Hyundai has revealed prices and specifications for its updated Bayon crossover SUV.
Hyundai has revealed its updated Bayon compact SUV, which features revised exterior styling, more driving assistance systems and a greater array of exterior colours, with prices starting at £22,480.
The brand has kept things simple under the bonnet, with just a single engine offered across the trim levels. The 1.0-litre turbocharged T-GDI petrol engine produces 98bhp and 200Nm of torque, while a choice of six-speed manual and seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearboxes are on offer.
On the outside, revised Bayon has received new LED headlights and horizontal daytime running lights, a new front grille and redesigned bumper. At the rear, there is a fresh LED taillight signature and an updated rear bumper, as well as four new paint finishes that include Vibrant Blue Pearl, Meta Blue Pearl, Lucid Lime Metallic and Lumen Grey Pearl.
Buyers will have the choice of three trim levels, starting with the entry-level Advance model that is priced at £22,480 and comes specified with 16-inch alloy wheels, electric heated folding door mirrors, automatic lights, LED headlights, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation and a 10.25-inch driver’s instrument cluster.
The updated Bayon will be available in nine different exterior colours. (Credit: Hyundai Newsroom)
In addition to the exterior revisions, Bayon receives a new suite of driver safety and assistance systems as standard across the range that include Lane Keep Assist and Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, as well as rear view camera and parking sensors, with additional front parking sensors on Premium and Ultimate models.
Moving up to the Premium trim level starts at £23,880 and boasts automatic climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers, automatic dipping rear view mirror, privacy glass and front parking sensors.
Top-of-the-line Ultimate has prices starting from £25,280 and that secures a Bose premium sound system, wireless phone charging, keyless entry with push button start, as well as an electric tilt and slide sunroof.
Customers can also part with an additional £800 on Premium and Ultimate models to receive Smart Cruise Control, an updated Forward Collision Avoidance assistant (FCA 1.5) that detects pedestrians and cyclists, as well as Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist.
The updated Bayon is available to order from today and deliveries are expected to arrive later this year.
The vacation period is here and what better way to enjoy it than with your friends and family on a road trip.
Every year, thousands of motorists take to the roads for their summer holidays to enjoy the open road while getting to that dream destination.
When we go on a car journey, the first thing we think about is how to get to our destination as quickly as possible, which can often leave mechanical checks falling by the wayside.
The last thing you want out of a long journey is to be greeted with a flat tyre, mechanical gremlins or even worse, a breakdown.
To prevent any of these problems from occurring, we’ve compiled a list of checks to do before you encounter the long miles ahead.
Here is our guide to things to look for a trip away this summer.
Check the tyres
Make sure your tyres have plenty of tread and have no signs of damage. (Bentley)
When it comes to vehicle assessment, one of the most important things to do is to check your tyres. Look at their condition – are there any cracks, or perishing? Look for the tread depths, remembering that the legal limit in the UK is 1.6mm. You can buy a tread depth indicator to make sure you’re spot-on, too.
Furthermore, most tyres come with a date located on the sidewall itself, indicating the week and year of their manufacturing – if they are old, our advice would be to replace them. If your car has a spare tyre then ensure that this is all topped up and looking good too.
Also, check the tyre pressures, especially if you’re carrying more than one person as having low or odd PSi can cause the vehicle to behave differently and dangerously. You may also have to adjust your pressures if you’re carrying more people or luggage than usual.
Top up the levels if necessary
Top up your windscreen washer with the correct fluid
Before heading off on your journey, it’s a good idea to check your car’s oil levels. Running a car low on oil can seriously damage its engine or – even worse – could cause the internals to disintegrate. Make sure the oil level is between the minimum and maximum mark – which should be noted on the engine’s dipstick. If you need to top it up, use the correct oil for your car – you’ll be able to find this information out via the vehicle’s handbook or by asking the retailer.
Remember to top up your screenwash, because this time of year a lot of bugs can get splattered onto the windscreen. We’d also recommend looking at your brake fluid and coolant, as these are vital fluids for the safe performance of your car. If you’ve got any concerns – or don’t feel comfortable topping these fluids up yourself – then ask a trained professional for help.
Check the brakes
Check the brakes to ensure that the pads have plenty of life (Alfa Romeo)
One of the most vital safety components of your vehicle is the brakes. Check that the brake discs aren’t scored, pitted, corroded or warped as these mechanical defects can affect how they perform. Also, look at how much ‘life’ is left of your brake pads; a tip would be to try and get your finger between the gap of the brake caliper and the pad itself.
If you can feel the pad within the gap, your pads have got plenty of life left in them, if you can’t get to them – they need replacing. Of course, don’t try this after the car has been used as these components can get very hot.
Take a tool kit and jack
Most modern cars won’t come with a spare wheel or tyre, instead, they will have compact foam repair kits to save weight and space. But, if your car does come with a spare tyre, wheel or space saver, don’t forget to check that your tool kit and jack are in their place.
If you have the misfortune to receive a puncture, then having these tools will save you great pain and stress from having to trundle around trying to find the nearest tyre shop – especially if you’re in an unknown area. If you’re unsure, then there are plenty of guides on how to change a wheel online.
Have breakdown cover in place
(Nissan)
If you’re heading particularly further afield then it’s worthwhile having some breakdown cover in place. This can be a real saving grace if your car is stricken down while you’re out and about and even more so when you’ve got a number of people in the car.
If you’re travelling abroad, then ensure that this cover applies to the other countries you’ll be travelling to.
Put a first aid kit in
A first aid kit may sound a little over the top but it can come in handy for your entire journey/holiday. If you’re carrying a lot of passengers or small children it’s good to carry some essential plasters, bandages, scissors and alcohol wipes as small injuries can still occur wherever you are and you will be appreciative of having it with you if you’ve got small children who can hurt themselves quite easily.
New research finds that by 2026, 25 per cent of all driving tests conducted will be in cars with two pedals.
One in four driving tests will be in automatic cars by 2026 – a trend that is only set to increase once the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect, a new study has predicted.
The prediction comes from AA Driving School which has used new data from the Driving Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA). The agency found that in 2022/23, 17 per cent of all passes were conducted in cars with two pedals, compared with 13.4 per cent the previous year (2021/22), while in 2013/14, just five per cent of people passed their tests in autos.
The rise in numbers are to do with the number of instructors using automatics for their vehicles to teach their students, said the driving school. In January of this year, 21 per cent of AA franchisees were using automatics compared with 79 per cent using manuals.
The figures are set to increase even further as the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars gets nearer, as electric cars use automatic gearboxes.
Camilla Benitz, Managing Director, AA Driving School said: “As EVs and hybrids become more popular due to lower day-to-day running costs and as the impending ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars gets closer, more people are choosing to learn in an automatic.”
She added: “We see this trend continuing and the need for manual tuition declining, though manual licences will remain important for some drivers as they will want the option to drive a larger variety of vehicles.”
The data collected also showed that older learners are more likely to have lessons in an automatic than younger learners. Of the school’s current automatic pupils, 43 per cent are over 30 (10 per cent of overall pupils) compared to just 17 per cent who are 17-20 years old (four per cent of overall pupils).
The first electric Alfa Romeo will start at £33,895 and can travel up to 250 miles on a single charge.
Alfa Romeo has revealed prices and specifications for its first electric model – the Junior Elettrica, to give it its full title.
There will be three trim levels and two power outputs available at launch. The standard powertrain consists of a 158bhp electric motor and will offer a driving range of up to 250 miles on a single charge. The higher powered model, dubbed the Elettrica 240 Veloce, comes with a 243bhp motor that delivers a claimed 215 miles between charging sessions.
The entry level model, simply known as the Junior Ellectrica, will start at £33,895, making it nearly £2,000 cheaper than one of its key competitors – the Peugeot e-2008 – which starts at £35,700.
There are two power outputs. (Credit: Stellantis Media)
The standard Alfa Romeo Junior comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps and taillights, adaptive cruise control, a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, ambient lighting and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.
Move up to the Junior Speciale, which starts at £35,695, and customers will receive satellite navigation, a 180-degree rear view camera, an electric tailgate, keyless entry and rear privacy glass, as well as a driver’s seat with massage functionality.
The top-of-the-line Veloce is only available with the more powerful 243bhp powertrain and prices start at £42,295.
The Veloce model will only be offered with the more powerful 243bhp setup. (Credit: Stellantis Media)
This range-topping variant sports a Torsen limited slip differential that can distribute torque between the wheels, as well as sportier 25mm lowered suspension, red sport brake calipers, 20-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, a black roof, a sports styling kit, sports seats and an equally racy steering wheel.
Order books open later this month for the new Junior Ellectrica, with prices and specification yet to be revealed for the Ibrida hybrid variant, which is expected to feature a 134bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a 28bhp electric motor.
However, Alfa Romeo is yet to confirm whether this hybrid version is to be sold in the UK market.
Renault has high hopes that its coupe-styled hybrid SUV will steal sales away from the BMW X4. Cameron Richards went to Spain to find out.
What is it?
The Rafale will be hybrid-only in the UK
The Rafale is the car that will complete the Renault SUV line-up here in the UK, sitting above the Scenic E-Tech, Arkana and Austral as the flagship SUV in the range and going up against competition from BMW, Audi and Hyundai.
Renault is focusing a lot on its future electrification plans and badges its hybrid and electric vehicles with the E-Tech name. However, the Rafale will be sold on our shores only as a hybrid.
What’s new?
The rear of the Rafale is striking in design
The Rafale name is a new addition to the Renault family and is the French word for ‘wind’, relating to the company’s part in aviation with the Caudron-Renault Rafale that flew at 277mph in 1934.
While that plane may be relatively old today, the Rafale’s design is brand-new with a bold-looking interior matching a new exterior design language which ties it in with some of this French firm’s other cars while still establishing itself as a model in its own right.
What’s under the bonnet?
Alpine badges feature on higher spec models
From launch, there will be one powertrain on offer, and that is a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 128bhp and 205Nm of torque. From there, it’s hooked up to a pair of electric motors and, in total, the Rafale kicks out 197bhp.It has a top speed of 111mph and can do 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds, while a claimed 60.1mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 105g/km mean that the Rafale is remarkably clean-running for a car of this size.
All Rafale models come with multi-link rear suspension and a four-wheel-drive system as standard, while later down the line a 304bhp performance version to fit into the range.
What’s it like to drive?
In Seville testing the new Renault Rafale E-Tech — driving impressions will be revealed soon. pic.twitter.com/FtHHqxuBM8
The Rafale rivals SUVs such as the BMW X4, however behind the wheel the big Renault doesn’t quite match up to its German competitor.
The engine and transmission seem to have a hesitant and jerky transition from switching from combustion to electric mode which makes the car feel a little unsettled at speeds. Rear visibility is poor due to the small rear window and thick C-pillars and there is no rear windscreen wiper – which is frustrating when the screen is dirty.
However, our test car came with four-wheel steering called 4Control makes it easier to manoeuvre and gives it a tighter turning circle than you might think.
Overall performance is acceptable enough, and it’s reasonably refined at speeds with not too much road and tyre noise, but wind noise on the motorway is more noticeable than expected.
The Rafale also has an acceptable ride, though the suspension doesn’t seem to settle down over minor imperfections when travelling at slower speeds. However, even though the steering felt vague and a bit ponderous, it does go around corners with minimal fuss and very little body roll.
How does it look?
The new Rafale feels composed at speed
Coupe-like SUVs have become more popular ever since the BMW X6 kickstarted the trend back in the late 2000s.The Renault certainly has a unique look to it with its sloping roof design and distinctive Nouvel’R front end. The boomerang-style LED daytime running lights and front headlights that merge into the front radiator grille show similarities to Renault’s smaller SUV, the Austral.
However, the side profile looks a little anonymous, with a resemblance to the Nissan Qashqai, which is no surprise since the Renault Group owns Nissan.
What’s it like inside?
The interior of the Rafale gets Renault’s latest tech
The Rafale adopts Renault’s latest interior layout, similar to the one you’ll find on the latest Scenic. You get a larger rectangular steering wheel with a paddle shift for the regenerative braking and you have a 12-inch portrait infotainment screen that is angled towards the driver for a sportier alongside a 12.3-inch dashboard display.The cabin materials throughout the top half of the dashboard and door cards are soft and have a premium feel, however, lower down the glove box and lower centre console suffer from harder materials. There are also physical buttons for climate control and they are intuitive to use.
There is plenty of room in the back with a lot of leg and headroom, regardless of the sloping roofline and our test car’s Solarbay panoramic roof. A small transmission tunnel means that the middle seat passenger doesn’t struggle too much to sit comfortably either.
Boot space stands at 647 litres with the seats in place, which is over 120 litres more than a BMW X4. Fold the seats down and the Rafale’s boot space expands to 1,600 litres making it slightly smaller altogether than a Hyundai Santa Fe. However, the rear seats do not fold down flat making it harder to push heavier items to the back of the vehicle.
What’s the spec like?
The main screen is packed with features
Here in the UK, we are getting three different trim levels for this hybrid coupe SUV.The entry-level Techno starts at £38,195 and gets front and rear parking sensors, multi-link suspension and a 12-inch multimedia touchscreen. The mid-spec Techno Esprit Alpine comes in at £42,195 and boasts a heated steering wheel and front seats, rearview camera, ambient lighting a powered tailgate and 4Control four-wheel-steering.
Our test car was the top-of-the-line Iconic Esprit Alpine, priced at £44,695 and featuring 12 speakers, a 360-degree 3D camera, Matrix LED headlights and front Renault logo puddle lamps.
There will be a 304bhp plug-in-hybrid variant, called the Rafale Atelier launched later this year with pricing and specifications yet to be announced.
Verdict
Renault’s flagship SUV offers high levels of standard equipment with reasonable pricing and running costs.
Even though the driving experience isn’t the best in its class, it still performs well when it comes to comfort and ease of ownership.
Practicality is one of its stronger points, with boot space larger than some of its key rivals, while the interior is a nice place to be with space inside good enough to accommodate four average-sized adults comfortably.
As an overall package, the Rafale should be a hit with British buyers, we just think if the power delivery was smoother and it had a better drive, it would make the French SUV even more tempting.
Polestar is looking to ramp things up in 2024. While it may have seen a lot of popularity with its classy 2, that car has been on the roads for a little while now with its Swedish maker left to talk about not an awful lot else. That all changes soon, with a flurry of new models hitting the tarmac, including this – the 3. It’s a car which enters into the popular electric SUV segment and does so with all manner of battery-powered bells and whistles.
With a new platform underneath and loads of clever tech inside, the Polestar 3 certainly has the ingredients to succeed, but can it? We’ve been behind the wheel to find out.
What’s new?
As mentioned, there are a lot of very new aspects to the Polestar 3. Underneath, it’s got a brand-new platform – created by Polestar’s owners Geely and shared with other brands within its stable, including Volvo – which allows for loads of interior space and some super-fast charging speeds too. While the Polestar 3’s Volvo cousin – the EX90 – might be available with seven seats, this car is a strict five-seater, however.
Elsewhere, we’ve got the same stripped-back Scandi design approach that we’ve seen put to good use in the smaller 2, though plenty of high-end materials aim to boost the premium feel inside while ensuring a solid, enduring feel to the whole car.
What’s under the bonnet?
As with the Polestar 2, the 3 will be available with a number of powertrain options. It launches, however, with two – Long range Dual motor or Long range Dual motor with Performance Pack, with the latter, as you might expect, shaving the 3’s 0-60mph time down through more torque and power though reducing overall range as a result.
However, the ‘regular’ dual motor version isn’t a slouch. In fact. It’ll manage 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds, yet can still return up to 390 miles of range. The performance model, in contrast, has a claimed range of up to 348 miles between trips to the plug. The good news, however, is that because the 3 can accept charging speeds of up to 250kW, it’ll take just 30 minutes to charge its massive 107kWh battery from 10 to 80 per cent.
What’s it like to drive?
Polestar has aimed to put some ‘sportiness’ into its cars and though we’d argue that a 2.67-tonne SUV is unlikely to ever really be dynamic, it puts up a good fight in this area – mainly thanks to the fitment of a clever torque-vectoring system on the rear axle. It corners neatly and flatly, but what shines through most of all is the refinement – it’s quiet, comfortable and feels particularly at ease when travelling at higher speeds. The steering is relatively mute overall but it’s accurate enough to place the car where you want it easily. Rearward visibility isn’t the best, mind you, and the large rearward pillars mean over-the-shoulder visibility is impaired considerably.
Of course, this is quite a big bus, so threading it along narrower roads and streets does take a fair bit of concentration, but once you’re used to it things aren’t that bad. Is it sporty? Not particularly. But Polestar has done well to make the 3 easy-going in nature, which is what you’re after in a large SUV.
How does it look?
Polestar’s 2 set the tone for the brand’s future styling and though the 3 might have a load of its own design touches, there’s still a common thread connecting them both. It’s an impressive thing up close, mind you, with its upright stance and slim, razor-sharp headlights combined to make a car which has a lot of presence. While Polestar’s famous white colour will be the go-to for many, we’d argue that the 3 does look impressive in some of the other shades available, though there aren’t all that many to choose from.
Around the rear, there’s the full-width lightbar which is so common in the market – and loved by makers of EVs – but it does play into the futuristic look that the 3 is going for overall.
What’s it like inside?
As mentioned, Polestar’s vehicles have always had a certain Scandinavian, uncomplicated way about them and the 3 is no different. You’ll not find the interior adorned with numerous buttons or toggles, as much of the forward cabin is focused around the large portrait-orientated screen. Fortunately, there’s a display ahead of the driver, which means you’ve got those much-needed readouts right in front when you need them.
But space is good. The rear seats offer loads of legroom and headroom and everything has a solid feel to it. While Vegan materials are used as standard, the 3 is also available with a full leather interior which does seem to represent a concerted push towards more premium brands. A 597-litre boot – when loaded to the roof – seems a touch small given how large the car is overall, though the 55-litre ‘frunk’ under the bonnet is ideal for storing the charging cables in.
What’s the spec like?
Polestar is definitely giving the 3 a premium price tag. It’s priced from £79,900, which is a decent wedge of cash and nearly £10,000 more than you’d pay for an entry-level Audi Q8 e-tron. That said, the 3 counters with some very nifty technology which outshines the German-made cars in many areas. The main screen, which runs Android Automotive software is sharp and responsive, with plenty of those must-have features – such as Google Maps – coming pre-installed and running flawlessly, particularly when compared to other in-house navigation systems.
There’s a wireless charging pad as standard too – though since it has been made flush with the fascia your smartphone can easily slide off when accelerating – while features such as a massive panoramic roof, electric tailgate and a 360-degree parking camera all come as standard too. Add in many of the Polestar 3’s standard features to the Audi and the price would ramp up considerably.
Verdict
The electric SUV segment is a busy one. A lot of carmakers started off their electric journeys with high-riding models and that means the Polestar 3 is entering into difficult territory. However, while the wait for another Polestar model may have been long, the arrival of the 3 marks a positive forward step for the Swedish brand. It’s a comfortable and well-made car, this one, and has all of the technology on-board that you’d expect.
While we’d argue that it’d be worth hanging on until later this year for the arrival of the single-motor version – which was the strongest setup in the older 2 – the launch dual-motor 3 represents a good effort and one which should stand out in this very busy crowd.
