The UK car industry came to the end of its Covid induced click and collect period last week with healthy March new registration plate month sales, writes David Miles. Registrations were up by 11.5% over March last year when Covid first closed showrooms. However the March 2021 total of new cars sold 283,964 units is 37% below the 10-year March average. Peugeot is one of the brands doing well with … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Puma ST
Ford’s future lies in models such as the Puma ST. Drivers of a certain age will fondly remember Ford’s sporting derivatives of fairly ordinary, nothing-to-shout-about family cars. The world has moved on in the last five decades and families have also changed and want something more than a saloon or hatchback. So it was only a matter of time before the marketing and engineering people at … [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...]
Weekend roadtest: Volkswagen Golf Life 1.0TSi 110ps
The VW Golf has often been held up as the benchmark for family hatchbacks and is frequently the best selling car in Europe, although not always in Britain, writes Robin Roberts. After the Beetle which rebuilt VW’s brand and fortune following WW2, the Golf was really the model that put the German company on the road to success in the 1970s and provided the funds for its massive … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Kia Sorento ‘3’ 2.2 CRDi
The original Kia Sorento was launched in 2002 as a utilitarian all-terrain vehicle and the various generations have accrued over three million global sales, says David Miles. Today's fourth generation Sorento is a vastly more sophisticated model than the first even though it still has the potential to be a 4x4 workhorse. With seven seats its more family-use orientated and with the 1.6 turbo … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Nissan Leaf e-Tekna
The Nissan Leaf is the world’s best selling electric passenger car and it’s easy to see why, writes Robin Roberts. Often the benchmark for newer rivals, the Leaf’s a genuine five-seater with a good practical range over 200 miles and comes with a sensible choice of domestic or fast charger cables. The second generation, Sunderland-built Leaf is sold in three grades, Acenta, N-Connecta and Tekna … [Read more...]
Mazda ease into electric and zero emissions
The Mazda MX30 pure battery car is easing into its range at the right time, according to UK MD Jeremy Thompson. “Although Mazda has been researching, developing and selling electric cars for over 50 years, they did not feel the time was right to launch the pure battery MX30 until now,” he said. Mr Thompson said that major markets around the world are shifting towards ending the internal … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Hyundai Tucson Ultimate 1.6 T-GDi 150ps
Hyundai has built its UK reputation on family values competitive pricing and an ever-expanding range of SUVs. While it’s just announced its latest player on the street, the Bayon SUV, it success has largely been down to the Tucson, itself comprehensively facelifted for 2021. Since its launch 17 years ago, Tucson has become Hyundai’s best-selling SUV with 7 million sales globally … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Peugeot 3008 Allure 1.2L PureTech 130
The Peugeot 3008 mid-sized SUV unveiled in 2008 has regularly been renewed until we have the latest tweaks, writes David Miles. When originally launched the 3008 was ahead of the game in terms of being a family affordable SUV and was instrumental in the growing popularity of such models. Peugeot call it ‘new’ but I’d say revised. Now the compact SUV market sector has mushroomed during the last … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Fiat 500X Sport 150
Fiat know a lot about turning the ordinary into the extra-ordinary, like they have with the hotter version of the very popular 500 series, writes Robin Roberts. Their best seller for 60 years, the Fiat 500 is boosted by the X Sport, given a beefier 150bhp 1.3 litre four-cylinder engine in the top model tested with a silky automatic transmission & column paddles. If you’ve had a good … [Read more...]
