Description

With spring delivering us a taster of some better weather, it’s the time of year where you can dust off the bucket and sponge to give your car a good, deep and thorough clean. And as if by magic, it’s our car cleaning and valeting special issue, with a look at our favourite cleaning products, an insight into the detailing world by one of the industry leaders, as well as a look at what influences our choice on car colour.

Our cover features the brand new Audi SQ7 TDI – the most powerful production diesel ever. We’ve also been behind the wheel of the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible, tested the new Mercedes-Benz E 220 d with new 2.0-litre diesel engine, and driven Vauxhall’s Astra Sports Tourer across Europe. Infiniti’s Q30 squares up to the Volvo V40 in the first of two twin tests in this issue, with the Mitsubishi Outlander diesel facing the seven-seat Nissan X-Trail. There’s also tests of the Jeep Cherokee 2.2 MultiJet II, Mercedes-Benz GLE 350d Coupé, Skoda Octavia vRS 4×4 and Vauxhall Insignia with the latest 1.6-litre CDTi ‘Whisper’ engine.

In our dedicated Eco Car section, this month’s used car buyer’s guide is the Honda Jazz Hybrid, and we test the facelifted Fiat 500 TwinAir. And don’t miss our news section, with the first information on the new Tesla Model 3, the all-electric medium car that the world has been going wild about. Elsewhere there’s also all your favourite features, including regulars like Doctor Diesel, legal i, dm@il, the extra mile, marketplace and the most up-to-date data section anywhere in the business. You really can’t miss out!

Tested:

• Fiat 500 Lounge 0.9 TwinAir
• Infiniti Q30 Sport 1.5d
• Jeep Cherokee 2.2 MultiJet II Limited Active Drive I
• Mercedes-Benz E 220 d AMG Line
• Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 d AMG Line
• Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 DI-D GX4
• Nissan X-Trail n-tec dCi 130 4WD 7-seat
• Range Rover Evoque Convertible 2.0 TD4 HSE Dynamic Auto
• Skoda Octavia vRS 2.0 TDI 4×4
• Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer SRi Nav 1.6CDTi BiTurbo
• Vauxhall Insignia Tech Line 1.6CDTi 5-door
• Volvo V40 D2 R-Design Lux Nav

Long-term test reports:

• Audi Q3 S line 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic Automatic
• Citroen C4 Cactus Feel BlueHDi 100 Airdream Pack
• Ford S-MAX Titanium Sport 2.0 TDCi (180) AWD PowerShift
• Honda HR-V 1.6 i-DTEC EX
• Kia Sorento KX-3 2.2 CRDi
• Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 2.0 MIVEC GX4h
• Peugeot 308 GT BlueHDi 180 Automatic
• Renault Captur Dynamique Nav dCi 110
• Skoda Superb Estate Laurin & Klement 2.0 TDI
• Suzuki Vitara 1.6 DDiS SZ5 Urban ALLGRIP
• Volvo V60 Cross Country D3 Lux Nav Geartronic Automatic

Feature:

• Back to school. Part two of a three part learning to drive feature.
• Recommended cleaning kit to give your car a proper spring clean.
• We drive a selection of Vauxhalls, both old and new, across Europe.
• A look at what influences us when choosing the colour of our car, and a glimpse into the future.

Used Car Buyer’s Guide:

• Honda Jazz Hybrid 1.3 IMA