Latest news with #hatchback
Top Gear
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Prices for the (literally) edgy Kia EV4 start from £34,695
Electric Tesla Model 3, Cupra Born and VW ID.3 rival is here, but no word on the fastback as yet Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Prices are in for the distinctively angular Kia EV4 – the newest fully electric, four-door hatchback on the Korean carmaker's block – and the entry-level 'Air' trim will cost from £34,695, a smidge more than the basic Cupra Born. For that sub-£35k price tag, the Air gives you a single 201bhp (150kW) front-mounted electric motor capable of generating 209lb ft, a 58.3kWh battery and 273 miles of range. It also gives you a pair of 12.3in displays, and an integrated 5.3in climate touchscreen with real buttons for heating and cooling. Advertisement - Page continues below Kia's also integrated ChatGPT (because that's the trend now), Android Auto and Apple Carplay. There's another version of the EV4 Air that gets the same 201bhp motor and a bigger 81.4kWh battery, which bumps range right up to 388 miles and the starting price to £37,695 – akin to the range-topping Renault Megane E-tech. You might like Step up to the sportier 'GT-Line' trim, and for £39,395 you'll get - that's right - the same 201bhp motor, that bigger battery with 362 miles of juice, and choice goodies like bigger 19in wheels and the option of a 'Wolf Grey' paintjob, fur real. Otherwise white is the standard exterior finish on the Kia, so prepare to throw in another £650 for black, blue or red. The GT Line's styling and additional tech kit – including more comfy seats, ambient lighting and a wireless charger for your phone – carry through into the range-topping 'GT-Line S', which kicks off from £43,895. Same battery as the GT-Line. And e-motor. And range. And while that price will put you over the Expensive Car Supplement threshold, the extra four grand buys heated and cooled seats, a fancier sound system, HUD, park assist, electric tailgate and other driver assistance features. Advertisement - Page continues below On a home charger, charging will take over five hours for the smaller battery, or seven for the bigger one. The EV4 has 400V electrical architecture, able to support 350kW power delivery cutting the 10-80 per cent recharge to around half an hour. Elsewhere, there's no word on that fastback yet - sorry. For now, order books are only open for the hatchback, but stay tuned for more news on that one when we get it. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Car and Driver
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
From the Archive: 1977 Mazda GLC Drive
From the February 1977 issue of Car and Driver. Mazda has just announced a new subcompact hatchback sedan called the GLC, but before you start looking for hidden meaning in the GLC name, you may as well know that there isn't any. It's just a collection of letters, and you're free to read into it whatever you will. However, Mazda suggests Great Little Car. So much for modesty. The GLC is a conventional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sedan. In specifications, it is very similar to a Chevy Chevette. In real life, it seems much better. Externally, it looks like a Chevette that has started to dissolve. The Chevrolet's sharp edges are replaced with soft curves. Nowhere on the GLC will you find the over-decoration that has become a trademark of Japanese cars. View Photos Patrick Bedard | Car and Driver While the GLC's shape is that of the Chevette, its dimensions vary only slightly—4.3 inches shorter than the Chevette, 3.2 inches less wheelbase, 1.4 inches wider—and it seems a happier compromise. The extra width makes the interior less cramped, the lower beltline gives the passenger compartment an airy feeling, and typical of Mazda, the front seats have an adjustment range of 6.3 inches, which gets you far enough away from the wheel to think you're in a far bigger car. View Photos Patrick Bedard | Car and Driver The GLC is Mazda's economy car and is therefore not scheduled to have a rotary engine. A 1300 cc four-cylinder is the only choice, but you can back it up with a four-speed manual, five-speed manual, or three-speed automatic transmission. Our driving impression was based on a brief fling in pre-production models at Mazda's Miyoshi proving ground in Japan. In that session, the GLC was a real charmer. It's roomy, the ride is comfortable, and the car's behavior is so predictable you get the feeling you've driven it before. The five-speed is crisp, and the pedals are perfect for heel-and-toeing. Mazda plans to bring the base GLC into the U.S. for less than $3000. At that price, it really is a great little car. View Photos Patrick Bedard | Car and Driver Specifications Specifications 1977 Mazda GLC Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door hatchback PRICE (EST) Base: $2900 ENGINE SOHC inline-4, iron block and aluminum heads Displacement (est): 78 in3, 1273 cm3 Power (est): 52 hp @ 5000 rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 91.1 in Length: 154.3 in Curb Weight (C/D est): 1965 lb
Auto Car
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
New Kia EV4 hatchback brings 388-mile range for £37,695
The new Kia EV4 hatchback will be priced from £34,695 when the first examples land in the UK this autumn. Little changed from the concept shown in 2023, the EV4 shares its underpinnings with the smaller EV3 hatchback. The EV4 will be offered with both hatchback and saloon bodies, with the former roughly as large as the Hyundai Kona Electric and the latter's stretched rump making it longer than the Tesla Model 3. It will be sold primarily as a hatch in Europe, where it will be a natural rival to the Citroën ë-C4, Volkswagen ID 3 and Volvo EX40. Advertisement Both versions will be offered with a single front-mounted motor producing 201bhp, giving a 0-62mph in the mid-7.0sec range, depending on the chosen battery and trim level. All Kia EVs are destined to receive hot GT versions, so a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive range-topper with power and pace to match the MG 4 EV XPower is expected down the line. The entry-level EV4 gets a 58.3kWh battery pack that yields a range of 273 miles in hatch guise. With an 81.4kWh battery (starting from £37,695), the hatch delivers 388 miles miles between charges. A 10-80% charge takes at least 29 minutes for the smaller battery and at least 31 minutes for the larger one. Inside, the EV4 gets the same 30in dashboard screen as the EV3, comprising two 12.3in segments for infotainment and instrumentation, divided by a 5.3in climate panel.
Top Gear
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Vive La Renaulution: what makes the Renault 4 our 2025 EV of the year?
Renault did a magnificent job with its revival of the 5 hatchback... turns out it was just getting warmed up Dateline Morocco, sometime in the mid 1990s. A white Renault 4 is ascending the 2,200m Tizi n'Tichka pass over the Atlas, gateway to the Sahara. I'm taking liberties with the primitive engine and brakes, using short straights between the hairpins for sneaky overtakes of all the other white Renault 4s. 'It's like being on a car launch,' says my passenger, who knows the things we young and stupid road testers got up to when let loose in a fleet of identical new cars. But these aren't new. They're bashed up renters. For many years, the white Renault 4 was the standard issue cheap hire car in Marrakech. For decades that original R4, launched in 1961, did faithful service on many other thankless tasks in French-influenced parts of the world. It was cheap, versatile – the world's first hatchback – simple, tough and utterly unpretentious. Renault sold a staggering 8.1 million. Yet most us have forgotten how successful the 4 was, doubtless because they've mostly decomposed now, much like our memory of them. So the new one has to stand on its own four wheels, rather than bask in reflected glory. Especially as in spirit this new 4 isn't a 4 at all. Not because it is electric, but because it isn't especially cheap. If you want a modern Renault 4, a car designed with a gimlet eye to every conceivable means of saving a centime, Renault will soon have one. The electric Twingo. Photography: Huckleberry Mountain That first 4 was a crossover decades before crossovers became a thing. If you want to find a survivor these days, go find an apparently deserted French farm at the top of a rough steep track. So Renault is being eminently sensible in selling the new 4 that way. As a crossover for the small family, it's nicely sized, with an extra 80mm in the wheelbase versus the new 5. So, provided the driver raises their seat a little, there's enough room for the extremities (toes, kneecaps, scalps) of an adult behind them. The boot is a deep 420 litres and the front passenger seat folds forward to take your DIY planks or cello. A section of the bumper lifts with the tailgate, deepening the aperture. It'll even tow a 750kg trailer. The R4 is just 1.8m across the body, and feels handy down narrow streets and lanes. It hardly takes an automotive Inspector Clouseau to figure out this car is a close relative of today's R5. Indeed pretty well everything under the bodywork is the same, except for the longer wheelbase, 50kg of extra weight – still very light for an EV this size – and slightly recalibrated springs and steering. So that brings a 148bhp motor and 52kWh battery in all UK specs. Renault's excellent screen and control system is here, with its satisfyingly abundant physical controls. On the outside through, it's wholly other. It repeatedly riffs off the OG 1961 ancestor. For those keeping score... The face was once a single chromed frame with the round lamps at the end and grille in the middle, now the chrome is substituted by an LED perimeter track. A cut line between this and the wings follows a gap between the original's wings and forward opening bonnet/grille assembly. On the sides, tall and flattish, you've ridged door panels, like the R4 GTL had. The reverse raked rear door window and trapezoid rearmost side window keep the faith with the characteristic rhythm of the old car's fenestration. An upright tailgate and tall narrow little lamp clusters complete the picture.
Auto Blog
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Honda Isn't Going To Like The 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX's Performance And Style
The FX Edition makes its mark The Toyota Corolla Hatchback isn't a model that usually turns heads as it passes by, but the 2026 model's FX Edition brings a few unique upgrades that help it stand out from the crowd. A commuter car known for its impressive efficiency and reliability, the Corolla Hatchback FX Edition embraces the spirit of the original FX16 of the '80s. With an array of stylish modifications and plenty of pep in its step, the 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition is one model the milder Honda Civic Hatchback might want to watch out for. 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX — Source: Toyota Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition nods to 1987's FX16 The 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition pays tribute to the 1987 Corolla FX16 in a big way. A hot hatch by every definition of its day, the FX16 boasted a sharp look elevated by several design cues that helped it stand out from the crowd. The Corolla Hatchback FX Edition follows the sedan Corolla FX Edition, which also paid tribute to the FX16, albeit in a more muted fashion. 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX — Source: Toyota The FX Edition builds on the hatchback's SE trim, which includes a gloss-black front upper grille with LED lighting and sport seats. The special edition gets upgraded with snazzy 18-inch white wheels and black lug nuts, which are further accented by a black rear wing. Unique 'Corolla Special Edition' badging written in retro font calls back to the original FX16's rear hatch. While other hatchbacks are playing it safe with more common color options, the Corolla Hatchback FX Edition breaks the mold, with finish options that include Inferno orange, Ice Cap white, and Blue Crush Metallic. Inside, the FX Edition comes appropriately styled, with black sport seats that include suede inserts. Orange stitching adorns the door panels, steering wheel, shift knob, and seats. An eight-inch touchscreen display comes stock, which is a bit of a letdown considering the sedan version got a 10.5-inch screen. Wireless charging comes standard, as does wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a whole slew of standard safety systems. 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX — Source: Toyota Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Here's the kicker: Toyota only plans to build 1,600 examples of the Corolla Hatchback FX Edition for the United States. The special edition model is expected to hit dealer lots this fall. Pricing is still forthcoming, but expect the FX Edition to cost around $1,500 to $2,500 more than the SE model it's based on. 169 horsepower comes standard The 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition comes powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. That's the same engine that powers the rest of the lineup, which is a bit disappointing, but it's a healthy amount more than the original FX16's 108 horsepower. As much as I want to see it mated to a manual transmission, odds are the Corolla's CVT will send power to the front wheels. When all is said and done, Toyota expects the FX Edition to earn 33 mpg in combined city/highway driving. 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition — Source: Toyota The Honda Civic Hatchback serves as the Corolla Hatchback's main competitor, and while it's plenty sporty, it doesn't hold a candle to white wheels and a black rear wing, along with all the FX Edition's other unique design cues. With the discontinuation of the turbocharged engine, the Civic Hatchback loses part of its punch that helped it stand out. For the 2025 model year, the standard version of the Civic Hatchback comes powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 150 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque. 2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition — Source: Toyota Final thoughts I was already a fan of the Corolla FX Edition sedan, so the addition of a hatchback version is a huge plus in my book. While the Corolla's 169-horsepower engine already offers a bit of pep, a punchier engine would have been a nice upgrade. Regardless, the Honda Civic's saving grace here is the FX Edition's limited 1,600-model production run for the United States market. Had this been a full-fledged offering similar to a normal Corolla model, Honda's hatchback could have been in some serious trouble! About the Author Joseph Pudlewski View Profile
