Car review

Cupra's first two models have been dynamic hits so far. What about this new electric crossover? The Cupra Tavascan is a close relative to a fairly safe bunch of Volkswagen Group siblings.It can count the Audi Q4 E-tron, Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID 4 as siblings, sharing the same 'hard points' and footprint, but whereas that trio would all be the types to have 9-5 office jobs and have their haircuts booked on a rolling basis every six weeks, Cupra’s offering is more likely to have never got back from its gap year, facing questions from the Australian authorities about its visa status.The Tavascan is the third model created solely for the brand sired out of Seat, and the second of those to be fully electric. It arrives five years after a concept car of the same that was called “the brand’s dream” and goes on sale in July, with deliveries starting at the end of the year. Production comes exclusively from China for the first time in a Seat group car.  

The fourth-generation of Skoda's family car gains a number of minor but well-placed refinements Few cars encapsulate the spirit of the brand that produces them as the Skoda Octavia. Whether in hatchback or estate form, the machine has become known for its understated charm, all-round practicality and tremendous value for money. It's a formula that clearly works: across four generations since it was launched in 1996 Skoda has now sold more than seven million Octavia, easily making it the firm's best-seller. And the values of the Octavia have seeped into the brand's whole line-up today.The history of the Octavia, essentially, charts Skoda's growth under Volkswagen Group ownership. It sits on the VW Group's MQB platform that it shares with the Volkswagen Golf, and its 28-year history showcases Skoda's rise from budget brand into a credible mainstream brand. The fourth-generation Octavia arrived in 2020 as an altogether more mature offering than previous generations, with bolder styling and a plusher interior. And it’s now been given a mid-life facelift, with subtly refreshed exterior styling, an upgraded infotainment display inside and a revamped powertrain line-up – including a new entry-level petrol.  

High-end off-roader gets an EV variant with a motor for each wheel and a big battery If it looks like a G-Class, drives like a G-Class and sounds like a G-Class (more on that later), then it probably is a G-Class. The first electric G-Class – or, to use its clumsy proper name, the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology – sits alongside the regular Mercedes G-Class as well as the Mercedes-AMG G63 and Merc really wants you to just see this as a G-Class first and a powertrain variant second.And you know what? The Stuttgart firm has nailed it. It has even objectively improved the formula in some areas. The EV version is certainly a lot torquier than the G63, quieter than the regular G-Class and better off road than either.But we’re really not looking at the most objective, straightforward or sensible car in the world here.Its buyers are pretty tough to pigeonhole. There aren’t many people looking for an electric car that's also an off-roader designed to look like something from the 1940s.But when you open it up to the broad electric SUV class, the BMW iX is similar money, yet wildly different in outlook, while the Mercedes EQS SUV is an interesting interpretation of luxury that shares the same showroom.Enthusiasts after off-roading ability with a boxy body (but not necessarily an EV powertrain) are well catered for by the Land Rover Defender and Ineos Grenadier.

The iconic G-Class silhouette shrouds a wholesale update that now makes the mighty and capable G63 a proper super SUV There’s a new electric G-Class and the ICE versions, including this bombastic Mercedes-AMG 63, have been hybridised. Has Graz gone woke? Are pigs soaring over fields with Beezlebub ice skating beneath them?The short answer is no. The AMG has the mildest of mild hybrids (A 48v integrated starter generator) and reassuringly, it is still an ostentatious, in your face display of wealth, and opulence and a massive signal to the proletariat that you are better than them because you can afford to ignore tedious objectives such as price, interior space or mpg.As such, its rivals are hard to pinpoint. The Range Rover has a similar heritage, the Land Rover Defender V8 has the same off-roading ability and badass V8 soundtrack. While the Ineos Grenadier is similar in ethos, but is a bit more of a workhorse.Then there are performance SUVs, such as the Porsche Cayenne and Aston Martin DBX 707.

Stuttgart’s latest big-daddy SUV raises the game for the iconic G-Wagen If you know the Mercedes G-Class as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen you may also know that it has served for longer in uninterrupted production than any other Mercedes passenger car. In 1979 Mercedes and part-owned subsidiary Steyr Daimler-Puch launched the original version, which was available with a choice of wheelbases and bodystyles, and with as much as 154bhp to call its own. Since then it has graduated to a higher and more prized status as a luxury lifestyle accessory. As such, it has spawned a super high-end performance variant called the Mercedes-AMG G63 and a zero local-emissions EV, called the Mercedes G580 with EQ technology.This latest model brings with it a few changes. The entry-level car continues to use a 3.0-litre straight-six diesel, although it is now mated to a 48V mild hybrid integrated starter generator (ISG). It gets more power, which is why it has been rebadged from G400d to G450d.And the UK now gets the G500, another 3.0-litre straight six, but this one is petrol.Its breadth of range makes it quite hard to pigeonhole. The Range Rover and Bentley Bentayga are in the same ballpark in terms of money. Yet, its off-roading ability also means it goes toe-to-toe with the Land Rover Defender and even the much cheaper Jeep Wrangler.