* Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback.
MG hits the high life by Steve Rogers
A
powerful Porsche, beautiful BMW, luxurious Lexus and many more favourites lined
up to be driven but my drive of the day was the fledgling MG.
This
was the annual event staged by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and traders,
when motoring journos get a chance to compare like for like from a variety of
manufacturers. And the winner is.... the MG HS plug-in hybrid.
It
was not the most glamorous and at £30,000 not the most expensive by a long way but
showed how far the iconic British marque has come since its resurrection by the
state owned Chinese company SAIC. It is currently the fastest growing brand in
the UK with more models to choose from.
HS
PHEV is the company's flagship model and is up against SUV heavyweights like
Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and Kia Sportage. A brief drive showed the car has
promise and efforts have been made to improve the standard of trim.
Power
comes from a turbocharged 1.5 litre petrol beefed up by an electric motor
giving a healthy 258bhp driven through a 10-speed automatic and an electric
range of 32 miles. Emissions are low enough for £10 road tax while economy
could be as much as 155mpg.
The
big news from Audi is the launch of the all electric Q4 e-tron Sportback just
the car to be in with the fuel pumps running dry.
It
also shows how far the German premium brand has advanced down the electric road
with a potential range of 323 miles. It also stands out in the crowd, not
normally Audi's strongest suit, with a dipping coupe style roof line giving it
a real sporting look.
As
to be expected the cabin is exquisitely presented with a new twist on the
design of the centre console, and check out the square steering wheel, first I
have seen since the Austin Allegro of the seventies.
The
electric motor has a power output of 200bhp which is good for a sprint to sixty
in eight seconds and with ride selection options the driver can choose comfort
or sport. No Quattro version, just rear wheel drive. Price: £45,775.
There
have been huge changes in pick-up land with big players like Nissan Navara,
Mitsubishi L200 and Volkswagen Amorak dropping out creating opportunities for
less well known brands Isuzu and SSangYong who have beefed up their models.
Isuzu's
new D Max will be featured here in a few weeks and a brief drive showed it has
come on leaps and bounds and a credible threat to the Ford Ranger, the new
market leader.
SSangYong
has given a serious facelift to the Musso which has a strong diesel engine and
a three and a half tonne towing capacity.
One
to watch is the new Toyota Yaris Cross. The compact SUV has been a long time
coming and will have a fight on its hands with several established crossovers out
there but Toyota has plenty of experience to call on.
Basically it is a high riding, pumped up Yaris following some of the design lines of the rakish CH-R. The mechanicals are identical to its sibling with the economical 1.5 litre three-cylinder hybrid, CVT automatic gearbox and average fuel consumption in the mid 50s. Emissions are low at 112g/km with the first year VED costing £170. The top of the range Premier Edition is £28,185.
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