Gareth Butterfield takes a drive in the latest version of an old favourite – the Subaru Legacy Outback
WHILE the world has been turning to the crossover and SUV market in droves, there’s been one pioneer of this sector that’s been quietly evolving in the background. Before...
Gareth Butterfield drives the latest version of the British-built success story, the Nissan Qashqai
BELIEVE it or not, the innocuous little Nissan Qashqai deserves a place in history as one of the great automotive trendsetters. Nissan took a punt, back in 2007, on...
Gareth Butterfield takes the mighty Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for a test drive
UNTIL fairly recently, the Land Rover Defender was one of the last mainstream cars on sale that looked pretty much the same as it did when its original version...
Gareth Butterfield takes the mighty Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for a test drive
UNTIL fairly recently, the Land Rover Defender was one of the last mainstream cars on sale that looked pretty much the same as it did when its original version...
Gareth Butterfield tests the handsome new Peugeot 508SW
IF you think about it, it’s been a long time since there’s been a genuinely desirable estate car in the mainstream. Ever since the SUV boom investment in saloon...
Gareth Butterfield finds himself falling for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
WHEN it comes to choosing a car, you can either have something properly sporty, like a supercar, or you can have an SUV. You can’t have your cake and...
Gareth Butterfield pokes round the cavernous new Vauxhall Combo Life XL
LOOK around any car supermarket these days and you’d be forgiven for thinking the once prolific MPV has completely disappeared from the options list. The SUV boom appears to...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
Gareth Butterfield thinks Renault has finally hit the sweet spot with its Koleos SUV
WHEN Renault last brought the “Koleos” name to the market it was a bit ahead of its time. SUV buyers in those days were either being called “Chelsea Tractor”...
Gareth Butterfield says taking the Suzuki Jimny for a spin was well worth the wait
I’VE had to wait a long time to review this car. And that’s not because they’re rare, it’s because journalists have been queuing up to try it. Suzuki’s Jimny...
The C5 Aircross, Citroen’s new foray into the world of the family crossover (yes, another niche we probably didn’t see coming)
SOME cars have comfortable seats. Others have comfortable suspension. The C5 Aircross, Citroen’s new foray into the world of the family crossover (yes, another niche we probably didn’t...
VOLVO’S new design direction
VOLVO’S new design direction really isn’t that “new” any more. It was the XC90 SUV that first introduced us to what would become an entirely new look for the...
THE XV is Subaru’s smallest SUV.
THE XV is Subaru’s smallest SUV. They’re good at this sort of thing – building capable, solid and dependable off-roaders, and the XV is probably one of the lesser-known...
Small SUVs on the market usually have all the personality of a toast rack.
ONE of the problems I have with the endless range of small SUVs on the market is that they usually have all the personality of a toast rack. There...
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Smart ForTwo!
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Smart ForTwo. It’s a cute and cool two-seater with famously diminutive proportions, unique road manners and plenty of trademark “quirks”. This,...
VOLVO’S new design direction really isn’t that “new” any more.
It was the XC90 SUV that first introduced us to what would become an entirely new look for the Swedish brand and that, believe it or not, was back...
Do small SUVs have the personality of a toast rack?
ONE of the problems I have with the endless range of small SUVs on the market is that they usually have all the personality of a toast rack. There...
Honda Integra Type R.
DAY ONE THE car I’ve been testing this week is something of a personal indulgence. The nice man at Honda asked me if I’d like to try one of...
Fiat’s 500X is a great example of how the jacked-up look can be made more attractive than ground-hugging hatches.
WHILE I’ll never understand the collective lure of the “crossover”, a style of car that’s slowly killing off the once mighty hatchback, Fiat’s 500X is a great example of...
Gareth Butterfield reviews the new special edition Toyota Yaris Y20
TOYOTA is a firm that’s often been proud of its heritage, and it’s always made a song and dance about the milestones of its most popular models. The Yaris,...
Gareth Butterfield takes the new Kia Sportage on a test drive
THERE seems to be a Kia Sportage everywhere you look these days. It was very much a case of right car, right time for Kia and its sales have...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the fun and frivolous 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...
Gareth Butterfield tries to find out why buyers keep coming back to the Honda Jazz
PEOPLE often ask me what car I’d recommend to them if they just want a fuss-free, practical and reliable hatchback for their A-to-B runabout. And, if I like them,...
Gareth Butterfield ponders the merits of a £30,000 Vauxhall Astra
Ah, the Vauxhall Astra. The enduring epitome of an affordable, no-fuss car for the masses. But, wait, here’s a version of the long-serving family staple that costs nearly £30,000....
Gareth Butterfield reviews the stylish new Peugeot 508
In our relentless and inexplicable purge to switch from sensible, conventional terrestrial cars to pointlessly jacked-up, thirsty and cumbersome SUVs and crossovers, we’ve been forgetting a once bustling market...
Gareth Butterfield soaks up the style inside the DS7 Crossback
I hadn’t actually clapped eyes on a DS7 Crossback until one arrived on my driveway the other day for this review. And when it did I was a bit...
Gareth Butterfield drives the latest version of the trend-setting Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Twenty years from now, if we look back at a potted history of the electric car, we might just be looking back on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV as one...
Gareth Butterfield reviews the cheap and cheerful, but not cheap and nasty Dacia Duster
You’ve got to doff your cap to Dacia. Here’s a company which is aiming to introduce budget cars into a world of rapidly rising prices and increasing heights of...