THE XV is Subaru’s first proper foray into the modern crossover market. The Outback and Forester are a little too far one way or another, while the XV hits the genre … More »Easy come, easy go (Subaru XV 2.0i Lineartronic)
MERCEDES might not have hit the target first time around with its original B-Class, but top marks to the German firm for coming out fighting with a new model bristling … More »From A To B In Style (Mercedes-Benz B200 BlueEfficiency Sport)
ENGINES – Alongside the predictable petrol offering from Ford (1.2-litres), from launch the Ka was also available with a 1.2-litre diesel motor. Both units perform … More »Super Mini (Ford Ka 2009-present day)
WITH its package of Efficient Dynamics technologies, BMW has brought the likes of engine stop-start and brake energy regeneration to the masses. The firm’s engineers … More »Frugal Fleet Favourite (BMW 116d Efficient Dynamics)
SINCE the rise of the recent downsizing trend, adding value to small car platforms has become key to securing sales whether buyers are trading up or down. Ford hopes … More »First Drive: Ford B-Max
IT WOULD be quite easy to imagine that the life of a motoring journalist revolves around laughably powerful supercars with 20 cylinders that run on Bambi tears – … More »No Pun Required (Volkswagen Up! Black)
ENGINES – In general this RX was only ever a petrol range, with buyers offered large capacity motors. The ‘h’ in RX400h stood for hybrid, with this particular car’s … More »Electrifying Ownership Experience (Lexus RX400h 2005-2009)
LET’S not beat around the bush; Great Wall is a brand that at the moment is only hoping to make small inroads into the British pick-up market.As one of the biggest … More »First Drive: Great Wall Steed
PORSCHES, in particular the 911, attract two kinds of people. You might want to insert your own vocabulary here, but let me suggest the following: purists and posers.The … More »NO SOFT OPTION (Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet)
ENGINES – The Golf Plus shares much with its slightly smaller Golf relative, and that includes engines. Predictably the former’s focus is on being sensible, which … More »On The Plus Side (Volkswagen Golf Plus 2005-present day)
WHEN IS a V8 not a V8? Audi has the answer in its latest range of S cars, which aren’t just ridiculously quick and lavish: they’re also cleverly efficient.Everything … More »First Drive: Audi S6 Avant
IT HAD to happen sometime. The call finally came in for the comfortable and tough Q5 to go back home, and so it needed to be replaced with something different. It … More »Small car, big ask (Audi A1 Sportback 1.4 TFSI Sport - Month one)
INFINITI frequently has to deal with being tagged as the underdog, which in Europe is fair enough when you look at the strength of the opposition.But backed by the … More »UK Drive: Infiniti M35h
THIS IS not a van, despite appearances. Okay, it’s derived from a van and shares the running gear, but for load-lugging practicality the Vito Sport is king of the … More »First Drive: Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport