Description

It’s our biggest issue ever, with 156 pages of the latest metal to hit the streets, including a full report from the Geneva motor show featuring the Range Rover Velar, DS 7 Crossback, Volvo XC60 and Volkswagen Arteon, amongst a long list of others. The big news at the show was the announcement that Vauxhall and Opel is being bought by PSA, owners of Citroën, DS Automobiles and Peugeot. The new company will become the second biggest in Europe. Read all about the deal in this month’s news pages.

We’ve been driving the hot new Alfa Romeo Stelvio and put Land Rover’s awesome new Discovery through its paces, including off-roading at night. Audi’s Q5 and the Nissan Micra are driven on UK soil for the first time, as is the fantastic Skoda Kodiaq and updated Volkswagen Golf. Also tested is the Ford Kuga ST-Line, Renault Megane with 1.6-litre dCi engine and SsangYong Rexton. For family buyers, the new Renault Scenic battles it out in the school car park with the Ford C-MAX. Which one is best for ferrying around the kids.

In our biggest Eco Car supplement to date – a full 20-pages – we test the latest Suzuki Swift SHVS mild-hybrid, put the smart forfour electric drive through its paces, and wave goodbye to the Suzuki Baleno long-termer that we have run for the past six months. Find out if our man is sad to see it go, or glad to see the back of it. In addition to a report on the latest green cars at the Geneva motor show, we’ve got a full report on Ford’s new EcoBoost engine with cylinder deactivation.

The May issue is our car cleaning and valeting special, with an A-to-Z guide to getting your car shining like a new pin. Gavin Braithwaite-Smith pitches in with ten cleaning cheats, some of which you may not have heard of before. There’s also Gadget Inspector, The Extra Mile, Doctor Diesel and our Buying, Selling and Maintaining section, with this month’s used car buyer’s guide focusing on the Mazda CX-5 2.2 Diesel. That is in addition to all the usual favourites, including a comprehensive data section, Marketplace and our fleet of 13 long-term test cars.

Tested:

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio Super 2.2 AWD Automatic
• Audi Q5 S line 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic Automatic
• Ford C-MAX Titanium X 1.5 TDCi PowerShift Automatic
• Ford Kuga ST-Line 2.0 TDCi AWD PowerShift Automatic
• Land Rover Discovery HSE 2.0 Sd4 Automatic
• Nissan Micra N-Connecta dCi 90
• Renault Megane Dynamique S Nav dCi 130
• Renault Scenic Dynamique S Nav dCi 110
• Skoda Kodiaq Edition 2.0 TDI 4X4 Automatic
• smart forfour electric drive
• SsangYong Rexton 2.2 ELX 4×4 Automatic
• Suzuki Swift SZ5 1.0 Boosterjet SHVS
• Volkswagen Golf SE Nav 1.6 TDI 5-door

Long-term test reports:

• Audi A3 Sportback S line 2.0 TDI
• DS 5 Prestige BlueHDi 180 Automatic
• Ford Edge Titanium 2.0 TDCi Automatic
• Honda CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC EX 4WD
• Jaguar XF R-Sport 2.0D Automatic
• Kia Optima Sportswagon GT-Line S 1.7 CRDi Automatic
• Mazda3 SE-L Nav 1.5 5-door
• Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian Automatic
• Renault Kadjar Dynamique Nav dCi 110 EDC Automatic
• SEAT Ateca SE 1.6 TDI Ecomotive
• Skoda Rapid Spaceback SE Sport 1.4 TDI
• Subaru Outback 2.0D SE Premium Lineartronic
• Suzuki Baleno 1.2 Dualjet SHVS SZ5

Feature:

• A-to-Z of car cleaning and detailing
• Clear cleaning cheatsheet – 10 unorthodox hints and tips
• Geneva motor show special issue
• Ford EcoBoost Cylinder Deactivation Technical Spotlight

Used Car Buyer’s Guide:

• Mazda CX-5 2.2 Diesel (2012-onwards)