The Motor Ombudsman has found that that complaints have soared in the last few months... Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) reports... The independent Motor Ombudsman said more than 1,600 cases were logged in three months, the most ever and a 35% rise over Q1 last year. It also took some 24,000 telephone calls about garages and that was a 56% rise over the same period last year. The … [Read more...]
Contributors
BYD ATTO 3– First Impressions
Kim Henson briefly test drives BYD’s ATTO 3 (C-Segment all-electric SUV). BYD (Standing for ‘Build Your Dreams’) arrived in the UK a year ago (March 2023), with the Chinese motor manufacturer in celebratory mode after winning the ‘Rising Star’ title at the Great British Fleet Awards, on 18th April 2024. Their all-electric line-up includes the ATTO 3 SUV, DOLPHIN (C-Segment hatchback) and SEAL … [Read more...]
Honda Civic Type R – Road Test
Honda Civic Type R – Road Test As we look down the road towards an all-electric future, enthusiastic drivers might want to refocus on the Honda Civic Type R, says Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales)… It’s been with us in a few shapes for a quarter of a century and its enduring appeal is undoubtedly its very driver-focused design and engineering which has steadily matured, not really grown … [Read more...]
Hyundai Tucson Premium Hybrid Auto – Road Test
The Hyundai Tucson is a quality SUV which many prospective buyers might overlook, at their cost, says Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). The Tucson range runs to five models, SE Connect, Premium, N Line, N Line S and Ultimate, from £31,535 to over £44,575 with 2WD, or with PHEV powertrain to stretch economy and 4WD. Power outputs accordingly range from 150 PS to 265 PS with model dependent … [Read more...]
Wheels-Alive/BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair Ticket Giveaway
Free ticket giveaway through Wheels-Alive for this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, to be held at Beaulieu, Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th May 2024… but if you are interested, 'be quick'! ...says Kim Henson. STOP PRESS... We have been inundated with requests for these tickets, and thank you to all our readers who have contacted us, but the tickets have now gone. That said, the Spring Fair is a … [Read more...]
Personal endeavour, endurance and achievement – celebrated at Beaulieu by renowned photographer Rick Guest
Chris Adamson reports on a collection of amazing images… Feats of personal endeavour, endurance and achievement are brought into high-definition focus in a new exhibition at the National Motor Museum that showcases the hyper-detailed photography of Rick Guest. Known for his precision photographs of objects in close-up, Rick’s images allow the viewer to see aspects of an object not … [Read more...]
Kia EV9 GT-Line S – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) assesses Kia's EV9 in GT-Line S form... Kia is riding the crest of a new wave with its range-topping luxury EV9 SUV this spring. The Kia EV9 achieved a remarkable dual victory at the 2024 World Car Awards at the New York International Auto Show in March, being voted World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle., taking Kia to five titles in the … [Read more...]
SMMT car sales figures for March 2024 – and fuel prices increase!
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) looks at the SMMT's UK car sales figures for March 2024 – discovering that fleets get deals and boost the 24-plate registrations, but private buyers have put the brakes on pure electric purchases... March signals a twentieth month of consecutive growth for the automotive sector, a remarkable milestone for the industry, said Sue Robinson, Chief … [Read more...]
Subaru Outback 2.5ES Touring – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) test drives Subaru’s Outback 2.5ES, in range-topping ‘Touring’ form. 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 … [Read more...]
Bicycles, boats, V12 engines and the Hillman Imp – automotive connections that might surprise you
What links a 19th century Glasgow bicycle maker, a tiny Scottish island, the world's first V12 engine, the Hillman Imp, and the Internal Fire and Power Museum in west Wales? Dave Moss explains… Our story begins late in the nineteenth century, when one Alistair Edward Stuart Craig established a business called Craig Bicycles in Glasgow. It made modest numbers of machines, each emblazoned with … [Read more...]
Honda Civic e:HEV Advance – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) fully assesses the Advance version of Honda’s family favourite Civic… Honda has a lot of pride in the Civic, and it’s justified. Honda started making Civic models in 1972, nine years after it expanded from motor-bikes into cars with the N360 and then the 1300, and Civic put the brand on the world map for automobiles. So the Civic is the company’s longest … [Read more...]
A fascinating insight into the MG/Rover car that never was (well, almost)…
No longer languishing at Longbridge... a missing link between old and new - by Dave Moss. Anyone interested in preserving the history of Britain's once proud motor industry will surely have welcomed recent news that the British Motor Museum has secured the long-term loan of eight historic cars from MG Motor UK. All have been in storage since 2005, and all depict key moments in the MG and Rover … [Read more...]
Toyota C-HR Excel 1.8 FWD – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) puts Toyota's revised C-HR through its paces… Dramatic styling marked the 2016 arrival of the Toyota C-HR SUV and now that’s been facelifted and given a technical make-over inside as well. Toyota’s Coupe-High Rider, to give it the full title, is one of the brand’s best selling models in Britain and has hit the sweet-spot in showrooms over the last … [Read more...]
Mazda CX-30 2.0 186 PS AWD Takumi – Road Test
Mazda has a modest UK range but every model comes with a lot of heart and soul, like the revised CX-30, explains Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales)… 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 … [Read more...]
KIA EV9 Air RWD – First Impressions
KIA has turned the corner into a new market segment with its EV9 pure electric model, says Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). The EV9 seven-seater launches in three trim levels and an additional range-topping six-seat option from £65,025 to £78,775 in rear wheel drive or all-wheel-drive configurations depending on trim with 200 bhp single or 378 bhp twin motors. That puts it squarely into … [Read more...]
BYD Atto 3 Design – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) puts this BYD newcomer through its paces. 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 … [Read more...]
Honda e:Ny1 Advance – Road Test
As the EV market expands, Honda has rolled out its challenger in the family sector, the e:Ny1. Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) reports… A couple of years ago, Honda briefly introduced its city car sized e model but that had severe limitations in terms of size, range and appeal so the much larger e:Ny1 will take the Japanese firm’s fight to the chargers. It’s a wise move as SUV models … [Read more...]
Honda Jazz Crosstar Advance Sport – Road Test
The Honda Jazz is one of the brand’s longest-lived models and remains one of its best kept secrets over 42 years, says Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). Improved for 2024, the Jazz range begins with the Elegance and Advance hatchbacks at £26,395 or £27,550, with the Crosstar Advance topping them at £28,550 before road tax is added. The slightly taller Crosstar Advance gets the same … [Read more...]
EU plans to restrict repairs on older vehicles…
Robin Roberts (WheelsWithinWales) writes... With the internal combustion engine to be consigned to history in the not-too-distant future, recent information has emerged regarding the European Union’s plan to restrict repairs on older vehicles, reports EuroWeekly. The proposal, originating from the European Commission and yet to be ratified, aims to phase out older, more polluting … [Read more...]
Lords Commission urges a revised EV strategy for the U.K.
The Government must do more to get people to adopt EVs, says a Lords Committee. Robin Roberts (WheelsWithinWales) reports... "If it fails to heed our recommendations the UK won’t reap the significant benefits of better air quality and will lag in the slow lane for tackling climate change,” said Baroness Kate Parminter, Chair of the inquiry. The inquiry was launched in August 2023 to identify … [Read more...]
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