Description

The January 2015 issue marks the launch of EcoCar, a new monthly supplement dedicated to the most economical cars on sale. The 17-page supplement covers all hybrid, electric and alternative fuels, as well as sub-100g/km CO₂ petrol cars for the first time, too. It’s very much a one-stop shop for eco-friendly and green motoring. In EcoCar this month, we’ve got first UK tests of the Kia Soul EV and Audi’s A3 e-tron, and we get behind the wheel of the barnstormingTesla Model S, Toyota’s updated Yaris Hybrid and the all-electric Volkswagen e-up! Renault’s brand new Twingo takes on the dinky Peugeot 108 – which one is crowned the city car champion? There’s also an insight into the electric car market and what it means for the consumer. We’ve also got the first photos of the new Vauxhall Viva city car and Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

In DieselCar, there’s news of Merc’s new baby estate, the CLA Shooting Brake and first photos of the facelifted A1. We’ve been testing Hyundai’s new i20 supermini, the Fiat 500X crossover and Audi’s updated Q3, as well the Mazda2 with brand new 1.5-litre Sky-Activ diesel engine. A pair of new MINIs complete the first tests this month – the Cooper SD Hatch and Countryman Cooper D ALL4. BMW’s 2 Series Coupé and Volkswagen’s Scirocco go head-to-head and there’s tests of the latest Dacia Duster, the Skoda Octavia Scout, Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate and facelifted Peugeot 508 BlueHDi, as well as the most powerful SEAT Alhambra ever.

In our used car section this month, the Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi is the subject of our in-depth used car buyer’s guide. There’s also all your favourite sections, including Doctor Diesel, The Extra Mile, Marketplace, Meals on Wheels and the most up-to-date data section in the business. This month’s features look at Chinese copycat cars – do they fool you? We’ve also explored 3D printers and look at how they are revolutionising the development programme for new cars, and take a trip to the Peugeot museum in Mulhouse and get to try a couple of excitingly rare diesel exhibits.

Tested:

• Audi A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI
• Audi Q3 SE 2.0 TDI 2WD
• BMW 218d M Sport Coupe
• Dacia Duster Ambiance dCi 110 4×2
• Fiat 500X Lounge 1.6 MultiJet
• Hyundai i20 SE 1.4 CRDi 5-door
• Kia Soul EV
• Mazda2 1.5 Diesel
• Mercedes-Benz C 220 BlueTec Sport Estate Automatic
• MINI Hatch Cooper SD Automatic 3-door
• MINI Countryman Cooper D ALL4
• Peugeot 108 Allure PureTech 1.2 VTi 5-door
• Peugeot 508 Allure 2.0 BlueHDi 150
• Renault Twingo Dynamique TCe 90
• SEAT Alhambra SE Lux 2.0 TDI (174) DSG Automatic
• Skoda Octavia Scout 2.0 TDI CR 4×4 Automatic
• Tesla Model S P85+
• Toyota Yaris Hybrid Excel 1.5 VVT-i
• Volkswagen e-up!
• Volkswagen Scirocco GT 2.0 TDI (148)

Long-term test reports

• Audi A7 SE Executive 3.0 TDI quattro Automatic
• Citroen Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive+ BlueHDi 150 Automatic
• Ford Tourneo Connect Titanium 1.6 TDCi (114)
• Honda Civic Tourer SR 1.6 i-DTEC
• Kia pro_cee’d SE 1.6 CRDi
• Mitsubishi ASX 4 2.2 DI-D 4WD Automatic
• Peugeot 308 SW Allure 1.6 BlueHDi 120
• Renault Clio Dynamique MediaNav dCi 90
• Skoda Octavia vRS 2.0 TDI CR
• Volkswagen Sharan SE 2.0 TDI (148) DSG Automatic
• Volvo V40 Cross Country D4 SE Nav Geartronic

Used car buyer’s guide

• Kia Sportage 1.7 CRDi (2010-onwards)