Honda has just raised its game in the burgeoning Battery Electric Vehicle battle in Britain. Earlier this year it rolled out its family focussed e:Ny1 in two trim levels. The Elegance opens the range from just under £40,000 and comes with heated front seats and 15.1-inch infotainment screen while for just over £2,000 more the Advance version gains a heated steering wheel, parking system and large … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota Yaris Premiere Edition
The Toyota Yaris has been one of the brand’s most successful models with over 10 million made, and it’s not resting on its laurels. This Spring the familiar Yaris hatchback range was increased with the addition of the Premiere and GR models which have brought more electric power and greater refinement to the range. Toyota has launched the new Yaris in five versions from £22,640 to about £29,715. … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: BMW iX2 30Drive
If you thought that BMW don’t just build cars but also desires, you don’t have to look further than the new iX2 XDrive 30 sports activity coupe to appreciate the fact. Announced last autumn with the second generation X2 series including its petrol powered stablemates from £39,365, the iX2 20 and 30 series models were their first pure electric versions, and naturally there is an M Sport … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Isuzu D-Max DL40 Double Cab
In recent years Isuzu has become increasingly prominent in the UK pick-up market, with a reputation for strength and reliability endearing buyers. Indeed this inherent durability is key to the company’s strategy, and in the firm’s own words, they… “focus on making their pick-ups tough, strong and built to go the distance”. Isuzu emphasise that they only make commercial vehicles – although the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Subaru Outback 2.5 Touring
When the going gets tough, so it’s said, the tough get going and the Subaru Outback will probably lead the way for most drivers. It mayn’t be an obvious choice because it does not look like a classic big-wheeled off-roader with enough space around the wheel arches to coral a sheep, or two. Nor does it have a slab-sided body and brick-like profile which can turn a practical car into a poor … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mazda CX-30 2.0 AWD Takumi
Mazda has a modest UK range but every model comes with a lot of heart and soul, like the revised CX-30. Originally derived from the hatchback Mazda3 but smaller than the CX-5 SUV, the CX-30 came to the UK for 2020, but of course we all know what happened then as the pandemics swept through the country. Britain and Mazda persevered and now their feature-packed compact SUV has been given a … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: BYD Atto 3 Design
There is no doubt that China’s BYD car company is a new major challenger to legend European manufacturers with its Atto 3 cross-over. Not only does it have Europe’s familiar family cars in sight but it will be aiming to pick off sales from the Korean and Japanese brands which have had it much their own way up to now. Build Your Dreams, to give the company its full name, launched in Britain with … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda HR-V
Honda is for humans not robots and it shows in their model range with the HR-V. The third SUV in their line-up after the Jazz and CRV, the third generation HR-V comes only with a petrol-electric powertrain utilisig two electric motors and an Atkinson-cycle petrol engine for greater efficiency as a hybrid and it showed with our overall and effortlessly achieved economy. It has been produced … [Read more...]
First drive weekend roadtest: Grenadier on parade
Inch by inch, metre by metre and after just a few miles the Ineos Grenadier impresses. Conceived to replace the outgoing Land Rover Defender at the time, the Grenadier is the product of a multi-million pound investment by chemical firm Ineos and its owner, one of the richest men and motoring enthusiasts in Britain, Sir Jim Radcliffe, who named the vehicle after a pub he frequented in … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Honda Jazz Advance Sport
A lot of airtime and column centimetres have been taken up with Wales’ default 20mph urban limit, but I’ll let you into a little secret, you can do 100 in a Honda Jazz Advance Sport, and it’s perfectly legal. The fact is I am not talking about the sporty Jazz’s speed, rather its ability to return 102mpg: yes over a ton. Even on a busy day you’ll probably exceed 60mpg from this incredible Tardis … [Read more...]