Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) assesses Kia’s Stonic compact SUV… When a prolific manufacturer keeps rolling out new models it's all too easy to overlook their older vehicles, as is the case with the Kia Stonic GT-Line S. Kia is on a roll with its brand in Britain, bringing new EVs to market in a constant stream and more are on the horizon this year as it enriches its range and wins … [Read more...]
Features by Robin Roberts
XPeng G6 long range – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) test drives this newcomer mid-size SUV… Among the newest of the Chinese car-makers coming to the UK, XPeng has partnered with the people who brought us Subaru and Isuzu in Britain, so let that be a warning to rivals. The Chinese company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong, with offices in Mountain View, California, and Munich. … [Read more...]
Kia EV3 GT Line S – Road Test
Some cars immediately impress, others take a bit longer and they stand out against models which made no measurable impression after a much longer period behind the wheel, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). The Kia EV3 GT-Line S is an example of the series which seems to get better each time it’s driven. We first drove the new Kia EV3 last December and were impressed, but a lot’s … [Read more...]
SMMT figures show higher car sales levels in June 2025
Manufacturer and dealer incentives meant the UK’s new car market grew for the second consecutive month in June, as registrations rose 6.7% to 191,316 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) reports... It was the best June since 2019, helping lift first half performance 3.5% above the same period last year, although the market … [Read more...]
Toyota HiLux Invincible X – Road Test
‘Reality shows are all the rage and if there was one about vehicles I think the survivor would be the Toyota HiLux’, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). It has faced and overcome challenges such as being blown up in a building, being demolished and drowned in a rising tide, only to start up with what I would term “tinkering”, apart from needing to replace a broken windscreen when it was … [Read more...]
Tesla Model Y My25 FD dual motor – First Impressions
It can be hard learning to drive, but relearning brings a whole new skill set into the driver’s seat of the latest Tesla Model Y dual motor, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). Tesla is a pioneer in the new age of electric cars and after their first Model X SUV hit the market in 2015 it then rolled out the Model 3 saloon two years later and completed its range with the larger SUV Model … [Read more...]
Toyota Corolla Excel 2.0 Hatchback – Road Test
When the world’s best selling car gets a significant makeover, you have to take a serious look at the Toyota Corolla, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). Launched in 1966, the Corolla became the best selling car in the world eight years later, overtaking the Beetle in 1997 for total sales and in 2021 went on to exceed 50 million models, being made in ten countries. It was also the … [Read more...]
Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) writes, “If you have a big family I don’t think there is anything to touch the Hyundai Santa Fe when it comes to room, comfort and interior design features at this price”. Aimed squarely at the US market to begin with, this is a big, very big car, which fills and sometimes overhangs most parking bays. There is large and then there’s extra large, a category … [Read more...]
May sales figures for new cars in the UK show an interesting story…
Heavy discounting by car-makers is pushing fleet and businesses drivers into electric cars, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). Private buyers still prefer to have petrol or diesel engines, according to the May registration figures. Registrations of petrol cars are higher than the combined figures for pure battery, plug-in and mild hybrid electric models and that’s without the diesel … [Read more...]
Genesis 2025 Model Year GV70 – First Impressions
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) takes a look at, and first drive in, the 2025 Model Year all-electric Genesis GV70... Some 21-years after Genesis was created as the first premium brand by a South Korean car maker, the company is forging ahead with evolving its models, range and sales operations. Being part of the Hyundai Group alongside its bigger-brother Kia, Genesis has enormous … [Read more...]
Ford Explorer Premium AWD – Road Test
“Ford has been a hesitant entrant into the modern BEV market, but is quickly making up ground with models such as the Explorer SUV”, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) While it used its own technology for the Mustang electric sports car, to cut costs and development time it turned to Volkswagen to create the Explorer SUV derived from the ID.4 platform and powertrain. That’s not a bad … [Read more...]
Subaru Forester Touring – Road Test
Revised, repriced and released this Spring, the Subaru Forester is ready to take on rivals in the serious SUV sector in 2025. Launched in 1997 on the back of a very impressive rallying impact by Subaru, the Forester was aimed squarely at the expanding SUV sector but in particular the country dweller who’d appreciate simple yet effective full-time all-wheel-drive. Here was something to pull a … [Read more...]
Skoda Kamiq SE L Edition – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) writes… Skoda has something for everyone in its family friendly range beginning with their baby SUV, the Kamiq. Launched in 2019 as Skoda’s smallest SUV, the Kamiq shares its floorpan with the Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-Cross, but offers more interior room. To maintain family resemblances, the Kamiq shares a similar face to the larger Skoda SUVs, the Karoq, … [Read more...]
Mazda CX-80 seven seater – Road Test
The new flagship Mazda CX-80 is poised to make a big impression in the luxury multi-seat SUV sector, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). New car sales went and are going through a tough time but it must be said that in 2024 Mazda did better than most. Mazda UK sales director Laura Brailey told us global registrations for the brand rose 11% last year to a record 1.4 M and in Britain it … [Read more...]
Ford Capri Premium AWD – Road Test
The Ford Capri name is back and turning heads some 55 years after the original model, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). The first Ford Capri, designed by the same man who styled the Ford Mustang, was produced from 1969 to 1986 and covered three generations with two million models registered. Originally made in Ford’s Halewood, Liverpool plant, the new all-electric Capri uses the … [Read more...]
Ford Puma ST-Line X – Road Test
The Ford Puma has consistently featured in Britain’s top ten popular cars for all the right reasons, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). From launch in 2019 as natural evolution of the Fiesta hatchback, the Puma SUV has fitted the bill for thousands of families. Its fairly compact dimensions enclose a deceptively practical and versatile body with a clever mild hybrid 48-volt power pack … [Read more...]
Britain’s drive towards electric vehicle propulsion is slowing down
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) reports on a backtrack on EV sales targets... Today, the Government announced a relaxation of electric vehicle sales targets to help the car industry in the face of trade tariffs from the US and a slow take up for pure electric cars without manufacturer incentives costing them millions of pounds. It is what the motor industry and component suppliers have … [Read more...]
KGM Tivoli K40 V2 – Road Test
The familiar Tivoli mid-sized SUV has been relaunched and refocused to take on rivals which offer less to an increasingly cost-conscious client base. Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) test drives the latest Tivoli. Introduced in 2015 under a SsangYong badge before the manufacturer ran into trouble, and then relaunched as KGM with improvements inside and out in 2024. We now have just one … [Read more...]
Cupra Tavascan V1 – Road Test
A brand which has accelerated from racetrack to road has to be something special, so the Cupra Tavascan deserves consideration if you’re looking for an edgy everyday car. Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) puts the car through its paces… Developed from the SEAT Sport series into the Cup Racing range nearly 30 years ago the Cupra line up represents the most powerful and advanced sophisticated … [Read more...]
Skoda Superb SE L Estate 150 PS diesel – Road Test
Value for money rarely comes with the sophistication and refinement of the Skoda Superb SE L Estate, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales)... Skoda introduced the Superb range in 2001 and it has gone through to the fourth generation, growing in size at each point until the current version based on a stretched version of the VW Group’s MQB Evo platform, also underpinning the largest models … [Read more...]
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