Here’s Peugeot’s salvo in the fight to make cars more economical: the 208 Hybrid FE. The supermini concept can achieve a claimed average of 112mpg (and a maximum of 141mpg), and emits only 49g/km of CO2.

Peugeot is especially keen to point out it’s a conventionally shaped supermini with five seats, unlike VW’s own super-frugal XL1, which looks decidedly sci-fi in comparison, but has a smaller boot than a Ferrari 458…

The 208 FE is 25% slipperier and 20% lighter than a regular 208, but that’s only part of the reason it allegedly achieves such eye-opening numbers at the pumps.

What’s the ‘FE’ in Peugeot 208 Hybrid FE for?

It’s a French double entendre: FE stands for Fuel Economy and Fun & Efficiency. The latter ‘fun’ tag relates to the car’s warm hatch-pegging 0-62mph time of 8.0sec, despite the eco-minded set-up.

What changes have been applied to the exterior?

Up front, there’s a new, low-drag grille – it’s 40% blanked off due to the retuned 1.2-litre engine requiring less cooling. Door mirrors and handles have been removed to cut drag; rear-view cameras, in classic concept car fashion, are preferred instead.

The tyres, developed specially for the 208 Hybrid FE by Michelin, use a narrow 145mm diameter to cut rolling resistance and drag. The 19in alloys have natty carbonfibre inserts to smooth airflow too. The biggest change is found at the rear of the car, where you’ll find an all-new air-smoothed rear end designed to disrupt airflow off the car’s rear as little as possible.

So it’s just an aerodynamic exercise then?

No, it’s actually much lighter than a regular 208 as well. The car’s body structure has been shaved from 295kg to 227kg thanks to composite panels, and there’s polycarbonate glazing which weighs 50% less than glass windows. Slimmed suspension components and composite resin interior fittings also contribute to the overall 20% weight cuts versus a regular 208.

And the drivetrain?

The common-or-garden 1.2-litre three-pot has been breathed on – there’s a higher compression ratio, lower friction lubricants, and geometrically-optimised components. Overall, internal friction has been slashed by 40%. The cylinder head itself has been machined with a reduced thickness versus a regular production item to save weight.

There’s a conventional manual transmission, albeit with no reverse ratio and new grease to prevent the lube gunking up the gear teeth over time and spoiling your mpg average. The petrol motor develops 68bhp but is 10% more efficient overall than a standard powerplant.

The really interesting bit is the hybrid knowhow that’s supposedly filtered down from Peugeot’s Le Mans programme. The 208 FE electric motor weighs only 7kg, but develops 40bhp and 22lb ft, spinning up to 40,000rpm. The electric motor also provides the 208 FE’s reverse function, missing from the back-to-basics gearbox. As with most hybrids, the motor also provides most of the car’s braking effort, via a reg-gen function which recharges the car’s battery when coasting to a halt. Of course, conventional disc brakes are fitted, but there’s no servo assistance, reducing demands on the engine.

Does the hybrid system spoil the 208’s practicality?

No – and this is what Peugeot’s really keen to stress – you still get a family-seating supermini with a decent boot. The 20kg battery pack is mounted alongside the 25-litre fuel tank underneath the rear bench seat, preserving cabin space and keeping the centre of gravity usefully low.

Come on, what’s the catch?

Apart from the fact the 208 FE is just a concept car, showing off what Peugeot can do, rather than what you can buy next week? Well, there’s no air-conditioning – that’s been binned due to its heinous effect on fuel consumption.

 

Audi has revealed prices for the new S3 Sportback ahead of its arrival in September. The BMW M135i and Mercedes A45 AMG rival starts at £31,260 for the six-speed manual, but you’ll want to pay an extra £1480 and get the six-speed twin-clutch S-tronic 'box that helps the five-door version of Audi’s 296bhp Quattro hot hatch see off 0 to 62mph in 4.9sec.

How does it compare to its closest rivals?

Price-wise the Sportback is marginally more expensive than the £31,100 M135i and rather a lot less than the A45 AMG, which comes in at £37,845. Such value does (funnily enough) come at a price, though: with the dual-clutch fitted its 2.0-litre four-cylinder may match the 316bhp BMW to 62mph, but it falls three-tenths short of the 355bhp Mercedes.

Roles reverse when it comes to economy – the Audi’s combined 40.9mpg is identical to the A45 AMG, beating the slightly less frugal Beemer by 3.2mpg – and the Sportback does even better in terms of emissions, the 159g/km C02 it generates is the lowest of the three.

Why would I get one instead of an S3?

Although fractionally slower than its three-door stablemate, the estate offers an extra 15 litres of bootspace and is 35mm longer between the front and rear axles. That Audi has been able to increase space for both luggage and people, whilst keeping the Sportback frugal, owes much to the fact it’s 70kg lighter than its predecessor, the MQB platform it shares with the new Golf helping to simultaneously lower the Sportback’s total to 1445kg and increase stiffness.

Obviously there are a fair amount of similarities, and you certainly won’t forget where you are – S logos adorn the steering wheel, the door sills, the gear lever and the instruments – but the Sportback does offer some unique features too, including all-LED headlights and in-car internet-based infotainment services using 4G. 

Which should I get?

With the S3 Sportback you’re essentially gaining extra practicality in exchange for a very slight loss of speed. If the alternatives don’t appeal – the A45 AMG, 135i or forthcoming Golf R – and you don’t fancy forking out for the brand new Audi, another option to consider is buying a used S3.

 

We’ve seen the design sketch of the new Infiniti Q30, and now here’s the first picture of the idea made real: it’s the Q30 concept car that’ll attend the Frankfurt motor show in September.

Infiniti Q30 concept: what’s the story?

Infiniti is busting three niches in one with the Q30: we’re told the car’s body is a fusion ‘merging the dynamic design and sportiness of a coupe, the roominess of a hatch and the higher stance of a crossover’.

Design cues such as the acutely kinked C-pillar and strong styling lines along the doors have been carried over from the Etherea concept car first unveiled in 2011.

The new Infiniti hatchback will be based on the Mercedes A-class platform and built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant from 2015. For more on Infiniti’s new 1-series rival.

The Peugeot 308 R could be the biggest hint yet that Peugeot is getting its mojo back. Carrying the RCZ concept’s styling into production was a good start, and the new 208 GTi is a pleasantly surprising hoot, but for bigger smiles you’ll want this: a 270bhp, carbonfibre-clad hot hatch that’ll give an Audi S3 a fright, and leave a Golf GTI in its tyre tracks. The catch? It’s just a concept car, for now…

Did Peugeot run out of paint?

No, the two-tone red/black look is entirely deliberate – it’s inspired by the Onyx supercar concept. Fortunately, the mods go deeper than just a textured paint job.

Is it all RCZ R bits under the bonnet?

Yes, hence the 270bhp output from just a 1.6-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder. The front wheels only are tasked with applying 270 horses and 243lb ft, but are assisted by a torque-sensing front differential to limit wheelspin. The 44.1mpg and 169g/km economy figures of the RCZ R have been preserved too, says Peugeot.
Performance figures haven’t been announced, but note the mechanically identical RCZ R does 0-62mph in 5.9sec and is limited to 155mph flat out. The 308 R should be faster still, thanks to an exotic cocktail of new materials…

Has Peugeot come over all carbon-crazy?

How did you guess? Only the roof and bootlid panels of the 308 R are carried over from the new hatchback: the doors, front wings, bonnet and bumpers are all carbonfibre. The chassis is the same EMP2 aluminium platform as that of the regular 308, itself 140kg lighter than the old car.

What else is new?

The 308 R rides on bespoke 19in wheels wearing 235-section rubber, and is stopped by Alcon racing brakes measuring a meaty 380mm up front and gripped by four-piston calipers. The whole car sits 26mm lower to the ground than a showroom 308, and stands 30mm wider.
The bodykit comprises aggressive new air intakes, side skirts and rear bumper with larger exhausts and a bootlid spoiler. Slimline door mirrors are a new addition for the R too.
Sounds like a proper job then…
It does, though we suspect the reason for the depth of the makeover is that this is just a concept car. Though Peugeot insiders admit they’d love company execs to sign off a 308 hot hatch, badged either GTi or R, it won’t happen unless the bean-counters are absolutely convinced there’s a business case there.  If (or more likely, when) Peugeot does produce a halo 308, you can bet it won’t get the extortionate carbonfibre bodywork of this show car.

Toyota has released fresh information regarding its 414bhp supermini concept ahead of its debut at next month’s Frankfurt motor show.
The Yaris Hybrid R drivetrain features Toyota Motorsport’s 1.6-litre racing petrol engine to power the front wheels and twin electric motors generating 60bhp apiece to run those at the back, giving the car all-wheel drive and a combined output of up to 414bhp. The car also makes use of a supercapacitor inspired by Toyota’s TS030 Hybrid Le Mans racer – energy generated under heavy braking is stored and can be quickly deployed to the rear wheels for an extra burst of power.

Haven’t we heard this already?

Mostly yes, but Toyota has gone into greater detail about precisely how its latest concept functions under the bonnet. For instance a third 60bhp motor is located between the engine and six-speed sequential transmission, operating as a generator which feeds power to the supercapacitor during deceleration. Sounds very Back To the Future – where’s the Mr Fusion reactor, Toyota?
Under heavy acceleration – if the front wheels can’t cope with the power and torque coming from the turbocharged four-cylinder engine – it again works as a generator, sending excess torque to the rear motors as electrical energy, a form of traction control designed to boost acceleration and control rather than simply limit engine power. It’s this sort of speed-enhancing tech that’s set to make future hot hybrids more fun to drive, hopes Toyota.

What else is new?

The Hybrid-R’s rear electric motors also serve as generators when the car is braked, a function which can be used to alter the torque distribution and improve handling.
By independently switching between functions, the system can send more torque to the outside rear wheel while simultaneously applying braking force to the inside, limiting understeer and adjusting the yaw effect when cornering. If the torque vectoring tech sounds familiar, it’s because ultimate hybrids like the Porsche 918 Spyder use a similar set-up.

 

Here’s the first image of Toyota’s new hot hatch concept: a Yaris Hybrid boasting a faintly ridiculous 400bhp power output.

You won’t be surprised to learn the Yaris Hybrid-R isn’t intended for series production: it’s just a party piece to celebrate 5.5m worldwide Toyota hybrid sales since 1997, and point to future Toyota hybrids that the company says will offer faster performance and a grin-inducing drive.

What powers the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept?

Under the bonnet, the super-Yaris uses Toyota Motorsport’s 1.6-litre racing petrol engine to drive the front wheels. Twin electric motors power the rear wheels for all-wheel drive traction. The car employs know-how from Toyota’s TS030 Hybrid Le Mans prototype racer, too. Energy is harvested under heavy braking and stored in a quick-spinning capacitor, and deployed to the rear wheels for an extra boost in performance.

What else is Toyota bringing along to the Frankfurt show?

You’ll see the latest steps Toyota has taken to make a production fuel cell vehicle viable, ahead of a fuel cell hybrid going on sale in 2015. With Hyundai already poised to release a fuel cell-powered ix35 crossover, Toyota’s looking to fight back in the race to get ahead in the alternative powertrain market.

Meanwhile, Toyota’s luxury offshoot Lexus will preview its new Frankfurt releases tomorrow at 9am, so stay tuned to CAR Online as we bring you up-to-the-minute coverage of one of the world’s biggest motor shows.

 

Page 106 of the new Range Rover Sport’s owner’s manual contains the following revelation: ‘this vehicle is not designed for cornering at the same speed as conventional passenger cars any more than a low-slung sports car is designed to perform satisfactorily under off-road conditions. If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or abrupt manoeuvres.’

Having driven the Range Sport around Rockingham’s soaking infield circuit 0.6sec faster than our ‘low-slung’ Subaru BRZ long-termer, that first bit of text is clearly cobblers’. Hold the Tipp-Ex on the second part, though, because I’ve just ploughed the Range Sport through an old quarry lake, water lapping over its headlights and a tsunami-sized bow wave threatening to engulf photographer Greg Pajo as I powered back onto dry land. After that, I don’t feel compelled to put a brand new Japanese sports car into a salvage auction to prove the point.

'An automotive Swiss Army knife'

It’s an automotive Swiss Army knife, this Range Rover Sport, and very few cars have ever come anywhere close to its level of all-encompassing ability. We’re not driving the bells and whistles 5.0-litre supercharged Sport with its 503bhp and 461lb ft, either: this is the SDV6, a car that sits just one step up from the bottom of the range and one that Brits will typically buy. Its 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel makes 288bhp and 443lb ft while promising 38mpg and 199g/km. You’ll pay from £60k, that figure rising to – hark the press car bells and whistles – £75k for our highfalutin Autobiography specification with its sliding panoramic roof , 18-way powered leather seats, heated steering wheel, three-zone climate and various other fripperies.
If you’ve ever driven the outgoing Range Sport, trading up to the new model will feel like stepping out of a pair of concrete boots. Push on down a tricky B-road and, yes, the 2005 Range Sport would show its bigger, lumbering Range Rover father a clean pair of heels, but then the 2002 Range Rover liked to roll about like a cat in a heatwave. It was the comparison with rivals – not relatives – that spotlighted the Sport’s deficiencies: it felt like a hefty, sometimes chaotic car to hustle and its Cayenne and X5/X6 classmates were a year advanced when it came to physics lessons. Not any more.

That’s because while the new model is still recognisably a Range Rover Sport – you need to see old and new side-by-side to really appreciate the quite radical differences – an engineering revolution lies at its core. The old Sport’s steel bodyshell was attached to a cut-and-shut Discovery T5 ladder-frame chassis; the new model features an aluminium monocoque that’s derived from the new Range Rover but is in fact 75% new.

'Land Rover hasn’t just rescued the Range Sport from a tailspin'

At a still-hefty 2115kg, our diesel V6 is nonetheless a substantial 420kg lighter – equivalent to a car full of adults each carrying a heavy suitcase! – than its predecessor, and it’s stiffer too, which means the engineers have been able to tune the suspension – double wishbone front, multi-link rear, air springs all round – for extra handling precision. The new Range Sport is lighter, it’s more agile, it’s faster, it’s more fuel-efficient – Land Rover hasn’t just rescued the Range Sport from a tailspin, they’ve pulled back on the controls and turned it into a virtuous circle.

But while experiments on-track and off-road illustrate the extremes of this car’s competencies, it’s the bit in the middle that we need to focus on, the bit that virtually every Range Sport owner is going to spend 100% of their time doing: driving it on the road.

You climb into a cabin that feels almost a carbon copy of the new Range Rover with its aggressively angled dash, simplified interfaces and luxurious finishes. The corners of the car are easy to identify from the driver’s seat, the cockpit feels light and airy and rearward visibility is good considering you’re dealing with almost five metres of metal – our car’s reversing camera ably makes up for the bits you can’t see, and it’s a worthwhile £300 option on low-spec cars.

'Trading regal for racy'

Yet there are some important distinctions versus the Range Rover, and they subtly signal what’s in store before you even press the starter button: the rotary gear selector is gone, replaced by a stubby Jaguar F-type stick; you sit lower in seats that remain extremely comfortable but offer far more aggressive lateral support; and the steering wheel is noticeably smaller, a clear nod that you’re trading regal for racy.

It’s a fabulous ambience, one that’s let down only by a pair of clicky, cheap-feeling paddleshifters and that dated infotainment system that’s still too unintuitive and requires too many button pushes to access its functions. The new shortcut buttons that border the screen are a partially successful fix, but they’re sticking plasters that disguise a deeper malaise. Arms shorter than a T-Rex? Just try tapping the ‘menu’ button on the far left of the screen: the rakish dash means it’s as out of reach as the ticket at the multi-storey car-park barrier. The German rotary controllers do it better, and one day Jaguar Land Rover will abandon this entire philosophy in favour of something more intuitive and less distracting. Preferably something that better compliments the slick TFT renderings of analogue dials that fill the instrument binnacle on our top-spec car (lower specs get plain old dials, sorry).

But on the A1, heading for North Yorkshire, the niggling gripes melt into the background because the Range Sport proves a faultless companion: the ride quality on our 21-inch rims is superb, a spot-on combination of tied-down body control and easy, indulgent compliance; wind and tyre-noise is a distant hum; the eight-speed auto slips through its ratios like a blackjack dealer expertly shuffling the pack and the V6 turbodiesel is happy to play wallflower.

Despite its dynamic brief, the Range Sport cocoons like a limo, and it’s far kinder to those in the back than it once was, largely because the dimensions are suitably enlarged: the wheelbase stretches by 178mm, and it’s 4mm lower and 62mm longer too. So the boot is larger at 784 litres – though it still looks relatively small for such a big car, the high boot floor disguising our optional, whopping full-size spare that now sits under the carpet rather than dangling below the chassis like a cow that’s missed a milking. That stretch in wheelbase means the looks are far better balanced than the truncated original, and there’s more space for rear-seat lounging – you can even recline the rear seats for a properly business-class experience. The rear headrests might be far firmer than the S-class-like plumpness that indulges those up front, but George Michael will be no safer from dozily plunging onto the fast lane of the M1 than he was while relaxing in the back seats of any other Range Rover.

Not convinced that a car this big and seemingly practical can seat only five? You can spec a part-time third row of seats, and they could prove a life-saver for larger families and celebrity narcoleptics alike, though for rather different reasons.

'Best-of-both-world’s fix for agility and ride quality'

A couple of hours of painless dual-carriageway schlepping and we’re off the major routes, ready to scythe across the epic sweeps and undulations of the Yorkshire Dales. It’s at this point that Land Rover suggests you hand over a little more cash: base cars get standard dampers and anti-roll bars, but you can also choose active dampers and standard anti-roll bars while high-spec models get a Dynamic chassis that heralds active dampers and active anti-roll bars that firm up during cornering but de-couple on the straights to give a best-of-both-world’s fix for agility and ride quality. Range Sports that come with that latter option also come with an electronically controlled rear locking differential and torque-vectoring tech.

Absolutely no prizes for guessing that the press office has supplied us with a Dynamic-equipped car, something that’s absent from the TDV6 and base SDV6 models, coming on stream only with the £65k SDV6 HSE Dynamic and our £75k SDV6 Autobiography.

Reach down to the Terrain Response dial – usually synonymous with its mud and ruts and grass/gravel/snow off-road settings – and switch it to the squiggly road symbol and you’ll tap into the full performance-boosting spectrum that the Dynamic cars offer: it firms up the dampers, adds a bit more weight to the steering and diverts additional torque from the front to the rear wheels.
Unlike some German rivals, there’s not a massively pronounced difference between the dampers in their Dynamic and standard modes, but you do notice that the body control tightens up and the chassis stops its light rocking back and forth, and yet the trade-off in ride quality is so small that you could easily forget that you’ve gone hardcore, and end up defaulting to it all the time. I did; I preferred it.

The steering – an electro-mechanical system the like of which is so often whinged about when we’re road-testing Porsches – is beautiful: nicely weighted, quick, responsive and accurate, and there are even subtle hints of the fizz and buzz of the road surface making its way back up through the rack.

And we already know that this thing can carve corners, right? There’s limited roll and tenacious grip from the front end that will cede to understeer if you’re over-ambitious, but more likely you’ll sense that you’ve worked the front tyres to their limits and ease the car into the corner, then get back on the throttle really early and let the E-diff and torque vectoring and anti-roll bars do their thing, swooping you through the apex and powering you out of a bend that’d see you disappearing for a spot of spontaneous off-roading if you tried the same thing at the same speed in the old car.

'It feels mischievously good to drive'

Throw in a sodden surface and you’d have some difficulty shifting a well-driven Range Sport from the rear-view mirror of a modern performance car such are its point-to-point abilities. The elevated seating position makes sighting cross-country easy, gives excellent visibility for overtaking, and then you just lean on that chassis, knowing that there’s abundant grip, that there’ll be no lurching and untidy compressing of suspension as you flick-flick through direction changes. It feels mischievously good to drive.

There is an Achilles heel for our SDV6, though, and it’s a big one: it’s just not quick enough, the powertrain relying on the brilliant chassis to supply the speed rather than the grunt alone. The same engine in a Jag XF Sportbrake feels only just potent enough to deliver the kind of thrust we’ve been so spoilt with in modern six-pot turbodiesels. In the Range Sport, with an extra 235kg to lug, it feels noticeably blunted, and at first you’ll probably shift down when you feel the mid-range isn’t quite delivering the pace you expected, only to find yourself rapidly climbing out of the powerband and wishing there was more top-end to exploit. The reluctant, soggy throttle response doesn’t help the cause, either.

It leaves a gap for a rival to nip in and romp to glory, and that rival already exists: a Porsche Cayenne Diesel S is yours for £58k – £2k cheaper than a basic SDV6 – and its V8 turbodiesel blows our test car so far into the weeds that you’ll need every bit of the Range Sport’s four-wheel-drive hardware to get it back out again. Is the Cayenne as good off-road? Probably not, but we know that’s its abilities are still far beyond what pretty much anyone out there actually requires.

The Range Sport stands as a massive achievement, a car I’d happily own and recommend, but the Cayenne Diesel S does everything that you actually need it to do as well or better and it’s yours for less cash – as much as £7k less if you factor in the Dynamic kit you’ll need to make your Range Sport handle like ours. How do you argue with that?

 Words: Ben Barry Photography: Greg Pago

 

Yes, it’s a Honda CR-V with a downsized diesel engine displacing a measly 1598cc. Our test car didn’t even have four-wheel drive to salvage fractional off-roading kudos. So, be still your beating heart, right?

Well, with five million CR-Vs sold since 1995 – and a fair few still tooling around, we’d wager – a cheaper, more economical, eco-friendly version of a bona fide sales winner is no bad thing. And since the 2.2 i-DTEC CR-V recently triumphed in CAR’s family 4x4 Giant Test, this new £22,800 CR-V-lite could turn out to be an unsung working-class hero. Read on to find out.

A 1.6-litre derv in a whacking great Honda CR-V. Do the numbers add up?

On paper, the numbers look fractionally the right side of ‘that’ll manage’. The 1.6 i-DTEC develops 118bhp and 206lb ft: that’s 30bhp and 15lb ft down on the 2.2 i-DTEC, but, the 1.6 has more in its arsenal than top trumps. Peak torque is on hand (or under foot) from 1750rpm – 250rpm lower than the bigger diesel, so the little brother’s not going to sprain its crankshaft every time you call for an opportunistic A-road overtake. More impressively, Honda’s new 1.6 is the lightest diesel engine in its class – its aluminium block helps deliver up to a 47kg saving versus the 2.2-litre.

I’m not convinced…

That’s not the end of the weight-saving tactics. The 1.6-litre CR-V is only available in front-drive configuration – don’t bleat, you were never going to green-lane it anyway, yet alone try and master the Dakar. Binning the rear driveshafts and adaptive all-wheel drive gubbins saves a further 69kg, meaning a total weight of 1543kg. That’s around 100kg less than a diesel Accord Tourer. For a full-size family crossover with a 1669-litre loadspace, we’d say that’s a good result for the entry-level CR-V.

Must make for decent economy too?

Indeed it does. Honda undermines its achievements with a typically optimistic 62.8mpg figure, which is as attainable outside of a laboratory as a CR-V reaching Everest base camp. However, in mixed driving, our test car cracked 49.6mpg, with a motorway cruising consumption of better than 50mpg. For comparison, our long-term 2.2-litre CR-V averages 40mpg. Factor in the 1.6 i-DTEC’s £30 road tax bill – compared to the 2.2’s £140 charge – and the weeny engine really starts to make a case for itself. As long as it’s decent to drive…

So, is the engine up to the job?

In a word, yes. There’s enough torque low-down to keep the CR-V flowing in regular traffic without ever feeling truly underpowered, even when merging onto motorways. If you’re used to the urge of the larger motor, you might miss it, but in isolation the 1.6 gets away with its diminutive outputs in everyday driving. The positive action of the six-speed manual gearbox is a real boon here too – it’s very easy to stay in the engine’s sweet spot. Unlike other downsized dervs, this one doesn’t appear to suffer a refinement deficit either. Sure, it’s still an uncultured, vaguely agricultural-sounding mill if you’re goading it, but in truth it’s no more vocal than the four-banger in the nose of a BMW X1 20d.

What’s the rest of the CR-V like?

Good without being remarkable, but certainly good enough. You can enjoy CAR’s video review of the Honda CR-V here, or click here to read its Giant Test victory against the likes of Toyota, Ford, and Land Rover. Meanwhile, CAR’s Jesse Crosse is running a CR-V as his long-term test car – it’s fair to say we’ve got Honda’s soft-roader covered off. Suffice to say it’s car-like in the extreme, from the driving position to the control weights and even the handling balance, and for the CR-V’s intended audience, that’s bang on the money. The cabin lacks any pizazz (The Power Of Dreams here is the snore-inducing design) but feels sufficiently family-proof.

Our test car was, somewhat inexplicably, given its August loan period, wearing a set of cold weather tyres. The squidgy rubber causes more sidewall-roll and an earlier transition to understeer than a summer-booted CR-V, and a touch more road noise. In any case, a good set of winters is a far superior cold weather companion than the adaptive all-wheel drive, regardless of what the brochure might have you believe.

And the price?

The most basic CR-V 1.6 costs £22,800: £1295 more than a 2WD petrol model and £1910 less than the cheapest 2.2-litre diesel. Our test car was a top-spec SE-T, which starts at £25,425. For the extra outlay, you get sat-nav, Bluetooth connectivity, front and rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers and leather touches inside.

Verdict

So, you’ve made it to the end of a Honda CR-V 1.6 diesel review. Your reward? To know that this version isn’t just a worthy addition to the CR-V range – it’s the pick of the bunch. One caveat – try a diesel-fired Mazda CX-5 first. It’s more engaging to look at, sit in, and drive, if not as frugal as Honda’s UK-made effort.

 

The Audi S3 Sportback is the ultimate version of the Audi A3, chasing down the BMW M135i and the pricey Mercedes A45 AMG. ‘Sportback’ is Audi-speak for five-door, meaning that this car blends mind-bending performance with the practicalities of one of our favourite hatches. It’s the second of three body styles – there’s an S3 saloon coming, as well – and is currently the most expensive in the A3/S3 range, but is it worth the extra cash?

How hot hatch is the S3 Sportback?

We’re spoilt rotten with hot hatches – and the S3 Sportback serves up performance times that would have seen it listed as a supercar only a few years ago. Its 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, shared with the Golf R and related to that found in the VW Golf GTI, makes 296bhp, just as it does in the three-door model. There’s also 280lb ft of torque on tap from a low 1800rpm all the way through to 5500rpm. Option the six-speed S-tronic (£1480) and you’ll be using those steering wheel mounted paddles, quattro all-wheel drive and 18in rubber to try and match the 4.9sec 0-62mph claim. That’s only a single tenth behind the 30kg lighter three door, and while its 0.3sec behind the A45 AMG, its £5105 lower starting price makes the deficit easier to deal with.

What’s unique to the Sportback?

Space. The five-door means you can throw the shopping in the back seat, pile friends in or move bulkier items (use your imagination) more easily. Not only is rear-seat entry and egress easier, there’s actually more room: 15L more than the three-door S3 with the seats in place, extending to an advantage of 120L – for an 1180L total – with them folded flat. You’ll pay £620 more for the privilege, and while the 1445kg is more than the three-door, it’s 70kg less than the previous model – which also had 29bhp less. Convinced?

It’s all about performance, though, so what’s it like to drive?

You won’t have read this in recent times: an Audi loaded with character. Yet that’s what the S3 Sportback is. The outside has the S3’s chunkier bumpers, roof-mounted spoiler with 18in alloys and signature silver mirrors. You’d rather be behind the flat-bottomed steering wheel, though, perched in the comfy, well bolstered yet supportive leather chairs peering through to the white-needles on grey gauges.

Set the driving position to dance on the stainless steel pedals, hit the engine start button on the console and mash the right pedal – and the S3 bursts into life. From the bassy idle, the 2.0-litre four-pot has a purposeful yet unobtrusive tone. It sounds potent yet doesn’t overshadow the drive when you’re trundling through town on the slightly firm but not crashy suspension, but give it full beans and the backtrack steps into the spotlight with an almost metallic, touring car-esque tone. Your fingertips will feel the grooves in the shift paddles as you pull back for another gear, the puffs of air a joy to hear as the Sportback pushes on forward. Corners? Tight body control, great seats and brilliant road holding back up excellent traction for a quick exit, with power poured on early.

Verdict

The S3 is a blast and takes the necessary step up from the lower-spec VW Group cars – such as the GTI – not just in acceleration numbers, features and price, but also in the overall experience. It’s still not the last word in driver involvement, but its blend of refinement, practicality and that beautifully tactile cabin make it a serious player.

Peugeot's new midsize hatchback, the 308 which goes on UK sale in January 2014, does not have a 'sport' button. No variable rate steering, no adaptive damping that varies the ride from spine-impacting to mild teeth-chattering, no myriad engine maps. And there, in microcosm, is the essence of this car: it is set up to get you from A to B simply, comfortably, quietly and fuel efficiently. Like French cars of old in fact, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Prices will start around £14,500 for the 82bhp, 1.2-litre basement model: we tested the pricier, faster 1.6-litre petrol and diesel versions.

That's not a Peugeot, that's a Volkswagen, ja?

Look at the 308's flanks, and it could be a Golf, with its triangular rear pillar, tall glasshouse and understated sheet metal. The rear looks anonymous-Japanese-hatch but with Peugeot's trademark C-shaped lamps grafted on; only the front has any presence with its undulating bonnet, chrome grille and intricate headlamps. This is a neat and tidy conservative design that tries desperately not to offend, but at the same time it sacrifices the presence and flair of the 208.

Is the interior an improvement?

Peugeot is playing it safe, and seeking to attract the rational, middle-class Golf customer. The cockpit is pared back like the exterior, but in a way that feels progressive and stands out. Old-school buttons are banned, aside from a few token essentials like hazard warning and the electronic parking brake. No stereo knobs to twiddle, no air con dials to adjust to that nearest half-degree, pretty much every function is controlled via the intuitive touchscreen (if you're among the 90% of UK customers who go for trim level 2 and above, which includes standard navigation).

The cabin is a clean, rather fabulous environment, with classy feeling, durable materials, meshed together with precision - much like a Golf then. There is one admission to Peugeot quirkiness: the 208's button-sized steering wheel reappears, positioned beneath a high-mounted binnacle, designed to help drivers keep their eyes on the road. There was a consensus among the mis-shapen journalists on the launch that it was possible to achieve a decent, low driving position without having the wheel obscure the dials, unlike with the 208.

What's it like to drive?

This is the Lionel Richie of driving experiences, easy like Sunday morning. The electrically assisted power steering is lighter than Breeze AM, and likes to take its time as it floats from lock to lock. This isn't to discourage vigorous driving - the front end can summon decent grip, if you want to get all aggressive in corners - but the 308 is best-enjoyed at a relaxed pace. Peugeot says it worked hard to quell noise, and the 308 is a supremely refined car. At motorway speeds, tyre roar from the 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sports is smothered, the petrol or diesel engine's low resonance fractionally more audible, along with a smidgen of wind noise. There's only one car that's as genteel - yup, that Golf again. And the 308 rides well, undulating smoothly over bumps and ridges, although the downside is roly-poly cornering.

The 1.6-litre petrol is workmanlike, mustering 155bhp with a characterless drone, and spinning to 6000rpm through six, long gears. It feels reasonably quick: 0-62mph takes 8sec, but you'll muster 49mpg on the combined cycle. Despite taking 10.2sec to reach 62mph, the diesel is more compelling, with 200lb ft of torque providing a decent surge, and more frequent gearchanges boosting involvement. This e-HDI 115 drinks 74.3mpg on the combined cycle, and emits 95g/km of CO2. But this unit will be replaced by a Euro 6 compliant, 120bhp unit from spring 2014, capable of a lofty 91mpg. A turbocharged 1.2 petrol arrives at much the same time, with 110 or 130bhp.

A new six-speed automatic is on the way too, but it's a torque converter rather than a high-tech dual-clutch unit. And the sooner Peugeot pensions off its obstructive manual 'boxes, with a throw so long the cogs are seemingly in different postcodes, the better. The brake pedal initially displays Peugeot's hallmark sogginess before biting too: such a shame these critical contact points undermine the sharpness of the drive. Because in other ways, the 308 is on the money: it packs sufficient cabin space into a footprint smaller than the outgoing car's, has a 470-litre boot that's biggest in class, and weighs 140kg less than its predecessor.

Verdict

Has Peugeot done enough to flay Ford and vault VW? Keen pricing should make it a contender: expect to pay £17k for a lower powered 1.6 with touchscreen and nav. But the 308 is too much of a mixed bag. For a company renowned for exterior design, the 308's conservatism is a disappointment; conversely, the progressive, largely high quality interior is a winner. If you consider yourself a sporty driver, look away now, but if you enjoy life at a relaxed pace, then Peugeot's new hatchback should be on your shopping list. Just wait for the new engines.

The Alpina name has heritage and credibility as not merely a BMW tuning house, but an official manufacturer in its own right. Yet can its high-performance BMWs stay relevant against BMW’s own M Cars? We’ve tested the B3 Bi-Turbo to see if it’s a worthy answer to the forthcoming M3 saloon.

What’s Alpina done to the engine?

Make no mistake: this is not a quick series of tweaks, but a thorough reworking of the 335i M Sport that the B3 is based upon. The 3.0-litre six, which uses a single turbo as standard, has had a two smaller turbos fitted instead for improved throttle response, with power upped from 308bhp to 404bhp – only 4bhp less than the outgoing V8 M3. Breathing through a stainless steel exhaust, there’s loads more torque, too, with 443lb ft (up from 295lb ft) being sent through an eight-speed ZF automatic. In order to cope, Alpina has strengthened the diff and rear axles, with its own ECU running the show.

The performance?

Alpina says that the B3 will charge from zero to 62mph in 4.2sec – that’s 0.6sec better than the dual-clutch M3 and 0.3sec up on the Mercedes C63 AMG. It’s also a full second faster on the standard 335i M Sport, while the B3 has a top speed of 190mph and it can reach 125mph in a mere 14sec.

What about around corners?

To make the most of the power, there’s a set of stiffer Eibach springs, anti-roll bars and Alpina’s own bump stops. There’s more negative camber on the front wheels, and while the ride height is actually standard, a set of Michelin-shod 20in alloys, Alpina body kit and bootlid spoiler gives the B3 a menacing stance, especially in sinister black. The wheels host massive 18in brake discs, squeezed by four-piston front and twin-piston rear calipers using Pagid pads.

So what’s it like compared to an M3?

The sheer power of the B3 is undeniable: turn the key and the warm, bassy idle turns into a shriek when you give the spongy throttle the full right foot, with a near instant response. The trick is to use the adaptive damping modes, because while Comfort is great around town, it’s too spongy to make use of the extra poke effectively. Hit Sport and the added firmness gives the B3 much more poise into a corner: there’s brilliant turn in, with the one of the most direct steering set-ups of any saloon on sale, but body control could be better. The B3 is upset by every single dip in the road, losing focus and clarity on longer corners as it won’t stay true like an M3 would. There’s plenty of traction, but the dynamics can’t make the most of the power and the brakes aren’t up to it either, with the weighting of the pedals and steering so far apart that it just can’t put it all together. As good as the out-going M3? No.

Where and why would I buy one?

The B3 is sold at Alpina’s sole UK dealership in Nottingham. It’s not a case of turning up in your 335i and asking for it to be fettled – the B3 is sold as a complete package. Why would you go for one? It offers exclusivity and more performance in a car that’s based on a benchmark saloon, so it can hardly be dismissed. There’s still the BMW fit and finish, the same ergonomics and driving position inside that are core to the standard 3-series’ class-leading success.

Verdict

The factory car’s finesse is slightly diluted for the B3, forsaken for a boy racer, in-your-face character that makes it fun, but not as honed and refined as an M Division product. And, at £55k, it’s pricier than the more accomplished M3 saloon to boot.