Fun in the Sun... with the Vauxhall Viva Rocks 1.0… ...assessed by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The greatest challenge to any car designer is getting the most of what you are given and when Vauxhall’s team wanted to create a very compact city car SUV they looked to the Viva. The original Viva was a boxy saloon built in Ellesmere Port, now home of the Astra, from 1963 to 1979 … [Read more...]
Features by Robin Roberts
Latest Ford Mustang 2.3 – Road Test
Ford’s updated Mustang Fastback 2.3 litre… Tried and tested by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). One of the most elusive features for any manufacturer is building emotion into a car. Tech is to be expected, reliability taken for granted, build quality must be very good, comfort cannot be ignored, so put this together and price it carefully and what you get is …. another car to … [Read more...]
Audi RS4 Avant – Road Test
The Audi RS4 Avant 2.9TFSI quattro – pace and space. The Audi RS4 has come of age and matured into a stunning model in its latest semi-estate or Avant version, writes Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). RS4 production has been on and off since it was launched in 1999 and it is currently the fourth generation of the most driver-focused model in the immensely popular and wide Audi A4 … [Read more...]
Latest Ford Focus – First Impressions
New Ford Focus News and First Drive Views. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Britain’s best selling family car moves up several gears with the new Ford Focus which arrives in September. Building on its reputation for good handling from its launch 20 years ago, the newest generation is brimming with the latest technology under the all-new stronger bodies, including the latest … [Read more...]
Thought for Fuel…
The labels, they are a-changing... Robin Roberts reports. Motorists, garages and vehicle manufacturers will see a new range of fuel identity labels being introduced this summer. The EU has changed the look, colour and shape of labels to remove possible confusion and they must be in place by 12 October. Essentially petrol fuels will identified by round symbols, diesel products by squares and … [Read more...]
Volkswagen T-Roc SUV – Road Test
VW T-Roc Design 1.0TSI Compact SUV… …assessed by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The people’s car company is moving with the times in the shape of the Volkswagen T-Roc mid-sized SUV. This relatively new to market SUV is their latest offering in a booming sector which is pushing out traditional saloons and hatchbacks in favour of more practical “tall” hatchbacks. VW has long … [Read more...]
Peugeot 5008 Allure petrol – Road Test
Peugeot 5008 Allure Auto PureTech 130hp petrol powered SUV… ...Test-driven by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The French, and others, love family life and it shows in the Peugeot 5008 series of SUVs. Demand for SUVs is widespread and such is the demand for the 11 Peugeot Group SUV models, 250,000 units in the first quarter of 2018, that production is being increased to meet this … [Read more...]
News – Welsh Automotive Forum appoints new Chairman
International engineer to head Welsh Automotive Forum – Robin Roberts reports… 29th May 2018; Bridgend – Internationally renowned engineer Professor Richard Parry-Jones has been appointed Chairman of the Welsh Automotive Forum board of directors. The Welsh-born former head of Ford’s global research and development headed 33,000 engineers and created the game-changing Mondeo and Focus models, … [Read more...]
EV shock news
Motorists have a potentially lethal ignorance about the servicing and maintenance of electric vehicles... A survey for the Institute of the Motor Industry revealed a widespread lack of awareness about the benefits – and risks - of electric motoring. Some 82% of drivers said they feel they don’t know enough about electric vehicles to wave goodbye to their petrol/diesel while two thirds (66%) … [Read more...]
Renault Clio Dynamique S 110dCi – Road Test
Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency) test dries Renault’s Clio, powered by their 1.5 litre diesel engine… The Renault Clio was launched before the worldwide web became a part of everyday life and after 27 years it’s what is now considered Edition 4.2. It’s been a part of the British motoring scene for over a generation, and it keeps reinventing itself. Successive advertising campaigns … [Read more...]
Fiat Panda 4×4 1.3 – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency) assesses Fiat’s compact 4x4… Italian singers are often short in stature but big in heart and voice, just like the Fiat Panda 4x4. The cheeky all-wheel-drive car is part of a compact 12-model range sharing a five door body. It provides a choice of 900cc or 1.2 litre petrol engines along with a 1.3 diesel, in five trim levels and even offers a … [Read more...]
MS-RT Ford Transit Custom – First Impressions
Ford’s MS-RT Transit Custom launched. By Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency). A stunning bespoke van has been developed by Welsh-based specialist coachbuilder MS-RT working in collaboration with Cumbria-based M-Sport, who run the Ford World Rally Championship team for Ford. Founding director Ed Davies has been in the automobile business for 25 years, and worked with the rally-team for … [Read more...]
Mazda CX-5 2.2D – Road Test
Not to be overlooked in the SUV market, Mazda’s CX-5 2.2D Sport Nav Automatic is a worthy contender… By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency) Mazda has a reputation for quietly getting on with the job and building some great if unassuming cars, such as the CX-5 large SUV. It also proves it’s not a one-trick pony, best known for the stunning sporty MX-5 two-seater. It also builds a very … [Read more...]
Isuzu D-Max Blade Double Cab Pickup – Road Test
Niche is Nice… Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency) assesses Isuzu’s D-Max Blade Auto Double Cab Pickup. The specialist vehicle market is where the money is to be made if you have the right products selling at the right prices, like the Isuzu D-Max Double Cab pickup. Isuzu will be one of many pick-up manufacturers and importers airing their wares at this week’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the … [Read more...]
Vauxhall Corsa – Driving Impressions (after 25 years!)
The Corsa generation – 25 years young. By Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency). It maybe from another era but the truth is the Vauxhall Corsa is even more relevant today than when it first appeared 25 years ago. Born in the Britpop, Walkman and shell-suits age to the sounds of The Spice Girls, it has outlived them and is still Vauxhall’s best-seller. What’s more it consistently lurks … [Read more...]
SsangYong Rexton ELX auto – Road Test
Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency) assesses this sizeable and user-friendly all wheel drive SUV… The world of serious, big 4x4 SUVs is an exclusive one, and they don’t come much more exclusive than the SsangYong Rexton. “What?” is a question I rightly anticipated from a number of drivers when I suggested the same point to them. It begs explanation, so here we go. To put the company … [Read more...]
Hyundai i30N hot hatch – Road Test
The new Hyundai i30N rally-bred fast hatchback… Assessed on the road by Robin Roberts (Miles Better News Agency). Some car-makers shout about their performance models which can quietly disappoint, yet Hyundai play it the other way with the i30N and have a normal looking five door mid-sized hatchback model which excites every time you take the wheel. The Korean brand has electrified the World … [Read more...]
Insurance renewals – it’s ALWAYS best to tell the truth!
Tens of thousands of cars will come up for insurance renewal each month but you may be unwittingly breaking the law when you renew... Some insurance policies automatically renew in some cases but even then any change in personal circumstances not declared to the provider mean you will possibly have no cover in the event of a claim. Look at our handy guide to check if any of these apply to you … [Read more...]
Taking your vehicle abroad? Make sure that you, and it, are fully prepared!
The Motor Ombudsman has a six-point checklist for vehicles and travel this Easter... (Words from Robin Roberts, photograph by Kim Henson). Having a car that is roadworthy and a journey well planned will help avoid any unforeseen delays during this year’s first long weekend. Every fluid and lubricant is critical to components being able to operate efficiently, such as the brakes, engine … [Read more...]
Modern headlights too bright?
Modern car headlights might be a shining safety issue because they are too bright, suggests the RAC. The headlights of some newer cars are so bright they are causing a road safety hazard for drivers with as many as two-thirds (65%) of motorists saying they regularly get dazzled by oncoming headlights even though they are dipped. Fifteen per cent of motorists surveyed by the RAC claim they have … [Read more...]
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