Tom Scanlan test-drives a high specification Audi A8 limousine... Listen, you have just laid out £73,410 on your Audi A8 and you sort of expect perfection, right? Well, the headline is 'AUDI A8 IS LESS THAN PERFECT!' I mean, I bumped my head getting into it without being warned to be careful, the rear door-shut sounded a bit metallic compared with the front door's sophisticated click, and a … [Read more...]
Features by Tom Scanlan
Tom has been writing and broadcasting about cars since 1973, originally with the British Forces Broadcasting Service. More recently, for ten years he was the motoring writer for the Reading Evening Post. He now freelances and has contributed to a wide variety of magazines and newspapers. He is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers and of the Southern Group of Motoring Writers. Tom, although from a family that didn’t own a car, fell in love with vintage cars and bought a 1931 Alvis 12/60 before he’d even passed his test. That was fifty years ago and, many classics later, he now runs an American 1960 V8 powered Ford Galaxie.
Suzuki SX4 S-Cross – Revised Models for 2017 – First Impressions
Updated Suzuki SX4 S Cross Models – Tom Scanlan tries 'em out! The British car buyer seems to be in a confident mood – car sales are booming. Among the smaller manufacturers, as far as we are concerned, is Suzuki. They are spending lots of money on advertising and results show that it works. Now, on sale next month (October) is what Suzuki describes as a 'major facelift' of their SUV, … [Read more...]
VW Golf Estate R Road Test
Wolfsburg in Sheep’s Clothing? Volkswagen’s Golf Estate R test-driven by Tom Scanlan. There's nothing else on the long, straight country road. The Golf R is at a standstill. I check the mirrors again and then shove my foot hard down on the pedal. Growl-Pop, Growl-Pop from the exhaust... I've hit 70 or more maybe in about six seconds and the sound and feel is intoxicating. The VW'S 6-speed … [Read more...]
Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport 190PS S tronic Road Test
Tom Scanlan test-drives the 190PS version of Audi’s latest A4 estate, with seven speed S tronic automatic … [Read more...]
New Mazda 2
Kim Henson takes a close look at Mazda’s latest supermini… Whichever way you look at the figures, the Mazda brand is going from strength to strength, with U.K. sales increasing at an exponential rate in recent times. In large part this is due to the rapid and comprehensive introduction of new models, all with with built-in ‘buyer appeal’. In fact, with the launch of five new models planned during … [Read more...]
Volkswagen Passat
VW's latest Passat is actually the eighth generation since they introduced the name in 1973. By Tom Scanlan It's a completely new car and, as pretty well all manufacturers are managing at the moment, offers more efficiency in terms of fuel consumption and up to 14% cleaner emissions. Some of this is down to a weight saving of up to a massive 85 kilograms. Of course, no new car would be … [Read more...]
BMW 335d xDrive
WOW! Yes, if it’s wow you want, here’s the car, says Tom Scanlan Of course, there are loads of cars that can wow us, but this one also offers so much more, especially, in the Touring version tested, practicality for the family driver. The car weighs well over two tons (even with BMW’s ‘lightweight’ engineering) and has 313 hp at 4,400 rpm. This is an impressive, but not huge, figure. But the … [Read more...]
New Ford Focus (December 2014)
Tom Scanlan drives the new Ford Focus... Ford’s new Focus includes the new Ford family front-end look and a re-designed interior. New engines, including 1.5-litre diesel and 1.5 petrol are expected to deliver fuel efficiency improvements of up to fifteen per cent, along with lower emissions. Ford says that the already excellent driving dynamics have been further improved with a stiffer … [Read more...]
Audi A3 Sportback e-tron
Tom Scanlan tries Audi's latest fascinating A3... The car has a combination of a re-worked 1.4 TFSI petrol engine producing 150PS and a 70 kWh electric motor. Total maximum output is 204PS. As a 'come and buy me' incentive, Audi has endowed the e-tron with some upgraded equipment over the non-hybrid equivalent Sportback. However, the whole package costs well over £5000 more, even taking into … [Read more...]
Tesla Model S
Tesla? What’s that? Well, petrol-heads would know, even if there’s no petrol anywhere near it... by Tom Scanlan The designers of these American 100% electric cars have achieved a lot. The cars themselves are the ultimate expression so far of what can be achieved using just electricity. Their performance is in the supercar range and they are extraordinarily impressive to drive. Until very … [Read more...]
New Audi TT
Audi's third generation coupe is completely new in every department says Tom Scanlan A casual glance might not register this: the difference between this car and the outgoing model is certainly not as marked as was the difference between the first and second generation cars. The most obvious visual cue is the much-revised front end, with the Audi rings now removed from within the grille up onto … [Read more...]
New Vauxhall Corsa
Review by Tom Scanlan Vauxhall’s latest generation of its popular Corsa is now on the road. How new is it? Although all the dimensions are no different, all of the car’s body panels are new, and provide greater definition between the ‘sporty’ look of the three-door and the ‘premium’ five-door models. Almost every element of the Corsa’s cabin is completely new, including a completely … [Read more...]
Audi A3 Cabriolet
Following its launch earlier this year, we have now had the chance for a full road test of the Audi A3 Cabriolet. Tom Scanlan reports... The fabric hood opens or closes in eighteen seconds and can be deployed at speeds up to 31 mph. On a 70 mph dual carriageway, the £230 optional wind deflector kept buffeting up front to a minimum and the noise levels, even at the national maximum speed, were … [Read more...]
BMW’s Latest Models (October 2014)
Tom Scanlan experiences six cars from BMW and MINI in one day... 2-, 3-, 4-series and i-series BMWs plus all-new MINIS have all arrived in a rush over the past months. Wheels-Alive went into the Cotswolds to sample them. Newest ideas are the 2-series Active Tourer and 5-door MINI Hatch, along with electric power for the i3 and remarkable i8. The M4 cars now have a metal roof convertible … [Read more...]
Skoda Yeti
Skoda's new Yeti is assessed by Tom Scanlan... Skoda is on a bit of a roll at the moment, with buoyant sales figures. The Yeti can take some of the credit. The new version is available as either a 4-w-d car or, as in the test model, a front wheel drive version. This car is equipped with the least powerful of the 2-litre diesel engines, with 110 PS (140 PS and 170 PS outputs are also available) … [Read more...]
Nissan Qashqai 1.2 Acenta
Tom Scanlan tries out a second generation version of the ever-popular Qashqai Travelling in the new Qashqai was a pleasure. This new version of a popular car has raised its own bar. The seats are very comfortable with good lower-back support for the driver, who also gets a tilt/telescope adjustable steering-wheel. The instruments showed clearly, both in daylight and at night with … [Read more...]
Suzuki 4WD range First impressions
Suzuki's Four Wheel Drive range, summarised by Tom Scanlan... Not a lot of people, it seems, know that Suzuki makes cars and not just bikes. They may have only 1.5% of the UK car market but buyers who move into a Suzuki for the first time tend to stay with it. No wonder, really, considering the value for money the cars offer: they seem well-made, with good quality materials and with generous … [Read more...]
Audi A6 Ultra
Tom Scanlan road tests the refined, sophisticated Audi A6 Ultra diesel. The end result of all the experience Audi has gained on the race-track with their unrivalled success over fifteen years at Le Mans is proof of the worth of motorsport. The A6 Ultra is probably the quietest four-cylinder diesel car I've driven, and perhaps six-cylinder cars could be included in that. The engine is the … [Read more...]
Citroën C1
Citroën’s happy little C1 city car has been replaced by a brand-new C1, complete with a smiley face. Citroën reckons the new car’s front has just that, along with the company’s trade-mark 3D rear lights. Tom Scanlan reports... In Citroën’s now-established tradition, the cars also come in a range of new colour combinations, both outside and in, and that will certainly help attract two main … [Read more...]
Mazda3 SKYACTIV-G 2.0 litre 120 PS Sport Nav manual
Tom Scanlan gets behind the wheel... Mazda’s ‘SKYACTIV’ technology is once again to the fore in its all-new Mazda3 range. SKYACTIV, says Mazda, involves carefully-designed engine mechanicals with ‘world-beating’ compression ratios, sophisticated chassis technology and the use of light weight but super-strong construction. Two body styles are available: Hatchback and Fastback, and engine … [Read more...]