SOMETIMES when conducting a test on a car it’s the little extras that create a lasting impression.
Like the V2L system on Kia’s all electric EV6 – a car that’s been picking up plaudits and awards in equal measure. Called vehicle to load, basically it means the car can power household kit like a kettle or even a microwave from its charging port. Seriously handy in a power cut, and I wouldn’t rule them out in future if things escalate further in eastern Europe. Continue reading
HR-V is a name that’s been used before by Honda on a unique looking vehicle, but now maybe it’s not quite so unique.
Competing in a very crowded sector of the market, medium sized SUVs are all around and there’s a lot to compete with.
But it remains a decent option for anyone looking for a compact SUV that’ll give them pretty decent fuel economy and family car levels of interior space. Continue reading
ANYONE with any interest in the natural world will know that the Kodiak is, to put it succinctly, a ruddy great bear.
There’s also another one around, with considerably less fur and less likely to bite you on the bum.
Skoda – who have had something of a penchant for exotic animal names in the past (remember Yeti?) have updated their very own ‘Kodiaq’ – and it’s a car that bears (!) close scrutiny. Continue reading
LEXUS know a thing or two about electrified powertrains – just about every model in their range has one.
Now the NX – the best selling model in their range – has gone non-plug-in hybrid, giving you the benefit of a car that can run either on petrol or electric power depending on the traffic. Continue reading
MANY have tried, some have failed miserably, but the lucrative premium new car market has a new contender.
Genesis, a luxury offshoot of Hyundai, has lined up a range of decent looking vehicles to try and wrest sales from the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the acknowledged market leaders.
TOYOTA’S little favourite has seen a lot of changes and upgrades over the years but the good news is that still got its full quota of Yarisness.
Possibly even more so in the new Yaris Cross, their first stab at a small SUV which has broadened the appeal of this popular little car.
IF you need a clincher to sway you towards electric car ownership then the pace of improvement in range should do it.
With well over the 200 mile mark now on offer from a variety of EVs, the choice is growing as quickly as the hair on Queen’s guitarist Brian May’s head.
Audi are predicting that their Q4 Sportback e-tron will become the second best selling model in their range, such is the surge in demand for electric SUVs that can walk the walk. Continue reading
M3. One letter and one number. A combination that can really stir the old emotions.
Fear, trepidation, anticipation. Will I get home safely tonight or will the traffic get me.
Only here were talking about a different M3. The two sit well together, but only when the traffic is light and you can get a decent run in BMW’s powerhouse saloon. Continue reading
KIA’s Sorento is a vehicle that has seen a few changes over the past two decades.
Originally launched as a utilitarian all-terrain vehicle in 2002, it’s morphed over the past 19 years into something much more likely to part your wallet from your back pocket. Continue reading
IT might have a name that harks back to the pastimes of the landed gentry in the last century, but this Arteon is bang (sorry) up to date.
A shooting brake of old was designed to carry all the necessary equipment for the hoorah Henrys to blast any wildlife that was unfortunate enough to catch their eye.
Thankfully that’s a thing of the past in most of the UK, but the name has returned with Volkswagen’s Arteon, a car that combines the good looks of a coupe with the load-lugging capability of an estate car. Continue reading