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First Impressions

Our brief encounters with new models on the U.K. market

Latest Audi A3 Models Arrive – News and First Impressions

1st July 2016

Audi Gives Their A3 Family a Mid-life Refresh – News and Views. Summed up by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The Audi A3 family of three door Hatchbacks, five door Sportback, four door Saloon and the two door Cabriolet soft-top have received a mid-life refresh. These refreshed and ready to go third generation A3s adopt the brand’s latest styling changes, have new or improved engines, … [Read more...]

Kia’s latest model line-up sampled – First Impressions.

29th June 2016

Kim Henson tries four current 2016 Kia models… Optima, Venga, Carens and Soul EV. (Words and Photos by Kim Henson). Kia has been going from strength to strength in terms of UK buyer appeal across its model range, and sales figures are on a steeply upward trajectory, reflecting the high regard in which the company’s products are held. For more information on the firm’s impressive performance … [Read more...]

SsangYong Tivoli XLV First Impressions

28th June 2016

More space is provided by the latest version of the Tivoil from SsangYong… Words and all photos except the main heading shot (from SsangYong), by Chris Adamson. After successive offerings from SsangYong were roundly ridiculed for their styling and construction, the Korean car maker finally started to get things right last year when it unveiled the Tivoli, a good looking compact sports utility … [Read more...]

New MG GS First Impressions

17th June 2016

An SUV from MG? Oh yes... and here it is. Words and photographs by Chris Adamson, who shares his thoughts after his first drive of the newcomer. Which car manufacturer would you associate with making a family-sized sports utility for under £15,000? – certainly not MG, yet that is exactly what we have with the new MG GS. On top of the bargain basement price you can add in a five year … [Read more...]

New MINI Clubman ALL4 Estate First Impressions

8th June 2016

The New MINI Clubman ALL4 Estate – Now Built in Oxford. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The MINI Clubman estate with ALL4 is the first all-wheel-drive MINI to come off the Plant Oxford production lines. The SUV styled MINI Countryman ALL4 versions to date have been built by Magna Steyr in Austria. The Clubman ALL4 line-up comprises the Cooper S and Cooper SD, and prices start from … [Read more...]

New MINI models and MINI Convertible – First Impressions

6th June 2016

A Brace of New MINI Models Joins the Range. David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) takes a close look and test-drives the Cooper Convertible… News Overview A brace of new MINI models is coming off the UK production lines at Plant Oxford, which this year celebrates its 15th anniversary of MINI production under the ownership of BMW Group. Last year MINI globally built 340,000 cars, 201,207 of … [Read more...]

New Peugeot 2008 Compact SUV First Impressions

2nd June 2016

New Peugeot 2008 Compact SUV Breaks Cover this Month. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Some people like their compact SUVs to look tough and macho – think Nissan Juke, other owners prefer a more elegant and refined approach such as the previous Peugeot 2008. The 2008 was launched in 2013 and has pulled in 585,000 sales worldwide since then, including 40,000 in the UK, of which … [Read more...]

New Kia Sportage Road Test

25th May 2016

Kia’s All New Sportage Mid-Sized SUV First Drive. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). SUVs, Crossovers, dual purpose and 4x4s in all sizes are definitely high in demand, being the best-selling new car class in Europe and in the UK they make up the third largest sales sector with 355,118 registrations last year – a rise of 21% over 2014. Demand is up again this year following the … [Read more...]

All-New Jaguar F-Pace SUV First Impressions

21st May 2016

The All-New Jaguar F-Pace Performance-orientated Crossover. Reviewed by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Long awaited and with long waiting lists, Jaguar’s first ever SUV/Crossover range, the F-Pace, has been introduced at prices for the main models starting from £34,170 and rising to £51,450. It is probably the most important car in the brand’s long history as no major premium brand … [Read more...]

Latest Skoda Octavia vRS First Impressions, and Skoda News

16th May 2016

Hot Skoda Sales and a New, Hotter 230 hp Octavia vRS. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Skoda’s UK new car sales for the first quarter of this year are up by 6.4% to 27,039 units, ahead of the overall market growth. This is better news as last year their UK sales dipped slightly due to the run out of old models, like their Roomster compact MPV, and introduction of new models like the … [Read more...]

New Audi S8 Plus First Impressions

14th May 2016

Supercar Pace from a Luxury Saloon. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Not only are Audi’s UK record sales driven by the constant addition of new core model ranges, they have now embarked on launching performance-enhancing derivatives with Plus and RS Performance models. The Audi A8 range of large executive saloons with quattro all wheel drive is long established both in standard and … [Read more...]

New Land Rover Evoque Convertible – a view from Chris Adamson

12th May 2016

Impressions of the new Land Rover Evoque Convertible. Chris Adamson shares his thoughts, illustrated by some of his own photographs of the vehicle he used during his test drive... Britain’s unpredictable weather means that motorists on our island want to make the most of any day that brings clear blue skies – and it’s blue sky thinking that has created the new Land Rover Evoque … [Read more...]

Audi R8 Coupe V10 Plus First Impressions

10th May 2016

Who says supercars have to be Italian? Certainly not Audi – who keep on improving their head-turning R8 Coupe. Author: Chris Adamson (who also photographed the blue car driven for this article). The second generation R8 is even more dynamic and go-getting than its predecessor, being faster, lighter and more responsive; it’s also laden to the rooftop with goodies. Visually the V10 example can … [Read more...]

New Range Rover Evoque Convertible – First Impressions

30th April 2016

Topless Range Rover Evoque Springs into the UK Report by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) It was only a matter of time that the path from workhorse 4x4 led to stylish must have SUVs and then to cheaper Crossovers, and now the latest move to a soft top SUV – the two door, four-seater Range Rover Evoque Convertible. Heralded by Land Rover as the World’s first luxury compact SUV … [Read more...]

MINI John Cooper Works First Impressions.

11th April 2016

The fastest production MINI to date... Reviewed by Chris Adamson Alec Issigonis may have been the creator of the original Mini but it was the vision of performance specialist, the late and much missed John Cooper, that is really responsible for its iconic status. His inspiration continues today with new owners BMW retaining the John Cooper Works (JCW) tag-line for its range-topping, … [Read more...]

Latest Ford Focus RS First Impressions

8th April 2016

Spring Into the Long-awaited Ford Focus RS (but note that there will be a £1,000 price increase due from 1st May)… Says David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) It has been a long time coming, indeed not too many years ago we were told by Ford’s senior management there would never be another Focus RS under their global One Ford policy – there just wasn’t the demand, so we only got ‘less hot’ … [Read more...]

New Ford Mustang – First Impressions

31st March 2016

Must-Have a Mustang – Ford’s New Muscle Car Muscles-In to the UK... A new classic in its own time – driven by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Ford’s latest marketing strategy is ‘Un Learn’ as they try to remove our preconceptions of the brand and past products. It is therefore strange and inconsistent that they have been wheeling out nostalgia as a hook to catch owners wanting Ford’s … [Read more...]

Renault Kadjar 1.5 diesel First Impressions

21st March 2016

Holding fast – Kadjar exemplifies Renault’s powers of recovery… Says Dave Randle. French national giant, Renault’s road hasn’t always been either straight or smooth. Yet somehow it has always managed to navigate the virages dangereux and the chaussées deformées of the industrial landscape with vision, flexibility and finesse. It was nationalised in the first place to keep it from going off … [Read more...]

Jeep New Renegade – Taster Drive/First Impressions


9th March 2016

Keith Ward samples the new Jeep Renegade... LEADING the military-style charge by Jeep to its best ever sales in the UK and an industry-topping 176 per cent year-on-year increase in 2015 – from however modest a base* (see below) – is this plucky compact SUV. The Renegade, launched 12 months ago and dubbed 4x4 of the Year by a leading off-road magazine, accounted for more customers here than the … [Read more...]

Suzuki Really Motoring Again in 2016 – Plus Swift 1.2 Dualjet 4×4 First Impressions

9th March 2016

David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) gives his assessment… (Note from Kim: In addition to David’s typically comprehensive and insightful coverage within this feature, you may also be interested to read my own thoughts on Suzuki’s current position, also my impressions of more Suzuki models; please click HERE). After consecutive years of record UK sales Suzuki suffered a blip in registrations in … [Read more...]

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Contributors to the site include talented, highly-respected people (so they tell me) on the hallowed membership list of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and from the similarly well thought-of Western Group of Motoring Writers. In addition there are valued contributions from other knowledgeable and capable motoring writers who have something useful to say about all aspects of driving and running vehicles in the 21st Century. All of our team are passionate about motor cars!


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