The Week - UK (2021-02-06)

LEISURE 41

6February 2021 THE WEEK

Consumer

New cars: whatthe critics say

Tipsof theweek... prepa

yourgarden forspring

And for those who

have everything...

MercedesS-Class

from£78,705

TheDaily Telegraph

Often labelled“thebest

carint he world”, the

MercedesS-Cl assisan

example of“mass prod-

uction as art”.Therehas

been muchanticipation

of this se venth-generation

model’ stechinp articul ar,

andwhileitisnot ableto

drive itself, it does have

highl yadvanced“level 3”

autonomy: it canassist

with braking and steering

simultaneously,and even

park itself–provided your

garage hassensors.

Top Gear

With th eS-Class, you get

cutting-edge tech mixed

with old-school luxury.

The interfaceont he huge

centra lscreenand digital

dashboard is easy to use,

andthe navigation relies

on five cameras, radar,

andultrasonic sensorsto

give areal-time overhead

view of the car on the

road. There’s avoice

assistant–justsay “Hey

Mercedes” –and seats

with te ndifferent massage

programmes.

What Car?

The current engineoptions

areaturbocharged3.0-

litre,429bhppetrol with

amild hybrid boost, and

a2.9-litre turbodiesel

with either 282bhp or

325bhp.Aplug-in hybrid

with an electric range of

62 mile sisd ue later this

year. TheS-Class builds

up pace “effortlessly”,

manoeuvresprecisely, and

though emissions could

be better, it “offersall the

performance, space and

gadgets youcould want”.

●Don’tworryifyoudidn’tplantanybulbs

in the autumn–garden centres haveagreat

selection of potted bulbs for spring displays.

●Look for shrubs with spring blossoms. If

your soil is acidic, tryCorylopsis pauciflora.

Ribesxbeatoniiand Japanese quince also

bringaburst of colour from March to May.

●Try growing pea shoots or micro-leaves –

cress, coriander, spinach–onawindowsill.

●Alpines, which start to flower in March/

early April, are great for limited spaces, or

containers with drainage. For beginners, try

SaxifragaPeter Pan andPulsatilla vulgaris.

●There is still time in February to plant

bare-root trees and roses, which come

without soil, because they tend to establish

quicker as they haveawider root system.

●Most seeds are sown in spring, but hardy

plants like sweet peas and broad beans can

be sown now in pots. Heat-loving tomatoes,

chillies and exotic flowers such asCobaea

scandensneedalonggrowing season, so

can be sown now inaheated propagator.

SOURCE:THE SUNDAY TIMES SOURCE: THE SUNDAY TIMES SOURCE: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

SOURCES: T3/ITV

Keep your dogwarm in style with

Moncler’sline of “dog couture”, in

collaboration with the petclothing brand

Poldo.The collectionincludes the polyester

Mondo ggilet (whichcomes inseveral

colours, includingacamouflageprint),

raincloaks ,and a£235leash.

from£305; moncler.com

Withamixofdesign-ledaccessoriesand

made-to-order furniture,Rose and Grey

is agreat place for spotting design trends

before they take off (roseandgrey.co.uk).

The French companyMaisons du Monde

offers everything from chic sofas to

tableware. They say Brexit hasn’t changed

their charges (maisonsdumonde.com).

Lisa Valentinespecialises in making utility

items–likeadustpan and brush or drying

rack–beautiful (lisavalentinehome.co.uk).

Swoonhasanin-house design team in

order to cut out middlemen and make

stylish storage, tables, desks and chairs

more affordable (swooneditions.com).

Launched by Jane Rockett and Lucy St

George in 2007,Rockett St Georgeis

loved by interior designers for its “eclectic

edge” (rockettstgeorge.co.uk).

The family-runPersora,which hasastore

in aGrade II-listed Georgian building in

the Cotswolds, is particularly good for gifts

and home accessories (persora.com).

The best... pet gadgets

Where tofind...

stylish homewareonline

are And fo

Animate Walking Mate LED

Flashing LoopPut this rechargeable

LED ring, which comes in four

colours and hasaflashing mode,

around your dog’s neck to make it

visible on dark roads (£8.67;

animeddirect.co.uk).

Soneer Dog Paw

CleanerSimple but

effective, this tube

filled with silicone

bristles is great

for getting dirt

out of paws after

amuddy walk.

Just pouralittle

water inside, stick

apaw in and twist

around (£19;

amazon.co.uk).

SureFlap SureFeed

Microchip Cat and Small

Dog FeederPerfect for

making sure the right

pet gets their food in

busy households, this

feeder only opens when

it senses its rightful

owner’s microchip

(£80; petsathome.com).

Furbo

Dog Camera

With crisp 1080p

video anda160-degree field of view,

the Furbo can show most of what is

going on inaroom while you’re out.

It can send “bark alerts” to your

phone, and can even spit out treats

(£189; shopuk.furbo.com).

Tractive GPS Cat TrackerThis

smartest of collars tells you your cat’s

location every three seconds via an app.

It can also displayaheatmap of

where they spend

most of their

time, and

monitor their

activity, their

calories burned

and their naps

(£45; amazon.

co.uk).

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