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2023 HyundaiTucson11,348 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6LCash £19,997View Tucson2017 BMW1 Series34,000 milesAutomaticDiesel1.5LCash £12,999View 1 SeriesJon Darlington, JEA (Jaguar Electric Architecture) chief engineer, tells us the camouflaged late-stage prototype we’re driving is “100 per cent accurate for hardware, and around 70 per cent complete for software”, but that they’ve “still got tuning to do”. With this in mind, JLR’s product character and performance manager – and our co-pilot for the day – Navid Shamshiri, reiterates that the GT we’re driving is fixed in its default comfort-oriented drive mode, with no opportunity to flick through to the proposed eco or dynamic settings this time around. It’s…

The entry-level Sport model is also pretty well equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, an electric tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, heated front seats, automatic lights and wipers, and a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. We’d recommend the mid-range M Sport trim because it offers a wider range of options, and its M Sport exterior and interior styling make it a more appealing resale prospect. The most expensive M60 rewards you with a more powerful dual-motor xDrive four-wheel-drive setup, standard adaptive suspension, and electric front seats with memory settings. There’s a lengthy list of optional…

We achieved 4.2 miles per kWh during a motorway run and around town, which would have given us a total range of around 245 miles (five miles more than what we saw in the old Astra Electric). We’re confident we could have upped the predicted range fairly easily with some more steady miles.  While rivals such as the Elroq can charge up to 175kW, the Astra’s 100kW maximum speed is unchanged from before. With the larger battery this means a 20 to 80 per cent top up takes a few minutes longer than before, at around half an hour. What…

On paper, the Polestar 3’s boot isn’t that big for a car that’s almost five metres long, but the 484 litres is a decent square space that feels bigger – handy when I’m lugging around the pile of stuff needed for coaching my son’s U12 football team.  The balls, bibs, cones and other paraphernalia can be stored in the load bay rather than cluttering up the house, yet there’s still room for the weekly shop.  Advertisement – Article continues belowThe charging cables tend to live under the boot floor; although there is technically enough room in the ‘frunk’, it’s a…

Front sunroof with tilting and sliding function Ventilated front seats A memory function for the electric driver’s seat  Smart power tailgate An interior three-pin power socket Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability with adapter 8-speaker Harman Kardon® Premium Sound System Digital Key 2.0 A 360-degree surround view monitor Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist As for paint there are quite a few options available on the EV2. The Air has Fusion White as the standard, no-cost option, with five £620 paint choices: Magma Red, Moonlight Mint, Frost Blue, Vanilla Blossom and Phantom Black. The ‘First Edition’ gets Frost Blue, Phantom Black and Wolf Grey at no…

All cars come with things like automatic emergency braking, plus traffic sign recognition and lane-keeping assist. Thankfully, we didn’t find these systems too intrusive, even when driving quickly on winding roads or on longer motorway stretches; it’s always a positive if you don’t find yourself reaching for the off switch five minutes into the drive. With the Macan Electric being a recent arrival, it’s difficult to accurately assess any potential reliability woes. That said, Porsche customers are a satisfied bunch – the brand has historically finished in the top ten of our annual Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Euro NCAP safety…

We’ve spent time with the 92kWh Plus version of the ES90, and in chilly conditions with a number of motorway miles factored in, we saw a return of 3.3 miles per kWh, which is only 0.1mi/kWh less than the lowest official figure quoted by Volvo. Match our return, and you’re looking at 290 miles of range, which is around 120 miles short of the official quote. However, if you do more low-speed journeys, we’re confident that the ES90 would be able to match its official figures in the real world.  Another figure we’d like to see the Volvo match in…

2021 VauxhallGrandland X59,901 milesManualPetrol1.2LCash £8,700View Grandland X2023 Peugeot200829,356 milesManualPetrol1.2LCash £14,186View 2008Other manufacturers with yokes, such as Tesla with its Model S, retain the same steering ratio as models with round wheels. Mercedes thankfully hasn’t done this, meaning you don’t have to awkwardly twirl the yoke. Instead, we didn’t even have to cross our arms over on full lock or move our hands off the yoke during our tight figure-of-eight test route. The knock-on effect of this is very responsive steering, with only slight inputs needed.  The EQS’ steer-by-wire technology is integrated with 10-degree rear steering, too. Our test only covered…

More subtle but no less important changes include the headrests no longer being integrated into the front seats, so they can be adjusted. The large kettlebell-inspired gear selector that used to be on the centre console is now gone too, replaced by a column-mounted one that unlocked a useful space for a ventilated wireless charging pad. Build quality is a mixed bag, because while there’s a nice thunk to the doors and some soft-touch plastics, the steering wheel is covered in a poor leather imitation and the airbag cover in the centre feels especially cheap. Space in the second row…

VerdictOur Bigster already feels like great value for money – but that doesn’t mean any shortage of kit. There is plenty of decent tech, and it’s easy to use. Some materials give away the brand’s budget roots and the powertrain can be noisy once the battery gets low. However, the comfortable ride and 57.8mpg economy, plus all the space suggested by the Bigster name, mean this SUV doesn’t disappoint. Advertisement – Article continues below Mileage: 3,351 miles Efficiency: 57.8mpg Usually in the first report on a new long-term test car, you might expect a gentle introduction, but not this time. Within…