Sales of new cars overall in the UK this year have stalled by 2.5% over the same period last year with only the SUV/4x4 sector showing growth. Sales of all diesel powered passenger cars have fallen by 11.5% following the ‘dieselgate scandal’ and in the uncertain economic climate those thinking of buying an SUV must look at a petrol engine. I did just that with the latest generation award … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Volvo XC60 D5 PowerPulse, AWD, R-Design
When the first generation mid-sized XC60 was introduced in 2008 it didn’t take long for it to become Volvo’s best selling model range and the market leader in its class in Europe as it was just at the time the SUV market overall was beginning to boom in terms of sales. Today with the introduction of the second generation XC60 the competition is even stronger with premium brand … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Dacia Sandero Stepway Ambiance TCe90
There is doom, gloom and then there is Dacia, writes Robin Roberts. The Renault subsidiary and Romanian made models are the quiet success story in a year that has ruffled feathers of some peacock producers who’ve made a lot of noise about Brexit and dire warnings of impending disaster. Meanwhile, Dacia and its delighted 154 UK dealers – including eight in Wales – have ratcheted up … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Dacia Duster Laureate 1.5 dCi
Dacia, pronounced ‘dat-cha’, is a Romanian automotive brand that became wholly owned by Renault in 2004. But it wasn’t until mid 2012 that the first Dacia model from the new partnership, the mid-sized Duster five door mid-sized SUV, appeared in the UK with sales beginning early in 2013. Since then there have been constant updates and additions to the line-up and in 2014 production … [Read more...]
Chery picks Frankfurt show to unveil European plans
Chery Automobile Co., Ltd, China’s leading vehicle exporter, will start sales of passenger cars in Europe within the next few years under an all-new nameplate. The first model on sale will be a compact SUV designed for young, urban, progressive-minded customers, and will meet the needs and expectations of European private and fleet buyers in terms of design, quality, dynamics and crash … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mitsubishi ASX 2.2 Diesel 4WD
A raft of changes this year virtually guarantee the Mitsubishi ASX will continue to be one of the sought-after mid-sized Crossover SUVs. It has always been keenly priced and while it is now slightly more expensive and still lacks some features which are becoming standard on rivals, the ASX is still a good buy with a strong pedigree. Mitsubishi founded its UK reputation on and off road with … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Vauxhall Crossland X
Such is the demand for compact B-segment five door Crossovers or SUVs as sales are booming, why just have one model range to offer when you can have two? That’s just what Vauxhall has done. They already have the highly successful Mokka X priced from £18,455 to £29,725 and now they have the Crossland X priced from £16,555 to £23,530. A larger member of Vauxhall’s ‘X’ family, the Grandland X … [Read more...]
Captur wants to wrap up 67-plate sales
Facelifted front and back with enhancements to give a more premium feel to the interior will take Renault Captur into the 67-plate registrations with renewed opportunities. The SUV is the best selling Renault in the UK and accounted for 30% of registrations for the brand with 25,841 finding buyers last year. Sales are split roughly 50:50 between private and fleet and there is a … [Read more...]
Renault Koleos marks return of bigger SUV
The Renault Koleos will see the French marque return to the larger-sized SUV sector this autumn. After the demise of the Espace and Laguna in 2011, Renault was left without a contender in a sector which has really taken off. Now it has returned with a Korean-made challenger to the Nissan X-Trail and Ford Kuga and the first models are arriving in showrooms for customers to order and … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Revised Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi
The demand in the UK, the EU and global markets for SUVs, Crossovers and 4x4s continues and the surge in additional models from brands new to these sectors builds on their fashionable must have appeal, says David Miles. In the UK last year there were 437,000 new car registrations for what the industry calls Dual Purpose vehicles. We can add in at least another 100,000 of what we call … [Read more...]