CompleteCar

Testers' notes

The latest new cars being tested by the CompleteCar.ie team.

Aion UT (honestly, that's the name of a car) on test in the UK this week View gallery (3)

Aion UT (honestly, that's the name of a car) on test in the UK this week

Matt's been driving Chinese firm Aion's second product, the UT electric supermini hatch, over in the UK today. A driving impressions embargo is in place so we can't say too much more for now, but keep your eyes peeled for a review on the site soon. Will the UT be good enough to tempt punters out of the likes of the Renault 5 E-Tech, Fiat Grande Panda, BYD Dolphin or MG4 EV Urban? Will that matter as Aion hasn’t said anything about an Irish-market launch as yet? Stay tuned…

We're driving the new Leapmotor B03X today View gallery (3)

We're driving the new Leapmotor B03X today

Dave has just touched down in Spain to drive the Leapmotor B03X. The latest addition to the Chinese brand’s portfolio is a compact crossover available with the choice of two batteries and lots of practical features inside. Stay tuned for our full review.

Happy World EV Day from CompleteCar.ie

Happy World EV Day from CompleteCar.ie

Aptly enough, given it's World EV Day today (Sep 9), Shane has the new electric Mercedes GLC on test. It's the top-spec 400 4Matic model, though it doesn't have the air suspension we tested at the international launch of the car and, having driven it on a variety of surfaces, we'd strongly urge buyers to tick the option box for the upgrade, as the standard suspension isn't anything special. This car has a big battery (94kWh of usable energy) so a decent range should be of no surprise, though it's not as efficient here as it was at the launch for some reason.

Neil's turn to try out the electric Mazda6e

Neil's turn to try out the electric Mazda6e

Neil’s been driving the Mazda6e this week. As an electric replacement for the Mazda6 it’s a stunner in styling terms and has excellent range and efficiency. It’s Chinese (via Changan) underneath, but it has proper Mazda quality, and while he reckons it could be a little sharper to drive it’s exceptionally quiet and comfortable. Gorgeous seats, too.

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Peugeot 308 Hybrid 145 GT: Driving impressions

Pleasantly agile, steering that’s like a lemon souffle - light but sharp at the same time - a great car to cruise in but also good on the back roads, and it’s economical too. Irish pricing: Peugeot 308 from €33,995, 308 Hybrid from €38,495.

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Peugeot 308 Hybrid 145 GT - Boot space and practicality

The Peugeot 308 Hybrid hatch has a boot capacity of 412 litres with all seats in use and 1,323 litres with the rear seats folded down (in a 60:40 configuration). Irish pricing: Peugeot 308 from €33,995, 308 Hybrid from €38,495.

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Peugeot 308 Hybrid 145 GT - cabin walk through by Neil

Peugeot didn't make any significant changes to the interior of its 308 family in the latest round of updates, save for sharpening up the graphics in the driver's instrument cluster. This means the 308 has one of the classiest cabins going in this segment. There's a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen, complete with five configurable 'iToggle' digital shortcut panels beneath and then some physical switchgear sitting below that. The cabin is stylish with lovely suede touches and bucket-like sports seats in this GT version. Irish pricing: 308 from €33,995, 308 Hybrid from €38,495.

We’re also driving the Skoda Epiq…

We’re also driving the Skoda Epiq…

Matt's trip to picturesque Austria also included a drive in the new Skoda Epiq EV, the smallest of the company's four electric SUVs and a vehicle related to the Cupra Raval. There's a short embargo on driving impressions, so tune in on September 13 to find out what he thinks of this important new car for Skoda.