R-S of new cars
From the new Renault Clio,to the forthcoming SEAT Leon, we round up 2013's best cars from R-S
Renault Clio On sale: January 2013Price: From £10,595
Fourth-generation Renault Clio has a much bolder design and will be sold as a five-door only. As well as the stunning new shape, there’s plenty of new tech – with the highlight under the bonnet. There are two new engines: an 898cc three-cylinder petrol turbo and a 90bhp 1.5-litre diesel emitting 83g/km. Buyers will be able to pick between a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and a five-speed manual, while the steering is quicker and the suspension a bit firmer than on the old Clio. Some won’t like the fact there’s no three-door, but the new car should still help lift Renault sales in the UK.
Renault Clio SUV On sale: Late 2013Price: From £16,000 (est.)
Renault’s Nissan Juke rival is, in fact, based on the Juke, but will take styling cues from the new Clio hatch. Despite the shared platform, the Clio SUV will offer smarter tech than the Nissan – like a removable dash-mounted tablet computer – and have more load space. Four engines will be offered: two petrol and two diesel.
Renault ZOE On sale: Early 2013Price: £13,650 plus battery hire
While the all-new Clio concentrates on conventional power sources, Renault’s ZOE electric car has also begun rolling off the same production line in Flins, France. It arrives in the UK early next year, and will cost from £13,650, which includes a Government incentive of £5,000. You’ll also need to stump up £70 per month to hire the battery, although that includes roadside recovery should you run out of juice. Our first drive of an early model revealed that the ZOE has plenty of promise, with bold looks, plus decent performance and practicality.
Driven it: Jack Rix“We’ve only driven the ZOE in the snow, but the early signs are impressive. It’s affordable, practical (with a huge 338-litre boot), simple to use and attractive.”
Renaultsport Clio 200 EDC On sale: May 2013Price: From £19,000 (est.)
The new Renaultsport Clio will only be offered as a five-door, with the Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) auto box. Plus, the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engine has made way for a 1.6 turbo – so purists aren’t happy. A bodykit and 17-inch alloys ensure it looks great, though. Power is the same as in the old car, at 197bhp, but torque is up 25Nm to 240Nm. And the new engine and gearbox also reduce CO2 emissions by 25 per cent.
Rolls-Royce Art Deco Edition On sale: NowPrice: From £200,000 (est.)
Rolls-Royce has created a trio of Phantom and Ghost models to celebrate the Art Deco era of the twenties and thirties. The Ghost features a silver-and-blue exterior, with Art Deco motifs for the interior, while the Phantom saloon has a black-and-white cabin with hand-made stainless steel inlays in the telephone drawer, door cappings and picnic tables. There’s also a light-blue Phantom Drophead Coupe with mother of pearl interior inlays. All three cars come with Art Deco-inspired works of art, created by Rolls-Royce’s design team.
SEAT Leon On sale: NowPrice: From £15,670
Fancy a new VW Golf with a smaller price tag? You could do worse than its sister car: the all-new SEAT Leon. It’s built on the same, advanced MQB platform that underpins the Golf and new Audi A3, comes with a fresh range of engines and weighs less than before. There’s more equipment, too, with each Leon getting a colour touchscreen and Bluetooth as standard. It looks better than the old car inside and out, but does appear to have lost some of its individuality. The FR is also toned down, and now has a 181bhp 2.0-litre diesel, plus there’s a sub-100g/km Ecomotive model from launch. A three-door will arrive at March’s Geneva Motor Show, with an ST estate following later in 2013.
SEAT Toledo On sale: NovemberPrice: From £12,495
SEAT’s new Toledo is based on the same platform as the Ibiza, but crams in much more space. As with its Skoda Rapid sister car, the Toledo features an enormous 550-litre boot, plus plenty of space in the cabin for the driver and passengers. It also promises good value, but isn’t the most sparkling drive.
Driven it: Luke Madden“The Toledo is the kind of car you buy with your head. It’s not particularly luxurious or fun to drive, but excels at all things practical and sensible.”
Skoda Rapid On sale: NovemberPrice: From £12,900
Like its SEAT Toledo sister model, the Skoda Rapid majors on space and value for money. We’ve already driven the car and can confirm that the interior is massive, with loads of space for occupants in the front and rear, as well as a 550-litre boot. There’s nothing cut-price about the way the Rapid looks, either. It showcases Skoda’s new design language, and appears less fussy than the current Yeti SUV and Superb family cars.Styling cues have been taken from the Vision D hatchback concept, which established Skoda’s new design direction when it was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show last year. The Rapid will be sold with a choice of four petrol engines and one diesel from launch.
Driven it: Luke Madden“While the Rapid lacks some of the polish of costlier rivals, it’s a great all-rounder that will find lots of buyers.”
Smart ForStars On sale: 2014Price: From £10,000 (est.)
The ForStars gives us the best idea yet of what the next ForTwo will look like when it arrives in two years’ time. The ForTwo replacement is likely to grow in size, and will share the same rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive platform as the next Renault Twingo, as the cars are being developed together. For now, the ForStars is a pure concept, but it shows us what to expect from the design themes of the new ForTwo, as well as the new ForFour. Its high-riding stance previews a new mini-SUV version of the city car, too.
SsangYong E-XIV On sale: 2014Price: From £15,000 (est.)
The name stands for Electric, eXciting user-Interface Vehicle, and the e-XIV concept points to a new model that will sit below the Korando in SsangYong’s range. The concept has a 1.0-litre two-cylinder petrol engine and a 16kWh electric motor, running off a lithium-ion battery pack. It has a 370-mile range – 49 miles on electric only.
Suzuki S-Cross Concept On sale: Late 2013Price: From £17,000 (est.)
The S-Cross concept points to a new crossover that will sit above the SX4 in Suzuki’s range, and take the fight to the Nissan Qashqai. It’s built on an all-new platform, and its sporty, pumped-up wheelarches house 20-inch alloy wheels for a much more athletic look than the SX4. There’s also higher ground clearance, plus a front skid plate, LED headlamps and a black mesh grille. Engines have yet to be announced, but the company has confirmed that the S-Cross will be offered in two and four-wheel drive. Suzuki UK general manager Dale Wyatt said: “We think if we can have a family car crossover with a competitive family car price, that will be a nice sweet spot for us.”
