DS 4 review

If you’re in the market for a mid-sized hatchback and you don’t want to be one of the herd, look no further than the distinctive DS 4.

DS, Citroen’s classy standalone sister brand, consistently offers something a little different and the DS 4 is a great example.

It may not be perfect, but it has a lot going for it and it’s definitely worth considering.

The DS 4 is offered in two body styles – a five-door hatchback or a chunkier raised-up version, known as the Crossback.

I tested the five-door hatchback which is sleek with rear doors that blend into the bodywork, giving it a coupe-like feel.

Priced at £20,745 (£22,065 with extras, including metallic paint and aluminium sports pedals), it was in top-of-the-range Prestige trim.

That said, even the Elegance trim level below boasts umpteen options as standard, including 7-inch colour touchscreen, dark tinted rear windows, automatic lights and wipers, two rear Isofix child seat points and cruise control.

The car I tested came with a punchy PureTech 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, producing 128bhp – and it was a revelation.

Unusually, I got into this car blind and assumed it was a 1.6-litre unit – a testament to the big strides engineers have made in recent years to extract more power from smaller engines.

Under hard acceleration there is a mild thrum, which is no bad thing, but the engine/car combination is surprisingly refined when it settles down and will cruise happily at motorway speeds, able assisted by a slick six-speed manual gearbox.

For the record, it’s capable of 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds, a top speed of 123mph and competitively low emissions of 120g/km.

In all, three petrol and three diesels are available for the DS 4, with the BlueHDi 120 capable of an impressive 74mpg on paper.

Classy cabin

Inside there’s a premium feel and it’s comfortable too, thanks to the DS signature “watchstrap” effect brown leather seats.

As you’d expect from DS, the interior has lovely design touches including retro dials and minimal buttons and switches to clutter it up, while the car’s touchscreen works with Apple’s CarPlay technology or Mirror Link for other smartphones.

It’s not quite such good news for rear passengers because while legroom is just about OK, the sloping roof means taller people will have to slouch.

Sadly, the rear windows also won’t wind down – victims of style over substance and children of a certain height will have to watch out for the pointy bit of the door when entering.

On the plus side, the boot space is a very reasonable 385 litres, which means it beats rivals including the Audi A3 Sportback, Volkswagen Golf, SEAT Leon and Ford Focus.

The car handles well enough, though the ride might be on the firm side for some, which is odd considering one of the distinctive features of the original DS was its magic carpet ride.

The DS 4 is also safe, earning a maximum five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests.

Verdict

If you can live with its issues, the DS 4 is a classy, well-equipped, stylish alternative in a highly competitive sector.

Review: @garethherincx

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from Automotive Blog http://www.automotiveblog.co.uk/2016/04/ds-4-review/
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Convertible car sharing arrives in UK

Now you can experience open-top motoring from as little as 32p per minute.

DriveNow, the car sharing joint venture between the BMW Group and SIXT, has launched the UK’s first convertible car-sharing fleet.

A total of 40 MINI Cooper Convertibles will hit the streets of north and east London, available for 32p per minute and with no added costs for mileage, fuel or insurance.

The three-door, four-seaters will be available in midnight black and pepper white, and with a roof-down time of 18 seconds, the British summer can now be enjoyed impulsively.

DriveNow also offers ‘free-floating’ car sharing, which means customers can drop their car off to any residents’ parking or pay-and- display bay, thanks to agreements with London boroughs.

With over 18,000 members in London since its launch in December 2014, DriveNow currently has 310 vehicles on the streets of north and east London – in the boroughs of Islington, Hackney, Haringey and Waltham Forest.

As well as the new MINI Convertibles, DriveNow also offers London’s largest electric car sharing service, with 30 fully electric BMW i3 models.

“With summer fast approaching, we thought it was the perfect moment to launch our
fleet of convertibles,” said DriveNow’s Joe Seal-Driver.

“Convertible cars have always been seen as a luxury item – out of reach for the majority of Londoners, and something that people always dreamt of being able to use in the summer time.

“Now, thanks to DriveNow, anyone can experience the joy of putting the roof down – and then getting rained on five minutes later – for just 32p per minute.”

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from Automotive Blog http://www.automotiveblog.co.uk/2016/04/convertible-car-sharing-arrives-uk/
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Toyota Mirai review

We test the Toyota Mirai – a pioneering zero-emission car of the future… that’s here now.

Toyota led the march of the hybrids when it launched the first generation Prius in 1997. It took until 2000 before it went on sale in the UK and the rest is history. Hybrids, and now plug-in hybrids, are commonplace on our roads.

Electric cars are a familiar sight too, but now we’re witnessing the next big thing – hydrogen fuel cells. And once again, Toyota is leading the way.

Technically the Mirai wasn’t the first hydrogen car to go on sale in the UK. Hyundai’s ix35 beat it to market in 2015, but sadly it’s heavily compromised because it’s based on the ageing ix35 SUV and only available in left-hand drive.

The Mirai is a completely different concept – the result of 20 years of development.

So what is a fuel cell vehicle?

Well, I can’t pretend to understand the technicalities of it, but basically it’s an electric car.

However, instead of the electric motor running off electricity stored in batteries, the hydrogen fuel cell generates electricity by mixing hydrogen with oxygen, storing it in a battery and powering the motor just like any other hybrid.

Unlike electric cars, there’s no such thing as range anxiety because just like a conventional petrol or diesel car, you can fill up (with hydrogen, in pressurised form) at a fuel station, giving a similar range of around 300 miles.

And here’s the thing – because it runs solely on hydrogen, its only emissions are water.

So far so good. I’ll come to the elephant in the room later, but for now let’s savour the Mirai.

The first thing that strikes you is that the Mirai is big – it’s about the size of the latest pumped-up Ford Mondeo.

However, it’s strictly a four-seater (there’s a big, fixed armrest thingy in the rear between the two seats), but it is a spacious, comfortable place to be, with a state-of-the-art feel up front. Not quite as minimalistic as a Tesla, but a pretty futuristic feel all the same.

It’s well put together too and most of the materials used have a quality feel. I just wish the steering wheel didn’t look and feel so bog standard.

There’s a start button to the right of the steering wheel. The car doesn’t so much fire up as switch on, then it’s just a case of moving the gear selector to drive , releasing the foot-operated ’handbrake’ and you’re off.

From here on, the Mirai is just like any other big electric car. It feels pretty heavy and it’s not in its element being thrown around country rounds, but it is an effortless cruiser.

You’re aware of a faint whine, but other than that, it’s pretty silent.

There’s more than enough power there too, but it’s no Tesla in the acceleration stakes. For the record, it’s capable of a 0-62mph of 9.6 seconds and a 111mph top speed.

However, unlike many electric cars, deceleration seems to be smoother, whereas with some (including the Tesla), easing off the throttle can result in a dramatic loss of speed.

The Mirai drives well. The soft suspension soaks up most bumps, and thankfully, it doesn’t wallow.

The process of generating electricity using a fuel cell system is two to three times more efficient than combustion, but storing hydrogen takes up space. Toyota has done a good job concealing the two tanks, but clearly there has been some impact.

Rear boot space (it’s a saloon, not a hatchback) is a decent 361 litres, but not class leading.

Safety is paramount too. Toyota reckons the Mirai is safer than a conventional car because there are so many safeguards in place. For instance, testing of the hydrogen fuel tanks involved shooting at them with high-velocity weapons.

The Mirai takes just 3-5 minutes to refuel and the nozzle contains a mechanical lock to ensure a perfect connection with the Mirai’s filling inlet. If this lock does not click into place securely, filling will not be possible.

Ultimately, the Mirai is a quality car and it feels special. There’s also an element of exclusivity. Just 12 cars were sold in the UK in 2015 and there are 15 projected sales in 2016 – mostly corporate and leased.

But now for the elephant in the room. The Mirai is ahead of the game, because the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is in its infancy. There are currently three hydrogen refuelling stations open (Heathrow, Hendon and Swindon) with a further three due by the end of 2016 and another three under construction.

There’s also the issue of the price of hydrogen because at the moment it works out more expensive than filling up with petrol or diesel.

Also, the Mirai may well emit zero emissions because the production process for the vast majority of hydrogen is not green.

Just like any new technology, there will be early adopters and hydrogen fuel cell cars will take off, if you’ll excuse the pun, but it ain’t going to happen overnight.

There’s a price to be paid for Mirai exclusivity. It costs £61,000 (after a £5,000 deduction for the government’s OLEV grant), which isn’t far off twice the price of an equivalent priced car of this size.

Consequently, most of the Mirais shifted so far have been leased. You can own one for £750 a month and it includes fuel costs and full maintenance.

There’s also access to Toyota’s 24/7 concierge service which is the ultimate peace of mind – including collection and delivery for maintenance, plus a loan car.

In Japanese, “mirai” means “future” – and the Mirai is the future of motoring.

Review: @garethherincx

The post Toyota Mirai review appeared first on Automotive Blog.

from Automotive Blog http://www.automotiveblog.co.uk/2016/04/toyota-mirai-review/
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