Why our cars are stars
We name the best bits about the models on our fleet
BMW 3 Series Mileage 6,785 MPG 50.8
Sean Carson Chief reviewer
ISSUE 1,597 SEAN rediscovered a long-lost hobby this year: golf. Having not played for around 15 years he remembers what the club car park used to look like – full of executive saloons – before the SUV craze took over. On his return, he found things were a bit different, with off-roaders littering the club car parks he visited.
But this also brought a few points to the fore. Sean thought a junior exec saloon was still all you needed and that his 320d M Sport represented that perfectly; that’s thanks in part to how well the BMW fits in with another of Sean’s favourite pastimes: driving.
It is so good to drive. The ride is controlled, the steering nicely weighted and although there’s not lots of feedback, on his country-road route to the course he could easily sense the BMW’s balance through the seat. It’s also more refined than ever and laden with tech that’s easy and intuitive to use.
Having driven a pre-production 3 Series in the summer of 2018, attended the launch this time last year, and conducted our first group test back in January before taking delivery of his car in April, Sean followed this car’s journey from start to finish – and what a journey. Six months and 6,000 miles behind the wheel have proved it’s close to the best car on sale in the UK.
Renault Mégane R.S. Mileage 7,777 MPG 31.9
Jonathan Burn News editor
ISSUE 1,593 AS 2019 draws to a close, so does news editor Johnny Burn’s time with our lurid yellow Mégane R.S. Look out for his final report on the car soon, because it’s due to leave the fleet early in 2020.
The current Mégane R.S. comes from a long line of brilliantly engineered, addictive Renault hot hatches, but Johnny wondered if the Trophy was the pick of the current bunch. To find out, he compared our yellow model to this red Mégane R.S. – a standard model.
Above our Trophy is the Trophy-R, the high-spec track-focused model with no rear seats. But after trying both of these other options, Johnny reckoned that the Trophy is the sweet spot: it brings a little more excitement than the basic model, but without the compromise of the Trophy-R. He also found that each one is fun in its own way, though.
“Trophy provides a little more excitement than standard car, but without compromise of Trophy-R”
Volkswagen Polo Mileage 3,921 MPG 41.0
Dawn Grant Picture editor
ISSUE 1,575 OUR favourite chocolate bars and sweets have been shrinking, but cars have been getting bigger – and Dawn said our Polo proved that point. If the famous mint with a hole had followed its namesake, it would be giant, because the car is so much bigger than it used to be.
During the Polo’s time on our fleet, Dawn found it really easy to live with. All the controls were light and simple to use, there was plenty of space for all her needs (even managing to carry four adults in comfort on a few trips) and the boot was easily big enough too. This is one of the reasons that cars like this have been getting bigger: it really improves their practicality.
Despite the larger size, the Polo was still perfect for a mainly urban lifestyle, because it’s not so big that it won’t fit in car parks and through width restrictors.
When it was taken for longer journeys it coped well on the motorway as well, which was proven by the many times colleagues grabbed the keys for trips around the country. Overall, it was a sweet car!
Volkswagen California Mileage 10,041 MPG 32.1
Richard Ingram
Reviews & features editor
ISSUE 1,595 WE couldn’t let our time with the VW California pass without a proper European road trip, so as soon as the keys landed in the office, reviews and features editor Richard Ingram set about planning an epic drive around France.
Rich and his wife are seasoned campers, so the prospect of two weeks on the road didn’t faze them. Plus they could pack for every eventuality; the VW’s myriad cupboards and clever storage swallowed everything they could throw at it.
The pair’s route took them through Fontainebleau, Chablis, Uzes, Avignon and Gordes, before stopping in Annecy, Colmar and Champagne on the way home.
While the VW was far from five-star luxury, our man loved its flexibility, and being able to pull over for a steaming hot cuppa whenever they chose made their 2,000-mile journey a pleasure rather than a chore. Take him to one side and Rich will tell anyone that this is the best car he’s ever run.
Kia e-Niro Mileage 10,556 Miles/kWh 4.5
Vicky Parrot
Associate editor, DrivingElectric
ISSUE 1,592 THE Kia e-Niro proved to sceptics – both within and outside Auto Express HQ – that electric cars are no longer a niche, oddball choice; and they’re not awkward to live with if you have a home charger. Quite the opposite.
Vicky Parrott’s e-Niro was a popular choice on the fleet given that it returned a real-world range of some 260 miles fairly routinely in the summer, even on motorway journeys. It was the cheapest option for anyone looking to save a bit of cash on a long run. But for all its penny-pinching merits, the Kia also stood out for how good it was from behind the wheel. Punchy performance, a smooth drive and great semiautonomous mode made for fun and relaxing progress.
The ultimate win was to see the UK motorway charging network catching up with the incredible progress in electric vehicles. With electric cars as good as the e-Niro out there, and with new standards of public-charger speeds, reliability and payment methods starting to bolster the infrastructure, our time in the Kia really highlighted how the transition to electric power is something to embrace rather than fear.
“The golf club car park was littered with SUVs, but Sean thought a junior exec saloon was still all you needed”
Alfa Romeo Giulia Mileage 11,300 MPG 33.0
James Batchelor
Head of motoring video
ISSUE 1,527 “O ROMEO, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” shouted our man Batch from the roof of Goodwood’s pit lane. James ran an Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce in the first half of 2019, but the experience was similar to one of Shakespeare’s comedies.
The story began way back in May 2017, when our order for a Veloce was sent off to Italy. But come January the following year, it turned out the factory had lost the order, and by April we discovered the car had been built but lost. Finally, in July 2018, our car arrived and Batch spent a happy 12 months behind the wheel; the wait was totally worthwhile.
James loved the car’s revvy, responsive engine – he even claimed it was the nicest-sounding 2.0-litre fourcylinder engine in production – and the car’s beautiful styling (the £695 paint and £995 alloys helped). But most of all it was the agile chassis and super-sharp steering which really won him over.
There were a few niggles, however, including some poor interior build quality and the car having the wrong instrument binnacle fitted. But overall it was a fun and interesting experience.
“It was the agile chassis and supersharp steering that won our man over”
Ford Focus Mileage 3,256 MPG 45.9
Stuart Milne
Managing editor
ISSUE 1,582 IT was a case of ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’ for Stuart Milne back in the summer. As a three-time Ford Focus owner, he was delighted to get to grips with Ford’s latest incarnation. Stuart has owned the car you see on the left for more than six years, and there’s little it can’t handle.
And over more than 4,000 miles, Stuart found the same is true of the latest model. The biggest change is that the latest Focus’ myriad talents are wrapped up in an altogether more premium package.
It’s a package you’ll have to dig deep for, with a £28,000 price tag as tested, but Stuart reckons it’s a price worth paying even in the face of competition from more upmarket brands.
The interior felt plush, the tech proved brilliant, and Stuart loved the optional B&O Play audio upgrade – but not has much as he enjoyed the way the Focus drives. Indeed, not even a blast in the brilliant ST could dull Stuart’s enthusiasm for his more workaday diesel model.
SEAT Tarraco Mileage 6,758 MPG 41.7
Pete Baiden Web producer
ISSUE 1,584 ALTHOUGH the SEAT Tarraco has seven seats, Pete spent most of his time with the rear bench folded down so he could take advantage of the huge boot. And he certainly made the most of it by constantly loading it up, usually taking new furniture home from IKEA or ferrying unwanted items to the local tip.
In fact, he spent so much time loading heavy stuff in and out of the Tarraco that it often felt like he’d been to the gym. Still, Pete says the Tarraco was almost flawless in every aspect of daily family life. And not just for its practicality. He said the handling was really impressive for such a large SUV and the 2.0-litre diesel engine provided the perfect blend of performance and efficiency.
Kia Ceed Mileage 5,508 MPG 38.4
Alex Ingram Staff writer
ISSUE 1,588 ALEX’S Kia Ceed took a while to totally reveal its charms, but he was fully hooked by the time he waved goodbye to it.
For a start, he believed it to be one of the most handsome five-door hatches on the market today.
Meanwhile inside, the seats stood out for Alex. Seat comfort is a subjective thing that completely depends on your body size and shape. Nevertheless, everyone who tried the Ceed loved the style and support they offered. The steering wheel was lovely, too.
It was really quite fun to drive too, which made it even more of a shame that the dual-clutch gearbox was such a let-down. This stopped it being a perfect everyday car.
Skoda Fabia Mileage 5,974 MPG 45.2
James Brodie
Senior staff writer
ISSUE 1,594 IT was a tale of two superminis for senior staff writer James Brodie in 2019. While our man started the year by saying goodbye to his beloved bright orange MINI Cooper, he was soon driving a similarly colourful, bright blue Skoda Fabia SE L.
If Brodie fell for the MINI because of its form, the appeal of the Fabia lay more in its function. So what better way to bid farewell to the Skoda than by throwing a graduation ceremony for the ‘simply clever’ supermini?
The Fabia lacked a little flair, but the surroundings chosen for its send-off didn’t disappoint. The winding streets of Oxford, its world-renowned university and the stunning Bridge of Sighs provided a perfect location.
Ultimately, the Skoda passed our examination with distinction. During its six-month spell on our fleet, staff writer Luke Wilkinson found it handy for long journeys to Cumbria, while James found it a useful little car for getting around London, thanks to its refreshingly straightforward nature, good visibility and lightweight controls.
Jaguar XE Mileage 1,078 MPG 29.6
Steve Sutcliffe Special contributor
ISSUE 1,593 IT’S quite a journey from Steve’s place in Hove up to Anglesey circuit in north Wales. You can take motorways pretty much the whole way, or you can go cross country – easily more fun in the right car.
Steve did the trip three times in the Jaguar XE, and each time he went cross-country, simply because the journey brought out the car’s good sides. Not just its lovely steering feel and superb ride and handling but also its brilliant matrix LED lights, its fine seats, strong engine and general ease of use.
If you think Steve really liked the XE, you’d be totally right. In fact, he even reckoned he’d have one over the equivalent BMW 3 Series, which is saying something.
Hyundai Santa Fe Mileage 6,253 MPG 39.7
Steve Walker
Group web editor
ISSUE 1,595 WHATEVER you think of SUVs, you can’t deny that they play the family car role as expertly as Robert De Niro does sinister Mafia bosses. Steve Walker had our Santa Fe from spring to autumn and it delighted on a couple of levels.
First, for delivering the family from A to B smoothly and efficiently, the Santa Fe was a star. Its size helped, but so did the sensible, unfussy layout, and lots of USB charging points!
Second, the Santa Fe majored on quality and value. It was solidly built, high quality and designed with a flourish that lots of the European alternatives could learn from.
The whole package came together on an August family holiday to the south west, where the big blue Hyundai excelled. It really is a family SUV to be reckoned with.