In the much-troubled year of 2020 new car sales across the globe stalled and even the must-have Crossover/SUV styled vehicles saw their sales flatten, writes David Miles. According to JATO Dynamics reliable new car sales figures, although such vehicles still accounted for 40% of all cars sold in Europe there was no growth. They added ‘Over the last six years, SUVs have been a consistent driver … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda Civic Type R GT 2.0 VTEC
Although the UK production of the Honda Civic family 5-door hatchback range of models, including the hot-shot Type R, ceases in the UK at their Swindon Plant in July this year, the high performance Type R range of models available has been extended and a wide range of spec changes and technical improvements included. The Swindon Plant is currently building up buffer stocks of all 10th … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Lexus RX 450h Takumi
The Lexus brand came to SUV prominence in 1998, actually year 2000 in the UK with the introduction of the original RX as a luxury, comfortable easy to drive large SUV, writes David Miles. Now in its fourth generation spanning two decades the petrol-electric hybrid RX 450h 5-seater and RX L limousine style 6 or 7-seater premium large SUVs have received further improvements in specification, … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volvo V90 B6 AWD
While SUVs now tend to grab sales and headlines we cannot overlook estates, writes Robin Roberts. Volvo has built a sound reputation on its estate cars and the V-series has won many awards from business and family judges. In fact some estates have morphed or developed into what’re often termed crossovers, sitting in size and style between a boxy estate and taller SUV. Some believe the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Volvo V60 Recharge
Volvo is now well known for their commitment to full electrification of all their models by 2025, writes David Miles. They have recently confirmed they will develop and assemble their own electric motors at their powertrain plant in Skovde Sweden. The very first Volvo from 1927 was powered by a petrol engine from the same factory. Currently many vehicle manufacture’s electric motors are … [Read more...]
Christmas 2020 roadtest: Aston Martin DBX
Christmas cheer comes in the shape of the new Aston Martin DBX, writes Robin Roberts.Aston Martin is a survivor in a world of hard knocks and is now looking for a smoother ride with their latest DBX sports utility vehicle. After 100 years of making some of the most sought after sports cars in the world it has applied its knowledge to what it sees as a family car, albeit for a well off … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Nissan X-Trail Tekna 1.7 dCi 150hp
Nissan introduced the original X-Trail in 2001 when it was a hard-core proper dual-purpose 4x4 workhorse which sold in huge numbers around the world, writes David Miles. From 2007 the X-Trail moved from hard-core 4x4 to SUV/Crossover and in 2017 received further restyling and specification changes to soften its image into a more family friendly suitable model. The large X-Trail shares much of … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Vauxhall Corsa-e Elite Nav 11kW
Britain’s oldest car-maker is gearing up for the electric future, beginning with the Corsa-e, writes Robin Roberts. The highly popular small hatchback is a natural starting point aimed at those who mostly commute or have low mileage lifestyles. Responding to the UK Government’s drive towards lower and zero emission cars from 2030, the Vauxhall Corsa-e is available in six trim … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Fiat 500 Hybrid 3-Door Lounge
The little and large of new models being introduced have several things in common but the most relevant is all-electric power, writes David Miles. At one end of the size scale Fiat have recently introduced their 500 City Car petrol-electric Hybrid range and UK order books are open for their all-new 500 Electric Hatch and Cabriolet models with deliveries starting next March. At the other end of … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota C-HR Dynamic 2.0 Hybrid
Continuous improvement is the philosophy of Toyota and few car makers have as much experience of evs, launching its Hybrid Synergy Drive in 1997, and is rolling out more models every few years, writes Robin Roberts. The Toyota C-HR is a good example of continuous improvement, first introduced to the UK in 2018 with a 120bhp 1.8 litre petrol engine which helped it notch up over 50,000 … [Read more...]
