Gareth Butterfield hangs on for dear life to the fast and furious Renault Megane RS Trophy
THERE’S a certain list of criteria a hot-hatch must meet these days. If a car hasn’t got 300bhp, it doesn’t seem to cut it, and if it doesn’t have...
Hyundai wants and needs you to be i10 impressed
IAIN ROBERTSON Like all the best coming-of-age parties, reports Iain Robertson, the innocuous, smaller member of the family blossoms into something worthier and makes you wonder why you had...
E-Pace might be the cat’s whiskers for Jaguar Cars
IAIN ROBERTSON While it has taken some time to obtain a test example, Iain Robertson has now managed to put the current Jaguar E-Pace under his intense scrutiny, from...
Skoda drops a fragrant hint of its Indian intended SUV
IAIN ROBERTSON Many carmakers have invested heavily in the fast-developing Indian subcontinent, as their other markets either stabilise, or experience decline, reports Iain Robertson, and with Skoda empowered to...
Gareth Butterfield tests the Toyota Corolla, Toyota’s new British-built stunner
THE Toyota Corolla bears the best-selling badge in the world. We might not have seen a new one pootling around the UK for a long time, but this genuinely...
Gareth Butterfield’s trip down Memory Lane in the Honda Integra Type-R was one of his most memorable reviews of the year
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...
2019, a most extraordinary motoring year!
IAIN ROBERTSON Changes have been weighing-in to alter the UK motoring environment for the future, highlights Iain Robertson, some that upset the industry and the consumer, with others designed...
Mildly refreshed Mazda2 affirms user-pleasing stance
IAIN ROBERTSON If the latest CX-30 is a tad too costly, reports Iain Robertson, yet the idea of living with a Mazda is compelling, perhaps you ought to try...
Where the US leads, we often follow and pickups are a typical pursuit
IAIN ROBERTSON The growth of the pickup truck market segment is no less strange than that for the ubiquitous SUV, highlights Iain Robertson, and despite various stipulations related to...
Peugeot-Citroen and Fiat-Chrysler agree to a merger
IAIN ROBERTSON French carmaker PSA Groupe and troubled US-Italian FCA has made a strategic agreement to join forces, explains Iain Robertson, which will make the new combine the world’s...
Tried and tested or tired and tossed aside? Why Gareth Butterfield thinks the Nissan Qashqai is worthy of its place at the top of the crossover sales tree
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...
GLA completes the ‘compact’ circle for Mercedes-Benz
IAIN ROBERTSON In a new car market now predominated by SUVs, writes Iain Robertson, Mercedes-Benz is well entrenched with models in every relevant class and the latest GLA model...
Citroen’s hybridised C5 Aircross loses none of its SUV practicality
IAIN ROBERTSON While believing that fully electric vehicles are an inevitability of present and future transport legislation, Iain Robertson welcomes hybrid technology not just for its ‘best of both...
VW launches its most disappointing Golf (VIII) model in years
IAIN ROBERTSON While happy to accept a designation of Mark for the current version of the ever-popular Golf model, reports Iain Robertson, apart from some pointless slats, leaner...
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...
Mazda slots CX-30 between CXs 3 and 5 for its future intended best-seller
IAIN ROBERTSON In a move that could be described as ‘opportunistic’, perhaps even ‘overkill’, reports Iain Robertson, Mazda has introduced a middle-ground SUV that surprises with its brilliance and...
There is no avoiding either the long or tall arms of Ford’s automotive ‘fuzz’!
IAIN ROBERTSON The build and preparation of specialist vehicles is exceptionally lucrative for several carmakers, as Iain Robertson discovers at a secret Essex facility operated by Ford Motor Company,...
Hyundai’s hydrogen car beats all expectations
IAIN ROBERTSON Hindered by a lack of refuelling infrastructure, not aided by poor public perception about the storage of hydrogen gas, let alone its sourcing as a by-product of...
Cracking new Clio suggests that Renault has finally got it right
IAIN ROBERTSON Growing from a lineage that commenced with the original Renault 5, reports Iain Robertson, the latest Clio can be said to have ‘come of age’ in its...
Impressive new Design Centre for Jaguar Cars provides inside peek
IAIN ROBERTSON Provided with an exclusive ‘behind closed doors’ appreciation of one of our nation’s important car brands, Iain Robertson agrees that the right creative environment is essential to...
Ford’s extraordinarily average all-electric SUV succumbs to aping Tesla
IAIN ROBERTSON According to Ford, its new SUV is inspired by the archetypal Mustang, although Iain Robertson reckons that the Mach E will be its ultimate Marmite machine, to...
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...
The all-but-perfect Honda CR-V Hybrid warrants seriously high praise
IAIN ROBERTSON Achieving perfection is the aim of every carmaker but very few of them have been as capable as Honda and its latest hybrid CR-V model has made...
Mazda creates the petrol car that obviates a need for a diesel one
IAIN ROBERTSON Skyactiv-X engine technology, a Mazda self-funded and engineered solution to real world fuel economy needs, powers the GT Sport saloon version of the Mazda3 hatchback, a model...
Top ‘marques’ to Mission Motorsport for support of veterans
IAIN ROBERTSON It never ceases to be heart-warming, when announcements are made in favour of our nation’s Armed Forces, writes Iain Robertson, and none more so than when a...
Crisply confident Corsa is Vauxhall’s undeniable statement of brand intent
IAIN ROBERTSON Lighter, livelier and overall more likable, the all-new baby Vauxhall earns its on-road stripes with dynamic grace, more space and a smiling face, factors that enthuse Iain...
Recycling results in Renault’s ‘plastic’ upholstery (on the Zoe EV at least)
IAIN ROBERTSON While it may take time, largely due to the development of new machinery, reports Iain Robertson, when the motor industry invests in its eco-future, it can do...
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...
Merc adds volume and punch to high-flying AMG GLS63
IAIN ROBERTSON It seems as though the high-end SUV market sector has no limits, states Iain Robertson, as Mercedes-Benz enters the fray with its latest, high-power, high-luxury semi-off-roader, providing...
Lexus relents at last, with reveal of all-electric UX300e crossover
IAIN ROBERTSON The luxury arm of Toyota is the first to launch an EV, reports Iain Robertson, which is based on its much vaunted UX sporty SUV model, although...
British automotive enterprise has two key players in a loftier contest
IAIN ROBERTSON Whether you are a motorsport fan, or just love the classical streak that links aeronautics to automobiles, states Iain Robertson, two not dissimilar brands, McLaren and Aston...
Idiomatic Ignis (4×4) demonstrates Suzuki’s devil-in-the-details
IAIN ROBERTSON Apart from some obscure Japanese domestic market 4x4s, Ignis’s place in the European sub-compact go-almost-anywhere scene is only contested by the Fiat Panda 4×4, writes Iain Robertson,...
Hyundai develops advanced anti-noise technology
IAIN ROBERTSON Road noise is something that the motorist hears, writes Iain Robertson, which can be exceptionally distracting, repetitively annoying and ultimately disturbing; a good reason for one carmaker...
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...
Much enhanced Renault Captur builds on recent Clio platform upgrade
IAIN ROBERTSON Working to a more evolutionary than revolutionary ethos, reports Iain Robertson, Renault’s highly popular Captur continues its customer captivating process with a raft of satisfying design, engineering...
New Octavia is genuinely new for Skoda as it ventures further upmarket
IAIN ROBERTSON Invariably Golf-based and always classified as such, reports Iain Robertson, has never hindered the Octavia model’s perpetual hunt for recognition, which has been helped immeasurably by a...
Being safe on ‘smart’ motorways is essential
IAIN ROBERTSON Introducing so-called ‘smart’ motorways on our roads network may have seemed like a good idea but, suggests Iain Robertson, as with a lot of half-baked decisions made...
Lexus adopts a ‘same-but-different’ stance for its luxurious RX and RX-L
IAIN ROBERTSON Look hard, look closely, your eyes may deceive you, suggests Iain Robertson, because, despite an extensive redesign for the luxurious Lexus RX, the latest model looks virtually...
Idiomatic Ignis (4×4) demonstrates Suzuki’s devil-in-the-details
IAIN ROBERTSON Apart from some obscure Japanese domestic market 4x4s, Ignis’s place in the European sub-compact go-almost-anywhere scene is only contested by the Fiat Panda 4×4, writes Iain Robertson,...
Aston Martin’s inbuilt ‘WOW!’ factor continues to inspire Great Britishness
IAIN ROBERTSON When Great British carmaker Aston Martin announced a £6m twin-car subscription offer, Iain Robertson found it tough to disguise his disbelief, although, with the first reliability trials...