Car review

MPV and SUV tropes fuse with a compact seven-seater of likeably humble aspect The new Dacia Jogger is a seven-seat, C-segment MPV – on the face of it, the kind of car that a great many European car makers once made (think Ford Grand C-Max, Renault Grand Scénic and Vauxhall Zafira) but whose place in the market has lately been usurped by the crossover SUV.However, this isn’t a classic monocab MPV – and nor is it Dacia’s first MPV, although the UK market never saw either of its predecessors (the Moroccan-built Lodgy and Dokker). From its styling to its platform to its interior layout, the Jogger ploughs a new furrow.Mixing crossover and MPV design cues, the Jogger is nothing more or less than Europe's cheapest seven-seat passenger car, but its versatility goes further than even that would imply. In fact, we think it's one of the best MPVs you can buy today. Removable second- and third-row seats give the car van-like cargo capacity when needed; while standard roof bars that can be converted to form their own simple take on a roof rack make for even greater carrying potential.The Jogger comes to the UK market with an entry-level price that doesn’t just make it cheap – something you would expect of a Dacia – but that also gives it a relative pecuniary advantage worth more than £10,000 compared with some seven-seat MPV rivals.The Dacia Jogger line-up at a glanceThe Jogger comes with a choice of two engines with a couple of transmission options and only three equipment levels.Two engines are offered in the car: firstly Renault’s turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol, which makes 109bhp and a healthy 148lb ft of torque and drives through a six-speed manual gearbox.A 1.6-litre full-hybrid petrol-electric option, also currently powering the Renault Clio E-Tech, provides the Jogger’s only two-pedal powertrain option.Entry-level Essential has no infotainment system, although it does have stereo speakers through which your smartphone can play music or digital radio. It also comes with manual air conditioning and manual cruise control, as well as automatic headlights and an AEB crash-avoidance system as standard.Comfort cars add modular roof rails, automatic wipers, a reversing camera and touchscreen infotainment, while Extreme SE models get factory-fit sat-nav, wireless smartphone mirroring, alloy wheels and heated seats.EnginesPowerFrom1.0 TCe109bhp£16,9551.6 hybrid (auto)138bhp£22,415

Citroën's utilitarian family holdall is likeable and sophisticated, and a very sensible used buy SUV owners like you to believe they lead lives filled with adventure, but owners of the Citroën Berlingo Multispace actually do. Go to any campsite and you’re likely to see Berlingos at the heart of family escapades, doubling as living areas as well as a means of travel.The second-generation Multispace covered here was in production from 2008 to 2018. With traditional MPVs such as the Vauxhall Zafira available, the more utilitarian and separate-looking Multispace was always going to appeal to buyers with very specific requirements. It might explain why there aren’t that many on the used car market – unless, of course, it’s because their besotted owners can’t bear to part with them…The model shared its basic platform architecture and drivetrains with the Citroën C4 and Peugeot 308, lending it a civilised feel and mature driving manners.That said, the 1.6-litre petrol engines lack puff and sound strained; not so, the punchy and economical 1.2 Puretech with 108bhp that arrived relatively late in 2016.It’s our pick of the petrols, but it’s the diesels that serve the Berlingo better and which dominate the market. They were all 1.6s throughout the model’s life but with different power outputs and technologies.The early 74bhp and 89bhp units are gutless but cheap; more expensive but better all round are the later 99bhp and 118bhp Blue HDi diesels, although the latter is extremely rare. Both are Euro 6.For a while, early 89bhp diesels were available with an EGS6 semi-automatic gearbox. It can be rough and jerky and dents performance. Its successor, the ETG6 that was fitted as an option to 99bhp diesels, is smoother but equally as pace-sapping, although economical. The regular manual gearbox is not great – it has a long throw and dislikes being rushed – but does the job.The Multispace’s passenger car connections mean it’s composed over bumps and crests. It’s softly sprung and its tyres have deep sidewalls so it rides comfortably, although it struggles to mask serious surface imperfections and potholes. Despite its soft springs and tall profile, it is quite fun to thread along a twisty road.The interior has plenty of space for passengers and their luggage. On that point, the boot alone is 675 litres, but remove the rear seats in top-spec versions and there’s a mighty 3000 litres to work with. All versions have underfloor storage. The Berlingo’s fixtures and fittings are tough and the exterior’s alternative looks are carried over to an equally characterful dashboard dominated by a large centre console.Immediately below it is the gear lever, mounted clear of the floor. Entry-level VT and the later Touch trim versions are basic – the rear seat is just a split/fold affair and they have black bumpers – but they’re mercifully few and far between.Mid-spec VTR, the mildly off-road-ready XTR, the later mid-spec Feel and high-spec Flair are more plentiful, attractive and useful. All have body-coloured fittings and features including air-con, front electric windows, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and a split-opening tailgate.Higher-spec versions add larger alloy wheels, roof bars and an infotainment system with a 7in screen. They also have a reversing camera, individual and removable seats (they are heavy, though) and seatback tables. One option worth looking out for is the Modutop roof with its 170 litres of storage. Bring on that adventure.

Cupra’s first EV looks rather like a Volkswagen ID 3. Is the difference in the driving? With ever-increasing pressure on car manufacturers to meet ZEV mandate requirements and sell electric cars in greater and greater numbers, the competition in the affordable EV niche only gets fiercer. And that's the segment where the Cupra Born has been seeking to carve out an existence since its introduction in 2021, when it became the emergent Cupra brand's first electric model.Over its first three years on sale, this car's model offering has already grown a fair bit. Cupra introduced more powerful e-Boost models not long after its launch cars, in 2022; and it has just added the Cupra Born VZ hot hatchback performance version as well.The Cupra brand has existed since the 1990s as Seat’s performance brand. Its marketing doesn’t mention it very often any more, but the name is actually a contraction of cup and racing, to reference Seat’s activity in rallying with the Seat Ibiza kit car in the 1990s. Today’s Cupra still serves to make performance versions of Seats, but its remit has widened to be a sportier, sub-Audi premium brand, offering models you won't find with Seat badges.It’s getting rather crowded within the Volkswagen Group, though, so Cupra really needs an identity of its own. It started forging that personality with the Formentor, but its second model, the electric Born, bears an uncanny resemblance to the Volkswagen ID 3. Does the Born sufficiently differentiate itself from the VW, then; and what does it tell us about what Cupra stands for? Read on to find out, with the help of a high-spec 201bhp version.The Cupra Born line-up at a glanceCupra offers two battery sizes in the UK. On versions with the smaller battery, it is possible to get the more powerful e-Boost motor as an option. The more powerful motor is standard on bigger-battery Borns.There are three trim levels, simply named V1, V2 and V3. Getting the more powerful motor automatically bumps you up to V2.VersionPowerCupra Born 58kWh*201bhpCupra Born 58kWh e-Boost227bhpCupra Born 77kWh e-Boost227bhpCupra Born VZ 79kWh322bhp*Model tested

Cupra's first stand-alone model has been extensively reworked to broaden its appeal - does it deliver? Car makers are increasingly trying to tempt younger buyers with left-field cars. Forget traditional boxy SUVs, these drivers want svelte lines and interesting, curvy designs. Cue the Cupra Formentor.Cupra has a notable interest in this type of customer, judging by how much it talks about video games, being "future facing" and "defying every 'should' in the book". To a point, the cars do live up to that talk. They are all available with powerful engines and feature sharp, angular designs and undeniably racey interiors punctuated by a signature bronze trim.The Formentor set the brand on this path, being its first model that wasn’t based on a Seat, and one of its best-selling - with over 120,000 delivered worldwide last year. Now it receives a wide-reaching update encompassing its exterior design, engine line-up and interior, all of which is designed to keep it fresh in the eyes of - especially younger - customers. And given that the average age of a Formentor buyer is 10 years younger than the rest of the crossover segment, there’s a lot at stake.Cupra is not alone in offering non-boxy SUVs. Even stalwart companies are offering cars in this space, just look at the Volvo EX30 and Toyota CH-R.The Cupra Formentor line-up at a glanceNo matter which engine you go for, performance from each of the motors available is strong. The range kicks off with a 148bhp mild-hybrid 1.5-litre turbocharged four-pot, which is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. Starting from £27,604, the Formentor costs more than the Renault Arkana but nearly £13,000 less than the BMW X2. It is available on non-performance-oriented V1, V2 and V3 cars, or racier VZ1, VZ2, and VZ3 trims.A plug-in hybrid version is also available, which pairs the same 1.5-litre turbocharged engine with a 19.7kWh battery (up from 13kWh) and an electric motor, resulting in 201bhp sent to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox. With the increase in battery capacity, electric-only range has been increased from 37 miles to a claimed 62 miles, which puts it in the 8% benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax bracket. For reference, the older car was in the 12% bracket.While the plug-in hybrid variant is available on standard V1, V2 and V3 cars, it can also be had in a VZ version, with its power increased to 268bhp. This version is also exclusively four-wheel drive, but uses the same six-speed automatic gearbox.The most powerful engine can only be had on VZ trims. It's the same 329bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine used by the Volkswagen Golf R and Audi S3, and it sends its power to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. A 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine with 148bhp is offered elsewhere, but this will not be coming to the UK.All cars are well equipped. Even the V1 comes with 18in alloy wheels, full LED headlights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, privacy glass, power-folding door mirrors, three-zone climate control, keyless entry/ start and adaptive cruise control. 

Suzuki's dinky SUV is good value, versatile, capable and spacious - enough to forgive its cheap-feeling materials and unsophisticated ride Is the Suzuki Ignis a city car or a compact SUV? At just 3700mm long and 1690mm wide, it’s significantly smaller than even a typical supermini - but it offers optional four-wheel drive, reasonable ground clearance, and has the kind of bulldog stance that makes it look fit for flinging mud.Indeed, Suzuki refers to the Ignis as “the only ultra-compact SUV on the market”, and attempted to emphasise this side of its character through the car’s last major facelift (which came along in 2020), introducing a new grille and bumpers, plus some more countryside-appropriate paint colours, which it has since added to for 2023.Though it’s small on the outside, however, the Ignis offers very impressive interior space and versatility. So whether you need something small and affordable that’ll get you across slippery tracks and through the winter months, or just a well-packaged, spacious, efficient and clever small car for everyday urban motoring, this cheery Suzuki has a lot to offer.