Respect is earned, not awarded, in the motor industry, and one of the most influential vehicle brands is Jeep, now on the eve of celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2021. Think about that for a minute; it was born out of WW2 conflict, battled through the 20thcentury’s consumer culture and taken on many imitators. It’s doubtful that Land Rover would exist … [Read more...]
Tank of mum and dad keeps kids moving
The Tank of Mum and Dad Report from comparethemarket.com highlights just how reliant young drivers are on their parents to help them pay for insurance, petrol, repairs and motoring taxes. Over a third of parents (39%) said that they paid some or all of the costs for the duration of their child’s first year driving. 14% contributed for the first two years … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: First drive Jeep Renegade 4xe
Jeep has turned a corner with its new plug-in hybrid Renegade. Without compromising its famous off-road abilities the Renegade 4xe adds emission lowering and power enhancing electric drive. It’s the first electrified Jeep to be sold in Britain and uses the familiar 1.3 litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor or generator driving the front … [Read more...]
Petrol still dominates buyers’ preferences
Pre-lockdown, some 32% of UK drivers were planning to buy an alternative fuelled vehicle as their next car purchase, according to a report from Close Brothers Motor Finance. Drivers are continuing to shy away from traditional fuel types, with 21% planning on buying a hybrid car, and 11% opting for electric. Despite electric surging in popularity, petrol … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Toyota Corolla Touring Sports Trek 1.8 Hybrid
With staycations forced upon many of us due to the pandemic lockdown on overseas travel, activity holidays in the UK are at record levels whether it involves hotels, B&Bs, caravanning, camping, glamping, boating or hiking, writes David Miles. UK sales and rentals of motorhomes, caravans, campers, tents and even Shepherd’s Huts are booming. With … [Read more...]
Petrol peak passes as ev points rise
The rise in electric charging points is steadily rising and possibly indicates that petrol and diesel sales have peaked. Government figures this week showed that at 1 July 2020, there were 18,265 public electric vehicle charging devices available in the UK. Of these, 3,206 were rapid devices. Since 2015, the number of public charging devices has grown … [Read more...]
New car sales edge upwards
New car sales have started a slow recovery. British new car registrations fell by 35% in June as many dealerships reopened after coronavirus lockdown measures were lifted, but the Welsh and Scottish showrooms' openings were delayed until the end of the month and this affected figures. A total 145,377 new cars were registered in June, leaving accumulated … [Read more...]
Fuel prices collapse but there’s a warning as well
Amid exceptional circumstances, UK petrol prices fell by their largest margin in 12 years in March, triggered by a complete collapse in the world oil price, says the latest RAC Fuel Watch report. While the price of a barrel of crude oil began the month above $50, by the end of March it had plummeted by 66% to under $18, its lowest level in 18 years. This … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Suzuki Jimny SZ5 Allgrip
Every manufacturer loves to pack features into their model to make as much money as possible, but the Suzuki Jimny has something few ever include, a free smile, writes Robin Roberts. The standard-spec smile is something so many modern cars lack but the simple Suzuki has it in spades. And thensome. The original Suzuki Jimny dates from 1970 and the Light … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Kia XCeed 1.4 TGDi FE automatic
Kia Ceed has been one of the outstanding success stories of the first two decades of the millennium and as we enter its third a new chapter begins with the XCeed, writes Robin Roberts. Hatchbacks have given way to SUVs over the last ten years and now this sector is further developing with the full size models being joined by compact versions … [Read more...]
