Britain’s best selling family car moves up several gears in September with the new Ford Focus. Building on its reputation for good handling from its launch 20 years ago, the newest generation is brimming with the latest technology under the all-new stronger bodies, including the latest Dragon petrol engines from Bridgend along with a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The new Focus … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Honda Civic diesel
Honda believe in playing the long game, writes David Miles. Its first car to arrive in the UK in 1973 was a Japanese built Civic 1.2-litre petrol two door saloon and last year the tenth generation Civic, a lower medium sector five door hatchback went on sale and it’s built in Britain at Swindon Plant and exported globally to over 70 different countries. UK Civic sales are close to 20,000 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia Stinger 3.3T-GDi V6 GTS
The Kia Stinger 3.3V6 is going to lift eye-brows and expectations for the Korean brand. Its £40,000-plus price is expensive for those use to its stablemates while its styling, performance and refinement will have drivers of rival German brands thinking why couldn’t they save money and move into this newcomer. With input from former Audi and BMW leading engineers perhaps we … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Abarth 595 Competizione 180 Manual
Brits use to relish small high performance cars, and thank goodness the Italians still build them, like the Abarth 595 Competizione. While the UK may have grown up and developed a taste for family hot-hatches, there is still a lot be enjoyed behind the wheel of this excitable version of the classic Fiat 500 city car. It looks simply stunning with the dark-trimmed brightly badged … [Read more...]
Revised Citroen C4 Cactus goes down new road
New technologies and higher quality trim have pushed up the price of the revised Citroen C4 Cactus, writes David Miles. Arriving in April and able to carry a new 18 registration plate is the revised Citroen C4 Cactus range of mid-sized five door hatchbacks with petrol and diesel engine options priced from £17,265 to £20,895. When the original quirky Citroen C4 Cactus was launched in 2014 it … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Peugeot 308 Allure 1.2 PureTech 130 automatic
The Peugeot 308 range of C-segment five door hatchbacks and SW estates arrived in the UK late last year and heralded a range of minor styling changes, even more fuel efficient petrol engines and better infotainment and connectivity functions. They now all have the Peugeot i-Cockpit taken from the award winning 3008 SUV with its 9.7-inch touchscreen, connected 3D navigation with TomTom live … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: SEAT Mii FR Line 75ps 1.0
SEAT Mii is the designer baby in the brand, and it’s a little charmer. It was introduced as the Spanish company’s challenger in the booming city class of cars formerly replacing the Arosa, but to enhance its attraction there are a few distinctly fashion-conscious versions with special paint, decals and eye-catching equipment such as the Beats sound system on our Mii FR Line, launched in 2016 … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Skoda Fabia Redline 1.0TSI
Although the demand for compact SUVs is high, the similar sized but less tall supermini hatchbacks are still the UK’s best selling new cars with the Ford Fiesta supermini range still leading the way as Britain’s most popular new car. One of the Fiesta’s rivals is the not so new but cheaper and very popular Skoda Fabia. Other competitors are the very new SEAT Ibiza which uses the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Seat Ibiza 1.0TSI 95ps Xcellence
The latest SEAT Ibiza is the hero of the brand and has been decorated. The fifth generation of the super-mini series is the first to use the VW Group’s new MQB A0 modular platform, which dramatically cuts cost while permitting immense adaptation. It gives the newest Ibiza more room and better performance including economy and a better ride/ handling balance. SEAT has also … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Skoda Octavia SE Hatchback 1.0 TSI
Combining a roomy mid-sized family hatchback with a small 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol engine could be a step too far in terms of dull performance and disappointing fuel economy. But it's not so with the latest Skoda Octavia five door Hatchback. That is powered by the Volkswagen Group’s 1.0-litre, three cylinder TSI 115hp turbo petrol engine. Whilst diesel engines and the Octavia in … [Read more...]