Mazda has a modest UK range but every model comes with a lot of heart and soul, like the revised CX-30. Originally derived from the hatchback Mazda3 but smaller than the CX-5 SUV, the CX-30 came to the UK for 2020, but of course we all know what happened then as the pandemics swept through the country. Britain and Mazda persevered and now their feature-packed compact SUV has been given a … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda Jazz Advance Sport
A lot of airtime and column centimetres have been taken up with Wales’ default 20mph urban limit, but I’ll let you into a little secret, you can do 100 in a Honda Jazz Advance Sport, and it’s perfectly legal. The fact is I am not talking about the sporty Jazz’s speed, rather its ability to return 102mpg: yes over a ton. Even on a busy day you’ll probably exceed 60mpg from this incredible Tardis … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia Niro EV 2
Kia has been in the forefront of the modern drive towards electric cars and its highly successful Niro compact SUV is the latest aimed at the mass market. It completes the Niro lineup which started with petrol models and then progressed to petrol-plug-in hybrids before adding the pure electric model this autumn, and the latest models are slightly longer, wider and taller with stretched … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia Stonic ‘2’ 1.0T manual
Kia has built its reputation in the UK with its family-friendly SUVs so it was probably only a matter of time before introducing its compact SUV. Based on the Rio hatchback, the new Stonic has a longer body and stands slightly higher on the road with added ground clearance over the supermini stablemate. The Kia Stonic comes in eight versions: two engines and four trim grades –‘2’, ‘GT-Line’, … [Read more...]
Genesis trumpet a trio of newcomers
If you are a motorist with only a passing interest in the introduction of new models you will not have missed the news that a new premium brand called Genesis arrived in the UK and Europe and you'll see a lot more of them this year. Genesis is the luxury arm of Hyundai the South Korean brand which sells globally in huge numbers alongside its other brand, Kia. South Korea, China, Russia, Canada, … [Read more...]
New Honda HR-V arrives in November
Honda has confirmed pricing details for its all-new HR-V compact SUV. Starting from £26,960, all variants of this latest generation HR-V are equipped as standard with Honda’s advanced two-motor e:HEV hybrid electric vehicle powertrain technology, representing the latest step in the brand’s commitment to electrify all of its mainstream models in Europe by 2022. The range consists of the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Vauxhall Crossland SRi Nav 1.2 Turbo 130hp
After the latest Covid lockdown some 4,500 franchised car dealerships, plus many more used car centres, opened their showrooms to the buying public, at least dealers were hoping customers would be buying, writes David Miles. On Monday 12 April, the opening day for the car industry dealerships, shops, pub gardens, hair salons and so on, Vauxhall had a major advertising splash for … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Volvo XC40 B5 AWD R-Design Pro
To their credit Volvo Cars was the first established car maker to commit to all-out electrification and is the only brand to offer a plug-in hybrid variant of every model in its line-up, writes David Miles. I was scheduled to test drive Volvo’s latest award winning SUV, the compact XC40 but in its PHEV plug-in hybrid form. Unfortunately, Covid arrangements at the Volvo vehicle … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Audi A1 citycarver
The citycarver is a 5-door supermini sector sized hatchback based on the Audi A1 Sportback but with pseudo-SUV styling, writes David Miles. It is priced from £22,040 and it is aimed at urban jungle motoring say Audi, whatever that is. There is no 4WD option, all models are only front-wheel drive so it’s another case of styling over function. The starter citycarver model is actually £1,400 more … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Kia XCeed ‘2’ 1.0 T-GDi
So what is the new Kia XCeed, asks David Miles. Well it’s the latest member of the Ceed C-segment family that until recently comprised the Ceed five door hatchback, Ceed Sportswagon estate and the newer ProCeed Shooting brake models, making it Kia’s third best-selling model range after the Sportage mid-sized SUV and the Picanto city car. They account for around 10% of Kia’s total annual new car … [Read more...]