‘Selling it will be seen as akin to shooting the dog’

Issue 6536 | Volume 314 | No 3

NEWS

BMW M2 M3hardware, 454bhpand a manualoption 6

Skoda Superb Details of all-new estate due in 2024 10

Citroën C3 All change for more radical next-gen EV 12

Renault Duo New-era Twizy, plus tiny single-seater 14

Bloodhound Bold reboot for land speed record bid 16 Public chargers Is reliability still the main concern? 18

TESTED

Nissan X-Trail Now a realSUV again but with a twist 24 MG 5 SW EV Refresh for sales-star electric estate 29 Theon Design 911 Achingly beautiful 964 restomod 30 Alfa Romeo Tonale Top-spec trim in hybrid 1.5 guise 32 Nissan Ariya e-4orce 87kWh Bigger battery, 4WD 33 Audi RS4 Avant Competition Track-focused special 33 Genesis Electrified G80 ROAD TEST 34

FEATURES

The people’s bangers 39 great buys from just £995 42 Make your motoring cheaper Top cash-saving tips 50 Retro rockets It’s ‘Goodwood Revival’ – on a beach 52 Borderline crazy 14 countries, 24 hours, one Taycan 56

OUR CARS

Skoda Fabia First outing for Monte Carlo supermini 64 Mercedes S-Class To Spa, where bad luck awaits… 65 Ford Mustang Mach-E Phone issues: please help 66 Land Rover Discovery Look at that amazing view 67

EVERY WEEK

Jesse Crosse Porsche’s hydrogen-fed 590bhp V8 15 Jim Holder What will the VW Group do about Seat? 17 Matt Prior And the worst-driven car in Britain is… 19 Steve Cropley EV wanted, but a tough decision first 21 Damien Smith Plato’s laps in a no-pedals GT4 racer 22 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 28 Your Views China; delivery delays; Audi Q4 E-tron 60 On this day 1948: 2CV debut; Brit V8 roadster rated 63 Slideshow Ace motorsport safety cars and one dud 82

DEALS

As good as new Seat Arona, now from under £10k 68 James Ruppert On the hunt for a used MPV bargain 69 Cult hero Peugeot 205 GTi: all-time great for £6k 70 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenvo 72 Road test index Track down that road test here 81

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THIS WEEK

❝JUST HOW LONG CAN THE VW GROUP HOLD OFF MAKING A DECISION ON WHAT TO DO WITH SEAT?❞

COMMENT

HOWTOENJOYYOUR MOTORING FOR LESS

NEW CAR PRICES have risen 9.9% since January, according to What Car? data. Used car prices increased by 27% in the first six months year on year, says dealer group Lookers. The average price of petrol last month was 162.89p a litre – down from a couple of months ago but far from reasonably priced. The cost of charging an electric car ad hoc using public charge points is up 42%, to 63.29p per kWh, compared with four months ago, reports the RAC.

All in all, it’s not the prettiest picture for motoring (or anything) right now.

In response, we’re introducing a series of budget-beating articles over the next few months that aim to inspire you to keep on motoring, despite the challenges.

There’s no better way to start off than with some sage words from our used car aficionado James Ruppert, in which he reclaims the banger for modern times (p42). These are the cars you’d never have thought of as bangers yet have shown themselves to be the reliable, repairable, cheap runabouts of recent years.

With everything from a £995 Toyota Yaris, through a £2500 Smart Roadster to a £3200 Toyota Land Cruiser, there should be something to tickle everyone’s fancy. Who said car ownership has to be expensive?

Rachel Burgess Magazine editor