Author Archives: Rob Auchterlonie

SKODA SUPERB EXECUTIVE ESTATE: all things to all drivers

superb 2WHITE goods come in all shapes and sizes and prices these days, and the right car can be everything you’ll ever need.

Click the air con on warp factor whatever and it’ll turn into a fridge. Crank up the heating up and allofasudden it’s a cooker.

But slip one of the VW Group’s excellent diesel engines under the bonnet – in this case the 2.0 190ps one – and it’ll turn into a very acceptable user-friendly car that moves a bit.

And if it’s got a Skoda badge on the front and says Superb on its rump, then you’re quids in.

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308 GTi by PEUGEOT SPORT: let’s go back to the future

1025453_PEUGEOT_308GTi_1506JS032BACK to the Future is finally in the past, but for Peugeot it’s a case of the past IS the future.

The firm that brought us the 205 GTi 30 years ago has now pulled another trump card from up its sleeve in the shape of the new 308 GTi.

And if ever there was a full on performance model in the Peugeot range then this is it. Just like the 205 GTi was back in 1985.

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JAGUAR XE: some proof you can buy class – eventually

jag xeIT’S been a struggle – a struggle going on for some three decades – but it looks like Jaguar might at last have come up with something capable of taking on the seried ranks of Johnny Boch.

For too long the Germans have held sway in the battle for sales in the premium sector. And rightly so. You can’t argue against the quality of the cars Audi, Mercedes and BMW line up for your approval.

But now they’ve got a bit of opposition from a car built here in the UK and spouting Land of Hope and Glory from its shiny exhaust pipes.

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MAZDA MX-5: the best got a bit better

mx5 2WHEN a nice sunny day presents itself but your heads sticks out into the wind a bit and what used to pass for a thick covering of hair is thinning out and losing its thermal efficiency, an autumnal morning can feel a trifle chilly.

But that’s no excuse not to drop the top on Mazda’s all new MX-5 and head out into our glorious countryside for a spin.

When you’re 6 foot 4 it’s a case of dropping into the Mazda as it sits as low to the ground as a dachshund’s dangly bits, but once you’re in you’re ready for business.

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KIA CEE’D: push the button

K_5321A BUDGIE with no beak sucks seeds, and Kia’s cee’d succeeds in being a very good all round car with that impressive seven year Kia warranty.

Now it’s got even better.

My favourite car from a far east manufacturer (yes, I’m aware it’s built in Europe) by quite some margin successfully marries up sporty looks with a reasonable price tag and real world economy and running costs in its new 1.0 form.

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SUZUKI VITARA: much improved as it rings the changes

SU_1591ANYONE who bought a Suzuki Vitara when it was launched 27 years ago will be rubbing their eyes in disbelief at how much the latest wearer of the badge has changed.

Suzuki’s global compact SUV still keeps things in manageable proportions, but it’s grown beyond all recognition from the model that was instantly recognisable in some circles for its huge wheel arches, even huger wheels – and not a lot else.

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JEEP CHEROKEE 2.2: giving customers what they asked for….

Jeep_Cherokee_08THOSE of us with long memories will possibly think of American GIs smoking huge cee-gars and hanging onto the top of the windscreen for dear life at the mention of the word Jeep.

It was the practical, utilitarian vehicle of the 1940s that helped to rout Johnny Boch and help win the second world war for the Allies. A brand that gave us – and the Germans – the WW2 Willys…..

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