Road Test: Citroen DS5 Hybrid4

Price as tested: €43,645

+ Style, technology, comfort, improved ride over standard car
– Still too firm, cramped in the back, not economical enough
= The best of the DS5 range by far

If ever you find yourself down the pub, debating whether or not cars can be considered as a form of art (I know, I know, not again...) then wait for everyone to exhaust their arguments and throw in the hand grenade that is the Citroen DS5 Hybrid4. It combination of looks (stunning enough that you’d seriously consider buying one just to be able to look at it every day) and technology (cutting edge diesel hybrid drivetrain) mean that it walks so deftly the line between art and science that everyone will have to re-set their arguments back to zero.

Which is not to say that it’s perfect. The DS5, as a whole, suffers from two significant issues. One; its ride quality is just too harsh and jittery for it to ever truly live up to its luxury billing (especially in an era when the formerly-rough-riding BMW 3 Series now glides over obstacles like a limo) and two; it’s a Citroen. Now, I count myself as a true fan of the great French marque, a Citroenista if you will, but the harsh fact of the market is that against the German ‘Big Three’ Citroen is a brand with a lot to prove in the premium segment.

This DS5 Hybrid4 is bringing some seriously cutting edge technology to the party though, and that might just be enough to allow it to jam a foot in the door. Up front lies Citroen’s familiar 163bhp 2.0-litre HDI diesel engine, which is, and always has been, a very fine unit. Behind, under the boot floor, lies a 37bhp electric motor, driving the rear wheels and fed by a stack of rechargeable batteries. We’ve become used to hybrids ever since Toyota introduced the Prius, but the DS5 (along with its cousin, the Peugeot 3008 Hy4) is the first to tie the potential fuel savings of battery power to an already frugal, low-emission diesel engine.

The result is mostly rather pleasing. There’s a rotary control switch that watches over the hybrid system mounted between the front seats. Leave it set in Auto, and the computer will effortlessly shuffle around power from the diesel, the batteries or both as needed. Keep an eye on the fighter-jet-style heads-up-display, which projects ghostly speed and sat-nav information onto the windscreen, and you’ll notice the frequency with which the speed figure turns a light blue, meaning that you’re running on pure electric power.

Flick the controller around to Sport, and suddenly you remember that 200bhp is still quite a lot of grunt, even in a car weighing a not inconsiderable 1,800kg. Now the DS5 feels very fleet of foot indeed, and what other car can you think of that can combine 99g/km Co2 emissions (depending on which wheels you specify) with an 8.3-sec 0-100kmh time?

All of that is being done while you recline in a sumptuously comfortable seat, with optional leather trim that mimics the shape of a high-end watch strap, surrounded by a battery of instruments and buttons that make you feel like you’re the pilot of a rather avant-garde jet fighter. An F-15 by Hermés, if you like.

Sadly, there are still a few flies in this otherwise lovely ointment. The ride quality, although better than in other versions of the DS5 we’ve driven, is still too harsh-edged and you really need to keep to perfectly smooth roads for the DS5 to feel at its best. Fuel economy isn’t as god as advertised either; Citroen claims that you can hit just 3.8-litres per 100km on the combined cycle (a massive 74mpg) but we could only manage a test average of around 6.5-litres per 100km (43mpg). It’s so often the case that hybrid cars are never as economical in real world driving as they claim to be, but it’s disappointing that Citroen’s combining hybrid with diesel couldn’t liberate any extra efficiency.

That love-hate relationship continues in other areas. I love the little individual sunroofs above the driver and passenger – they make you feel as if each seat should come with a massive yellow handle marked 'eject.' I love the switches mounted on the roof and I adore that swept-back chrome blade that runs from the back of the headlights to the base of the windscreen. But I hate the robotised six-speed gearbox (too... slow... at... changing... up) and the fact that the hybrid batteries really chew into your boot space.

Still, while the DS5 has to climb the steep hills of being to thirsty, too rough-riding and too French in a corner of the market that only seems to want German, the fact that it does so is testament to two things. On the one hand, its quality and technology are right up there with the Germans. On the other, it is a truly beautiful car, and in a world that seems to be a touch uglier every day, that’s a beauty that would be most welcome on the streets of Ireland.

Of course, if you wanted to buy a striking looking Citroen that can mange 40-odd-mpg and is actually a huge amount more fun to drive, you could save yourself around €10,000 and go for the DS3 Racing, the latest version of which we got to try in the same week we were driving the DS5.

Now, while our affection for the DS5 is tempered by our criticisms of its ride and economy, out love for the DS3 knows few, if any, bounds. The first premium hatch to convincingly take the fight to the doorstep of the mighty Mini, in standard form, the DS3 combines gorgeous looks, decent practicality and a peachy chassis of rare balance and deftness.

The Racing version is something else again. Based on the standard 155bhp 1.6 THP model, it and its 1.6-litre turbocharged engine are taken away and tweaked by the same people that design and build the DS3 rally cars for the unstoppable Sebastian Loeb, a man who has almost literally won more rallies than we have had hot dinners.

So the Racing looks more butch, thanks to a 15mm suspension drop, a 30mm track widening and a gorgeously subtle carbon fibre exterior trim spruce-up. Inside, there are hip (and everything else) hugging sports seats, more carbon fibre (the real thing too, not just appliqué) and a squared-off steering wheel. It’s a delightful environment in which to sit, and thanks to this being a Citroen, comfort hasn’t bee thrown out with the sporty bath water. In fact, even on those chunky 18” rims, the DS3 actually rides better than the DS5 Hybrid...

It’s got the same 200bhp as the Hybrid too, but with only 1,165kg to haul around, it goes a good bit harder. 0-100km comes up in just 6.5secs, which is decidedly brisk. Interestingly though, this DS3 Racing feels a touch different to the last version we drove. It feels a bit less manic, less unruly. That is until you push the throttle all the way to the stop, and then it feels plenty manic enough, thanks, but there’s definitely a sense that Citroen has tried to build-in a little more day-to-day useability into what was originally supposed to be a short-run special edition. It’s a well-judged move, leaving enough mental-ness at the top end, while making the Racing feel more sensible around town. And yes, it really will do 43mpg on a long run.

Citroen DS5 Hybrid4 200 Airdream DStyle
Price as tested: €43,645
Price range: €33,195 to €46,695
Capacity: 1,997cc + hybrid battery drivetrain
Power: 200bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Top speed: 210kmh
0-100kmh: 8.3sec
Economy: 3.8l-100km (73mpg)
CO2 emissions: 99g/km (on 17” wheels)
Road Tax Band: A. €160
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 89% adult, 83% child, 40% pedestrian, 97% safety assist

News: Ford working on carbon parts for Focus

Ford is planning to bring lightweight carbon parts to cars like the Focus, even though currently such parts would be prohibitively expensive.

Ford is showing off this, a current Focus fitted with an experimental carbon-fibre bonnet, which weighs about half as much as a conventional steel panel. Generally, carbon is about five times stronger than steel for an equivalent weight of about a third as much. Pretty impressive, pretty expensive.

But that could be all changing. Companies like McLaren and BMW are currently at the cutting edge of carbon research and are finding ways of making carbon components, and even entire carbon vehicles, for a much more affordable price. Indeed, if the labour-intensive nature of current carbon-fibre design and build systems can be reduced, then the actual raw material cost is lower than that of, say, aluminium.

“Reducing a vehicle’s weight can deliver major benefits for fuel consumption but a process for fast and affordable production of carbon fiber automotive parts in large numbers has never been available”, said Inga Wehmeyer, advanced materials and processes research engineer in Ford’s European Research Centre.
 
“By partnering with materials experts through the Hightech.NRW research project, Ford is working to develop a solution that supports cost efficient manufacturing of carbon fiber components.”

Anthony Sheriff, MD of McLaren Automotive, the road-car making arm of the legendary F1 team, has no doubts that carbon is the future even for mainstream cars:

"Basically everything that’s important to the driving experience, strength for crash safety, weight for speed and efficiency, rigidity for handling, are improved significantly with carbon fibre. That’s the case whether you’re talking about a mid-engined 200mph sports car or a city car.

"I think we already see a number of cars at lower price points that have have woken up to the point that with innovation you can drive the production costs lower. And you are going to see other sports cars, and very interestingly, hybrid and electric city cars using carbon fibre. Especially on electric cars, the weight saving has an enormous benefit because if you have a light electric car, you can have a smaller battery and therefore you save additional weight and additional cost.

"Before you find it in a Ford Focus? Well, it’s not 50 years but neither is it 5 years. I’d say its 10 year before we start to see significant use of carbon fibre in such cars."

That tallies with Ford's plans, which seek to reduce the weight of an average family car by as much as 340kg by the end of the decade.
 

News: Toyota breaks more electric records

Toyota has been out breaking electric car records again, with its TMG EV P002 electric race car setting a new electric record on the legendary 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.



Using TMG’s (Toyota Motorsport GmbH) motorsport-tuned electric powertrain, driver Jochen Krumbach set a lap time of 7mins 22.329secs, breaking the electric record set by TMG last August by over 25 seconds.

This achievement marks the second milestone for TMG’s electric powertrain this year following its new record at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, United States.

As with the Pikes Peak success, TMG’s latest electric milestone used pioneering off-board battery-to-battery charging technology.

The TMG DC Quick Charger was developed in partnership with Schneider Electric GmbH to meet the challenge of recharging an electric race car at tracks without reliable access to grid power.

Mounted in the rear of a Toyota Hiace van, the TMG DC Quick Charger uses Schneider Electric’s EV Link technology and includes a 42kWh lithium ion battery, which can be charged direct from the AC power grid.

After an overnight charge, the TMG DC Quick Charger is able to quickly deliver high levels of power to a battery-based electric car without additional installation or infrastructure, making it the perfect solution for electric motorsport.

Ludwig Zeller, TMG General Manager Electrics and Electronics said that “Since our Nürburgring record last year, we have developed our electric powertrain to deliver more power, more consistently, over a longer distance by managing the temperature of batteries, motors and inverter. Pikes Peak was a clear illustration of the improvements and we have now reinforced that at the Nürburgring.

"But this achievement is not only about on-track performance; we are also very proud of the DC Quick Charger which again provided a reliable power supply in a remote location. This is an aspect of electric motorsport which has not been discussed at length but it is very significant; electric race cars need to be charged and it is a challenge to have the right infrastructure at race tracks, particularly temporary street circuits. Together with our partners at Schneider Electric, we have developed a solution to charge a race car literally anywhere in the world. This, along with the TMG EV P002 powertrain, represents a major step forward for electric motorsport.”

Road Test: Volvo V40 D2 1.6 SE

Price as tested: €28,995

+ Styling, cabin, comfort, dynamics, safety, innovation
– Poor auto ‘box, gimmicky functions, expensive and confusing options list
= Volvo's best drivers’ car should give the A3 a fright


With the new V40, Volvo is at last right-sizing its range. The previous S40 saloon and V50 estate were nice cars in their own right, but sat at confusing price and size points, half way between the likes of a BMW 1 Series and 3 Series. Now, they have been done away with (although the smaller C30 hatch will continue for a while in some markets) and replaced with a new hatchback, the V40, which aims itself right down the throat of the 1 Series, the Audi A3 and the upcoming new Mercedes-Benz A-Class, while also taking on the likes of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta or a well-specced VW Golf.

Style-wise, it certainly makes an impact and is probably Volvo's best styling effort since the clean, muscular 1995 C70. You could easily accuse it of having a few too many lines and the little inset in the rear doors, meant to homage the original P1800 coupe, is rather lost. But for all that, it's a deeply handsome car; unmistakably a Volvo but still breaking new styling ground for the brand.

Inside, much has been lifted from the existing S60 saloon and that's no bad thing. It looks gorgeous in there and quality levels are very high with, as almost goes without saying for a Volvo, comfort levels to match. Space is excellent in the front, aside from a slight lack of foot space for front passengers, while it’s fine in the back, even for tall passengers, unless you option it up with the panoramic glass roof, which robs a bit of headroom. The 'floating' centre stack has been a love-it-or-hate-it Volvo touchstone for some time now but the TFT digital instrument pack is all new. It's fitted to all but the most basic ES models (which make do with regular analogue dials) and allows you to customise the display colours and layout to your taste, flicking between Comfort, Eco and Sport modes. To be honest, it's a bit too gimmicky for its own good, with the layouts being pretty but not very intuitive and, oddly for a Volvo, needing you to distract yourself from the road ahead too frequently to figure out what's going on.

Equally gimmicky and equally pointless is the adjustable steering weight. We've come up against similar systems in the past (hello, Hyundai i30) and they are rarely, if ever, satisfactory. Yes, there is a difference in feel and effort in each mode, but it's too subtle a difference to make it worth the effort and we'd rather see a single setting that works well for all. Just leave it in Light mode and you'll be fine.

Underneath its swoopy new body, the V40 uses a mixture of old S40 mechanical parts (which also therefore means it's related to the MkII Ford Focus) and some S60 components (which itself draws on the current Ford Mondeo). The result could have been a mish-mash, but actually it works very well. As long as you avoid the optional 10mm lower Sport Suspension, the V40 combines such talents as being a refined and comfy motorway cruiser and a decently talented back-roads attacker. Certainly in the mountains above Verona, it felt agile and responsive, displayed no bad manners under than an occasional tendency to understeer at maximum effort and generally gave a good dynamic account of itself. It's not (quite) as engaging to drive as a Golf nor (anything like as much) as a BMW 1 Series, but it does do an excellent job of balancing comfort, agility and stability. Probably Volvo’s best-ever drivers’ car, in fact

The primary engine for Ireland will be the familiar 115bhp, 270Nm 1.6-litre D2 engine, which also sees service in other Volvos, various Fords and a glut of Peugeots and Citroens. It's a thoroughly decent engine, with plenty of low-down oomph, but an unfortunate habit of giving elongated growls at the top of the rev range. Not enough to seriously upset refinement, but you'll never enjoy wringing it out. Volvo claims average fuel consumption of 3.6-litres per 100km (better than 70mpg) which we got nowhere near, but then we did have the sweeping roads of the Dolomites to enjoy, so ask us again on that score once we get the V40 at home in the summer. Co2 emissions are 94g/km when fitted with 16" wheels (a class leading figure) and if you go for the optional 18" rims, that only climbs to a very creditable 99g/km. That should keep you safe from anything Michael Noonan's got planned...

Speaking of options, we need to speak of options. Volvo is offering a frankly bewildering range of optional extras on the V40, some of which can be bought individually, some of which come in packs and to be honest, we still haven't got our heads around it. The headlining safety pack, which includes Pedestrian Detection cameras, blind spot monitors, lane keeping, collision warning and active headlights seems only right and proper to fit to a Volvo, but it will set you back an extra €1,300 on this SE model, thanks to the loading of VRT and VAT on the options. Which, for ground breaking safety items, seems more than a bit churlish of the Government to charge for with one hand while simultaneously smacking us around the head with the other for not driving more safely... Fit the kit and you would almost unquestionably have the safest car in its class.

Other options include such items which you might think should come as standard, including such as Bluetooth phone connection and cruise control. Let's just say that you're going to have to do your homework if you want to spec your V40 up correctly. A couple of options to avoid are either of the twin-clutch Powershift or conventional Geartronic automatic gearboxes, both of which felt erratic and ill-matched to their engines. Ireland will take only the D2 diesel, more powerful 5-cylinder D3 2.0-litre 150bhp diesel and T3 150bhp petrol 1.6, which has a creditable 125g/km Co2 figure.

Thankfully coming as standard is Volvo's new pedestrian airbag, a vast u-shaped device that emerges from the trailing edge of the bonnet should a sensor in the front bumper detect that you've just run into someone. It works above speeds of 20kmh and below 50kmh and is part of Volvo's ambitious commitment to see that by 2020, none of its vehicles should be involved in a fatal collision. Once again, the Swedes are showing the rest of the world the way to go when it comes to safety.

Price-wise, it could find itself in a touch of difficulty though. At a basic €26,995 (for either the entry level diesel or petrol) it's right up against the cheapest BMW 1 or Audi A3. Should it have undercut them more? And is an extra €2-€3k over and above an equivalent VW Golf too much of a stretch for potential buyers? Perhaps it comes down to how well Volvo's traditional safety and environmentally friendly messages can combine with the new-found style, and whether sufficient youthful buyers can be found to whom that will appeal.

The V40 is an instantly appealing kind of car though; not just because it's pretty, not just because it's safe but because it's the kind of car that, even after a few minutes, you want to spend a lot of time with. It feels like a car that will fit neatly into a broad swathe of lifestyles, and with its understated Swedish looks and image, feels a bit more in touch with our caring, sharing times than the more overtly aggressive Germans. It's also a new beginning for Volvo, as it seeks to dramatically expand its sales under its new Chinese owners, Geely Motors. We will more than likely be seeing more versions of the V40; a faux-4x4 XC40 has already been confirmed, a four door saloon is apparently being worked on and a sporty R version is not being ruled out.

If we say the V40 is nice, that sounds like damning with faint praise, but that's exactly what it is; nice. And frankly, these days, a bit more niceness wouldn't go astray.


Facts & Figures

Volvo V40 1.6 D2 SE
Price as tested:€28,995
Range price: €26,995 to €35,995
Cubic capacity: 1,560
Power: 115bhp
Torque: 270Nm
Maximum speed: 190kmh
0-100kmh: 12.3secs
Fuel consumption: 3.6l/100km (78.5mpg)
Co2 emissions: 94g/km
Tax band: A (€160)
EuroNCAP rating: Not yet tested

Road Test: Porsche Panamera Hybrid S

Price as tested: €170,000 (approx)

+ Efficient, striking looks, great cabin, fast
– Diesel is better to drive and more economical
= Kudos to Porsche for tech, but the (cheaper) diesel is a better all-round car

In describing the new Panamera Hybrid S as ‘the most economical Porsche of all time’ you suspect that Porsche is in a way damning its own car with faint praise. We have become used to Porsche describing its new models as being the sharpest to drive, the fastest, the most powerful or able to lap the Nurburgring faster than all-comers. But most economical? It seems odd, at least at first, and it’s not even true...

It is true to describe the Panamera Hybrid S as the most efficient Porsche of all time though. Thanks to its clever hybrid system, some useful low-rolling-resistance tyres and some very good aerodynamics, this big, luxurious super-saloon clocks in with a Co2 rating of just 159g/km. Good enough for a Band D rating and an annual road tax bill of just €447. Or cheaper than a pre-2008 Ford Mondeo 1.8, in other words.

As for fuel efficiency, Porsche claims that the Hybrid S will return a very healthy 6.8-litres per 100km (or around 41mpg). Hmmm. Not so sure about that. With some mixed driving on main roads, back roads, in town and motorways, our best average was closer to 9.4-litres per 100km.

There’s no doubting the cleverness of Porsche’s hybrid system though. It combines a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with a synchronous electric motor fed power from a stack of nickel-metal batteries under the boot for a total of 380bhp and a hefty 580Nm of torque, Performance is, to say the least, fleet, with 100kmh coming up from a standstill in just 6.0secs and a potential top speed of 270kmh.

And while it does the usual hybrid tricks of shutting down the engine when standing in traffic and allowing for limited (about 2km) electric-only running, the Panamera’s battery system will also allow it to completely shut down the engine when running at speed. It does this when you’re cruising on, say, a motorway and there’s enough charge in the battery to propel you without needing the engine. The electronics will engage the clutch and shut down the engine, without you noticing it, until more power is needed. It only does so for a few seconds at a time (Porsche calls it ‘sailing’) but it does mean that, part of the time, the big Panamera is operating as a pure electric vehicle, even at speeds above 100kmh.

All of this is controlled from within a cabin which scores exceptionally high in terms of comfort (even in the back), quality and design, if not quite so high in terms of instrument or switchgear layout.

There’s a but coming though, and you may have been sensing it. Whether it’s the weight of the batteries in the back, or the overlight Servotronic steering or maybe the distancing effect of the standard air suspension, but the Panamera Hybrid S simply isn’t as good to drive as it could be. Compared to others in the range, the steering feels too light and detached, the chassis a noticeable touch slower to react.

Perhaps expecting Porsche to create the most economical model in its history and still expect it to be invigorating to drive was expecting too much. Except that it’s not. Not the most economical model in the Panamera range. That honour falls to the new Panamera diesel, which returns 6.3-litres per 100km on the combined cycle and which is every bit as stimulating to drive as a big Porsche should be.

With the extra weight of the 3.0-litre 250bhp V6 diesel over the nose, the Panamera’s steering comes alive, and if it does give in to understeer earlier than the hybrid, then at least the sensations are better telegraphed to you. 250bhp sounds weedy, compared to the Hybrid’s output (never mind the Turbo S’s unhinged 550bhp) but with 550Nm of torque, the Panamera Diesel absolutely flies. It feels little short of phenomenal to drive, and if its Co2 figure of 172g/km means that it costs more to tax than the hybrid, our observed fuel economy of 8.0-litres per 100km proves that there’s an upside.

It does raise the question of how the Hybrid, which uses more fuel per 100km than the Diesel still manages to post a superior Co2 figure, but perhaps that’s down to the inconsistencies in the official European fuel economy test.

So, you have a three way choice. To experience all that the Panamera can be, you could go for the brutally fast Turbo S (which can bend space and time on its way to 100kmh from rest in just 3.8secs) or you could choose to appeal to the greener side of life, sacrifice some of the driving experience and go for the Hybrid. But our choice would be the diesel. It may seem sacrilege to say it of a Porsche, but in this case, it does seem to be the best of all worlds.

Facts & Figures

Porsche Panamera Hybrid S
Price as tested: €170,000 (approx)
Price range: €125,000 to €250,000 (approx)
Capacity: 2,995cc + electric motor
Power: 380bhp
Torque: 580Nm
Top speed: 270kmh
0-100kmh: 6.0sec
Economy: 6.8l-100km (41.5mpg)
CO2 emissions: 159g/km
Road Tax Band: D €447
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested