Upgraded HS replaces outmoded GS in MG line-up
IAIN ROBERTSON As one of the Sino-pioneers into the UK new car scene, MG has enjoyed something of a head start over a rash of future Chinese brands, states...
Gareth Butterfield tests the Volvo V60 Cross Country
THE Volvo range is properly sorted now. In fact, you could argue it’s better than it’s ever been. We’re still waiting for a “small” car to replace the V40...
Loaded DS3 Crossback takes avant-garde route to compact car sector
IAIN ROBERTSON If you were moved by the swan-like DS7, as Iain Robertson was, then you will fall in love with the ‘ugly duckling’ DS3, as much for its...
Volvo’s roller-coaster ride rolls on with new XC90
IAIN ROBERTSON To be frank, Iain Robertson believes that ‘roller-coaster’ is inappropriate for Volvo Cars’ current and inexorable rise to the top, registrations of which are outstripping every luxury...
Porsche 911 C4S; eight generations in and still going strong
IAIN ROBERTSON Known within Porsche as the ‘Typ 992’, highlights Iain Robertson, and revised consistently through eight generations since 1963, the signature 911 Coupe is one of the most...
Thoroughly British Bentley basks Bentayga in hybrid technology
IAIN ROBERTSON It is almost too easy to dismiss the latest Bentley SUV as an over-priced excess, writes Iain Robertson, when it carries a price tag of over £133,500,...
The torrents did NOT stop play at SMMT North!
IAIN ROBERTSON The supportive body of the UK Motor Industry, the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders Ltd (SMMT), hosts several events throughout every year that both Iain Robertson...
Toyota believes it can turn its Corolla Trek into a Star
IAIN ROBERTSON Toyota is clearly having a whale of a time with its recently introduced new Corolla model, which Iain Robertson believes will whisk the brand to fresh peaks...
Origami ID.3 may have insufficient identity for the VW brand
IAIN ROBERTSON As the biggest car company in the world, Volkswagen has a notional responsibility to lead the new car market, opines Iain Robertson, although he is concerned that...
Gareth Butterfield drives Honda’s new hybrid CR-V
THERE’S a lot to like about the Honda CR-V. It’s a stylish, practical, comfortable and refined SUV that has evolved well and has become one of the best options...
It is guarded good news for Ineos, with plans for its purpose-built 4×4
IAIN ROBERTSON To be named ‘Grenadier’, after the pub in which it was conceived, writes Iain Robertson, this is the intended ‘rebuttal’ new model built to compete head-on with...
Taxi Noir: Cab Passengers
This week I’m going to talk about relations with the passengers I get in my taxi. I’ve talked a fair bit about the Knowledge of London and the part...
Volvo V60 T8 is a fast but frugal express
IAIN ROBERTSON Volvo’s mid-size executive estate car is a paradigm for both business and private motoring demands, writes Iain Robertson, providing space, pace and agility but now incorporating plug-in...
Serving the Ford-approved needs of the customised van scene
IAIN ROBERTSON You would be exceptionally myopic to miss the impact of the custom van scene in the UK, diagnoses Iain Robertson, epitomised as it is by a growing...
Gareth Butterfield takes the exciting new Hyundai i30 N for a test drive
WHEN I first drove the Hyundai i30 N I was bowled over. Here’s a company that has had several stabs at making sporty cars, but never really offered one...
How to review motorcars for a (largely) non-motoring audience
IAIN ROBERTSON There was a time, states Iain Robertson, when you would spot half a dozen shelves packed with motor-related titles, every time you visited your local newsagent, or...
Taycan takes technology to new peaks for Porsche
IAIN ROBERTSON When considering that Porsche has never done things by convention, states long-time fan Iain Robertson, you can comprehend that its all-electric Taycan offering is likely to break...
Momentous RS7 adds to Audi’s ‘pant-wetting’ performance schedule
IAIN ROBERTSON Making an impression has become the self-elevated premise of ‘Four Rings’ branded Audi, highlights Iain Robertson, especially when it introduces yet another model to its hugely desirable...
Latest Vauxhall Astra appears unaltered, until you peer beneath its bonnet
IAIN ROBERTSON Definitely not a landmark in Vauxhall’s book, reports Iain Robertson, following his first drive of the new Astra, it is still a safe haven for buyers seeking...
Gareth Butterfield tests Kia’s latest design highlight, the Proceed
IF Kia had launched its Proceed 10 years ago, the world would have done a collective double-take. Nowadays, it’s just another pretty car that’s been launched by the firm....
To prove that car fans can never get enough of what they want, the ‘new’ Bentley Blower…
IAIN ROBERTSON Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover and a couple of other carmakers have been dabbling in the classic car scene, reports Iain Robertson, by revisiting their pasts and...
Taycan takes technology to new peaks for Porsche
IAIN ROBERTSON When considering that Porsche has never done things by convention, states long-time fan Iain Robertson, you can comprehend that its all-electric Taycan offering is likely to...
Taxi Noir: Starting Out as a London Cab Driver
Cab driving in London is one of the most democratic occupations known to man. How many other occupations allow you to start training with no previous qualifications, then offer...
Wired up smart makes smart much wiser
IAIN ROBERTSON It was in the mid-1970s, when the originator of the smart car (Nicolas Hayek) envisioned his means for future mobility, recalls Iain Robertson, which was always intended...
Gareth Butterfield reviews Lexus’s new entry into the small SUV market, the UX
IF you’re in the market for a small SUV – and, let’s face it, the world and his wife seems to be at the moment, then you’ve got a...
Going to great lengths, Kia explains the new XCeed model
IAIN ROBERTSON When carmakers decide on the outlines of their latest models, writes Iain Robertson, they seldom admit to ‘errors’, yet Kia, a brand that seems almost gleeful to...
Electrified Tarraco SUV makes hay with FR sporting trim
IAIN ROBERTSON Hold your horses! It is another new model not due until 2020 but Iain Robertson has managed to grab a sneak preview of the hottest version of...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the all-electric Nissan Leaf
DAY ONE IF electric cars are the future then this, the Nissan Leaf, is a taste of it. I’ve driven lots of electric cars, and they’re often a bit...
With a tremendous history, can motorsport still improve the breed?
IAIN ROBERTSON For many years, highlights Iain Robertson, vehicle manufacturers worldwide have believed that their on-track and in-competition developments have led to greater things, not all vehicle related, which...
Skoda Scala vs. VW Golf, the ‘Trump vs. Obama’ of the automotive scene
Something strange, yet not entirely unexpected has occurred within VW Group and Iain Robertson attempts to unravel the mystery as he tests a mid-range version of Skoda’s latest and ‘long-awaited’ (it...
Social media polling may introduce some ‘danger’ that may harbour some home truths
A well-known cherished licence-plates company carried out an online survey recently, reports Iain Robertson, the findings of which could hold some merit for a once-burgeoning UK motor industry that now...
Range Rover Sport enters part-electrification scene with P400 model
IAIN ROBERTSON Having reiterated recently that electrification would feature on the majority of Jaguar Land Rover’s models led our man, Iain Robertson, to grab the opportunity for a test...
Audi’s blockbuster RS6 is back, in grand Avant style
IAIN ROBERTSON No single motorcar of the past quarter of a century has impressed Iain Robertson as much as the Audi RS6 Avant and the all-new, imperious, ‘master of...
Why Gareth Butterfield thinks the current Range Rover is the best car in the world
AS a motoring journalist I’m frequently asked what I think the best car in the world is. It’s not an easy question to answer. For instance, if I wanted...
New Skoda Kamiq demonstrates that bland may have hidden talents
IAIN ROBERTSON We were the first to preview Skoda’s new urban runabout earlier this year, writes Iain Robertson, and now we bring you more details of this underwhelming newcomer...
It is about time Vauxhall got Corsa right, after five generations…
IAIN ROBERTSON When the first 1993 Vauxhall Corsa was landed in the UK, reports Iain Robertson, it was based on the Opel Corsa and marked a pan-European model change...
Have you ever wondered just how fast, or furious, is the most successful movie series of all time?
IAIN ROBERTSON We all love movies that feature fast cars and chases, states Iain Robertson, which has made movies like Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds and The French Connection...
A Mini Celebration
Photos courtesy of Rob Tysall, Tysall’s Photography It was back to the 1960s for the 60th birthday of the iconic Mini. Ann Evans reports. ...
Five books worth reading
IAIN ROBERTSON Not sure whether the bookbinding is indicative of something, only one of this batch of titles reviewed by Iain Robertson features a hardback cover but do not...
Audi makes e-tron 50 even more affordable
IAIN ROBERTSON One of the biggest barriers to the uptake rate of EVs is astronomically steep price tags, reports Iain Robertson, but Audi, which normally does not shirk from...