Suzuki reveals future plans – and launches a revised Swift line-up plus a new light commercial version of the Jimny. Kim Henson tells all… In the company’s centenary year, Suzuki is planning ahead with positivity, and in an online UK ‘webinar’ (press conference) yesterday (8th September 2020), the firm provided to motoring writers a summary of their plans as they currently stand. I was … [Read more...]
Electric Renaults galore arriving here now (or very soon)…
RENAULT CONTINUES THEIR AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRIFICATION PATH... ...David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) tells all – and drives the new models Overview While other manufacturers have used the Hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) paths to full electric mobility, Renault took a different route 10 years ago with their first all-electric model the Twizy. The Twizy was an oddball tandem two seater city … [Read more...]
Toyota Corolla Trek – Road Test
RIGHT CAR RIGHT TIME – THE NEW TOYOTA COROLLA TREK MIGHT BE… …By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). With staycations forced upon many of us due to the pandemic lockdown on overseas travel, activity holidays in the UK are at record levels whether it involves hotels, B&Bs, caravanning, camping, glamping, boating or hiking. UK sales and rentals of motorhomes, caravans, campers, tents and … [Read more...]
Ford Puma – Road Test
ON THE PROWL FOR CROSSOVER SALES – FORD’S NEW PUMA. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) gives his verdict… Ford revealed its new five door Crossover – also you could call it a compact SUV, towards the end of last year with UK deliveries scheduled to begin in January. However the COVID-19 lockdown derailed the early delivery to over 7,000 early adopter UK customers awaiting this new addition … [Read more...]
Latest Toyota Corolla – Road Test
The British Built Toyota Corolla Design 2.0 Hybrid Touring… …Tried and Tested by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The world’s best selling car and most successful British-built model, the Toyota Corolla, goes from strength to strength. The Corolla name returned to the Toyota lineup for the 12th generation and replaced the Auris. Toyota has been building cars in Britain since 1992 … [Read more...]
Latest Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 1.4 Boosterjet Hybrid SZ5 ALLGRIP– Road Test
Suzuki’s new SX4 S-Cross Hybrid, in top spec SZ5 ALLGRIP form… …put through its paces by Kim Henson. (All words and photographs by Kim). Slightly larger than the Vitara SUV, the S-Cross ‘Crossover’ SUV (the first examples of which were sold in 2013) is intended to be a family-friendly practical multi-purpose vehicle, and, like the latest versions of the Vitara and the Swift Sport hatchback, … [Read more...]
Latest Suzuki Vitara SZ5 ALLGRIP Hybrid – Road Test
New Suzuki Vitara SZ5 ALLGRIP now with Hybrid power… …By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). THE new Suzuki Vitara 4x4 with latest hybrid technology is a sign of things to come from this Japanese brand which consistently punches above it weight. It learned a lot when launching the first hybrid technology in 2016 and building on that with the added benefit of its strong and … [Read more...]
Kia Niro Crossover Hybrid – First Impressions
Kia Niro Crossover Hybrid – First Impressions. Chris Adamson drives Kia’s popular Niro hybrid… (All words and photographs by Chris). Hybrid petrol electric vehicles have been appearing on the high street in increasing numbers over recent years but one that seems to have slipped in under the radar is the Kia Niro crossover. One of the smaller SUVs it first appeared in 2016 and so far has … [Read more...]
All wheel drive Toyota Prius – Road Test
TOYOTA PRIUS RANGE GAINS INTELLIGENT ALL WHEEL DRIVE MODEL… …Tried and tested by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Launched about a year ago was the new fourth generation Toyota Prius which had first use of Toyota’s New Global Architecture platform, which in the case of the Prius lowered the ride height, gave a more engaging drive and improved the interior quality. It also introduced to … [Read more...]
Toyota Prius Business Edition AWD – First impressions
Chris Adamson gives his verdict on this latest hybrid Toyota … (Photos – Toyota GB) Hybrid pioneers Toyota started the drive towards self-charging multi-power cars with their leading edge Prius. Now, over 20 years later, everyone seems to have a hybrid or full electric model on their fleet but Prius is still the one they have to be matched against. While they have been developing hydrogen … [Read more...]
Latest Honda CR-V – Hybrid – Road Test
NEW HONDA CR-V HYBRID SUV MODELS NOW ON SALE… David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) has test-driven the newcomer. Billed by Honda as the world’s best-selling SUV with over 9.0 million sales in 150 countries since the first generation model was launched in 1995, the latest generation range was introduced towards the end of last year. However the new range had no diesel and no 2.0 litre VTEC … [Read more...]
Latest Toyota C-HR 1.8 Hybrid – Road Test
The 2018 Toyota C-HR Compact SUV 1.8 Hybrid… …Tried and tested by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The Toyota C-HR (Coupé-High Rider) is a compact five door SUV with 1.2T petrol or 1.8 petrol electric hybrid powertrains, the latter underpins the latest Prius hybrid, and the C-HR uses the same new Global Architecture platform as the Prius as well. Unlike the blandly styled Prius the … [Read more...]
Toyota – 25 years of UK manufacturing, and latest Auris Hybrid Road Test
Auris hybrid GB25 celebrates 25 years of Toyota building cars in the UK. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Toyota started building cars in the UK 25 years ago for our domestic market, Europe and wider afield. Their first model, the Carina E, came off the Burnaston production line in Derbyshire in 1992. Since then over four million vehicles have come from this production facility, the … [Read more...]
Hyundai Ioniq hybrid – Road Test
Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency) assesses the new Hyundai Ioniq hybrid Premium SE 1.6 GDI. There has been a headlong rush towards hybrids, and one-time minnow Hyundai is now a big fish… Hyundai showed us the fuel cell ix35 over a year ago and probably more significantly it launched the Ioniq five door mid-sized hatchback in the UK last autumn as the first car with three powertrains, a … [Read more...]
Kia Niro Hybrid – Road Test
Keith Ward test drives Kia’s first hybrid, in the form of the Niro… While accelerating sales of alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) in the UK have eased with the gearing down of Government support grants, reaching 89,000 last year out of a record total of nearly 2.7m cars, they were still up by more than 20 per cent, according to official SMMT trade figures. They include petrol-electric … [Read more...]
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Road Test
Hybrid becomes the most popular power source in the Toyota RAV4 range. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) explains… The RAV4 mid-sized SUV was first introduced in 1994 and billed by Toyota as the first compact 4WD SUV. Since then there has been a continual supply of new and updated models. The latest major change has been the introduction of petrol electric Hybrid two and four wheel drive … [Read more...]
Kia Optima PHEV Hybrid Saloon Road Test – plus news on crucial changes from April 2017 to road tax and BIK tax
Kia’s Optima PHEV Plug-in Hybrid Family Saloon… Assessed by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). With significant tax changes due for all new cars bought from 1 April next year, both in terms of VED road tax and Benefit-in-Kind company car tax, sales of ‘Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles’ (AFVs) in the UK will only continue to grow. The choice is also getting better with more and more … [Read more...]
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Road Test
Fourth Generation Toyota RAV4 SUV Range includes Hybrid Versions By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) For the first time in its history Toyota’s mid-sized, five door RAV4 SUV range includes a petrol/electric hybrid power source option in its line up of two and four wheel drive, petrol and diesel models. The 2016 range now includes a new 2.0 litre D-4D 141 bhp turbodiesel engine for 2WD … [Read more...]
BMW X5 xDrive 40e First Impressions
New BMW X5 xDrive 40e joins the UK's fast-growing plug-in hybrid market. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). With a record year of UK sales behind them in 2015, when they replaced Audi as the best selling premium brand, and their centenary in front of them in 2016, BMW look fully charged to have a good year. First of their new models to be handed to the UK’s motoring media at the … [Read more...]
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – Best Of Both Worlds?
A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Sports Utility Vehicle? What a good idea… Kim Henson test-drives Mitsubishi’s innovative 4x4 Outlander PHEV... It takes some doing to combine, within a single Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), electric propulsion (primarily for local runs), a petrol engine, four wheel drive, true practicality in a range of roles, and cost-effective operation. However, with their already … [Read more...]
