Car review

Alfa Romeo's first all-new car under Stellantis ownership challenges in the fearsomely competitive 'compact premium' SUV class Much as the thought may bring traditionalist devotees of this famous old Italian racing brand out in spots, Alfa Romeo is - under the auspices of its current Stellantis Group management overlords - slowly turning its corporate fortunes around; and it’s thanks almost entirely to SUVs.While the Stelvio continues to do modestly good European business as it nears retirement, its maker is now gearing up to partner it with a much smaller and more affordable, compact crossover SUV aimed at a more youthful buyer - the Milano.And yet it’s a third, mid-sized SUV - the Alfa Romeo Tonale - that has fuelled the firm’s regeneration most recently. In its first full year on sale in 2023, the Tonale swelled Turin’s global sales volume by some thirty per cent, and that figure’s European-market equivalent by nearly fifty per cent.Growth from a low base is one thing, of course; sustained market success quite another - and it’s not like this car hasn’t got serious competition. Operating in the hugely popular ‘premium C-SUV’ segment, it counts the likes of the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40 among its rivals - even if, simply by being present in that market, it can have a big impact on Alfa’s bottom line. More desirable volume brand options like the Peugeot 3008 and Kia Sportage could also be considered rivals.With fleet-friendly plug-in hybrid technology in its armoury as well as Alfa’s familiar design appeal, though, this car seems to have plenty of potential. Launching in the UK in late 2022, it is now available in both mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid formats, priced from just over £35,000 to just under £50,000.In this test, most of our impressions will come from the range-topping PHEV Veloce version - although we’ve also tested the mild hybrid on Italian roads.

Fourth-generation MX-5 heads back to Mazda's roadster's roots, surpassing its predecessor in every area While everyone was swooning over the new Toyota GR86 and subsequently getting worked up that you can’t actually buy one, some might have forgotten that if you want a lightweight, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car with a manual gearbox, you could simply go to a Mazda showroom and buy a Mazda MX-5 all along.The current generation of the Mazda MX-5, codenamed the ND, was brilliant when it launched in 2015, and because it’s such a timeless concept, it hasn’t aged a day. It also helps that Mazda has kept it fresh with model-year tweaks here and there – some small, some quite significant.Other long-running nameplates, such as the Mercedes SL, have markedly changed in character throughout their run, but the MX-5 still fulfils much the same role as it did when it first went on sale in 1989.It came about as the result of an American wistfulness for cheap British roadsters on the one hand, and a Japanese firm’s readiness to speculate and innovate in order to make its global reputation on the other. ‘Mazda Experiment, Project Number Five’ would go on to become the world’s fastest-selling sports car.The idea of an affordable open-top was hardly new to Japan. Preceding decades had seen oddities such as the Datsun Fairlady, Honda S500 and Toyota Sports 800 emerge, often as their fledgling makers’ first production models. But by the end of the 1970s, with the demise of such icons as the Triumph Spitfire, MG B and original Lotus Elan, the segment was assumed to be in decline. It was these models, though, that Mazda dissected during the MX-5’s development, and they are among the reasons why it emerged in 1989 as a small, sub-one-tonne, front-engined, rear-drive, perfectly balanced home run.Ironically, the MX-5’s success found a counterpoint almost immediately in the lukewarm reception and ailing sales figures that greeted the all-new Lotus Elan, which emerged only a few months later, lumbered as it was by a higher price, lumpier looks and front-wheel drive. The first MX-5 – the NA – was arguably the model’s dynamic high point. Its successors were generally very good too, but they became progressively more powerful, bigger, heavier and that bit less exciting to drive. Until the current ND generation, that is. It was a return to the old template: shorter, lower, wider and – most importantly – lighter than its predecessor, the ND MX-5 comes with a choice of either 1.5 or 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engines and the promise of unparalleled ‘Jinba ittai’ – the manufacturer’s catch-all term for oneness between car and driver.Mazda MX-5 FAQsIs the Mazda MX-5 available as a plug-in hybrid or electric?No. The weight that current electrified powertrains bring with them is anathema to the philosophy of the current MX-5. Mazda is committed to keeping the MX-5 alive, however. In the first instance, this means that the current car will be developed to comply with the GSR2 safety regulations, but Mazda has yet to commit to a future powertrain strategy for the MX-5.What are the main rivals to the Mazda MX-5?As the world’s best-selling roadster, the Mazda MX-5 has effectively scared away any direct rivals. If you want a small two-seater convertible with rear-wheel drive, then the Mazda and the much more hardcore Caterham Seven are the only game in town. The Audi TT is going off sale soon and the BMW Z4 is much less of a driver’s car.If you don’t mind, or even want a roof, then the Toyota GR86 delivers a similarly uncomplicated and even more focused driving experience, though getting a spot on the waiting list will be tough. Other driver-focused options include small hot hatches, such as Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i20 N, while the only other remaining small drop-top is the Mini Convertible.How much power does the Mazda MX-5 have?There are two engines to choose from for the Mazda MX-5, both naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol units. The entry-level 1.5-litre delivers 129bhp, and the 2.0-litre 181bhp.What gearbox options are there for the Mazda MX-5?As standard all versions of the Mazda MX-5 get a six-speed manual gearbox, while a six-speed automatic is available as option on the 2.0-litre.Where is the Mazda MX-5 built?Mazda has several factories around the world, but the MX-5 is built exclusively at its Hiroshima facility in Japan. Assembled on the same line were at one point the Abarth and Fiat 124 Spider models, which used the same structure and interior as the Mazda, but different styling and powertrains.How many generations of the Mazda MX-5 have there been?Launched in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 is the world’s most successful two-seater sports car, with well over a million having been sold over four generations. The original set the template that the subsequent models have barely deviated from, each boasting similar exterior dimensions and kerb weight. The first MX-5 arrived in 1989, followed by the second, third and fourth generation models in 1997, 2005 and 2014 respectively. It is likely that there will be a fifth generation, but it is unknown when that might appear.Range at a glanceEver since its launch in 2015, the ND-generation MX-5 has been available with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, both naturally aspirated. In 2018, both got updated, but while the changes for the 1.5 were mild, the 2.0-litre got an extra 23bhp and a 700rpm-higher redline. All MX-5s come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, but the 2.0-litre can be optioned with a six-speed torque-converter automatic.Through the years, trim levels have come and gone, and there have been more special editions than stars in the universe. In 2023, the range starts with Prime-Line, which gets cloth seats and 16in wheels, and is only available in combination with the 1.5-litre engine. Exclusive-Line adds leather seats, auto headlights, parking sensors, AEB and better speakers. Homura is reserved for the 2.0-litre and has 17in BBS wheels and light grey leather seats.In 2017, Mazda added an RF (for ‘Retractable Fastback’) model with a metal folding roof to the line-up. It can be had with both engine options.VersionPowerMazda MX-5 1.5 Skyactiv-G (2015-2018)†*129bhpMazda MX-5 1.5 Skyactiv-G (2018-)*130bhpMazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactiv-G (2015-2018)†158bhpMazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactiv-G (2018-)181bhp*Version tested†Discontinued 

Audi's mega-hatch is outlandish and offers stonking performance for the price There’s an admirable belligerence about the Audi RS3. It hasn’t been made a crime just yet, after all, to put a big engine into something relatively small and create an amusingly alternative driver’s car in the process, much as a great many of Europe’s CO2-based taxation regimes would already suggest it ought to be.It really would be an aberration, though, if Audi’s excellent EA855 five-cylinder performance engine, motivator of the likes of the Audi TT RS and RS Q3 and winner of more International Engine of the Year awards (yes, they do exist) than you can shake a golden crankshaft at, were taken from us any earlier than was absolutely necessary.Hot hatchbacks like this used to be a little more common, but the RS3 has become the last of that over-engined breed, with motors significantly bigger, more powerful and more mechanically exotic than you expect to find in any humble five-door and something of the aura of the custom-built, engine-swapped hot rod about them.The Mercedes-AMG A45 is just as outrageous, but is powered by merely four cylinders. The Volkswagen Golf R is a more subtle alternative, while the Toyota GR Yaris is smaller and perhaps a bit more fun.But the Audi is somehow mechanically bigger and bolder than its rivals. And yet more restrained - and even a bit dour - compared with them.

Munich’s fastest full-size SUV-coupé gets mid-life powertrain and chassis tweaks Super-SUVs such as the BMW X6 M have always been a puzzling concept: big, heavy and tall, yet supposedly also fast, sharp in the corners and fun to drive. For the traditional car enthusiast, they have never really worked.But it seems modern suspension technology is allowing the super-SUV to come of age. Four-wheel steering, active anti-roll bars and air suspension – or in the case of the Ferrari Purosangue, mind-bending spool-valve dampers – all work together to deal with the weight and high centre of gravity of these SUVs to create genuine driver’s cars.The X6 M – and its mechanically identical sibling, the X5 M – have long done without many of those mechanical aids, sticking with steel coil springs and a standard rear axle that doesn’t steer. The only concession are active anti-roll bars.The standard X5 and X6 have just been facelifted, which has brought in mild-hybrid tech, and that even extends to the M versions. However, while there have been a number of chassis optimisations, the BMWs remain quite simple – or quite pure, depending on how you look at it.We have put the refreshed X6 M through the full road test to find out whether that recipe is able to translate M-car sensations to an SUV – and whether it can work on the road as well as the track.The range at a glanceModelsPowerFromxDrive30d294bhp£75,760xDrive40i376bhp£77,535xDrive40d347bhp£80,005M60i xDrive523bhp£95,155X6 M Competition617bhp£131,405The standard BMW X6 is available with two 3.0-litre diesel engines and one petrol – all straight sixes. The M Performance M60i uses a less powerful version of the X6 M’s mild-hybrid V8. Most of these versions are mirrored in the range of the more upright X5 SUV, though it trades the 40i for a 50e plug-in hybrid.

Spanish firm uses its electric motorbike tech on a miniature electric ‘car’ aimed at city inhabitants On the evidence of this outing, the Silence S04, a new electric quadricycle from a Spanish company that also makes electric motorbikes, does everything that the Citroën Ami promises to do but better.Established in 2014 by former Dakar motorbike racer Carlos Sotelo, Silence claims to now be the biggest specialist EV maker in Europe – which probably says as much about European and Chinese EV strategies as it does about Silence itself. It makes 40,000 bikes a year at Barcelona’s former Nissan factory.In the UK, Silences are imported by a team that includes former Jaguar Land Rover bigwig John Edwards, who greets me at the company’s Solihull headquarters. Opposite a parade of shops and takeaways, you can walk into this showroom and buy one of Silence’s e-motorbike. The original model, the S02, is a straightforward moped “suited to business users”, says Edwards, or there’s the plusher S01, which followed in 2019 “as a consumer bike”.Now, nestled at the back of the shop, because they fit there easily enough, these are joined by a pair of the new S04 quadricycles.