LONG SERVING PEUGEOT 3008 REVISED AND STILL A STRONG SALES CONTENDER. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) test-drives the latest version. (Photographs by David and from Peugeot). The Peugeot 3008 mid-sized SUV was unveiled in 2008 and sales began in April 2009 and since then it has regularly been renewed or upgraded and now we have the latest tweaks. Peugeot call it ‘new’ but I’d say … [Read more...]
Features by David Miles
Ford Focus mild hybrid – Road Test
RAISE YOUR FORD FOCUS DRIVING EXPERIENCE WITH AN ACTIVE X HYBRID MODEL… …says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). (Photographs by David, plus some from Ford). Only a relatively few years ago the decision we had to make about the engine we wanted for a new car was petrol or diesel. Nowadays it’s far more complicated because other options are now making their sales presence felt as we head … [Read more...]
New Suzuki Swace – Road Test
MAKE WAY FOR THE SWACE – A MID-SIZED ESTATE FROM SUZUKI VIA TOYOTA. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The Suzuki Swace hybrid 5-door mid-sized estate is the second recent model to join the Suzuki range from their partnership with Toyota formed in 2019. Toyota also manufacture the Across large-ish Plug-in-Hybrid SUV which is based on the new RAV4 PHEV. The addition of Swace and Across … [Read more...]
Ford Fiesta mHEV mild hybrid – Road Test
MILD ELECTRIFICATION FOR THE UK’S BEST SELLING CAR in 2020 – THE FORD FIESTA. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) puts it to the test… One of the many recent updates to Britain’s best-selling car in 2020 was the introduction of mild hybrid support for their 1.0 litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol 125 and 155 hp petrol engines used in the Fiesta and other Ford model ranges. But it’s the … [Read more...]
New Suzuki Across – Road Test
SUZUKI’S NEW ACROSS LARGER PLUG-IN HYBRID SUV – THANKS TO TOYOTA. Assessed by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Partnerships between automotive manufacturers are now commonplace as they share costs to bring to market more and more lower exhaust emission models. These are needed to meet ever more stringent CO2 targets and financial penalties if their overall range CO2 emissions fail to meet … [Read more...]
Volvo XC40 Recharge PHEV – Road Test
ELECTRIFICATION AND SUVS – ARE THESE THE WAY FORWARD IN 2021? Volvo XC40 Recharge plug-in hybrid urban SUV tried and tested… …by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Although overall new car sales stalled globally in 2020 due to Covid-19, sales of electrified models grew substantially. In Europe electrified models outsold diesel powered cars for the first time and the demand for SUVs … [Read more...]
Nissan confirms faith in Sunderland plant, and X-Trail seven seater Road Test
Nissan commits to the UK, says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). News announced today, 22nd January 2021, the Japanese car manufacturer has committed to continuing long-term production of some of its models in the UK following the recent post Brexit trade deal with the EU. The Sunderland Plant had recently been operating at less than half its 500,000 annual capacity and has 6,000 direct … [Read more...]
Latest Seat Arona – Road Test
SEAT’S ARONA COMPACT SUV COMES UP SHORT IN SOME AREAS… …says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). In the much-troubled year of 2020 new car sales across the globe stalled and even the must-have Crossover/SUV styled vehicles saw their sales flatten. According to JATO Dynamics, the authoritative compiler of new car sales figures, although such vehicles still accounted for around 40% of new … [Read more...]
Latest Honda Civic Type-R – Road Test
EXTENDED HONDA CIVIC TYPE-R RANGE – THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) tells all… Although the UK production of the Honda Civic family 5-door hatchback range of models, including the hot-shot Type R, ceases in the UK at their Swindon Plant in July 2021, the high performance Type R range of models available has been extended and a wide range of spec changes and … [Read more...]
Lexus RX450h – Road Test
REFINEMENT GALORE OFFERED BY THE LATEST LEXUS RX 450H LARGE SUV… …says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The Lexus brand came to SUV prominence in 1998, actually year 2000 in the UK with the introduction of the original RX as a luxury, comfortable easy to drive large SUV. Now in its fourth generation spanning two decades the petrol-electric hybrid RX 450h 5-seater and RX L limousine style … [Read more...]
Volvo V60 Recharge – Road Test (plus Volvo range electrification news)
VOLVO GOES ON EMBRACING ELECTRIFICATION FOR ITS MODELS + V60 RECHARGE ROAD TESTED. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Volvo, part of the Chinese Geely industrial conglomerate, is now well known for their commitment to full electrification of all their models by 2025. They have recently confirmed they will develop and assemble their own electric motors at their powertrain plant in Skovde … [Read more...]
Latest Nissan X-Trail – Road Test
LONG SERVING NISSAN X-TRAIL EVOLVES INTO A SOFTER CROSSOVER. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Nissan introduced the original X-Trail in 2001 when it was a hard-core proper dual-purpose 4x4 workhorse which sold in huge numbers around the world. From 2007 the X-Trail moved from hard-core 4x4 to SUV/Crossover and in 2017 received further restyling and specification changes to soften its … [Read more...]
Fiat 500 Hybrid – Road Test, plus Fiat, Bentley and SMMT ‘electric’ news
FIAT’S NEW 500 HYBRID ON THE ROAD TOWARDS FULLY ELECTRIC MOTORING. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) reports… The little and large of new models being introduced have several things in common but the most relevant is all-electric power. At one end of the size scale Fiat have recently introduced their 500 City Car petrol-electric Hybrid range and UK order books are open for their all-new … [Read more...]
Jeep Wrangler Night Eagle – Road Test
A REVIEW OF THE LATEST JEEP WRANGLER 4-DOOR NIGHT EAGLE… …By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Its big, its brash, its still the iconic all-American 4WD SUV but the modern Jeep brand is owned by Chrysler and they are part of the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate which in turn is now in partnership with the PSA Group of brands. Following the recent merger the FCA and PSA groups … [Read more...]
Most powerful MINI yet – John Cooper Works GP3 – Road Test
MINI IN SIZE WITH MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE – THE NEW MINI JCW GP3. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Following the success of the two previous MINI GP models introduced in 2006 and 2013 respectively, the new limited edition GP3, or to give it its full title – the MINI John Cooper Work GP3, is the most powerful and fastest production MINI or Mini ever sold. Just 3,000 of these models will be … [Read more...]
Volvo emissions reductions, plus XC40 B5 AWD R-Design Pro – Road Test
VOLVO AHEAD OF CO2 REDUCTION TARGET + XC40 SUV TEST DRIVE. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Volvo Cars and its sports offshoot brand of Polestar claims they will reduce fleet emissions beyond their joint CO2 target for 2020 as defined by the regulations set by the European Commission. What that target was Volvo doesn’t say. However to their credit Volvo Cars was the first … [Read more...]
Latest Suzuki Ignis Hybrid – Road Test by David Miles
SUZUKI IGNIS HYBRID SZ5 ALLGRIP, CITY CAR CROSSOVER. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) gives his verdict. City slicker meets countryside pony is how I would describe the top specification model in the revised Suzuki Ignis range. All models now have a new 1.2 litre four cylinder K12D Dualjet Hybrid petrol engine offering WLTP CO2 emissions from 114g/km and combined cycle fuel economy from … [Read more...]
Latest Audi A3 – Road Test
DOWNSIZE WITHOUT HARMING ONE’S IMAGE – THE NEW AUDI A3 SALOON FITS THE BILL. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). (Photographs from Audi and – blue car – by David). In these troubled times all aspects of our life are, or should be, coming under review whether it’s our health, wealth, family, work, transport or generally the downsizing of areas such as our cars and homes to more … [Read more...]
Latest BMW 5 Series – First Impressions
48 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG – THE BMW 5 SERIES – NOW REFRESHED By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The longest serving model range in the BMW line-up is the 5 Series, launched seven generations ago in 1972. Since the last new models were launched in 2017 over 66,000 of them have been sold in the UK and 600,000 of them globally, now the latest updated 5 Series cars have just gone on … [Read more...]
BMW latest 4 Series Coupé – First Impressions (plus BMW model news)
BMW’S NEW 4 SERIES COUPE, FIRST DRIVE NEWS AND VIEWS. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) reports… In these days of health and safety in this Covid era, holding mass motoring media product test driving events is not easy, you need space. And to meet that space requirements for this week’s BMW UK Media Showcase event of their new and updated models they used an aircraft hangar at the … [Read more...]
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