Mazda adds a GT-line to its much-appreciated ‘2’
IAIN ROBERTSON Always considering Mazda Cars to be a consummate survivor, Iain Robertson has enjoyed a personal history with the brand, which has included ownership and winning several competitive...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the Volvo V90 Cross Country
DAY ONE VOLVO has treated its lovely new V90 to the Cross Country treatment. For a while now, the Swedish firm has been jacking up its cars, bolting on...
If RR is an ultimate brand, why must it look so imperiously grotesque?
IAIN ROBERTSON A question that he has asked ever since BMW did its demonic deal with VW, which enabled the latter to own Bentley, Iain Robertson has contemplated the...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the Smart Brabus Fortwo
DAY ONE THE Smart Brabus Fortwo has arrived. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Smart Fortwo. Even the older ones with stupid gearboxes and...
Duplicitous Lexus delivers supercar potency in GS F family package
IAIN ROBERTSON Taking a luxury car and turning it into a sportscar is not an unusual venture, states Iain Robertson, but when that car delivers sledgehammer performance that turns...
New Isuzu Blade highlights that small capacity is no barrier to progress
IAIN ROBERTSON You need not be concerned, suggests Iain Robertson, as the Isuzu D-Max pickup truck still accommodates a one-tonne payload and tows a braked trailer, although its...
73mpg Astra whisks Vauxhall into the realms of the hyper-frugal
IAIN ROBERTSON Having made no pretence about admiring the current Vauxhall Astra, Iain Robertson is unequivocal about his most recent discovery that in ‘real time’ driving, the EcoFlex ...
Volvo produces probably the best SUV in the world in the new XC60
IAIN ROBERTSON Danish brewer, Carlsberg, used an advertising tag-line in the 1980s that declared it ‘the best lager in the world’, recalls Iain Robertson, which might be a timely...
Audi’s WMD…the TTRS!
IAIN ROBERTSON Launched originally in 2009, the Audi TTRS was little more than a warmed-over version of the already much-appreciated TT coupe, however, writes Iain Robertson, Audi listens to...
Vauxhall enhances the Grand Sport proposition with a spaceship
IAIN ROBERTSON While Vauxhall is currently riding the crest of a sales wave, highlights Iain Robertson, its staged introduction of the various GS derivatives ensures that the end-user...
Gareth Butterfield thinks he’s found the perfect car for those with large broods
I READ a story once about a woman who lived in a shoe. She was something of a prolific procreator and the size of her brood caused may problems...
Living with a Suzuki Baleno – Report 10 of 42
IAIN ROBERTSON Although it is hard to believe, he is now almost a quarter the way through his Suzuki ownership programme and Iain Robertson reports on his most recent...
Mitsubishi’s indisputable logic of pickup trucking Barbarian-style
IAIN ROBERTSON From a narrow market sector that has experienced more ups and down than a Blackpool fairground ride in the past two decades, highlights Iain Robertson, weighs in...
Book Reviews
IAIN ROBERTSON From his occasional delve into the latest books, Iain Robertson focuses on a beautiful classic car title, a marque compendium, a beer appreciation book and an excellent...
Gareth Butterfield takes Suzuki’s latest Vitara for a spin
IF you’ve read enough of my reviews, you’ll know that I’ve got a bit of a gripe about small SUVs. I find them pointless. The thing is, if you...
Frozen planes 3,000 years old? ARCHAEOLOGY NEWSFLASH NO. 533a
I’m still in shock! Are these aircraft found buried in ice, more than 3,000 years old – or what? This news comes from the man who had the experience,...
Fiat keeps it honest in latest Tipo SW
IAIN ROBERTSON As you are only too aware, Italian Fiat is now in bed with American Chrysler and, writes Iain Robertson, while such a liaison might be termed a...
Gareth Butterfield enjoys a road test of the surprisingly grown up Renault Megane GT
WHEN it comes to building hot hatches, Renault has an impressive back-catalogue from which to draw inspiration. My memory takes me back as far as the bonkers Renault 5...
Book Reviews
IAIN ROBERTSON From his occasional series of the latest book reviews, Iain Robertson has read an autobiographical novel, an autobiography, a book about an Irish racing driver and...
Life with Suzuki Baleno – Month 9 of 42
IAIN ROBERTSON Another month that has been light on mileage means that Iain Robertson has an opportunity to reflect on the Suzuki dealer network, not least...
Gareth Butterfield spends a week in the fun and funky new Suzuki Ignis
DAY ONE I WAS chatting to motoring journalist friends of mine and they told me I had to try the new Suzuki Ignis. I knew of it, and I...
Kia creates a ‘new normal’ with its plug-in hybrid Optima
IAIN ROBERTSON – BCingU – CARS – Kia’s approach to hybrid technology is refreshingly ‘ordinary’, reports Iain Robertson, even though the end result verges on extraordinary...
Kia takes our Soul to its heart
IAIN ROBERTSON Swearing that he would not create witty wordplay with Kia’s mainstream ‘crossover’, Iain Robertson admits that, in its latest iteration, the Soul is becoming a most...
Legendary Drives – 4
IAIN ROBERTSON With more than forty years of international travel under his belt, Iain Robertson has a wealth of opinions to share but his passion is for driving...
Gareth Butterfield tests out the justifiably popular new Toyota C-HR
IT wasn’t that long ago that Toyota was a brand synonymous with solid, dependable but woefully dull cars. Sure, there’d be the odd mad moment of release such as...
Kia’s little hot-rod motivates in ways that a pro_cee’d shouldn’t…
IAIN ROBERTSON Rechristened by Iain Robertson as a ‘Custard & Coulis’ concoction, the latest three-door sporty hatch from South Korea is a marvellous means to speed-up the heartbeat...
Latest Octavia highlights that Skoda has lost its ‘budget’ tag
IAIN ROBERTSON For more than 20 years, Iain Robertson was a dedicated Skodaphile for the very reasons that have made Skoda a ‘great brand’ in more ways than...
Volvo looks to performance future through Polestar
IAIN ROBERTSON Loads of carmakers base their R&D operations close to racing circuits around the world and Volvo is no exception, writes Iain Robertson, as the Swedish Cyan...
Mitsubishi loads-up its ‘old-stager’ to tilt at the big SUV sector
IAIN ROBERTSON For many years the ‘Best in Breed’ for the large 4×4 market hailed from Mitsubishi Motors but, states Iain Robertson, hurt by the late-1990s’ DaimlerChrysler debacle,...
Life with Suzuki Baleno – Month 8 of 42
IAIN ROBERTSON Conscious of the fact that work has been intense over the past month and Baleno has hardly been driven, Iain Robertson felt that the only way...
‘Cuore Sportivo’ beats ever more purposefully in latest Giulia
IAIN ROBERTSON If you were in any doubt at all, writes Iain Robertson, about the sporting heart of Alfa Romeo, rest assured that, even in its notionally best-selling...
Peugeot’s slick 3008 surprises with its Audi-grade competence
IAIN ROBERTSON Having pleaded with Peugeot for years to steer away from the quirkiness of Citroen and return to a former premium French status, Iain Robertson believes that...
Mazda’s 6 Tourer is ‘Old Skool’ ace
IAIN ROBERTSON A long-time fan of Mazda Cars and its evergreen, mainstream ‘6’, Iain Robertson enjoyed reacquainting himself with the latest variant but wonders if it now runs...
Punchier Civic elevates Honda but CVT delivers the goods
IAIN ROBERTSON As he explained in a recent report, Iain Robertson is a Honda fan but feels that he may have fallen out with the brand, although a...
Trevor’s Week for 15th June 2017
We had two young deer to deal with this week. Duty Rescue Co-ordinator Chris and assisted Deer Rescue’s Chris and Slyvia Collinson in dealing with a young deer in...
Vauxhall gives MPV qualities to SUV sector with its Crossland X
IAIN ROBERTSON Having benefitted from an early preview of the latest Crossland model, Iain Robertson was ready for a first drive opportunity of the new model intended to...
Reworked Civic provides an (almost) sense of occasion for Honda
IAIN ROBERTSON Experiencing a sea-change from total loathing to broader positive appreciation has been an interesting journey for Iain Robertson, who admits that the latest Civic has now...
New Micra might (conditionally) re-establish Nissan as the small car king
IAIN ROBERTSON Unable to attend the international launch of the all-new Nissan Micra, Iain Robertson pulled out all the stops to ensure that he obtained an early UK test...
Secrets From The Sahara Hands of Mud : Saida Aoun Allah Clay : the demise of ‘Aoun Allah’ family
I was thinking what my next article would be about, as we are in Ramadhan, i move less around places. I’ve been told to write something about myself,...
Swift makes UK debut with all Suzuki guns blazing
IAIN ROBERTSON A few weeks ago, Iain Robertson provided an early preview of the latest Suzuki Swift, a model that is immensely important to the UK importer, he...