CUPRA FORMENTOR V1: updates boost appeal of SUV crossover

ON first glance it might not strike you as an SUV but what’s before you here can be viewed as a more butch version of the popular Ateca.

The CUPRA Formentor is aimed squarely – or, rather, not-so squarely – at buyers who want an SUV that doesn’t look box-shaped and boring. Not that the Ateca is boring.

Sleek, stylish, sporty and decently equipped, it also scores well as a family car. Continue reading

KGM ACTYON: premium attention to detail

WHILE the push towards electric goes on, figures show there is still a very healthy demand for the good old internal combustion engine.

Figures for last year show that around a million motorists said ‘no thanks’ to full electric power and continued to opt for the ICE route.

With that demand very much in mind, that’s why the only option you have if you’re considering KGM’s all new Actyon is a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine. Continue reading

HYUNDAI TUCSON ULTIMATE: inside and out update for best selling SUV

THERE are more SUVs on the roads than even cyclists these days, but few catch the eye like the latest Hyundai Tucson. 

Pronounce it however you like (there is really only one way) but it’s striking sculpted looks and bold signature grille make appreciation something of a Marmite moment. Judging by sales, it’s certainly not putting people off. Continue reading

BYD SEAL U DM-i: the ultimate Chinese takeaway for family motoring?

IT’S only been 12 months since BYD started selling their electric cars here in the UK – and now they’re branching out into the plug-in hybrid market.

I’m going to go all Michael Caine here because not a lot of people know this (it was news to me) but BYD was the first manufacturer to mass produce a PHEV back in 2008. It wasn’t exactly a success, but the game has moved on.

Continue reading

KIA SPORTAGE: essential tool for family life

KIA shed their bargain basement tag many years ago now, but a good value package is still very much what motorists are buying into.

‘Sportage’ is a bit of a misnomer as it’s not really that sporty, but it’s a car that very adequately does all the boring bits of daily life – weekly shopping, the school run, commuting – and does it with a bit of style. Continue reading

AUDI Q6 S line e-tron quattro: bristling with class leading technology

 

IF you want to stand out in a crowded car park pick a big Audi. If you want to stand out on a satellite picture from outer space pick one in Soneira red metallic.

It’s certainly the most eye catching colour that has graced a test car in our hands for many a month. Years even. Continue reading

TOYOTA COROLLA GR SPORT HATCHBACK: worldwide favourite improves with age

AS one of the world’s best selling cars, Toyota’s Corolla and been around a while and seen quite a few changes over the years.

And the latest incarnation is a far cry from my first acquaintance with this Japanese legend in the depths of Norway over 40 years ago. Continue reading

KGM TORRES EVX: it’s the same, but a bit different…

DIFFERENT week, same car. Well, not exactly, as we’re now fully electric as opposed to the petrol power of last week’s KGM Torres.

In reality, pretty well exactly the same as the petrol version sampled earlier – all that differs is what’s under the bonnet and the price. In this guise, the K40 EVX costs £47,495, so around 10k more than the similarly specced petrol variant. Continue reading

KGM TORRES ICE: an SUV to get people talking

IT might spark a bit of a love-hate ‘marmite’ moment, but there’s no denying the KGM Torres gets people talking.

Park it in the golf club car park and pretty soon you can see the surreptitious glances and before long there are people sidling up to take a closer look. Continue reading