Category : Road Tests
First Drive: Nissan e-NV200
The van’s drivetrain is based on the LEAF’s, with a 105bhp electric motor generating 207lb.ft of torque. Interestingly, the lithium-ion batteries will also be able to use the stored energy to power equipment, making … Read More »
First Drive: Toyota Auris Hybrid
So while there are few clues alluding to it, most of the platform and drivetrain are left unchanged here. Toyota got running costs, practicality and reliability right the first time. Instead, the new Auris … Read More »
First Drive: BMW ActiveHybrid 7
BMW had a go at introducing a 7 Series Hybrid a few years ago, based on the 4.4-litre V8 from the 750i. It was a technological first for the carmaker, and very powerful too. … Read More »
Exclusive First Drive: Tesla Model S
Better still, this isn't a concept car. A right hand drive version will be available in the UK next year, priced to compete with conventionally powered rivals and with the fleet market firmly on … Read More »
First Drive: Ford Focus BEV
Maybe that is not the best news for Ford as it prepares to launch the Focus BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) in Europe early next year, when production starts at Ford’s Saarlouis plant in Germany … Read More »
First Drive: Hyundai ix35 Hydrogen FCEV
Talk of hydrogen fuel cells – not to be confused with hydrogen powered internal combustion engines – has been going since most current motoring journalists were in short trousers. Mercedes-Benz had an impressive display … Read More »
First Drive: BMW ActiveHybrid 3
This is a car which very definitely has a market, specifically Japan and North America where air quality standards make diesels a hard sell, but it’s a bit of a square peg in the … Read More »
First Drive: Toyota Prius+
So if you consider the Prius purely for its rational benefits – reliability, practicality and fuel efficiency, boosted further by the environmental credibility of not churning out diesel fumes – then there’ll be no … Read More »
First drive: Lexus GS 450h
The old GS, with its un-European styling and hybrid-only range, couldn’t quite cut it against the tactile plastics and low-CO2 diesel engines of the German rivals. But it seems Lexus has learned from those … Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
