Kia Niro chaces growing hybrid market
08/04/17 15:42 Filed in: Road tests
The latest to join the UK hybrid market is Kia with the launch of the new Kia Niro. The Niro was unveiled at the Chicago Motor Show last year and this is Kia’s first dedicated hybrid model, with a plug-in hybrid version to follow soon. Under the skin it shares some of the technology with the Hyundai Ioniq hybrid hatchback. Read More...
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More assertive look for Suzuki S-Cross
11/03/17 15:37 Filed in: Road tests
I was quite impressed with the last Suzuki SX4 S-Cross that I drove. But, in retrospect I can see that it did lack a vital element for a crossover. It looked a little bit tame.
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Read More...Vauxhall Opel joins PSA Group
06/03/17 12:04 Filed in: News
General Motors and the PSA Group have announced an agreement that will take GM’s Opel and Vauxhall European subsidiaries to join Peugeot and Citroen as part of the the PSA Group.
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Read More...New Range Rover slots in above Evoque
03/03/17 12:17 Filed in: News
Encouraged by the huge success of the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover has launched the new Range Rover Velar to fill the gap between the small Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport.
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Read More...Experience the North Coast 500
02/02/17 11:51 Filed in: Travel
With the pound no longer going so far in various holiday destinations around the world, maybe you are looking at opportunities to enjoy a road trip adventure closer to home. Or, maybe you are reading this outside the UK and are tempted by the opportunity to explore here while the exchange rate is favourable.
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Read More...Lexus fettles the RX to meet growing competition
16/12/16 17:11 Filed in: Road tests
There’s growing competition in the luxury SUV market with established players like the Range Rover, the BMW X5 and Audi Q7 being joined by the latest Volvo XC90 and the Jaguar F-Pace. To meet this challenge, Lexus has given its Lexus RX a makeover.
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Read More...McLaren drive proves a revelation
27/11/16 16:33 Filed in: Road tests
On the hill roads above Loch Lomond, I settled back into the comfortable seats of the McLaren 570S. I admit that the first few miles had been slightly more frenetic as I got used to the car while threading my way through the heavy afternoon traffic west of Glasgow.
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Read More...Jaguar unveils I-Pace electric concept car
16/11/16 15:25 Filed in: News
Jaguar has unveiled its I-Pace electric concept car and there is a little bit more interest in this concept, because Jaguar have confirmed that the I-Pace will go into production. The production version of the I-Pace will be revealed next year and will go on sale in 2018.
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Read More...Ferraris in their natural habitat
29/10/16 10:41 Filed in: Photos
What do you do when you see a brace of Ferraris lurking in the soft evening light of the Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, Italy?
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Read More...Volkswagen Tiguan builds on appeal
28/10/16 15:27 Filed in: Road tests
Until recently one of the cars that sat on our driveway was the outgoing Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI, so I feel quite well placed to spot the differences between it and this new Tiguan.
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Toyota Prius is yet more convincing
18/10/16 14:01 Filed in: Road tests
I’ve tested the Toyota Prius a few times in the past. The Prius was the first modern-day hybrid launched almost 20 years ago, going on sale in 1997 in Japan. This time I am driving the fourth generation model built on a completely new platform.
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Read More...F-Pace proves to be a true Jaguar
27/09/16 15:20 Filed in: Road tests
When news first filtered out that Jaguar was seriously looking at building an SUV, there were raised eyebrows in some quarters. Why Jaguar would want to produce an SUV when their sister company, Land Rover produced nothing but SUVs?
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Read More...Range Rover Evoque Convertible wins me over
24/09/16 14:01 Filed in: Road tests
When the first news of the Range Rover Evoque Convertible broke I remember my reaction. It could probably be summed up in four words: “That’s just wrong”. But, why is it wrong? Probably just because no other mainstream manufacturer has ever offered a stylish compact convertible SUV like it, so we don’t have a preconceived idea of why it might be good and who would want to buy one.
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Read More...Alfa Romeo Giulietta launches new Sprint version
14/09/16 17:31 Filed in: Road tests
The new Alfa Romeo Giulietta has been around since the Geneva Show in 2010 and came second in the European Car of the Year Awards the following year. Now there is a new model – the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 Sprint MultiAir. Based on the existing 1.4-litre unit, the Sprint power unit is tuned and re-mapped to produce 150 bhp.
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Read More...Mazda 3 maintains its appeal
05/09/16 15:36 Filed in: Road tests
First impressions count and, when I first saw the new Mazda 3 at the celebrity race for the Australian Grand Prix a couple of years ago. it struck me as one of the most cohesive family car designs currently on offer from any Japanese manufacturer.
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Read More...Sat-nav keeps me away from a 'wrong slot'
01/09/16 12:24 Filed in: Product test
I was feeling confident that we had followed the instructions of our sat-nav, but we ended up travelling 16 kilometres up the A15 to Parma. To add insult to injury, we then had to pay the toll, before turning round and heading back, again paying for the privilege!
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Read More...Inaugural Royal Deeside Speed Festival
21/08/16 18:00 Filed in: Photos
The inaugural Royal Deeside Speed Festival took place in the stately grounds of Kincardine Castle on Deeside.
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Read More...Suzuki increases its supermini options
05/08/16 18:44 Filed in: News
Suzuki now has two superminis to offer buyers, but they see them appealing to subtly different markets. The Swift is seen as their supermini with a bit more of a sporty image. The new Baleno, produced in India, will be aimed at buyers whose main motoring priority is practicality.
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Read More...Toyota sharpens the appeal of the Auris
16/07/16 15:15 Filed in: Road tests
It is some time since I have driven a Toyota Auris, so my first reaction on seeing this road test Auris was to check the details. I still tend to think of a Toyota Auris as being a compact family hatchback and sitting there in front of me was seemed quite a sizeable family estate car.
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Read More...Speedfest serves up spectacle
03/07/16 17:10 Filed in: Photos
The Grampian Transport Museum in the Aberdeenshire town of Alford, was the place to be for motoring enthusiasts on July 3, for the annual Speedfest.
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Read More...Motor enthusiasts' heaven – Museo Enzo Ferrari
29/06/16 10:57 Filed in: Photos
Maserati Levante spied on autostrade
On a recent trip to Italy we spotted the new Maserati Levante on the A14 autostrade near Imola. The car appeared so suddenly we had no time to get cameras organised, so this was taken on an iPhone.
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Read More...Fiat 500 holds its appeal
03/06/16 14:14 Filed in: Road tests
In my student days, one of my classmates turned up one day in an elderly Fiat 500. I became the unofficial mechanic and, on one occasion I was trying to fettle the car, I asked the proud owner why she had bought the 500. “It looked like it needed a mummy,” she replied.
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Read More...Suzuki SX4 S-Cross enjoys new technology
26/05/16 15:30 Filed in: Road tests
Suzuki has carved itself something of a niche for producing not just cars at the smaller end of the market, but also cars that offer four-wheel-drive to keep you moving when the going gets tough.
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Read More...Expanding the market with Fiat 500X
09/05/16 11:13 Filed in: Road tests
It was inevitable that comparisons would be made with the resurrected Mini brand, when Fiat produced their new Fiat 500 in 2007. Like the Mini and Volkswagen Beetle before it, the new Fiat 500 echoed the cheeky looks of the original. In Fiat’s case this was the tiny rear-engined Fiat 500 produced from 1957 to 1975.
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Read More...Shell explores energy efficiency with concept car
22/04/16 11:02 Filed in: News
Shell has taken the unusual step of producing a concept car which, were it ever to go into production, could deliver significant energy savings.
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Read More...Mitsubishi admits fuel consumption irregularities
21/04/16 11:48 Filed in: News
Mitsubishi has confirmed that it has discovered that fuel consumption testing data submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan has been improperly presented in order to improve fuel consumption rates. The testing method was also different from that required by Japanese law. Read More...
Heading for the freeways of America?
11/04/16 11:49 Filed in: Blog
It’s that time when many of us will be planning to escape the chill of spring and head to warmer, sunnier climes for a well-deserved break. A road trip in the USA is one of my favourite holiday pursuits, so if you are heading Stateside for the first time, here are some tips for drivers.
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Read More...Building confidence in driverless technology
Driverless cars have been big in the news for some time. But, recent news stories this month have brought renewed focus on the issues involved.
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Read More...Aston Martin launches DB9 successor
04/03/16 15:15 Filed in: News
If you have been to see the Bond film Spectre, you may believe that you have seen the new Aston Martin already. But, the reality is that the Aston Martin DB10 in the film was not the real successor to the long-lived DB9. That successor has just been launched at the Geneva Motor Show and it is the DB11.
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