MILEAGE 15,410
WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT
To see if a hybrid-only mini-SUV can be an efficient long-distance commuter car
Last October, I needed a laughably thick dossier of documents just to go through France and into Belgium. Ten months later, I require only a QR code to prove that I've had my three vaccines. At long, torturous last, the pandemic appears to be over, and my best mate and I are celebrating by driving through 10 European countries. Our destination is the Dolomites, and our mountain bikes are stowed beneath a tarpaulin and our baggage in the extended boot of my Honda HR-V.
Somehow we avoid the results of our government's incompetence and spend just a few hours at the Eurotunnel. Our compact crossover feels sure-footed and entirely relaxed as Hauts-de-France blurs into Flanders, our excited anticipation abating the tedium of the featureless landscape. Whether that feeling will last until our overnight stop in nine hours' time, never mind when we return home after a week on the go, is the ultimate test of the car.
We're soon approaching Brussels, whereupon Apple Maps throws up a warning on the car's touchscreen: 'Environmental zone ahead'. To our shock, the website replies 'non' when we check if our Euro 6 hybrid is eligible for entry. Siri plots a new course to a metro station in the industrial suburb of Anderlecht, famed for its football team. Parking is free and the train to the capital is cheap, depositing us near Grand Place - which ought to be used as a re-education centre for architects.
If French motorists on the whole drove as poorly as the British, the Belgians are rather worse. As for the Luxembourgers who come next, like their little country itself, they barely register. Entering Germany, though, makes us take note, as here we find surely the world's most disciplined drivers on the world's best roads.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MG 4
An EV changes your driving style - but not to the detriment of pleasure
PEUGEOT E-208
Time with our French hatch is up. Is it good riddance or au revoir?
In the hot seat
Is the best automotive job in the world actually in miniature scale? Hot Wheels' design boss assures STEPHEN DOBIE it is
Correcting the record
Autocar invented the road test back in 1928 - or did we? KEITH JONES trawls the past to find the true starting point
Road test rebooted
As the Autocar road test forges into its second century, its brief is expanding and it's returning to a familiar place. MATT SAUNDERS explains
Cyber attack
MG is back on the international stage and now trying to return to its sports car roots. MATT SAUNDERS sees if the Cyberster EV can match up to a rival from the present and a relation from the past
KIA PICANTO
As rivals fall by the wayside, Kia's popular city car gets a makeover
MASERATI GRANTURISMO
Latest coupé in a long line of Maserati GT cars hits the UK with V6 power
PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS COUPE
New V8 model gets all the goodies
TOYOTA PRIUS
Back by popular demand with a cool new look and greater driver appeal