To coincide with the launch of the revised Fabia ‘superminis’, Skoda UK commissioned 2016 Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown to produce a small-scale version of the iconic Fabia cake which starred in the hit 2007 TV advert which was nearly four metres long and one-and-a-half metres high. But the new cake reflects a slimmer market in today’s world of falling new car sales and … [Read more...]
VW GTI twins natural birth
Brits love their hot hatches and Volkswagen has turned back the clock to mark time for future success. Just over 40 years ago, the original Golf GTi was released to eager owners and over the decades that popularity has spread to create the Polo and up! GTi models, which are arguably more in tune with today’s needs in towns and congested country roads. The days of a hot hatch may have seemed … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer 160 diesel
Citroen earlier this year announced that the Picasso name for their mid to large sized MPV people-carrier models would be changed to the C4 SpaceTourer for the five seater versions and Grand C4 SpaceTourer for the larger seven seat models. The range also includes the Citroen SpaceTourer which styling wise and sliding rear side doors looks as if it is based on a commercial … [Read more...]
Contrasting SUVs compared
On a regular basis the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders get together the latest new models at one of their test days for accredited motoring journalists to briefly sample the latest new car offerings. At the most recent event, due to the fact that sales of SUVs of all sizes and prices are booming and accounting for one of every three new cars sold, I took the opportunity to … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mazda6 Tourer Sport Nav+ 165ps
The Mazda6 has undergone a transformation this year. Announced in July, the new Mazda6 series is radically different and upgraded to the previous generation both outside and in, and the emphasis has been to ramp up driving enjoyment and safety technology with more features than ever before as standard. It’s an impressive package for a mainstream model which can stand wing to wing with much more … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Peugeot Rifter 130ps diesel
A practical vehicle for all reasons with good looks is the new Peugeot Rifter which has just gone on sale from £19,650 for the five seater models available now, and £21,570 for the seven seat versions available early 2019. Speaking at the UK media launch last week David Peel, managing director of Peugeot UK, said, “As the spiritual successor to the Peugeot Partner Tepee, the all-new Rifter … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Vauxhall CrosslandX 130ps
With a third of all new European sales going to the SUV market it’s a sector no car-maker can ignore and Vauxhall is going for it big and small time with its new models. The Crossland X introduced as an urban SUV with front wheel drive only and with a low waistline and big windows to help navigate town traffic, while the luggage capacity is also more than a … [Read more...]
First drive: New Peugeot 508 Fastback
The D-segment saloons and estates have had a tough decade of diminishing desirability, especially if they do not carry a premium brand label, writes David Miles. Customers have either downsized to newer higher specification hatchbacks and estates that are cheaper to purchase/lease, with lower Benefit-in-Kind taxes and more affordable running costs or have moved to fashionable SUVs. And Peugeot … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: SEAT Leon Cupra ST 4Drive
Let me introduce you to the wolf in sheep's clothing that is the SEAT Leon Cupra ST, writes David Miles. SEAT’s Leon range of mid-sized C-segment models covers SC three door hatchbacks, Leon five door hatchbacks and ST five door estates with a long list of 1.4 to 2.0-litre engines, both petrol and diesel, with a comprehensive level of specifications with prices covering a huge scale from … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford EcoSport ST Line 140
Ford aims to punch above its weight with the latest EcoSport, writes Robin Roberts. It was launched in South America in 2004 but the model we know today is the second generation which appeared in 2012, was updated in 2014 and again in 2017 for global sale, and manufactured in six plants. Currently in the UK there are nearly 20 versions of the EcoSport in ST-Line, Titanium … [Read more...]