It’s not often you can begin to appreciate a car by looking in the boot, but the Skoda Karoq is different to other modern SUVs. In profile or from the front it could really be any one of a number of rivals, but the differences start when you open the fifth-door and look in the boot as I found out. The very large, wide, deep and cleanly styled luggage space has a purposeful reversible floor … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi A1 Sportback S tronic
We all want more for our money these days and the Audi A1 brings big car luxury features to a more affordable market. The A1 was introduced as the marque’s challenger to the growing number of superminis in 2010, initially with three-doors and then a five-door Sportback was added in 2012 and this first generation continued along with a lively S1 derivative until 2018, but in 2022 it underwent a … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda Civic e:HEV
Sometimes we look forward to long journeys with trepidation and other times with anticipation, and it was definitley the latter in the Honda Civic e:HEV. Briefly tested and impressed a few weeks earlier, a 320 miles round trip in a few hours was going to be confirmation of our initial impression or realisation we had got it wrong then. We need not have worried, of course. The latest Honda Civic … [Read more...]
Testing times for industry and writers
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders recently held its annual regional Test Days in the north and south of the country which are always much-liked and useful events on the calendar of many motoring scribes. An annual event that provides new cars galore on offer for motoring writers to road test in the same locality on the same day, always seems a very good idea to me. It also gives the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Focus ST 5dr Manual
Like every other manufacturer, Ford is struggling to fulfill orders in the current climate of confusion but it’s worth waiting to get your hands on the latest Focus ST. The market is changing for petrol-heads but the Focus ST still remains very desirable, particularly in the six-speed manual specification we tried as opposed the seven-speed automatic option. Our test car was fitted with £2,775 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi RS3 Sportback
The latest Audi RS3 is really a supercar, for sensible money. There has been a long line of highly acclaimed Audi RS3 models, higher performance versions of the popular A3 series which launched in 1996 and included the S derivatives three years later before the original Audi RS3 appeared in dealerships in 2011. The revised RS then ran from 2015 until 2020 and in late 2021 we saw the current third … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota RAV4 PHEV Dynamic
Toyota’s original SUV is now its flagship hybrid and most powerful. However, it’s not all about power as it also delivers excellent economy and a long electric-only range with good real-world performance. For MY2023 it’s sold in Design, Dynamic and Dynamic Premium specifications, a far cry from when it hit our roads in the mid-1990s. Prices start at £44,140 and equipment fitted and option … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: KIA Niro 1.6 GDI HEV 4
After being launched in Britain in 2016, the Kia Niro has risen to become the marque’s second best seller in the UK and the third most popular in Europe, consistently increasing sales each year. Part of that success is down to being right sized for the UK but also careful marketing has ensured its high specification appeals to retail buyers while its running costs make it attractive to businesses … [Read more...]
First drive: Mazda CX-60 SUV
The new Mazda CX-60 now going on sale is the most powerful model ever from the company. The range-topping SUV is Mazda's first plug-in hybrid and it combines their acclaimed Skyactiv-G 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 100 kW electric motor and a 17.8 kWh high-capacity battery. Together these produce 327ps and use an eight-speed automatic transmission to put down power to all four … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Lexus UX 300e Premium Plus
Lexus has always been the quiet executive car brand and reaches a new level of refinement with its UX 300e pure battery version of the existing hybrid SUV. Some 15 years experience building hybrid cars were brought to bear when it created the UX 300e and it lacks nothing its stablemates have but adds 2020s propulsion, safety and communications technology. There are four versions with the … [Read more...]