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As we tip-toe into August, it won’t be long until the ’20-plate’ cars are on the country’s roads, and that’s why we’ve got a handy guide to haggling the best deal on a brand-new motor. We also look at personalised plates – all the rules and regulations – just in case you want to disguise the age of your current car.

There’s the first news on the Ineos Granadier, as well as photos of the facelifted Audi Q5 and Volkswagen Tiguan. Skoda has released more information on its upcoming Octavia vRS diesel and Hyundai has announced details of its updated Santa Fe, including the powertrains. And just as we went to press, we had the shock news that Mitsubishi Motors was pulling out of Europe, including the UK. Read all about the repercussions of the drastic move.

In EcoCar, the headline act is the new electric SUV, called Ariya, with the Japanese car maker hoping that it’ll replicate the success of the Qashqai and Juke. We also had news of the facelifted Bentley Bentayga, the new Suzuki Across, updated Lexus LS and Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback concept. The Cupra el-born is revealed for the first time, alongside the BMW iX3 and we’ve got news of plans to develop a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle at Jaguar Land Rover.

This month’s twin test features two deadly enemies – the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 3 Series Touring. Which one is victorious in this battle of the estates? In what is an Audifest this month, we also drive the S5 TDI Sportback and the Q7 50 TDI S line quattro. This month’s used car buyer’s guide is all about the Fiat 500X and we examine whether it pays to buy a second-hand cop car.

One of the most eagerly awaited city cars of 2020 is driven this month, the Honda e, and our test team have also been putting a factory-built Dacia Sandero Stepway with LPG through its paces. Kia’s Ceed Sportswagon PHEV is driven in left-hand-drive guise, and Peugeot’s 508 Hybrid and the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense get the EcoCar test treatment.

In addition to favourites like Doctor Diesel, The Extra Mile, Legal i, Buying, Selling and Maintaining, Marketplace, and the most up-to-date vehicle statistics anywhere in the magazine world, there’s three new columns called Autojumble, Motorgrump and Retrospective. If you haven’t seen DieselCar and EcoCar magazine lately, be sure to pick up a copy to test drive the latest content.

Tested:

• Audi S5 TDI quattro Sportback Automatic
• Audi Q7 S line 50 TDI quattro Automatic
• Dacia Sandero Stepway Twenty SE TCe 100 LPG
• DS 7 Crossback Ultra Prestige E-Tense 4×4 Automatic
• Honda e Advance Automatic
• Kia Cee’d Sportswagon 3 PHEV 1.6 GDi Automatic
• Peugeot 508 Allure Hybrid 225 Automatic

Twin test:

• Audi A4 Avant S line 40 TDI quattro S tronic vs BMW 320d xDrive M Sport Pro Edition Touring Automatic

Long-term test reports:

• Ford Kuga ST-Line X 2.5 PHEV Automatic
• Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian X 2.2 DI-D Automatic
• Peugeot 308 GT Line PureTech 130 Automatic
• Peugeot 508 SW GT Line BlueHDi 130 Automatic
• Renault Clio Iconic dCi 85
• SEAT Ibiza FR 1.0 MPi
• Skoda Superb SportLine 2.0 TDI Estate Automatic
• SsangYong Rexton Ultimate Automatic
• Volvo XC60 B4 AWD R-Design Automatic

Features:

• ’70-plate’ new registration special
• Buying a private plate
• Is a used Police car a good buy?

Used Car Buyer’s Guide

• Fiat 500X MultiJet (2015 to 2018)

Regulars

• News and views
• Marketplace Statistics
• Marketplace In The Pipeline
• Marketplace What’s New
• Techzone
• Gadget Inspector
• Doctor Diesel
• Highway Cod
• The Extra Mile
• Legal i
• This Month
• Autojumble
• Motorgrump
• Retrospective
• DM@il
• Buying, Selling and Maintaining
• Doctor Diesel’s Hero or Zero
• EcoCar News and views
• EcoCar Marketplace
• EcoCar Current Affairs
• EcoCar Bright Spark