Honda tends to hide its qualities very well, which probably explains why it may not be the first go-to brand for an SUV, and that would be a mistake for any motorist to make. Korean, German and British brands tend to hog the limelight and sales in this section of the market but the reality is the Honda CR-V can hold its own against some better-known names and is not only superior in certain … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda HR-V Advance Style
The new Honda HR-V is a step-change for this conservative car-maker. While its head-turning but now discontinued NSX and still in production hot Civics stand out from more run of mill models in showrooms, they made progress with the new Jazz but have really ramped up styling in the new HR-V launched last autumn. It’s bigger than the last generation and there is much more room inside the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Excel AWD
It's the original Toyota SUV and the latest RAV4 is still one of the best you can buy in this booming sector. The Recreational Activity Vehicle 4 was launched in the mid-1990s as Toyota's first SUV intended to offer more space and luggage room for families who liked an out-door lifestyle. It was available with a 2.0 petrol engine and choice of front or all-wheel-drive in three or five-door body … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Honda CR-V 2.0 i-MMD Hybrid
Honda is raising its game with the latest CR-V SUV, writes David Miles. Announced in December for the 2021 model year, it’s available now only with petrol electric hybrid power in 2WD or 4WD forms depending on spec level chosen. So it’s the latest 2021 model year CR-V we are reviewing with its new e:HEV branding and prices range from £30,880 for the base S spec 2WD version to £39,840 for the top … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Ford Focus Active X Vignale
Ford say their new passenger cars are going all electric in Europe and will not have internal combustion engines from 2030, writes David Miles. Their commercial vehicle ranges will follow that move a couple of years later and by 2026 all their new cars in Europe would be fully electric or plug-in hybrids. But for the here and now in addition to conventional petrol and diesel labelling the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Suzuki Swace, SZ-T
The Suzuki Swace hybrid 5-door mid-sized estate is the second recent model to join the Suzuki range from their partnership with Toyota formed in 2019, writes David Miles. Toyota also manufacture the Across large-ish Plug-in-Hybrid SUV which is based on the new RAV4 PHEV. The addition of Swace and Across models to the Suzuki range means all Suzuki models throughout their line-up are hybrids and … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Fiat 500 Hybrid 3-Door Lounge
The little and large of new models being introduced have several things in common but the most relevant is all-electric power, writes David Miles. At one end of the size scale Fiat have recently introduced their 500 City Car petrol-electric Hybrid range and UK order books are open for their all-new 500 Electric Hatch and Cabriolet models with deliveries starting next March. At the other end of … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota C-HR Dynamic 2.0 Hybrid
Continuous improvement is the philosophy of Toyota and few car makers have as much experience of evs, launching its Hybrid Synergy Drive in 1997, and is rolling out more models every few years, writes Robin Roberts. The Toyota C-HR is a good example of continuous improvement, first introduced to the UK in 2018 with a 120bhp 1.8 litre petrol engine which helped it notch up over 50,000 … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Honda Jazz hybrid supermini
The previous three generations of the Honda Jazz supermini five door hatchback have been all about packaging of its occupants, David Miles explains. These include best in class space, higher seating positions, good visibility, easy access, wide opening doors, good levels of safety and other equipment. They are wrapped up in Honda’s legendary reputation for engineering quality and … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Honda Jazz Crosstar e-HEV
It might be music to some people’s ears that Honda is bringing us more Jazz but their F1 programme looks more like hokey cokey, observes David Miles. Announced last week Honda F1 is quitting at the end of next year, they were first involved in 1964 and out in 1968, in again in1983 and out in 1992, back in again in 2000, out in 2008 in again in 2015 and now out again in 2021. The company says it … [Read more...]
