There we go. (SQUEALS)
This time we're getting jiggy.
A little bit more fluid. Keep it steady on the throttle.
With Ford's crowd pleasing hybrids.
Have you driven before? Have you got a licence?
We ask whether a brand new brand is smart enough
to topple the Germans in the luxury car stakes?
It's like the car is giving me a hug to say thank you
for unleashing all that power.
Can the driving dynamics of an EV be transformed...
..by high tech upgrades?
I mean, there is more grip for sure, steering's more precise.
But first, EV expert Grace Webb
teams up with Jason to tackle a big question for many families.
This is Fifth Gear.
But with a difference.
They'll still be screaming.
And squealing.
Would you just slow down?
And shouting.
Stupid idea! I can't listen to this nonsense.
But they'll also be this.
The EV revolution is here.
But are electric vehicles right for you?
What are the costs, choices and challenges.
And how do they stack up against the petrol powered rivals?
We're here to tell you everything you need to know
about the new automotive landscape.
This is the future of driving.
This is Fifth Gear Recharged.
Here's the thing.
SUVs, or sport utility vehicles are big business,
accounting for 45% of cars sold in this country.
They can cram in loads of kids. You get all the toys.
And many are now plug-in,
like this Hyundai seven seater Santa Fe,
a big family favourite.
But VW's new kid on the block shouts 'Do you really need an SUV'?
It's seriously aiming to take a slice out of their sales.
And guess what? It's a van.
Have we gone back to the sixties where vans were cool?
Feast your eyes on this, the Volkswagen T7 Multivan.
Beauty.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's cool, isn't it?
It looks like a traffic cone.
Yep. This is mono silver and energetic orange.
Do you have to pay extra for that?
Well, you do, and I wouldn't pay extra for it.
I hate the colour. Look at it. It's a box.
And that's good because that's practical.
You can fit a lot in a box... Yeah.
..but it needs to look nicer on the inside.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
The VW in this spec, which includes keyless entry,
a tricked up infotainment system,
and that rather eye catching two tone will set you back 53 grand.
Prices for the Santa Fe start at £40,250,
but this ultimate spec model is also a plug in
and has four-wheel drive, so costs around 49 grand.
So they're both in the same ballpark.
But the Hyundai is cheaper and has more kit.
So what's your EV only range?
30 Miles exactly, which is pretty good.
36.
Oh it's going to be like that then, is it? Come on.
Hyundai first. Yeah.
I'll take you for a drive.
We're doing three real world tests, measuring first road comfort,
second practicality, and third, agility and handling.
Welcome to my Santa Fe.
SUV as our benchmark comes first.
Feel free to touch my premium surfaces.
Ah do you know what? That's not bad, is it, that's quite nice.
It's not bad, this stuff on the roof is nice feel.
The progress Hyundai has made is astonishing.
They make good bits of kit now.
Do you know what I like? All the buttons
I want volume on a button.
Mm-hmm. I want my heating on buttons.
It's alright, Grace, it's not a bad motor, I think.
You've got engine on now, haven't you.
Yes, so we're in hybrid mode at the moment.
It feels good on the road. It rides well, it's quiet.
Feels quite refined.
Yeah. And it's comfortable. Are you comfortable?
Your long legs?
Yeah, I'm OK.
It does feel massive, though.
I'm looking out the rear window
and it just seems to go back for miles.
Yeah, it is big actually, isn't it?
Give it a bit of go go, see what it goes like.
Right we are in sport mode, that's flat-footed.
Is it, is it really? Yeah.
Mm. That's not very exciting, is it?
On paper, the combined electric and petrol outputs
is almost 260 horsepower.
OK, so she's not very fast.
No, but it is a two ton SUV.
I think Hyundai are going for more of the comfort
and the practicality.
And it's a little bit sluggish.
That's why I hate it, I hate it, because it's just slow.
But say you've got your family and your dog in the back,
then you want to be going a bit slow, don't you?
No.
(LAUGHS)
So how does the Multivan compare on the road?
You comfy?
Yeah, surprisingly for a van. Plenty of leg room.
I'm loving this double arm rest.
I just can't get over how spacious it feels.
But does Van-like space mean this vehicle has a van-like feel?
It's alright, isn't it?
I like this dashboard; I like the materials.
Looks like brushed nickel, it isn't, it's plastic.
Yeah. Anyway, it looks nice.
It does look expensive, doesn't it. Yeah, yeah.
It's groovy, though, isn't it, I mean, it's cool in the back.
I like that there's a lot more quirks in this than the Santa Fe.
Like you even get a little van bin down here.
I've spotted those in the doors, they are good, aren't they?
How practical is that?
You even get this centre console
that we can have our drinks at here.
Very nice,
All these little bits that make it.
Yeah, that's clever.
Right, the ultimate test then
would be to put your foot down and see what happens in the van.
Definitely nosier than the Santa Fe.
I mean, it goes OK.
But that picked up so much more. Yeah.
The VW has a slightly smaller 1.4 litre petrol engine,
which combines with the electric motor to produce 218 horsepower.
It drives well enough. My only criticism is it's noisy.
There's just a constant van-ness to it.
Yeah, yeah.
But it drives like a very nice van.
So which motor clinches round one?
On just pure driving and a place to be,
it would be the Hyundai.
I agree.
1-0 to the car.
It ain't over yet.
Come back later when we've got more testing to be done
and we'll see which multi seater comes out on top
with SUV versus Van.
We've even got a real family.
Right come on, we're late for the pub.
Did he say pub?
Coming up, we check out a new brand that promises to be all about you.
The best bit. It's got a crystal ball.
That's a lot of cones. That's a lot of cones.
And they look pretty close together.
Oh, I'm holding on.
Plus, we go hard driving in Ford's new Kuga hybrids.
There's not a lot of roll.
Can I say I had a quite a bit of roll going on back here?
00:16:23.320 -- 00:16:28.120 Time to get a first look and first drive of a brand-new EV.
Yes, it's the Fifth Gear recharged team test.
Today the team tested a Ford Kuga full hybrid electric vehicle,
a Forever.
There's a good reason to be testing this.
It's Ford's crack at a mass market SUV hybrid,
cleverly targeting those ready to take a step
towards EV ownership, but not go the whole hog.
You don't need a charger, and it looks like a conventional car.
And at £36,000, it's competitively priced.
There's a petrol engine helped by an electric motor,
and energy is harvested during braking
to top up the battery. But you can't plug it in
and you can't go far on electric power only.
The system is designed to deliver lower emissions
and better economy than a petrol only car.
But does it hang together?
So just to get this really clear, it's got a petrol engine,
which charges up, like a generator, a battery.
Yeah, it's a 1.1 kilowatt hour battery.
So this is just a little bit of assistance
that help the fuel economy.
I still don't understand how that works because you've got
your petrol engine, which is being a generator and driving this.
Yeah. An engine charging a battery,
we're just passing energy around.
But this is a really good, absolute beginner's step
to anyone who's thinking about going down the electric route
because you don't have to remember to plug this car in
every time you bring it home. (LAUGHS)
So, it's for those people that are lazy.
And also, some people don't have the option
of having a plug outside the house.
So, can I just tell something I have got a bit of an issue with
stood here? Yeah.
Is this, you know, that interior plastic,
which is really sort of scratchy, I've never seen it on the outside.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but don't you think
that they are smart in putting the cheaper plastic outside
where you don't really stand here and touch it?
I suppose you don't. Looks wise then.
Quite a nice looking thing though, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doesn't offend, does it?
No, it's just a nice-looking car.
I think I referred to it as vanilla.
Vanilla is OK, isn't it?
Vanilla ice cream. We all like vanilla.
Yeah, it's not raspberry ripple. I mean, that's a proper ice cream.
Yeah, but you're going to have to pay extra though, aren't you,
for your raspberry ripple.
It is the best one. Tutti Fruity.
It's OK, isn't it?
Yeah, it's good, yeah.
Everything on the outside is as it should be.
Anyway, should we hop in? Yes, do let's.
What's this for?
Well, did you want to try it?
Oh. Heads up display.
That's a little bit Starship Enterprise, isn't it?
Yeah.
What I am impressed by is the space, I mean, is capacious.
I'm feeling really, with the glass up there. Nice.
That's a nice word, isn't it? Capacious.
Something that is just ruffling feathers a little bit
is that same plastic that's on the roof there.
Is the dash the same?
No, we've had a bit more money spent up here.
And you can recline your back seat as well.
You've got to be careful when testing a new car
because sometimes a booby trap can be found.
So what, so what do I do just... So there's a..
Ooh!
What's happened there?
He's a plonker sometimes, isn't he?
So I can recline this, ah, that's quite nice, isn't it?
Oh, I like that.
So, what we doing? Are we going down to the beach, are we?
Family day out.
Right up here, you can now see what's happening.
Each time I'm lifting off, the car is regenerating
and sending a bit of juice back into the battery.
So that's when I lift off and when I break
and then when I put my foot on the throttle,
then it sends power to the front wheels.
So it's front wheel drive only.
So the boys' earlier concern
that the hybrid system is pointless
is not justified, because the car is storing energy
that would otherwise be wasted and then uses it when you need it.
So you can see now it's constantly getting a little bit of a boost.
And also at really low speeds in town,
it can kick along in electric power.
All of which results in a pretty respectable 48.7 MPG.
So we got 190 horsepower.
190 horsepower. Eh?
It's a two and a half litre engine. I know.
You'd think it would be more than that.
You got to be using that now for economy
rather than out and out performance, haven't you?
0-60 in about 9.1 seconds, which is, you know,
a little bit lethargic, but then it is a big family car.
So this car is one of the better handling SUVs out there.
Anyone for a slalom test?
Oh, I'm up for that. No, definitely not.
Jimmy doesn't like any sort of fast drive,
he's quite prone to be bilious.
Right, are you ready, peeps? Not really.
Jason and I are trained drivers with trophies to show for it.
Jimmy would rather scoop ice cream than prizes.
That's a lot of cones. That's a lot of cones.
And they look pretty close together.
Oh, I'm holding on.
That is a lot of cones, let's try it, shall we?
Yeah, oh. One. It's good, isn't it.
Oh, can you turn my traction off? Do you know what...
Can you find the traction control button?
Erm...
Well, yeah.
There's not a lot of roll, not a lot of roll.
Can I say I had a quite a bit of roll going back here.
Even though this is an SUV,
it also gave the driver a bit of entertainment.
Who else wants a go?
Jimmy, come on, you and me swap, my love.
Come on. Oh no.
Now I've got two racing drivers and me,
brace yourself for the backseat driving.
Brace, brace.
You're not funny, you're not funny.
(SQUEALS)
There we go.
That's alright, see?
A little bit more fluid, keep it steady on the throttle,
steady on the throttle.
I mean, I suppose we probably weren't meant to hit the odd cone,
but you know, I'm getting this in one ear
and that in another ear, my palms are sweating.
Things are going to get clipped, aren't they?
That's it. Go on, go on. That's it, nice and smooth.
That's it.
I'm sticking my tongue out!
Did you not have your tongue out then?
Full concentration, but that was a bit more real world, wasn't it?
Yeah, it was definitely more real world.
(LAUGHS) Have you driven before?
Have you got a licence?
Aside from Jimmy's driving,
we all thought the Kuga could manoeuvre,
as you might expect with Ford,
but is it really a car for all seasons?
And do we care that it's not a plug in?
So yes, scores, erm, Jimmy's driving, a one.
Er, but the car I'm going to give it a great score
because I think it's just a mega bit of kit, it's a big nine.
It's a great family car, and because of that,
I'm giving it a magnificent seven out of ten.
My impression of the Kuga FHEV was very good,
in fact, so good, I'm going to give the car an eight.
A strong team test score of 24 out of 30.
And it is a great recipe for those EV nervous drivers.
What have we here?
A blizzard of new cars with arrest and styling,
smart mechanics and catchy tech you can afford.
These come from the Korean car industry,
which seems to be taking over the world.
And now the UK is being offered yet another brand
that wants to take over a bit more,
specifically the luxury sector, traditionally owned by the Germans.
It's called Genesis.
Genesis is not new.
It's been selling cars in other parts of the world
since 2015, but now it has descended upon the UK
with not just one new model but a whole fleet of them.
But can the new baby of parent company Hyundai
00:24:08.840 -- 00:24:11.400 Welcome back to the second part of our challenge,
genuinely worry Mercedes and BMW or any other luxury badge?
It thinks so and is making elevated customer services
where we're comparing this large seven seat SUV,
part of the deal which applies to servicing and test drives.
the Hyundai Santa Fe.
It feels good on the road.
And as part of the "we come to you" mantra,
It's not a bad motor, I think.
To something a bit left field, a VW Multivan.
Genesis will even drop off a car or three to your home
It looks like a traffic cone!
for a test drive.
This isn't actually my house.
The SUV has become the default choice for most people
Ah, here they come. Now that's what I call service.
who want plenty of space and an elevated driving position.
There are seven different body shapes.
But VW thinks something van shaped could be an even better proposition.
I've selected a small, medium and large.
You comfy? Yeah, surprisingly for a van.
The GV 60, the G70 Shooting Brake and the G80.
In our first challenge, we found out what the vehicles are like
Two are fully electric and the estate is a petrol.
on the roads.
Smallest first.
You could take this literally anywhere then.
Prices for the GV 60 start at £47,000,
Well, it is 4-wheel drive, so yeah. Yeah.
And even though both vehicles drove well,
which puts it in competition with premium SUVs
we decided the refined Santa Fe was the daddy
like the Tesla Model Y,
the Audi Q4 E-TRON and the Volvo XC40 Recharge.
when it came to road manners and comfort.
So, the Hyundai is the car in front for now.
However, this sports plus model
Right, so now we're going to move on to a test
is a whopping £65,000, serious wedge.
which has got multivan written all over it.
Would you pay that for a Korean car?
Practicality.
I don't think we should bother going through it to be honest
Well, I think it is lush and light and lovely, and the best bit?
because I'm going win this one.
But maybe the Hyundai will be a more pleasant cabin for the family.
It's got a crystal ball.
So, let's try it.
But will all of them and all of that
It can't tell your future, but it helps with mood lighting
have any chance of fitting in?
while the car is off,
Plus me or Jason as a chauffeur.
and then flips over to reveal a rotating dial selector.
Now, that is a test and a half.
The Hyundai is up first.
Now, Genesis said that this is a safety feature.
This is going to be no problem at all.
Nah, it's just a nice bit of bling.
I think it will be.
Right gang, load up the Hyundai.
Right, time to turn a wheel.
Let's go.
I'm going to get out the way.
With plenty of space and an electric boot,
The GV 60 shares the same EGMT platform
this should be easy.
as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and the Kia EV6,
Look at all this boot space.
You'll soon fill that up.
both impressive cars.
That's it, chuck it in.
But back to Genesis and this entry level premium model
Even without folding all the seats down,
the Hyundai boot has a massive 571 litres of space.
is rear wheel drive and has a single motor with 229 horsepower.
Sport gives you dual motors and 318 HP.
I love the way that kids pack boots.
And then you have got this,
Initially it all goes well
with the important cargo disappearing happily.
the sport plus which boosts power to 490.
We're in.
Is that everything? Right everyone in.
That's BMW M3 munching power.
But I'm not sure that Grace has seen the whole picture.
And if you want to sample it, switch out of the default comfort mode
The Santa Fe, yes, works well, but for a family of four.
and stick it in sport.
Right everyone's in. Yeah.
We're good.
The gauges glow red, the throttle response quickens
What?
and the seat tightens its grip on me.
You've forgotten two kids.
But the Rushbees are a family of six.
It's like the car is giving me a hug
But fear not, there's two seats under there.
to say thank you for unleashing all that power.
Guys, everyone out. There's two more kids to go.
If that's still not enough excitement,
all models come with a drift mode.
I'll have to save that for another day
Poor Grace. She's not very good at spatial modelling.
when I'm on a track, but it just goes to show
The two extra seats might need to be unfolded in order to use them.
how much emphasis Genesis has put on making this a driver's car.
Bring your stuff around the back, we'll load you in the boot.
And being Korean, it's packed with other tech,
And now she's got the kids to do all the heavy lifting.
What a meanie.
such as a suspension, which is electronically controlled.
OK, let's have a look at the seats under here then.
It uses forward facing cameras to detect lumps
Give it a pull.
and bumps in the road and then it primes the dampers in readiness.
There you go, two extra seats.
So now we need to get all this stuff in this space here, OK?
It's not Bentley quality, but it's not bad.
Other useful stuff. The range is 289 miles,
No chance.
Grace might be looking smug, but she hasn't thought this through.
and if you can find a 350-kilowatt charger,
There's only 50 litres of space when the rear seats are being used.
you can top up the batteries from 10 to 80% in just 18 minutes.
Load it on top.
Do you want me to just go and get my van now,
because that's just not going to work.
So, this isn't cheap, but there's an awful lot to like.
No we've got this, we've got this.
Our next car is one that's designed to bate German estates or tourers.
Right, you guys all get in the car
and I'll load up the rest of the stuff.
Yeah. Yeah?
This is the G70 Shooting Brake.
Actually what she means is she is going to throw the skateboards away.
OK, hands up.
Me first.
This is a petrol-powered car,
I don't want to admit defeat, but if I'm honest,
but we wanted to include it to illustrate that Genesis
things aren't looking great.
Right, erm...
isn't all about electric cars, though I am sure at some point
You just keep an eye on them to make sure
she doesn't leave anything out, mind.
in the future there will probably be an electric version of this.
So the Rushbee family are all comfortably seated,
but I can't say the same for all this stuff.
The entry level G70 Shooting Brake is 35 grand
They've got four scooters.
and the luxury line like this will set you back 40.
I'll get the van.
It's almost like a wise man once said,
Power is a two litre turbo petrol with 245 HP
"The van will walk this."
and there's a diesel which puts out 200.
It's what it was designed for. Let's go to work.
0-62 happens in a competitive 6.9 seconds.
(LAUGHS)
This is what you want. Right, get packing.
I think it is incredibly pretty and the front end is dominated
Even with all seven seats in place.
We'll get everything in this.
by this diamond shaped grille
You'll get everything in there.
with the slimline lights on either side.
The VW still has 469 litres of luggage capacity.
And Genesis says that this design
gives the car a sprinter's pre-race posture.
Plus, there's more storage under the seats.
But this is Fifth Gear Recharged so on with more electric.
We'll get that in, won't we, eh?
This is brilliant.
There are advantages to driving around in a van.
The £65,000 G80.
It's higher and it's squarer.
This is a deceptively large car.
Come on.
And although it might not look like it,
It's almost five metres long and just shy of two metres wide,
twice the amount of clobber fits in
which is similar to a Range Rover,
when all the seats are in play compared to the Santa Fe.
but obviously this isn't quite as tall.
We need a car like this.
The paint is worth a mention, called Matera Blue.
And this time, all of the family stuff
seems to be going in easily.
It's supposed to change colour depending on the angle
Right down to every last helmet and rucksack.
you view it from, going from cobalt blue to emerald,
Perfect.
turquoise.
It's a 1300 pound extra.
This is where I put the window out with a skateboard.
Prices for this car start at around £66,000
and main competition will come from Mercedes-Benz and its EQE.
Not only that, but the van's quirky features
are delighting my passengers.
There are a couple of really nice design features here,
Press that button there.
the first of which is this flap hidden in the grille
Press it hard.
That's it, look at this. Put your sandwiches on there.
and then up on the roof, you have got solar panels.
You can do jigsaw puzzles on there and everything.
It's quite good, that, isn't it?
And also, this thing you can move this around, backwards, forwards.
Right, come on, we're late for the pub.
Genesis estimates you can only self-generate enough juice
Did he say pub?
for a thousand miles a year from the solar panels.
I think you might find that's a slam dunk to me.
So in the grey UK, the 1300 pound option will hardly be worth it.
Yeah.
Right, come on.
I'm not going to rub it in because the van's walked it
as it was always going to.
It's SUV one and van one.
Join us later for the decider
The dash may seem a bit old school
when a slalom performance test
compared to everything else these days,
truly tells us whether big is really better.
which is very screen heavy, but it's nice to have a couple
Oh, you fighter.
of real buttons to press.
She's a bit under-steery there.
When it comes to the all-important range,
there is a potential of 323 miles.
But if you prefer performance then 0-62
EVs, like all vehicles have their pros and cons,
will happen in five seconds.
like being emission free and rapid in a straight line,
but the heavy batteries can make chassis feel a bit stodgy,
Keeping up with rivals in terms of tech,
and keen drivers can find themselves disappointed.
Even the good ones, and actually, this Polestar two is a good one.
where you can write a destination with your finger.
Of course, the handwriting has to be legible.
Well, they can lack that last bit of driver engagement.
So there we go.
That's concerning news for any EV driver.
Now you have to be a bit careful with your writing.
I'm going to try to write London.
And maybe because the cars are so full of black boxes
and weigh so much, you'd be forgiven for thinking,
(LAUGHS)
well, there isn't much you can do about it.
Oh, I am right handed so I should actually...
Right, I've tried London and it's come up as....
But Polestar themselves have been scratching their heads
I'm probably going to end up somewhere
that I really don't want to be, but I just wanted to show you
about the issue, and are now ready to prove
because other premium cars, BMW, Mercedes, they have this feature.
that the EV driving experience can be massively improved.
And they've come up with this. The Polestar BST 270.
Once you've put in the correct place to go,
the G8's display gets busy.
But what is it beyond a lot of letters?
Every time I come up to a junction,
The Standard Polestar 2 comes in two flavours,
the augmented reality satnav kicks in
a single motor and a dual motor.
and shows me exactly what's going on outside the car.
£42,000 will buy you a single motor with 231 horsepower,
But the thing is, like a rabbit stuck in the headlights
but for an extra six grand you can get this,
the dual motor version.
of an oncoming car, my eyes are drawn
And in my opinion, that's money very well spent
to that screen instead of being focused outside
because the power goes up to 408 horsepower,
through my front screen in the real world.
Hmm, I'm not sure if that's such a good bit of tech.
while the entry level car takes 7.4 seconds to get to 62.
The dual motor does it in 4.7 seconds. Wow!
It is a decent package, not a mould breaking one,
but it has a composed way of going about its business
Now, let's be perfectly clear.
This is a quick car, but this is even quicker.
and is a credible alternative to the usual suspects.
Only time will tell if the public will accept this badge
So what have Polestar done apart from adding a stripe?
alongside the establishment.
Well, for starters,
they've squeezed another 68 horsepower out of it.
Well, Tesla did it.
And if you are an early Genesis adopter,
The motors and the batteries are the same,
then be prepared for a lot of this.
polestar have simply tweaked the software
"Nice car, what is it?"
to get more out the system.
Now I say simply tweaked.
They've obviously got a team of scientists with huge foreheads.
Coming up, we've got more van versus SUV.
We need a car like this.
The result is a 0 to 62 time of 4.2 seconds.
Yes.
We track test a limited-edition Polestar
This is half a second quicker than that, which is significant.
that takes a standard heavy EV
and dials in extra performance, handling and driving pleasure.
Definitely much more aggressive over kerbs.
But is this 12% increase in acceleration worth 21 grand?
Because that's exactly how much extra this car is.
It cost £69,000, which is quite a lot of money
for an extra 70 horsepower.
But that's not the full story,
because as a racing driver, I know better than most.
That extra power is worth nothing without control.
And that's where Polestar's engineering team
have really gone to town.
The car sits 25 millimetres lower than standard,
on springs which are 20% stiffer,
and if you lift up the bonnet, you'll find some
auxiliary adjustment cannisters
for the trick Ohlins two way adjustable dampers.
That's a bit racy.
There's also a new aluminium strut bar
connecting the front suspension mounts,
increasing rigidity.
And connecting everything to the road
are special 21 inch wheels
and a set of Pirelli P zero tyres
that have been specially developed just for this car.
So, the question is how much faster does all that make this
compared to that getting around the track?
Well, there's only one way to find out.
And so first, I wanted a lap time in a standard dual motor Polestar 2.
Tell you what, first impressions.
It's quite quick actually, but I must admit,
in the corners and on the brakes,
you could feel the weight of the car.
On power on, quite a lot of understeer.
Well, let's go for a lap time. See what he does.
(LAUGHS)
We had the ABS and all sorts kicking on then.
Come on, in you go, in you go. Power out, understeer here.
Now I need good drive out this corner.
Here we go, on the throttle.
Right, we are coming up the line.
Let's see what the lap time is.
So, 49.1 seconds.
Right, let's see how fast this one is.
Well, I tell you what, the first thing that strikes you
is not the extra power actually, it's the suspension.
It's quite a bit stiffer, the car doesn't feel
quite as heavy as the other one, even though it is.
It's just a bit more reactive in your hands.
And there's more grip for sure.
Steering is more precise, it's a bit sharper on turning.
So, the big question, is it more engaging to drive?
Now I think the answer to that question is certainly yes.
So what do I think the BST 270 will do?
I'm going to predict it for... 47 dead.
Which is a lap time that's two seconds faster.
That's much quicker around a short circuit.
Can the BST tweaks deliver?
Let's see what it does for a lap time, start the watch.
You know what, it's most certainly much more lively. Come on.
The 270 sits differently.
It's more responsive to driver inputs,
whatever they've done, the recipe works.
Definitely much more aggressive over curbs.
Unfortunately, because I was driving so hard,
the safety systems thought I was about to have a shunt
and tighten my belts.
The seatbelts are trying to kill me! Jesus.
A timely reminder that Polestar is part of Volvo,
where safety is a big part of everything they do.
(LAUGHS, SHRIEKS)
It's done it again! Man, it thinks I'm having an accident.
The seatbelt just keeps getting tighter and tighter and tighter.
It's done it again! Look at the state of this.
Anyway, stop the watch.
So, 47.56 despite being strangled by the seat belt.
So, I shaved 1.5 seconds off the lap time.
That's really something with an already fast car
setting a benchmark.
Lewis Hamilton would be over the moon
with that kind of time saving.
So the car is faster. But is it better?
It's definitely a more engaging drive.
21 grand extra? Yes.
I quite like it.
A lot of manufacturers will be looking at their EVs
and coming to the same conclusion,
that more driving engagement can actually be delivered
and should be as standard.
Great news for us keen drivers.
Join us after the break...
And we are in sport mode.
Yes, we are, yes.
..for more SUV...
A little bit of wheel spin.
..verses van super test.
A bit understeery there.
Oh, you fighter.
00:37:36.120 -- 00:37:39.960 Big SUV, such as the seven seat Hyundai Santa Fe,
sell in bucketloads.
But VW think their new Multivan or Life van
or whatever it is,
is a smarter all round bet for a big family.
Are we looking at the next big motoring trend?
These multi seater hybrids are both around 50 grand,
have plug in electric motors
and are neck and neck, with one being more refined
and one being bigger.
Now how do we separate them?
So Grace, I weigh 2.2. tonnes. How about you?
Only two tonnes, so 200kg less.
OK, what about length?
I'm under 4.8 metres. You?
Five, so what 20cm longer.
Well, neither is sold as a driver's car,
but the way they handle under stress
tells you how they'll feel on a long journey
coming out of a roundabout.
And trust us, if the chassis is baggy,
you'll quickly fall out of love with it.
And so, a slalom test it is.
Right then, come on. You can drive.
Oh.
See I quite like that.
Just a touch of a button.
Yeah, I like that.
The Santa Fe can do 0-62 in 8.8 seconds.
Has a top speed of 116 miles per hour.
And I've got four-wheel drive for added traction.
This isn't that scientific,
but it's a slalom, we'll get a feel for...
Vecause I think this is going to feel quite soft and wallowy.
Yeah, but let's give it a go. Excellent.
You holding on? I'm excited.
Go.
Oh, the length of it! It's like get it all round.
(LAUGHS) Do you know what?
It doesn't feel as soft and wallowy as I thought.
Do you know what I mean?
So is this, this is four wheel drive, isn't it?
It is, yes, and we are in sport mode.
Yes, we are, yes.
It's... (LAUGHS)
A little bit of wheelspin.
36 seconds with one cone down. Actually, that's not bad.
Quite fabulous. Well.
I mean, that's standard supermarket car park driving, that,
and I thought it did alright.
Over to the Multivan.
(LAUGHS)
All the things.
We've got everything going, haven't we?
Now some stats for you.
Mm-hmm.
Erm, obviously this is a bit heavier...
Yep.
But it's only fractionally slower to 62.9 seconds, that's alright.
OK, yeah, a little bit slower. Front wheel drive only,
but it won't make a difference through here.
And it actually has a slightly higher top speed
of 119 miles per hour.
Now, that's not gonna matter here, but could I thread
the Multivan's longer, wider shape through the cones and shame Grace?
I think, I think and I think it's going to be fine actually.
It's going to be interesting. OK, I'm holding on.
Well, we're not racing obviously,
we're just going to see what it feels like.
But still, it'd be kind of fun to make Grace ill.
Oh you fighter, she's a bit understeery there.
It feels alright though, don't you think?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. It does feel a bit vanny though.
I found the length of the Santa Fe going through the cones
was you felt the tightness of it.
What does this feel like? It feels great.
That's one second slower than the Hyundai.
So surely that should be a victory for the SUV?
Well, no, Jason won't accept defeat.
It did feel a bit slower than the Santa Fe.
Well, obviously, that's because you, you lunatic,
were going at it like a fruitcake.
(LAUGHS)
I think that's perfectly acceptable. Yeah.
I think it's great. Yeah.
I like it.
The only bad thing with these is you've got kids
in the back, haven't you?
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there, Dad?
(LAUGHS) Can we stop?
Yeah. Can we get some crisps?
Keep poking you on your shoulder.
Well, someone's got to keep you on your toes.
Right, I feel a, erm... I think we should have a brew.
We started off by asking whether an SUV really is the answer
to a big family with about 19 scooters,
and whether it's time for them to reassess
and consider a van instead.
Which do you think we should say is the winner, the SUV or the Multivan?
I like this one. I like the van.
It's massive, so it's then practical.
It drives really well on the road, it was alright in the slalom.
What's not to like?
I'm lusting after one of those, in fact, I think I want one at home.
Yeah, yeah.
As the family wagon. You?
For me, the practicality tops it as well.
There's just so much space in that and it feels spacious.
The light, interior,
all the space you get up front and in the back.
Check you out, you're not even 29 and you are going for a van.
And what does that say?
I can fit my bikes in the back,
all the shopping, a load of mates, kids.
And you can't do this.
This is a good setup. Go on then.
So, the VW takes the biscuit.
Maybe SUV makers really should start worrying.
Could this be a thing?
Do you really need an SUV? Maybe you don't.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.tv