Latest news with #JackRix
Top Gear
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Apple's new CarPlay Ultra: hit or miss?
Apple's new CarPlay Ultra: hit or miss? Does it create a more seamless user experience, or will it make car manufacturers lazier with infotainment? Skip 4 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 4 Jack Rix: 'At last, the Apple Car has arrived! Sort of...' If you're already hooked on Apple, and a user of CarPlay, you're going to love this even more. Everything is integrated and shot through with Apple's hallmark clarity and familiarity – something that carmakers are so hit and miss with when it comes to their in-house software. By the way, you can always switch back to the manufacturer's UI if you prefer, or MkI CarPlay if you must. Advertisement - Page continues below I'm pumped to see how other manufacturers, especially those with multiple screens measured in acres, interpret this new found freedom. At last, the Apple Car has arrived! Sort of... Ollie Kew: 'Now we can't have a bespoke digital experience' First, they came for our lovely, uncomplicated physical dials, with their characterful clock faces and subtle illumination that didn't erase every trace of serotonin. Now we can't even have a bespoke digital experience, because all Apple's interior invasion will promote is carmakers getting even lazier with infotainment. Why flush away trillions on a brand-specific skin for each readout when half the global smartphone population is going to default to a rounded corners playschool interface? I'm not an Android user, by the way. I just miss a time when car interiors felt special. Advertisement - Page continues below 18 minutes 32 seconds Top Gear Newsletter 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. Success Your Email*
Top Gear
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Lotus Emeya 900 vs Porsche Taycan Turbo GT: which is the best EV super saloon?
Can the Emeya 900 dethrone the Taycan Turbo GT as our favourite fast EV with four doors? There's more than one way to cut a super fast electric saloon. There are two. You can follow Porsche's Taycan template, sling it low, build it lean and athletic. Or you can do a Tesla (so far as anyone wants to 'do a Tesla' right now), build it comfy, but keep the motors massive so it still does zero to vanishing point in nothing flat. Now there's a third way, which we can call the Lotus position. A four door that promises things we are used to from Norfolk (crisp dynamics, proper pace and performance), but also things we really aren't (top notch build quality and luxury that extends further than optional carpets). Advertisement - Page continues below So, has Lotus built a car to outstrip the Taycan and claim the title of Best EV Super Saloon? Jack, why don't you kick this one off? Jack Rix: I'll be honest, the Lotus badge had me rattled, so I thought I'd better bring along the meanest Taycan available. A car that brings proper handling and finesse alongside a dump truck of horsepower. The Turbo GT, lest we forget, has a 7m 07.55s 'Ring time (the record for series production EVs) to its name. It also seems to have come dressed as a zebra today, or possibly a barcode, which is hard to forgive, but it has up to 1,092bhp and does 0–62mph in 2.2secs, which helps. Ollie Marriage: Hmmm, I'm packing 905bhp. I didn't expect to be so comprehensively outstripped. Anyway, this is the Emeya 900, it used to be the Emeya R but Lotus thought the power figure was worth boasting about. Which, until you turned up, it was. Advertisement - Page continues below It's got a 102kWh battery, tri-motor setup with two on the back axle and bodywork that looks like it was done by Lamborghini. Plus it's got a massive wheelbase, so plenty of space in the back. How much lounging space does yours have? JR: Masses of lounging space, on account of there being no back seats. OM: So what are the back doors for? JR: Polishing your carbon fibre or pure deception. Speaking of which, how British is yours? 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.
Al Bawaba
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Al Bawaba
Hyundai IONIQ 9 voted Best Seven-Seat EV at the 2025 TopGear.com Electric Awards
The keenly anticipated Hyundai IONIQ 9 electric SUV has made a fast start to life in the UK by picking up its first major award already, being crowned Best Seven-Seat EV at the 2025 Electric annual awards, now in their sixth year, are a celebration of the top choices in the rapidly evolving world of electrified vehicles, recognising impressive innovation across a number of diverse categories. An expert panel of judges voted the IONIQ 9 as a clear winner as the Best Seven-Seat EV thanks to its practicality, sharp styling and smart technology, underscoring Hyundai's continued leadership in the field of Rix, Top Gear Editor-in-chief, said: 'Hyundai's IONIQ 9 is both accomplished and clever. Its people carrying, quasi-minibus remit means its design is less 'out there' than the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, but the result is still cool. More importantly, it's another Hyundai with design flair that is backed up by some genuinely useful thinking.'Since it was first revealed in Los Angeles in December, the IONIQ 9 has attracted plenty of praise thanks to its classy, clean and stylish design, with a premium, high-quality and beautifully executed cabin that provides a spacious, airy feeling. There's a major focus on comfort, with the cabin's lounge-like ambience offering exceptional roominess and innovative seating features for enhanced flexibility. There's generous storage room, too, with up to 1,323 litres of luggage room with the rearmost row of seats folded, or 620 litres with all rows in UK specification has yet to be finalised, all models are powered by a 110.3 kWh long-range battery, with three motor configurations possible and a range of up to 620 km (WLTP est.). Charging is convenient and ultra fast with 800V charge capability and with Vehicle-to-load (V2L) it makes EV life easier than driving experience is luxurious and refined, thanks to a smooth, comfortable ride, courtesy of a suspension set-up that has been specially designed for electric SUVs, featuring a MacPherson multi-link front and multi-link rear set-up, plus self-levelling UK model line-up and pricing for the IONIQ 9 will be confirmed later this year. Ashley Andrew, President of Hyundai & Genesis UK, said: 'The excitement that is building towards the arrival of the Hyundai IONIQ 9 in the UK is tangible, and Top Gear's award of Best Seven-Seat EV bolsters our confidence that this is a car which will hold very strong appeal for customers. Our electric offering is getting ever more comprehensive across the range, from small crossovers to performance cars to large SUVs, ensuring that whatever your need, we have an exceptional Hyundai that fits the bill.'
Top Gear
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Hit or miss: Renault 5 Turbo
Hit or miss: Renault 5 Turbo Is the R5 Turbo an overpriced and overweight marketing gimmick, or the most exciting electric car yet? Skip 4 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 4 Jack Rix: 'It looks like an R5 that's been dipped in growth hormone' I tried, I really did, to engage my rational brain lobe and dismiss this as an overpriced, overweight marketing tool, but I kept getting sucked back in. The performance figures are suitably bonkers – nothing particularly new about that with fast EVs – but what is new is the level of lunacy applied to the design. It looks like a standard Renault 5 that's been dipped in growth hormone. Then there's the exotic in-wheel motors and the commitment to making it as extreme as possible with the roll cage and rally handbrake. Advertisement - Page continues below Yes, the price is pretty wild, but it's basically an entirely new car from the ground up and has there ever been a more exciting electric vehicle? The answer is no. Ollie Marriage: 'We all know more speed doesn't equal more fun' I'm concerned about this. Yes, it looks cool and I'm sure it'll be fast, but what do we know about cars like this? They're always watered down versions of the concept. I drove that concept, the Turbo 3E, a couple of years back. They'd given the 375bhp hot hatch a hydraulic handbrake and 50° of steering lock for maximum driftability, but I still came away from it a bit lukewarm. And yes, the production version will be faster still. But we all know that more speed doesn't equal more fun in EV land. And Renault has already had a run at an electric hot hatch with the Alpine A290 and... it's fine... kinda. And why's this not badged an Alpine? And why's it £120k? Advertisement - Page continues below Top Gear Newsletter 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. Success Your Email*
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Hyundai's Ioniq 9, Kia's EV3 named best models at Top Gear awards
Hyundai Motor Co.'s Ioniq 9 and Kia Corp.'s EV3 have been named the best models in their respective categories at this year's Electric Awards, Hyundai Motor Group said Friday. With the latest recognition, the South Korean automotive group has received awards for five Hyundai vehicles and two Kia models since 2020, when the awards were first established. The flagship Ioniq 9 sport utility vehicle was named the best model in the seven-seat category, the group said in a press release, adding the vehicle is equipped with a 110.3 kWh battery and can travel up to 532 kilometers on a single charge. "Hyundai's Ioniq 9 is both accomplished and clever. Its people carrying, quasi-minibus remit means its design is less 'out there' than the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, but the result is still cool," Top Gear Editor-in-Chief Jack Rix said in the release. The EV3, offering a range of up to 605 km per charge, the longest range of any Kia electric model, was the named the best model in the crossover category. "The EV3 is not only the UK's best-selling EV to retail customers so far this year, but has also earned both UK and World Car of the Year awards," Paul Philpott, president of Kia UK Ltd., said. Other awarded models include Hyundai's Kona Electric, Ioniq 5 and Retro Grandeur EV concept, as well as Kia's EV9. Hyundai and Kia together form the world's third-largest automotive group by vehicle sales, following Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen Group. (Yonhap)
