Tag Archives: vehicles

News

Renault’s Retro-Cool 4 Is Practically a Steal Right Now

Renault’s newest slice of retro futurism—the reborn Renault 4—has been quietly cruising under the radar. But not anymore. Thanks to a sudden plunge in lease prices, the 4 has become one of the most compelling EV deals in the UK, undercutting expectations and even brushing up against its smaller, less practical sibling, the Renault 5.

A new offer through Leasing Options, via the Auto Express Buy A Car service, lets you slide into the 4’s squared-off driver’s seat for a shockingly low £186.85 per month. This is a three-year lease with an initial payment of £2,592.19, paired with a modest 5,000-mile annual limit. Need more road time? Bumping it to 8,000 miles only adds £15 a month, which feels almost symbolic in today’s EV market.

More Battery, More Range, Almost the Same Price

Here’s what makes this deal pop: the Renault 4, with its bigger 52-kWh battery, is only £2 more per month than a Renault 5 lease. That’s barely the price of a half-decent coffee for 55 extra miles of claimed range. On paper, Renault says the 4 will do 247 miles on a charge. Real-world? Expect something closer to 220 miles, which is plenty respectable for an urban-friendly EV with a taste for the occasional road trip.

The 4 also charges at up to 100 kW, allowing a 15–80 percent top-up in roughly half an hour—quick enough to refuel while grabbing lunch.

Base Trim, But Far From Basic

The trim in question is the entry-level Evolution, though you might not guess that from the equipment list. Renault clearly wanted this one to make a statement. Standard kit includes:

  • 18-inch diamond-cut alloys
  • A crisp 10-inch touchscreen
  • Google’s smooth, intuitive in-car operating system
  • A handsome coat of Carmin Red metallic paint

It’s a spec sheet that reads more premium than budget lease special.

The Practicality Advantage

Beyond power and price, the main reason to pick the 4 over the 5 is space—glorious, useful, everyday space. The 5’s biggest flaw is its tight rear quarters. The 4 fixes that with a more upright, boxy profile that translates into better headroom, more knee room, and an altogether more adult-friendly back seat. The oversized tailgate also makes loading awkward cargo pleasantly effortless.

A Deal Worth Catching While It Lasts

Auto Express curates these offers from dealers and leasing companies across the UK, and like all good deals, this one won’t last forever. Availability is limited, prices fluctuate, and terms apply. If the offer disappears, Renault 4 leases remain plentiful—and still highly competitive—on their dedicated Renault 4 deals page.

For now, though, this might be one of the savviest EV leasing plays on the market:
more range, more space, more personality—yet barely more money.

NEW CARS

The Ocelot: Porsche’s Wildest Cat Yet

There are special editions. There are one-offs. And then there’s this — the 2025 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring “Ocelot”, a jungle-born, track-bred creature that marks the dawn of Porsche Latin America’s Icons of Latin America Sonderwunsch series.

At first glance, it’s familiar. That taut 911 silhouette, those clean haunches, that ducktail spoiler standing proud like a victory flag. But look closer and the paint begins to move. Seriously. Porsche calls it Forest Green Metallic, a bespoke Paint to Sample Plus finish, but in the sunlight it seems alive — shimmering from deep emerald to misty jade, the way the rainforest canopy breathes in the morning haze. It’s less a colour, more an ecosystem.

A Cat from the Canopy

The inspiration? Colombia’s Amazon rainforest — and one of its most elusive residents, the ocelot. A feline that stalks through dappled shade, all muscle and grace wrapped in a coat that would make Versace weep.

Porsche’s Miami-based Latin America division, celebrating 25 years of bringing Stuttgart metal to South American soil, decided to honour the region’s biodiversity and culture with a series of one-off Sonderwunsch creations. Colombia got to go first. And naturally, they didn’t mess about.

The “Ocelot” GT3 Touring also marks 30 years of Autoelite, Porsche’s Colombian importer, so this is as much a love letter as it is a supercar.

Heritage in Silver

Look along the flanks and you’ll notice subtle glints of Centenaire Silver — on the mirrors, the rear grille, the door handles, even the gurney flap. Little nods to the chrome trim of the 1960s 911s, anchoring this wild new beast firmly to its bloodline. Even the wheels — 20s at the front, 21s at the back — are Forest Green Metallic with silver pinstripes so fine you could shave with them.

It’s tasteful. It’s nostalgic. And it’s just theatrical enough to tell you that someone cared deeply about this car.

The Jungle Inside

Open the door and you’re greeted not by German minimalism, but by an interior that practically purrs. The cabin is wrapped in Cohiba Brown leather, stitched in Truffle Brown and Crema — a warm palette echoing the ocelot’s coat. The Pepita-pattern seat centres, in black, brown and cream, recall Porsche’s ‘60s racing heritage and the feline’s rosette markings in one clever stroke.

Then you spot it — embossed into the headrests — the silhouette of the ocelot itself. Not some over-the-top mural or gaudy logo, but a crisp outline inspired by Colombian wildlife road signs. A symbol not of dominance, but of coexistence. The rainforest and the racetrack, side by side.

Everywhere you look, there’s that same obsessive balance between homage and horsepower. The B-pillar badges read “Iconos de Latinoamérica”, the illuminated door sills quietly remind you of both anniversaries — 25 years of Porsche Latin America, 30 years of Autoelite. Even the luggage compartment has been upholstered in matching Cohiba Brown leather and Pepita fabric. You could eat your heart out, Louis Vuitton.

The Heart of the Matter

Underneath all this bespoke leatherwork and poetic symbolism beats the same naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six you’ll find in a standard GT3 Touring. 502 bhp. 9,000 rpm. Six glorious gears to stir manually. And the sound — that shriek — as if the rainforest itself just roared back.

This car isn’t about speed figures or Nürburgring lap times (though, let’s be real, it would still embarrass most things with a roof and a number plate). It’s about meaning. It’s about connecting a continent’s culture and ecology to one of the most legendary shapes in motoring history.

Sonderwunsch, Rewilded

The Sonderwunsch programme itself is Porsche’s way of letting owners and artists turn dreams into driveable reality. Want a one-off colour? Done. A hand-stitched interior that tells your country’s story? Done. A leather-trimmed frunk? Sure, why not.

Back in the late ’70s, this programme birthed some of the wildest Porsches ever built. Now, it’s being reimagined for a new generation — one that cares about craftsmanship, culture, and continuity. The Ocelot is proof that personalisation doesn’t have to mean ostentation. It can mean poetry.

So here it is: a GT3 Touring that hums with the heartbeat of the Amazon. A car that celebrates 25 years of Porsche Latin America and 30 years of Autoelite with class, purpose, and feline elegance.

If Porsche ever wanted to prove that soul and speed can share the same chassis, this is it. The Ocelot is more than a car — it’s a statement that even in the age of electrification, the combustion-fired heart can still tell stories worth hearing.

It’s wild. It’s beautiful. And like the animal it’s named after, it may never be seen again.

Source: Porsche

News

BMW Becomes First German Automaker to Get Global Green Light for Hands-Free Driving

While Mercedes-Benz is busy perfecting an S-Class that can chauffeur itself, BMW has quietly snagged a world-first regulatory win. The Bavarian brand just became the first German automaker approved under the new UN Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS)—a key milestone on the road to hands-free driving.

The honor goes to the BMW iX3, which now officially gets the go-ahead to use the Motorway Assistant feature in multiple countries. The DCAS approval essentially gives BMW a passport to deploy the tech across much of Europe and other UN ECE member states—without the bureaucratic juggling act that previously kept features like this trapped within national borders.

For context, DCAS provides a common international rulebook for Level 2 driver-assistance systems—those that still require a human behind the wheel but can handle steering, acceleration, and braking under certain conditions. It’s the first time automakers have a unified framework for such systems, a major leap in a landscape previously defined by a patchwork of country-specific laws.

Until now, BMW had relied on a special exemption from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority to deploy an earlier version of Motorway Assistant. With DCAS certification, that stopgap is history. The iX3 can now offer the system—hands-free operation included—without legal red tape.

Here’s what the tech actually does: Motorway Assistant lets drivers cruise hands-free at speeds up to 81 mph (130 km/h) while remaining alert and ready to take over. It’s still officially Level 2 autonomy, meaning you can’t nap or scroll Instagram, but the system can handle lane changes with a simple glance—literally. The driver just looks toward the next lane to confirm it’s clear, and the car does the rest.

Even smarter, the system can proactively suggest lane changes ahead of exits or slower traffic, giving the experience a more human-like flow. And in Germany, BMW takes things a step further with a City Assistant mode that’s rolling out on the iX3. The feature allows the car to automatically stop at red lights and move again when they turn green.

BMW says this is just the start. Future over-the-air updates will bring even more urban smarts, slowly transforming the iX3 into a near-autonomous commuter companion—at least within the bounds of Level 2.

While Mercedes may still claim bragging rights for Level 3 hands-free cruising on the S-Class and EQS in Germany, BMW’s regulatory leap gives it a far broader playing field. In the battle for real-world autonomy, the one with the most global approvals may just win.

Source: BMW