Category : New Cars
First Drive: Chevrolet Volt
For fleets looking to source this clever range-extending vehicle, the obvious strategy is to go to Opel/Vauxhall with its well-established fleet credentials and vast dealer network. But Chevrolet is keen for a slice … Read More »
Driven: Citroën DS5 D-Sport Hybrid4
So there’s an air of familiarity to the DS5. It’s as streamlined, technology-rich and futuristic as its closest predecessor, and home to Citroën’s latest innovations. This is a leftfield alternative in a straight-laced segment, … Read More »
First Drive: Toyota Yaris Hybrid
So while most manufacturers are bringing electric vehicles to market, Toyota has stuck to its core technology and is broadening its hybrid family worldwide. European buyers will get this in its smallest form with the … Read More »
First Drive: Honda FCX Clarity
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles share a few basic components with a pure electric car. There's an electric motor powering the wheels, no reliance on petrol or diesel, and a lithium ion battery storing power. … Read More »
Peugeot 508 RXH
Based on the 508 SW, the RXH has a2.0-litre HDi 161bhp diesel engine where you’d expect to find it, under the bonnet driving the front wheels, and a 27kW (equivalent to 37bhp) electric motor … Read More »
First Drive: Mercedes-Benz E300 BlueTEC Hybrid
But the business case for large hybrids has often been tricky. Lexus and Infiniti both cater for markets such as the United States and Japan, where air quality regulations make petrol-electric hybrids the powertrain … Read More »
First Drive: Vauxhall Ampera
At just shy of £30,000 for the forthcoming entry-level model, ranging to £34,000 for the top of the range 'Electron' version, that high-tech drivetrain doesn’t come cheap. But that’s likely to be the only … Read More »
First Drive: Renault Fluence Z.E.
Whether the debate is informed or not depends on the company you keep, but there is evidence that a growing number of drivers are starting to accept the fact the EVs are forcing their … Read More »
First Drive: BMW ActiveHybrid 5
This month the ActiveHybrid5 goes on sale in the UK, priced at £46,860 and with a comprehensive specification as standard. From the outside it looks like any other 5 Series – save for the … Read More »
First Drive: Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid
Volvo sees this as a corporate-focussed car in the UK, at least once it reaches full production. The first 1,000 cars begin leaving the line next November, but even as one of its biggest … Read More »
Driven: Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4
Other carmakers have come out in the past and said that diesel hybrids don’t make good business sense, due to their higher costs compared to petrol-electric cars as well as the fact that hybrids … Read More »
First Drive: Range Rover Range_e Prototype
The Evoque has paved the way for the new generation – a smaller car made with more widespread use of lightweight materials and, like the Freelander, a front wheel drive option. And, next year, … Read More »
First Drive: Renault Kangoo Z.E.
For a start, it doesn’t shout about being revolutionary. Almost indistinguishable from a conventional Kangoo, electric versions of the compact commercial are only marked out by the discreet charging socket on the grille and … Read More »
First Drive: Audi A6 Hybrid
But mass-market electrification arrives first with this A6 hybrid, due in Germany next winter ahead of a 2013 UK launch. Seemingly designed to offer a balance of performance and economy, it’s not an out-and-out … Read More »
Driven: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (Prototype)
Production models are a few months away, but Toyota has a few remaining demonstrators from its year-long global trial, and we had the chance to sample it for a few days to see the … Read More »
Driven: Peugeot iOn
Nissan, for example, has opted for a spacious five-seater hatchback layout for the LEAF, with plenty of boot space to create an all-round practical vehicle for family use. Peugeot’s iOn on the other hand, … Read More »
Driven: Toyota Prius T-Spirit
But there are problems with being there first. As a fore-runner of a new generation of cars, it’s found stigma and scorn as strong as the affection of its biggest fans, with even some … Read More »
Driven: Nissan LEAF
After all, it doesn’t really matter how good an electric car is behind the wheel when fleets have to weigh up a £25,990 OTR price (after the current £5,000 Government grant) against low running … Read More »
First Drive: Opel Ampera (Prototype)
Even with staggeringly high fuel costs and increasing social and financial pressure to reduce emissions, there are still one billion cars on the road globally and that figure is growing. We’re showing no signs … Read More »
