Description

One of the most affordable family cars is replaced, with Dacia’s new Duster revealed on the front cover of the January 2024 edition of Diesel&EcoCar. And while there’s no diesel engine this time around, there’s a self-charging hybrid as a replacement. There are also images of a new electric Renault Twingo, the new Porsche Panamera, and a replacement for the Subaru XV, the Crosstrek. The Tesla Cybertruck is revealed in production guise, and Suzuki’s sixth generation Swift makes its debut. There are facelifts for the Hyundai Tucson, Peugeot E-Traveller and Toyota Yaris Cross and we have news of the change in strategy for Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis.

We pitch a pair of hybrids up against each other, with the Honda ZR-V facing the mighty Kia Sportage. We also have first tests of the BYD Seal, Peugeot E-208, Renault Clio Hybrid and Volkswagen Touareg TDI, and in addition, we’ve got tests of the Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport, the Citroën C4 X BlueHDi 130 and Volvo’s XC60 in plug-in hybrid guise.

We welcome the most powerful plug-in hybrid Cupra Formentor to the long-term test fleet, in addition to Hyundai’s Tucson Hybrid and this month’s used car buyer’s guide is all about the DS 3 Crossback in BlueHDi 100 and 110 diesel guises. We explain the technology behind range extenders and take a look at autonomous emergency braking technology.

Tested:

• BYD Seal Excellence AWD Automatic
• Citroen C4 X Max BlueHDi 130 Automatic
• Peugeot E-208 GT Electric 156 Automatic
• Renault Clio esprit Alpine Hybrid 145 Automatic
• Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport Hybrid 1.5 VVT-i Automatic
• Volkswagen Touareg Black Edition 3.0 V6 TDI (282bhp) 4Motion Automatic
• Volvo XC60 Plus Recharge T6 Plug-in Hybrid AWD Automatic

Long-term test reports:

• Citroen E-C4 X Shine Plus Automatic
• Cupra Formentor VZ2 e-Hybrid 245 DSG Automatic
• DS 7 Rivoli BlueHDi 130 Automatic
• Genesis GV70 Sport 2.2 AWD Automatic
• GWM Ora Funky Cat First Edition Automatic
• Honda Civic E:HEV Advance Automatic
• Hyundai Tucson Premium 1.6T Hybrid Automatic
• Mazda CX-60 AWD Takumi e-Skyactiv D
• Peugeot 408 Allure Premium Plug-in Hybrid 225 Automatic
• Skoda Fabia Colour Line 1.0 MPI

Twin Test

• Honda ZR-V e:HEV 2.0 i-MMD Hybrid Advance vs Kia Sportage GT-Line S 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid

Features:

• Current affairs – range extenders explained
• Gadget Inspector
• Technology explained – autonomous emergency braking systems

Used Car Buyer’s Guide

• DS 3 Crossback BlueHDi 100 & BlueHDi 110

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