It's here the new BMW 2 Series F44 M235i, a new look, new engine even a new drive train.
This model retails for just under £44,000.
The new model now sports the B48 engine a 2 litre Turbo 4 cylinder rather than the 6 cylinder previously used.
This is one cool car with more practicality allowing for 4 over 6ft adults to sit comfortably in the Gran Coupe, well trimmed, refined with mood lighting, we ven had a 16 speaker Harmon Kardon system.
The engine generates 306bhp and get you 0-60 in under 5 seconds, the auto box is responsive and the modes easily transform the driving experience.
This car is built on UKL2 platform which is the platform used for some Mini cars and the new 1 series, it offers a different experience to say a RWD 3 series.
Our model the M235i has xDrive, however you can get smaller engines with front wheel drive, there is no RWD anymore.
As with all BMW cars and SUV's you can get add a range of options known as packs including a driving assistant and comfort pack etc, we have adaptive cruise control with stop go and numerous safety bits, as well as ICON LED headlamps with high beam assist.
The new 2 Series starts at around £26,500 and you can get a range of models.
The Honda Jazz, a car that has been somewhat stereotyped for the last few years, has ths latest variant got what it takes to break this?
Well in a word, yes - let us explain
The new Hybrid Jazz has a 1.5 iVTEC DOHC engine, an electric motor and an eCVT, it'll pull 0-60 in around 9.5 seconds and offers around 65mpg.
It's not the fastest ca, yet it's engaging and fun on a backroad, and the hybrid system works very well, seamless transition betwen all 3 modes, we managed around 45mph on pure electric, and the B mode on the transmission really works with recharging quicker.
There are 3 trims to choose from and the Crosstar which will follow this.
Our model retails for around £22,000, we have the EX trim which builds on the SE and SR which include Active Cruise Control and Honda Sensing - the EX has additional Blind spot monitoring and Cross Traffic alert.
The Mini electric review is here, this ev car starts around £25,000 including the government grant in the UK and you can choose from the level 1, 2 or 3, ours is a 2 which is mid spec, and includes heated seats etc, ours retailed for just under £26,500.
The electric Mini has been on the cards for quite some time there were even some prototypes quite some years ago and the dev time makes sense too, Mini and their customers wanted an electric mini, perfect for commuting, with a reasonable price and characteristics of the car they know and loved, in a word a Mini with pure electric powertrain, with no compromise on the existing platform yet still offering you the engaging and fun drive you bought the car for in the first place.
The challenge came with making it electric yet keeping it as it looked, yet 0 emission, the ev gubins and know how came from the BMW i3, a great car in itself - but the clever thing about the Mini is it is exactly as it was - It is just electric, no compromise on safety, no compromise on space and quite surprisingly just as fun just a different power delivery.
The tech guys knew keeping it an engaging drive would need some thinking, hence the laid the batteries on the chassis in a specific format to aid this.
Range wise you're looking at 140 miles however it will go up or down depending on how you drive.
A very reasonably priced electric car with the pzazz of the original, it may take a while to get used to instant power, but it's worth it.
Here's our first real look at the new Mini Electric now many EV's are designed radically to stand out from the crowd and to make a statement, however Mini think differently and have literally electrified a Cooper S.
The car uses all the info and know how from the BMW i3 it is also built on the same platform as the One series and the clever thing about what BMW learnt is that they know how to fit enough batteries in the car to give you a decent commuting range without eating up any the space inside the car and that includes the boot which remains at 231 litres.
Even get a mini electric on the road but just under £25,000 that is a Mini one, you can also get a 2 and 3 that retails for just under £31,000, all these prices include UK government grant of £3500.
There are a few changes on the vehicle including, new bumpers front and back, the grille is no longer vented because it doesn't need to cool, it does jut out a little further and looks very EV, the model we have is the 2 in British racing Green iv and comes with 17 in alloy wheels.
The Mini Electric pulls 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds and 0 to 30 in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of about 93 miles an hour.
The Electric Mini is 145 kg heavier than a Cooper S with an automatic gearbox, it is also priced cleverly as well, now Mini could have given the car a bigger range, more power and lots more of everything but looked at the owners of Mini and realised most only commuted around 26 miles a day, this made a 145 mile range perfect this also reduced the price.
The car is very well planted and feels agile, it is a touch higher than the Cooper, it doesn't feel quite as stiff, but it seems to have a weight that you can throw around it feels like it has of flex which is perfect that's what you want in a Mini, you want to be able to chuck it about.
Interior is well trimmed with a combination of leatherette and cloth some of the things you will notice are it no longer has an old school handbrake this been replaced with an electronic one and there is now a full digital cluster.
The switchgear feels as good as it ever did and start the engine stop in the centre and to the left you can choose your regenerative braking level low or high and the right-hand side are your driving modes - Sport, Mid, Green and Green plus, dependent on which mode your in the characteristics of the motor change, you can also see the range in each mode.
When you start the vehicle it will automatically have the highest level of regen set as for efficiency , it genrates zero emissions locally and costs around 4.1p per mile.
The Electric Mini is well trimmed, comfortable and handles and it has an 8 year warranty on the batteries or a 100,000 mile.
The Mini Electric or the Mini Cooper SE dependant on where you are, is shaping up to be a fantastic car perfect for commuting and enough range to go adventuring too.
In 36 minutes to you'll end up with 80% from a 50 kW rapid charger or you could just charge it overnight which takes about 12 hours with a three pin plug also the satnav routes you through the charging network meaning you always know where you are.
We've got this ev for another six days tune into our YouTube to find out more and thank you. https://youtube.com/c/planetautouk
We've just had the pleasure of reviewing the ISUZU D Max XTR, we have had the vehicle seven days, it's our first vehicle since the UK Lockdown has been eased and we've taken advantage of that and been on quite a few adventures whilst maintaining social distancing.
The D Max model by Isuzu first appeared in around 2002, as a matter of interest it was known as Holden on Australia, now depending on where you are in the world depends on what engines you get, in the UK we get one, a 1.9 turbo diesel four-cylinder engine with the option of either a six speed manual or six speed auto outside the UK you can get a 3L turbodiesel.
The XTR we have the Nav plus trim meaning we get lots of additions as well but the XTR as it is stands on it's own. It is a great pick up and well trimmed, you get big buckety racing seats lots of premium materials throughout the cabin, a few hard plastics, that's what you want with a pickup it provides robustness.
Your met with sidesteps making it easier to climb in, there are manual seats but they are heated and are comfortable, with a good driving position, the steering wheel has height adjustment but no reach but that didn't seem to make a problem for us.
The XTR Nav Plus model we had retails for just under £44,000 and as you'll see from the video you get quite a formidable vehicle and we did quite a bit of exploring we headed up Grizedale and onto some green lanes, nothing too strenuous, however anything we encountered with the Pirelli Scorpion tyres was childs play, it is pretty unstoppable and you have 4x4 on the fly meaning you can select it up to 60 miles an hour, descent control is a welcome addition as is an old school handbrake with hill start assist.
Practicality wise it can carry 1.1 tons on the bed and tow upto 3 1/2 tons. The other non lifestyle D Max models are quite different to the XTR, this behemoth has a bodykit which is twofold and looks very GTR-esqe from the front, the looks are mainly a happy coincidence, its primary role is protecting the vehice whilst off-roading.
The green adds vibrance and makes it really stand out and it also highlights key points on the pickup truck e.g. the bespoke Pedders suspension and calipers. You can get a D Max for around £20,000 inc VAT, for that you'd get single cab with manual box perfect for farming or whatever you need, bear in mind this vehicle can wade upto 600mm without a snorkel, and at the other end of the scale the XTR is £44,000 or just under and comes with the choice of 4 complimentary paint colours, decals and a Pioneer head unit.
Now this has returned, we have the XTR colour edition later this year to look forward to.
We are back with our first vehicle, and it's one that should have arrived far earlier, however it's here now... it was delivered yesterday and it's a Lifestyle pick up, the Isuzu D-Max XTR.
We had the D-Max Blade last year, a very capable pick up with a great price, the XTR capitalises on the D-Max and specs it up, quite literally.
XTR is one of the lifestyle variants of the pickup, lots of additions especially in the styling department e.g. the front guard which literally surrounds the grille and headlamps, extended wheel arches and even Kevlar ceramic brake pads, it's 25 mm higher and sports bespoke Pedder suspension.
Powered by 1.9 turbodiesel engine and a six speed automatic gearbox, it offers responsive throttle response, yet has short first few gears, makes sense they are made to be work horses primarily. You can also get a manual if you prefer it has on the fly four-wheel-drive and four high four low and descent control.
When offroading you want beastly tires, you get 17 inch wheels and 32 inch Pirelli Scorpion tyres, the sidesteps are designed to glance off rocks and there is lots of underside protection too.
When it comes its capabilities, on road feels well planeted and we'll find out when we go offroading in the next few days.
In a nutshell it can tow upto 3.5T and carry 1.24T on the bed, it comes with a fourcab allowing your passengers to travel in comfort, for this model including VAT it is around £43,000 and you can choose from four colours and they're all complimentary.
If this isn't quick enough you can even tune your vehicle for £800, which makes it as fast as a Raptor, it has 161 brake horsepower and 360 nm of torque, granted it's not the quietest engine in the world and its not that fast either hiting 0-60 in around 12 1/2 seconds but that's not what it builts for.
It's a very capable pick up with decent economy, superb looks and exceptionally good offroad, and if you want to something less sporty or something more sporty there's a range to choose from.
Watch out all this week on our YouTube channel to see what we get up to with the XTR.
The Kia e-Niro is an electric SUV and quite staggeringly being out for a year still has a sizeable waiting list.
What is it that really appeals about this electric SUV?
The fully electric e-Niro is powered by a 64 kW motor, one speed automatic transmission and a lithium-ion battery which has preheating.
The model we had on test was the first edition however the one you can buy today is the '4'.
There are 3 Kia Niro models to choose from PHEV, Self charging hybrid and the e-Niro.
We had the vehicle on review for seven days, the thing that staggers you about the SUV is it has 282 mile range however if you take into the city it increases to 382 miles.
The 4 Edition comes with a bigger infotainment screen and LED headlamps to mention but a few, it retails for just under £35,000 with the government grant.
It's roomy, practical and full off premium materials as well as great tech and it produces 395nm of torque and has 201bhp meaning it is punchy.
It will wheelspin and it'll give you a rather engaging drive and hit 60 in 7.5 seconds, it comes with adaptive cruise control with stop-go and this smart EV will even give you tips on how to economise.
The regen system on the e-Niro is rather smart and you activate it using the paddles on the back of the steering wheel.
Similar to the system that you would change gear on a sporty car, the paddles operate the three levels of regen, on three we managed to recoup a few miles back into our battery the system works exceptionally well one thing we did notice when you got in the vehicle after say 24 hours the range had not dropped.
Over the course of seven days we took the Kia electric SUV to the Lake District up and down some hills looking for snow, testing its capabilities and seeing how range was affected with the cold, steep climbs and erratic driving.
Planet Auto l The place for the latest car news, car reviews, luxury supercars and highend classics - We feature the finest marques in the world including the Youtube and Instagram famous vehicles including Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Range Rover to name a few. Why not step into their owners lives and find where to see these great cars with our own car show calendar.
