At that point, some time ago, I was talking in purely theoretical terms. Having come very close to buying an Aston Martin 30 years ago and having known many Aston owners, I am painfully aware that having “a bit of money” is nothing like enough to keep one of those highest of all high-maintenance cars. You need an oil well […]
Jaguar XF Sportbrake, maybe a timeless classic
How fickle are the fancies of the car lover! How cruelly our over-heated infatuations wane and our epicurean tastes grow sated and jaded. When the Jaguar XF Sportbrake first came down my drive for a week’s test loan in 2012, I thought it one of the loveliest cars I had ever set eyes upon. Following in the coupe-style of the […]
Mazda3 SkyActiv-X Hatchback, clever and impressive
Amazingly, the combustion engine is now around one hundred and twenty years old. The Mazda3 Skyactiv-X has a new way of making it work. Mazda’s Skyactiv-X engine has elements of both petrol spark ignition and diesel compression ignition. They call it Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI)…can anyone come up with anything more catchy? First benefit: a very lean mixture. This […]
Kia Proceed GT-Line it’s a Shooting Brake | Estate | Wagon
“Wow!” may not be the first word that ever sprang to mind in association with a Kia but it twice came out of my mouth involuntarily with new Proceed GT-Line – once at the beginning and again at the end of my week’s test loan. The first time was over this car’s unusually handsome looks and, especially, the highly individual […]
Reviewed, the New Fiat 500X Sport
View PostThe rather good Nissan Micra N-Sport review
I was dreaming that I was in the cockpit of an ultra-secret military aircraft. Firing up the engines set off a thunderous racket and sent a row of red lights flittering across the instrument panel in front of me. Hauling on the thrust levers, I sent the aircraft zooming along the runway – at which point I realised I was […]
Check out the All New SsangYong Korando Ultimate
View PostThe orange MAZDA MX-5 RF 30th Anniversary
It’s orange and still great fun. The standard 2-litre engine is the heart in this 30th anniversary MX-5, so it can go like s**t off a shovel, if you want! Good thing I’m not six feet tall – if I was, I would be unlikely to fit comfortably into this superb little sports-car. The cabin is cosy, to say the […]
REVIEW: BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport
View PostReviewed: Mitsubishi L200 Series 6, a big deal
Mitsubishi knows that Britain is Europe’s biggest market when it comes to pick-ups. The new L200 Series 6 model is a big deal for the Japanese automaker. In its 40th year, the L200 is almost as old as me, but like Doctor Who, it regenerates every few years – usually with a bolder look. The Series 6 doesn’t disappoint and […]
Audi A1 Sportback 30 TFSI, in its own special way
View PostFiat 500 Dolcevita, Italian glamour in a small package
It’s celebration time once again for the Fiat 500. A ritzy new special edition model, the 500 Dolcevita, was launched with a flourish recently in Rome. With this latest iteration of the hi-fashion 500, Fiat has taken the heady days and glamour of Italy in the go-go sixties as its central theme. The 500 Dolcevita thus comes to market with […]
