Use “CAR11” to save 11% on new or used car gap insurance at MotorEasy.com148 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2019
S-MAX ★★★★★
> Exploits latest Mondeo’s undercrackers to full
effect. Pricey, but still the best of the seven-seaters
to drive. Toys include electric everything and
speed-correcting cruise control > VERDICT Harder
to beat than FC Barcelona
MUSTANG ★★★★★
>crash ratings are no longer embarrassing. Sounds Sub-optimal interior quality and still thirsty, but the
great, bags of character, and a lot of fun to drive
> VERDICT Go manual V8 with sports exhaust
GALAXY ★★★★★
> Based on the same Mondeo-derived platform as
the S-Max. Just as high-tech, but more spacious
> VERDICT Great if you need a seven-seater – fits
adults in all rows with no human rights violations
GT ★★★★★
> Very expensive hardcore supercar from Detroit
that proves a global mega-seller can cut it against
Ferrari when it wants to > VERDICT ‘Race car for the
road’ translates into ‘Brilliant fun but a bit coarse’
GINETTAG40 ★★★★★
> Pint-sized road-legal racer. Two models: G40R
(civilised version, with carpets) and GRDC (a race
car with number plates) > VERDICT Tiny, twitchy
and top fun. Pick the £35k GRDC and get free entry
to a Ginetta race series
HONDAJAZZ ★★★★★
> Brilliantly packaged supermini with ordinary
performance, but more refined than before
> VERDICT If a Skoda Fabia had a seating system
this smart, other superminis would call it a day
CIVIC ★★★★★
> The might of Honda’s engineering prowess
delivers more space, clever engines and an
exterior that looks like it was drawn on a bus on
the way into school > VERDICT Easy to admire, but
loving requires heavy use of recreational drugs
CIVIC TYPE R ★★★★★
> Its many angles hide a rounded hot hatch with a
wonderful gearbox. Driving one day to day much
easier now but its speed and agility can still take
your head off > VERDICT Fast, practical, agile and
easy to live with
HR-V ★★★★★
> After 10 years, an underwhelming second HR-V
> VERDICT Sport version is fun but pricey
CR-V ★★★★★
> Design revisions so minor you’d barely notice,
or care. Roomy interior, petrol or hybrid power,
two- or all-wheel drive, five or seven seats. Libido
optional, crumbs in rear footwells standard
> VERDICT Not exciting – just gets on with the job
NSX ★★★★★
> ‘We’ve blown all our development cash on an
insanely complex hybrid drivetrain. Do you think
anyone will notice if we fit an interior from a Civic?’
> VERDICT Like a Porsche 918 for half a million
pounds less – mind-blowing to drive, crap to sit in
HYUNDAIi10 ★★★★★
> Five-door city car that balances mature driving
experience with strong value – even if it’s not ascheap as it was. Five-year warranty, too > VERDICT
Basic motoring done not just well but with a dash of
style. Mid-spec 1.0 would be our choice
i20 HATCH/COUPE/ACTIVE ★★★★★
> Update adds Active crossover to five-door hatch
and three-door ‘coupe’; suitable for somnambulant
warranty fiends only > VERDICT Fur-lined tartan
slippers, Horlicks and early to bed; repeat
i30 HATCH/TOURER ★★★★★
> Where the current crop of Hyundais got serious- which means it’s now in need of a facelift as the
established mainstream moves ahead again
VERDICT Tries hard but lacks imagination
i30 N ★★★★★
Korea’s first proper hot hatch is very good indeed
- no ifs, no buts – and cheaper than a VW Golf
GTI > VERDICT An intergalactic leap ahead of any
previous Hyundai
i40 SALOON/TOURER ★★★★★
Vast Mondeo rival with cavernous boot
and lots of kit > VERDICT Nearly-but-not-quite
mainstream alternative plays value card well
iX20 ★★★★★
Compact MPV and Kia Venga’s ugly
step-sister; roomy but ultimately forgettable
VERDICT Sorry, what were we talking about?
KONA ★★★★★
Forgettable crossover, over-styled. Rear space
and boot are tight but the occupants get plenty of
kit to fiddle with > VERDICT You’d have to like the
looks to pick it over its rivals
TUCSON ★★★★★
Promising initial impressions of shiny-looking
ix35 replacement tarnish quickly > VERDICT Dull to
drive, duller inside, unrefined
SANTA FE ★★★★★
Biggish SUV has always led Hyundai’s assault on
the European market from the front. Comfortable,
self-assured and easy to live with > VERDICT A
Hyundai you can choose without shame. Looks
fresher than Waitrose parsnips
NEXO ★★★★★
Hardly a dynamic benchmark but this hydrogen
crossover has a fantastic interior and loads of tech.
But it’s expensive to buy and only makes sense if
you live near a hydrogen filling station, which you
probably don’t > VERDICT Guilt-free motoring for
pioneers
i800 ★★★★★
Massive van-based people carrier that’ll seat
eight and still have space for their luggage. Ideal for
part-time airport minicabbers > VERDICT It is what
it is: a van with seats in. But it’s a nice van
IONIQ ★★★★★
Korean take on the Toyota Prius. Hybrid, EV
and plug-in hybrid – something in all shades of
green > VERDICT Challenges neither pulse nor
helmsmanship, but the numbers stack up if you’re
ready for a cleaner future
INFINITI
Q30 ★★★★★
> It’s an old A-Class in an alternative frock – a slow
old A-Class at that. Suspension and seats comfy,
just don’t look too closely at the dash > VERDICT
The fat goth of the premium hatchback segment
Q50 ★★★★★
> US-aimed Japanese premium product that’s
mostly forgettable. Sport Tech model has stonkingV6, though > VERDICT The hot one is a surprise but
it’s not a car that will worry BMW or Merc
QX30 ★★★★★
> As the GLA is to the A-Class, so the QX30 is to the
Q30. It looks like a jacked-up Q30 because that’s
what it is, with all-wheel drive and not as much cabin
space as the size of the body leads you to expect
> VERDICT Not great, and not great value
JAGUARXE ★★★★★
> Facelifted to look angrier and now with i-Pace
interior tech. It’s charismatic but slightly let down by
hit-and-miss engines > VERDICT There’s life in the
small saloon yet
XF ★★★★★
> Bigger inside, smaller outside, still a great steer
> VERDICT Diddy diesels moo more than a dairy;
insert your own cats/cream joke
XJ ★★★★★
> Questionable styling but unquestionably an
excellent steer – although passengers may mutiny.
Interior looks luxurious but lacks intelligence, even
if it’s fitted with the latest infotainment > VERDICT
Hollywood baddies’ limo of choice. Flawed
F-TYPE COUPE/ROADSTER
★★★★★
> Posh pauper’s Aston Martin sounds superb, and
goes well too. Forget the basic V6 and choose
from V6S and mental V8S. Now with manual and
4wd options > VERDICT So nearly sublime, but
Cayman/Boxster duo cost less, entertain more
F-TYPE R ★★★★★
> Supercharged 543bhp almost too much fun in
rear-wheel-drive form (but still less knife-edge than
V8S); 4wd available if you’ve lost bravery pills
> VERDICT All this drama or spend similar money
on an ‘ordinary’ 911? Tough choice...
F-TYPE SVR ★★★★★
> JLR’s SVO black-ops division delivers a 567bhp
all-wheel-drive F-Type that goes and sounds like an
elephant on MDMA > VERDICT Quilted leather and
200mph – but terrible hi-fi for a car that costs twice
the entry V6
E-PACE ★★★★★
> Jaguar’s compact SUV wears the Evoque’s
undercrackers and can be had with same four-pot
engine as the F-Type – both very good things.
Top-spec version is incredibly expensive > VERDICT
Handsome, filled with technology, lacks polish
F-PACE ★★★★★
> Porsche Macan botherer. Built light to be nimble;
body control brilliance and pokey engines prove
family DNA. SVR model hilarious fun > VERDICT
Macan remains most sporting choice, but more
rounded F-Pace has plenty of bite
i-PACE ★★★★★
> One of the best-handling electric cars, as you’d
hope from a Jaguar. Cab-forward design strikes
lustful feelings, and whooshing noises as you hurtle
into the distance will make you giggle like a toddler
> VERDICT A watershed moment for 21st century
Jaguar; and it’s been judged Car of the Year
JEEPRENEGADE ★★★★★
> Strange but true: junior Jeep is built in Italy
alongside Fiat 500X that donates its platform. Even
stranger: it’s not terrible > VERDICT Only the top
Trailhawk cuts it in the roughCOMPASS ★★★★★
> Qashqai rival misses the mark. Looks imposing,
and the Trailhawk version is very good off road, but
Jeep’s own smaller Renegade is more charming
> VERDICT Almost as forgettable as the previous
Compass
CHEROKEE ★★★★★(^) Cherokees, but with an engine configuration > Less ugly to stare at than some recent
choice that’s clear as mud. Classic Jeep off-road
traits and actually half decent to drive
VERDICT Chunky all-rounder, but high price
pitches it against some excellent competitors
GRAND CHEROKEE ★★★★★
Proper off-road cred, but feels cheap inside.
Ludicrous SRT8 demolishes 0-62mph in five
seconds > VERDICT Makes sense at $30k in the
US, but doesn’t drive or feel like a premium car
when pitched against German and British rivals
WRANGLER ★★★★★
Much better on road than before, but still an
acquired taste on-road. Nigh on indestructible, and
now at least a bit modern > VERDICT Authentic
and likeable, but if you weren’t a fan before, you
won’t be now
KOËNIGSEGG
AGERA ★★★★★
Evolution of Lex Luthor’s original CC8S supercar
features carbonfibre wheels and twin-turbo 5.0
V8. The R version even runs on E85 biofuel
VERDICT Yin to Volvo’s yang keeps Sweden’s car
output balanced
KIA
PICANTO ★★★★★
Now has an angry face and there’s a feisty turbo
triple. GT Line brings amped-up looks > VERDICT
Accomplished; avoid the base 1.0-litre version
RIO ★★★★★
Long on space, short on enjoyment, life with a Rio
is no carnival > VERDICT White-goods car gets the
basics right but there are many better rivals
STONIC ★★★★★
Her name is Rio and she’s put on a bit of weight.
Kia’s first go at building a Juke rival has a hard ride
but is more practical than the Nissan > VERDICT
Looks good but forgettable to drive
CEED ★★★★★
Golf wannabe is big on equipment and not bad
to drive. Range-topping GT is an enjoyable if costly
warm hatch > VERDICT Now with downsized turbo
engines. Europe still ahead. But only by a whisker
PROCEED ★★★★★
Nope, not a three-door hatch any more. Slick
shooting brake styling and solid interior hide
uncharismatic engines and indecisive auto
VERDICT Style/substance balance are a little off
NIRO ★★★★★
Hybrid, plug-in and full EV that dodges
pigeonholes. SUV? Tall crossover? Regardless, it’s
inoffensive as a hybrid and quite good as an electric
car > VERDICT None of the Jaguar i-Pace’s glamour,
but an awful lot of its forward-looking efficiency
SOUL ★★★★★
Improved second-gen chunky spunky SUV better
to drive but ride and noise suppression poor. Petrol
version rubbish, but much cheaper > VERDICT
Characterful but other SUVs are more rounded