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...]
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...]
Toyota Prius Design PHEV – Road Test
Toyota Prius Design PHEV – Road Test The Toyota Prius was ahead of its time when created and today’s model still sets standards for others to aim at achieving. Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) reports... Conceived in the mid-1990s, the Toyota Prius was the world’s first mass produced hybrid car when it was launched in 1997 and we have now seen five generations or evolutions of the car, … [Read more...]
Mazda3 Saloon 186 PS Exclusive-Line – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) test drives the Mazda3 saloon... While every maker wants to be distinctive and have desirable cars they also tend to follow fashion and sometimes end up with dull models which look no different to one another, but thankfully the Mazda3 range offers an alternative. Its range has developed from saloons to hatchbacks and cross-over models, but among them is a … [Read more...]
Kia Niro HEV ‘2’ 1.6 GDi – Road Test
Kim Henson test drives the five seater Niro ‘compact crossover SUV’, in HEV self-charging hybrid form… (All words and images © Kim Henson). It is no surprise to me that Kia is doing well in sales terms. The firm’s comprehensive range provides vehicles to suit a wide range of preferences and practical needs, and for U.K. buyers the company’s line-up currently includes petrol-powered, hybrid … [Read more...]
Audi A3 Sportback 5dr 35TFSI S tronic MHEV – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) writes... Twenty-nine years ago the first Audi A3 established the premium compact class and today the fourth generation sets a high standard which rivals really struggle to match. From that initial model in 1996, the A3 series has evolved into a comprehensive range of saloons and semi-estates or coupés with individual emphasis on sophistication or … [Read more...]
Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate 1.6T PHEV – Road Test
The obvious doesn’t always stare you in the face and it’s therefore easy to overlook, at your cost, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). Take the Hyundai Santa Fe, the big, very big, seven-seater SUV which is probably eclipsed in many eyes by its Korean stablemates along with much more expensive competitors from German and British car plants. The Hyundai Santa Fe was launched as the … [Read more...]
Kia Sorento HEV 2 – Road Test
The motor trade and industry has had a bad year, but you’d not know it from sales of Kia models including their big seven-seat Sorento SUV, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). While rivals have rushed to shrink their ranges and look only towards pure electric models which we know are coming over the decade, Kia has slowly and very carefully tweaked its line up so they still offer … [Read more...]
SEAT Arona FR 24 LE – Road Test
SEAT has earned its place as the stylish brand for a younger generation of drivers over the last four decades, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). On sale since 2017, the SEAT Arona is one of the new generation of ‘crossover’ models or tall hatchbacks in the B-sector and the smallest in their sub-compact range under the Ateca. Its introduction has helped SEAT pass the magic million … [Read more...]
Volkswagen Golf Match – Road Test
The Golf has been the golden one for Volkswagen, writes Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales)… Ever since its launch in 1974 when it set a new standard in the hatchback sector it has gone on to become the standard by which any rivals are judged and to which competitors are compared. True, some are roomier, softer sprung, sharper handling and cheaper, but overall the VW Golf is an incredibly … [Read more...]
Toyota RAV4 Plug-in GR Sport – Road Test
“Better late than never is probably what you can say about the impressive Toyota RAV4 PHEV”, advises Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales). We have always been fans of the Toyota RAV4 but when it launched the petrol-hybrid in 2016 we bemoaned the fact there was no plug-in derivative to improve emissions when other manufacturers were putting them into showrooms. So, Toyota has been slow to roll … [Read more...]
Skoda Kamiq SE 1.0TSI 95 PS – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) test drives Skoda’s latest small ‘crossover’… As the retail motor trade goes through a reset at the moment, squeezed by new technology and rising prices which private buyers are reluctant to embrace or pay, models like the Skoda Kamiq are standing out. It’s a straightforward petrol model for a family, with up to five seats, price-pitched perfectly for many … [Read more...]
Suzuki Swift 1.2 Ultra MEV 2WD – Road Test
The fourth generation Suzuki Swift is already a landmark model, just months after its introduction. Robin Roberts reports… While it builds on the success of previous models over the last 40 years and is one of the most capable city cars on sale it is also the last of its kind since Suzuki announced it will step up its battery electric vehicle range and in that will be a model to replace the Swift … [Read more...]
Toyota Yaris Premiere Edition – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) puts Toyota’s latest Yaris through its paces… The Toyota Yaris has been one of the brand’s most successful models with over 10 million made, and it’s not resting on its laurels. This Spring the familiar Yaris hatchback range was increased with the addition of the Premiere and GR models which have brought more electric power and greater refinement to the … [Read more...]
Honda Civic e:HEV Advance – Road Test
Robin Roberts (and WheelsWithinWales) fully assesses the Advance version of Honda’s family favourite Civic… Honda has a lot of pride in the Civic, and it’s justified. Honda started making Civic models in 1972, nine years after it expanded from motor-bikes into cars with the N360 and then the 1300, and Civic put the brand on the world map for automobiles. So the Civic is the company’s longest … [Read more...]
Latest version Suzuki Swace estate car – Road Test
Kim Henson reports on living with Suzuki’s Swace estate car during 750 miles of mixed everyday motoring… (All words and photographs by, and copyright, Kim Henson). These days SUVs rule, it seems, or at least they do for some buyers. However there are many motorists who prefer the ‘traditional’ estate car approach to styling and construction. While Suzuki offers competence galore with the … [Read more...]
Honda Jazz e-Hybrid – Road Test
The latest Honda Jazz e-Hybrid Advance Sport test driven by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). A lot of airtime and column centimetres/inches have been taken up with the new Wales’ default 20 mph urban limit, but I’ll let you into a little secret, you can do 100 in a Honda Jazz Advance Sport, and it’s perfectly legal. The fact is I am not talking about the sporty Jazz’s speed, … [Read more...]
MINI Cooper S Convertible – Road Test
The MINI Cooper S Convertible Exclusive test driven by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). The British MINI is as traditional as a cup of tea, and next year it will be particularly apt because it’s the Convertible’s 20th anniversary. Launched four years after the new generation MINI hatch was unveiled by parent BMW in 2000, the MINI Convertible has moved through four generations … [Read more...]
BMW X1 – Road Test
The BMW X1 xDrive2.3i petrol-hybrid M Sport tried and tested by Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). As the motor industry increasingly turns in on itself and concentrates on niche models it’s good to see the BMW X1 arrive, genuinely offering something for everyone. Sport, xLine and M Sport trim levels currently span seven models including three or four cylinder petrol-hybrid units … [Read more...]