Description

We’ve had a busy month testing a whole load of hot new metal, including the Vauxhall Grandland X, Citroën C3 Aircross and Kia Stonic, as well putting the Jaguar XF Sportbrake through its paces on UK roads. We’ve also driven the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo on UK tarmac, in addition to SsangYong’s new Rexton, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the facelifted Nissan X-Trail and Peugeot 5008. To top it all, we’ve driven the first example in the country of SEAT’s Altea FR.

The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport faces the Ford Mondeo in a business car showdown, and we welcome the Mazda CX-5 and MINI Countryman to the DieselCar long-term fleet, while waving a teary goodbye to our Audi A3 and Ford Edge. There’s coverage of the recent Frankfurt motor show stars, and this month’s used car buyer’s guide gives the lowdown on Vauxhall’s soft-top Cascada. We also have first details of our cover car, the Volvo XC40, along with news of the facelifted Range Rover Sport, with plug-in hybrid technology for the first time.

In EcoCar, we get behind the wheel of the UK specification Volkswagen e-Golf, and it’s part two of our series on alternative engines. There’s also a progress update of our long-term Suzuki Ignis Hybrid.

Tested:

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 Milano Edizione Q4 Automatic
• BMW 630d M Sport Gran Turismo
• Citroen C3 Aircross Flair BlueHDi 120
• Ford Mondeo ST-Line 2.0 TDCi 180 5-door
• Jaguar XF Sportbrake R-Design 2.0D AWD Automatic
• Kia Stonic 2 1.6 CRDi
• Nissan X-Trail Tekna 1.6 dCi 4WD 5-seat
• Peugeot 5008 GT Line BlueHDi 150
• SEAT Ateca FR 2.0 TDI 4Drive DSG Automatic
• SsangYong Rexton 2.2 Ultimate 4×4 Automatic
• Vauxhall Grandland X Elite Nav 1.6 Turbo D BlueInjection
• Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport SRi VX-Line Nav 2.0 Turbo D BlueInjection
• Volkswagen e-Golf

Long-term test reports:

• Audi A3 Sportback S line 2.0 TDI
• Citroen C3 Flair BlueHDi 100
• Ford Edge Titanium 2.0 TDCi Automatic
• Kia Optima Sportswagon GT-Line S 1.7 CRDi Automatic
• Mazda CX-5 Sport Nav 2.2 AWD
• MINI Countryman Cooper D
• Mitsubishi ASX 4 1.6 DI-D 4WD
• Peugeot 3008 Allure BlueHDi 120
• Renault Scenic Dynamique S dCi 130
• SEAT Leon ST SE Dynamic Technology 1.6 TDI DSG Automatic
• Skoda Octavia SE L 2.0 TDI
• Suzuki Ignis SZ5 SHVS 1.2 Dualjet Mild Hybrid

Features:

• Frankfurt motor show report
• Fuel economy figures changes
• The second part in our Alternative Engine series
• EcoCar Frankfurt motor show report

Used Car Buyer’s Guide

• Vauxhall Cascada 2.0 CDTi/BlueInjection