Independent Reviews of New and Used Cars

Can a Plug-in Hybrid Caddy Cargo make more sense than a diesel one? Jonathan Crouch decides.

The Mercedes CLA 250+ with EQ Technology can reset your expectations for compact EVs. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Porsche’s Taycan Sport Turismo adds finesse to the market’s wildest electric SUV. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the improved version.

We suspect that this MK3 HR-V will either seem perfectly suited to you or oddly compromised. If you’re looking for an easy-going companion that delivers a high degree of comfort and efficiency above that of conventionally powered alternatives, this could be the car for you. However, you’ll have to be just as easy-going, as demands for acceleration introduce a level of noise that’s a stark contrast to the sophisticated, calm cabin and impressive ride quality. Still, there are compensations, primarily that clever ‘Magic Seat’ system which allows you to carry tall items you’d have to either lay flat or leave at home with rival SUVs. That makes up for the surprisingly small boot, some scratchy elements of cabin trim and efficiency figures that though frugal, aren’t quite as good as we’d hoped and lag a little behind rivals. For all that though, quite a few will see this Honda as a smarter choice, both in the driveway and in terms of its concept cleverness. The brand never sold enough of these MK3 HR-Vs for it to become a mainstream choice, but then this was never going to be a high volume model. It will instead appeal to those in search of the cleverest and most versatile car of this kind. High fashion’s all very well, but its charms tend to fade. We think that the appeal of this Honda is less likely to.

Whether you choose this e-tron GT rather than its directly comparable Porsche Taycan cousin will of course be very much down to personal preference. Both cars are probably more appealing than the aging left hand drive-only Tesla Model S direct alternative from this period. That’s providing you can put up with the considerably shorter driving range that applied to this pre-facelift e-tron GT. Those for whom this early model’s 300 mile figure is sufficient will find an arguably more visually sumptuous cabin than is offered by the Porsche. That cabin isn’t particularly spacious for a car 5-metres in length. And you might expect a better quality of ride from a model selling itself as a luxury GT. Still, in this role this standard e-tron GT quattro model makes far more sense than its faster, pricier RS e-tron GT showroom stablemate (which merely offers a rather pointless slug of extra power for an awful lot more money). Overall, you can forgive this e-tron GT much because it’s just such a lovely thing to look at. And to some extent at least, it really does feel like an Ingolstadt product to drive, in terms of steering and the excellent quality of ride. Here then, finally, is an Audi EV you might really desire. It gave the brand’s sensible e-tron badge some much-needed ‘want one’ factor.