2019 model year Audi A4 Avant 40TDI quattro tried and tested. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). While SUVs are the flavour of the season, there’re rich pickings for manufacturers and drivers in cars like the Audi A4 Avant. Most SUVs are rarely used to their full capacity or ability but an estate car, particularly a sporting estate like the Black Edition 40TDI quattro tested, … [Read more...]
Features by Robin Roberts
Winners and losers in sales of new car sales in Britain…
Robin Roberts reports on the latest car sales figures... Sales of hybrid and electric cars soared over 26% last month and slowed the fall in registrations of recent months, according to figures from the car makers. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders say registrations were only 1.6% down in January at 161,013 new cars, with private buyers leading the way as business and fleet models … [Read more...]
Hyundai Kona 4WD 1.6 T-GDI Auto Premium – Road Test
The latest Hyundai SUV… …Test-driven by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). There is a lot of noise and hype generated about SUVs at the moment but the Hyundai Kona compact five door SUV does not shout about its abilities, it just delivers them. This fuss-free formula is favoured by those who need the space and equipment of a quality SUV which decides when you can get away with … [Read more...]
‘Hand-built’ Mercedes SL sports car – created in Wales!
Top quality classic Mercedes SL has pride of place at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands. Robin Roberts reports... A remanufactured Mercedes-Benz sports car created in Wales is now taking pride of place in the German manufacturer’s leading UK centre. The hand-built SL sports car dates from 1968 and is owned by former racing driver Paul Rees who had it completely stripped, renovated, and rebuilt … [Read more...]
Kia’s diesel hybrid Sportage – Road Test
Kia Sportage GT-Line S 2.0CRDi auto 48v… Tried and tested by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Success can be measured or judged in many ways, and one of those is behind the wheel of the Kia Sportage. It is the Korean’s brand’s best-selling model in Britain, and last year a record number of Kia models were sold including their globally best-selling SUV. So it can be said to be … [Read more...]
Vauxhall Combo Life MPV – Road Test
Vauxhall Combo Life Energy 1.5 Turbodiesel 100hp MPV… Assessed by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Vauxhall know about big families or those with big demands, particularly now it’s part of the immense PSA Group. So it’s reflected in the range of models now coming to market with the famous long-lived Griffin badge, and that includes the immensely practical, roomy, agile Combo … [Read more...]
Buying a used car – A few words of advice
Thinking of replacing your car? Robin Roberts passes on some words of wisdom... The new year is finally here and for a lot of us that means a fresh start; a new job, an expensive gym membership or the tempting thought of buying a new or used car. However, today’s high-tech cars can be concealing unknown wallet-crunching problems. Fortunately, you don’t need a degree in electronics or a mobile … [Read more...]
Peugeot 508 Allure – Road Test
Peugeot 508 Allure 1.5 BlueHDi 130hp, manual, hatchback If style alone sold cars, the new Peugeot 508 coupé styled large five door hatchback would be soaring success. Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency) gives his assessment… In an age when we are told SUVs and Crossovers are the golden ticket in the lottery of life, the new 508 makes you think again and realise there is still room for a … [Read more...]
SUVs increasingly popular around the world…
THE RISE AND RISE OF SUV SALES... By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Global sales of SUVs rose 6% in 2018 to a hit a staggering 60% increase over the last five years. The Global Auto Database analysis shows the Toyota RAV4 as the world’s best selling SUV with 830,928 registrations, a 3.7% improvement and the second year in a row it has taken the top spot. Toyota dominated the … [Read more...]
Even better revised Honda NSX – First Impressions
Latest Honda NSX speeds into 2019… Tried and tested by Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency). The insanely-hot 191 mph Honda NSX with a zero to 62 mph time of just 2.9 seconds, has had a make-over for the New Year, and its handling is now better than ever. Hybrids are hot news at the moment, but none come hotter than the Honda NSX. With its twin turbo V6 3.5 litre petrol engine and … [Read more...]
Classy Mercedes-Benz C 200 – Road Test
Mercedes-Benz C 200 AMG Line 4MATIC Saloon Tried and Tested. By Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency). You should rightly expect something special from the world’s oldest car-maker and you wouldn’t be disappointed with the Mercedes-Benz C-class range, particularly the highly popular C 200 4Matic AMG Line saloon automatic tested here. Almost 100 years after the company was created from the … [Read more...]
Latest four wheel drive Alfa Stelvio 2.2 diesel SUV – Mini Road Test
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD, Q4 Super, better late than never… By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Alfa Romeo took its time entering the booming SUV sector with its Stelvio, the first of its kind from the brand after it debuted the Kamal SUV concept car at the Geneva motor show in 2003. A lot has happened in the meantime and any car-maker with an eye on the future must make an SUV, … [Read more...]
Serious safety concerns: Surprising and worrying Euro NCAP test results…
Crunch time for Fiat Chrysler as the 2018 facelift Panda and the new Jeep Wrangler do not perform well in Euro NCAP tests. Robin Roberts tells all... The 2018 facelift FIAT Panda has been given one of the lowest ratings in Euro NCAP’s history, having failed to achieve more than 50% in any of the car safety organisation’s four key testing categories. The safety of children seated in the rear was … [Read more...]
U.K. new car sales fall – but not in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland…
New vehicle sales are increasing over the borders from England… Robin Roberts reports. Wales bucked the UK trend and pushed up new car registrations in November by 1.03% to 5,579 models. This compares to a rise of 7.1% in Scotland with 12,407 new cars and 3.8% in Northern Ireland to 3,253, while a decline of 4.1 %was experienced in England when figures dipped to 137,039, so the market in the … [Read more...]
Emissions clampdown…
Some older vehicles struggle to meet stringent new emissions regulations... Robin Roberts tells all... Tough new emission tests this year have doubled the failure rate for older cars, and vans have gone up over four times as much. The DVSA reports that since May when the lower limits were set there have been 744,592 failed cars which have been fixed or scrapped compared to 350,472 in the same … [Read more...]
Aston Martin DB11 – First Impressions
Spied – the new Aston Martin DB11 Volante and Vantage. Tried and tested by Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency) – stirred but not shaken… The Aston Martin story has all the excitement, luxury, twists and turns of a good James Bond book, but the reality in your hands is an exclusive range of high performance sports cars which now include the DB11 Volante and Vantage coupé. These are the … [Read more...]
SEAT Arona FR TSI – Brief Road Test
SEAT Arona FR 1.5 TSI EVO 150 Compact SUV Briefly Tested. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Working requirements mean that sometimes we can only spend a comparatively short, but informative, time in a test car. A quick run in a few hours can often highlight the pros and cons of a car so the best and worst features stand out. Other times you need to spend a few days in the … [Read more...]
Aston Martin DBX SUV – Preview and news
Sneak a peek at the Aston Martin DBX on test… By Robin Roberts. Secret testing has started in Wales with the forthcoming Aston Martin DBX, which will go into production at St Athan towards the end of next year. Before officially confirming the new five-door model will be named DBX it started trials runs through a forest stage near Bala and used on Wales Rally GB. In the hands of the company’s … [Read more...]
Headlamp bulbs – How much?!
Do you know how much it would cost to renew a headlamp bulb on your car? Robin Roberts tells all… A blown headlight bulb can cost up to £846 to replace on some of Britain’s best-selling small cars, new research reveals. A study into 13 popular models on sale today by What Car? found headlight repair bills vary by several hundred pounds depending on whether the models have halogen or HID or LED … [Read more...]
Mercedes-Benz classic sports car restoration by Hemmels of Cardiff
A Welsh car business is turning out new for old gold. Robin Roberts tells all... Hemmels of Cardiff is probably one of the least known success stories in the Welsh automotive sector but it is rapidly gaining recognition around the world. It specialises in nut and bold regeneration of classic Mercedes-Benz sports cars, and prices for their year-long rebuilt models begin at £225,000. For … [Read more...]
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