Keep calm and carry on – for now, for this new model road test I slipped behind the wheel of the all-new Peugeot 208 ‘supermini sized’ 5-door family hatchback recently announced as the European Car of the Year 2020, writes David Miles. With the World in turmoil on health grounds and the automotive industry in meltdown with previous poor global sales due to economic reasons now made far … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Fiesta Active Edition 1.0T Ecoboost
Ford has put a lot of eggs in its family car basket as it seeks to build sales in difficult and highly competitive times. The best-selling Fiesta has been given a new name at the top of its range, a crossover series called Active, which is probably more widespread in appeal than the stablemate and slightly dull EcoSport suv. Now, not so many years ago the Active would have been a regular version … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: New Vauxhall Corsa 1.5 Turbo D 102hp
The fifth generation Vauxhall Corsa range is now in UK showrooms and ready for the ‘20’ new registration plate sales month of March, writes David Miles. This time around the Corsa is only available as a five-door hatchback and sells in the ‘supermini’ sector of the new car market. The Corsa has been Vauxhall’s best selling range with over 2.1-million sold since it first launched … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: BMW 1 Series 118i auto M Sport 5-door
The third generation BMW 1 Series range of 5-door hatchbacks is now with us, writes David Miles. In a change from previous versions this generation is predominately made up of front wheel drive versions with transversely mounted engines which have a shorter bonnet, the cabin area moved forward within the car’s footprint and the rear seat knee room is increased with a larger boot so it’s a roomier … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Skoda Superb SE L 1.5 5dr
When a car-maker gives a model a name it risks being memorable, forgettable, laughable, unpronounceable or ultimately it means little, but in the case of the Skoda Superb, it actually means a lot, writes Robin Roberts. It’s the 125thanniversary of Skoda in 2020 and for 85 years it has been making models with the name Superb. There’s probably a strange truth in the fact that many people will … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Hyundai Ioniq Premium SE PHEV
The more you drive, the more energy you save with the latest Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid, writes Robin Roberts. It sounds illogical but it’s true because the familiar standard 1.6 litre petrol engine is now joined by a more sophisticated electric motor and battery system which recovers energy lost during braking. This recovered energy when transformed and pushed into the 8.9KWh … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Skoda Scala SE
The Skoda Rapid would be a hard act to follow, but the Scala launched this summer really overtakes it. Within weeks of its launch the Skoda Scala started winning awards for its family friendly practicality and praise for its styling around the new roomy interior. Scala is the first VW Group product to be built on the latest MQB A0 modular platform developed for all future Group models and simply … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Focus 1500 ST-LineX Auto
Britain’s best selling family car has just got better, and it’s going to get better still, writes Robin Roberts. The newest Ford Focus had barely arrived in showrooms in the autumn before changes were being made to benefit from the latest WLTP emissions legislation, so the 150ps version tested here is now replaced by a 182ps derivative in ST-Line X form. However, a number of the lower powered … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Honda Civic 5dr 1.6 diesel
Built in Britain for global sales the 10th generation Honda Civic is available in five door hatchback body style and now a Civic four door saloon, built in Turkey for European markets, has been added to the range, writes David Miles. Also a new 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine with manual and automatic gearbox choices has joined the line-up for both body styles. There is no … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Lexus CT200h Premium
The Lexus CT200h set the bar for the hybrid revolution in the compact premium sector when it arrived in 2011, and its raised its game still further with the latest version, writes Robin Roberts. Using the well-engineered powertrain from its sister company’s Toyota Prius introduced in 1997, the Lexus CT200h has been further retuned and it is and impressive combination of petrol and … [Read more...]
