Crewe-based Bentley wants Bentayga to be seen as the ultimate SUV
IAIN ROBERTSON There is no denial that VW Group’s investment in Bentley has been generous and well-managed, highlights Iain Robertson, and the latest upgrade to the German-British firm’s full-size...
Nine months in, Suzuki Vitara remains a total sweetie
IAIN ROBERTSON Maintaining complete confidence in his choice of car and with 27 months left to run of its lease term, Iain Robertson reflects on his compact taller class...
The British Motor Museum Reopens!
Ann Evans reports on more good news with the British Motor Museum’s phased reopening. The British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire is delighted to announce that it has...
Book Reviews
IAIN ROBERTSON Continuing to delve into the latest offerings from the book publishing scene, Iain Robertson has discovered some true gems from the motor racing scene that he believes...
New Vauxhall Mokka shows EV intent to maximum effect
IAIN ROBERTSON While brinkmanship has been a fascinating tenet of PSA Group’s recent management activities, Iain Robertson suggests that nobody should be gulled into a belief that the Chinese-funded...
In these tough times, let me put a VW eBulli smile on your face!
IAIN ROBERTSON While hardly a money-no-object exercise, writes Iain Robertson, sourcing a clean, original VW campervan, notably of the rare 20-window type, and then converting it from flat-four to...
Why the hell would anybody need ‘La Shed Electrique’ from Peugeot?
IAIN ROBERTSON The prospect of catching a jitney service between hotel and travel terminal, only for it to give up the ghost causing you to miss a vital connection...
Et voila! Renault Clio.
IT’S hard to believe that the first Renault Clios burst onto the scene, helped along by “Nicole” and her “Papa” in the TV adverts, 30 years ago. And just...
Detailing your vehicle as a means to counteract Covid-19 impact
IAIN ROBERTSON Whether you drive a new Suzuki, or an eight years old Range Rover, Iain Robertson suggests that providing it with a detailed spruce-up is a great way...
Awaking from the pandemic? Need to drive somewhere? Check your vehicle carefully!
IAIN ROBERTSON In an era of tumbled statues, rumbled bigots and grumblers on either side of the sexual divide, Iain Robertson, with more than a sniff of assistance...
Fear ye not, Merc traditionalists, the MC Hammer of super saloons is back
IAIN ROBERTSON Having reviewed recently the latest BMW M5, Iain Robertson could sense the air of inevitability that a hot Mercedes-Benz would be just around the corner and he...
The impertinent self-satisfaction of brown bread and an ultimate BMW
IAIN ROBERTSON Munich car giant, BMW, has announced the latest version of its finest all-round M5 Competition performance saloon and Iain Robertson reveals the visceral pleasure attached to its...
Audi endured racing success for more than two decades
IAIN ROBERTSON The pandemic has upset the plans of many companies and events, not the least in the field of motorsport, which Iain Robertson suggests has been decimated by...
Citroen returns to naming basics with the ‘plugliest’ duckling ever
IAIN ROBERTSON There is no hope of the latest Ami transforming into a beautiful swan, yet Iain Robertson believes that, once the retch reflex relaxes, its EV access for...
VW takes R to largely unnecessary extremes with top-spec, plug-in Touareg
IAIN ROBERTSON Someone important at VW and it might as well be its performance division boss, Jost Capito, marvels Iain Robertson, has been on a ragga tip of late,...
Politics, funnelling, ‘1984’ and Volvo’s electric XC40
IAIN ROBERTSON Volvo, a Swedish accented Chinese carmaker, is set to introduce the Recharge P8 version of its compact-ish and very stylish XC40 in early-2021, highlights Iain Robertson, as...
BMW turns ‘transverstite’ for its new 2-Series kid on the block
IAIN ROBERTSON Reducing conveniently its long-standing, rear-driven ‘Driver’s Car’ remit, highlights Iain Robertson, for one of greater accessibility, provides benefits that some traditionalists will find hard to swallow on...
VW takes R to largely unnecessary extremes with top-spec, plug-in Touareg
IAIN ROBERTSON Someone important at VW and it might as well be its performance division boss, Jost Capito, marvels Iain Robertson, has been on a ragga tip of late,...
Gareth Butterfield tests Kia’s eco-conscious Niro Hybrid
DESPITE its arguably dull looks, the Niro, Kia’s dumpy small SUV, seems to have become a showcase for the Korean firm’s technological advances. It’s a bit of a stand-out...
DS9…Gallic dream machine, or Cloud-Cuckooland?
IAIN ROBERTSON Were ‘street presence’ the only success parameter required by a carmaker, Iain Robertson is of the belief that French manufacturers would have it sewn-up but, in the...
Lunaz electrification, or EV Loonies? You decide.
IAIN ROBERTSON Established in 2018, a Silverstone-based EV conversion specialist possessing a pedigree steeped in prestige and classic marques, as well as leading motorsport developments, is making hay on...
Mazda and me; almost 50% of Mazda’s impressive ‘ton’.
IAIN ROBERTSON As a car mad youngster, Iain Robertson was conscious of one Japanese carmaker’s often tangential approach to the world car scene, a reputation cemented in recent times...
Book Reviews
IAIN ROBERTSON It is that time of the year, when book sales increase and both coffee-table and readable materials assume fresh levels of relevance, writes Iain Robertson, as he...
Pursuing precepts enhances Mazda2’s credibility and integrity
IAIN ROBERTSON Mixed messages strike at us from all angles in the automotive scene, reports Iain Robertson, as he takes a deeper view of Mazda’s smallest model sold in...
Lincolnshire motor trade returns to work…with Covid-19 caution
IAIN ROBERTSON With the news that car dealerships can return to work from June 1st, Iain Robertson was keen to discover what it felt like on the frontline and...
Can you trust our government with its future EV plans?
IAIN ROBERTSON Within what seemed like minutes of winning last year’s General Election, states Iain Robertson, the UK government was promising that 2035 would be the ‘termination’ date for...
Volvo installs speed limiters in its cars but should it?
IAIN ROBERTSON Sometime Swedish, now Chinese brand, Volvo, has a long-standing and much-respected reputation for both the primary and secondary safety aspects of its motorcars but Iain Robertson feels...
Quid pro quo is a 40 years old quad pro quattro for Audi
IAIN ROBERTSON It is astonishing, explains Iain Robertson, how an invented word can become 4×4 synonymous with a German motorcar brand that also formulated a non-translatable expression, ‘Vorsprung durch...
Gareth Butterfield finds plenty to like in the mid-range Subaru Levorg
SUBARU needed to plug a gap in its UK range between the off-road biased Outback and the compact Impreza, so it brought over one of its models that’s selling...
Jaggy new Yaris Cross fails to excite like original Toyota RAV4
IAIN ROBERTSON Seeing the all-new baby SUV from Toyota reminded Iain Robertson of how much Toyota innovated with its first-ever compact and sporty crossover that not only defined a...
Leon undergoes comprehensive evolution for revitalised Seat
IAIN ROBERTSON Provided with an early opportunity to review the latest Seat Leon, Iain Robertson admits that it took a ‘double-take’ to appreciate that it is a completely new...
The impact of birdy ‘num-num’ on your vehicle during lockdown
IAIN ROBERTSON ‘If a tree is felled in a large forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ has been a philosophical thought experiment,...
Gareth Butterfield tests the revised Honda Civic
THERE is, believe it or not, a new version of the new version of the Honda Civic. We’re now in the 10th generation of the popular hatchback, and it...
Covid-19 and its impact on road safety
IAIN ROBERTSON While admitting that a dramatic reduction in traffic volumes should also mean that Road Traffic Incidents are similarly reduced, Iain Robertson notes that UK bicycle sales have...
Suzuki celebrates the ton, although its car division is only just pensionable
IAIN ROBERTSON There are several major birthdays that the motor industry is celebrating (or may have wanted to) in 2020, of which just one is quite close to the...
Gareth Butterfield tests the latest version of the Honda HR-V
IT’S quite hard to pigeon-hole the Honda HR-V. On one hand it’s a small, moderately sporty hatchback with jacked-up suspension, a practical interior and Honda’s legendary reliability. Or is...
Sometimes, being ‘disagreeable’ can reveal con-jobs and skulduggery
IAIN ROBERTSON Realising that he is hardly alone in questioning the premature return-to-work strategy being exercised almost wholesale across the UK motor industry, Iain Robertson is concerned about other...
HOT NEWS! – Peugeot admits finally to madness under veil of COVID-19
IAIN ROBERTSON It has been an unusual symptom, recognised by neither the WHO, nor the very Chinese State that has been funding Peugeot’s efforts for the past few years,...
We all recognise that the UK car business has been on parlous ground for a while now but how has Covid-19 afflicted the rest of the world?
IAIN ROBERTSON Regardless of influences, whether ‘Brexit’ related, or arising from either financial, or retail confusion, suggests Iain Robertson, in some respects, the last thing needed to blight the...
Gareth Butterfield takes a wild ride in one of the maddest Abarth creations yet, the 595 Essesse
I’VE always had a soft-spot for anything with an Abarth badge. The basic principle behind the Italian brand is to take a run-of-the-mill Fiat and inject it with an...