Car review

MG Motor's compact SUV takes the fight to hybrid rivals on performance, value and space Having surfed the growth wave of interest in electric cars at the beginning of this decade, MG has now hedged its bets rather cleverly as private buyers have checked their enthusiasm for zero-emissions cars. The company’s success is now being propelled, believe it or not, by a second, fresh wave of EV scepticism.This year MG has replaced the aged MG 3 supermini with a hybrid successor, has introduced a long-range, extra-attractive PHEV version of the MG HS family SUV and is now betting on full-hybrid power yet again for its replacement of the smaller MG ZS small SUV. In each case, it’s offering customers a very attractively priced car with some of the key strengths of a fully electrified option, but without the need to pay full-ticket EV prices or to necessarily worry about charging or reinventing their motoring habits. It’s been a powerful strategy and could yet make MG become one of the UK’s bestselling car brands for 2024.This new MG ZS Hybrid+, it expects, should be second only to the HS among its biggest-selling cars once the final tally is done for 2025.

The lightest electric car in the world is a beach buggy you've probably never heard of, made in the English Midlands “Imagine a beach buggy with all of the flaws taken out.” That’s how Robin Hall, the man behind an all-new instalment in the UK cottage industry’s fascinating line of lightweight sports cars, introduces what he hails as the lightest M1-class (as in, neither a microcar nor a ‘heavy quadricycle’, but a proper passenger car) electric vehicle in the world: the Mika Meon.Hall has a history in design engineering running back several decades, and has dipped his toe into niche sports cars projects before. His early career was designing axles for the ill-fated Rover RDX60, the original BMW Group ‘R50’ Mini, the ‘X350’-generation Jaguar XJ - and the whole chassis of the Land Rover Discovery 2. Curricula vitae in UK-based mainstream vehicle engineering don’t get much more enviable.As a freelance designer, Hall’s since penned military vehicles and single-seater track cars. His name was on the company stationary with the FBS Census sports car in 2002 (a project which bad styling and financial challenges mostly did for); and he’s just finished the design engineering of the Wells Vertige. He’s a man with an in-demand skillset, for sure. And while his design consultancy work goes on, he now has paid-up premises in Warwickshire, and the perfect stable base from which to launch a small-scale car-making outfit entirely of his own vision. 

French firm’s traditional hatchback gains range-extending upgrades and enhanced interior tech When the all-electric Renault Mégane launched in 2022, it couldn't have been more different from the cars that preceded it in the lineage.Here was a five-door hatchback styled by Gilles Vidal made to look like a concept SUV, powered only by electricity and shared almost nothing mechanically with previous generations. On top of this, it began a new family look for Renault models; a legacy that has since been continued with models such as the Scenic, Symbioz and Captur.But the Mégane had some shortcomings which meant it couldn't match its established competitors such as the Cupra Born, Kia Niro EV, and MG 4 - all of which have been updated in one way or another to make themselves more efficient and therefore competitive.But while it never had a problem standing out in simple, kerbside terms compared to those cars, it was the Mégane's only-average efficiency and range, its limited rearwards visibility, and some elements of its driving experience that made it uncompetitive for the class.Renault has introduced a round of upgrades for 2024 to address some of these issues. Along with a price drop, a heat pump is fitted to all cars as standard, boosting claimed range by up to 9%. A standard 12.0in infotainment touchscreen also replaces the old 9.0in display, and all cars now get 'contextual' adaptive cruise control (which adjusts speed according to sharp bends or roundabouts). How, then, does this new technology translate in the real world?Range at a glanceIn the UK, at least, Mégane buyers don’t get a lot of choice. It’s offered with just one battery size (60kWh) and one motor. A 40kWh variant is available elsewhere, though. There are three trim levels: Evolution, Techno and Iconic.ModelPowerEV60*214bhp*Version tested

Nissan's second crossover album goes platinum, and now it's a bargain used buy It’s hard to understate the Nissan Qashqai’s success. Across three generations, three million examples have been sold in Europe so far and it continues to be one of the best-selling cars in the UK, with 19,687 sold in the first half of this year.There are some clear reasons for that success. To the everyman, this crossover is as versatile as it is generously equipped, and as practical as it is handsome.That last part is mostly down to its underpinnings. The second-generation model (2014-21) we’re considering here sits on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s Common Module Family (CMF) platform, which makes the Mk2 47mm longer than its predecessor – the car that started the SUV/crossover craze – while being lower and a little bit wider.The previous model was a major departure in terms of styling compared with its contemporary Nissans, whereas this ‘J11’ generation’s design is more evolutionary. That said, it does look slightly more dynamic than the Mk1, thanks to its sharp lines and some pleasing detailing. A facelift in 2016 made it sharper-looking still.But an inviting appearance alone will not be enough when your shortlist is also likely to feature the cavernous Skoda Karoq, the premium-feeling Audi Q3 and the sheen of the Tesla Model Y. So, even three years after it was taken off sale, the Mk2 Qashqai continues to face stern competition as a used car.While it can’t match the Karoq for outright boot space – 430 litres compared with the Czech car’s 521 litres – it compares well with other rivals such as the Q3 (380 litres) and Ford Kuga (406 litres).You might be swayed to the Q3 for its interior perceived quality and the Kuga for driving appeal, but again the Qashqai comes back to bite them. The car’s dashboard is contemporary to look at and to feel and has a level of ergonomic appeal that puts it on a par with anything theVolkswagen Group can throw at it. This is, again, evident in the boot, where its reversible floor panels can be raised or lowered to fit 16 different configurations.On the road, the Qashqai handles itself with a taut, firmer edge while still being comfortable and its steering is reassuringly predictable. There is, however, little in the way of charm or engagement for the keener driver.You can choose from five trim levels, including the entry-level Visia, mid-rung Acenta and top-spec N-Connecta and Tekna (N-Tec on pre-facelift cars). As standard, all cars come with all-around electric windows, cruise control, heated door mirrors, LED daytime-running lights and air conditioning.We would opt for the N-Connecta cars as these were the best equipped and can be had from just £4000. For that, you get high-beam assist, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, 18in alloy wheels, front sports seats and a 7.0in touchscreen with sat-nav and a 360deg camera. Smartphone mirroring was not available on any model but it can be retrofitted if you buy an aftermarket display.As for engines, there are two turbocharged petrols – a 113bhp 1.2 (our pick) and a 160bhp 1.6 – and two diesels. Of the oil-burners, the 128bhp 1.6 is more powerful but we prefer the quiet and well-mannered 109bhp 1.5.All engines came with a six-speed manual as standard but the 1.2 petrol and 1.6 diesel were also offered with a CVT, called Xtron.If, then, you’re not one of the three million people who have already been convinced by the Qashqai’s strengths, perhaps a used Mk2 will make you reconsider. It still delivers practicality, comfort and technology in that forever appealing crossover-sized bubble and prices now start at £2500. If you can do without driving character, it’s a keeper. 

Attention-grabbing German tuning firm turns up the wick on BMW’s M2 If there’s an automotive concern to which the idiom ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ applies almost perfectly, it’s Aachen-based AC Schnitzer.The UK’s petrolheads have mostly grown out of adding catalogue-ordered wings and other ‘enhancements’ to cars that came with an adequately disreputable aura straight from the factory, and Schnitzer’s full conversions can appear cartoonish to our eyes now. ‘Style over substance’ is the gut response, but in the case of the ACS2 Sport, successor to this car, don’t put too much stock in your viscera just yet.We will get to why that is in a moment. For now, what exactly are we dealing with? The transmogrified 2 Series before you is a full conversion of the G87-generation  BMW M2 (pre-facelift, in this case), and as usual it’s expensive if you go for everything on the menu. This ranges from the fantastically firm, heavily contoured steering wheel to two-way adjustable, KW-built dampers with Schnitzer-specific valving, via plenty of CFRP aero add-ons and carbonfibre trim. Think three figures all-in, but few will go the whole hog. The good news is you probably need only two elements to create a car that makes the standard M2 feel ponderous: Schnitzer’s RS suspension (including those KW dampers and a ride-height drop of up to 35mm) and the garish alloys, which are an inch larger than the usual ones yet, being forged rather than cast, weigh around 25% less.There’s also the revised engine map to consider. It uses a piggyback ECU to drag power from 454bhp (or 473bhp in the facelifted M2) to 553bhp and torque to a pretty monumental 479lb ft. It makes the ACS2 Sport indecently quick – but then again so is the standard M2. You might notice the uplift with your foot flat on the way down an autobahn slip road, but in the UK you would be hard-pushed to enjoy the difference. As with the touring-car canards, the wing and decals, we would leave modifications to BMW’s hulking ‘S58’ 3.0-litre six on the shelf.So, wheels and suspension: that’s where the transformation lies. And it is a transformation. Aside from the small savings in the alloys, the ACS2 Sport weighs no less than the 1730kg M2, yet it moves with the innate dexterity of something closer to 1400kg.You notice it straight away, the feeling that the vertical body control and steering response of a Porsche 718 Cayman S have been transplanted. The slack in the M2’s steering pick-up from any starting point has vanished. It’s the same with throttle sensitivity: in absolute terms, of course, it hasn’t changed a jot, but the reduction in body squat when you push on the pedal in effect shortens the car’s reaction time. Same story with braking.The best bit is that none of this has been achieved by tying the chassis down to an absurd extent. The ACS2 Sport rides well. It’s a little more brittle and noisier than the languid original article on pocked stretches of road, but honestly, the difference is miraculously small when compared with the positives.   Know also that the M2’s palpable itch to indulge you with some benign oversteer is still there. It’s just that, with the ACS2 Sport, you’re dealing less with a tamed muscle car and more with a proper athlete. It is, in short, sweeter company.Next year, BMW will launch its own hot M2, the CS. It will probably be outstanding, extremely expensive and sold out at the start. My advice? Buy a used M2 Competition and give Schnitzer a call.