Car review

Land Rover gives its big-selling Evoque the plug-in hybrid treatment. Does it stack up? Introduced right at the end of 2018, the second-generation Range Rover Evoque has had a busy life so far.It received new RDE2-compliant diesel engines in the spring of 2019 and then, in summer 2020, the P300e plug-in hybrid version was announced. Shortly after that came a 2021-model-year update for Land Rover's Evoque range as a whole, which added JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment system, as well as a range of active safety technologies.And that’s before we get to what an important car the Evoque is for Land Rover. It functions not just as a big seller in its own right: it’s also the entry point to the Range Rover line-up, ideally placed to funnel customers into the more expensive Velar, Sport and the full-size Range Rover.The L551-generation Evoque has been an Autocar class favourite since it launched. In diesel form, it beat up its premium-brand compact SUV rivals pretty conclusively not long after it was introduced, and when we originally road tested the P300e plug-in hybrid, we awarded it 4.5 stars.For the 2024 model year (on sale from late 2023), the Evoque has received another update, which sounds like a good thing, but it has just given a reason for existing Evoque owners to hang on their car.The Evoque line-up at a glanceOver the past five years, the Evoque line-up had become rather complicated, so for the 2024 model year, JLR has rationalised it a tad. The trim line-up starts with the S, which comes decently well equipped, with electric leather seats with a memory function. Next up is Dynamic SE, which adds sportier styling, as well as a Meridian sound system, blindspot monitoring, keyless entry and a powered tailgate. Dynamic HSE and Autobiography ramp up the equipment further.The range of powertrains remains extensive, and because the names refer to the power output in PS, relatively logical. There used to be a mild-hybrid P300 four-cylinder petrol, but that has been deleted.VersionpowerD165 FWD manual161bhpD165 AWD MHEV161bhpP200 AWD MHEV197bhpD200 AWD MHEV201bhpP250 AWD MHEV246bhpD250 AWD†237bhpP300 AWD MHEV†296bhpP300e AWD PHEV*304bhp†Discontinued *Version testedTransmissions: 9-spd automatic, 6-spd manual (D165 FWD only) 8-spd automatic (P300e only) 

New-chapter Smart abandons its roots and goes after style-conscious EV buyers instead Handsome though it undoubtedly is, the Smart #3 is the kind of car to make you wonder just what its reimagined manufacturer is really all about.Funnily enough, if you’d have asked me while I was still at the wheel, I’m fairly sure I’d have been none the wiser; but, with the benefit of a little detached perspective, it’s becoming clearer which direction ‘The New Smart’ - the brand as refounded in 2019, and co-funded by Mercedes-Benz and Chinese car-industry giant Geely - is headed off in.Clearly, this is no longer the maker of innovative microcars it once was. Hasn’t been for decades, you might say; and, from a business perspective at the very least, that may not be such a bad thing. Still, if you were on a mission to show the world that you had the same fearless spirit that fathered the most bold and singular small car of the last half century, this just isn’t what you’d do.We might let them off the decision to kickstart the revival with an all-electric compact crossover SUV (the Smart #1). Sooner or later, they’ll need to sell some cars, after all. But to move next to a larger, lower, more expensive and more desirable mid-sized ‘SUV Coupe’-cum-hatchback like the #3 - a rival for anything from a Polestar 2 to a Volvo C40 Recharge, to a Tesla Model 3 or even a Cupra Born - hardly says “I’m innovative”, does it? It hardly says “pick me, I’m different”.Right now, where mid-sized EVs are concerned, I’m not sure we even know what different looks like - but this certainly isn’t it.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe arrives offering excellent interior room and practicality On unveiling the new Hyundai Santa Fe, its chief designer SangYup Lee talked about how much of a "big change" the model was over its predecessor, and how "outdoors culture" had become more mainstream, which he wanted the Santa Fe to reflect.There’s even apparently a trend in Korea for campers to just kip in their cars rather than pitch a tent. Since Hyundai started out down this chunky, square-edged pathwith the new Santa Fe, the new Defender and Ford Bronco have arrived too. Practicality, squareness and ruggedness in these kinds of cars is very much in.The new car should arrive in the UK about a quarter of the way into next year, with two petrol hybrid variants offered (one plug-in) although it is already on sale in South Korea.Existing model prices start at around £43,000; no word on the new one, but no reason to expect anything other than a modest increase.

Is this new large SUV just a rebadged Volvo or, as is claimed, the keen driver’s choice? Polestar’s naming scheme is very literal: the Polestar 3 is the third model since the brand was spun off from Volvo as a stand-alone car maker.Of course, that doesn’t tell you much about its positioning, and it’s getting even more complicated, because the Polestar 4, Polestar 5 and Polestar 6 have already been revealed. So here’s a refresher: the 3 is a large SUV (electric, obviously) aimed at the Audi Q8 E-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. The 4 is a smaller, swoopier SUV, the 5 is a Porsche Taycan-rivalling fastback and the 6 is a roadster (yes, all EVs).So Polestar is quickly going from a one-car offering to a big line-up. Today, it’s the 3 we’re interested in, because we’ve had an early drive of a prototype. It will be the first to arrive, in the second quarter of 2024, and is the first to be designed from the start as a Polestar (the Polestar 1 coupé and Polestar 2 hatchback were originally intended to be Volvos).That doesn’t mean Polestar has severed ties with Volvo – far from it. The Geely-owned Swedish brands are actually becoming more integrated and the 3 is effectively a sibling car of the Volvo EX90, the Swedish car maker’s upcoming large, three-row SUV.Same all-new SPA platform, same mammoth 111kWh battery pack, same 2985mm wheelbase, same 250kW maximum charging speed, same dual motors (in some versions). Deep breath. Same steering wheel, same column stalks, same big infotainment touchscreen. The list goes on. The interior design in general feels quite Volvo-y and the centre console looks pretty similar to the EX90’s as well.What’s the point, then? Just choose the Volvo, surely? Or the BMW or Mercedes, two cars that we’ve tried and found excellently relaxing. Not so fast, says Polestar, because its car is the keen driver’s choice. Yes, of these nearly five-metre-long, 2.5-tonne electric SUVs, the 3 allegedly distinguishes itself as the sporty one.You had better believe it, because on the basis of this early taster, it actually seems to make sense.Caveat time first: Polestar flew me out to Volvo’s proving ground near Gothenburg to have a chat with the engineers and designers and then take a late-stage prototype for a passenger ride around the more perilous areas. Finally, I was trusted behind the wheel for a few laps of the handling track. A star rating will have to wait, though, because there wasn’t enough time to get to grips with the multimedia system (which wasn’t quite ready yet) or the assisted driving features.

Distinctive Chinese EV jumps into the UK’s family market, but fails to land on its feet. It’s a common playbook for emerging car manufacturers: launch with a product that might be a long way from the establishment on quality but it’s so keenly priced that it’s impossible to ignore. Then gradually ramp up the quality and gain consumer acceptance. The GWM Ora 03 (previously called the Ora Funky Cat) is a little more impatient.When it launched, it didn't play the same value game as its MG 4 EV compatriot. The car was originally announced with a very attractive price, but Ora’s UK sales director told Autocar: “Once we saw the car and realised how high-quality the interior was, and really understood the personality of it, we realised we’ve got something really quite special and therefore we can be quite targeted in the market where it’s going to be.”It does still undercut medium EVs like the Volkswagen ID 3 and Kia Niro EV, but there is no hiding from established competition like the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, the Fiat 500 Electric or, indeed, the MG 4. It’s a bold strategy for an unknown brand.The company behind the Ora 03 is Great Wall Motors and it isn’t entirely new to the UK. The company once sold the Great Wall Steed pick-up truck here, but it is probably hoping that vehicle – and its two-star review – has long since been forgotten.It takes only a brief look at the Ora 03 to know that it is in an entirely different league from what the Chinese car industry could muster 10 years ago. Today, ‘new energy vehicles’ – as EVs are called over there – have become a specialty of Chinese manufacturers, so could Ora follow MG to be a smash hit in Europe and be ranked one of the best small electric cars?