Author: Jack Evans

The Volvo XC60 has been named overall Towcar of the Year 2025

The Volvo XC60 has been crowned Towcar of the Year 2025, fending off a raft of impressive competitors from BMW to Volkswagen.

The Swedish SUV was named the overall victor by the Caravan and Motorhome Club. Its annual competition has been running for 42 years and is organised to find the best towing vehicles for the caravanning and leisure markets.

The XC60, in T6 Plug-in Hybrid AWD Plus guise, was handed the award after receiving high praise from a panel of industry-leading judges. It also scooped three further category wins – caravan weight over 1,800kg, Family Towcars and Hybrid Towcars – proving that it’s a top choice for caravanners.

Judges agreed the mid-sized Volvo SUV offered effortless performance, strong towing capability, excellent comfort levels and a roomy interior, along with easy driving characteristics.

The XC60 was one of 33 cars tested by the Club at the world famous Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. The testing comprised several hundred laps of the two-mile high-speed bowl and ‘alpine’ hill route. Tests included hill starts on a 17 per cent gradient, a 26 per cent downhill brake test, and acceleration tests from a standstill to motorway speeds. Practical tests also took place, including loading boots with caravanning paraphernalia.

All cars were ballasted and were hitched to caravans ballasted to 85 per cent of the cars’ kerbweights, or towing limits if lower, to both create a level playing field and replicate accurate real-world towing conditions.

Aside from the XC60 winning the overall gong, its weight category, the Hybrid, and Family Cars awards, other top towcars were named in the competition, too. The electric Volkswagen ID.7 took the spoils in the lightest weight category, caravan weight under 1,200kg. Volkswagen also won the 1,200-1,300kg category with its Golf Estate Style 1.5 eTSI 150PS DSG.

The 1,300kg-1,500kg weight category was won by the new Skoda Superb Estate 1.5 TSi e-TEC 150PS DSG, while taking the caravan weight 1,500kg-1,600kg, Luxury Towcars, and Electric Towcars gongs was the newly launched BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro Touring.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate 77.4kWh 328PS AWD and the now back-on-sale Volvo V90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid AWD Ultra took the 1,600-1,700kg and 1,700kg-1,800kg category wins respectively, while scooping the Pick-ups gong was the Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 TDI 4Motion. The German manufacturer also walked off with the Large Family Cars award for its Multivan 2.0 TDI.

Nick Lomas, director general of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said: “We would like to offer our sincere congratulations to all the worthy winners in the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2025 Awards.

“Our panel of independent judges were able to evaluate the entrants in order to provide professional, qualified and unbiased information to help everyone who plans to buy a towing vehicle.

“Leisure vehicle holidays continue to be hugely popular and here at the Caravan and Motorhome Club we know our 1m+ members eagerly await the results of these awards in order to help them make an informed decision and help them to find the perfect towcar for their needs.”

By James Batchelor

The British-built crossover has been pictured hanging from a chimney in London as part of an ongoing advertising campaign.

Nissan has already broken a world record for the longest bungee jump involving a car with its latest Qashqai, and now its campaign to draw attention to the model has continued in the capital.

The latest stunt the firm has pulled off is at the 49-metre tall Truman brewery chimney in Shoreditch, London.

But instead of fixing a real version of the car to the chimney, Nissan decided to create a replica.

The Qashqai in question is made of fibreglass and measures 6.5 metres in length, 2.7 metres in width and 2.4 metres in height. In total, the vehicle weighs around 750kg and is one-and-a-half times the size of a real car.

A spokesperson for Nissan said: “We’re very proud of this British-built model and wanted to show it off for everyone to see. So we figured, why not park it in a place where it can’t be missed?”

Since 2006, Nissan’s Sunderland plant has produced more than four million Qashqais, including around 140,000 units of the latest e-Power model.

A total of 50 people were involved in the planning and executing of the stunt with the car set to remain in place until September 22.

Meanwhile, the latest model includes an updated exterior design with a new front grille and rear tailights, as well as enhancements to the interior including a larger infotainment system and other upgrades including Google Built-in.

The car is on sale now with prices starting at £30,135 and rising to £38,875 for the top-of-the-line Tekna+ model.

By Cameron Richards

The automotive industry is facing one of the biggest challenges since the car was invented. What could we see in the future from how they are fuelled?

Among the wider world, there’s a big focus on climate change and how our impact on the environment can be reduced. In the motoring scene, that means bringing down carbon emissions and putting more weight behind electrification, which is why we’re seeing a far greater number of electric vehicles released with each passing month.

However, there are some alternatives to electric vehicles that have emerged, but what are they and could they provide us with a cleaner way to get from A to B? Let’s take a look.

Smaller, more efficient petrol engines

Believe it or not, petrol engines are the most efficient they have ever been. A lot of that comes down to increased development, the wider use of turbochargers and a greater number of smaller-capacity engines which put efficiency right at the top of the list of priorities. Plus, the integration of mild-hybrid systems into petrol – and occasionally diesel – engines has allowed them to squeeze extra miles out of every drop of fuel.

Mild-hybrid technology is becoming more and more popular among car manufacturers as it offers a lot of advantages to greener motoring for not that much more money for the consumer. A car that features the system has a small electric motor installed that is used to recoup lost energy from braking which is then stored and can be used later on to help boost efficiency even further. With this, the life of the petrol engine in general is being extended.

Sustainable fuels

Sustainable fuels are made through agricultural or animal waste, which is said to cut CO2 emissions by as much as 80 per cent, according to a 2019 renewable fuel statistics report by the government.

Another point to make is that this fuel doesn’t need an engine to be modified to any extent in order to run on it. Plus, existing petrol stations should, in theory, be able to store and deliver sustainable fuels in the same way as ‘usual’ fuels.

E-fuels

Similar to sustainable fuel, but with different elements involved. Like with the former, E-fuels could play a big part in our transportation emission goals as it offers the same practicality of modern internal-combustion engines with far fewer emissions in the manufacturing process.

E-fuels or synthetic fuels as they are more commonly known as are made from captured CO2 and hydrogen through a process called electrolysis. The benefits are that no fossil fuels are used in the making and as with sustainables it can be easily adapted to our engines and petrol station networks. The only downsides at this stage is the cost – however with more and more litres produced on a global scale, prices per litre will begin to drop. Porsche is a big believer in synthetic fuels and has already created a production site in Chile where it will manufacture its own e-fuels.

Hydrogen fuel cell

What is seen as the EVs biggest rival is the hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. This alternative could play a massive part in the future, however here in the UK it hasn’t taken off due to the high costs of the cars that feature a fuel cell drivetrain and the lack of infrastructure. One of the big benefits of a hydrogen car is its by-product of only water, while a full fill-up of hydrogen only takes slightly longer than that for a petrol or diesel car.

The powertrain consists of an electric motor and a fuel cell. The hydrogen is the substance and then is mixed with air which is fed into the fuel cell which then makes an electrochemical reaction which turns into electricity, heat and water vapour.

Hydrogen internal combustion

Car companies such as Toyota are undertaking the development of the internal combustion engine that we all know, but fueling it with one of the most abundant elements in the universe – hydrogen.

The firm has also competed in the Super Taikyu 24-hour race at Fuji Speedway last year to see if the technology could move on to motorsport, too.

Currently in its development stage, passenger models such as the GR Yaris and Corolla Cross (not available in the UK) are being put through their paces to see whether this technology could work as a traditional fuel of the future. Furthermore, like with fuel cell vehicles, the only emissions created is water vapour, meaning that this alternative gives all of the benefits of a normal engine with none of the drawbacks.

By Cameron Richards

The firm’s electric SUV variants have just gone on sale here in the UK and now they can go further thanks to new battery packs.

Peugeot has announced that its new E-3008 and E-5008 electric SUVs will be available with a new long-range variant, giving them some of the best electric ranges in their classes.

At present, both cars get a 73kWh battery which brings a range of up to 326 miles for the E-3008, while a battery of the same size is utilised in the larger E-5008, delivering a slightly lower range of up to 310 miles per charge.

However, the new powertrain available on both models will feature a larger 96.9kWh battery pack and a more powerful electric motor that now produces a total of 233bhp.

In terms of electric driving range, Peugeot claims that the e-3008 can do a total distance of 435 miles and the larger e-5008 can reach up to 415 miles between trips to the plug, representing a considerable uptick on the ranges offered by the smaller-battery versions.

Both models will be compatible with 160kW DC rapid charging enabling the cars to be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in 27 minutes – or 93 miles in 10 minutes.

Prices for the 96.9kWh E-3008 start at £48,550, a £2,700 jump over the 73kWh car. However, prices for the longe range E-5008 have not been revealed yet, but it’s expected to cost over £50,000 when the two cars go on sale later this year.

However, these new long-range versions won’t replace the smaller 73kWh battery variants, which will still be offered for those drivers who don’t need quite as many miles between trips to the plug.

By Cameron Richards

British brand MG is considering creating a new sporting sub-brand to widen the appeal of its electric cars.

MG is mulling over introducing a sporty sub-brand in the UK to give its core electric model range a more ‘sporting’ and ‘aggressive’ look.

Over the last decade, the Chinese-owned British brand has worked hard on building up a reputation for making good value family cars, latterly electric models boasting long ranges and competitive prices.

Now though, the marque, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is keen to leverage its sporting character it has been known for since the 1920s.

It has already introduced the exotic Cyberster electric two-seater sports car and revived the XPower name for a high performance version of its MG4 electric hatchback, but now UK bosses are contemplating other ways the carmaker can add further sporting appeal such as creating a new sub-brand.

The sub-brand won’t be all about performance, though, but it would focus on giving its electric models a sporty feel at an affordable price and sit alongside XPower.

‘I do see having a sporting sub-brand which isn’t as extreme as XPower as something we would like, and conversations are taking place,’ MG Motor UK’s commercial director, Guy Pigounakis, told the PA news agency.

‘The very high performance element, XPower, is one thing, but when you look at the likes of Hyundai’s N Line, for example, they are tremendously popular but most of it is about perception and cosmetics. Very little of it is about engineering changes such as suspension settings and brakes.’

Pigounakis said the main reason why MG wants to develop a new sub-brand that focuses on sporty styling rather than chasing BMW’s M and Mercedes-AMG is because those names are associated with petrol engines – and that technology only has a limited shelf life.

‘It won’t necessarily be a high performance brand because of emissions. Many high performance brands, without mentioning them, use high performance petrol engines and they’re having to stop selling them because they are, by definition, the dirtiest cars you could possibly make,’ he explained. ‘Everyone loves them – the popping and banging from the exhaust and they drive fantastically, but from an emissions point of view they are a disaster.

‘So, the opportunity really is electric cars, and for us it’s about producing sportier, more aggressive versions of our core cars, which I’m sure we will take the opportunity of doing.’

He added: ‘The only problem is that some of the MGs we are launching in the UK over the next 12 to 18 months aren’t sporty, but it’s about how you take that forwards. When you look at how MG Rover brought out MG versions of Rovers [in the early 2000s], the intention was there and it worked.’

Pigounakis is very experienced in creating and launching new sporting brands. He was part of Rover Group when BMW broke up the company in 2000, which in turn became MG Rover. To build excitement and to generate quick profits, the newly independent MG Rover relaunched the MG brand in 2001 with a range of sporting saloons badged ZR, ZS and ZT, and created the XPower brand for its high performance road car and motor racing interests.

Before the the launch of the 429bhp MG4 XPower last year, the only car to have worn the XPower name was the SV sports car of 2002. A whole range of XPower-badged models was anticipated but the company went bust in 2005, and was later bought by current Chinese owners SAIC.

By James Batchelor

All new vehicles now come fitted with mandatory speed limiters which fit into EU regulations.

Drivers in the UK could face ‘serious consequences’ if they tamper with new vehicle speed limiters – according to a leading car parts distributor.

As of July 7 this year, all new vehicles in the EU have to come fitted with Intelligent Speed Assist. The system reads every road sign and then displays the speed limit on the dashboard for the driver to obey. However, if the speed limit is exceeded a warning chime will sound to slow down the driver.

GSF Car Parts has revealed if drivers modify their vehicles to remove or bypass the limiter, they could find themselves impacting their insurance with companies not paying in the event of an incident. Manufacturer warranties could be voided, too.

Furthermore, by fiddling with speed limiters, it could lead to further risks of damaging the vehicle’s ECU or engine management system which could lead to greater problems further down the line with the vehicle’s reliability and safety.

As the UK is not part of the EU, the rules do not comply with British standards. However, vehicle manufacturers will still fit Intelligent Speed Assist to UK specified vehicles due to improving road safety and it will be more cost effective for the manufacturer, too. Meanwhile, tampering with the system could still lead to further risks of ECU and engine management damage.

Steve Horne, CEO of GSF Car Parts, said: “It is clear that drivers could face severe consequences for trying to remove this technology, from insurance issues to even legal action. Whether motorists decide to modify or not, we always urge drivers to drive safely and stick to the limit to keep themselves and others on the road safe.”

By Cameron Richards

McLaren’s Formula One driver, Lando Norris, drove the one-off around the legendary Silverstone race circuit.

Formula 1 driver Land Norris has been performance testing a very special vehicle – a McLaren P1 made entirely from Lego bricks.

The car is built up of a total of 342,817 elements and weighs around 1,220kg. Even though the body is made up entirely of Lego, it has traditional mechanical components to make sure it still drives like the normal car. It has fully functional steering, an electric motor which features a standard battery pack and Lego Technic function batteries to make the car go for longer, too.

A total of 23 specialists for its design, engineering, and building from the Lego Group and McLaren Automotive consisted a total of 8,344 hours of development as well as a total of 393 different types of Lego Technic elements that go into the P1.

To make sure the car worked as it should, McLaren decided to use its Formula One driver, Lando Norris, to complete a lap around the legendary Silverstone race track – which is the ideal location as it holds a lot of history for the McLaren brand.

Ben Gulliver, test and development director for McLaren Automotive, said: “Having worked on the original P1 programme for McLaren, it’s amazing to see so many of the elements from the original McLaren P1 brought to life so realistically by the Lego Technic Team for the full-scale model.”

He added: “This project marks the latest in a long list of collaborations between the Lego Group and McLaren, bringing together McLaren engineers and the Lego model production team from conception all the way to the final build.”

By Cameron Richards