– The latest updates on the FW team’s vehicle fleet –
SEAT Ibiza Anniversary Edition FR 1.0 TSI
FIRST REPORT
Having previously covered 4,000 miles in a SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TSI FR 95hp nearly three years ago, it’s actually really comforting to get back behind the wheel and familiarity has definitely bred content. I’ve not had an Ibiza-free life in that time though, as my next-door neighbours were so impressed with Seat’s supermini back in late 2021, that they ordered one on a three-year PCP deal. I wrote at the time that the pick of the range was probably the 1.0-litre TSI 110hp model (now bumped up to 115hp in the latest Ibiza), so that’s the model they went for, and have been delighted with it, with the next conundrum being whether to buy it outright or figuring out what to replace it with at the end of the lease.
Our new Anniversary Edition here celebrates 40 years of the SEAT Ibiza, a statistic that leaves me unable to work out whether it makes me feel young or old. Nevertheless, in addition to the extra 20 Pferdestärke this latest Ibiza offers over our previous FW Fleet star, there is an exclusive-to-the-limited-edition metallic (though this is hard to tell outside direct sunlight) Graphene Grey paint job, comfortable bucket seats, keyless entry, a spacesaver spare wheel and an impressive 9-speaker BeatsAudio system with subwoofer and amp (a £560 option elsewhere). Its pièce de résistance though is the excellent panoramic sunroof, a £765 option across the rest of the range.
And speaking of excellence, the Ibiza in Xcellence Lux trim – priced very slightly below the 40th Anniversary Edition – offers probably the only two additional options we’d like on our car, namely, a reversing camera with front parking sensors and adaptive cruise control. Both models, however, come with the larger 10.5-inch infotainment screen, which is both easier to read and more user-friendly as a result.
Xcellence Lux also offers the “comfort” suspension but, having driven our car in FR trim with the standard “sport” suspension, we would happily forgo a little softness in favour of its slightly sharper dynamics.
The black microsuede interior is predictably dark, not helped by the dark headlining fabric, but the sunroof really does a good job of lightening up the ambience on brighter days. The Ibiza also feels very, very well put together – more so than I remember – and the few additional extras on this limited-edition model have the effect of elevating Seat's supermini and giving it a premium feel.
There’s no doubt also that the bespoke colour scheme for both the car and its wheels definitely suit it, and help justify its range-topping price tag.
Luke Wikner
IN NUMBERS
PRICE £24,390
BiK* 30%
ECONOMY 48.7-50.4mpg
CO₂ EMISSIONS 126g/km
ON FLEET 50.9mpg
Škoda Enyaq 85 Edition
Range anxiety may still be a barrier to going electric for some drivers, but a trip away to the West Country this month showed just how ill-founded such worries are.
Now, a journey of some 90 miles each way in a car with a 348-mile WLTP range was never going to ruffle the Škoda’s feathers, but it did reinforce just how much EV technology has advanced. Better still, our holiday park came with four 11kW EV chargers – and we were able to choose the caravan right by them.
Charging was not incident-free. I tried and failed to access a supermarket charger before leaving just to ensure I was all set. The screen implied it was working but the phone app said different.
Once at the campsite, I initially tried – in the dark, late at night – to charge. I ended up downloading four different apps and trying a website too before I was able to access the charger, which was not operated by the manufacturer but by a different firm and accessed via an app for a different company again. Payment was a headache too as there was no contactless option and the only method that worked in the end was topping up the payment wallet to £30, which then had to be done the next time.
Nonetheless, the ability to charge the Enyaq some 15 metres from our holiday accommodation was greatly appreciated.
And despite being a small seaside town, there were a further 12 public chargers – according to Zapmap and other EV drivers I spoke toso there were always backup options.
The trip also reinforced just how family-friendly Škoda’s electric SUV is. Its 585 litres of boot space (which rises to 1,710 litres with the seats folded) was more than up to the task of transporting a family of four away for a week, aided by a flat loading surface and various boot nets and hooks too.
I barely scratched the surface of the cabin storage cubbies too, which are many and varied. As well as the 6.2-litre – and appropriately named – ‘Jumbo Box’ under the centre armrest, there’s a second storage compartment under the centre console with a further 11.4 litres of storage space. Thankfully, the handy Simply Clever umbrella, stored in a compartment in the driver’s door, wasn’t pressed into use.
Over some 350 miles of motoring, I spent around £35 on public charging, which worked out a lot cheaper than fuel bills in previous years. Probably the best thing of all was returning back home with an efficiency figure of 4.2mpkWh for the journey without even trying; a new PB.
Natalie Middleton
THE NUMBERS
PRICE £44,485
BiK* 2%
RANGE 348 miles
ON FLEET RANGE 290 miles
EFFICIENCY 4.2mpkWh
Renault Megane E-Tech Iconic
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a bit of a mixed relationship with technology. I’ll happily embrace it when it’s convenient, but then – on other occasions – it simply drives me nuts. Recent weeks with the Renault Megane E-Tech have illustrated these two feelings perfectly.
I mentioned in my last report that the Megane was due a service, which Renault collected it for – mainly because the alarm decided to start going off and nothing I could do would stop it. In the end, I consulted the manual (old school, I know) and, praise be, there were easy step-by-step instructions on how to lock the Megane without setting the alarm. Rather tellingly, however, the next morning when I opened the car door, a bug the size of a Chinook flew out and I haven’t had a problem with the alarm since.
Since the car returned from its service, though, I’ve already done another 1,000 miles in it, due to a short weekend away (thanks for fitting charging points, Center Parcs) and two trips to Devon and Cornwall in the space of four days.
I’ll expand on the second trip for my holiday in my next report, but the first one – for a funeral – saw five charging sessions in 24 hours (including a couple of top-ups for convenience) and it was a great education in public charging.
The halfway overnight stop had not one, but two, rapid chargers beside it (one 150kW BP Pulse and a 60kW GeniePoint), which I used to recharge the Renault the morning after my arrival – and again the following evening, once relatives were dropped back off.
Inbetween, I also took advantage of a coffee stop to use a 350kW Ionity charger, where I unintentionally fully charged the Megane as it was so fast – mainly due to the Renault’s ability to charge at 130kW. The 80-100% rate is always going to be slower, but the Renault gulps down the watts to that 80% so fast, that you can sometimes charge more than you expect, as I found.
The downside is that my average efficiency has dropped slightly to 3.5mpkWh due to all the motorway miles, but the upside is that it underlines the fact that, with a little planning, the public ultra-rapid charging network can – and does – work for an EV driver.
The only blot in the Megane’s copybook, however, is that Apple CarPlay is now frustratingly temperamental. Sometimes working, sometimes not – often having a bit of a wobble in the middle of a journey. As I said at the start, technology can be great but, on other occasions, it can also be downright infuriating...
Nat Barnes
IN NUMBERS
PRICE £41,995
BiK* 2%
RANGE 280 miles
ON FLEET RANGE 235 miles
EFFICIENCY 3.5mpkWh
BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro
FINAL REPORT
It is, more often than not, a sad day when a long-term vehicle leaves Challen Towers, regardless of what replaces it. So saying goodbye to the i5 was difficult, even though I’d already driven its replacement – the Volkswagen ID.7 (read on for more) – which is proving a more than capable substitute.
The i5 – like almost every other BMW I’ve driven – is a very impressive vehicle. I’ve mentioned the price tag in these missives before – and stated that arguably it should be for the money – but there are other equally expensive vehicles that fall short of the things that the BMW does so well. I’m taking about comfort, interior space, infotainment controls and performance. The big battery powered Bavarian beast is impressively smooth and yet also offers a load of power just when you need it to. It’s a good sign when you can’t think of anything else you would want from a car – and that was my overriding thought about YC73 WNU.
Over the course of the thousands of miles we covered, the electric powertrain didn’t miss a beat. There were the previously mentioned connectivity issues, but they are certainly not unique to this car.
(My theory is that, in lots of cases, cars are sometimes a bit too clever, or presumptive, for their own good, but that’s another story.) Whether it was a long cross-country trip or a short hop along the road, the i5 was a willing and able companion, and the fact that I’m seeing more and more on the roads recently makes me think that other people have come to the same conclusion.
On a more sombre note, it was fitting that the BMW’s last trip was taking Bruno the Cockerpoo – who occasionally popped up in our long-term reports – for HIS final journey. The recurrence of a back injury meant he had to go to the big dog park in the sky and the i5, once again, stepped up when required. On a happier note, like the BMW, there is a new addition – Flo the Cavapoo – so look out for her making her debut in these pages soon!
My final thought on the i5 would be that it is an excellent addition to BMW’s i range and a fitting futuristic successor to the all-conquering 5 Series, which has dominated the premium executive sector for generations.
John Challen
IN NUMBERS
PRICE £77,050
BiK* 2%
RANGE 357 miles
ON FLEET 335 miles
EFFICIENCY 3.3mpkWh
Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh
FIRST REPORT
It might seem like you can’t move for SUVs in the car market, but the options for those who favour a more 'traditional' style of vehicle, with an electric powertrain, are growing. Step forward the Volkswagen ID.7 – crudely referred to by some as an electric Passat or, alternatively, "the most advanced, capacious and luxurious member of the ID. family yet offered by Volkswagen in the UK". Not my words [Carol], the words of Volkswagen UK!
Like a lot of drivers, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the controls in other ID. Volkswagens but, having driven the ID.7 on the UK launch, I knew that the latest model had undergone a lot of changes, based on some of the feedback the company had received from disgruntled drivers. The main gripe with the first ID.3s (including me) was the lack of physical buttons and common sense with the controls. In the larger ID. model this has been rectified with an interface that is easier to use (more on that over the coming months).
Like many models in this sector, there are plenty of bells and whistles. That means heated seats with massage functionality, heated steering wheel, loads of USB-C ports, a 15-inch infotainment screen, head-up display and much, much more.
The only option on our ID.7 is a heat pump (a £1,050 option); the paint – ‘Grenadilla Black metallic’ – is a no-cost option. There’s also an assistant that, on first impressions, is a little bit over-zealous and tends to butt in when not required, but I’m sure will prove useful at some point over the next six months or so.
On the road, much like the BMW i5 that it replaces, the ID.7 is hugely impressive. Road and tyre noise is limited, performance is good (the zero to 62mph is a more than adequate 6.5 seconds) and it rides and handles well for a car that tips the scales at 2,630kg. One quirk that took a little bit of getting used to was the gear selector mounted on the steering wheel column – but actually it’s very convenient and probably the type of thing that I’ll miss when stepping into another long-termer.
One final thing to add at this stage is the interior space, which is really impressive. With a recently turned 20-year-old Challen Jnr and two others that are growing up fast, the more rear head and legroom, the better – and, thankfully, the ID.7 offers it in spades.
John Challen
THE NUMBERS
PRICE £51,495
BiK* 2%
RANGE 383 miles
ON FLEET RANGE 350 miles
EFFICIENCY 4.5mpkWh
Audi A3 Sportback Black Edition 35 TFSI S Tronic
FIRST REPORT
Away from the headline-grabbing hype generated by the e-tron electric model range, Audi’s stalwart A3 family has recently received a thorough refresh. A perennial favourite company car of middle management, the revised A3 brings fresh styling outside and an uprated cabin featuring a new infotainment system as well as the addition of new driver assistance features.
Available in Sportback and saloon guises, the A3 range soldiers on with a choice of TFSI petrol and TDI diesels; a plug-in hybrid will join the line up later this year.
Our test car is a range-topping Sportback Black Edition which, as the name suggests, features black front grille, window surrounds, air inlets and door mirrors. Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre TFSI petrol delivering 150hp through a seven-speed S Tronic automatic gearbox. Initial impressions are good – the engine is peppy and eager to rev while the gearbox shifts cleanly and quickly. Out on the road the diminutive 1.5-litre engine never feels wanting and cruises well on the motorway; the only downside is the tyre roar from the low-profile tyres on chunky 19-inch alloys.
On paper, the A3 also delivers – claimed fuel economy is nearly 50mpg (it’s too early to provide a figure from my driving yet) while CO₂ emissions of 130g/km spell a monthly Benefit-in-Kind tax bill of £185 for a base rate taxpayer.
Options on our car are limited – the fetching Navarra blue metallic paint is £595 and the Technology Pack (£1,495) brings a reversing camera, a head-up display, adaptive cruise assist and a Sonos premium audio system. Strangely, there’s no keyless entry fitted as standard or as part of this pack.
After a few hundred miles the A3 already feels like a car I’m going to enjoy living with – practical, good looking, quick and easy on the wallet.
Julian Kirk
THE NUMBERS
PRICE £38,105
BiK* 31%
CO₂ EMISSIONS 130g/km
MPG 49.6mpg
ON FLEET N/A
Isuzu D-Max Utility Double Cab
We’ve topped 10,000 miles on the Isuzu’s clock. Test mpg has slipped a bit, because I’ve been covering a fair few motorway miles, which has helped to bring the average down a bit. Even so, 40mpg from a pickup truck with no load cover to improve aerodynamics is impressive. An unladen weight below 2,040kg means that the D-Max can be driven at car speed limits, unusual among its rivals. This doesn’t help fuel consumption either, but does help with journey times.
Apart from motorway running, the D-Max has been put to work with a few loads of garden waste shipped to the local recycling centre. It’s also served as airport transport so it’s certainly earning its keep.
First gear is quite low, a sensible arrangement for a vehicle designed for towing and I find that a rapid upward shift after pulling away helps to keep revs down and noise with it. It can be a bit tricky reversing without an alarm or camera, just don’t rush.
If there is one thing I would change, it’s the sensitivity of the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), designed to keep you out of trouble. A loud alarm and red flashing light will let you know if the system thinks your closing speed on the vehicle in front is too great.
For instance, I was turning right at a busy junction angled to my right at more than 120° recently, when a car approaching from the right and turning into the road at speed took the junction quite wide.
This was enough to convince ADAS that a collision was imminent and its response was to slam the brakes on just as I was pulling out into a gap in traffic. You can’t put a price on safety, but...
John Kendall
THE NUMBERS
PRICE £28,614
BiK* £3,960
CO₂ EMISSIONS 219g/km
MPG 33.6mpg
ON FLEET 40.4mpg
*2024/25 Tax year – Benefit-in-Kind tax cost per month for 20% taxpayer / 40% taxpayer
