Barely awake despite an early-morning alarm call, I was handed the keys to the new Lexus CT 200h and sent off in to the Friday morning rush hour traffic. That’s usually a good way to wake up the senses, but when the city in question is Rome, the adrenalin startsContinue Reading
Honestly, this really is the all-new Kia Soul. The original was introduced in 2008, a product of the Korean firms Los Angeles design studio, and showed that Kia were more than simply a sensible and value-led proposition. Instead it showed that Kia could do design every bit as well asContinue Reading
The Qashqai has been a spectacularly successful vehicle for Nissan, selling nearly three times more than expected, with the Japanese firm shifting an ever-increasing number every year. Single-handedly responsible for inventing the C-segment crossover, the Qashqai has attracted competition from no less than 14 rivals since it came along inContinue Reading
As I write this, Spring finally appears to have sprung. There are daffodils appearing in places I never planted them in the garden, doves are waking me up in the early hours of the morning with their relentless cooing, and hay fever has already shown itself to be as unpleasantContinue Reading
Lexus, the bigger but more exclusive brother to Toyota, has been pushing hybrid technology for some time. While the Toyota Prius has been around for 13 years, it was only in 2005 that Lexus took the technology and put it in the RX 400h. Since that time the firm hasContinue Reading
“Welcome to Checkpoint Charlie” our chauffeur jokes when we arrive at BMW’s test facility in the South of France. At the gate stickers are placed on the lenses of our phones. Yes, they’re being very secretive, but today is the day we’re going to drive a car that isn’t comingContinue Reading
Toyota’s Verso had a pretty significant facelift last year, but still lagged behind some of its incredibly competent rivals from Citroen, Ford, SEAT and Vauxhall. In a bid to woo buyers to the smart looking Verso, the Japanese firm has borrowed some diesel engines from BMW and slotted them underContinue Reading
We all thought the Rexton had been killed off but, after a seven month or so hiatus, it’s back. Despite looking sharper with its new lights and grille, it’s what’s under the bonnet that explains the reappearance of this chunky SUV. Don’t get too excited, though. There’s a new 2.0-litreContinue Reading
The original Continental Flying Spur was a successful product for Bentley, selling around 20,000 cars since its introduction in 2005. In dropping the Continental badge from the name Bentley is making a statement of intent that China and the USA, where owners prefer to ride in the rear, is whereContinue Reading
Porsche has a tendency to defy convention. It continues to put the engine in their flagship car, the 911, right at the back, hanging over the rear axle, despite physics declaring this to be entirely wrong. The new 918 supercar can hit 215mph and will get round the Nurburgring 30Continue Reading
I’ve written frequently about bangernomics, the principle of buying embarrassingly cheap cars and running them for as long as possible without spending anything. For the best part of six years, me and my far better half Samantha have been driving around in sub £500 motors without any issue. It worksContinue Reading
The recent launch of the Peugeot RCZ R provided an excellent car with which to attack some spectacular roads in the mountains above Nice. Some words on the screen and a selection of pictures doesn’t always do justice to the event though, so Peugeot filmed our time with them.Continue Reading
Honda has persevered with the petrol engine longer than most manufacturers, only introducing its first diesel engine in 2009. That 2.2-litre unit was an exceptionally good start, but it was always just a bit too big, a bit too heavy, to sit well in the Civic. Fortunately the Japanese firmContinue Reading
Nissan’s Note was a worthy if unremarkable small MPV. Easy to drive, but lacking any kind of wow factor, it was exactly the sort of car that a power-hungry, oversteer-loving road tester would avoid. Now there’s a new Note, so does this one strike a chord or is serving upContinue Reading
Peugeot is on a bit of a roll right now. The 208, despite its flaws, marked a huge step forward for the French firm, while its bigger 2008 brother showed that they can turn out a car that’s amongst the best in class. The 308 is huge jump forwards inContinue Reading
In designing the new Range Rover Sport, Land Rover went to their existing buyers and asked them what they wanted. Their answer was simple; give us more Range Rover and give us more Sport.Continue Reading
It doesn’t happen very often, but just occasionally a manufacturer comes along with a new car that makes you sit back and think about what prospects the future could hold. The original Range Rover created an entire new market back in the 70s, while more recently Mazda proved with theirContinue Reading
