Britain’s booming SUV market has a new player, writes Robin Roberts. The Audi Q8 raises the game for the company as the new flagship in its sporting range and it’s also a real challenger to rivals from Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Maserati, as well as Bentley. The new five-seater-only Q8 has a coupe-styled five-door body with quattro drive and 48v mild-hybrid 286ps 3.0TDi … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: BMW X4 2.0d M Sport X
The BMW X4 is a five door aggressively styled coupe version of the X3 mid-sized Sports Activity Vehicle as BMW calls its SUVs. This is the second generation range and the new X4 made its World debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. Over 200,000 global sales were achieved by the first generation niche model introduced in 2014. As before each version has xDrive all wheel drive … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volvo XC40 T5 FE
Even before the Volvo mid-sized XC40 SUV range was launched in the UK in April this year it had already been given the 2018 European Car of the Year award and numerous others have followed since then including a Towcar of the Year trophy, writes David Miles. The XC40 has fast become Volvo’s best selling model range which includes the award winning XC60 and XC90 larger SUVs and the new … [Read more...]
Maserati Levante gets new cleaner petrol engine
The luxurious Maserati Levante SUV will now benefit from the introduction of the 350hp V6 petrol engine to its line-up. The engine will also now be available to order on the Quattroporte flagship saloon and joins the 350hp already available on the executive Ghibli saloon. Underneath the bonnet ,the 3.0-litre 350hp engine available to order now offers Maserati’s signature sound and … [Read more...]
Business drive: Mitsubishi Shogun Sport
A new tough Mitsubishi Shogun Sport is being launched into the booming SUV sector and the only European country to get it is the UK, writes David Miles. Unlike most of today’s 4x4s/SUVs/Crossovers on sale, the Shogun Sport is a no nonsense hard-core five door SUV with seven seats, a large 3,100kg towing capacity and impressive off-road abilities. A two-seat commercial version will be added to … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Peugeot 3008 2.0-Litre Diesel 8-speed
One manufacturer banking on development of the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Test Procedure is the PSA Group, and it could pay big dividends for them later this year, writes David Miles. Peugeot, Citroen, DS and now Vauxhall/Opel are not only retesting new vehicles, they are introducing revised engines and new transmissions to provide more realistic fuel economy and CO2 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross4 AWD auto
It may be over a century old, but Mitsubishi is very much up to date with the Eclipse Cross SUV. The normally conservative Japanese car-maker is now part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance and the Eclipse Cross is the last to be designed and built before it was subsumed, but that’s not to decry its all round excellence. There are eight versions of the Eclipse Cross, all petrol, with a … [Read more...]
Peugeot 5008’s optional electric bike
Peugeot has launched an integrated car and electric bike mobility solution, the all-new Peugeot 5008 SUV and the eF01 Electric Bike. The £1,800 aluminium-framed eF01 electric bike weighs just 18.6kg, is fitted with a battery and a motor with enough charge for up to 18-25 miles in range and will propel riders at a top speed of 12.5mph. In the UK, 36% of UK motorists commute to work, but … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Vauxhall Viva Rocks 1.0
The greatest challenge to any car designer is getting the most of what you are given, and when Vauxhall’s team wanted to create a very compact SUV they looked to the Viva. The original Viva was a boxy saloon built in Ellesmere Port, now home of the Astra, from 1963 to 1979 and that spawned what you might call an SUV – a Services Utility Vehicle. Better known as the Bedford HA van it was a … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volkswagen T-Roc Design 1.0TSI
The people’s car company is moving with the times in the shape of the Volkswagen T-Roc. This new to market SUV is their latest offering in a booming sector which is pushing out traditional saloons and hatchbacks in favour of more practical “tall” hatchbacks. VW has long experience in the MPV market and put that to good use developing the T-Roc and emphasises a model with a lot of … [Read more...]