Motors in Twickenham

Vauxhall Mokka-e Review

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

28th Jan 2022 | Reviews

Vauxhall's Mokka has gone from being barely-palatable to a gourmet delight. It's stylish, good to drive and pretty efficient too.

Vauxhall is making serious headway in its drive to electrify its range. The battery-powered Corsa-e is one the UK's best-selling and most affordable small electric cars, while the Mokka-e has been designed cater for buyers who need a little more space and demand a lot more style.

Looks are always a question of personal taste of course, but there is no doubt that the new Mokka is now a much more interesting car to look at. If you go for the electric version (Vauxhall offers the Mokka with a traditional petrol or diesel engine as well), you'll get a 50kWh battery and a motor which produces around 134bhp. That's actually more powerful than the petrol or diesel versions and is about the same as you'd expect from something like a 1.6-litre engine in the old model.

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Electric overtakes diesel in Europe

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

25th Jan 2022 | Reviews

A record number of electric cars were sold in Europe in December

A record number of electric cars were sold in Europe in December, with 176,000 registrations during the month. Meanwhile, the sale of diesel cars continued its collapse, dropping to 160,000 for the month.

In the UK the figures were even more pronounced, with diesel sales plummeting from 15,813 in December 2020 to 5,201 in 2021 while battery cars rose from 21,914 to 27,705 over the same period.

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Relaxy in a taxi - Electric cab makers LEVC reveal campervan conversion

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

20th Jan 2022 | Reviews

Making waves - e-Camper features a pop-top roof

The makers of the hybrid London Taxi, LEVC, have released the first details and artist impressions of a campervan conversion, called the e-Camper.

Campervan sales have grown hugely after the pandemic as holidaymakers are forced to stay in the UK rather than travel abroad. This has led to a raft of new conversions, including pure electric-powered camper versions of the Vauxhall Vivaro and Nissan e-NV200.

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Mercedes hints at an electric C-Class with 620 mile range

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

12th Jan 2022 | Reviews

The rear of the EQXX is narrower than the front to improve aerodynamics

Mercedes has revealed a show car which is said to be capable of travelling more than 620 miles on a charge, and says it points the way to its next electric models.

The VISION EQXX includes a new, super-efficient electric drivetrain as well as the use of lightweight engineering and sustainable materials. These combined mean it has a claimed consumption of around six miles per kWh of electricity - better than an electric city car today.

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Dacia Spring Review

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

12th Jan 2022 | Car of the Week

The Dacia Spring is cheap enough to make buying a traditional petrol car look expensive

Big-value brands are big news. Just as Aldi, Lidl and Primark are thriving, so too is car maker Dacia. It's models cost thousands less than the equivalents from the big-selling brands.

Now its attention has been turned to the electric car market, with the Spring. This isn't a boring hatchback or tiny city car; instead it's a modern looking baby SUV.

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Skoda Octavia vRS iV PHEV Review

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

12th Jan 2022 | Car of the Week

The Octavia vRS is a great all-rounder, especially in estate form.

Performance car fans know that the Octavia vRS is a car you shouldn't underestimate. For years, it's offered VW Golf GTI performance in a more practical body shape - with a lower price tag. But now the vRS has shifted up a gear with this plug-in hybrid version.

The iV version of the vRS uses a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to a 113bhp electric motor and a 13kWh battery. The power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and in the Skoda total power is a pretty pokey 242bhp.

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The hands off approach to driving - are we ready?

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

12th Jan 2022 | Car of the Week

Autopilot is a key part of the new Tesla Model S and X models

Drivers are soon set to be allowed to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road on motorways in the UK, the government has just announced. It's the long awaited first move to autonomous driving that all the major car firms have been working on for years.

The ground-breaking plans will allow hands free driving in cars fitted with lane keeping technology on traffic-filled motorways at speeds up to 37 mph.

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Nissan rebadges Renault to replace e-NV200

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

12th Jan 2022 | Car of the Week

The Townstar should not be confused with a kitchen device for grilling bread

Nissan has revealed its replacement for the pioneering e-NV200 electric van. Called the Townstar, it will be available with both petrol and electric powertrains but there won't be a diesel - a real milestone for a commercial vehicle.

The van is based on the Renault Kangoo, with an electric variant which Nissan is really throwing its weight behind. Using a 90kW electric motor linked to a 44kWh battery, the firm says that the electric Townstar is capable of travelling for up to 177 miles between charges, with a 0-80 per cent top-up taking 42 minutes via rapid CCS charging. This is a significant improvement over the 124 miles of the eNV. Load space is fractionally larger too, ans 4.3 cubic metres.

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Hyundai IONIQ 5 Review

By Ginny Buckley - Motoring Correspondent

12th Jan 2022 | Car of the Week

The IONIQ 5 looks cooler than an Audi and makes the Tesla Model Y seem like it's from a decade ago.

Where brands such as Volkswagen and Ford are wheeling out their first electric cars, Hyundai is wading in with a second-generation car that has the potential to make almost everything in the sector look a little old-hat, both in terms of looks and tech.

The retro-styled IONIQ 5 is bigger than it appears in photos though; at 4.64 metres long it's bigger than a Land Rover Discovery Sport and very similar all round to a Jaguar I-Pace.

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