The most fun you can have with clothes on…new Ford RS
IAIN ROBERTSON In an all too serious world, perpetuated by ‘Four Circles’, ‘Three-Pointed-Stars’ and ‘Black & Blue Propellers’, states Iain Robertson, a rudimentary ‘Blue Oval’ demonstrates that it...
Three F1 Books and a holiday read!
IAIN ROBERTSON In his irregular style, Iain Robertson turned off the TV and opted for the reading glasses instead, as he reviews three high-end motor racing titles...
Nissan Note embodies the ‘silent fix-it’ of mainstream identity
IAIN ROBERTSON An amazing dichotomy arises in mainstream motoring, suggests Iain Robertson, in that some of the most popular models are also among the least known, an aspect...
Hybrid cars – what’s all the fuss about?
If you say you own a Hybrid car in anything louder than a whisper, most people around you will assume that you grow carrots in your wardrobe and that...
Erich von Daniken’s Mystery Park.
‘What’s that strange building down there?’ I asked my guide, Martin, on my Jungfraujoch trip in Switzerland. ‘Oh, that’s Erich von Daniken’s theme park,’ my guide replied casually. Then...
Giulia…the ‘will they/won’t they’ Alfa Romeo
IAIN ROBERTSON With a name steeped in automotive history and a colourful company badge that excites the soul, even moves the spirit, writes Iain Robertson, the current FCA...
Summer is here – and I am in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint
The sun is finally starting to appear and the weather is getting better and better by the day. That’s the thing about the sun – it makes everyone...
Seat draws style and economy together in latest Ibiza
IAIN ROBERTSON An around industry issue exists that motorcars are becoming fancier, better equipped and more costly, in the process, suggests Iain Robertson, they are leaving their core...
Retro ’Stang is all the rage in ‘Motorcarland’
IAIN ROBERTSON When Ford Motor Company determined that a world car market might gain from cross-border sharing, highlights Iain Robertson, it recognised that the US would benefit from Transit...
Suzuki creates consummate crossover in current Vitara
IAIN ROBERTSON Having driven the latest Vitara model on a racing circuit and during the winter months, Iain Robertson was keen to discover its mile-eating capabilities, so, he...
A ‘little’ touch of class from top-specification Range Rover
IAIN ROBERTSON Even though the application of ‘little’ to a long SUV might seem incongruous, suggests Iain Robertson, it is the combination of small details allied...
Lexus RC200t flatters but does not deceive
IAIN ROBERTSON Stunningly lovely to look at, better in the metal than pictures can justify, the latest luxury coupe from Lexus is the best far eastern response, states...
Mitsubishi L200 Series 5 Barbarian Double Cab
Pick-up trucks are a fundamental part of Mitsubishi Motors and the current L200 has won more awards than any of its rivals put together. Since its UK launch back...
Gareth Butterfield tests the bold and brash new Lexus RX450h
THESE days you can buy into Lexus ownership – a brand synonymous with the ultimate in Japanese luxury – in many ways. From a sporty hatchback, to a wafting...
Gareth Butterfield takes a spin in the striking new Lexus RC
THE premium coupe market is brimming with automotive superlatives. To cut it in this company, a newcomer must be stylish, fast and thrilling to drive. The Lexus RC is...
Hybrid Toyota retains its innovative stance in much-improved form
IAIN ROBERTSON While very few of the latest Toyotas are ever going to win beauty contests, Iain Robertson urges potential customers to look behind the avant-garde details for...
Gareth Butterfield drives the new 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...
Hybrid Toyota retains its innovative stance in much-improved form
IAIN ROBERTSON While very few of the latest Toyotas are ever going to win beauty contests, Iain Robertson urges potential customers to look behind the avant-garde details for...
Infiniti blends Japanese style with a German accent in new Q30
IAIN ROBERTSON – BCingU – CARS – If you are a fan of Teutonic motorcars but you appreciate the dependability of the Japanese equivalents, writes Iain...
Twin-power wins both class and potency stakes for Volvo
IAIN ROBERTSON The much-praised Volvo XC90, writes Iain Robertson, now includes an even punchier model in its line-up that is not just easy to fall for but also makes...
Yaris stands guard over Toyota’s small car fortunes
IAIN ROBERTSON – BCingU – CARS – Looking to all the world like an automotive Guardsman, especially in that black-over-scarlet colour scheme, this Japanese sub-compact sets...
Feeling the youthful zest of Adam is hardly an original sin
IAIN ROBERTSON Admitting that he ‘needs to be careful’ in describing the quirky little Vauxhall Adam, Iain Robertson allows his emotions to overtake his more analytical self, following...
Peugeot 308 GTi
This month’s road test puts me in the driving seat of the new Peugeot 308 GTi. Many people have been waiting for the arrival of the 308 GTi for...
Gareth Butterfield gets to grips with the jacked-up Volvo V60 Cross Country
THE Volvo V60 sits in Volvo’s current range like a faithful collie dog, ready to take on anything. It’s not as big as the cavernous V70 estate but...
Kia. Here. Hear-hear!
IAIN ROBERTSON To have observed the ‘Ugly Duckling’ transformation undertaken by South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, is to have been part of a phenomenon that Iain Robertson...
Driver’s road in the best driver’s car of the moment!
IAIN ROBERTSON The phenomenal N85, part of France’s excellent ‘Routes Nationales’, whisks the enthusiast driver from the South of France to Geneva in grand style, writes Iain Robertson, and...
Three motoring books worth reading
IAIN ROBERTSON Receiving review copies of the latest titles every now and then, Iain Robertson reports on his favourites and reveals a number of tenuous links between...
Sweetly engineered Baleno earns upper echelon space for Suzuki
IAIN ROBERTSON Suzuki is a brand for which Iain Robertson harbours many years of deep respect and its latest Baleno compact-hatch offering underscores the individuality and...
Flattering and stylish, the latest Hyundai Tucson shows the way
IAIN ROBERTSON Seldom out of step with market demands, South Korean carmaker, Hyundai, has served up its latest crossover model, with a frisson of presence that impresses Iain...
Vauxhall’s New Astra
YOU might have heard already that Vauxhall’s new Astra is a bit of alright. It’s true, they’ve done a marvellous job with their newcomer. And the launch of...
Skoda Octavia Estate Scout 2.0TDi 184PS 4X4 DSG
I know what you are thinking? ‘Scout’ that’s a funny model name for a car. Let’s not over think this. This is not a car for ‘The Scouts’ that...
Flattering and stylish, the latest Hyundai Tucson shows the way
IAIN ROBERTSON Seldom out of step with market demands, South Korean carmaker, Hyundai, has served up its latest crossover model, with a frisson of presence that impresses...
The perpetual ring of Jazz sorely lacks dizzying character
IAIN ROBERTSON Since his first-ever drive, as it happened, a drive-back to Blighty, from Madrid, in a Honda Jazz, Iain Robertson has been an avowed admirer of the...
Citroen C4 Picasso 130 S&S 6-speed manual
Citroen for a while now has been producing some good cars – and not before time might I say. So when I was dropped a Citroen C4 Picasso...
Honda-based acronym intends to enliven SUV sector
IAIN ROBERTSON In a massively determined activity to demonstrate that the British-Japanese car firm has rediscovered its ‘mojo’, states Iain Robertson, Honda’s second-stage sport-utility introduces CBAS, TSR and...
The only way is Up! Well, one of them anyway…
IAIN ROBERTSON Amazingly enough, despite his stated fascination for ultra-efficient sub-compact cars, the last time that Iain Robertson sampled a VW Up! was at its original launch...
‘Slow tourism’ on the French Canals – Meanderings through France
Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny If you often dreamed about being a bold captain sailing the seven seas but never had...
Gareth Butterfield thinks the Fiat 500 franchise has finally found its sweet spot
OH, look, Fiat’s got in on the urban crossover act. Here we go again, another over-stretched adaptation of a design that first appeared in the 1950s fabricated to...
Marketing error…EcoSport tries again for Ford
IAIN ROBERTSON Talk about getting it wrong, Ford of Europe has made a number of product errors over the years, suggests Iain Robertson, although its current...
Did you hear what happened to Al? ARCHAEOLOGY NEWSFLASH 490
Did you hear what happened to Al Coster, the renegade science teacher? He was home with his wife and children. Then suddenly there was a sound outside. “Al!” she...