Renault revives its legendary nameplate "5" as its new generation EV hatchback. Styling of the production car differs not much from the concept shown a couple of years ago. It has strong resemblance to the original 5, but being up to date simultaneously. Its pretty appearance should be a big selling point.

The 5 E-Tech is slightly smaller than the current Clio as well as Zoe with which it is replacing, measuring 3.91m long, 1.77m wide, 1.50m tall and runs a 2.54m wheelbase. Naturally, the rear seat is not quite as spacious as the Clio, although Renault claims a 1.80m tall passenger can sit comfortably behind a driver of the same size.



The 5 E-Tech is build on the new AmpR Small platform, which employs skateboard-style battery placement but simultaneously shares quite a lot of common parts with the CMF-B platform underpinning Clio to save costs. The battery pack is placed behind the cabin without extending into the front foot wells. The electric drivetrain is mounted up front and drive the front wheels like conventional hatchbacks. There won't be twin-motor and AWD version, so the upcoming Alpine A290, i.e. hot version of the 5, will only use a more powerful front motor.



Renault works hard to cut weight from the electric powertrain, which weighs only 105 kg including motor, inverter and charger. 2 battery sizes are offered: 40 kWh and 52 kWh, and they weigh 240 and 300 kg, respectively. Overall, the car tips the scale at 1350 or 1450 kg, considerably lighter than most rivals.

The 40 kWh battery gives a range of only 300 km (186 miles) on WLTP cycles, so for those driving more outside town the 52 kWh battery with 400 km (250 miles) range is more suitable. The larger battery runs a slightly higher DC charge rate, at 100 kW instead of 80 kW. All these specs are competitive if not outstanding on the market.



The small EV employs a synchronous motor, which unlike permanent magnet motors does not require rare earth. There are 3 motor options to choose from: 95 hp, 122 hp or 150 hp. Torque figures of the last two are 166 and 181 lbft, respectively. Predictably, the 150 hp model can sprint from 0-62 mph under 8 seconds, but top speed is capped at 93 mph. Alpine version should offer north of 200 hp.

As for chassis, the most promising thing is the use of multi-link rear suspension to improve handling and ride. It consists of a MacPerson-style spring strut, a longitudinal link and a pair of lower transverse links. The latter are attached to a rear subframe to cut NVH. All models ride on 18-inch wheels shod with 195/55 rubbers.



Inside, the cabin has plenty of customizable features and some sporty-looking bucket seats even though it is not Alpine. Meanwhile, the dashboard design is reminscent to the original R5 Turbo, which houses the 10-inch configurable instrument display and 10-inch infotainment touchscreen into a square binnacle. Buttons on the steering wheel spokes and a row of physical switches located below the air vents should make life easier than you can have on Volkswagen ID cars.

Equipped with style, a sophisticated suspension, competitive powertrain and battery range, and backed with a starting price of just 25,000 euros, the new 5 should be the most competitive small EV built by European car makers. Let's see if it can fend off the competition from Chinese car makers.

This is the hot hatch version of the electric-powered Cupra Born. It keeps using a single motor, but the new motor pumps out 326 hp and 402 lbft of torque, and all that power goes to the rear wheels, making it like the last generation BMW M135i.

However, the VZ is expected to weigh at around 1900 kg, so it is much slower than the 1430 kg BMW. 0-60 mph takes 5.4 seconds, and while top speed is lifted significantly from the usual 99 mph, it is still unremarkable at 124 mph or 200 km/h. For reference, the old M135i managed 155 mph and 4.9 seconds with maual gearbox or 4.7s with automatic, and it asked for just £30K back in 2012. The VZ is expected to cost nearly £50K.

The VZ uses a 79 kWh battery pack, up 2 kWh from the long-range battery of regular Born. This offers a rather remarkable WLTP range of 570 km or 354 miles. Charging speed remains at 170 kW maximum.

As for chassis, modifications are relatively modest. It employs slightly wider tires, stiffer springs and adaptive dampers, thicker anti-roll bars and more a responsive steering setup. Returned braking system promises a firmer pedal feel, which has been one of the biggest weaknesses of the standard car.

Aston Martin has been given a mid-life facelift it needs desperately. Behind the much larger front grille is an additional radiator, 2 extra water coolers and a larger oil cooler. They are essential for the more powerful version of AMG twin-turbo V8, which produces 665 hp and 590 lbft now, up massively from the outgoing car's 510 hp and 505 lbft. Although the company claims modest boost in performance, i.e. 0-60 mph taking 3.4 instead of 3.5 seconds and top speed lifted from 195 to 202 mph, expect the updated Vantage to feel faster than that on the road.

To support the increased power, the chassis is strengthened as well. A relocated front cross member and stiffer engine cradle stiffens the structure around the front suspensions, while a stronger rear tower bar and underbody tray do the same to the rear. New adaptive dampers allows broaden range of adjustment, while the larger, 21-inch wheels are now shod with much wider rubbers, i.e. 275/35ZR21 and 325/30ZR21, up 20 and 30 mm respectively from the last ones. The steel brakes are larger, too, while ceramic brakes continue to be optional.



Inside, the Vantage takes the updated electronic instrument, center stack and touchscreen infotainment system from the DB12, which should guarantee much better ease of use.

On the downside, the new Vantage is expected to cost significantly more than its predecessor, at the region of  £165,000. That will position it directly against Porsche 911 Turbo.

Having been around for 13 years, the current Lancia Ypsilon is one of the oldest cars on sale. Fortunately, it is finally renewed. The new Ypsilon is the first Lancia product developed under the Stellantis umbrella, so it is unsurprising that the car is built on the group's CMP platform that underpins also Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa. No wonder its body profile is remarkably close to the Peugeot. However, Lancia's designers did a great job to distinguish their car from its group siblings. The Ypsilon's exterior design has plenty of remarkable features, such as the 3 LED light bars at its bonnet edge and nose that is a modern interpretation to the classic Lancia grille on models like Delta. The circular rear lights, protruding from the corners, are also unmistakable. There is no traditional Lancia badge on the car, but the "LANCIA" letter inscriptions both front and rear do the identity job nicely, helping the car to look classy.



Inside, the dashboard structure is completely new to the group, emphasing space and simplicity. A special feature is a round table extended from the center console.

Unlike its group siblings, the Lancia is electric-powered only. Its electrical system is carried over from e-208 and Corsa-e, employing a 51 kWh battery and 156 hp electric motor driving the front wheels. Top speed is limited to 93 mph, while 0-60 mph takes under 8 seconds. WLTP range is 403 km (250 miles).

After 4 years on the market, Porsche has given its first electric car, Taycan, the first update. It is pretty comprehensive and should answer customers' wishes, such as more range, faster charging and even more performance.

First of all, all models get a larger capacity battery. The `battery on the base Taycan has grown from 79 to 89 kWh, while pricier models gets 105 instead of 93 kWh (all are gross figures). Despite that, the battery is actually a little bit lighter, which means higher energy density. It also reduces internal resistance thus enables faster charging. In additon to an improved inverter, max charging rate has been lifted from 270 to 320kW, and the charging curve gets flatter as well, offering more than 300kW for up to 5 minutes. Take the larger battery for example, it now charges from 10-80 percent in 18 minutes, whereas the old car took double the time.

Not only it gets more battery, but it uses energy more efficiently, too. This is contributed by improving the 4WD strategy (now the front motor is disengaged more often), the more efficient rear motor, inverter, battery and heat pumps, tires with lower rolling resistance and 30 percent more powerful regenerative braking. As a result, range is said to be boosted by 35 percent. For example, the range-topping Turbo S has WLTP range of 634 km now, up massively from the previous 469 km.

In response to the ever stronger competition - even now a Hyundai is good for 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, remember - all Taycans bar the base rear-drive model get more power from a new rear axle motor:

- Taycan: 408 hp (unchanged), 302 lbft, 143 mph, 0-60 mph 4.6 sec.
- 4S: overboost 544 hp, 513 lbft, 155 mph, 3.6 sec. (old: 530 hp, 3.9 sec)
- Turbo: overboost 884 hp, 693 lbft, 162 mph, 2.6 sec (old: 680 hp, 3.0 sec)
- Turbo S: overboost 952 hp, 819 lbft, 162 mph, 0-60 / 100 / 124 mph 2.3 / 5.2 / 7.7 sec (old: 761 hp, 2.6 / 6.3 / 9.8 sec)

In particular, the 2.2 seconds reduction in 0-124 mph for Turbo S is huge! It takes just 0.4 seconds more than Ferrari 296 GTB, although the 3-motor Tesla Model S Plaid is still quicker. Rumors has that Porsche will introduce an even faster version to topple the Tesla.

As for chassis, the update introduces some signficant changes as well, most notably a 2-chamber air suspension with broader range of adjustment (now standard on all models) and the optional active ride suspension. The latter uses quick-acting hydraulic pumps to push or pull the damper struts to keep the car level on undulations or during cornering.

Thankfully, these improvements come without sacrificing weight. The Turbo S weighs exactly the same as before, while Turbo is 15 kg lighter. The base rear-drive Taycan is the only model to gain weight, but then the 40 kg is mostly due to the inclusion of air suspension.

The only downside is cost. 4 years ago, the Taycan 4S, Turbo and Turbo S cost £83,000, £116,000 and £139,000, respectively. Now they inflat to £96,000, £134,000 and £161,000.

Following the launch of the electric Mini Cooper E and SE, the combustion version is also unveiled today. However, despite the similar looks, the combustion model is actually derived from the existing car, because the new electric platform co-developed with Great Wall Motors is not compatitble with engines. As a result, we expect the combustion Mini will be just an interim solution before the global market fully embraces the electric future.

Despite the similarity in looks, you can see the ICE model differs in some areas. It uses a clamshell bonnet like the outgoing car, so there are cut lines at the front bumper and front fenders. The front gilles also get some real ventilation openings instead of sealed out, as the engine needs more cooling. At the back, the ICE car hides its exhaust pipe underneath, so it is not easy to distinguish it from the EV version. Inside, you will find virtually the same dashboard and round OLED infotainment touchscreen as the electric version.


Above: electric Mini Cooper SE

The engines are developed from the outgoing car. Base model is now called Cooper C, which employs 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbo. Power is boosted from the previous 136 hp to 156 hp, accompanied with 170 lbft of torque. The car is good for 0-60 mph in 7.3 sec. Meanwhile, Cooper S continues to employ 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo, but its output is improved from 192 to 204 hp, with 221 lbft of torque and 0-60 mph taking 6.3 sec. Both cars have dropped manual transmission, so an 8-speed automatic is standard.

The ICE Mini will continue to be built in its original Oxford plant, unlike the electric version which takes place in China. If you want a real Mini, buy either this one or a used classic Mini.