Description

Glorious weather conditions mean relaxing in the garden with the latest edition of Diesel Car is practically the law. Grab a glass of something nice and settle down to read the October issue, which is our diesel tuning and fuel economy special issue. The bright white and red cover proudly announces this month’s theme and also contains a world debut, with Diesel Car the first magazine anywhere in the world to feature the first images of Kia’s brand-new Rio supermini which is set to take on Vauxhall’s Corsa and the Ford Fiesta. The hot new design will be on show at the Paris motor show later in the month before going on sale early next year. Read all about it first in Diesel Car.

Hot on the heels of the international launch earlier in the year, we’ve finally been able to get behind the wheel of the brand new Volvo S90 on UK roads, as well as testing the SsangYong Tivoli XLV and latest Audi A4 allroad. Our road test team have driven the updated Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the new Infiniti QX30 and the Mercedes-Benz SLC 250d, and reviewed the eco-friendly Ford Focus ECOnetic that boasts astonishingly low CO2 emissions of just 88g/km.

Our big tuning issue takes a look at everything you need to know about tuning your diesel car for both performance and economy, as well as a few things you might not be aware of. We examine a passionate reader’s Renaultsport Megane dCi 175 and give advice on how to get the most miles out of each gallon of fuel, while a truly enthusiastic Honda Insight owner delivers some handy hints on how to extract the best efficiency from a hybrid motor. That’s in addition to your usual favourites chipping in, including Doctor Diesel, The Extra Mile and Jeerbox.

In this month’s EcoCar supplement, we put Kia’s new Niro hybrid crossover through its paces, we test the Hyundai Ioniq Electric and Audi Q7 e-tron, and drive the SEAT Ibiza 1.0 EcoTSI and Lexus GS 300h. There’s also a used car buyer’s guide for the Toyota Prius Hybrid in this bumper issue.

Tested:

• Alfa Romeo Giulietta Super 1.6 JTDM-2 TCT Automatic
• Audi A4 allroad 3.0 TDI quattro Automatic (268bhp)
• Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro
• BMW 730d xDrive M Sport
• Ford Focus Style 1.5 TDCi ECOnetic 5-door
• Hyundai Ioniq Electric Premium SE
• Infiniti QX30 Premium Tech 2.2d AWD Automatic
• Jaguar XJ 3.0 V6 Diesel R-Sport
• Kia Niro Hybrid First Edition 1.6 GDi
• Lexus GS 300h Luxury
• Mercedes-Benz SLC 250 d AMG Line
• SEAT Ibiza SE 1.0 ECOTSI 5-door
• SsangYong Tivoli XLV ELX 4×4 Automatic
• Volvo S90 Momentum D4 Automatic

Long-term test reports:

• Audi A4 S line 3.0 V6 TDI (218) quattro Automatic
• DS 5 Prestige BlueHDi 180 Automatic
• Ford S-MAX Titanium Sport 2.0 TDCi (180) AWD PowerShift
• Honda HR-V 1.6 i-DTEC EX
• Kia Optima 3 1.7 CRDi
• MINI Clubman Cooper D
• Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 DI-D GX4
• Peugeot 508 SW GT Line BlueHDi 150
• Renault Captur Dynamique Nav dCi 110
• SEAT Ibiza FR 1.4 TDI 5-door
• Skoda Superb Estate Laurin & Klement 2.0 TDI

Feature:

• Diesel tuning and fuel economy special issue
• Reader’s Drives – Renaultsport Megane dCi 175
• EcoCar Reader’s Drives – Honda Insight Mk 1

Used Car Buyer’s Guide:

• Toyota Prius Hybrid 1.8 VVT-i