The obvious doesn’t always stare you in the face and it’s therefore easy to overlook, at your cost. Take the Hyundai Santa Fe, the big, very big, seven-seater SUV which is probably eclipsed in many eyes by its Korean stablemates along with much more expensive competitors from German and British car plants. BREAKING NEWS: Hyundai voted best brand and Santa Fe top model tested in Carwow … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda HR-V Advance Style Plus
A quarter of a century after introducing the Insight as Britain’s first petrol-electric hybrid, the latest Honda HR-V is probably more relevant today. While rival hybrids have grown in size compared to the Insight of 25 years ago, there is not that much difference in the footprint of the HR-V. It is now in its third generation and sharing a Honda portfolio with the smaller Jazz and larger CRV … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia Sorento HEV 2
The motor trade and industry has had a bad year, but you’d not know it from sales of Kia models including their big seven-seat Sorento SUV. While rivals have rushed to shrink their ranges and look only towards pure electric models which we know are coming over the decade, Kia has slowly and very carefully tweaked its line up so they still offer potentially something for every customer who walks … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Suzuki Swift 1.2 Ultra
The fourth generation Suzuki Swift is already a landmark model, just months after its introduction. While it builds on the success of previous models over the last 40 years and is one of the most capable city cars on sale it is also the last of its kind since Suzuki announced it will step up its battery electric vehicle range and in that will be a model to replace the Swift in a few years. For … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Subaru Crosstrek Touring
Subaru has one of the smallest model ranges on sale in Britain, but arguably it is also one of the best. After building a reputation on performance in the World Rally Championship, Subaru has since focused on active leisure and lifestyle buyers and now is exclusively a four-wheel-drive producer. Early in 2024, the new Subaru Crosstrek replaced the venerable XV model in the brand’s UK range … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: BMW X1 xDrive2.3i M Sport
As the motor industry increasingly turns in on itself and concentrates on niche models it’s good to see the BMW X1 arrive, genuinely offering something for everyone. Sport, xLine and M Sport trim levels span seven models including three or four cylinder petrol-hybrid units, four-cylinder diesels and an electric version to ensure there is something for every requirement or preference. To that … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Subaru Forester e-Boxer 2.0 XE
If you live in the country, the chance’s you’ll like a dark horse such as the Subaru Forester. It is an all-time four-wheel-drive model with good ground clearance, carries and tows a lot but it’ll not cost you an arm and leg like most 4WD or SUVs. The Subaru Forester also comes with something rivals clamour, rarity value. You are unlikely to see as many in the lanes and towns as with … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Nissan Qashqai e-Power Tekna
Built in Sunderland since 2006 when it was launched, the Nissan Qashqai has been an enduring success story. It was one of the first modern generation Crossover models and instantly won hearts and minds, not forgetting bank accounts, of British buyers, rolling into new generations in 2013 and 2021. It was Britain’s best selling model in 2022 and it’s also picked up UK awards for reliability … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Suzuki Swace SZ5 1.8 auto
Collaboration to cut costs but not quality is very evident in the Suzuki Swace. There’s a lot more component sharing going on throughout the global motor industry than many realise but it’s not been a feature of UK in recent years, with just a few exceptions. We had extensive badge engineering across Midlands’ factories between the 1950s and 1980s but with the disappearance of the British … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volvo V60 Recharge PHEV R-Design
Volvo had a truly remarkable 2021 and with an enhanced range unfolding this year that success will continue. In a UK market which saw just 1% expansion, the Volvo line up increased 4% to 48,260 cars giving them a record 2.93% share of the British total. Most of that came from the new Volvo Recharge PHEVs and pure electric models which doubled in demand and accounted for 37% of registrations. … [Read more...]
