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...
Gareth Butterfield tests the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid
I can remember the launch of the original Rav4. I can also remember the motoring journalists of the time going mad for it. Here was a car that ticked...
Gareth’s Favourite Article of 2018; Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the lavish new Land Rover Discovery
DAY ONE THE new Land Rover Discovery has arrived and, crikey, it’s big. It’s actually imposing, rather than simply being dimensionally obscene. It sits high on its air suspension...
Gareth Butterfield wonders whether the new Clio still has its French flair after all these years
BELIEVE it or not, we’re now on our fourth Renault Clio. The pretty and stylish small hatchback that introduced us to the phrase “va va voom” and the cute...
Why Gareth Butterfield thinks the new small Mercedes is a class act
CONSIDERING the entire A Class model history, this new version appears to tread a very similar path to its predecessor, which was a huge departure from the first A...
Gareth Butterfield finds there’s still plenty of sparkle in the Suzuki Swift Sport
THE last Suzuki Swift Sport surprised everyone, and became the unlikely darling of the small hot hatch world. It was fun, fast, nimble and exciting and, more than anything,...
Gareth Butterfield takes the latest Toyota Rav4 for a test drive
I CAN remember the launch of the original Rav4. I can also remember the motoring journalists of the time going mad for it. Here was a car that ticked...
Gareth Butterfield ponders whether the Toyota Land Cruiser still has a place in the SUV sector
Solid, dependable, iconic and unstoppable are all names that have been metaphorically riveted on to the muscular haunches of Toyota Land Cruiser over the years. It defines the term...
Gareth Butterfield tests Kia’s fun supermini, the Picanto
Some things, wine for example, improve with age. We all mature and acquire wisdom and most things become more responsible or more sedate in advancing years. Not so with...
Gareth Butterfield takes a wild ride in the Honda Civic Type-R
If the latest Honda Civic Type R is going to be worthy of bearing what is, quite frankly, a legendary badge, it needs to tick a few boxes in...
Gareth Butterfield wonders if the hybrid Kia Optima makes sense in a diesel-dominated world
Despite hybrid propulsion being a relatively new technology in the motoring world, the range of vehicles available is, if you’ll forgive the awkward choice of adjective, rather polluted. Even in...
Prestige and pedigree of the Jaguar brand in a small SUV
Prestige and pedigree of the Jaguar brand in a small SUV – what’s not to like about the new E-Pace? Asks Gareth Butterfield JAGUAR’S marvellous F-Pace was the marque’s...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the new Land Rover Discovery
DAY ONE THE new Land Rover Discovery has arrived and, crikey, it’s big. It’s actually imposing, rather than simply being dimensionally obscene. It sits high on its air suspension...
The best Jeep yet?
Here’s why the Compass is on Gareth Butterfield’s radar IN case you hadn’t noticed, Jeep has been chipping away, quite successfully, at the European market share over the last...
Gareth Butterfield welcomes Alfa Romeo’s first foray into the SUV market
THE very thought of Alfa Romeo building an SUV is enough to have some of the brand’s biggest fans breaking into a cold sweat. But, let’s be honest, they’re...