For any car to become an icon is remarkable, but to do it twice is, well, sensational, writes Robin Roberts. There is no doubting the fact that the Fiat 500 has been an unqualified double success, first launching in 1957 and then reborn fifty years later. Since 2007 a staggering two million Fiat 500 models have been built in Fiat’s Tychy, Poland plant and it’s spawned some 30 … [Read more...]
Roadtests
Sunday drive: Vauxhall Astra Ultimate 200hp
It’s onwards and upwards in the constantly fast changing motoring world. Take the Vauxhall/Opel brand as an example. Now owned by the French PSA Group it has joined their brand line-up of Peugeot, Citroen and DS. Keeping their popular Astra mid-sized family car range future proof Vauxhall have just added two Euro 6d-TEMP engines to its award winning range in readiness for the new … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Citroen C4 Cactus Flair 110hp
France has come back to take the world cup, and Citroen is doing the same with its latest three-cylinder petrol engines going toe-to-toe with diesels. Years ago it would have been unthinkable that a petrol engine could match diesel for economy but the company’s admirable 110hp triple is one of the best. True, it’s not that powerful with 205Nm from 1,500rpm and it can become noisy when … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Citroen C3 Flair 1.2 110hp petrol 5dr
School's over for thousands of teenagers this week but the long summer break will see many begin new lessons learning to drive, says David Miles. So I thought I would put Citroen’s best selling C3 five-door ‘supermini’ range to test after it won ‘Driving Instructor Car of the Year’ title in the 2018 FirstCar Awards. FirstCar is the dedicated resource for learner and newly qualified … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mazda MX5 2.0 Z-Sport
Summer is never complete for me without testing the latest Mazda MX5 roadster, writes Robin Roberts. It is arguably the most successful modern sports car and exudes excitement from its simple but clean lines and combines ability with agility so it covers the miles and makes winding country roads a delight to drive as well. It’s really no wonder it was to Mazda that Fiat turned to when it … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: MINI Cooper S Convertible
The Mini brand when British owned, or MINI now under the control of Germany’s BMW Group, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2019. This year the Convertible celebrates its 25th anniversary after going on sale in 1993 as the Rover Mini Cabriolet. Although now German owned, Oxford Plant remains the British home of MINI although some models are built in other countries now to meet the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Mustang New Fastback 2.3
One of the most elusive features for any manufacturer is building emotion into a car. Tech is to be expected, reliability taken for granted, build quality must be very good, comfort cannot be ignored, so put this together and price it carefully and what you get is …. another car to take on remarkably similar rivals. Then there is the Ford Mustang. Few cars I have driven can stir emotions … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: BMW roadtrip
It's been a tough 12-months and there are still issues for the motor industry, but BMW is putting on a brave face and rolling out its newest models, writes David Miles. Falling UK new car sales due to the repercussions of Brexit, potentially less investment in new cars built in the UK, higher interest rates, demonisation of diesel, tit-for-tat trading tariffs, the autumn implementation of new … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi RS4 Avant 2.9TFSI quattro
The Audi RS4 has come of age and matured into a stunning model in its latest semi-estate or Avant version, writes Robin Roberts. RS4 production has been on and off since it was launched in 1999 and it is currently the fourth generation of the most driver-focused model in the immensely popular and wide Audi A4 range. Audi looked very hard at the sector where it wanted to push the RS4 and … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Toyota Land Cruiser Invincible 2.8-litre
Sold in over 190 countries around the World, the latest Land Cruiser and Toyota’s all wheel drive technology has 65 years of history in their tracks, writes David Miles. The hard-core Land Cruiser has a legendary reputation for toughness, reliability, durability and go-anywhere capabilities whether its jungle, desert, mountain, war zones, peace keeping and humanitarian aid, holiday tour … [Read more...]