As autumn arrives in the UK, the members of the SGMW have continued to be as busy as ever. Last month, highlights from our members included (yet more) camping on top of cars, a varied mix of new drives, the reveal of the first-ever Kia pickup, and of course a large number of social media activity.
SGMW gets on track for New Year Honours testing at SMMT Test Day South
Here, we walk through the highlights from the wider automotive industry and from the SGMW membership for October 2024.
SGMW Car Launch Watch: Big SUVs and Tesla does away with the taxi driver
Last month kicked off with a pair of large (no pun intended) SUV reveals with the arrival of the Dacia Bigster and the Volkswagen Tayron, with the former being a large budget SUV and the latter replacing the outgoing Tiguan Allspace seven-seater. We’re happy to report that both models met our vast expectations. And yes, we’ll see ourselves out after that one.
The Tesla Model 3 line-up also received a refresh, with the Long Range RWD model living up to its badge with a whopping 436 miles of range. Elon Musk also called a Taxi with Tesla’s new Robotaxi. A $30,000 driverless taxi cab that the brand says will make autonomous travel “safer, faster, and affordable.”
Chinese brand XPeng Motors also showcased their own self-driving tech last month with the P7+, a new electric saloon car that promises to “help drivers enjoy a safer, smarter, faster, sustainable, and more pleasant driving experience. This lofty promise is thanks to new AI and autonomous driving tech that can learn the behaviours of its driver. Meaning that when the P7+ arrives in the UK, we’d expect it to exclusively position itself in the middle lane of all motorways as it learns from the typical British driver.
Finally, a variety of brands revealed pricing for their latest shiny new electric models. Nissan kicked off with the sporty Ariya Nismo, which will set you back from £56,620. This was bettered by Audi, who revealed pricing for the new A6 e-tron Sport and Q6 e-tron Sportback EVs, which start from £62,500 for the former and £62,475 for the latter.
SGMW Test Drives Watch: New Ferrari and BMW flagship models don’t disappoint
A litany of new cars finally got into the grubby mitts of reviewers last month as well. The Ferrari 12Cilindri won universal praise from all quarters. In spite of much online trolling about its 2.4-tonne weight figure, the new BMW M5 received rave reviews as a great driver’s car that is also a practical family saloon or estate. Exactly what we’d expected for the latest M Division special.
There was also good news for family SUV buyers, with the new Ford Explorer receiving decent scores from most publications, while the Cupra Terramar was dubbed an “excellent family hauler” by Auto Express while receiving a similar score.
In a market sector that we are glad still exists, Volkswagen appears to have proved that it can still produce a great hot hatchback with the latest iterations of the Golf GTI, Golf GTI Clubsport, and the Golf R, which all earned excellent reviews for their facelifted Mk8.5 models.
SGMW Web Watch:
Aston Martin Vanquish 2024 review – Tim Pitt
The Aston Martin Vanquish has returned! This time, though, the British GT gets an 835hp twin-turbo V12 and a 214mph top speed. Tim Pitt manages to tame all of that power while delivering his verdict.
Read the Motoring Research review here
Revealed: Kia Enters the Pickup Scene with All-New Tasman – Phil Huff
Some five years after Kia revealed they were adding a pickup truck to their line-up, they’ve finally done it. And what a handsome-looking thing it is too.
Phil Huff delivers all the details for Professional Pickup.
Read the Professional Pickup story here
Polestar 4 – First Drive (2024) – Maxine Ashford
Is the world ready for a car without a back window? The Polestar 4 coupe-SUV has arrived to find out. Maxine Ashford has been testing the new model.
Read the Car Journo review here
Ferrari Unveils Range-Topping F80, Priced At Just Under $4 Million – Neil Winton
Ferrari is the latest brand to give downsizing a go with its new F80 hypercar, a model that now features a turbocharged V6 with hybrid power. Neil Winton breaks down the details for Forbes.
The cars with the biggest boots – Claire Evans
If you need to carry large loads, dogs, or whatever you want, then you’ll need a car with a big boot. But which one should you pick? Claire Evans runs through the cars with the biggest boots for Whatcar?
Read the Whatcar? article here
SGMW Social Watch:
In maximum lifestyle news, Phil Huff goes Chabak camping in the new Hyundai Santa Fe.
In breaking fake exhaust sound news, which is now a real thing, Chris Rees takes a revealing peek underneath the Abarth 600e.
Trinity Francis steps into dream car territory, getting a drive in the Ford GT. Are we jealous? Yes, maybe quite a lot.
Stu Bird reveals his pick for a vintage Woolarding pose. Which, for those not in the know, is the practice of striking a pose on or near a motor vehicle that was created by William Woolard.
After the reveal of the new Ferrari F80 hypercar, Tyler Heatley gets creative with the configurator, creating a spec that receives maximum points from us.
