While every maker wants to be distinctive and have desirable cars they also tend to follow fashion and sometimes end up with dull models which look no different to one another, but thankfully the Mazda3 range offers an alternative. Its range has developed from saloons to hatchbacks and Cross-over models, but among them is a hidden jem in the shape of the classic saloon. Yes, a car with a boot … [Read more...]
Audi A3 and S3 get extensive make-overs
Audi has further enhanced the design, technological capability, and material quality of its compact A3 and S3 model ranges through a comprehensive update programme that aligns their attributes even more closely with models from the classes above. Distinguished by a fresh new look, upgraded lighting, and an improved cabin featuring new infotainment and driver assistance advances, the latest A3 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mazda6 Saloon 2.5 194ps GT Sport
When it comes to choosing your new car it’s not always obvious that the better choice is not your first choice. Buyers who pour over print or on-line reviews can become numbed to the choices and models laid out before their eyes. Badge envy may blur vision and the surreal experience is sometimes far from reality. You have to physically get into a car and experience it to fully appreciate … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota Camry Excel
After 15 years out of the UK market, the new generation Toyota Camry is turning heads with its striking saloon shape. While hatchbacks and SUVs have come to dominate registrations and estate cars are few and far between, the once highly popular saloon stands out as a distinctive offering. But beauty is more than skin-deep in the Toyota Camry as it uses the Toyota New Global Architecture … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mercedes-Benz E220 d Saloon
As Mercedes-Benz’s best selling series, the mid-sized E-Class has been a benchmark for rivals and it’s still a byword for the executive market today. Originating in 1946, over 14 million saloon and estate models have been sold since 1953 before being joined by the coupe and cabriolet bodystyles and it now represents the tenth generation. A facelift in 2020 give it a new grille, nose and … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Jaguar XE D200 SE R Dynamic
Jaguar’s baby car is maturing. The Jaguar XE series was introduced in 2015 to replace the X-Type and has been refreshed over six years so it now comprises more than a dozen models using the same four-door saloon body with petrol or diesel engines in rear or all-wheel-drive and five trim levels from standard to highly sporting as befits Jaguar's heritage. It still makes sense if you drive a lot … [Read more...]
Ford Mondeo production to end in 2022
The familiar Ford Mondeo reaches the end of the road next year. Almost 30 years after it was launched, Ford's medium sized family and reps car will go out of production in Valencia. It was also the basis for the Ford Galaxy large MPV and both are now seen as outdated by the new generation of SUVs such as Kuga and Ford is committed to moving onto all-electric platforms by the end of the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi A3 Saloon 35 TDI 150hp automatic
Affordability and suitability is now more relevant than ever in modern times, says David Miles. Do we actually now need a large and expensive business model for long journeys, do we actually need to go anywhere as business is less about face to face and more about emails, zooming or phone calls? Do we need a large car for just one person? As an example of car downsizing do we need an Audi A4 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Jaguar XE P250SE R Dynamic
You have to admire Jaguar, which has gone through tough times yet always produces some head-turning desirable cars. The latest XE is a good case in point offering a very broad range of eye-catching four-door saloons in rear and all-wheel-drive pitched against German rivals as well as Swedish saloons. The range explained: There are approximately 50 models in the four-door range spread over eight … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Volvo S60 T8 plug-in hybrid
The new Volvo S60 premium mid-sized saloon range was introduced in the Spring of this year and its arrival heralded two important moves, says David Miles. Firstly it is the first modern day Volvo car range not to include a diesel engine. Secondly it is the first model to be built in Volvo’s US manufacturing facility in Charleston South Carolina continuing the brand’s rapid expansion … [Read more...]