Mazda CX-5

Mazda CX-5 is the latest entry to the crossover segment, and Mazda is promising it's also the best

 When you’re as late to the crossover party as the Mazda CX-5 is, you really need to bring something special. Cars like the Skoda Yeti, Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan are well established, so why would you buy a CX-5?

It one of the lightest crossovers on the market thanks to its hi-tech SkyActiv chassis, so it’s very fuel-efficient. There’s class-leading rear legroom and boot space, while the cabin has quality soft-touch plastics and solid switchgear.

It drives well, too. Mazda will offer a choice of 2.2-litre diesel engines, producing 148bhp or 172bhp, alongside a 163bhp 2.0-litre petrol. All except the petrol version will be available with four-wheel drive.

We tested the range-topping 172bhp diesel, which claims a 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds. It’s very refined and power delivery is so smooth that it feels like a naturally aspirated petrol. If you don’t need four-wheel drive, then the 148bhp diesel is just as good and only a second slower from 0-62mph. No matter which model you go for, you get a short-shift gearbox inspired by the MX-5’s.

Considering its performance and four-wheel-drive set-up, our test car claimed a very impressive 54.3mpg and 136g/km of CO2. The lower-powered diesel posts 61.4mpg and 119g/km, which are the best figures in the class.

We drove an early prototype of the CX-5 in Issue 1,181 and loved its tight handling and sporty steering. This production version has been tweaked and the focus has shifted. The suspension is softer, so it’s not as agile – yet it still corners well – and the steering is lighter to make life easier around town. There’s little to complain about, but the prototype offered something different in the class – this car feels like any of its rivals.

That’s not a bad thing, but the CX-5 was shaping up to be a 4x4 with a real emphasis on driving thrills; now it’s just a consistent all-rounder. If it’s aiming to be just like the competition, you’d expect a price to match.

The range kicks off at £21,395, but our flagship Sport Nav is £27,595 – roughly the same as a top-spec Qashqai – and has everything you could possibly need, from sat-nav, heated front seats and a Bose stereo to keyless entry, 19-inch alloys and full leather.

It’s an impressive checklist, but when you consider a range-topping four-wheel-drive diesel Skoda Yeti is £23,790, it’s worth thinking twice before buying.

By Luke Madden

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Mercedes ML 350 CDI

Our verdict on the volume-selling V6 diesel version of the new Mercedes ML

 It’s been a long time since Mercedes built a genuinely class-leading SUV – but that could be about to change with the arrival of the new M-Class. Its refinement and off-road ability impressed us in Europe, but how will the car fare on tougher UK roads?

Outside, it looks imposing, with an AMG styling pack that includes side skirts and 19-inch alloys as standard. It’s also longer and wider than before, so it matches rivals such as the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne for road presence.

In addition, the luxurious interior feels much smarter and better built than the outgoing model’s. A long list of standard equipment includes climate control, sat-nav and durable artificial leather upholstery.

The efficient new four-cylinder ML 250 grabbed the headlines at the launch, but the majority of UK cars will still be powered by this revised 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine.

Push the accelerator and it’s easy to see why: with 255bhp and a whopping 620Nm of torque on tap, the ML 350 provides truly effortless performance in any of its seven gears. It shrugs off its two-tonne bulk and sprints from 0-62mph in only 7.4 seconds, yet it also claims nearly 40mpg and emits 189g/km of CO2 – big improvements over the old car’s 32.5mpg and 230g/km.

As you’d expect from a Mercedes, the M-Class is also superbly quiet and refined. The ride is smooth, even on those sporty 19-inch alloys, while the engine makes only a muted roar under acceleration and fades into the background when cruising on the motorway. The M-Class is a great long-distance car.

Around corners, it’s also more agile than the old version, thanks to a more precise steering system. Although it doesn’t have the pin-sharp dynamics of a Cayenne or X5, it’s a more comfortable choice than either of those.

The M-Class doesn’t have seven seats like a Land Rover Discovery, but there’s room for five adults and plenty of luggage, too. You can fold the seats flat for a maximum 2,010 litres of storage room, which is pretty impressive.

Factor in the big range of off-road gadgets, such as the clever hill-descent system, and you have a great all-rounder.

Text: Paul Bond / Photos: Pete Gibson

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Audi Q5 facelift

The 2012 Audi Q5 gets a fresh look and a range of more efficient engines

 Audi has given the Q5 SUV a mild facelift, with a new set of engines and transmissions that makes it up to 17 per cent more efficient. 

Initially, four engines will be available – two petrol and two diesel – while a hybrid model joins the line-up at a later date. 

The diesels consist of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, delivering 47.1mpg – up from 45.6mpg – or a 3.0 V6, which does 44.1mpg. That’s a big improvement over the 37.6mpg managed by the 
old model, but acceleration remains identical with a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds. 

The 2.0 TFSI petrol engine 
is also more efficient, while the 3.2-litre V6 has been replaced by a 272bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6 that can take the Q5 from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, 
and return 33.2mpg. 

Audi has also fitted a new electromechanical steering set-up which uses no power at dead-centre to further boost efficiency. The company claims this has increased feedback, too. 

External changes are mild, with new daytime running lights now surrounding the headlamp units. Other updates include 
new bumpers, and a fresh 
grille, rear diffuser and exhaust pipes. Four new colours are also available on the updated model.

By Luke Madden

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Ford Kuga

It's bigger, more efficient and full of hi-tech gadgetry, but is the new Ford Kuga still the best driving 4x4 in its class? We find out

Latest deal price: from £18,594 to £25,589 

The Ford Kuga has always been the best 4x4 to drive in its class – but it fell down in one area. It just wasn't big enough. Barely any more spacious inside than a regular five-door Focus hatchback, it lacked rear seat passenger room and carrying capacity. 

The new car seeks to right those wrongs – and bring some extra gadgetry with it, while packing the same fun driving experience to make a VW Tiguan and Honda CR-V feel dull by comparison. It doesn't go on sale until January next year, but we've driven a US-market version to see what you can expect. 

Unlike the previous model, the new Kuga has been designed under the One Ford global car policy, and will be sold throughout the world almost unchanged. That's why, if you look closely, you'll see the car in our pictures is badged Escape, which is the name it'll carry in North America.

Apart from some minor changes to the grille and foglights, the Escape and the Kuga are the same car. With an updated shape teamed with Ford’s new family face, which carries over the narrow grille and split lower intakes of the Vertrek concept car that previewed it, the new SUV looks smart. 

It also hides its added dimensions very well indeed. To suit the US market and appeal more to Europeans, the car has grown a bit, with the same wheelbase but an extra 81mm added to the overall length.

As a result, it's much bigger inside, with a maximum load area of 1,928 litres – that’s a whopping 573-litres more than before – and there's now generous space in the rear for a pair of tall adults. Thanks to a fantastic panoramic sunroof, there's lots of light in the back, too. 

Like its underpinnings, the Kuga borrows most of its dashboard from the latest Focus and C-MAX, but it looks classier than either, with a huge eight-inch central display. The Kuga also packs lots of new gadgets, including Ford's SYNC system, which allows you to pair your smartphone and play music through the speakers via Bluetooth. 

It also allows you to make phone calls in this way too. You can control SYNC via voice command or buttons on the steering wheel, so you keep both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. 

The most enterprising feature, though, is the automatic tailgate, which makes opening the boot with your hands full very easy indeed. All you do is sweep your foot under the rear bumper. A beep lets you know the system is engaged and that you have two seconds to stand back before the gate lifts. A push of the bootlid button reverses the process. Other features include optional blindspot warning and self-parking. 

The Kuga also features a Curve Control set-up to help tighten its line in a corner, plus torque vectoring to send power to the wheels with the most grip. Together with four-wheel drive, the Kuga feels very stable and secure, but it's also agile enough to have fun, turning into corners well and offering decent feedback through the electric power steering. 

The engine range hasn't been finalised for the UK just yet, but is expected to consist of three diesels, with 114bhp, 138bhp or 161bhp and two 1.6-litre EcoBoost turbocharged petrols with either 148bhp or 178bhp. Manual gearboxes will be available, but we tested Ford's dual-clutch Powershift six-speed automatic gearbox with the 178bhp petrol.

There aren't any official figures available yet, but we'd estimate a 0-62mph time of around 8.5 seconds, and with 250Nm of torque, it had enough urge for snappy overtaking, while sensible gearing meant it settled to a quiet cruise on the motorway. We reckon you should be able to see 35mpg on a regular basis. 

The really frugal Kugas will be the diesels though. Available in just front-wheel drive, there should be an Econetic version that will return nearly 60mpg thanks to stop-start, an active grille shutter and energy-recuperation systems.   

New Kuga prices are likely to start at around £22,000 – a few hundred pounds more than the current Kuga – but top spec versions will almost certainly cost a lot more than current cars to reflect the extra equipment available. That means you could easily spend well over £30,000 on a flagship Titanium diesel, which is edging towards Audi Q5 territory. Whatever version you go for you'll be getting a car that's a great improvement over its predecessor.  

For an alternative review of the latestFord Kugavisit our sister sitecarbuyer.co.uk

By Edward Marx

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NEW Hyundai Veloster Turbo

The Hyundai Veloster is designed as a more affordable rival to the likes of the VW Scirocco and the Vauxhall Astra GTC. The standard version didn't quite have the power to match its rivals, but Hyundai has now addressed this with the introduction of the new Veloster Turbo. Hyundai has given us the chance to get behind the wheel of a pre-production version. 

The Veloster Turbo has its own look, with larger 18-inch alloys, a unique grille, bigger bumpers and a rear spoiler. There are LED projector headlamps and LED tail-lights, while the firmer suspension has been lowered, too. Of course there’s still the quirky 2+1 door arrangement, but the Turbo is easily the best looking model in the range.

Inside there’s more standard kit, with Hyundai’s Blue Link connectivity, a seven-inch touchscreen and a panoramic glass roof as standard. There’s a leather steering wheel and seats, which also have ‘Turbo’ lettering stitched into the backrests. Sadly, the driving position is set a little too high, with little room for a six-footer, while cabin quality can’t match its European rivals.

The turbocharged version of Hyundai’s 1.6-litre engine sees power boosted from 138bhp to 184bhp. This is less than the US-spec 201bhp Veloster Turbo, but that's no accident. Hyundai's engineers are proud of the fact that the European version has been specifically tailored for better low-end response. Changes to the turbo mean it cuts in much lower in the rev-range. 

So is the Veloster Turbo a scorcher? In a word, no. The engine note sounds rather flat, and in a straight line it lacks punch, despite the additional turbo boost. The Veloster can’t match the similarly powered MINI Cooper S for response and thrills, and it can't match the Citroen DS3 Sport for involvement, because the Veloster’s six-speed manual has a notchy shift.

In the corners, the Veloster makes a better fist of things. Our pre-production car’s electric power steering wasn't set to the final calibration, but it wasn't far off, and had good feedback. The brakes were responsive, too. 

Hyundai has proved that it can do polished and practical, but for the European market, it’s yet to offer a serious performance car. We think there's still room for a more potent version, because while Veloster Turbo is a start, it’s not a sports car, and it can’t touch any proper hot hatch. 

The Hyundai Veloster Turbo arrives in UK showrooms in August from around £23,000.

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Bugatti Galibier 16C teased in extended YouTube clip

The Bugatti 16C Galibier was introduced to the United States at the Los Angeles auto show in 2009. It featured the same 16-cylinder engine as the Veyron with the same 1000-hp-or-so output.

We didn't hear much about the car until last April when Bloomberg news reported that parent company VW OK'd plans to build the ultra-luxury sedan. The report said that Bugatti and Bentley chief Wolfgang Durheimer had been pushing for the car to be made since his arrival.

We experienced radio silence on the car for almost a year until yesterday, when the company uploaded a near five-minute video on YouTube extolling the virtues of the mythical beast.

The video is full of symbolism and metaphors and an awful lot of fuzzy detailed shots of the car. We're not sure if this is a good sign for the Galibier. But more 1,000-plus hp cars are okay in our book.

by: Jake Lingeman 

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Shut Up and Drive Races a 2013 Lexus GS F Sport on a Closed-Off Highway

In its premiere episode, Speed's new television show "Shut up and Drive!" with hosts Justin Bell and Townsend Bell took the brand new 2013 Lexus GS F Sport out to Northern Oregon’s twisty Rowena Loops.

After closing a section of the public highway, the two men battled it out in the new Lexus sedan that sports a 306-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and select chassis upgrades in F Sport guise.

Overall, the show was much better than what we originally anticipated, but then again, we were not expecting much to begin with.

Make your way over the break to watch it for yourself in the video that follows.

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