The new Vauxhall Insignia range of Grand Sport five door D-segment hatchbacks and Sports Tourer estate were launched last year and in March this year the flagship higher performance GSi versions in both body styles arrived in UK showrooms, writes David Miles. Prices start from £33,415 on-the-road with both engines costing the same, only the price of the body style differs. In addition … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Range Rover Evoque 2.0 Si4 Petrol
The Range Rover Evoque is one of the most successful models in the company’s long history and it looks like maintaining that position for many years to come with its latest engines, writes Robin Roberts. Land Rover has played a very careful game of balancing global diesel demand with cleaner petrol technology and the new Si4 series achieves the best of both worlds in the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Honda Civic diesel
Honda believe in playing the long game, writes David Miles. Its first car to arrive in the UK in 1973 was a Japanese built Civic 1.2-litre petrol two door saloon and last year the tenth generation Civic, a lower medium sector five door hatchback went on sale and it’s built in Britain at Swindon Plant and exported globally to over 70 different countries. UK Civic sales are close to 20,000 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volkswagen T-Roc Design 1.0TSI
The people’s car company is moving with the times in the shape of the Volkswagen T-Roc. This new to market SUV is their latest offering in a booming sector which is pushing out traditional saloons and hatchbacks in favour of more practical “tall” hatchbacks. VW has long experience in the MPV market and put that to good use developing the T-Roc and emphasises a model with a lot of … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: New Audi RS5 Coupe
My latest new model road test starts with an apology. This road test was supposed to be about the very new Audi A7 Sportback but unfortunately it was damaged before delivery to me but those on-the-ball Audi UK PR people substituted it with the 2018 RS5 Coupe 2.9 TFSI 450hp quattro. Not a bad substitution. The current A5 range consists of two-door four-seater Coupe and Cabriolet and five-door … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volvo XC40 D4AWD First Edition
The stylish new Volvo XC40 is also a car of substance and standing in an SUV sector now spreading in all directions. Even before it was a launched in Britain it had won the 2018 European Car of the Year title, adding to the XC60 and XC90 top awards in America. Every manufacturer is racing into the SUV sector and Ford has said it’s ending traditional saloons in the USA to … [Read more...]
Suzuki Swift Sport returns this summer
There’s a warm new hatch coming this summer. An all new,lighter and quicker Suzuki Swift Sport goes on sale from 1 June with a £1,500 reduction for the first month making it £16,499. It copies the dramatic Champion Yellow of the Suzuki Works Junior rally car and inside there are sports seats and trim detailed with red accents. Developed from the Vitara and S Cross, unit, the 1.4 140ps … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: BMW X3 30d M Sport xDrive Automatic
According to authoritative motor industry sources the figure of three, or of a third, seem to be the most recently used; diesel new car sales have fallen by a third, SUV sales are up by a third, women drivers now own a third of UK cars, BMW’s X SUV models now account for a third of their global sales and the new third generation X3 is now being delivered to UK customers, says David Miles. Being … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia Stinger 3.3T-GDi V6 GTS
The Kia Stinger 3.3V6 is going to lift eye-brows and expectations for the Korean brand. Its £40,000-plus price is expensive for those use to its stablemates while its styling, performance and refinement will have drivers of rival German brands thinking why couldn’t they save money and move into this newcomer. With input from former Audi and BMW leading engineers perhaps we … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Audi A8 50 TDI
The new range flagship Audi A8 luxury saloon in standard or long wheelbase forms arrived in the UK earlier this year and it’s the first car in the world to be built for the forthcoming age of autonomous driving claims Audi, but progress has a price, writes David Miles. All that’s required is legislation changes to allow Level 3 autonomous technology to be used and some say by the end … [Read more...]