NEW SKODA KODIAQ VRS 7-SEAT SUV – PACEY BUT PRICEY. Test-driven by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). The award winning, highly praised Skoda Kodiaq range of five and seven seater SUVs has a new flagship model. It’s the vRS 240 hp biturbo automatic 4x4 model priced at a hefty £42,870, but added options can push that price up even further. For those looking for less performance, but still … [Read more...]
News & Views
Our take on what’s been happening in the world of motoring
We appreciate that these days there are vast quantities of motoring news items freely available to all, from huge numbers of global sources. It would be impossible to bring them all to you through these pages – so we are not even going to try!
Instead, we will include selected motoring-related stories which we feel will be of interest. Depending on the item, we hope that they will also inform, encourage, entertain and provoke further thought!
Each item will be dated, and as new stories arrive, older posts will be archived chronologically.
Renting a Fiat 500 in the Costa Blanca
Rachel Henson drives a diminutive car in a big country... ...and provides some helpful advice (which could save you some money) about renting a car abroad. Renting a Fiat 500 in the Costa Blanca When I decided to visit Sella, a small village near Benidorm in Spain, my first thought was to take a taxi. Being driven to the village would mean not having to worry about parking, driving on the … [Read more...]
Ford’s engine production facility at Bridgend has a chance of becoming the base for building the Ineos all wheel drive vehicle…
Ford Bridgend Engine plant has been shortlisted to assemble the planned Ineos successor to the famed LR Defender. Robin Roberts reports... The Welsh location is lining up against a plant in Portugal, the CEO of Ineos Automotive Dirk Heilmann has confirmed after bosses visited South Wales and looked around the Ford plant along with Welsh Government representatives. Ineos plan to … [Read more...]
Lack of basic vehicle maintenance (and legal) knowledge can be especially costly to young drivers…
Information gap... better understanding of car servicing and repairs, plus legal aspects, can help to save a lot of cash... Recent data has revealed that 53% of people aged 22 to 29 have no savings at all. That’s a significant 12% increase from 41% 10 years ago. While household bills and other living costs take priority, your car can quickly become a ticking timebomb of expenses if the correct … [Read more...]
Infiniti pulls out of Sunderland – and out of Western Europe…
Nissan’s luxury Infiniti brand is ending production in Sunderland and pulling out of Western Europe. Robin Roberts reports... Production of the Q30 ad QX30 will will cease within months at the plant – which was told last month that it will not get the next Nissan X Trail SUV. The decision will wipe thousands of pounds off the value of any UK Infiniti models and is likely to leave … [Read more...]
Bridgestone tyres to be fitted to new SEAT Minimó electric concept car
SEAT chooses Bridgestone tyres to equip its new Minimó electric concept car... With this collaboration, Bridgestone takes a further step on its journey to shape the future of mobility Bridgestone, the world’s largest tyre and rubber company, has been chosen by SEAT as the preferred tyre partner to equip its new Minimó electric concept car. Currently presented by SEAT at … [Read more...]
Bringing a vehicle (or caravan or trailer…) out of hibernation? For safety’s sake check those tyres!
TyreSafe’s warning for all vehicles coming out of storage: Perform essential tyre safety checks before taking to the road. Bringing vehicles out of storage in the spring months should prompt owners to perform essential tyre checks, urges UK charity TyreSafe. Tyres of vehicles parked or stored for any extended period of time may suffer more rapid deterioration when not in use, especially … [Read more...]
Here’s a link to a story about ‘The Wheel’ on Wheels Alive!
'The History of the Wheel' – and how important wheels are to us all... Kim Henson writes... With a website name like 'Wheels-Alive', we ought to be interested in wheels, and of course we are! I am indebted to Teacher Martin who has written to me to advise of an after-school education programme in which she is involved, for a "special group of children". She tells me that they have been … [Read more...]
Changing vehicle technology requires new skills…
A new technology time-bomb is ticking in the used car trade. Robin Roberts reports. Rapidly changing vehicle technology means that the remarketing sector is going to have to undergo an unprecedented period of upskilling over the next decade, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association. The organisation – which represent companies that handle, sell, inspect, transport or manage more than 1.5 … [Read more...]
‘Our Friends Electric’?
UK drivers buy more cars but are turned away from plug-in hybrids as a vital buying incentive is withdrawn... Robin Roberts tells the story. As the Geneva motor show opens, figures show UK car sales beat expectations and rose 1.4 percent February, boosted by rising sales of petrol and alternative-fuelled cars, according to the SMMT. Sales rose to 81,969 units from 80,805 in February … [Read more...]
Financial Conduct Authority investigates customer over-charging in the car sales market
Too much interest... Robin Roberts reports... Some methods used by finance brokers to reward car dealers that end up overcharging an estimated 560,000 customers about 300 million pounds a year are to be banned. The Financial Conduct Authority found widespread use of commission models that allow brokers to set the customer interest rate and thus earn higher commission. “We found that some … [Read more...]
Which cars are built in Britain?
Buying British-made cars could help bolster the UK car industry... However, from an Aston Martin to a Vauxhall Astra, which cars are made here? Honda is closing its Swindon plant, which built 160,000 Honda Civics last year; Nissan has reversed its decision to build the new X-Trail SUV in Sunderland; and The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) warned in February that the car … [Read more...]
Penalty points galore across Britain… and especially around Bristol!
MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION MOTORISTS HAVE AT LEAST THREE PENALTY POINTS ON THEIR LICENCES... Bristol drivers have racked up the most points on their licences, research reveal: 6.8% of Bristol population have at least three penalty points on their driving licences 6.4% of population in Slough and Halifax have at least three points on their licences Over 5,500 drivers in BS16 postcode … [Read more...]
New chapter of Bridgestone partnership with Volkswagen
Bridgestone and VW work together on motor sport and electric vehicles... A long-term partner for a new challenge: Bridgestone Potenza tyres will provide the optimum performance when the Volkswagen ID. R aims to beat the lap record for electro-vehicles on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in summer 2019. Having worked together for a long-time creating equipment for production vehicles, the German … [Read more...]
A sad day for the British motor industry as Honda announces the closure of its Swindon facility
The end of an era for Honda in Britain... by Kim Henson. This morning it has been confirmed by Honda that the company will be closing its Swindon plant in 2021, with the loss of approximately 3,500 jobs. This devastating news for those involved, and in the supply chain, and of course in the local economy in the Swindon area, amounts to one of the saddest ever days in the history of car … [Read more...]
Latest Citroën Berlingo seven seater MPV – Road Test
New Citroën Berlingo functional as well as potentially fashionable… David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) test drives a seven seater version. MPV multi-purpose vehicles, or ‘people carriers’, as we knew them in their heydays of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, have lost out in terms of sales to the growing desirability of owing an SUV – ‘sports utility vehicle’. But manufacturers of MPV type … [Read more...]
“I’M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR” SAY BRITISH MOTORISTS
NOT JUST A SONG BY QUEEN… 98% of UK drivers say they love their cars this valentine’s day. - 4 out of 10 say it never lets them down - 8 out of 10 say it gives them a sense of freedom This Valentine’s Day, 98% of the UK’s drivers are spending it with something they love, even if this is a vehicle. Maybe this is because for eight out of ten drivers, cars give them a sense of freedom and … [Read more...]
John H. Haynes OBE, creator of Haynes Manuals and founder of Haynes Publishing Group, passes away…
Legendary creator and publisher of technical motoring books, John H. Haynes OBE, will be sadly missed by countless do-it-yourself enthusiasts and mechanics he has helped over many decades... Kim Henson pays tribute... I was extremely sad to hear this evening (11th February) of the news of the passing of John H. Haynes OBE. Countless car owners (including me, on many occasions) and … [Read more...]
Audi A4 Avant 40 TDI quattro – Road Test
2019 model year Audi A4 Avant 40TDI quattro tried and tested. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). While SUVs are the flavour of the season, there’re rich pickings for manufacturers and drivers in cars like the Audi A4 Avant. Most SUVs are rarely used to their full capacity or ability but an estate car, particularly a sporting estate like the Black Edition 40TDI quattro tested, … [Read more...]
Go careful – Virtual reality brings the world’s most dangerous road to you…
Ever wondered what it would be like to experience the world’s most dangerous stretch of road? Comparethemarket.com has driven an average vehicle down the North Yungas Road to show users what this treacherous journey is like - from the comfort of their own sofas. From sheer drops next to the roadside to lush rainforest scenery, check out all the behind-the-scenes footage or watch the full … [Read more...]
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