Kim Henson reports on this year’s Beaulieu Spring Autojumble: Here’s his own story of the event… (All words and some photographs by, and copyright, Kim Henson; remaining photographs by, and copyright, Chris Adamson, as individually credited. Grateful thanks to Chris for providing his photographs). Once again I attended the Spring Autojumble, held within the grounds of the National Motor … [Read more...]
Contributors
BMW iX2 XDrive 30 SAC – Road Test
If you thought that BMW don’t just build cars but also desires, you don’t have to look further than the new iX2 XDrive 30 sports activity coupé to appreciate the fact, says Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). Announced last autumn with the second generation X2 series including its petrol powered stablemates from £39,365, the iX2 20 and 30 series models were their first pure electric … [Read more...]
BBC Gardeners’ World 2024 Spring Fair, Beaulieu
Kim Henson reports from the green(fingered) fields of the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu… (All words and images by, and copyright, Kim Henson). This year’s popular Gardeners’ World Spring Fair has returned to Beaulieu (as in 2023) and the show, which ran from 3rd to 5th May 2024, featured a fresh layout and a wide variety of new features. Now of course Beaulieu is famous for its superb … [Read more...]
Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match – Road Test
Volkswagen has been on a learning curve with electric cars but now it’s heading towards the top of the class – says Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). It has flirted with electric cars for many years and a decade ago gave us their zero emission versions of the e-Golf and e-Up, adapted models of their better known petrol and diesel hatchbacks. VW engineers knew change was coming down the … [Read more...]
All-new Suzuki Swift Hybrid – First Impressions
Kim Henson samples the latest, Fourth Generation of Suzuki’s compact supermini, the Swift. (Images and words by, and copyright, Kim Henson). Suzuki’s Swift has been impressing owners over the last 40 years and three generations, with more than nine million examples having been sold globally, across 119 countries. As with all Suzukis, the model has earned a justifiable reputation for … [Read more...]
Isuzu ‘New Look’ D-Max DL40 Double Cab Auto – Road Test
Kim Henson test drives Isuzu’s well-respected D-Max Double Cab (five seater) pick-up. (All words and images by, and copyright, Kim Henson). In recent years Isuzu has become increasingly prominent in the U.K. pick-up market, with a reputation for strength and reliability endearing buyers. Indeed this inherent durability is key to the company’s strategy, and in the firm’s own words, they… “focus … [Read more...]
Complaints about garages, vehicles and service have risen sharply, says The Motor Ombudsman
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...]
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...]
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