Category Archives: Road Tests

HYUNDAI INSTER 02: looks that demand a second glance


IF you’re chucking your cap in the ring to join in the fight for electric car sales, it’s a good idea to have something that’s going to stand out in a crowd of sheep.

Something that’s a definite deviation from the norm, something that makes people stop and look, and something that is a refreshing change.  Continue reading

KIA SORENTO PHEV: long warranty you might not actually need

ORIGINALLY launched as a utilitarian all-terrain vehicle in 2002, Kia’s Sorento has morphed over the past 23 years into something much more likely to part your wallet from your back pocket.

It’s been a long time favourite with the caravan towing fraternity, and it certainly looks the part, with plenty of load space, comfortable seats and good all round visibility.  Continue reading

BYD DOLPHIN SURF: latest model to hit UK shores….

IT’S getting serious out there in the battle to sway motorists into the driving seat of electric cars.

Incentives are on offer, the latest by the Government waving a tantalising £3,750 discount if you buy one. But it doesn’t cover them all, nor do smaller ones qualify for the full amount. Continue reading

MAZDA CX-80: range topping SUV has space for all


PULL up at a filling station and there’s near 100 per cent certainty that you’ll be able to top up, which might not be the case if you’re down to your last 20 miles in your electric car.

One of the reasons there is still a healthy clamouring for petrol and diesel vehicles, despite what Miliband and his team are trying to force us all into.

It’s like being told to run before you can properly walk and hence the resistance from chunks of the motoring public. Continue reading

AUDI A5 AVANT: a car for all reasons

THE estate car was the ‘go to’ vehicle of choice back in the day for the family man who needed a car for all reasons.

Seemingly a dying breed of transport for quite a few years since the advent of the SUV, there’s still a place for them on our roads.

Audi knows that, and their latest A5 Avant (the posh name for an estate) replaces the A4 Avant on a brand new platform. Continue reading

BYD SEALION 7: all electric with quality fit and finish

WHILE electric car sales in the UK have slowed to rush hour speed, there doesn’t seen to be any stopping BYD in their quest to get to the front of the queue.

Their latest all-electric offering, the SEALION 7, is an SUV version of the saloon Seal and is their fourth model to hit the UK in the last couple of years. Continue reading

SKODA ELROQ: interesting proposition with a tempting price

SOMETIMES you’re left scratching your head wondering how car manufacturers come up with their model names.

But the answer is fairly simple. They just make them up. Hence the new Skoda Elroq is a mix of ‘electric’ and ‘Karoq’ – a portmanteau in some circles.  Continue reading

TOYOTA PRIUS EXCEL: sleek looks boost its appeal

THE past week has been spent in near silent driving mode, in the latest incarnation of a vehicle that has been the transport of choice for a multitude of mini cab drivers here in Milton Keynes. And probably elsewhere.

Yes, the Toyota Prius is back on sale in the UK, only this time the third generation of the car that was an early forerunner of electrified performance is an altogether sleeker proposition aimed at a different buyer. Continue reading