Chunky, punky Ford Fiesta Active proves to be a praiseworthy package
IAIN ROBERTSON Were it to wear a large safety-pin through its grille, Ford’s growingly popular crossover model could not be less of a disruptive vehicle than it is and...
Highland fling for final page in Volvo’s ’60-Series’, the S60 saloon
IAIN ROBERTSON Launched in T5 front-wheel drive R-Design Edition form, reports Iain Robertson, fresh from an excellent Scottish Highlands driving exercise, Volvo has turned the final page in its...
Audi’s ‘skin & blister’ executive models get techie-diesel upgrade and more
IAIN ROBERTSON As if to prove that DERV has a future, writes Iain Robertson, the all-new Audis S6, S6 Avant and S7 Sportback, which are ostensibly identical beneath their...
Gareth Butterfield tests out the new Kia Ceed
I CAN remember when Kia launched the last C’eed. Oh, how we laughed. The Korean firm didn’t have anything like as much credibility in those days, and although it...
Motoring life with a Suzuki Baleno – Final Report No.31
IAIN ROBERTSON From an initial intention to create 42 consecutive monthly reports on a personal use vehicle, Iain Robertson has bowed to circumstances and taken advantage of an even...
Z-car revisited by Nissan in celebratory half-century model
IAIN ROBERTSON Nissan’s 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition, complete with distinctive racing livery, has been unveiled in New York, states Iain Robertson, the same city where the original Datsun 240Z...
CLASSIC MOTORING EXTRAVAGANZA
By Ann Evans If you appreciate classic and vintage vehicles Ann Evans highlights three great events coming soon. If you enjoy browsing around vintage...
Toyota is ‘out’ with Avensis, ‘in’ with shared-tech and ‘back’ with Camry
IAIN ROBERTSON During this period of severe economic and political uncertainty, Iain Robertson believes that Toyota, based at both Derby and Deeside, deserves a pat on the back for...
Midfield Volvo XC40 cannot conceal high-price route to market
IAIN ROBERTSON Understanding the tremendous growth in consumer interest in Volvo demands a cool head and Iain Robertson hopes that by testing its most popular model, in its most...
Harry’s Ramblings Petrol in the early 1960s
When I was a lad, we lived in a village called Great Bookham. It wasn’t particularly great, but there was a Little Bookham. Great Bookham and Little Bookham were...
Gareth Butterfield reviews the latest version of the Honda CR-V
OVER its long history, Honda’s CR-V has quietly become the world’s best-selling SUV and this latest version doesn’t look all that different to its predecessor, but it’s still a...
Audi e-tron sets to toppling Tesla
IAIN ROBERTSON It has taken a while and the big hints have been dropped mercilessly but Audi has finally launched its all-electric SUV into a market that Iain Robertson...
Welsh Witterings: The Move Must Go On!
There is just ten days left to when the I must have my move complete and I do feel like I should sing the lyrics, to the closing track...
The Mini Clubman that wants to be king…so desperately
IAIN ROBERTSON Featuring a raft of detail changes (improvements) that warrant its ‘new model’ status, writes Iain Robertson, the biggest BMW Mini to hit the roads verges on an...
Gareth Butterfield tests the facelifted MG3 supermini
I KNOW what you’re thinking. MG was once a British brand we all loved for its charming little sports cars and now its Chinese owners have watered the Birmingham-based...
Into a wealth of high-end SUVs, Merc has just introduced two ultimate machines
IAIN ROBERTSON While the model designation ‘63S’ applied to the bootlids of both GLC and GLC Coupe models may not carry former might, writes Iain Robertson, this pair of...
Honda returns from ‘the dead’, with its best compact crossover ever
IAIN ROBERTSON At long last, Honda has awoken from its torpor and produced a car worthy of the brand badge, states Iain Robertson, its revised but ostensibly all-new HR-V...
Ford whips its Fiesta ST into ‘Limited Edition’ territory
IAIN ROBERTSON Although the current Fiesta ST was only introduced around a year ago, Iain Robertson believes that launching a special version of the compact hatchback may have beneficial...
A symphony of sound emanates from the latest hot Audis’ exhaust-pipes
IAIN ROBERTSON No matter how he describes it, Iain Robertson adores the sound of a proper engine working, which is a signature that has proven more difficult for carmakers...
Ferrari P80 – where the P could stand for Prototype, or Pornography
IAIN ROBERTSON In a break with tradition for these pages, Iain Robertson is avoiding a critical appraisal of the latest car and allowing you to view a stunning one-off...
Suzuki’s ‘BOOM!’ factor lies in its prodigiously capable 1.0-litre motor
IAIN ROBERTSON Having hinted at it previously, in testing the latest Suzuki Vitara, now powered by the firm’s unfeasibly teensy petrol engine, Iain Robertson can confirm that it is...
Gareth Butterfield reviews the new four-door version of the Honda Civic
I’VE got a friend who is a die-hard Honda fan. He’s owned several over the years, buying them from new and then keeping them until he fancies a change....
MG proves that low-cost can also provide maximum-fun with MG3 racer
IAIN ROBERTSON Demonstrating tremendous insight, highlights Iain Robertson, history-aware MG (Chinese-owned since 2005) has tackled several ‘problems’ in one fell swoop by introducing a low-cost route to circuit racing...
Hyundai grasps the nettle, with its second Hydrogen Fuel Cell car in the UK
IAIN ROBERTSON Bringing the very latest in hydrogen and electric powertrain technology, with a range of up to 414 miles, writes Iain Robertson, the Nexo FCV joins the EV...
In a pure power race, Seat draws its fists back for the punchiest Leon ever
IAIN ROBERTSON Unprecedented product launches are a real surprise these days but, writes Iain Robertson, in the wake of the Geneva Motor Show, Seat has revealed its hottest hot...
TPMS – Nightmare, or essential safety item?
IAIN ROBERTSON Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) have come a long way since Renault first installed them on its Scenic model at the turn of the Millennium, writes Iain...
Catch the Santa Fe express, Hyundai’s largest UK SUV
IAIN ROBERTSON Hyundai’s original Santa Fe model, Iain Robertson recalls, was a ‘blobby’ but slightly clunky soft-roader that drew attention to the brand but did very little for its...
Gareth Butterfield spends an exciting week in the Abarth 124 GT
DAY ONE I’VE been very excited about this car arriving. It’s basically a Fiat 124 which has been to the Abarth finishing school. And when Abarth tinkers with any...
Ur-Quattro influences new Audi A1 but serves to court size controversy
IAIN ROBERTSON When he first saw the latest Audi A1, Iain Robertson admitted to infatuation, as much for its retrospective styling, as its keener, more focused driving position and...
VW wants to ‘give’, with its ID Buggy EV platform…believe it at your peril!
IAIN ROBERTSON Fans of the Cali-look buggies of the seventies will need to look twice, reports Iain Robertson, when they spot VW’s latest iteration on the theme, mainly because...
Volvo takes sporting route with V60 R-Design but not at the cost of safety
IAIN ROBERTSON Completing the circle of V60 estate car models in its range, with a most capable sporting variant, which Iain Robertson extended as much as legally possible on...
If you desire ‘it’, then the latest Audi A4 shows you how to get ‘it’ in fine style
IAIN ROBERTSON Bearing in mind that Audi is a UK best-seller, because in its ranks, writes Iain Robertson, exists the fantastic A4 model and regardless of the parameters by...
Gareth Butterfield tests the Fiat Tipo
THIS is the new Fiat Tipo. Handsome, isn’t it? It’s a bit of a bargain, too, on the face of it. It’s possible to buy a Tipo for less...
Living with a Suzuki Baleno – Report 30 of 42
IAIN ROBERTSON The two-and-half-year marker has arrived and Iain Robertson has determined that his intention to create the longest long-term test car report has already been achieved but that...
Volvo grubbies its lovely alloys with new V60 Cross Country (XC)
IAIN ROBERTSON It is a slow burn but Volvo, a carmaker that seldom performs by convention, continues to add to its growing model portfolio, reports Iain Robertson, as tests...
Latest T-Roc R could be a sign that VW has finally lost all of its marbles
IAIN ROBERTSON Joining the Golf R, Cupra Ateca and any number of other platform-sharing models in VW Group’s broader portfolio, reports Iain Robertson, is a zapped-up, four-piped, spatted and...
Entrancing new Peugeot 208 redresses the compact car scene
IAIN ROBERTSON Think for a moment, recommends Iain Robertson, about how much automotive enterprise is employed to bring both petrol and diesel, as well as all-electric versions of a...
BMW may soon discover the point at which ‘too much’ is more than enough
IAIN ROBERTSON Power is a strange desire, in which adequate is seldom enough, writes Iain Robertson, a factor that entices the German carmakers into producing surfeit models, where the...
Audi’s e-tron scales the heights
IAIN ROBERTSON As title sponsor of the World Downhill Ski Championship, Audi would have been mad not to seize a promotional opportunity like this, states Iain Robertson, as a...
Factual books for early-2019
IAIN ROBERTSON Seldom an ardent fan of fiction, Iain Robertson has sifted through some of the best factual books released so far this year, with an inevitable bias towards...