What a comfortable week, driving the Lexus RX 450h F Sport The F Sport’s Active Stabiliser works well, giving a nice ride. However, let’s begin with the Lexus’ Atkinson Cycle, lovely 6-cylinder, 3456 cc petrol engine. This is, for anyone who has not studied the history of the ICE (internal combustion engine, as opposed to the new-fangled electric device), a nearly-140-years-old …
Fiat 500e Icon Cabriolet EV
The New Fiat 500e. At a glance, the small glamorous Italianate city car seems familiar. Fiat has a lot riding on this third-generation 500e, which is the first all-electric car to be designed and built in Turin from the tyres up, based on a fresh modular platform. First time out, the signs are good. The 500 zooms along silently, engagingly, …
All-New DS 9 E-Tense First Drive
At first glance, the All-New DS 9 shows off cool rather than conservative characteristics. This sizeable, stylish car isn’t all about the 0-62mph sprint; the saloon is far more in its element being a cruiser. But it can still push you back into your seat stunningly, with the plugin hybrid E-Tense version of the DS 9 managing zero to 62mph …
Škoda Octavia vRS iV Hatch – Electrifying
You know you’ve got a very special car under your hands when you watch the young man in the boy racer car eyeing up your wheels – rubber necking even That means not only do you have the performance bit from the first three letters, but the iV hatch identifies this vehicle as one of Škoda’s electrified models – a …
Aston Martin Vantage, just right
The Aston Martin Vantage is what dreams are made of for those who adore British sports cars Why? Well, let’s start with the car’s looks. It’s stunning from the back, with attractive lights and a subtle spoiler. Things are a tad less dramatic at the front, although the shark-nose is appealing. What works, though, are the proportions. The two-seater car …
The Ford Mustang Mach-E All Electric SUV
WHEN is a Mustang not a Mustang? When it’s Mach-E, of course. The Ford Mustang…the big, beefy American muscle car with plenty of drift and piles of excitement, is the inspiration for this new crossover-type electric model. But while the diehards might hold up their hands in horror, others are going to be mightily impressed by this piece of engineering …
The Polestar 2 EV, silent and swift
Polestar 2 – A New Swedish EV..the initials are the acronym for an electric vehicle. How long before everyone knows this? Electricity…me: no idea how it works. Faraday was of course a genius. So was Tesla. I hope that Mister Geely (Polestar’s Chinese owner) doesn’t mind me mentioning Tesla, but then billionaires are, we hope, in the end, magnanimous by …
New Ford Kuga PHEV (2020-) Review
The All-New Ford Kuga arrives looking even more like the Focus than, well, the Focus… The Kuga is the blue oval’s most popular SUV in Europe, and the latest model is one of Ford’s most electrified cars to date. The all-new version of the popular SUV comes with a range of powertrains, but it’s the Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) in ST-Line …
Citroën C5 Aircross C-Series, the ‘Comfort Class’ SUV
The Citroën C5 Aircross C-Series, a uniquely styled family car providing class-leading luggage capacity and a strong basic specification From the Citroën press release, the C-Series model is defined as “accentuating the character and comfort of the brand’s models, placing emphasis on colours and materials and equipment that facilitates the in-car experience.” Sounds good, right? Well, let’s find out, as …
Fiesta ST and Focus ST, I’ll take both
Any Ford that bears the “ST” badge is best driven in one of two ways… Anything between those two states is a waste of the car’s abilities (or, as three-times World Champion Jack Brabham once said of Grand Prix racing, “You’re either on the gas or you’re on the brakes; and if you’re not, you’re fucking around.”) I enjoyed establishing …