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...
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...
Is the Toyota RAV4 hybrid enough in a fast-changing new car scene?
IAIN ROBERTSON Reflecting on the development of Toyota’s important midfield model is like taking a trip to the origins of the crossover sector, writes Iain Robertson, as RAV4 was...
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...
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. ...
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...
Mercedes-Benz reveals value-for-money GLB
IAIN ROBERTSON Every now and then, writes Iain Robertson, a new model arrives (or will do, this December) that makes you step back in amazement but demands a closer...
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”...
Is space the final frontier? It might be for Skoda and its Superb Scout
IAIN ROBERTSON It takes a lot to get Iain Robertson to make intense pronouncements about some new cars but, having watched the development of Skoda’s largest model, he is...
Let’s dispense with the ‘FREE Electricity’ myth…
IAIN ROBERTSON Tesla has not exactly been helpful to the EV industry, writes Iain Robertson, by announcing that its Models S and X will be provided with FREE electricity,...
Vauxhall is expanding its (PSA) product portfolio like never before
IAIN ROBERTSON Addlicted by both ‘difficult’ news and news of entirely new models, writes Iain Robertson, the brand formerly known as Vauxhall (of Luton; a division of General Motors...
Renault dares to thrill with new Megane RS Trophy-R
IAIN ROBERTSON There was a time, recalls Iain Robertson, when Ford Motor Company was deeply entrenched in motorsports and reflected its involvement in celebratory versions of its road cars,...
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...
Latest Q7 adopts tech-upgrades made by Audi on the coupe-like Q8
IAIN ROBERTSON Life has been hectic at Audi of late, with new models seemingly being introduced every other week, writes Iain Robertson, but what might appear slightly chaotic is...
Corolla comeback hastens demise of conventional cars
IAIN ROBERTSON As one of the elder statesmen of the oriental fold, reports Iain Robertson, the decades old Corolla is a mass-market badge that has seldom excited but has...
Kia still produces a shining light in Sportage, despite a profusion of SUVs
IAIN ROBERTSON Recently upgraded, although you need to look closely to see the details, highlights Iain Robertson, the latest Kia Sportage serves to reinforce an image that is presently...
Seat Mii in FR trim is ideal for the ‘I, me, mine’ generation!
IAIN ROBERTSON Kick-starting 2011 with a trio of magnificent city cars, known loosely as the ‘up-Mii-Citigo’ generation, reports Iain Robertson, was a tremendous product platform for VW Group and...
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...
Ford celebrates its Motorway Patrol role in classic fashion
IAIN ROBERTSON While Ford Motor Company is under fire again for closing its engine manufacturing plant in Swansea, writes Iain Robertson, its UK-based PR team wheeled out a couple...
The Car. The Future. Me.
Ann Evans reports on the latest events at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon. There’s always so much going on at The British Motor Museum at...
Bentley feels proud to be ‘British’ in setting new US hillclimb record
IAIN ROBERTSON Unlike its former stablemate, Rolls-Royce, at least Bentley can claim that it still designs, develops and produces complete cars in the UK, highlights Iain Robertson, as the...
Introducing its 3rd-gen solus Soul sold in the UK, Kia builds EV status
IAIN ROBERTSON Amazingly, this is the third generation of the ground-breaking Kia Soul, which was in the vanguard of all-electric motorcars in 2014, writes Iain Robertson, and which has...