Turning the corner with Alfa Romeo… …Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency) reports. Car sales are a series of twists and turns but there are strong signs that Alfa Romeo has turned the corner this year. A recent independent survey of owners who have used their models for some time concluded that the sporting Italian brand was second only to Lexus in terms of overall satisfaction with … [Read more...]
Kia Optima saloon – Road Test
KIA Optima 1.6 CRDi 2 ISG Saloon… …put through its paces by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). From being an also-ran when launched in the UK in 1991, Kia has become a serious challenger to the best from Japan and mainland Europe and the latest Optima D-segment saloon is a good example of why their rivals should worry. Built for a target audience, and not necessarily down to a … [Read more...]
Lexus ES 300h – Road Test
FINALLY IN THE UK – THE EXECUTIVE CLASS LEXUS ES 300H SALOON… …Road-tested by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The new seventh generation front wheel drive ES 300h self-charging petrol-electric hybrid D-segment executive class saloon is the first ES range ever to be sold in the UK and Western and Central Europe. It has replaced four generations of the GS rear wheel drive … [Read more...]
Brand new Toyota Corolla – First Impressions
GOODBYE TOYOTA AURIS – HELLO AGAIN TOYOTA COROLLA. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) explains and drives the new line-up… 14 years after the Toyota Auris name replaced the Corolla we see the return of the World’s best-selling car brand name – Corolla –å and it’s on sale in the UK from the new registration plate change month of March. The range is priced from £21,300 up to £30,340 with 21 … [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...]
Honda Civic Saloon – Road Test
Honda adds another string to the Civic’s bow… … says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). With no Estate version in the tenth generation Honda Civic range, until now only available in five door Hatchback form, now Honda has extended the Civic’s appeal by adding four door Saloon versions. Unlike the … [Read more...]
Low mileage 1968 Ford Anglia donated to the British Motor Museum
A fine example of an Anglia goes on show for the nation to see and enjoy... A rare, low mileage 1968 Ford Anglia 123E Super has been kindly donated to the British Motor Museum by Chris and Michael Gates. The car, which is in fantastic condition with only 32,000 miles on the clock, has been in their family since new and was originally owned by Chris's Grandmother. It is now located on the Museum’s … [Read more...]
Mazda6 2.5 GT Sport saloon – Road Test
Keith Ward test drives the latest Mazda6 saloon, in potent 2.5 litre Sport form… THIS has been a busy year for Mazda, with almost every model updated, including the respected Mazda6 looked at here. Priced from £23,195 to £33,585, the latest combined Saloon and Tourer 6 range runs to 25 models across four trim levels, in ascending order: SE-L Nav+, SE-L LUX Nav+, Sport Nav+ and GT Sport … [Read more...]
New Audi A6 – First Impressions
New Audi A6 Saloon and Avant estate tried and tested... By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Audi’s success has been built on the sum of its parts, whether that’s quattro technology, TT-style or out-and-out performance through the wheels of the R8, but it’s also been piling up sales with estates. In the UK last year the A6 range saw an approximate 55/45 split between Saloon and … [Read more...]
Audi A8 – Road Test
Audi A8’s autonomous driving technology – but it’s not faultless... ...says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) The new range flagship Audi A8 luxury saloon, in standard or long wheelbase forms, arrived in the UK earlier this year and it’s the first car in the world to be built for the forthcoming age of autonomous driving, claims Audi. All that’s required is legislation changes to allow … [Read more...]
New Audi A8 – First Impressions
Here now but ahead of its time – the all-new Audi A8. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The new fourth generation Audi A8 really is ahead of its time. Launching now, the flagship of the premium brand is the first car in the world to be built for the forthcoming age of autonomous vehicles which don’t require driver interaction in traffic at up to close to 40 mph, the so-called … [Read more...]
Latest Audi RS 3 saloon – Road Test
New Audi RS3 saloon road-tested – Slowly! By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). As I sat in yet another stationary long line of traffic I wondered just how useful or practical in modern day motoring conditions my new test drive 174 mph Audi RS 3 Saloon actually was. Official figures recently released by the Department of Transport show UK drivers faced on average a delay of 46 seconds … [Read more...]
Volvo S90 – Seasonal Road Test
Keith Ward gives his assessment of Volvo’s executive saloon… LIVING in the snow-prone Pennines and planning a winter weekend among the peaks of the Lake District, I was comforted by the 4WD capability of this version of the Volvo S90. It was also good to see it came with a £525 optional Winter Pack – electrically heated windscreen, heated steering wheel and washer nozzles, plus a headlight … [Read more...]
Lexus IS300h Advance – Road Test
The latest Lexus IS300h Advance toughs it out… By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The market for compact sports saloons is arguably one of the toughest and was dominated by the German brands, until the arrival of the ‘baby’ Lexus. That all changed in 1999 when the first petrol Lexus IS200 hit the road and we are now into the third generation offering the pure petrol IS200t, or … [Read more...]
Latest Volvo S90 D5 AWD executive saloon – Road Test
David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) test-drives the 2018 VOLVO S90 D5 AWD executive saloon. Volvo’s premium brand executive S90 four door large saloons and V90 estates, 2WD/AWD models, came to market in September 2016 and this was followed earlier this year by AWD D4/D5 Cross Country V90 estates and the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid petrol/electric powertrain for both the S90 and V90 … [Read more...]
Jaguar XE Sports saloon – with new Ingenium engine – Road Test
Jaguar XE 2018 range receives Ingenium petrol engines. Latest model test-driven by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency)... The 2018 model year Jaguar XE sports saloon sees the debut of Jaguar Land Rover’s new Ingenium petrol engines, in particular the first application of their 2.0 litre, four cylinder turbocharged 200, 250 and 300 hp petrol engines. A 240hp Ingenium turbodiesel engine is also … [Read more...]
Alfa Romeo Giulia, latest rear wheel drive model – Road Test
Alfa Romeo returns to form with the Giulia Sports Saloon… Test-driven by David Miles (Miles Better news Agency). £2,000 contribution for retail customers buying a new 67 plate model... The once famous Italian thoroughbred automotive brand of Alfa Romeo has suffered decades of falling sales in the UK due to indifferent models, reliability and body-rot issues. In recent years the brand has been … [Read more...]
Latest BMW 5 Series Road Test
The new seventh generation BMW 5 Series saloon… Test-driven by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The BMW 5 Series has gone through six generations spanning 45 years and totalling 7.9 million global sales, and its success in longevity and sales terms means it has always been the benchmark range for the executive car sector. The new seventh generation 5 Series Saloon arrived in February, … [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...]
Classic Skodas
CLASSIC SKODAS Kim Henson takes a look at some Skodas from decades past… ILLUSTRIOUS HERITAGE Before talking about some specific models, first a little history… Today’s individualistic Skodas successfully incorporate engineering elements common to cars across the Volkswagen Group, blended with innovative styling and the use of many components/systems unique to Skoda models. Most buyers … [Read more...]
