IT’S hard to believe the Honda Civic is 50 years old. Not this one,obviously, but in that time it’s morphed from a small city runaround into a bigger, family orientated favourite.
I’ve driven a wide variety of them in my motoring life, from the more humble ones to the highly popular Type R versions, and this one is the 11th iteration of the Japanese firm’s world wide seller.
And, got to say it, it’s a real improvement over a previous car that wasn’t too shabby itself. Continue reading
THERE’S no escaping the fact the SsangYong Rexton is a big vehicle – the sight of its massive new grille in your rear view mirror will make the point.
And while it might not immediately have the kudos of some of its large SUV opposition, it’s come a fair way since it first lumbered onto our shores nearly two decades ago.
Then it was dubbed big, cheap and didn’t have a lot to recommend it. Continue reading
I CAN’T for the life of me imagine the great Steve McQueen being over-impressed.
The man who made a habit of driving racing cars very fast, the man who put the muscley Mustang right up there among the motoring icons with his exploits in Bullit would probably be scratching his head and give the latest Ford to carry the name one of ‘those’ looks.
Not that you’ll find the blue oval anywhere on the latest all-electric Mustang.
This is very much a 21st century ‘Stang, be in no doubt about that. Continue reading
THERE’S a distinct possibility you might have already read quite a lot about Kia’s latest version of their popular Sportage.
It’s a car that has sold as much on its looks as its undoubted practicality for the UK family in the past. And now it looks smarter still. Continue reading
CUPRA’s new electric offering has been ‘charged’ with taking up the mantle from SEAT of delivering a car with a sporty accent.
The Spanish arm of the VW Group used to be up to the job themselves, but now the standalone brand is fully plugged into the task. Continue reading
THE adage that good things come in small packages is well espoused and one that Toyota has been profiting from for some time.
Small car offerings from the Japanese giant, in the shape of Yaris and Aygo, have been the staple of many a family looking for a compact and economical way of getting around town. Continue reading
PEOPLE carriers used to be the high-rise preference for families not so long ago, before SUVs moved to the front of the queue.
And while MPVs might not have retained the popularity they once had, there are still some good ones around.
Take BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer as an example. Continue reading
VOLKSWAGEN seem to be trying to capture the burgeoning SUV market all on their own these days.
Such is their devotion to it (it accounted for over 40 per cent of VW sales last year) there are now eight models in their range with the inclusion of the new coupe styled Taigo.
It is, on the face of it, a strong addition to the line-up and working on the premis that style is a strong selling point for buyers, they’ve not missed a trick with this one. Continue reading
NISSAN have come up with a trump card for their latest version of the Juke – a near 20 per cent increase in its fuel economy.
That was evident at the recent launch where the road route took in the boulevards of Milton Keynes city centre and the country roads near the Nissan Technical Centre at Cranfield where the new version had the finishing touches put to it, prior to production at Nissan’s plant up north. Continue reading
YOU don’t need to have a premium brand badge on the bonnet to become the proud owner of a decent SUV.
It’s a given that there are plenty to choose from but if your box ticking exercise includes practicality and five seats with smart but not OTT styling, Mazda’s CX-5 should catch your eye.
It fits nicely into the size gap between the likes of the Ateca and Qashqai and bigger offerings like Kia’s Sorento and the Skoda Kodiaq. Continue reading