Mini E: ultimate electric hot hatch? Full road test // Jonny Smith CarPervert

Published 2nd March 2020. The Mini E - or Mini Cooper se to be precise - is Mini's first mass produced electric car. They did make a batch of experimental Mini One EVs in 2009, and whilst they had excellent performance the batteries took up the whole back seat area. 10 years later the latest UK-built British icon has been gifted the electric powertrain of its BMW i3 cousin and a few minor trim tweaks to provide a quicker 0-62 than its Honda e arch rival, as well the Peugeot e208, revised VW e-Up! and Renault Zoe. With a WLTP range of 145 miles, however, is it enough to be a convincing purchase against the other electric hatches in this sub £30,000 supermini class? Testing the new leccy Mini in the real world is vital, so I drove it on a suitably Mini adventure from Oxfordshire to Swindon to meet up with a classic Austin Rover Mini that can be ordered with fully electric conversion. The Swind-E is the product of Swindon Powertrain, a company who balance hyper e-bike manufacture with BTCC touring car engine building, and soon an off-shelf e-axle electric motor conversion kit to purchase. I will be driving the Swind-E in detail on another episode of CarPervert, as well as a full factory tour of Swindon Powertrain, who in their 50 year lifespan have been involved in F1, WRC and even the forthcoming Lotus Evija EV hypercar project. Thank you for watching. If you haven't already, click the bell icon to alert you when the next CarPervert video lands. Filmed by Mark Taylor-Hankins and Nick Poole. Edited by Mark Taylor-Hankins @inksharkman

Accreditation Link: https://youtu.be/dyswzcDCjxE

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New Shelby Cobra: Does it live up to the legend?
  • The new Shelby Cobra CSX10000 is the first new Cobra to be listed in the Shelby Register since the 1960s. It’s been made available in the UK first, through Clive Sutton Cars in London and Hagerty has been behind the wheel. After seeing the larger (too large?) 18-inch wheels, Henry Catchpole was sceptical, but as soon as he heard it start up, he couldn’t help but smile at the sound from the side-exit exhausts. On the face of it, the engine isn’t anything particularly special - Ford’s 5-litre Coyote V8 has been in plenty of cars over the years - but it’s never sounded better than in this latest Cobra. It’s linked to a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox with a long, forward-leaning shifter that has a fabulous feel to it. With 460bhp and 420lb ft of torque to propel just 2400lb, performance is certainly fulsome enough to match the noise. However, while this looks like a Cobra, sounds like a Cobra and goes like a Cobra, it certainly isn’t as demanding to drive as an original Cobra. The power assisted steering means it’s a doddle to potter about at low speeds and the huge tyres - 275 section at the front and 335 section at the rear - ensure huge amounts of grip to give a sense of security even when you’re pressing deeper into the throttle’s travel (at least on dry roads). Of course, it’s all very well looking and sounding like a Cobra to the casual observer - there are plenty of replicas that do decent job of that - but what will the die-hard (festive nod) Shelby fans think of it? As luck would have it, Henry knows just such a person. Alan Faulkner has been restoring muscle cars for 40 years and what he doesn’t know about Shelbys probably wouldn’t fill the back of an envelope. So, we took the new Cobra CSX10000 along to see him and get his opinion (after having a poke around his wonderful workshop). We hope you enjoy this latest episode of The Driver’s Seat. If you would like to support the show and the channel, then a thumbs up, comment, share or sub would be hugely appreciated. And if you’d like to know more about the Hagerty Drivers Club then just click on this link: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club/
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New Vauxhall Vivaro - Precision driving by Paul Swift!
  • Watch as precision driver Paul Swift takes the new Vauxhall Vivaro Van for a spin round the Vauxhall Van Plant in Luton! During a quiet day at the Vauxhall Van Plant in Luton, precision driver Paul Swift decides to get behind the wheel of the new Vivaro and take it for a spin. Skidding, screeching and drifting round the plant, Paul shows that the new Vivaro is built to take it all. Paul Swift is a British driver who is best known for precision driving and autotesting as well as being involved in live action arenas such as Top Gear Live and the UK Motorshow. He has appeared on several TV programmes such as Top Gear, Fifth Gear and Guinness World Records Smashed. As well as his TV appearances he has won several national championships and has represented England. The new Vivaro is built to take it all with more power, more space and more comfort than ever! The new Vauxhall Vivaro comes with a new practical design, comfort, convenience, a large load capacity and a variety of safety features. The new Vivaro will meet your every need!
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Nissan Juke 2020 in-depth review - Carbuyer
  • Published 7th February 2020. The Nissan Juke kick-started the small crossover trend when it arrived in 2010 and its radical styling helped to make it one of the UK’s best-selling cars. An all-new Juke has now arrived with a similarly funky design, as well as new tech and powertrains, including a hybrid. It faces stiff competition from rival crossovers such as the Ford Puma, Hyundai Kona and the Renault Captur but can it compete? Batch puts it to the test at the Carbuyer track to find out.
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