Martin Ward - page 5

From the front there is hardly any difference to the well-loved, and very popular standard Q3, if in fact you can call a Q3 standard. But move to the side of the car, and a whole new world opens up. There are sharper creases on the doors, and the engineering to produce such perfectly shaped metal. Go around the back and it has a sloping roof, and looks like a very sexy coupé. The front wings and rear wings with their contoured haunches over the rear wheels look quite dramatic, a very handsome looking SUV.

Audi have produced this car to offer customers something a bit different, those loyal to the brand, and there are plenty of them could have gone elsewhere to buy a good-looking SUV, but to combat any deserters Audi have come up with the perfect solution.

The car we had on test was the Q3 Sportback 35 TDI S Line with the S-Tronic automatic gearbox that has a UK basic price of around £37,000, but the test car had a few nice options that bumped the price up to nearly £43,000.

Like all new Audis, it has the new badging system that is a bit difficult to explain, especially to friends and neighbours when you are in a rush. This Audi had 35 on the rear door, and people always say, bet that goes, having a 3.5-litre engine. When in reality, the 35 is a power range that is applicable to both petrol and diesel engines, good idea in principal, but not sure it works in reality.

This 35 TDI produces something that we do understand, and that is a 2.0-litre diesel that produces 150ps, goes from 0-62 mph in 9.3 seconds, a top speed of 127 mph, where permitted.

The interior space for passengers appeared to be about the same as the Q3 Hatch. Luggage space with the rear seats folded down is 1,400-litres, and with the rear seats up it is a very handy 530-litres. You would think with it having that sloping-coupé-like roof it would lose some space, but not at all, it probably has more room than some of its competitors.

Driving the car around Yorkshire for a few days proved it can ride the potholes and lumpy roads very well, and felt solid and safe, and has loads of standard safety equipment. In other words, typical Audi.

The interior is very similar to the Q3 Hatch, with very few changes, but there really don’t need to be any changes as the Q3 has plenty of modern design features. Although the plastic and trim at eye level, and those you are looking at all the time are up to a very high standard. But look a bit lower down and they can feel a bit hard and scratchy.

The infotainment system on the Sportback is the same as the Hatch, you get a 10-inch touchscreen as standard and a 10-inch digital Virtual Cockpit display that replaces the conventional analogue dials. These screens are so easy to use and very intuitive. This is reflected in all the systems, including the standard satellite navigation system and telephone system.

The Q3 Sportback is a lovely car to drive, it has a raised seating position so makes vision so much better. It is quiet, with hardly any road, wind or engine noise, thanks to its advanced sound insulation system, including the insulated windscreen.

Audi have designed and developed a very attractive 5-door SUV Coupe that looks brilliant from every angle, a car that will appeal to a wide range of people, and is bound to sell well. 

One is the XC90 B5 with Mild Hybrid, and the other the XC60 Plug-in.
The B5 replaces the D5 and the B-Badge means MHEV (Mild-Hybrid). These engines will become the default engine in the Volvo ranges

Two great Hybrids from Volvo, both very similar, yet both very different.

The Mild Hybrid system recuperates energy lost while braking and decelerating. The power that is generated and saved in the batteries is then used to assist the combustion engine under acceleration. This system not only helps with fuel consumption, but also reduces emissions.

The powertrain is the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel that produces 232bhp, goes from 0-62 mph in 7.6 seconds and has a top speed of 137mph, where allowed. This engine is coupled to a very smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The XC90 has seven-seats as standard, but despite the integration of the 48-volt system, the boot does not lose much space, and still has 680-litre with five-seats in place. With the third row in the up-position, and seven seats in use, there is still space for luggage or supermarket shopping.

A full leather interior is standard on all models, and over the past few years, Volvo have gone overboard on getting the cabin up to a very high level of quality, and they’re now very prestigious. 

The XC90 is a good looking large SUV. It has bold lines and is very appealing. It started life back in 2002 with the MK1, the MK2 took over in 2014, and even though it has been on the market for 18 years, it still looks a fresh and modern car.

It is a pleasure to drive, so comfortable and the high seating position helps the driver see far in front of them, and passengers can see over walls and generally get a better view of the world and in a very luxurious surrounding.

The second Hybrid we had on test was the XC60 T8. The T stands for Twin-Engine as this car has the ability to be powered by either the petrol engine, or on pure electric – hence the Twin Engine.

The XC60 could be classed as a smaller version of the XC90, but only has five-seats. It has the same platform as the XC90 Volvo’s Scaleable Platform Architecture (SPA), and this platform can be increased or decreased in size to accommodate different sized vehicles. A clever way of both saving money on development costs and also easy for the designers and engineers.

The XC60 T8 has a 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces a massive 400bhp, a top speed of 140 mph (where permitted) goes from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. It does feel quick to drive, but it doesn’t feel as fast as the numbers suggest, it is off like a rocket, but there is no drama with it, it just sits glued to the road. Likewise, on open country twisty roads, it sticks to the road like it is on rails. Some might say it is not much fun to drive for all that power, but bear in mind this is a SUV, and not a two-seater sports car.

But the T8 has the added advantage of being a Plug-In which gives it a very low C02 figure of 49g/km. On the front passenger side wing, there is a small flap, similar to the fuel flap. In the boot, in a very nice black bag that holds two cables, one for quick charging with round five-pins, the other is a standard three-pin plug.

With zero miles in the battery I put the car on charge from a standard plug in my garage, although it had to be done during the day, as the garage door would not shut, and I didn’t want to leave it open overnight.  I was pleasantly surprised to see just how long the cable was. Some other manufacturers are a bit stingy when it comes to cable length, but the Volvo had plenty. Good in one respect, but get two long cables, and it takes up quite a bit of room in the boot. It took just over six-hours to charge it fully and on the dash it said ‘Charging complete’ and showed 18 mile range. A bit of a distance from the claim of ‘up to 28 miles’.

But 18 miles I suppose isn’t bad if you are just going to do short runs during the day, or night. But it is surprising just how quickly those 18 miles disappear, and you are back to normal petrol engine driving.

I personally think the interior of the XC60 is better than the XC90, it just seem more plush and perhaps of an even higher quality. Maybe a trick of the eye, but it certainly was superb.

The XC90 T8 is a great drive, as comfortable as its bigger brother the XC90 and a real pleasure to drive, and no lack of power.

It was up to Windermere for the UK Press launch of the new Jeep Wrangler.

On first inspection the Wrangler didn’t seem to have changed much, it was still a rugged looking, go-anywhere JEEP, and every inch this iconic vehicle.

Jeep got its name when the US Government want a General Purpose vehicle, mainly for the Military, and became known as the General Purpose, or GP for short. The GP quickly turned into Jeep, and so the brand was born.

We set off in the Wranglers in convoy along the shore of the Lake, and as soon as we got in, you could see, feel and smell the improved quality, it is now almost premium in the cabin. After climbing up into the seats, like getting into a truck, it is surprising to find such a luxurious interior.

After a few miles on some twisty, narrow country lanes, where the Wrangler behaved perfectly, it was time to do a bit of off-roading.

We were warned it could get a bit severe in places – an understatement if ever there was one. The first bit of the off-road course was quite tame, just grass, mud and small stones to go over. Then we saw the hill we had to go up, and presumably, back down again. This section of the testing was gruelling, not only for the car, but for us too. Talk about being thrown around, up and down, left to right, right to left, and all virtually at the same time. 

The Wrangler took us an a mountain climbing exercise, we were literally climbing a mountain. Well probably not exactly a mountain as they don’t have mountains in the Lake District, but pretty close to it. 

Everything put in front of it, it managed to get over, up over it, or plough through it. After over an hour of being frightened to death going up, there was a JEEP at the top of the hill with tea, coffee and bikkies. Not sure how it made it up there without spilling everything out of the flasks. But a well earned short break – next problem… getting back down again, oh heck… another hour of being chucked about.

The Wrangler is powered by two all-new engines: a 2.2 MultiJet 2 turbo diesel that produces 200hp, the other is a 2.0-litre petrol that produces 272hp.

This new car has new styling all round, giving it a fresh appearance, but still on first looks, does look similar to the previous Wrangler, it does have a lowered beltline with larger windows for better visability, but there are enough changes to spot the difference. The interior is much improved with increased storage space, presumably to store more sick-bags..!!

The Wrangler is available as a short wheelbase two-door, or the longer wheelbase four-door. With either model you can take off the roof panels making it an open-top.

Back in the cars to make the descent, and back to civilisation. Checking we were in 4L (Full-time four-wheel drive – Low Range) took a deep breath, and headed back down the steep incline, littered with large rocks, boulders, slippery mud, streams of water, and just about everything nature could throw at us. 

But all the systems worked perfectly, the four-wheel drive, the traction control, the hill-descent, all operated together, all in perfect harmony. To get us back on solid ground back down the hill, or as we preferred to call it, the mountain, just sounds better, and more realistic.

This Wrangler is almost unique in the car world, just a handful of similar competitors that are luxurious that look as good in the city, as they do in rural settings. Cars that are fairly comfortable in every day situations on normal roads, but turn into really capable go-anywhere, do-anything vehicles – really clever engineering, not sure how they do it, but they do, and JEEP have had plenty of years to practice, and get it right.

Prices for the new JEEP Wrangler start from £44,865 and
go up to £48,365.

The Clio has been a huge success for Renault, selling over 15 million globally since its launch in 1990, surprisingly there have only been four models in 30 years, so why make changes when it is selling so well. But now the 5th Generation has arrived, and we drove it in the Cotswolds.

As you get in the car, you can instantly see and feel the much improved plastic and trim, and a whole new design. There is more space and the front seats are 26mm thinner which give more rear legroom. The interior now looks and feels more premium, there is more soft-touch plastic and materials. The cars we drove had the optional Smart-Cockpit which features both a 9.3-inch multimedia screen and a 10-inch TFT instrument cluster.

Just about everything in the interior of the new Clio faces towards the driver, including the centre console, which does make the passenger feel a bit left out, they will say to the driver, ‘its all about you’…… the interior certainly represents a Revolution.

The first car we drove was the second car in the range, the Iconic and was powered by the TCe 100 3-cylinder petrol engine and coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox. I did not realise while driving the 100hp car that it was actually a 3-cyliner engine, it certainly didn’t sound like one, or drive like one. It is fairly quick and goes from 0-62mph in 11.8 seconds. It has a combined fuel consumption figure of 54.3 mpg and has stop-start as standard and a C02 OF 99g/km.

This new MK5 Clio is shorter by 12mm, but is 66mm wider and is slightly lower, but despite it being that tiny-bit shorter, there is more interior space that the MK4. The boot size has also increased from 330-litre to 391-litre, and a different shaped rear door helps loading and unloading much easier.

The second car we drove around The Cotswolds was the R.S Line fitted with the TCe 130 and coupled to the EDC Automatic gearbox, and a smooth gearbox it is too. This 4-cylinder engine produces, as you would guess, 130hp, goes from 0-62mph in 9.0-seconds and has a combined fuel consumption figure of 49.6mpg. As we tootled around the lovely and scenic parts of Gloucestershire it was comfortable and effortless.

The models in the range are: PLAY –  starting from £14,295 OTR, ICONIC starting from £15,295 OTR, S EDITION starting from £17,295 OTR and R.S LINE priced from £17,795 OTR.

The exterior has not really changed much, as it retains the familiar profile of the MK4, but the MK5 has now got a bonnet with sculptured ribs, the grille is larger, and has some subtle chrome embellishment. The front bumper is more pronounced, and a different central air scoop that enhances the cars lines, but also helps the engine cooling. The roof now has ‘Shark-Fin’ antenna and the ‘hidden’ rear door handles remain in the C-Pillar. But the most noticeable feature are the new lights, especially the front LED which now have the Renault ‘C-Shaped’ daytime running lights. The exterior is more of an Evolution.

But it is underneath the car, and the bit you can’t see that has changed the most, as it gets a brand-new platform. Renaults new CMF-B (Common Module Family B-Segment) modular platform was developed at the Technocentre in Guyancourt. This new Clio structure and mechanicals are new compared to the previous generation Clio.

This new platform adds improved safety, efficiency, refinement and technology integration. It also improves soundproofing and insulation. The windscreen is also new and this has been treated with sound insulation to reduce wind and engine noise.

Joining the line-up in 2020 is the E-TECH with full hybrid powertrain which is a first for the Clio. This system will use a new-generation 1.6-litre petrol engine that’s mated to an innovative multi-mode gearbox and a pair of electric motors that are powered by a 1.2kWh Lithium Ion battery. This system limits energy waste and has quick regenerative battery charging. 

In terms of technology, engines, safety, platform and dynamics, and the interior this 5TH Generation Clio is a huge step forward and is clearly a Revolution, but the Exterior is really little changed, and is merely a facelift, and this is clearly an Evolution.

But the Clio will still continue to be a popular small hatch, liked by both new and used car buyers.