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The Nissan Qashqai has been an excellent seller for Nissan and a key contributor to its crossover segment. Its easy and comfortable driving experience in tandem with that desirable high driving position were traits that helped set the standard years ago. Now that the current generation Qashqai is getting a bit long in the tooth, and under threat from rivals, Nissan has decided to replace it with an all-new model.
This new Nissan Qashqai has a much bolder shape to it with sculpted body lines and aggressive front facia. The overall appearance has a much more sporty nature and clearly shows this car to be a product that is willing to fight in order to be best in class. Its interior is a much more premium affair that includes aluminium detailing and an alcantara finish on top models. Engines come in three different flavours; a 1.2 litre 113BHP turbo petrol, a 108BHP 1.5 dCi turbo that will do 74.3MPG, and a 1.6 dCi turbodiesel with 128BHP. All cars come with front wheel drive and all wheel drive being an option on the 1.6 diesel as well as a CVT automatic gearbox.
The 2014 Nissan Qashqai goes on sale February starting from around £17,000.
Renault have a history of making cracking little hatchbacks. Often they are genuinely usable yet utterly enjoyable to chuck around when the going gets twisty. Every now and then the French company take things a step further and produce something a bit bonkers. The Clio V6 is a clear case and example of this. One of the most legendary of these mad hatchbacks was the Renault 5 Turbo, something that has inspired their latest concept car.
Foreshadowing design elements of the all new Renault Twingo, this is the TWIN’RUN concept car. Packed full of funky design features including those futuristic rally lamps, this little car packs quite a punch. Within its tubular chassis structure sits a mid-mounted 3.5 litre V6 with 320BHP. The engine itself is lifted directly from a Megane trophy racer. 0-62MPH comes and goes in just 4.5 seconds and the TWIN’RUN will go onto a top speed of 155MPH.
Obviously we wouldn’t expect to see this car make production, but its design shall influence Renault’s smallest hatchback.
We have been told for quite some time now that electric cars are the future of motoring and the saviour of the polar ice cubes. But just how many electric cars have you seen on the road? One? Maybe three? The Nissan LEAF made a promising start to the mass market of the electric car sector, but there are two big drawbacks that outweigh an electric cars advantages. Firstly there is an issue with range anxiety, and then there is the price. Renault feel they have something that can step up to mark and become the leading electric car model.
World meet Zoe, Zoe meet the world. The long anticipated wait for this car to hit the roads is now over as this little EV comes to light. The Zoe is based upon the same platform as the new Renault Clio, no bad thing, and provides buyers with a funky supermini with all of the subtle neat design elements you might find on one of Apple’s products. This car is capable of a 130 mile range (169MPGe) and thanks to its plucky little 87BHP electric motor, it will get you from 0-62MPH in 13.5 seconds. Not too bad considering all of that battery weight it has to carry.
Inside the clean styling is continued with a light interior and big windows. The console is logically garnished with controls and also houses the cars touchscreen interface. Sat-nav, stereo and in-car apps can all be accessed from from this monitor. Renault’s little urban worrier seats five and thanks to its packaging of the battery, has plenty of interior space and a decent sized boot. The seats themselves are comfortable and though rear passengers do sit quite high, head and leg room are par for the class.
As with any 100% electric car, start-up is silent but the Zoe does emit an artificial noise as it goes along to warn pedestrians that aren’t too keen on looking where they are going. The sound is customisable but we found the one that sounds a bit like Marty McFly’s hoverboard to be most amusing. The instant torque an electric motor provides is very intoxicating as upon the exit of a corner you can really slingshot the car out of it. There is a fair amount of body roll in tight corners but the trade off is a ride that isn’t too firm. Road noise at higher speeds is a little more than you would like on a long motorway journey but whilst the Zoe may have a top speed of 84MPH, the city and everyday commuting is where it belongs. The steering is very light and the breaks with their energy recovery system do a very good job of stopping the car in a hurry. The overall driving experience is pleasant and comfortable with the biggest compliment having to be that it feels like a normal car.
The Renault Zoe can be had for just £13,650 after government grants making it very affordable and competitively priced with similar diesel powered cars. Our test car was in top specification which included parking sensors, hands free key card, premium audio system, 16” alloy wheels and automatic wipers. Those toys brings out total for our car to £16,350 as tested, which if you think about it is still very well priced.
The Zoe is clearly a good car, and with a price point similar to its combustion counterparts, it is in prime position to compete for sales. However, Renault will ask a £70 a month fee for the lease of the cars battery, something not every buyer will be too pleased about. That said, if any thing were to go wrong with the battery at any point in the cars life Renault will replace it free of charge.
So there you have it, the Renault Zoe. Stylish, environmentally contentious and affordable.
Welcome to another episode of Inside Lane “the podcast.” This week Tyler and Matt talk over possible the least boring Formula One race to ever occur in Bahrain, Renault’s crazy new Twizy based concept car and the astonishing Peugeot T16. All of that as well as the latest from the world of WRC awaits you.
Enjoy!
Download from iTunes or listen online. SEE PODCAST PAGE FOR DETAILS
Are car manufacturers becoming a bit sober? A bit boring in comparison to their younger selves? Gone are the days of mega hatchbacks spawned from Group-B rally cars and in their place sits machines that only ever seem to put on weight. Renualt have gone all out to show the world that they haven’t lost their sense of fun with possibley the coolest concept car of the year.
This is the Renault Twizy F1 Concept, in essence a Twizy equipped with the very same KERS that a Formula One car takes racing. An extra 79BHP is sent to the Twizy’s rear wheels when a button is pushed on the race inspired steering wheel. Donning a front wing, sidepods and rear wing, this single seater electric car means business. 0-62MPH can now be completed in 6.0, a figure that matches Renault’s fastest road car on sale today. The chassis was setup by RenaultSport whilst the cars inner workings were left to their F1 division.
What is value for money these days? With supermarkets producing special offers that only save you a penny and in store sales that actually run all year round, finding a genuine bargain out in the big bad world is actually much easier said than done. Are the days of coming home smug with your purchase over? Not if new brand to the UK, Dacia, have anything to say about it.
Dacia are a sub-brand of Renault and as a result you can stroll into any diamond insignia branded building and order a Dacia, or if you have one get any maintenance done. The other up shot of this close relationship is that Dacia gets access to Renaults parts bin and doesn’t have to pay costly sums for development. This saving is then passed onto the consumer. This is the Dacia Duster Access and thanks to all of the above it is the cheapest 4X4 on the market by quite a long way.
The Duster is a well sized piece of kit seating five in relative comfort and offering ample room for a dog or two in the boot. Visibility is great and that much desired high driving position is most welcome. This Access model is the entry level car and though it doesn’t come with any toys what so ever, not even a stereo, it does offer a punchy 1.6 litre petrol engine and all wheel drive. The idea of the Access on any Dacia is that it is literally the cheapest that they can make the car whilst still producing a quality product. It might have wind-up windows but the seating is comfortable and there is no denying its practicality. The cost of moving up a trim level if this is a little too basic is only £500 and remembering that this 4X4 model starts at only £10,995 the upgrade wouldn’t exactly break the bank. An interesting note is that if you don’t really need a 4X4 function you can claim the 4X2 model from £8,995 which is just incredible value for what you get. An option 7 year warranty that stays with the is also available.
On the open road the Duster moves will with the petrol engine more than capable of getting the car up to speed. It revs freely and the 105BHP it produces never leaves you feeling underpowered. Though road and wind noise is more noticeable in the Dusters most basic form, it is far from unbearable. The car feels very sure of itself going through corners and body roll is kept at bay rather well for a car of its size. Feedback from the wheel is good and that purposeful suspension has no problem dealing with our rutted roads. Grip levels are high allowing for confident driving whilst at the wheel. Twisting the dial to the 4WD mode and heading off the beaten path doesn’t phase this car either as it has genuine off-road credentials. Our test car trawled up boggy paths and climbed up and over some demanding obstacles with no issues what so ever. It is clear that the Duster isn’t some budget basement machine, but a genuinely impressive tool that leads you to think how its competitors justify their asking price. This six speed manual petrol model not only has a pleasant gear change, but will also do 35MPG meaning it should also have a pleasant effect on your wallet.
This Duster Access is a brilliantly humble machine and just does what it says on the tin. For the money you can’t beat it and in comparison with its closest rivals it quite often leaves you in awe that a car costing this little could ever challenge the establishment. Dacia say that 40% of all Dusters sold are the 4X4 model suggesting that many buyers are looking for a car that can handle the rough stuff. I admire the Duster for its honesty and pure utilitarian persona. Watch this space because if Dacia carry on in the way they have begun you could well see many many more of them on the road.
There are a lot of fast cars out there; from a speed icon like the BMW M3, to a thumping great Mustang up to the eye-wateringly beautiful (but expensive) Lamborghini Aventador, there’s something for everyone. But that’s a lie. There isn’t something for everyone because not everyone can go out and spend a cool £60,000 on an M3 or stroll into a Lamborghini dealership and leave with the keys to one of their raging bulls. Alas, it seems that for those that want to have some brand new fun on a budget you are stuck trawling through the pages of your local FreeAds or on internet auction sites.
So I’m sure you can understand that the words that suddenly appeared in my head when I first set eyes on this little eastern European were not going to be anything like ‘speed-demon’ or ‘howling fun’ or ‘mind-blowingly quick’. Despite this, I took to the wheel and as the mileometer started ticking over it suddenly dawned on me that I’d been driving for miles with a ridiculous smile on my face. How had this little Dacia given me the same feeling that I get thundering around in a car that costs ten times as much? For goodness sake, it didn’t even have electric rear windows! A quick stop at the side of the road was in need, I had to see what sort of V6 monster was powering this thing.
But no! Under the bonnet you’ll find a cheery little 900cc 3 cylinder petrol engine that hoofs out 90bhp and will get you to 60 in 11.1 seconds.It will even do 109MPH… Eventually. This engine can also be found in Renault’s brand new Clio, but unlike in the Clio this Sandero weighs about as much shoelace. You can expect anywhere from 45mpg around town to a respectable 65mpg going downhill in 5th gear and with it sitting in tax band C you won’t be breaking the bank every 12 months either. It really did take my breath away that a car that I had considered to be nothing more than a cheap small family run-around could be so much fun when it’s given the beans and taken to the red-line.
Inside this middle of the range model there was a very modern looking CD player with AUX and USB connectivity, a tastefully subtle steering wheel and the very sporty looking ‘Atom’ two-tone seat trim which gave the inside a really classy overall look. Chrome surrounds on the inside made the car feel far more expensive than it was. On the corners were a set of very tasty 15” ‘Sahara’ alloy wheels and at the back a subtle but fitting lip spoiler. In the back there’s plenty of space but I found my head slightly ajar with my ear rubbing the roof, but no more than I’m used to when trying to fit all 6 foot 5 inches of me into the back of a hatchback. An impressive class-leading boot also appealed to the sensible side of me.
What I love most about this little Romanian motor though is the way it feels to drive. No it isn’t as fast as a Fiesta ST or perhaps a Fabia VRS but whipping from corner to corner in this revvy little petrol was great fun and you’ll find yourself pushing the tiny tyres to their limits. It would be great to see Dacia roll out a sportier version of this model, but there’s no denying that this car is great fun and even though our test model was somewhat higher than the advertised ‘under £6000’ Access, it still came in at £8,290 which is remarkable for a car that’s this much fun and comes with a respectable level of equipment. This only really leaves us with one question; have Dacia given the likes of the giants such as Volkswagen and Ford something to be worried about? No. If you want to buy a hatchback with a somewhat ‘cool’ badge you’ll still buy a Polo or Fiesta, but I think we’ll be seeing a lot of these Sanderos on the road soon. People who just want a car to go from A to B now have an option that isn’t just reasonably priced, but it actually good fun too.
In a world of ever towering costs and unavoidable expenditure £6,000 doesn’t actually go as far as what you might think. In fact, according to GQ magazine that is just about the “price of a decent watch…” From a motoring perspective that money, unless you are buying second hand, gets you absolutely nothing, not a sausage. That was until the Dacia Sandero came along. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the cheapest new car on sale in the UK today.
Now normally when we talk about the cheapest car on sale we are looking at horrifically soulless and hysterically basic machines such as the Perodua Kelisa. Thankfully that undeniably poor and potentially suicide inducing machine has been euthanised. Dacia are a new brand to the UK and their aim is to produce a car from one segment for the cost of another in a lower one. For example; our Sandero Access test car is in the same category as the Ford Fiesta, but you can have one for £5,995 making it as cheap as a supermini. How? Well Dacia are a sub-brand of Renault and as the French company develops parts and conducts costly R&D for its cars, Dacia benefits from sharing these new components but does not incur the cost of producing them. The result is a car that can undercut competitors by a considerable margin. What makes the Sandero different to the intolerable Kelisa is that Perodua had to make the car cheap and nasty to keep costs down, Dacia on the other hand have access to good quality parts at low prices from the get-go.
Granted, the Sandero isn’t going to be winning any beauty pageants in the near future with its rather stocky generic small car shape, but it isn’t exactly ugly either. The Access model, lovingly known as “UN spec,” only comes in white with black plastic bumpers. It actually doesn’t even come with a stereo but Dacia’s philosophy is that you can pay only for what you want. For a small amount Dacia will fit your Sandero with a stereo if that is what you wish, but if you don’t all the wiring is in place for you to go to Halfords and pop a £40 unit in yourself. The low budget airline way of thinking extends to the warranty also meaning that if you want it you can pay a little bit extra for a 7 year warranty that stays with the car even after it is sold.
So what do you get at the absolute cheapest price? The Sandero Access is powered by a 1.2 litre 16 valve 74BHP engine that is perfectly adequate for the size of car. Seating five in a cabin that offers plenty of leg and head room, you can’t fault it for the amount of space on offer. Some of the plastics don’t look very appealing to the eye but every surface does have a very durable feel to it which is quite an achievement in a car that costs this little. The seats are actually rather comfortable and my only real ergonomic gripe with the Access is that the plastic steering wheel isn’t the most comfortable thing to grip for extended periods of time, but again only an extra £500 would move you up a trim level. The boot of this Dacia is vast for the size of car. 320 litres of shopping space as well as split-folding rear seats makes this a very practical car indeed.
The little 1.2 litre engine is surprisingly smooth around town and won’t leave you cursing at junctions about not having the grunt to take advantage of a gap. When you get up to speed the engine doesn’t produce the sweetest sound combustion has gifted us but it is passable. The lack of sound proofing at over 45MPH is noticeable with wind and road noise filling the cabin, to combat this we recommend that optional stereo. Through the corners the steering is nice and direct giving the Sandero quite a nimble feel, though body roll when cornering at speed is a bit more than what we would have liked. The suspension has a lot to do with the roll but the trade is that the car is good at tackling Britons battered roads. Potholes and cracks don’t appear to phase the little car all that much. Pushing the car harder is quite entertaining as it reveals its no frills, pure function character. As it pitches into a turn revving highly in its gruff voice you can help but smile at its try hard attitude. The Dacia Sandero is, even in it most basic form, enjoyable to drive.
In conclusion, this Sandero Access is a refreshingly honest car in a highly competitive market. It is an eye opener showing that a “good car” does not need all of the toys under the sun to be classed as good. This is not a machine that could take on class leaders such as the Fiesta, but for the money you will not find a better brand new car.
The Renault Clio is the bread and butter of the French companies model range and with the industry going through tough times in Europe, this cars sales are more important than ever. This is the all-new Renault Clio 4, a chic new interpretation of a car that has sold in vast numbers in previous generations. The 2013 incarnation sports a bold new design that shouts from the rooftops “Va Va Voom is back!” It is bold and aims to reinvent the brand. The car it replaces was conservative in design, but Renault are keen to promote a premium product in the 4th generation Clio and so blending into the class was not on the agenda.
Visually it looks every bit as modern as it claims to be, bringing a little bit of French design to the roads. There is no longer a three door body style for the Clio but by hiding the rear door handles Renault have managed to give the hatchback an almost coupe appearance. It sits lower to the road and is wider than its predecessor making for an object that does turn heads when out and about. The gloss black skirting is also a nice unique design feature for a car in this class. Renault have put a big emphasis on making this new Clio “your own” with a wide range of customisation options including external sticker designs, new interior coloured trim and a range of alloy wheels to choose from at not extra cost.
The interior has taken a real step forwards in terms of architecture and quality. Our 0.9 litre Dynamique MediaNav TCe 90 test car was trimmed with some very good looking piano black plastics and was dominated by the cars new touch screen media system. The system housed inside the console allows for easy access to the radio, satellite navigation and BlueTooth settings. The blue trimmed cabin is very well engineered in terms of ergonomics with a comfortable seating positions and a steering wheel that fits very nicely to the hand. Air conditioning controls were in easy to reach positions and are highlighted with neat LED lighting as they are adjusted. Also finding a home within the cars interior are the new Bass Reflex speakers that allow for high levels of clarity even at antisocial levels of volume. It is clear that Renault have packed the Clio 4 with tech and as a result the interior of the car is a very pleasant place to be.
On the road this particular Clio does struggle in some areas. Its turbocharged petrol engine may produce 90BHP but it has to be worked very hard to get the most out of it. All of the power is right at the top of the rev range and though its turbo produces very little lag, it does become little tiresome having to work the gearbox so comprehensively to go anywhere quick. The Clio’s merits lay within its chassis and suspension. The ride is very smooth even on the UK’s battered tarmac surface and the responsiveness when you want to change the cars direction is most welcome. There is a notable amount of body roll when cornering at speed and the steering doesn’t offer too much in the way of driver feedback, that said the cars breaks are very good.
This TCe 90 is good for 62MPG and emits just 104g/km of CO2. I personally think this specific Clio’s problem is the three cylinder engine under the bonnet. It ticks all of the boxes as far as looking after the environment is concerned but when you just want this car to be a revvy little petrol hatchback you can take onto B-roads and just throw into corners the unit provides very little enthusiasm. I genuinely like the brand new car very much with its high quality finishes and curvaceous looks, but I was rather hoping that this pint-sized petrol engine would behave more like an excited Jack Russell.
As an everyday car the 2013 Renault Clio has what it takes to compete with the top of its class, and with the best Euro NCAP results, family buyers should take note. However, the diesel engine is the pick of the bunch.
Several years ago while holidaying in France my eyes were cast upon one of the most unpleasant looking cars that I have ever seen. It was made by a small Romanian company called Dacia and was called the Solenza. This ridiculous little saloon didn’t have the power to pull the skin off of a rice pudding and looked so flimsy I’m pretty sure the chassis was made out of toothpicks and discarded chewing gum. It won’t surprise you then when I tell you that this car never set foot on the shores of Great Britain. The fact has been that if you wanted to go and buy a Renault produced Romanian car and happened to live in Britain, you would have had to travel to the continent to do so. Until now.
Despite the jokes and speculation over this super-cheap hatchback, with hordes of people mocking its origins and somewhat spartan looks, I felt as though this was a car that had to be tested. “There is no way that you can go to a garage and buy a brand new car for under £6,000 and travel more than 5 miles without the engine, doors or seats disintegrating” was my first thought, but my goodness was I wrong.
Stepping into the Dacia Sandero is a somewhat pleasant experience for someone as tall as myself and I felt comfortable in the seats which although didn’t provide the comfort of a BMW or Audi, were more than supportive in a car which costs about the same as a “nice watch.” In the Laureate model you are greeted with an LG produced touchscreen panel which allows you access to a number of functions like Satellite Navigation, Bluetooth, Maps and the Arkamys radio which you will also find in the new Renault Clio. Surprisingly this is only a £250 extra and well worth it. An attractive combination of chrome trim and a matted black effect meets a happy medium between bland and migraine-inducing bling with a comfortable steering wheel and attractive easy on the eye dials displaying MPG and other essentials. A leather steering wheel and gear knob also gives the cockpit a touch of class and the ‘carbon black’ cloth trim matches tastefully to the rest of the interior.
Arguably the weakest point of this car is its exterior. Striking chrome across the front grille (standard on the Laureate) and an eye-catching badge perching on top of a tasteful front bumper with two leering fog lights sets the tone, but along the sides this car leaves a lot to be desired. A somewhat clunky shape gives the Sandero the aerodynamic qualities of a barn. At the back a small lip spoiler adds some finesse to a questionably lumpy rear but this is understandable as the Sandero boasts a class-leading 320L boot with enough space to accommodate a large family shop. Thanks to a £425 option the alloy wheels wouldn’t look amiss on a any established hatchback.
Under the bonnet sits a little 1.5 diesel capable of kicking out 90 horsepower with 220nm torque @ 1,750 rpm. In a car that weighs a little over 1,000kg this means you’ll reach 60mph in a nudge over 12 seconds and hit 107mph. Speed is not the point of this car though, with excellent economy means you’ll be looking at 65mpg around town and anywhere up to 80mpg on the motorway. Thanks to it sitting smugly at 99g/km C02 you’ll also be in the lowest possible tax band.
It may not be the most engaging car to drive and its skinny tyres do leave a desire for more grip, but the car bumbles along quite nicely. The good levels of torque help the Sandero keep pace and its lack of weight makes it relatively nimble. Body roll through the corners, however, is noticeable and the suspension at times does struggle with the roughness of British roads.
What we have here then is a well built, very well equipped little hatchback with wallet-pleasing economy that costs a shade under £11,000 with this model coming in at exactly £10,940. Can I see this outselling the Ford Fiesta and other competitors? No. That’s not the Sandero’s aim. But what I can see is this giving the big companies something to worry about. I wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing a mass of budget hatches hitting the road soon from Volkswagen and Ford. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing a bigger push from Kia and Hyundai trying to pull their prices down to match the Dacia. Only time will tell, and with orders of the cars pushing 2,000 already, time is running out.
