What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

whatcar.com^ August 2020 23

UpmarketFrenchbrand’s

smallSUVgoeselectricwith

mixedresultsOnsaleNow

Pricefrom£ 33,9 9 0

IFTHEIDEAofasmallelectricSUVappeals

andyou’reusedtothefinerthingsinlife,the

DS 3 CrossbackE-Tenseisaimedrightupyour

boulevard.Itusesthesamebatteryandelectric

motorasourfavouritesmallelectriccar,the

Peugeote-208,butclothesthemwithataller,

plusherandverydistinctivebody.

It’snoslouch,either;thefiguressaythat

0-62mphtakesabrisk8.7sec,butitfeels

quickerthanthatofftheline.Andalthough

thisaccelerationtailsoffas

youreachmotorwayspeeds,

you’reneverleftwanting.

Itdoesn’ttakelongto

realisethatthisisn’ta

remotelysportySUV,though.

Itssoftsuspensioncauses

ittoleanheavilyincorners,

andalthoughthere’splenty

ofgrip,itsratherponderous

feelmeansyouwon’tsavour

thedrivingexperienceona

challengingcountryroad.

Fast,generallycomfortable

anddistinctive,butnotthe

mostconvincingelectricSUV

SAYS

Roadslikethesecanalsohighlightthe

flawswiththeE-Tense’sride.Itinitiallyfeels

comfortable,withaclassicallyFrenchwaftiness

thatmakesforpleasantmotorwaycruising.

Unfortunately,though,potholes,expansion

jointsandothersharpshockssendathump

andoccasionalshimmythroughthecar,and

undulatingroadscancauseittofloatand

wallowsomewhatatspeed.

Theofficialrangeis 206 miles;wemanaged

around 140 duringour

test,whichincludedsome

motorwaydriving.Asfor

refinement,themotoritself

isalwaysquiet,butyou’ll

noticeafairbitofwindnoise

andplentyofroadnoiseon

coarsesurfaces.

Atfirstglancetheinterior

looksprettyplush,with

leatherorAlcantarasuede

onthedashboard,squishy

plasticsandattractivetrims,

butitdoesn’ttakelongbeforeyoufindplastics

thatarenobetterthanthoseinthecheaper

e-208.Italsofeelsabitstyleoversubstance

inplaces;thetouch-sensitiveinfotainment

shortcutbuttonsareafafftouseandthe

system’sgraphicsandreactionsaren’tthe

sharpest.And,whilespaceupfrontisfine,the

rearseatsofferverylittlelegroom,although

thebootisusefullybiggerthanthee-208’s.

TheE-TenseisthebestDS3,becauseit’s

quieterthantheregularcarandhasadecent

range,butitjustisn’tworththeextraover

thee-208.Andthefarlonger-rangeKiae-Niro

isabetterelectricSUV.

Price £39,490(notincluding

£3000gov’tgrant)

Engine Electricmotor

Power 134bhp

Torque 192lbft

Gearbox Single-speedautomatic

0-62mph 8.7sec

Range 206 miles

CO 2 , taxband0g/km,0%

DS3 CrossbackE-TenseLa

Premiere

BUYER’SFILE

Outstandingvalue, with low

running costs, but rivals are

more enjoyable to drive

SAYS

Dacia Sandero Bi-Fuel

WHAT’SBETTERTHANonefueltank?That’s

right:two.That’sthethinkingofDacia,

Renault’sbudgetsisterbrand,whichisblazing

atrailbygivingus‘Bi-Fuel’versionsofits

Sandero,DusterandLoganMCVmodels.

Thesearetheonlycarscurrentlyofferedinthe

UKthatarepoweredbypetrolandliquefied

petroleumgas(LPG)straightfromthefactory.

Beforenow,buyerswhowantedtomakeuseof

LPGwouldhavehadtopaytoretrospectively

converttheircarstoacceptthefuel.

Dacia’sLPGmodelshavearegular50-litre

petroltank,butapressofabuttonnext

tothefive-speedmanualgearboxhasthe

turbochargedenginefeedingfromthe

40-litreLPGtankinstead.Thechangeover

isseamless,andyou’llnotice

nodifferenceinnoise

orperformance.

Onpaper,theargumentfor

runningonLPGisstrong.

CO 2 emissionsare11%

lower,andalthoughfuel

consumptionactually

increases,thefactthatLPG

Price £11,945

Engine 3cyl,999cc,turbo,petrol

Power 99bhp@ 5000rpm

Torque 125lbft @ 2000rpm

Gearbox 5-spdmanual

0-62mph 11.6sec

Topspeed 123mph/109mph(LPG)

Economy 47.0mpg/37.6mpg(LPG)

CO 2 , taxband 136g/km,28%

DaciaSanderoStepwaySE

TwentyTCe 100 Bi-Fuel

BUYER’S FILE

is so much cheaper at the pumps means there

are still big potential savings to be made. In

fact, according to Dacia, running on LPG is

40% cheaper than on petrol. And with 1200

refuelling stations in the UK you stand a decent

chance of being conveniently near one. So, with

the Bi-Fuel versions costing only £400 extra, is

there any compromise to weaken the deal?

Well, the LPG tank is placed where the spare

wheel would usually be, so there’s no reduction

in boot space. Otherwise, the usual Dacia

caveats apply; this Sandero

is one of the cheapest cars

in the UK, and the mass of

hard, grey plastics on the

dashboard are a reminder of

that, as are driving dynamics

that don’t shine in the class.

If you’re after a small car

that’s rewarding to travel

in, the Ford Fiesta handles

better, while the Volkswagen

Polo is more comfortable

and far plusher inside.

Still, the Sandero – along

with its siblings – has always specialised in

value. With the Bi-Fuel option on the table, it

now offers even more money-saving potential.

LPG may be popular in other markets, but it’s never taken off

here.Daciaaimstochange that On sale Now Price from £914 5

DS 3 Crossback

E-Tense

FIRST DRIVE

Alan Taylor-Jones

[email protected]

Doug Revolta

[email protected]