Britons love their Honda CR-V models. Introduced almost 20 years go in 1995 as an early compact SUV, it has kept pace with fashion and last autumn saw the arrival of the European-only front wheel drive 1600 diesel derivative being built in Swindon. It joins a big range of petrol and diesel all-wheel-drive Honda CR-V models but was purpose designed to appeal to those seeking the lowest … [Read more...]
Roadtests
Vauxhall Cascada is ready for the summer
Vauxhall's immediate soft-top predecessor was the Astra Convertible, but one cannot help notice that the Cascada is an altogether more serious and worthy addition to the model line-up, writes Glen Smale. This all-new convertible, at nearly 4.7 metres in length, is a full-size, four-seat, fabric-roof convertible and is longer than an Audi A5 Convertible. It is also the first full-sized … [Read more...]
Mitsubishi Outlander really is a game changer
The new Mitsubishi Outlander really is a game changer returning up to 2,824mpg. 4x4s, SUVs, dual purpose and crossover vehicles, call them what you will, continue to grow in popularity with sales continuing to increase in the UK. Their sales have grown by 49% in the last two years to become the third largest sector in the UK’s new car market with close to 248,000 registrations in 2013. In … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Skoda Yeti Greenline II 105ps
Skoda has evolved from a simple and straightforward to stylish and sophisticated brand as part of the Volkswagen Group, and this is possibly most evident in their Yeti series. It turned heads when it was launched at the 2009 Geneva motor show as the brand’s first SUV and it has dramatically moved on since then and now includes or offers the most advanced technical features you could expect, … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Peugeot 308 Feline 1.6THP
Launched in Britain in January, the new Peugeot 308 was the surprise winner of 2014 Car of the Year award. It beat the BMW i3 electric, (2014 UK Car of the Year), Mercedes Benz S-Class, Skoda Octavia, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda 3, Jaguar F-Type, Tesla Model S electric, BMW 4-Series and BMW X5, Hyundai i10 and the Ford Kuga, to name just a few of those eligible for the accolade. I had to find … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Peugeot 5008 1.6 e-HDi
Time is not standing still with the mid-life revamp of the Peugeot 5008 bringing it into line with its more recent stablemates. The new-look to the Peugeot 208, 2008, 308 and 3008 Crossover are now matched by 2014 versions of their bigger sister-car, the seven-seat 5008. There is a new look outside and in, new colours, wheels and enhanced specification across the range of Access, Active and … [Read more...]
Latest Range Rover Evoque is automatically better
The highlight of the refreshed Evoque range is the adoption of a new ZF 9-speed automatic gearbox with intelligent Stop/Start which helps to reduce fuel consumption by 11.4% and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 9.5%. Torque Vectoring (variable power distribution by braking to each wheel) is also added as well as a range of new comfort, convenience and connectivity features as well has an extended … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: BMW 435i M Sport manual
If you ever doubted that a crisis creates opportunities, you only have to look at the BMW 3 Series. After the Middle- East oil shortages in the early 1970s, BMW introduced the 3 Series as an economical and affordable small executive car and it became their best seller by far. Now it has been replaced by the 4 Series, but in fewer body-styles for now, and while it does not set have the same … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mercedes-Benz A-Class A250 AMG Sport 4Matic
Mercedes-Benz spent millions developing the A-Class with hundreds of qualified engineers having their say, but a child simply summed it up for me when she described it as “cool”. That was good enough for me to realise this family car had what it takes, family appeal. A completely different model to the original tall boxy A-Class, the new version is more conventional in design and layout but … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: BMW 330d xDrive M Sport Touring
BMW used to have their performance car mantra of ‘front engine with rear wheel drive’ and then along came their X range of 4x4 SUV’s – the X1, X3, X5 and X6 plus X6M. Although xDrive all wheel drive for their conventional cars had been available in other European markets, it is only in the last year or so that BMW in the UK have introduced the all wheel drive option to their 1 Series 5-Door … [Read more...]