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Motors
Touareg’s the go-to SUV
LOVE them or loathe them, SUVs - despite protestations from tree-hugging enthusiasts who claim they’re playing a role in climate change due to their massive footprints and penchant for fuel - are undeniably popular for what they offer in a practical sense.
They’re brilliant, in my eyes, because as a father-of-two whose children are of the utmost importance, an SUV offers a parent everything one could ever require: space, luxury and most importantly, safety.
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220 Trophy lives up to its hallowed moniker
RENAULTSPORT, to me at least, represented just about the final word when it came to hot hatch magnificence throughout my childhood and into my adult years - no other performance arm created cars like the ones they’ve done, time and time again.
Think back to the two versions of the crazy Clio V6, for example. They plucked a humble supermini from obscurity, pulled out its rear seats and shoehorned a 3.0-litre V6 where children once...
LC500's V8 is an all-time great
ATMOSPHERIC engines - once a prerequisite of any sports car worth its salt - are sadly a dying breed and their days are well and truly numbered.
Whether we like it or not, government-led schemes to reduce emissions are high on the tree-hugging agenda, and that means high-revving powerplants have been constantly targeted because they’re not very good for the environment.
Naturally aspirated screamers are few and far between; unless you’ve a six-figure sum spare...
Dazzling MX-5 is a simple masterpiece
THROWBACKS to the motoring world of yesteryear are few and far between in strait-laced 2023 - with ever-tighter rules and restrictions, manufacturers are seemingly on a hiding to nothing when it comes to making simple cars like they used to.
That’s why Ferrari ditched its manual gearboxes and naturally aspirated engines - unthinkable a decade ago - and Lamborghini V10s and V12s will surely be a thing of the past in the coming years as...
Cool Cupra Born is the EV to have
I have a bit of a reputation - perhaps fairly so - in the office for being a bit of a moaner.
I do it about most things: workload, noise, my love-hate relationship with Leeds United, misplaced apostrophes… the list is extensive, but there’s one thing I always - without fail - whine about and that’s electric cars.
I’ve adored cars since I was a young lad, but EVs are something I’ve never...
New Golf better than ever
VOLKWAGEN’S Golf - thanks to its eight generations over almost 50 years - has always been the go-to choice for families from all backgrounds. Its can-do-all ethos, no matter what setting, has yielded a legion of fans who expect the best from VW’s most famous creation - space, comfort, a good drive and an everything-to-everyone character.
It’s an amazing feat when you think about its breadth of ability - the Golf is a car anyone...
All-new Defender is a worthy successor
I’LL be honest - I never really ‘got’ the obsession with Land Rover Defenders until a few years ago. Sure, I appreciated their coolness - chiefly because they’ve effectively stayed the same for decades - but to drive they were woeful so I wasn’t really a fan.
As time’s gone on, I’ve come around massively, mainly due to the simply gorgeous, last-of-the-line Heritage Edition which signalled the end of its frankly incredible 67-year...
Handsome CX-5 has style and substance
IT can’t just be me who’s often looking in my rear-view mirror, being followed by a gaping-grilled, handsome Mazda with sharp, sleek headlights…
It’s happened a few times on the motorway recently; I often associate the marque with the indomitable MX-5 and the family-favourite 3, but this car - the CX-5 - is possibly its best-looking model.
It has to stand out, too, for it’s in battle with some big names in the larger SUV...
Qashqai's family-favourite title remains
LIKE the Juke, the Qashqai’s become a huge hit for Nissan.
It’s not hard to see why, either: cast your mind back to the mid-noughties and there wasn’t much to choose from in the now-congested family SUV sector. The Qashqai, back then, was arguably the very first to kick-off the trend and more than five million have been sold across the globe.
As far as sales hits go, the family-favourite hit gold thanks...
Jag takes fight to German rivals
THE executive estate market shows no sign of slowing down - having been dominated by German marques for years - so manufacturers simply must be on the top of their game if they dare go toe-to-toe with Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
So it’s a relief that Jaguar’s XF Sportbrake, which has been around for more than a decade now, is better than ever in 2021 guise and has become a genuine alternative to the...
Pair top of their hybrid game...
LOVE it or loathe it, the government’s unquenchable thirst to reduce emissions is happening at a rapid pace and manufacturers are doing all they can to adhere to ever more stringent rules.
While bans on internal combustion engines are on the horizon, if you can’t be bothered with tedious plug-ins and want an economical, kind-to-the-environment car in the meantime, Lexus and its Toyota sister brand have the market pretty much covered.
Let’s start...
Type R Limited Edition builds on standard car's greatness
IF I picked the perfect ingredients for a countryside drive the car would - 100 times out of 100 - be a hot hatch. Their uncanny knack of fitting tight, twisty roads like a glove mean you’re not worrying about grazing an eye-wateringly expensive, low-slung carbon splitter and you can instead concentrate on why the car of choice was created: the thrill of driving something built for enthusiasts.
Of course the weather - particularly...
Quadrifoglio models turn Alfa's fortunes around
IF I think of guaranteed disappointments which have caused no end of misery in my life, I can recall three key players responsible for continuously plastering a forlorn-looking expression on my face.
Firstly, two football teams: Leeds United and England. My love of the former began when I was a seven-year-old but since the heady, albeit debt-ridden days of the Champions League, I’ve been knocked down more times than a journeyman boxer by a...
ES300h offers a different take on the German-dominated saloon sector
THINK of the highly competitive saloon sector and your mind automatically conjures up images of a BMW 5-Series, probably dawdling along, infuriatingly hogging a motorway’s middle lane.
The Germans have the market pretty much cornered in truth - Merc’s handsome new E-Class and Audi’s A6 are both worthy contenders to the BMW and, if anything, even eclipse that car.
However, Lexus isn’t a manufacturer known for treading the same path as its rivals and its...
Hot Megane is worthy of its Trophy moniker
RENAULTSPORT, to me at least, represents just about the final word when it comes to hot hatch magnificence - no other performance arm has created cars like the ones they’ve done, time and time again.
Think back to the two versions of the crazy Clio V6, for example. They plucked a humble supermini from obscurity, pulled out its rear seats and shoehorned a 3.0-litre V6 where children once sat. If that doesn’t get you hooked...
Fiesta ST is a modern-day hero
ONE of life’s simple pleasures is barrelling down a tricky stretch of road in a car that’s fizzing with feel, feedback and involvement. If you enjoy driving, little can beat the brilliance of doing such a thing in a well-sorted hot hatchback.
Key to the exercise is the car’s simplicity. Intrusive stability nannies are often dialled down or made redundant at the press of a button, there’s just about always a six-speed manual gearbox and...
New Megane RS has predecessors' magic
I MUST let you in on a little secret: I’m a former owner of two of Renaultsport’s cars so I took delivery of the new Megane RS 280 with a significant amount of bias towards the brilliant French brand.
I was 21 when I bought a several-year-old Clio 182 Trophy, build number 490 of 500, and covered more than 40,000 miles over the following three years on its trick Sachs dampers. I replaced it with...
Quadrifoglio has the character to match its heavyweight punch
I MUST admit something before we get into the thick of just what the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is really like, because I’ve penned numerous articles about my hatred of fast SUVs in the past.
I voiced my disgust at them being pointless, vast expressions of wealth. I said they served little purpose other than being a vulgar status symbol to impress other pretentious snobs. I also said they were usually driven by women with...
Clever hybrid tech suits big Lexus
I USED to scoff at the premium SUV sector. Most so-called ‘petrolheads’ still do, but as I get older big four-by-fours become ever more appealing. I never understood why someone with a few quid would pass up fast estates - which have just as much storage space and are undeniably better to drive - and opt for a BMW X5, a Porsche Cayenne or an Audi Q7.
Things change when you become a parent as...
Alfa's SUV debut is a hit
IT’S been almost ten years to the day since I came within a whisker of buying an Alfa Romeo.
I was living at home at the time, paying my mother a paltry amount in board, and had my heart set on a 147 GTA - the Italian marque’s flagship 3.2-litre, V6-engined hatchback which sounded glorious and had the drop-dead gorgeous looks to match. I had listened to every short YouTube clip of what they sounded...
