and in the main it responds well, but the added certainty and instant response of being able to control its body movements with a totally analogue drivetrain would, to us, make the difference between an impressive performance on the open road and an astonishing one.

We say this because grip is remarkably good, and when you consider how big and tall it is you’ve no right to expect such tight body control. You’d never call it sporty, and steering feel is not exactly crisp, but if you assume it’s going to be sloppy and ponderous you’ll get a very pleasant surprise.

What’s not a surprise is that there’s plenty of space up front for oddment stowage, with huge double-decker door pockets and sliding trays underneath the seats to make up for the lack of a traditional floor console. It almost doesn’t matter what you take on board with you – you’ll always find somewhere to put it.

On that subject, if you want to carry really big stuff all the rear seats can be removed. Doing so is no small undertaking – they’re very heavy and awkward to lift out, and you’ll need a garage to store them all – but with this done you have an actual van at your disposal. We said the Caravelle would score about fifteen out of ten for practicality, and the same goes for its flexibility, too. You can even turn the rear seats into a bed.

Financial sense

There are people who utterly love VW vans, and to them the Caravelle can literally do no wrong. For others, it’s a choice that doesn’t necessarily come naturally – but if you can set aside the fact that it doesn’t look like other family cars, you might well find that it’s almost impossible to make a case for anything else.

It’s pricey, for sure. But a very relevant point to make is that Caravelles hold their value better than almost anything else. And that alone means that if you can afford it in the first place, it’s almost certain to make financial sense.

The question is, can you get your head around driving a van? Climb aboard and you’re likely to discover that it’s not one after all – it’s a car with benefits. Make no mistake, this is a brilliant family vehicle.

Alan Kidd

SKODA CITIGO 1.0 MPI 60 SE GREENTECH

High-value city car does exactly what it sets out to achieve THERE WAS A time when small city cars were a bit quirky. But these days, this is one of the most competitive segments in the entire market. So the Skoda Citigo has its work cut out if it’s to stand out from the crowd.

Like everything else in its class, the Citigo is a small vehicle, which means it has to be packaged very well. Despite the appearance of the boxy and flat back end, the boot is surprisingly amenable (251 litres) and if you drop the rear seats, the space.

Being a four-door this size may cause a few raised eyebrows, but why not? It actually allows for a touch more cargo space when the seats are down and it also stops you feeling like a teenager and having to clamber over a folded seat to get into the back. Even with the rear doors, however, space in the back is best proportioned for those

in their teens, the non-gangly ones at least – particularly if the driver is on the taller side.

Under the bonnet, the Citigo has a 1.0-litre MPI petrol unit. This is available with a choice of two power outputs; ours was the lower of the two, with a modest sounding 60bhp, and even with so little to shift around it’s not quick. Time quoted for 0-62mph is 14.4 seconds, which is not a stat to throw into pub talk, and nor is 70lbf. ft of torque, but there is an element of zip that can be extracted by firmly applying the right foot.

A bit of sparkle

All the same, this is not a hot hatch.

Not even tepid. The clue is in the name… well, the Green Tech bit, anyway. Fuel consumption is quoted as 50.4mpg, and you’d be hard pressed to

achieve figures much below that. Not that you’d want to, mind.

It doesn’t need to be fast to be fun, though. The Citigo handles with a decent bit of sparkle and can certainly take what stick you can give it. As you’d expect, it’s light on its feet and grips well in corners. This is aided by light steering, which needless to say makes it a breeze in and about town – plus of course it’ll fit into just about any parking space.

Perhaps somewhat urprisingly for a city car, the smallest Skoda is remarkably comfortable over longer journeys, although passengers in the back may be in disagreement. At higher speeds, it could do with cruise control to help steady progress, but the five speeds afforded by the manual gearbox are just about enough.

The interior definitely picks its battles when it comes to gadgets, giving you the things you can’t live without but holding back where sensible to keep the value down. You get a stereo which can take data from aux, SD card, USB and Bluetooth inputs, and you can also connect to it with the Move&Fun app.

Obviously you’ll need your phone for that last one, and the same goes for sat-nav. Drivers are left to use their phones for this, which may initially feel off-putting. However, the logic behind it is sound. More people nowadays have a smartphone than have a car, and every one of the things will be able to serve as a sat-nav. There’s

One annoying issue we did find here was that when it was connected using Bluetooth, the directions cut out before their conclusion. Overall, the system is simple to use and very functional, but while using your phone is a neat way of keeping the price down, a bigger screen and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto would be worth paying for.

Seating is a comfortable cloth affair.

They aren’t massively adjustable but they are well designed, so there won’t be any reason to complain. Something that did seem odd to us was the steering wheel, which felt oversized in such a compact cabin.

At only £11,310 on the road as tested, including options, the Citigo offers a very reasonable route into new car ownership. It is positively cheap and cheerful, even if there are certain areas where the first half of that cliché rather lingers. That’s part and parcel of a budget car, though, in a landscape where just about everything else is trying to market itself as a luxury product in one way or another.

Regardless of that, the Citigo is a very good car. For what it sets out to be, it hits the nail on the head..

George Dove

SKODA CITIGO 1.0 MPI 60 SE GREENTECH Seats 5 Fuel Petrol Engine 999 cc, 3-cyl Performance 11.5 sec, 101 mph Economy 67.3 mpg (NEDC)

96g/km (NEDC) PRICE £15,499

VERDICT The Citigo is not the most stylish thing Skoda makes, but it’s a very capable little car around town – and manages to be perfectly acceptable on the open road, too. It’s pleasingly simple to drive – and very economical on fuel.

HHHH

8

Issue 5: July 2019

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“It goes about things in its own endearing way”

unit is delivered assuredly and the full 129bhp is on the table at 3750rpm.

While it isn’t overly powerful, there’s a useful amount of low-down torque – 221lbf.ft from 1750rpm – which while hardly ground-breaking certainly is easy to access. The vehicle never feels sluggish, and we got 43.4mpg out of it in realistic everyday use.

Commendable ride

CITROEN C5 AIRCROSS FLAIR+ 130HDI

Distinctive looking crossover SUV does enough well to be appealing WITH THE IMAGE of modern SUVs playing a huge part in their appeal, the Citröen C5 Aircross starts off well. It looks both smart and funky – and as well as being fairly frugal, it’s plenty practical and makes a comfortable mode of transport. But there are a few small and irksome caveats.

The first thing you notice is the vehicle’s styling. It follows the same funky brief as the smaller C3 Aircross, but it’s more chiselled, giving it a squarer stance. It’s handsome, whereas the C3 is cuter. In addition, the Tijuca Blue paintwork, which for our money is actually green, helps give it an image of suave maturity.

This theme continues inside, with a multi-material interior that is smart and, on the whole, well-adjusted. A swatch of mid-grey tones make up the majority of the interior, with orange

stitching lifting it and the multimedia screen housed in a glossy black mould.

The seating features a grey padded leather centre with slightly darker grey denim at the top and tail and a sharp white partition at the northern leather-denim border. Whether the design of the seats is to your liking or not, you certainly wouldn’t call them commonplace – and when you climb aboard and sink down into them, they’re as comfortable as they are unique. On longer jaunts, some may desire a little more support, but in day to day use the seats are very good.

Minor caveats

In the rear it’s a similar situation. The middle seat doesn’t fold into an armrest for those seated in the flanks, but they are on individual rollers and can take up a staggered formation. Use it

for practicality or a behaviour-grading podium, it’s your call. But with all at their furthest forward, your luggage capacity stands at 580 litres – a figure that swells to 1630 with the seats flat and parcel shelf removed.

Time for the first caveat, which technically is a few minor ones. While the interior is pleasant to look at and be in, not everything is as usable as it is stylish. For instance, the climate controls are embedded within the functions of the touchscreen. Why this is remains uncertain; the controls for the origin of the air blowing through and turning the air-con on and off are actual buttons, but for temperature and fan speed you have to hit an arrow on the screen above or below a slider capable of no actual input – which needless to say is more work than turning a dial. Other than that, the multimedia is logical and, while there are quicker systems out there, it doesn’t lag badly and the screen is responsive.

Our next grievance with the interior is that while the cup holders are reasonably well-sized and can just squeeze in a sports bottle, they’re placed immediately behind the gear stick. This is fine, right up until you want to change gear. In the end, we resorted to storing our drinks in the cavernous cubby space betwixt the front seats.

The gearstick has a square head, because everyone else has been doing it wrong all this time. It’s surprisingly ergonomic in use, all the same, and the

shift itself is not bad. It’s not a snappy change, but it is smooth and suits the laid-back feel of the C5 Aircross.

The same terms could be used to annotate the 1.5 BlueHDi four-pot engine. Power from the turbodiesel

CITROEN C5 AIRCROSS FLAIR+ 130HDI Seats 5 Fuel Diesel Engine 1499 cc, 4-cyl Performance 10.4 sec, 117 mph Economy 44.2-55.1mpg 108-110g/km PRICE £29,225

VERDICT The C5 Aircross is a distinctive looking SUV that does things its own way. This sometimes comes out as unnecessary complexity, but overall it does more things well than badly. It’s enjoyable enough to drive, too.

HHHH

One of the defining aspects of the biggest Aircross model is the way that it handles. Specifically, ride quality is commendable and the Progressive Hydraulic suspension set-up proves its worth – even on 19” wheels. It isn’t flawless, and passengers are still aware that the British roadways aren’t either.

But it irons out all but the worst blemishes and potholes. As a result of this pliability, there is probably more roll than would be welcomed if corners are taken with much verve, but the way it is set up leaves you inclined to take the smooth operator approach.

OurAircross was the top-spec Flair+ model, and the only options you can add are mere accessories. And that’s another caveat of sorts. You get a lot of kit, but it feels like there’s room for more. You might feel let down by the absence of heated seats and steering wheel, and we thought the Active Cruise Control was rather misleadingly named – it’s not adaptive like the systems in many competitors, but it does read speed limit signs.

On this topic, the switches for the cruise control are another ergonomic faux pas. Its controls are on a stalk which houses too many buttons and is obscured behind the steering wheel.

In other areas, the Aircross is generous. You’ve an 8” touch-screen in the centre console plus a 12.3” digital instrument cluster with multiple clean and clear layouts to choose from. The electric parking brake is automatically released and you’ve also got hill start assist and driver awareness monitoring.

Feel-good factor

Embellishing the Flair trim with a plus sign means you get cruise control, voice recognition, keyless entry and start, gloss black front grille and rear bumper inserts, twin exhaust finishers and aluminium pedals and footrest as standard. They would otherwise be optional extras. Not bad at all, given that including £545 for the metallic paint, you’re looking at an on-the-road price of £29,775.

Assessing the C5 Aircross as a full package, it offers usability both in terms of stowage and on-road performance and it is equally as versatile in the comfort stakes. There are a few things with which to find fault, however there’s plenty of aspects to override them with a feel-good factor. By no means is it perfect, but it goes about things in its own endearing way.

George Dove

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“Mondeo Man will be as happy with it as ever”

volume rotary. Either side of the centre console, silver trim runs down to the sides of the storage tray.

Heading back from that point, either side of the gear lever you’ve the electric handbrake plus buttons to toggle the parking sensors and auto stop-start on and off, behind which are two reasonable sized cup holders. On the wheel you’ve got logical controls to the radio, the digital driver display and the cruise control. The bulk of the interior is black plastic or soft-touch materials and the silver trim inserts do break it up a bit, but it doesn’t scream cutting-edge. But that doesn’t mean to any extent that it’s a bad place to be – to sum it up in a word, it’s functional.

Total ease

FORD MONDEO TITANIUM EDITION 2.0 TDCI 150 ESTATE

Segment-defining family estate is as practical as ever, if a little lacklustre on the inside CERTAIN CARS HAVE a habit of becoming stereotyped and associated with certain types of people. Saabs with sophisticated casual sommelier types; Triumphs with those who are also enthused by a combination of facial hair and cable-knit cardigans; and a few badges have been battling for the top tailgater title for years. But, like the family Fords that went before it, the Mondeo is a Dad car.

Mondeo Man? Remember him?

There was a time when political par-

ties quoted him, and therefore his car, as a target they needed to win over if they wanted to run the country. Well, politics seems to have moved on, but Mondeo Man is still around.

Got your back

Now in its fourth generation, the Mondeo has always been a reliable steed with a package well-rounded enough to satisfy everyone in the archetypical British family in every situation. From the school run to the

traffic-laden trip to the seaside, the Mondeo has got your back.

Being an estate, this particular model would come into its own in the latter of those two scenarios.

Luggage space in the Mondeo is a cool 500 litres with the back seats still upright. That’s positively cavernous, and the floor is completely flat with no lip to lift items over.

If you decide to swap rear passengers for the kitchen sink, your potential total of litres rises to 1605.

That’s a lot of space, and you may be thinking that there’s room for the fridge, too. Even so, however, it isn’t hard to find competitors that beat those figures and do so comfortably.

Unlike a fridge, inside the Mondeo it is quite dark. The mostly black interior of our test vehicle was smart, made solidly with sound materials, and easily used. Your rear is treated to a very plush leather rest, the seats refusing to give up the ghost on longer drives and cause you to fidget.

Neatly aligned below a Sony touchscreen are the dials and buttons for the climate control, heated seats and windows, as well as a centrally located

VAUXHALL INSIGNIA 2.0 D Seats 5 Fuel Diesel Engine 1997 cc, 4-cyl Performance 9.5 sec, 130 mph Economy 57.6 mpg (NEDC)

125g/km (NEDC) PRICE £26,340

VERDICT Well equipped but not particularly interesting in the cabin, the Mondeo is nonetheless a capable way of shifting people, luggage or any combination of the two. It’s not the sportiest to drive, but has all the performance you need

HHHH

Where the Mondeo was most surprising was under the bonnet. The 2.0 TDCI engine produces 150bhp, but what really makes it pop is the ease of use allowed by its 258lbf.ft of torque. This is available in full from 2000rpm, allowing you to make a steady advance with total ease – and when you’re up to cruising speeds, you’ll find it barrels along without even breaking a sweat and overtakes without any difficulty.

It isn’t what you’d call a sporty motor – being an estate with an entry-level diesel engine, it isn’t even the sportiest Mondeo. But the torque is there on exit from corners and it sits planted with well-controlled body roll so you can enjoy driving it. The six-speed manual gearbox is smooth, although the shifter itself felt a bit lightweight.

Quoted at 50.4mpg on a combined cycle (we returned exactly 5mpg below that), you’ll be able to cover a healthy distance before the 60-litre tank runs dry. Our model had keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers, traffic sign recognition and automatic headlights as standard, as well as parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Our test car also had the optional blind spot monitoring installed. This was one of three options fitted, and at £325 it was the cheapest of them.

The others were metallic paint and the aforementioned Sony touchscreen navigation system, which hiked the price by £545 and £540 respectively.

Even with these additions, the Mondeo seen here would list at a very reasonable £27,100. You can expect the dealer dance to be worth a discount of around 10%, and even without a bit knocked off it’s not much money for a car that doesn’t do anything wrong.

It drives well, doesn’t get greedy with fuel and it is unerringly comfy for both passenger and driver.

Despite feeling a little lacklustre inside, this Mondeo plays the part of the big family Ford down to a tee. That isn’t enough to keep it out at the front in the current market – but Mondeo Man will be as happy with it as ever.

George Dove

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Issue 5: July 2019

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“It’s spacious and well equipped, and very, very competent”

probably live without, as Tour mode simply lightens the steering further and makes the Insignia lose some of its composure, while Sport doesn’t do enough to give the Grand Sport an exhilarating edge.

Better than before

VAUXHALL INSIGNIA GRAND SPORT 2.0 TURBO D SRi NAV

Stylish repmobile has kit, quality and good road manners, but falls short on personality THE VAUXHALL INSIGNIA first came along to replace the Vectra in 2008 and this new version has grown in size, as well as in name. The new Insignia has been stretched by 55mm, which now makes it longer than the Ford Mondeo, Skoda Superb and even a Range Rover Sport. It is an ocean liner compared to the dinghy city cars out there, although it’s managed to keep a low roofline and looks considerably smarter than the old model.

‘Grand Sport’ is Vauxhall’s name for the hatchback model, which you

can have with a variety of petrol or diesel engines. The 1.5-litre petrol is available with either 138 or 163bhp, while the stronger 197bhp petrol is a 1.6-litre unit. On the diesel front, a frugal 1.6 engine comes in either 109 or 134bhp tunes, with the larger 2.0-litre powerplant offered in 168bhp and twin-turbocharged 207bhp.

Best compromise

For gearboxes, you’ll be opting between a six-speed manual and six and eight-speed autos. Got that?

We’ve been assessing the 2.0-litre 168bhp turbo-diesel, an engine which may well provide the best compromise in the range between performance and economy. We averaged around 47mpg – not ground-breaking, but enough to see the Insignia manage 600 miles on a single tank.

This diesel’s hefty 295lbf.ft of torque is available from just 1750rpm, which is enough to ensure the Insignia doesn’t feel lethargic. Third and fourth gears are where you can use the sizable torque band to your advantage, with the six-speed manual proving to be easy to get on with, if not particularly precise or short in the throw.

With the car’s added length, there are noticeable improvements in a number of areas. First, the wheelbase has grown by 92mm and, combined with the softly-sprung suspension set-up, gives you an Insignia which rides well and soaks up the majority of potholes and highway blemishes.

Our test car came fitted with FlexRide adaptive dampers, which gives you the choice of sitting in ‘Tour’ and ‘Sport’ modes alongside a default set-up. This is a £850 option you could

VAUXHALL INSIGNIA 2.0 D Seats 5 Fuel Diesel Engine 1956 cc, 4-cyl Performance 8.2 sec, 140 mph Economy 53.3 mpg (NEDC)

141g/km (NEDC) PRICE £25,210

VERDICT If the Insignia just had a bit more emotional appeal, what a car it would be. As it is, it’s a highly competent large hatchback with plenty of appeal inside and out, and it’s attractively priced both to buy and run

HHHH

Another benefit of the Insignia’s size is a 490-litre boot, although this isn’t on par with the aforementioned Mondeo or Superb. The back seats fold flat with the touch of a button, however.

When they’re back upright, you’ll find that rear legroom is much better than before, meaning adults of any size will feel comfortable in the Insignia. In the front especially, the AGR active front seats come with all sorts of adjustability, and there’s a massage function which was a welcome feature on longer jaunts.

The cabin in general is leaps and bounds ahead of the old model’s. It’s a much quieter place to be and while the diesel engine is never out the picture, you don’t have to talk over it or turn up the radio in protest.

There’s a sensible logic to the controls and infotainment, whether with the basic 7” screen or the 8” job fitted to higher-spec Nav models. The menus are easy to distinguish and navigating through them is done with minimal lag, plus all Insignias come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

Vauxhall has attempted to lift the interior of the Grand Sport to compete with more premium rivals. It doesn’t quite lead its class, but surfaces are generally soft to touch and perceived build quality is good throughout.

The SRi Nav starts at £25,210 on the road, with standard kit including front and rear parking sensors, the 8” touchscreen with navigation, those AGR active front seats and a host of safety features such as lane keeping assist and forward collision alert with autonomous braking. Our test car was specced up to £29,225, thanks to a variety of options including upgraded alloys, head-up display, wireless charging and a Winter Pack with heated seats, steering wheel and windscreen.

You could take away some of these or settle for the Tech Line Nav instead, but either way the Insignia is keenly priced. Add to that its 20,000-mile service intervals and five-star EuroNCAP rating and it has all the bases covered.

Perhaps the only problem with the Insignia is that it lacks personality.

It does everything to a decent level, but doesn’t excel in any one area. It’s eye-catching to look at, but there’s no real engagement in the way it drives.

It’s spacious and well equipped, nonetheless, and very, very competent.

If you just want a practical, spacious and relatively economical steed that will keep you snug even on the longest of journeys, the Grand Sport could well be what you’re looking for.

Mike Trott

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cased, too, and the lumbar support of the driver’s seat means you’re asking a lot if you can’t get comfortable while on board.

There’s a host of driver aids, too, with front and rear parking sensors as standard. Our test vehicle also had an optional reversing camera which, at £200, is probably worth the money.

Adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, lane departure warning and stop-start functionality are all standard on Limited trim, while blind spot and rear cross-path detection come in a package that adds £300 to the bill.

On the road, the Renegade offers a ride which is largely comfortable ride but becomes a bit firm over speed bumps and so on. Steering is nicely weighted, enough to feel solid but without being heavy.

Nippy around town

JEEP RENEGADE 1.6 MULTIJET

Latest version of Jeep’s attitude-laden SUV-about-town is funky, well equipped and easy to drive JEEPS ARE SYNONYMOUS with off-roading. The name has long been something of a ‘Hoover’ word for 4x4s, to the extent that people who don’t know what they’re looking at (and a good number who do) are apt to use it when referring to a Land Rover Defender, Suzuki Samurai, Toyota Landcruiser or whatever other traditional off-road motor might cross their path.

Some owners even refer to their vehicles as Jeeps when the badge on the bonnet says something totally different. It’s safe to say that all this comes from the world’s familiarity with generations of Willys, CJs and Wranglers, but what we have here is a vehicle that bucks the trend. The Renegade is the closest thing to a city car that wears the American brand’s famous seven-slot grille.

There is great appeal in the rugged design of an SUV. And despite being their smallest offering, the Renegade is one of the most brutishly styled Jeeps nowadays. Some may say that it’s cute or boxy rather than rugged – but whatever the synopsis, it’s desirable.

This version in Colorado Red, riding on 18” alloy wheels, certainly looks the part.

Marvellous performance

It doesn’t quite deliver its lines flawlessly, but the Renegade still puts in a marvellous performance. The interior is plush and the cabin continues the rugged aesthetic of the exterior. Dotted about there are several nice touches, with the seven-slot grille insignia popping up in numerous places and a graphic of a Jeep climbing the edge of the windscreen (sensibly obscured from the driver’s view).

More importantly, though, you get a good level of kit, with everything from heated seats, dual-zone climate control and an 8.4” touchscreen with mobile integration and DAB radio. The steering wheel is heated and leather-en-

This, in a way, is testament to the torque provided by the new 1.6 MultiJet II diesel unit. Total output combines 236lbf.ft with 120bhp, so it’s a punchy unit that feels particularly nippy around town, although turbo lag is ever-present. It pulls at all speeds to be fair and the six-speed manual box has a ished action that’s enjoyable to use and feels befitting of a modern SUVs. At the helm, you’re afforded a really good driving position. The cabin is impressively quiet, aside from some buffeting from the wind at high speeds which can also rock you about a bit; we’d put this down to the squareedged styling that has so much to do with the vehicle’s appeal.

Somewhere that the styling does seem to help is when you’re parking. That sounds trivial, but it’s very relevant in a vehicle designed to spend most of its time in town. The Renegade is so squared-off, with no worries about overhangs or swooping bodywork, that inserting it into a space is like playing an enormous game of Tetris.

Another equally worthwhile benefit of the vehicle’s styling, in particular its big, wide windows, is that allround visibility is very good. This is a bonus around town, of course – as it is should you do the unthinkable and take your Renegade off-road.

The likelihood of this actually happening is illustrated by the fact that most Renegades only have two-wheel drive. Sacrilege in a Jeep, you may say, but it actually suits this particular vehicle quite well.

Yes, power to all corners might help draw the sting of the torque steer that chimes in when you plant your foot.

But if what you actually want from the Renegade is simply a combination of commuting and kid-shifting duties you might as well save your money on the vehicle and its fuel bill alike.

The example we tested was rated at 48.7mpg on the WLTP cycle; we

JEEP RENEGADE 1.6 MULTIJET II Seats 5 Fuel Diesel Engine 1598 cc, 4-cyl Performance 10.2 sec, 111 mph Economy 64.2 mpg (NEDC)

115g/km (NEDC) PRICE £20,300

VERDICT The Renegade has always been high on attitude – and it still it. But now you get a better car to go with the image – to the extent that all our main concerns about the old version have been addressed. It dials in perfectly to what urban SUV owners want.

HHHH managed 41.8 over the course of a week, which isn’t as good but is still pretty frugal.

Combine this with a base price of £26,200 for the model tested and you’ve got what sounds like a good bit of value. Ours was wearing just over £3000’s worth of options, however, so to get yourself one like it you’d be knocking on the door of thirty large.

Too many options

These options included £600 for ‘pastel’ paint, which looked rather gloss to us. The Function Pack II (which adds an auxiliary power unit, heated and folding door mirrors, keyless entry, storage under the passenger seat, a reversible boot floor and split folding rear seats) adds another chunk, as does the Visibility Pack. Then there’s more money for power adjusted front seats and blind-spot monitoring.

Having to pay extra for safety kit always sticks in the craw, but there’s plenty in there that you could easily live without in order to save yourself a wad of dosh. Pulling a lever and moving your seat on runners can save you £500, for example.

What doesn’t cost any extra is the attitude that comes with the Renegade’s styling. Attitude is a big deal in the small SUV sector, and the Renegade has it in spades. It’s very well made, comfortable and reasonably practical, and it’s not the worst thing to drive. It’s a Jeep, too – a real one, with a capital J. And even without four-wheel drive, that counts. .

George Dove

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Issue 5: July 2019

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The Magnificent Sevens Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-3 Auto List price: £39,625 Price as tested £39,625 Economy 46.3mpg (NEDC) CO2 161g/km (NEDC)

Land Rover Discovery Sport Td4 180 Landmark List Price £39,990 Price as tested £43,950 Economy 36.8mpg (WLTP) CO2 174g/km (NEDC)

VW Tiguan Allspace SE Nav 2.0 TDI 4M 150 Auto List price £36,215 Price as tested £39,955 Economy 47.9mpg (WLTP) CO2 146g/km (NEDC)

The family car market has been overwhelmed by SUVs, and more and more buyers are after the flexibility of having three rows of seats. As the science of packaging gets more advanced, it’s becoming possible to carry seven people on board what would once have been seen as small 4x4s – and as these three prove, they can do a magnificent job of it

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EQUIPMENT

IN THE CABIN THESE ARE SIMILAR vehicles done on slightly different scales.

The Discovery Sport is 4.6 metres long, the Tiguan Allspace 4.7 and the Sorento 4.8, so that should account for any variety in their interior space.

Sure enough, the Sorento is in charge here by some distance.

Starting at the back, it’s the only one that could reasonably claim not to be more of a 5+2.

All three vehicles have front and second rows which slide, allowing you to adjust them for a balance of legroom between all three rows, but the Sorento is the only one with enough physical space in it for this

SORENTO

balance to involve a full complement of six-foot adults. It would be a squeeze, of course, and whoever ends up in the middle of the second row is unlikely to emerge in a good mood, but it can be done.

In the others, the third row really is just for small children. Tallish adults can fit in the very back of the Tiguan, but only if the second row is slid so far forward that there’s no room in it for anyone at all, so there wouldn’t be a lot of point in doing that. It’s the same deal with the Discovery Sport – though here, if you’re small enough to fit in the third row you’ll be nowhere near tall enough to see over the

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SORENTO Well put together dash is clad in tactile materials. Third-row seats are the only ones properly capable of carrying adults

DISCOVERY

ridiculously high waistline between the C and D posts, so it’ll be like travelling in a tiny grey plastic cell.

It’s much better up front, where the dash design still looks classy and modern even though the Disco Sport’s replacement has already been announced. It doesn’t have the same high-command driving position as some Land Rover products, but visibility is decent enough and the seats are good and comfortable.

The Tiguan is very comfy too, even though this was the only vehicle here without leather (many people would consider this a good thing).

It’s spacious up front, and feels every

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DISCO SPORT Good, comfy front seats and a stylish looking dashboard make it feel premium, but third row is the poorest here by some way

TIGUAN

inch a proper SUV, and Volkswagen’s characteristic dash design lends an air of class (if, perhaps, not so much in the way of character). Build quality is rock-solid, with nary a sound from the dash panels, whereas the Discovery Sport’s produce a fair bit of creaking when manhandled.

The Sorento’s cabin is tidily designed and well put together using very tactile materials. It’s not the most exciting to look at, but its seats are excellent. You can certainly imagine doing a cross-continent journey in it – you can in either of the others, too, but perhaps the Sorento might shade it for overall comfort.

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TIGUAN Simple but classy design has VW’s usual build quality. This model has less luxuries than the others but feels not a bit less classy for it

PRACTICALITY ONCE AGAIN THE Sorento makes the most of its larger dimensions to deliver the most usable cargo area.

It’s not the very biggest – with both rear rows folded, the Tiguan Allspace has 1775 litres, the Sorento 1732 and the Discovery Sport 1698 – but a low floor, tall and wide aperture and minimal rear lip gives it lots of access for loading into what is a well proportioned cargo bay.

There’s a small hidden stowage area under the rear floor, which is handy, but in the main what makes this the SUV of choice for load-lugging is that with the seats down, it’s

SORENTO

the closest to being van-like. The third row drops totally flat and the second just off by a few degrees, leaving a floor that’s smooth and free of obstacles to sliding stuff over it.

Up front, a huge cubby box does the bulk of the work when it comes to stashing your odds and ends. The Discovery Sport, on the other hand, leads with a huge lower glovebox.

At the back, the Disco Sport’s third row folds to a few degrees off flat.

The second row does likewise, such that the slope from the tailgate to the front of the cargo area is uniform, with a rise of about six inches across

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SORENTO Second-row seats fold the closest of the three to flat, making it the most van-like here. A low floor and wide aperture make for easy loading

DISCOVERY

them. The floor is smoothly based and starts nice and low, so sliding stuff on board won’t be a problem.

The Tiguan Allspace is particularly impressive with the second row of seats in place. It has the highest capacity in this configuration (700 litres, compared to the Discovery Sport’s 689 and the Sorento’s 660), and that shows – the space behind the seats is tall, wide and squaredoff, making it extremely usable, and as well as being completely flat it’s exceptionally long.

With both rear rows folded down, the cargo floor remains as good as

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DISCO SPORT Third and second rows fold to a few degrees off flat, so that there’s a smooth, steady slope as you slide long items on board

TIGUAN

flat. There’s a very slight step down, which is smooth enough not to pose any problem at all, and a low floor which makes for easy loading. The tailgate aperture is decent, if not as tall as you might like; overall, while it does have a greater overall volume than the Sorento, we think the Kia has the slight edge on it for ultimate-level practicality.

The Tiguan probably beats it for oddment stowage, by dint of being straight down the line at almost everything. The glovebox and cubby are fine, and as with the others there’s a bin at the front of the floor console.

ALL THESE VEHICLES are well equipped, with cruise, climate, sat-nav, smartphone mirroring and all-round parking sensors. The single biggest difference that makes one of them stand out is the Tiguan’s fabric-covered seats, which as well as lacking leather are also without electric adjustment. They’re not heated either.

But to concentrate on what they are, not what they lack, they provide rock-solid evidence to say that you don’t need fancy leather and bottom-cossetting features to create a set of seats that are really, really comfortable to sit in. The fabric covering them looks and feels good, and in contrast to leather it’s nice and grippy. The seats themselves probably don’t have any more support than those in the Sorento or Discovery Sport, but from the moment you climb aboard you know you’re not going to slide around in them.

Staying on the subject of seats, the Sorento is the only one here with heaters in the second row as well as the front. As you’d expect from a Kia (especially one costing the thick end of forty grand), it’s very well kitted out, and there’s little to separate the three vehicles in terms of the quality of their equipment. The electric lumbar support on the Discovery Sport seems to work incredibly slowly, but that’s the sort of level you need to be looking at to separate them. Ultimately, none will disappoint you.

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DISCOVERY

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TIGUAN Very close to the Sorento for ultimate load-lugging, and has the best boot with the second row of seats in place

All three are very well equipped, however the Tiguan does without leather and heated seats. It feels no less classy for it

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Issue 5: July 2019

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ON THE ROAD OUR INSTINCT AS people who testdrive cars for a living is to go looking for the finest of margins by which to judge the differences between vehicles. The truth is, though, that for the vast majority of people who buy cars – certainly family SUVs like these – their priorities lie elsewhere.

Nonetheless, you do still want to be able to enjoy driving the vehicle you’ve just spent forty grand on. You don’t want the steering to feel unnatural or the suspension to grind and crash every time you hit a pot hole.

You don’t want to press the throttle and wonder why nothing is happening, and you certainly don’t want to feel that way when you press the brakes.

So, where are those fine margins?

Mainly, they’re absent.

The first thing to say is that the Sorento doesn’t feel any less sophisticated than its more premium rivals.

The eight-speed auto box on this model is extremely smooth, with almost nothing in the way of clumsy shifts, and its suspension gives you a quiet, supple ride over broken city streets and the long crests of hilly A-roads alike. It’s sprung for comfort rather than agility, but body control is good at all speeds and with Sport mode engaged it becomes impressively taut under hard cornering.

There’s plenty of get-up-and-go from its 2.2-litre diesel engine, too.

With 197bhp and 325lbf.ft, it shifts

the Sorento up to 60mph in a quoted 9.1 seconds – a figure which we think actually sounds a bit conservative.

With 150bhp and 251lbf.ft, the Tiguan’s 2.0-litre engine gets it up to speed in 9.9 seconds, while the similarly sized unit in the Discovery Sport has 180bhp and 317lbf.ft and puts the Land Rover right on the Sorento’s tail at 9.2. What this all boils down to is that with any of them, you’ll see action when you get on the loud pedal.

Not that the word ‘loud’ is very appropriate, because all are impressively refined. The Sorento’s engine is very quiet on the motorway, only raising its voice a little when kicked down, and there’s as good as no vibration through the body or pedals at speed. It’s a settled cruiser, with little more than a rustle of wind from the door mirrors.

The Discovery Sport is a touch less refined at speed, with a little more wind and road noise – but nowhere near enough to trouble you. The nine-

speed gearbox is every bit as smooth as the Sorento’s and the engine is nice and quiet at speed, though it does raise its voice a little when pushed hard.

Handling is good, too, with decent body control and plenty of grip, and it feels natural to steer. This model has 19” alloys, however, and we felt its ride was a little less composed as a result. Again, we’re talking about fine margins, but the Disco Sport was the least settled of the three over cats’ eyes, corrugations and so on. It’s still not harsh over pot holes, though.

The Tiguan is very smooth over typical urban roads and country lanes alike, with excellent body control and little or no harshness or vibration from down below. It’s very quiet at speed, too, and the engine doesn’t grumble noisily when you stand on the throttle.

As with the others, the Tiguan handles with confidence, sophistication and no small amount of panache. It’s extremely smooth and well controlled,

with a nice weight to the steering and an excellent blend of grip and body movement. There’s plenty of performance to enjoy, too – yes, it’s down on power next to the other two, but it’s the lightest vehicle here by a useful distance and in reality it feels no less sprightly than the others.

After all that, which is best to drive? There really is nothing of note

between them. If the Discovery Sport doesn’t ride as well as the others, it’s by a fine degree which can be put down to the difference in tyre sizes – and that really is about all we can say.

Whichever of these SUVs you choose, you should be completely satisfied with everything about it – and if you’re not, we’d wager you won’t be by the others either.

HANDLING Which is the most fun?

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SORENTO Good body control and progressive steering. Suspension is set up for comfort but tautens up well in Sport model

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DISCO SPORT Supple suspension makes for agile handling, with good grip and body control. The heaviest vehicle here, but doesn’t feel it

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TIGUAN Well controlled and smooth on its way through corners, with nicely weighted steering and plenty of natural grip in its chassis

MULTIMEDIA

SAFETY SORENTO

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ALL THREE OF these vehicles have plenty of active safety kit, including main beam and lane-keeping assist and drowsy-driver monitoring.

Looking at EuroNCAP’s scores, the Discovery Sport does best for Safety Assist, though the Tiguan shades it for adult, child and pedestrian protection in a crash. The Sorento is third here,

again by a slender margin, though it does out-score the Tiguan for Safety Assist – rather surprising, considering it’s the one vehicle here that doesn’t have autonomous emergency braking.

The Kia has the most elevated driving position and therefore the best view. All things being equal, though, AEB is near the top of our must-haves list in a family car – so, while all three can boast of five-star NCAP scores, for safety alone we’d gravitate towards the Tiguan or Disco Sport.

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VOLKSWAGEN IS A traditional leader in this area, and sure enough the Tiguan’s media system is intuitive to use, quick to respond and a pleasure to look at, thanks to a quality screen with pin-sharp graphics. The screen is 8” is size, which is exactly the same as the others’, but the clarity of its graphics take a lot of beating.

The Discovery Sport lags behind, though that’s largely because it’s an older model. The system does work quickly enough not to be annoying, though it uses Land Rover’s own app instead of Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, which always seems like reinventing the wheel.

The Sorento, too, is fine without being quite as effortlessly just-so as the system in the Tiguan. One very significant plus point about its design, however, is that the screen is recessed

into the dash, giving you somewhere to rest your hand while operating it – being able to hit the right icon with the minimum of distraction and inconvenience means driving more safely, so this is no small matter.

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CONCLUSION

VALUE AND RUNNING COSTS Set against that, premium brands tend to be better at holding their 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DISCOVERY value, and the Discovery Sport will 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TIGUAN be worth the most when you come to THERE’S ONE VERY obvious sell it on. Its value is sure to soften stand-out difference between the Kia when the new model comes along, and the other two here, which is of though. Either way, the Tiguan will course its warranty. At seven years be close behind, with the Sorento or 100,000 miles, it hammers the some way behind that – not so much three-year cover you get as standard as to make you want to run and from Land Rover and Volkswagen. hide, but potentially enough to have The Discovery Sport does at least an influence on how the finance or have unlimited mileage, whereas leasing costs will stack up. with the Tiguan you’re on your own The Sorento used more fuel than after 60,000 miles. the others during our test, too. It avSORENTO

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eraged in the low thirties, compared to mid-thirties for the Discovery Sport and low forties for the Tiguan.

Emissions-wise, the Sorento’s NEDC-derived figure is 161g/km and the Disco Sport’s 174, while the Tiguan again does best on 146g/km.

The Tiguan is also the cheapest of the group to buy, as well as being the one you’re most likely to get at a strongly discounted price. As tested, it has a few less toys than the others – but with VW’s famed build quality added in to the mix, it looks like easily the best deal here.

THESE THREE VEHICLES start quite close together in terms of price.

But the Tiguan tested here undercuts its rivals by around 10% – and that’s before you take into account the discounts available on it.

This puts it on the front foot in terms of value, which takes some doing when you’re up against a Kia. The company’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty takes some beating – especially as it now makes such good, well equipped and stylish vehicles.

In the case of the Sorento, you can add ‘practical’ to that list. The biggest vehicle here, it makes good use of its interior space to deliver a cargo area which, with both rear rows folded, is the most van-like of the group.

The Tiguan is most usable with only the third row folded. Both are excellent load carriers, putting them a step ahead of the Discovery Sport, and the Sorento is streets ahead of both rivals when it comes to passenger carrying.

It’s the only one that can truly be called a seven-seater – the Tiguan and Discovery Sport are more like 5+2s, with the latter in particular giving third-row passengers a rough deal.

It has to be recognised that the Discovery Sport is an old model, due for replacement later this year, and that when this happens the newcomer will be far better and more up to date in a good many ways. Interior accommodation is likely to be among them, and

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VW Tiguan Allspace SE Nav 2.0 TDI 150

LR Discovery Sport Td4 180 Landmark

SCOREBOARD Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-3 Auto

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Cabin Equipment Multimedia Practicality Performance Handling Ride & Refinement Economy Safety Value

9/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 8/10 9/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 7/10 6/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 8/10 8/10 7/10 9/10

TOTAL

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we know the current version’s media system will be replaced by something more modern using a much bigger screen. Whether it will be able to beat the classic Volkswagen set-up is another matter, though; the Tiguan plays it simple but yet again demonstrates the importance of getting the basics right.

The vehicles traded blows throughout our test, with first the Sorento and then the Tiguan looking likely to emerge victorious. The Discovery Sport is not left behind (in a school report, it would still be going home with an A grade), and the combination of style and brand loyalty has kept it on the radar of a good many people, but its age counts against it. It’s good in every area but outstanding in none.

On the road, there’s nothing to separate them. Performance, ride, handling, refinement – where differences exist, they’re so minor and so detailed as to have no real meaning. You can drive any of these vehicles and be very satisfied by the experience.

Indeed, it’s likely to come down to personal taste. If this is a byword for badge prestige, we all know which one you’ll choose. If you need the ultimate means of carrying people and things, meanwhile, you need the Sorento.

But the best all-rounder is the VW Tiguan Allspace. Not only this, it’s also the best prospect to buy and own.

It excels in so many areas; as a family seven-seater, it really is magnificent.

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Issue 5: July 2019

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Polar Opposites

THESE DAYS, IF YOU’RE not driving around in an SUV then society dictates that you’re an old-fashioned git who must still believe the compact disc reigns supreme in the ranks of in-car entertainment.

Even supermini-sized vehicles are given the SUV treatment and, should you wish to join the trend, you can choose from a whole array of different machines. We happen to have two of them here: the Kia Stonic and Citroen

C3 Aircross, both of which approach the game with very different tactics.

But which competitor will claim victory in this duel?

CABIN We’ll start by sitting down in the flamboyant Citroen where you notice the neat air vents and unique handbrake are just a couple of elements that suggest some artistry has gone into designing the C3 Aircross. The textiles of the seats and door panels match, for example, and with its greater height the Citroen feels lighter and more spacious inside.

The Aircross’ taller frame gives passengers more headroom, while legroom is also marginally better in the Citroen. Up front, both the Kia and Citroen’s driver’s seats are height adjustable, although neither comes with lumbar support.

Above: The Citroen carries flair, but is short on logic Below: Sensible and efficient, if a little boring in the Stonic

You sink into the Citroen’s seats whereas the Kia offers better lateral and back support. In this 3 variant of trim for the Stonic, seats are finished in half leather and with a flat-bottom steering wheel there’s an element of sportiness to proceedings.

The sloped body means it’s a darker place to be, however, and there aren’t any interesting details like you get with the Citroen. What you do get, though, is a cabin which doesn’t take as long to become acquainted with.

Climate controls are kept as physical adjustments below the touchscreen, while the cruise control buttons are easily defined on the steering wheel, rather than being housed in the multi-media screen or on the end of a confusing stalk.

It’s all a bit tit for tat between these two. The materials in the Aircross edge those of the Stonic, but the finish feels tighter in the Kia. One has flair, the other efficiency – it really will come down to personal preference on the interior front.

PRACTICALITY Or will it? Because when it comes to practicality, there’s only one winner between this duo. We’ll start at the front once again, where you’ll find bigger door bins in the Aircross, even if the Stonic’s aren’t bad. There are cupholders for both front passengers, although they look a little shallow in the C3 and the Kia wins a brownie point for having a usable armrest with integrated cubby configuration.

Further back, however, it’s all about the Citroen. The C3 has the Stonic beaten for space and flexibility, with rear seating that can slide to prioritise

The compact SUV is one of the most popular body types on our roads today, but how do you decide which crossover is the best for you? Mike Trott takes a closer look at two potential candidates representing either end of the crossover spectrum… legroom or boot capacity. Those rear seats also slide forwards when the handy tether is being pulled to fold the seats and give a flatter loadspace.

In the Stonic, things aren’t quite so versatile. Its rear seats don’t drop flush with the floor and the boot itself has a substantial lip over which to hurdle your groceries. The Aircross has a removable floor that can be stationed at different levels, either to create a flat loading bay or more depth.

At the end of the day, sheer numbers don’t lie. With rear seats up, the Stonic’s boot capacity stands at 352 litres whereas the C3 provides 520 litres of space.

EQUIPMENT The Flair model we have here is top of the Aircross tree, whereas the test version of the Stonic is the middle spec 3 example, but still carries comparable levels of equipment.

Each comes with DAB radio, Bluetooth, cruise control, a rear camera and sensors, plus smartphone mirroring and forward collision alert. The Citroen has keyless entry and start, but then the Kia has lane keeping assist rather than just lane departure warning. There is little between them.

The Citroen does have blind spot monitoring and front sensors, but they are part of the optional £450 Park Assist Pack. Other options available include a panoramic roof and wireless charging, plus you can select Citroen’s Grip Control, which includes Hill Descent Assist to give you some off-road credibility.

If you want more kit in the Stonic then move up to the 4 model. This brings heated seats and steering wheel,

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Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but also a height adjustable boot floor, which could earn some practicality points back for the Stonic.

But it’s their infotainment systems where these two differ most. Both have 7” touchscreens and it’s easy enough to connect your phone to either one, although the Citroen’s touchscreen is slower to react, the graphics aren’t as sharp and while navigation is included like in the Stonic, I found it impossible to input a postcode – which is how most people programme their route.

The Kia’s touchscreen is more logical and easier to familiarise yourself with. The navigation system was also brilliant whilst using it during a few days away and doesn’t push you to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto as in the Citroen.

For some, smartphone mirroring is the default anyway, but sometimes it’s nice to know you have a backup option that won’t frustrate.

ON THE ROAD Our test vehicles are both diesels – the Aircross a 1.5-litre diesel and the Stonic a 1.6. The Citroen’s engine manages just 100bhp and 184lbf.ft of torque, while the Kia’s motor produces 113bhp and 207lbf.ft, the latter of which comes in 250rpm lower down the rev range.

The result is the Citroen can feel a little underpowered at times and while it has enough pace to keep up with the

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urban environment, it can feel out of its depths compared to the Kia. The Stonic is by no means quick, but the extra grunt can come in handy when needing to overtake.

It lets in a few more grumbles than in the Citroen and acceleration is met with greater noise, but it’s the more flexible engine and actually the better on economy when we tested the two rivals over the same route.

Both cars are equally as refined as one another, with both managing wind noise to an acceptable level, but could be better insulated from road noise when running at higher speeds.

The ride is a little softer in the Aircross and it manages to numb the nasty patches of rough tarmac better than the Stonic. On the flipside, however, the Stonic carries a lower centre of gravity and with its firmer setup remains more composed through corners. Behind the wheel it resembles dynamics much closer to that of a car’s, whereas the Citroen is rather more disconnected.

There is more body roll in the Aircross and you find yourself having to apply more lock than you would ideally want to use. The Stonic’s more positive steering gives a less artificial feel and with its flatter cornering it represents one of the better drives in this class.

The gearbox is a little notchy, but more precise than in the Citroen and although the Aircross has light and inoffensive controls – in this guise

Below Left: Sportier-looking seats in the Stonic offer better support and feel smarter Below Middle: C3’s seats look and feel more like armchairs

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at least – it just seems void of any driving pleasure.

OWNERSHIP COSTS As mentioned, if you’re talking economy then the Stonic edges the Aircross, averaging just over 51mpg on test, while the Citroen hovered just under 49mpg. The Kia also has the Citroen beaten on the warranty front, with its seven-year/100,000-mile warranty comparing favourably to the Citroen’s three-year/60,000-mile offering.

Service intervals are also more attractive with the Stonic, being every 12 months or 20,000 miles in contrast to the 12-month or 12,500-mile interval with the Aircross. Both cars rate as five-star on the Euro NCAP safety ratings, too, although the Kia averages slightly better scores across the board.

And when it comes to outright cost, it’s the Kia that edges marginally ahead once more. As tested, the Stonic came in at £20,120; the Aircross at £21,595. Even without options, the Kia works out at over £1,000 cheaper and while the Aircross range starts at a lower price than the Stonic’s entry point, the engine on offer in the Citroen has even less power than the diesel we have here.

VERDICT Neither car in this test is perfect, while the areas in which they do excel tend to be very different from one another. The Kia Stonic is cheaper to buy and run, it’s more enjoyable to drive and the controls are ergonomically superior. On the downside, it’s a bit dull in comparison to the vibrant Citroen, even if a better colour scheme would improve the Stonic’s verve.

And while it may drive nicely, if you’re going to buy a car for its driving dynamics, would you be looking at a bunch of front-wheel drive crossovers?

As a family proposition, then, the Stonic struggles to make sense alongside the Aircross. If you don’t have kids, but are insistent on owning an SUV then the Stonic may be a credible option for you.

But if you have mini versions of yourself running around then the Citroen will be a much more versatile and dependable steed, even if it’s missing some driving enjoyment. You can’t escape its superior practicality and day-today the Aircross will be a better tool.

So, there you go: with a sensible, family orientated mindset, you would be better off picking the Citroen C3 Aircross rather than the Kia Stonic.

Above and Left: Open the boot on the Aircross and you’ll find a much more flexible boot that can change floor height and has a flat area in which to load items Below: It’s not small, but the Stonic’s luggage capacity can’t match the Citroen’s, nor its friendlier aperture

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Issue 5: July 2019

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Conversion therapy Vehicle: Saab 9-3 Convertible Year: 2005 Run by: Alan Kidd

Black plastic trim that’s gone milky over time is a common problem on modern classics (if that’s what the 9-3 is). You can supposedly restore it with a blowtorch, but that sounds a bit kill-or-cure to us…

IN A PREVIOUS ISSUE, I noted on these pages that I had been trying to bring my better half round to the notion of a Saab 9-3 Convertible being the answer to the family’s motoring needs. It wasn’t, obviously, but without even getting down to that level of detail she put the mockers on the idea

by saying she didn’t want a soft-top because she’d worry about it leaking.

Did I mention that she used to work for a company that makes soft-tops for old Land Rovers? Anyway, I’m not quite sure what happened but all of a sudden she was texting me with screen grabs she’d taken of 9-3s being sold

on eBay. By the time I’d got home, in fact, she’d phoned someone up and next thing I knew I had an appointment to go and see his car.

It felt right. A 2.0T petrol model in well equipped Vector trim, it had a pretty clean MOT history and came with all the services stamped up. The guy selling it said all the right things, and when I met him he turned out to be a proper good chap – he’s a car nut with a long history of interesting rides, and he was only getting rid of the Saab as circumstances were forcing him into something bigger and higher off the ground.

Buying a car has rarely been such a pleasure, anyway. We shook hands on £2100 and, when I went back the next day to pick it up, his wife (a professional chef) insisted on giving me lunch, which was pretty much worth the money on its own.

The only downside to all of this was that the train journey was absolutely pants. Thanks to a combination of a broken rail, a failed engine and anoraks trespassing on the line to get a look at the Flying Scotsman, which was immediately ahead of us, I ended up arriving in Bristol something like two hours late. At least this meant I could claim a refund on my ticket, but I ended up setting off at around the time when I should have been getting home.

And that, children, is why we don’t like trains. The return journey was much nicer – the 2.0T engine is pretty willing, even if 175bhp is hardly the stuff of melted tarmac, but what struck me most was how smoothly it rode on the motorway. No vibration, no wandering, next to no road noise – this car is tight like a new one.

Of course, it’s not actually new. The buttons on the dash are in a lot better

condition than you find with many of these, but the one for turning down the speed of the ventilation fan is pretty much gone. Possibly not surprisingly, as the fan comes on full blast every time you fire up the engine.

That’s pretty minor. Much more importantly, the leather seats are intact and even still quite supple, having been treated regularly by the car’s previous owner. There’s a bubble under the metal-look covering on the trim around the gearlever, and the leather gaiter that clips into it is a bit worn.

That apart, the cabin is amazingly tidy.

So too is the body. The alloys could use a refurb, perhaps, and the front tyres (which went on only a few hundred miles ago) are a budget brand whose quality I’m not minded to trust.

The Saab badge on the boot is faded, one of the rear reflectors is cracked and part of it is missing, and the

“There’s no vibration, no wandering, next to no road noise – this car is tight like a new one” Confessions of a Car Maniac

Terrible ideas we’ve been lusting after in the classifieds this month…

I fell in love this month. And, not for the first time, the news hasn’t gone down well at home. What can I say? I’ve been reckless, stupid… hooning around in an up! GTI was always going to get me in trouble with my better half!

The excitement got to me, the thrill of it all, and now I’ve ended up searching in dark corners of the internet to find that same thrill at a more feasible cost. And I think I’ve found her. This hot little number goes by the name of Lupo. She too is from the GTI family, although would cost me half as much and is even more exotic.

She’s petite, quick-witted and packs more of a punch than you’d think. She’s not much of a family bird… but I’m willing to make it work!

Mike Trott

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Old and new reflectors.

Making it right by sorting little details like this is what makes all the difference between driving a shed and owning a modern classic

Grotty looking headlamp lenses are another common problem on 10-15 year old cars. Finding a replacement pair on eBay is an equally common solution headlamp lenses have become cloudy with age.

Some of the black plastic fittings, for example around the base of the A-posts, has got that milky thing going on, too. I’ve been told that you can make it go back to black by giving it a seeing to with a blowtorch, and videos do exist online to back this up, but it doesn’t half sound risky.

The properties of some plastics would tend to suggest that heating them up will only have a temporary effect, too, and that they’ll turn grey again when they cool back down. I’ve also read that a light rub with linseed

The boot badge has faded away to almost nothing, so we sourced a fresh one from a breaker. It arrived still attached to the trim that mounts it; removing it without destroying both is looking to be a bit of an ask, so we’re tempted to fit the whole lot and create a unique blue 9-3 with a silver highlight. Wouldn’t have worked if it had come from any other colour of donor

oil can work wonders to bring back the black finish, and that sounds a whole lot less scary. Pretty sure there’s a joke about cricket in there somewhere, but I’m Scottish so I wouldn’t know.

Anyway, that lot hardly constitutes a major set of flaws. We won’t worry about the tyres for now, what with it being the start of summer (and truth be told, having leant on them a bit in the wet they’re grippier than I thought), but another session on eBay yielded replacement parts from a mixture of spares suppliers and scrap yards.

The latter is where we tracked down a pair of headlamps which had

come out of a 9-3 Convertible less fortunate than our own (they’re not common with tin-tops, apparently), and the same scrappy also had the boot trim panel which carries the Saab badge. It’s the wrong colour (silver, as opposed to dark blue) but, if the badge refuses to be popped out of its mount, it could just about look like a trim feature that was meant to be there all along.

None of this ought to be a challenge to fit. Well, the headlamp clusters can be guaranteed to put up a fight, but it’s not like changing a cambelt, is it?

Even so, the 9-3 was due for a coolant

flush, having suffered a knackered oil cooler a year or so back, so we booked it in to get its pretty-ups fitted at the same time.

Any other issues at this stage? Well the driver’s window squeaks on the way both up and down, which isn’t the way you want to draw attention to yourself. And the handbrake doesn’t feel as tight as you might want.

Details, all of them. Once they’re sorted, this is going to be a really tidy example of a 9-3 Convertible from before the ugly late-noughties facelift.

At the time of writing, it’s all due to happen tomorrow morning at the

really excellent independent garage near to which I have the good fortune to live. After that, Mrs Kidd will be completely bonded with the vehicle.

Not that she isn’t already, of course.

First time the sun came out and she set off to do the school run with the top down, I knew we were on to a winner.

Though last week, she spent a few days with a Hyundai i30 we had in on test… and immediately announced that she wants a new car. You know, one that smells like a new car.

Just when I had finally talked her round to the benefits of running a ragtop. Damn.

The gearstick controls a really nice, smooth manual shift, but the leather gaiter around it looks a bit ragged and the silver effect finish on the plastic trim around it and the keyhole has started to bubble up. Yet another visit to eBay, yet another parcel through the door – these are small things, but they play a big role in bringing a slightly tired old car look a lot less careworn

I’m well aware that, as much as I adore it, my Toyota GT86 is not going to be with me forever. And I thought I’d come to terms with that. But in fact, it seems that I’ve lost my mind. In coming up with a plan to eventually replace the Toyota, I’ve decided that cheap and cheerful is the way to go. But also, a two-car set-up has its merits.

For the fun car, I’d probably look at an MR2 or the Clio 182 that I’ve previously written about in this section. But just recently I’ve been daydreaming about the boring mile-muncher. For this role, I’ve been courting the comfort connoisseur that is the Mercedes C-Class. In particular, the 1990s’ W202 model that was the first of Stuttgart’s junior executive cars to be given the C-Class name.

I’ve noticed a few examples for sale with asking prices of only £800. But these are petrol versions, which doesn’t bode well for economy. The more sought-after diesels are notably more expensive but still no more than a couple grand, so future me searching for a 200 CDI will have to shop a little harder. Although, seeing as I’m in my mid-twenties and a gold example with a wooden and beige leather interior has really got me excited, perhaps present me should be worried. Very worried indeed.

George Dove

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Issue 5: July 2019

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BUYING USED

INTERIOR

Listen for groans and rattles from behind the dashboard, and check that all the controls operate correctly. Look for worn seat fabrics and door seals.

Note that under-seat storage units on the rear floor can make it impossible to fit many common makes of rear-facing child seat.

BOOT

Practicality was one of the 3008’s strongest suits, thanks to an excellent twin-height boot floor set-up. Look out for damage from everyday family clutter, as they were commonly rammed full of prams and so on – and as always, be wary of anything with a history of being used as a dog carrier.

BRAKES

We’ve heard several reports of premature wear. Look for any evidence of this in the car’s MOT history and check the condition of the discs, especially at the front.

Make sure there’s no sign of juddering or pulling to one side under braking during your test drive.

PEUGEOT 3008 2009-2016 £1500-£13,500 The 3008 was part SUV, part MPV and part hatchback. It was well equipped, comfortable and practical – and you can get them for a very tidy price on the used market

WITH STRIKING LOOKS, strong prices and plenty of equipment, the Peugeot 3008 was a very high seller in the UK. It was part-SUV, part-MPV and part hatchback – putting it at the forefront of the crossover revolution.

The 3008 was available with a pioneering diesel-electric hybrid system which sounded better on paper than it was in real life. Less than 1% of the used cars you’ll find for sale these days will be hybrids; diesels accounted for about 70% of sales, with almost all the rest going to petrol.

Whichever fuel you go for, the engines tend to be very reliable. As the miles pile up, however, regular oil changes become ever more important, especially on diesels – which can also sting you with big bills for emissions-related ancillaries like diesel particulate filters and EGR valves.

Smaller engines will be the most economical on fuel, however the larger units are less likely to have been worked as hard and therefore make for a safer used option. The 2.0 HDi unit in particular is lovely to drive.

FOUR OF THE BEST £6000 LUXURY CARS 2009 Chrysler 300C 3.0 CRD V6 Lux 37,000 miles, £5995 A very American form of luxury, which is to say you might not find it very luxurious, but if you can see past the rather basic dash design this is a lovely big barge with stacks of kit and a sort of faux-Bentley image.

Running costs will be more manageable than a real Bentley’s, too…

The 2.0 HDi also has the benefit of having come as standard with Dynamic Roll Control, an electronic stability system which makes a real improvement to ride quality. It was available with other engines too, and is well worth seeking out.

Transmission-wise, we’ve heard of isolated cases of clutch and flywheel failure, which will cost strong money to make right. Automatics tend to be very reliable but not necessarily the smoothest in operation – the box on the hybrid is particularly nasty.

Whatever model of 3008 you get, it’s bound to have a lot of electronic equipment. People like to bash French cars in this area, but by and large it’s pretty dependable – just as well, as we’re talking about things like handbrakes and hill-start assist, not just comfort and convenience accessories such as climate and sat-nav. Gremlins are not unheard of, but your main concern in the cabin is likely to be the longevity of the trim itself – this is one of the most common recurring themes among the grumbles we’re heard.

2007 Range Rover 3.6 TDV8 Vogue 155,000 miles, £5999 It was 20 years in coming, but the 3.6 TDV8 was the diesel engine the Range Rover had always deserved. This is the daredevil option in the pack, however; it’s fearsomely complex and the only we you’re going to afford it at this money is by taking on a very leggy example. This one is offered by the trade with no service history and ‘cheap road tax’ (it’s £555 a year). Feeling reckless?

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INSTANT INFO

ENGINE

Petrol and diesel engines alike tend to be very reliable, but smaller units in each case are short on power and therefore likely to have been worked hard.

Don’t touch a diesel unless it has full service history with regular oil changes; even then, as always with used oil-burners of this era you need to accept that you’re playing roulette with big repair bills for the emissions control kit.

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF Ë YEARS 2009-2013 Ë PRICE RANGE £1500-£16,000 It’s worth investing in an engine from towards the top of the range, as lower-power units are likely to have been thrashed. Full service history is essential on diesels

The cabin was very elegantly designed but not built to the highest of standards. It’s not bad, but listen out for creaks and look for worn seat trim.

Check the electronics, too – there can be a lot of them

OVERVIEW It might only have been on sale for four years, but the sixth-generation Golf contains an enormous variety of cars. There’s a world of difference between a low-spec model on moon-and-back miles and a little-used GTI, and that’s reflected in the huge range of prices used examples fetch.

IN THE CABIN Volkswagen took a bit of a panning for the interior quality of the Golf that came before this one, so a priority here was to put that right. The result is a level of design and build that put it right on top of its class.

In particular, cabin refinement is exceptionally good – the Golf rides as smoothly and quietly as many executive cars of the time, and the materials inside it are top-drawer.

EQUIPMENT The Golf came with air-con, stability control and a long list of safety kit as standard as well as plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment. You don’t have to move far up the range to get alloys and cruise control, while the mid-upper Match model looks like a sound used bet as it also had parking sensors. Further up the range, things like leather, seat-heaters and electric seat adjust join the options.

TRANSMISSION

Automatic gearboxes can be a bit jerky in operation, especially on the rare hybrid model. Manuals are lovely and smooth, but expensive clutch and flywheel failures are not unheard of.

A big boot and huge hidden compartment made the 3008 very usable – be sure this hasn’t led to it being destroyed in day to day use

PERFORMANCE Entry-level petrol and diesel engines are more about economy than performance, but you don’t have to go far up the range to get a decent turn of pace. The 1.4 TSI is the pick of the petrol engines, and there’s a choice of 2.0 TDI diesels with plenty of grunt to offer. If you want to push the boat out, the GTI and GTD are properly quick, and the R is a full-on super-hatch.

ROAD MANNERS The aforementioned refinement is just the start. The Golf rides with a beautiful suppleness, and it’s both easy and rewarding to steer, whether around town or on the open road. It’s very, very enjoyable to drive in all situations.

PRACTICALITY The Golf plays a straight bat here, doing everything well without trying to reinvent the wheel. It does everything you want of a family hatch.

RELIABILITY A well maintained Golf with a petrol engine and manual box is about as reliable as a car can be. Diesel engines are known to suffer EGR valve and particulate filter problems, and when a DSG auto goes wrong, it does so expensively.

There’s an excellent network of aftermarket specialists to help you, though.

Check the condition of the seat trim and dash fittings, as well as the door seals – these can get damaged by people rubbing against them. Listen for creaks and rattles from behind the dashboard, too, and check that all the controls, electronic or otherwise, do what they’re supposed to.

Another complaint we’ve heard more than once is premature brake wear, particularly at the front. Basic models can ride rather lumpily here, too – again, a model with Dynamic Roll Control will be your best bet.

RUNNING COSTS For the above reasons, diesels can be the most expensive Golfs to run – despite their excellent fuel economy. Even then, though, these are good value cars to own, and – no small thing –they hold their value extremely well.

BUYING USED An enduringly popular choice, the Golf is not a cheap option. If you can afford a good one, though, it’s a purchase that will look after you.

VERDICT Volkswagen Golf

+ Very well made and excellent to drive. Lots of choice - Some neglected ones around. Diesels and autos can get expensive to maintain SUM-UP The definitive family hatchback, and not without reason

2007 Honda Legend 3.5 i-VTEC EX 95,000 miles, £5975

2007 Volkswagen Phaeton 3.0 TDI 85,000 miles, £5940

This really is a left-field choice. The Legend sold in tiny numbers, but it came with more or less everything the car industry knew about at the time. Its V6 petrol engine was smooth and powerful, but predictably thirsty; still, the one we found has an LPG conversion already fitted and comes with full service history and an extended warranty from a well established dealer.

People sneered when Volkswagen said it was going to build a rival for the Mercedes S-Class, but the Phaeton was a superbly engineered vehicle with stacks of luxury equipment and huge cabin space. This one is a one-owner car with full service history, and the mileage on its clocks points to a gentle life. It’s not as prestigious as a Merc, but it certainly has rarity value on its side.

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up! to old tricks

When everything in life seems to be getting bigger and more complicated, sometimes its good to head back to old-school basics. And Volkswagen’s smallest hot hatch can provide that perfect tonic Words: George Dove Pictures Mike Trott

EVERYTHING’S GETTING bigger nowadays. Particularly the cars on the road. Yes, the fact that everyone either wants or has an SUV certainly aids this allusion, but it isn’t just down to bigger cars becoming trendier. The current seventh-generation Polo is the same size as the fifth-gen Golf, for example. Within a few millimetres, anyway. Even the up! has gotten bigger. Just not in the same sense…

Shortly after its mid-life facelift, the up! undertook the long-famed GTI crash course. Upon completion of the course its alloys have swollen; it has donned the uniform; its suspension is lower and the 1.0-litre TSI engine occupies 115bhp. That doesn’t sound like an earth-shattering figure, but, thanks to the wonders of turbocharging, it also has 148lbf.ft available from 2,000rpm – which in a vehicle that only weighs 1,070kg is plenty.

Old school

This, plus its dimensions, means there has been comparisons drawn to the inaugural GTI – the 108bhp, 103lbf.

ft Golf GTI of 1975. You can see the logic in this, despite the age difference and the fact that there’s currently a very good, torch bearing Golf GTI, on figures alone the up! is the closest thing on paper to a true descendant to have left Wolfsburg for a long time.

But in a different time, can it still instil the seat-of-the-pants thrills on any given road, just like those early forebears?

If you searched on the Internet for the meaning behind the GTI initialisation, you’d find either ‘Grand Touring Injection’ or ‘Gran Turismo Iniezione’ on the screen before you. But if you ask someone familiar with GTIs of yore, they’d likely retort ‘Good Times Indeed.’ The newest flagbearer shouldn’t require a record change.

From the moment you approach it, the up! GTI has presence. That red pinstripe across the grille, the 17-inch Oswald diamond-cut alloys and more aggressive bumpers, side skirts and rear spoiler. Those big, red brake calipers. The trademark tartan seating and those three all-important letters sitting pride of place on the grille, wings

and boot lid. Annoyingly, there’s a body-coloured strip between the black roof and boot spoiler, which if it were mine would be wrapped to match pronto. But, the Tungsten Silver is a classy finish and it really looks like it means business.

Go-kart

You know what? It drives like it, too.

I’m an advocate of the notion that you don’t need raucous amounts of horsepower to have fun. Certainly, it can add excitement – and a criminal record – but a car that is light, tactile and agile makes it a lot easier to have fun. The up! GTI was first used by a colleague on their commute – all of a four-mile round trip. But, the next morning the keys were handed over with the message: “It’s like a go-kart, you’re gonna love it!”

As flippant as that sounds, he wasn’t wrong. The standard up! setup is one that handles itself well, but the sports suspension that sits 15mm closer to the ground gives the GTI a sharpness and better prepares it for

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THE BIG STORY

‘The sports suspension better prepares it for being thrown into corners’ being thrown into corners. Which is ideal, because when the opportunity presents itself, doing so is impossible to resist.

The sports suspension is a touch firmer, but skimming through flowing corners you still get a little bit of roll. But, like in many small cars, it’s nowhere near enough to bring you discomfort or ruin the fun. This is something the up! GTI has totally nailed – making you grin so much you begin to see everything through rose-tinted specs.

It’s the same case for the steering, too. It’s a bit dead without a real sense of feel. You’ve got steering more akin to that of a city car than a sports car, although this is befitting with the agility and all-round sense of lightness to the handling. But you’re afforded

adaptability because of it – able to steer the car from corner to corner with total ease and then not requiring a city steering mode for pottering about town, either.

The engine obliges an equal level of compliance, too. The 1.0-litre TSI unit is essentially an up!-rated (sorry) version of the petrol unit available throughout the up! family. But whereas in other states of tune you have to work to maintain momentum, here you simply have to ask.

There’s a brief moment of turbo lag when you put your foot down, but then the turbo bursts into action and the car surges forwards at an impressive rate. It sounds pretty good, too.

The three-pot would sound outright fantastic with even the mildest of sports exhausts. As it is, it’s enjoyable

No GTI would be complete without the familiar tartan seats

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Whilst I’m being briefly hard-faced, let’s move on to the only other area in which the up! GTI isn’t the strongest performer – its interior. You’ve got plenty to like inside this pocket rocket, but much of it is superficial. I’m not the biggest fan of the interior design of the up! anyway, as I don’t really like the old-school button operated radio or the layout of the air-conditioning inlets (there aren’t enough and they’re poorly placed).

Tartan

Badges aplenty

But, expecting an interior redesign for a small-run spicy version is wholly unreasonable. But, it has tartan seats that are a must-have for any GTI. Love them or hate them, they’re more sculpted sports numbers that are supportive and comfortable in equal measure. The multi-function steering wheel is dressed in a lovely tactile leather and you’ve got nice, big analogue dials.

That’s enough out on the road.

Red underlighting is a nice touch, as is the retro red design across the dash panels and the GTI branded gear-knob. It’s touches like these that make the interior feel more upmarket than in non-GTI models and there’s just enough kit to make it perfectly comfortable over longer journeys, too.

It would be better with cruise control which comes as part of the Cruise and Park pack – which comes with parking sensors, too – but the six-speed ‘box makes cruising easier and ensures that you’re alright without.

But nobody is going to buy this car just to sit and cruise down the motorway. If you’re interested in an up!

GTI and you use the motorway to get to and from work, change your route, not the car you’re interested in. What else are you looking at for the money?

A diesel that’ll do 50-odd mpg and sit happily in the rush-hour scrum?

Stuff that. What you need is a 1.0-litre petrol that’ll return 45.4mpg, a B-road route and a smile to your face. That’s worth an extra ten minutes in the morning, isn’t it?

Pedigree

Every so often you come across a car that manages to be more than just the sum of its parts – this car is one of them. From a relative standpoint its figures are impressive anyway, right down to the ones that are applicable to every up! on the road. And the GTI blood running through its veins doesn’t stop it feeling just like a normal up! when you’re sat in traffic or throwing it into a parking space. But the injection of sporting pedigree does mean that everyday situations become fun, from roundabouts to simply skipping away as traffic lights turn green.

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There’s a section on my commute where, at the end of a street with a crowded population of speedbumps lives a pair affectionately named The Chicane. Really, it’s just a pair of sleeping policemen that rather than running across the road perfectly aligned, are staggered just enough to allow a car to carve a route between them – traffic permitting, of course.

In an SUV this isn’t as fun, so I’d opt for the flatter route that circumnavigates it. At the first opportunity in the up! GTI I took the bumpy route.

And then chicaned again on every chance that followed. It’s the finding joy in things usually as mundane as speed bumps that really draws you into this car; you don’t want to pass up the opportunity to drive it because you’re confident of enjoying yourself whatever the trip.

It’s a wonderful concoction of excitement and normality that results in a hot hatch that is entirely approachable.

It doesn’t snarl and it doesn’t have some of the things that mean purists

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would lament it. But I guarantee that if they drove it, whether they climbed out wanting one or not, that they’d do so wearing a grin.

The bottom line with the up! GTI is that in many ways it is different to the originators of Volkswagen’s iconic sub-brand – but it hits on the right notes to wear the badge with pride and legitimacy. When I first drove this car last year, a Volkswagen employee said that you couldn’t have more fun in a new car for the same money. With a list price that kicks off at £14,530, the list of possible contenders is very, very short.

However, with the extras, this model weighs in at £16,809 on the road, and I happen to know a fella who has just bought a smart 911 that cost little more than the entry point of the range.

But, that isn’t new, so the statement stands true. It simply isn’t possible to buy a new car that is more fun for less.

It’s even possible to think of culprits that’re close to double the price and aren’t as fun to drive.

Sport

Classic

So, has the up! GTI brought the sporty nameplate full circle? Both yes and no. It has all of the fun, all of the drama and all of the feelgood factor that you could want from it.

But naturally, it doesn’t have the same edge of danger more powerful GTIs would pose. But this is actually a good thing. It’s softer in the sense that it’s a car made and designed for the 21st century – and is better for it.

Infectious

There’s dependability to the way it drives that makes you feel invincible behind the wheel and comfortable encroaching on its limits. It isn’t a hardcore hot hatch, it’s lukewarm really, but it is totally infectious.

You walk out of the front door with the keys in your hand and it’s like walking towards a puppy with its lead.

You fire up the three-pot and it sounds eager – whether you’re doing half a mile or a hundred, it doesn’t know or care, it just wants to be driven. And that’s the way a GTI should be.

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Against the Grain

Words and Pictures: Mike Trott

Owning a car doesn’t mean you have to be generic. As a matter of fact, if you ask anyone who comes from the world of modifying, you’ll find that people will go to extreme lengths just to be unique

Above Left: Refurbished wheels complete with blue dusting are the handiwork of Paul at Alpha Car Care

IF YOU CAN, TRY and think back to your time at school. Now try and tell me there wasn’t competition to be different and unusual in the coolest way possible. You can’t, can you?

The truth is, when you went out on to that playground, everyone was eyeing each other up to see who had the best rucksack, the best shoes, the best phone – basically anything that could be personalised away from the godforsaken uniform. And even then people would push their luck.

I came from the era when your pencil case would mimic your preferred carbonated beverage, or possibly have the cast of Friends emblazoned along each side. To turn up at school with something cool that no-one else had considered was to establish yourself as a ‘legend’. At least until the following term anyway.

Still, once you’ve graduated from the playground and into ‘the real world’, you’re free to be whoever you want, and all without the ridicule of a twelve-year-old. Of course, growing up means you might well accomplish some of the generic things, like getting a job or having a family. Many people will learn to drive, for example, and by default then own a car of their own. But who said that desire to personalise stopped at the playground?

Turbo era

For some, that urge to stand out from the crowd has simply manifested itself around something else in their lives.

And with Adam Watson, it’s cars.

‘I’ve always been into fast cars,’ states Adam, ‘When I was 18, 19, you

had Escort RS Turbos running around – it was a true turbo era.’

Adam holds the keys to a different turbocharged monster from the icon of his youth, but one that equally slots into the ‘fast car’ bracket. It’s a Vauxhall Astra VXR from 2006, which when new boasted a respectable 236bhp. A lot’s happened since 2006, however.

‘I had a Nissan 350Z for a while, but needed a bigger car as the missus was going mad at me for having just two seats,’ explains Adam. Swapping from a two-door rear-wheel-drive coupe to a three-door five-seat hot hatch may not seem like the practical answer a ‘missus’ may be looking for, but in this instance it actually makes a lot of sense.

‘This one happened to come up and with the VXR there are more mods readily available and at a more affordable price,’ says Adam. ‘With a 350Z, you could get a supercharger fitted, but then it would cost you £10K – you need serious money to make a difference and on the UK-spec car, the ECU can’t be remapped.’

Weapon

Having reached a dead end with the Nissan after replacing as many body parts as he could with carbon fibre, and installing a steering wheel that resembles a weapon off the set of Game of Thrones, Adam moved to the VXR to embark on an alternative path through the world of modifying.

This is by no means a step down from the 350Z, though, because this particular Astra VXR is currently

running 330bhp. And I say currently because there are plans to increase that figure.

But first, let’s run through what modifications have taken it up to this point. On the engine front, there’s a race-spec radiator and twin cooling fans, a 3” top hat and charge pipe to a triple-core intercooler, a new EDS copy inlet manifold and K04 hybrid turbo, uprated Piper valve springs and a Turbosmart actuator, plus a full Milltek exhaust from the turbo back.

It’s extensive work, and that’s before noting the stage 3.5 remap from SM Tuning and the LSD gearbox that is trusted with trying to apply all that

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Above: Originally running 236bhp, this 2.0-litre turbocharged VXR engine now features a stage 3.5 remap from SM Tuning, a K04 hybrid turbo and LSD gearbox, giving it 330bhp power through the front wheels. It’s a bit like a toddler attempting to tame a pressure washer – you can see why Adam admits the VXR struggles to keep the power down, and yet he still wants to add more.

Ludicrous

‘The plan eventually is to get a bigger exhaust system, a bigger turbo and to fully forge the engine, and with a few more mods I’m aiming for it to run 500bhp,’ reveals Adam. The idea is plain ludicrous, but fantastic at the same time. And it’s exactly why people like Adam modify cars, why they attempt to change every last detail around the car and tune the engine to within an inch of its life: to be different.

‘I also own a Nissan Largo eight-seater bus, which has Harley Quinn plastered on the one side with a straight-through exhaust and a

single cam engine up top,’ confesses (or boasts) Adam. ‘I know it’s never going to be to everybody’s taste! With the engine it’s all about brake horsepower, but the exterior is all about how you want it.’

That’s the beauty of modifying. You can pursue outright power, focus on the aesthetics of your car, or work on both until you’re left with a vehicle that is unrecognisable from what you started off with.

There’s those who try to impress in the playground. And there’s those who’ve worked out that the real answer is to own the playground.

Whichever way you customise your car, you can be expressing your own creative flair while also pushing the laws of physics.

It’s good to be different and it’s good to be an individual. And Adam’s VXR is a prime example of refusing to follow the herd.

Above: Adam aspires for the interior to be converted to a uniform black and blue theme

FOLLOWING THE RECENT NEWS that Ford and Volkswagen will be working together on a number of future projects, it seems a couple of performance sub-brands already had the same idea.

Mountune, who have been generating aftermarket parts and performance enhancements for a range of Ford vehicles for over a decade, have teamed up with VAG tuning specialists, Fifteen52, to create a new array of products designed as upgrades for VAG models.

The new brand, called m52, has so far been launched in the UK and United States, and will bring a selection of tuning parts to some of Volkswagen’s sportier numbers, starting with the current seventh-generation Golf GTI and present Golf R. First of the new products to be unveiled is the X3 complete induction system and the m52 stage 1 calibration. Besides improved performance, models with the automatic DSG gearbox fitted can benefit from complementary calibrations for the transmission, which reprograms the TCU to deliver quicker shifts and eradicate some of the niggles present with the OE setting.

Both upgrades have been developed and tested to the usual demanding standards applied by Mountune, and the full assortment of m52 performance parts will be revealed throughout the rest of 2019 – and accessories won’t just be available on Volkswagen’s own products.

Mountune started their work over a decade ago, back with the Mk6 Fiesta ST, and has since established itself as a performance arm of Ford, providing tuning options for the Blue Oval’s zestiest cars like the Focus RS and latest Fiesta ST. Some of the kits offered are even covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

But the UK-based firm also have past connections with VAG vehicles, working with Audi power units in Formula 2 and on concepts like the Mountune X Foust Edition GTI back at SEMA 2017.

Check out the new upgrades at www.mountune52.com, where you can also view a host of new m52 merchandising, so you can have the upgrade and the t-shirt to go with it.

30 DATES FOR THE DIARY Shows and events around the UK during the coming month

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Ciao Bella

1-2 June Coventry, Warwickshire Power Maxed MotoFest Coventry is a two-day motor-themed cultural festival in the heart of Coventry: the UK’s Motor City. Thrilling motorsport, heritage displays, global street food, live music and more: MotoFest is the one summer party invite that’s just too good to turn down..

Attractions start from 10am Free Tel: 024 7622 5928 coventrymotofest.co.uk

The Isle of Man TT 1-7 June Isle of Man The Isle of Man TT is the ultimate ‘must see it’ event for motorsport fans across the globe. The world’s greatest road racers gather to test themselves against the incredible ‘Mountain Course’ - a 37.73-mile beast of a course carved out of the island’s public roads.

Free to watch around the island Tel: 01624 640011 www.iomtt.com

Le Mans 24 Hours 2019 15-16 June Le Mans, France For the 87th instalment of the Le Mans 24 Hours race, the world’s most famous motorsport extravaganza will take place on 15-16 June. This year, however, the World Endurance Championship will come to an end.

Build-up starts on Wednesday 12 June, with the lights going out at 2pm on the Saturday afternoon.

Race start: 2pm local time Tickets from €52 Tel: +33 2 43 40 21 79 www.lemans.org

Goodwood Festival of Speed 4-7 July Goodwood, Sussex The world’s greatest celebration of motorsport and car culture! Held in the beautiful parkland surrounding Goodwood House, the Festival of Speed is motorsport’s ultimate summer garden party, an intoxicating celebration of the world’s most glamorous sport. Nowhere else will you get so close to the cars and bikes as they blast up the Hillclimb track; nowhere else will you enjoy such unrestricted access to the machines and the drivers who made them famous..

Tickets from £39 Tel: 01243 755055 goodwood.com

Few cars can conjure up quaint nostalgia like the original Fiat 500.

But the model you see here has something over most ordinary 500s – and is a car that you can’t help but fall for

Words and Pictures George Dove THERE ARE CLASSIC CARS, and then there are classic classics. Know what I mean? Bona fide legends of automotive history that you won’t even have to be into cars to know about. It’s cars like these that led Peter Clarke to begin buying and restoring cars as a hobby, which he has been lucky enough to turn into a business.

The car we have here is one of those classics and instantly recognisable to anyone – and it has managed to get under Peter’s skin.

‘It’s a lovely car,’ shares Peter.

‘I’ve grown to absolutely love it – I even named her Bella.’

Not that you’ll need informing, but Bella is a Fiat 500. More specifically, she’s a 1971 Fiat 500 L – a version

added towards the end of the 500’s life. In her case, the L does not signify that she’s a bigger variant like it does nowadays.

‘The L stands for lusso, which is Italian for luxury. But all you got extra with it was a slightly different dashboard and the chrome bars on bumpers,’ chuckles Peter.

Picturesque

A true throwback to Italian cars of old, the mere sight of Bella puts you in mind of cobbled streets, lined with roadside seating areas for cafes and Italian eateries, with tomatoes growing on the vine and moustachioed waiters expectantly offering a wine menu to customers sat on red and

white striped chairs. You can tell I’ve pictured this scene before.

The interior of this 500 isn’t striped like the seats in that particular mirage, but they do share a colour scheme.

Since re-trimmed in the original style, the seats are a glorious red vinyl with a white upper quarter and piping around the edges. They’re as impeccable as they are perfect for this car. There are also small door pockets – known to be fragile – still sitting perfectly intact.

On the floor there are new carpets, a set of rubber mats and up top there is an old school vinyl sunroof. This 500, particularly the interior, is really very smart and functional for a classic.

Everything still works, including the heater and the interior light, mounted on the rear-view mirror. If Italian electrics are working almost fifty years on, then you know that they’ve been well looked after.

‘Previously, Bella was part of a collection at a private museum in Southern Italy,’ Peter reveals. ‘It featured in a People’s Cars display before being shipped over to the UK in late 2015 when it was registered with the current registration number. She also comes with a small paperwork file that includes the previous Italian Certificate of Ownership.’

This really is a clean 500, aside from a few stone chips and tiny dinks from slamming the boot – it’s

spotless. This is due, in part, to the fact that back in Italy it underwent a full restoration. Included in this was a full respray in her original Beautiful Baby Blue, or should I say Bellissimo Azzuro Bambino. There is no rust or rot around the bodywork. The spot welds on the floor and wheel arches are that neat that Peter is convinced they haven’t been touched since. Either that or someone has gone to extreme lengths to replicate them, which would just be another sign of the love and care this car has received over the years.

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This model features the bigger engine, but hold your horses, it’s still only a 499cc two-stroke unit. Once you’ve turned the key, you’ll have access to a full quota of 18bhp. It’s mated to a manual gearbox with just four gears. It doesn’t sound like much to drive, but Peter’s reaction when I suggested getting some motion shots told an eagerly different tale.

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Compact

‘Once you’re used to the small pedals, it’s a great little car to drive,’ he beams. ‘It’s not as slow as you’d think and you really have to rev it. It’ll get up to 60mph, the steering is nice and sharp, plus the suspension is knockfree and the brakes are strong. Plus it returns 50-odd miles to the gallon!’

Not only is Bella in remarkable condition, but she also comes with the original jack, a spare wheel and even the original factory tool kit tucked away in the trunk. The only caveat to come at all in this story is that the 67,470 kilometres showing on the dial cannot be verified by Peter, although all things considered, you’d suspect that it wasn’t inaccurate.

Stood taking in the 500 in the sunshine, it’s hard not to smile at it. Bella is very clean, mechanically healthy and infectiously feelgood. There’s something about the craft and artistry that went into designing and making her that is just mesmerising.

Above: The convertible roof, which you now see on the modern Fiat 500s, exposes the red and white vinyl seats and an interior that is as basic as it is adorable Below: Original features like the tool kit and jack have survived with this 500 L over from Italy

Space Crusaders: Three Estates, One Winner No child comes as a separate entity, so when trying to package your life into a car, why not look at the family estate? These three – the Volkswagen Golf Estate, Hyundai i30 Tourer and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports – all offer superb practicality – but which is best?

Simplicity

Up front there’s the clamshell bonnet.

On the windscreen there’s a sticker notifying others that Bella was once a member of the Fiat 500 Club Italia.

Inside there’s the dash so pure and simple that it seems alien in comparison to current designs. All of the controls are dainty from the pedals to the gearshift and two-spoke steering wheel. We even found a few old Italian coins rattling around in the centre storage tray.

Running down the side of the bodywork is a delicate twin pinstripe and the chrome dish hubcaps add exterior polish – as do the ornate chrome bumper extensions that bookmark the Italian delight. It doesn’t take long at all to understand how Bella has gotten under Peter’s skin and got him thinking about transferring her over from business inventory to his own collection.

‘I just think she’s a wonderful car.

When I got her I only had to perform a basic service on her before she was ready,’ recalls Peter. ‘She’s definitely one that I’d like to keep, but I have to draw the line somewhere!’

Two iconic names, but for very different reasons. Can the latest iteration of Nissan Micra give the Ford Fiesta cause for concern?

Visit overlandandhighway.co.uk for more details on this 500L and to view the company’s other vehicles for sale

In a titanic battle of good versus evil and new-age tech against old-school fossil-fuelled combustion, we pitch the lightning Jaguar I-Pace against the fire-spitting Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio in the Drive Big Story

The Drive fleet is joined by a 996-era Porsche 911 Carrera and its owner is over the moon after months of arduous searching

PLUS!

• First drives of the Ford Focus Active, Nissan Leaf and more • F1 2019 update – we look ahead to the European rounds

The August 2019 issue of Drive is published on 28 June – and it’s 100% FREE!