Car review
Car review
With a diverse mix of engines, fine ride and superb interior refinement, the third-gen A3 should be on your used hatchback shortlist
Looking strictly at price, you might not think the Audi A3 is a bargain buy. After all, you can have the same technology, engine options and drivetrain layout in a Skoda Octavia or Volkswagen Golf and both of those are cheaper, like for like.Examples of the third-generation A3 (2012-2020) are knocking around from £3000, about twice the price of the equivalent Skoda or VW.So why plump for the more expensive version of essentially the same car? Because it’s a better all-rounder.On the second-hand market, where prices are lower and mileages higher, what you really want is a comfortable, dependable car built using the sort of attention to detail that Isambard Kingdom Brunel gave his viaducts. And the A3 should deliver that.Outside, you get a clean, neat design typical of then-Audi design chief Wolfgang Egger’s sketches. The car was facelifted in 2016, bringing a more angular single-frame grille, as well as restyled tail-lights and rear bumper.No matter which version you go for, you get an interior styled to look as though it won’t date.Much like the ultra-luxe Bugatti Tourbillon hides its screen when not in use to make it look less ‘of the moment’, so the A3’s screen can retract.This leaves a cabin that’s an optical feast of soft-touch and attractive materials, buttons with a reassuring click and trim pieces stuck tighter than a barnacle to rock.There are no eye-catching gimmicks to divert your attention from something cheaper or less attractive lurking elsewhere in the cabin. In simple ergonomic terms, it is close to perfect.When you want to use the retractable 7.0in display, it glides out of the dashboard and can be operated using a rotary controller.It comes as standard with DAB radio, Bluetooth, smartphone integration and USB connectivity but can be upgraded on SE Technik, Sport, S Line and Black Edition models with dual-zone climate control and a 10GB hard drive.Generous equipment levels meet equally generous practicality. The five-door Sportback model offers 380 litres of boot space, and the three-door model 330 litres. In other words, it’s equal to the Golf but a bit less than an Octavia.SE cars got 16in alloy wheels, xenon headlights, heated wing mirrors and automatic lights and wipers, while Sport added 17in alloy wheels and more chrome and aluminium trim. S Line cars got lowered, tauter suspension and LED headlights, while Black Edition cars chiefly added black exterior trim and tinted windows.Our pick is S Line trim, with its handsome looks and, even now, good residual values. We would make sure the car has the softer suspension fitted, which was optionally available on an S Line model in place of its firmer set-up.The A3 gives the impression of a car that handles exactly as its maker intended, with a stable and accurate gait that is entirely undemanding of the driver.Engines? They range from the ultra-frugal 113bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and the 108bhp 1.6 TDI diesel to the 296bhp S3 and 395bhp RS3. Our recommendation is the 148bhp 1.4 petrol turbo, which is fast enough and has cylinder-on-demand tech for a claimed 61.4mpg.So it’s a refined hatchback with three or five doors, petrol or diesel power and the practicality and running costs to match a Golf. But it also draws parallels with the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series for material and ride quality. Small wonder so many people continue to want one.
Audi A3 2012-2020 Review | Giga Gears – Used Car
With a diverse mix of engines, fine ride and superb interior refinement, the third-gen A3 should be on your used hatchback shortlist
Looking strictly at price, you might not think the Audi A3 is a bargain buy. After all, you can have the same technology, engine options and drivetrain layout in a Skoda Octavia or Volkswagen Golf and both of those are cheaper, like for like.Examples of the third-generation A3 (2012-2020) are knocking around from £3000, about twice the price of the equivalent Skoda or VW.So why plump for the more expensive version of essentially the same car? Because it’s a better all-rounder.On the second-hand market, where prices are lower and mileages higher, what you really want is a comfortable, dependable car built using the sort of attention to detail that Isambard Kingdom Brunel gave his viaducts. And the A3 should deliver that.Outside, you get a clean, neat design typical of then-Audi design chief Wolfgang Egger’s sketches. The car was facelifted in 2016, bringing a more angular single-frame grille, as well as restyled tail-lights and rear bumper.No matter which version you go for, you get an interior styled to look as though it won’t date.Much like the ultra-luxe Bugatti Tourbillon hides its screen when not in use to make it look less ‘of the moment’, so the A3’s screen can retract.This leaves a cabin that’s an optical feast of soft-touch and attractive materials, buttons with a reassuring click and trim pieces stuck tighter than a barnacle to rock.There are no eye-catching gimmicks to divert your attention from something cheaper or less attractive lurking elsewhere in the cabin. In simple ergonomic terms, it is close to perfect.When you want to use the retractable 7.0in display, it glides out of the dashboard and can be operated using a rotary controller.It comes as standard with DAB radio, Bluetooth, smartphone integration and USB connectivity but can be upgraded on SE Technik, Sport, S Line and Black Edition models with dual-zone climate control and a 10GB hard drive.Generous equipment levels meet equally generous practicality. The five-door Sportback model offers 380 litres of boot space, and the three-door model 330 litres. In other words, it’s equal to the Golf but a bit less than an Octavia.SE cars got 16in alloy wheels, xenon headlights, heated wing mirrors and automatic lights and wipers, while Sport added 17in alloy wheels and more chrome and aluminium trim. S Line cars got lowered, tauter suspension and LED headlights, while Black Edition cars chiefly added black exterior trim and tinted windows.Our pick is S Line trim, with its handsome looks and, even now, good residual values. We would make sure the car has the softer suspension fitted, which was optionally available on an S Line model in place of its firmer set-up.The A3 gives the impression of a car that handles exactly as its maker intended, with a stable and accurate gait that is entirely undemanding of the driver.Engines? They range from the ultra-frugal 113bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and the 108bhp 1.6 TDI diesel to the 296bhp S3 and 395bhp RS3. Our recommendation is the 148bhp 1.4 petrol turbo, which is fast enough and has cylinder-on-demand tech for a claimed 61.4mpg.So it’s a refined hatchback with three or five doors, petrol or diesel power and the practicality and running costs to match a Golf. But it also draws parallels with the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series for material and ride quality. Small wonder so many people continue to want one.
Car review
626bhp SV model adds technical sophistication and decimates actual sophistication
When Rover engineers Gordon Bashford and Spen King finally birthed the original Range Rover in 1970, they can’t have had any idea how important a car it was. Land Rover’s various owners would spend the next 50 years exploring the potential of the Range Rover badge, which JLR continues to do today. Which brings us to the subject of this review, the new Range Rover Sport SV. A slightly different take on the idea of a range-topping, ultra-desirable Range Rover Sport, it comes to us almost a decade to the day since the debut of its immediate predecessor at Pebble Beach in 2014: the Range Rover Sport SVR.Packed full of visual and vocal attitude, that hot Range Rover – the ‘494 RS’, as Land Rover engineers knew it – was emblematic of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations division at its most performance-fevered peak. It came along just a few years before Jaguar’s wild Project 7 roadster and Project 8 super-saloon specials, and represented JLR reaching into Porsche and Mercedes-AMG territory.But the new Range Rover Sport SV seems to strike out in a different direction again. Rather than putting outright on-road performance and handling at the core of its mission, this special derivative is designed to be a better and more desirable kind of Range Rover in a much broader sense. It has been engineered like no other high-performance product in the Range Rover brand’s history – but is intended to stand out just as clearly for its refinement, luxuriousness and Range Rover-typical reductive design appeal.So can a product as broadly based as that, which is meant to be ‘ultimate’ in so many ways, really cut through in the conspicuously loud niche of the sport-SUV?
Range Rover Sport SV review
626bhp SV model adds technical sophistication and decimates actual sophistication
When Rover engineers Gordon Bashford and Spen King finally birthed the original Range Rover in 1970, they can’t have had any idea how important a car it was. Land Rover’s various owners would spend the next 50 years exploring the potential of the Range Rover badge, which JLR continues to do today. Which brings us to the subject of this review, the new Range Rover Sport SV. A slightly different take on the idea of a range-topping, ultra-desirable Range Rover Sport, it comes to us almost a decade to the day since the debut of its immediate predecessor at Pebble Beach in 2014: the Range Rover Sport SVR.Packed full of visual and vocal attitude, that hot Range Rover – the ‘494 RS’, as Land Rover engineers knew it – was emblematic of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations division at its most performance-fevered peak. It came along just a few years before Jaguar’s wild Project 7 roadster and Project 8 super-saloon specials, and represented JLR reaching into Porsche and Mercedes-AMG territory.But the new Range Rover Sport SV seems to strike out in a different direction again. Rather than putting outright on-road performance and handling at the core of its mission, this special derivative is designed to be a better and more desirable kind of Range Rover in a much broader sense. It has been engineered like no other high-performance product in the Range Rover brand’s history – but is intended to stand out just as clearly for its refinement, luxuriousness and Range Rover-typical reductive design appeal.So can a product as broadly based as that, which is meant to be ‘ultimate’ in so many ways, really cut through in the conspicuously loud niche of the sport-SUV?
Car review
Volkswagen's baby GTI was a bargain hot hatch when it landed in 2014 - but how does it fare as a used buy?
The Volkswagen Up GTI created a desirable problem for its maker when it arrived in 2018. At that time, the cheapest way of bagging yourself a warmed-up city car was the Renault Twingo GT or Suzuki Swift Sport.But both were significantly more expensive than the snub-nosed Wolfsburg warrior. And both were less economical, less fun to drive, and not quite as well resolved. The result, apparently to VW’s surprise, was an order backlog that began almost immediately and didn’t really stop until the car went out of production at the start of 2023.What’s the deal, then? Why did a lukewarm hatchback with 118bhp, a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec, and a top speed of 122mph become such a sales hit?Well, enthusiasts love cars that prove the quality of performance matters much more than outright quantity. Take the Toyota GR86 or Mazda MX-5.But while those naturally aspirated machines offer an immediate throttle response and love to be pushed to the outer reaches of their operating envelope, the Up GTI’s 1.0-litre turbocharged three-pot looks to strike a compromise between lowdown grunt and the free-revving readiness needed to explore its 6000rpm redline.And, for the most part, it achieves this. It manages to behave like a bigger engine than it actually is, especially in towns and, crucially, on B-roads.Tipping the scales at 995kg, this spiritual successor to the Lupo GTI and, in performance terms, the original Golf GTI has 148lb ft of torque, which is sent through a six-speed manual gearbox only. Our sole gripe with this engine is that, while it behaves nicely at lower speeds, it can start to feel almost asthmatic once you reach motorway pace.Economy can’t be faulted, though. It is officially pegged at 58.9mpg and will average around 40mpg in the real world over a mixture of roads. Your correspondent had the pleasure of owning one for just over a year, during which its fuel economy never went below 39mpg or above 46mpg – impressive considering it wasn’t driven economically.Similarly impressive is the way it handles itself. While we would fawn over a bigger GTI for its grip, ride composure and progressive body control, the Up GTI – with stiffened suspension lowered by 15mm over the standard car and an 8mm-wider rear track – does nothing to shun those big-car dynamics for plucky, lively dynamism.Its ride composure takes a bit of a hit when compared with a Polo GTI and it’s not as direct as a Mini, but crucially it beats the Swift Sport, Abarth 595 and Twingo GT. It’s a shame, however, that you can’t turn the traction control off.Its equipment list was structured in the same vein as its main rivals’, with just one model on offer and a few optional extras.As standard, cars got red ambient lighting, air conditioning, a dashboard-mounted phone holder, Bluetooth, attractive one-piece Jacara tartan seats, and a 5.0in colour TFT display. Optional extras included heated seats, two-tone paint, a reversing camera, and automatic air conditioning.The kit roster remained unchanged throughout its life despite the car being facelifted in 2019 and made compliant with the latest emissions regulations. But apart from a new badge, its appearance stayed the same.That’s a good thing because its design – courtesy of Walter de Silva – delivers the visual appeal to match its engine, economy, driving dynamics, and interior. To find all that for a sub-£8000 starting price is something to be celebrated.
Volkswagen Up GTI Review: Used Car Analysis | Giga Gears
Volkswagen's baby GTI was a bargain hot hatch when it landed in 2014 - but how does it fare as a used buy?
The Volkswagen Up GTI created a desirable problem for its maker when it arrived in 2018. At that time, the cheapest way of bagging yourself a warmed-up city car was the Renault Twingo GT or Suzuki Swift Sport.But both were significantly more expensive than the snub-nosed Wolfsburg warrior. And both were less economical, less fun to drive, and not quite as well resolved. The result, apparently to VW’s surprise, was an order backlog that began almost immediately and didn’t really stop until the car went out of production at the start of 2023.What’s the deal, then? Why did a lukewarm hatchback with 118bhp, a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec, and a top speed of 122mph become such a sales hit?Well, enthusiasts love cars that prove the quality of performance matters much more than outright quantity. Take the Toyota GR86 or Mazda MX-5.But while those naturally aspirated machines offer an immediate throttle response and love to be pushed to the outer reaches of their operating envelope, the Up GTI’s 1.0-litre turbocharged three-pot looks to strike a compromise between lowdown grunt and the free-revving readiness needed to explore its 6000rpm redline.And, for the most part, it achieves this. It manages to behave like a bigger engine than it actually is, especially in towns and, crucially, on B-roads.Tipping the scales at 995kg, this spiritual successor to the Lupo GTI and, in performance terms, the original Golf GTI has 148lb ft of torque, which is sent through a six-speed manual gearbox only. Our sole gripe with this engine is that, while it behaves nicely at lower speeds, it can start to feel almost asthmatic once you reach motorway pace.Economy can’t be faulted, though. It is officially pegged at 58.9mpg and will average around 40mpg in the real world over a mixture of roads. Your correspondent had the pleasure of owning one for just over a year, during which its fuel economy never went below 39mpg or above 46mpg – impressive considering it wasn’t driven economically.Similarly impressive is the way it handles itself. While we would fawn over a bigger GTI for its grip, ride composure and progressive body control, the Up GTI – with stiffened suspension lowered by 15mm over the standard car and an 8mm-wider rear track – does nothing to shun those big-car dynamics for plucky, lively dynamism.Its ride composure takes a bit of a hit when compared with a Polo GTI and it’s not as direct as a Mini, but crucially it beats the Swift Sport, Abarth 595 and Twingo GT. It’s a shame, however, that you can’t turn the traction control off.Its equipment list was structured in the same vein as its main rivals’, with just one model on offer and a few optional extras.As standard, cars got red ambient lighting, air conditioning, a dashboard-mounted phone holder, Bluetooth, attractive one-piece Jacara tartan seats, and a 5.0in colour TFT display. Optional extras included heated seats, two-tone paint, a reversing camera, and automatic air conditioning.The kit roster remained unchanged throughout its life despite the car being facelifted in 2019 and made compliant with the latest emissions regulations. But apart from a new badge, its appearance stayed the same.That’s a good thing because its design – courtesy of Walter de Silva – delivers the visual appeal to match its engine, economy, driving dynamics, and interior. To find all that for a sub-£8000 starting price is something to be celebrated.
Car review
Follow-up to 2015’s mixed-discipline special is said to be better in every way – and much more powerful
When it comes to fast cars and implausibly long suspension travel, the cat exited the sack some time ago: done well, we know it can be an extraordinarily rewarding combo.So much so that Porsche and Lamborghini have recently got in on the act. Anybody who has driven the dirt-road-ified 911 Dakar or Huracán Sterrato knows that if it’s B-road larks you’re after, a bit of extra pitch and roll and a disarmingly plush ride can really up the ante.But what about the entity responsible for opening up this sack? You could make the case that it was the Ariel Motor Company of Somerset.In 2015, long before the major manufacturers got involved, this tiny outfit took its super-lightweight Atom track-day blade and turned it into something Baja-y.The Ariel Nomad wasn’t the first jacked-up, knobbly tyred, tubular-framed toy ever to exist but, because of its maker's reputation, people took it seriously.It was no surprise to find that the car was indeed beautifully put together and uniquely brilliant to drive.Now, nine years on, there’s a Mk2. It's faster, does bigger jumps and already has a two-year-plus waiting list. After all, every Ariel is still built one person to one chassis. It’s painstaking work.
Ariel Nomad 2 with Giga Gears: A Google-friendly Adventure
Follow-up to 2015’s mixed-discipline special is said to be better in every way – and much more powerful
When it comes to fast cars and implausibly long suspension travel, the cat exited the sack some time ago: done well, we know it can be an extraordinarily rewarding combo.So much so that Porsche and Lamborghini have recently got in on the act. Anybody who has driven the dirt-road-ified 911 Dakar or Huracán Sterrato knows that if it’s B-road larks you’re after, a bit of extra pitch and roll and a disarmingly plush ride can really up the ante.But what about the entity responsible for opening up this sack? You could make the case that it was the Ariel Motor Company of Somerset.In 2015, long before the major manufacturers got involved, this tiny outfit took its super-lightweight Atom track-day blade and turned it into something Baja-y.The Ariel Nomad wasn’t the first jacked-up, knobbly tyred, tubular-framed toy ever to exist but, because of its maker's reputation, people took it seriously.It was no surprise to find that the car was indeed beautifully put together and uniquely brilliant to drive.Now, nine years on, there’s a Mk2. It's faster, does bigger jumps and already has a two-year-plus waiting list. After all, every Ariel is still built one person to one chassis. It’s painstaking work.
Car review
Hot version of talented saloon EV is intended to be not just rapid but also engaging
When the GTX badge was launched by Volkswagen in 2021, it was tipped as an electric equivalent of – and eventual successor to – the GTI line. But it has suffered by comparison: adding power and straight-line speed is easy on EVs and doesn’t make for an everyday performance hero. Three years later, with new management in Wolfsburg committed to GTI, it’s GTX that’s set to eventually be phased out.Some irony, then, that this new Volkswagen ID 7 GTX showcases exactly what the badge could stand for: a compelling take on what a warmed-up VW EV can be, with a distinct nod towards grand tourers and a different feel to GTI cars.It helps that this new model has an excellent base to work from: in entry-level Pro for the ID 7 was named Autocar's Best Saloon of 2024 and the best in a competitive class that also includes the Tesla Model 3. It's a refined, understated and well-rounded car, a better base to create a GTX model from than the earlier ID 4 and ID 5 SUVs.So is the Volkswagen ID 7 GTX a true electric performance car or, as is often the car with hot EVs, would you be better off sticking to the base model?
Volkswagen ID7 GTX: Introducing Giga Gears
Hot version of talented saloon EV is intended to be not just rapid but also engaging
When the GTX badge was launched by Volkswagen in 2021, it was tipped as an electric equivalent of – and eventual successor to – the GTI line. But it has suffered by comparison: adding power and straight-line speed is easy on EVs and doesn’t make for an everyday performance hero. Three years later, with new management in Wolfsburg committed to GTI, it’s GTX that’s set to eventually be phased out.Some irony, then, that this new Volkswagen ID 7 GTX showcases exactly what the badge could stand for: a compelling take on what a warmed-up VW EV can be, with a distinct nod towards grand tourers and a different feel to GTI cars.It helps that this new model has an excellent base to work from: in entry-level Pro for the ID 7 was named Autocar's Best Saloon of 2024 and the best in a competitive class that also includes the Tesla Model 3. It's a refined, understated and well-rounded car, a better base to create a GTX model from than the earlier ID 4 and ID 5 SUVs.So is the Volkswagen ID 7 GTX a true electric performance car or, as is often the car with hot EVs, would you be better off sticking to the base model?