Author: Robin Roberts

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. 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 series from its parent partner. Cupra became a brand in its own right in 2018 with a very hot-hatchback but, of course, the market has evolved in three decades and now it’s distinctive triangular copper coloured badge is thrusting forward on a range of SUVs. The…

The Ford Puma has consistently featured in Britain’s top ten popular cars for all the right reasons. From launch in 2019 as natural evolution of the Fiesta hatchback, the Puma SUV has fitted the bill for thousands of families. It’s fairly compact dimensions enclose a deceptively practical and versatile body with a clever mild hybrid 48-volt power pack assisting a surprisingly small 1.0 Ecoboost three cylinder petrol engine. The combination is good with generally seamless power delivery and good economy potential and in the case of our test car the added refinement of a seven-speed automatic sequential transmission to ease…

The familiar Tivoli mid-sized suv has been relaunched and refocused to take on rivals which offer less to an increasingly cost-conscious client base. Introduced in 2015 under a SsangYong badge before the manufacturer ran into trouble and then relaunched as KGM with improvements inside and out in 2024 so we have just one trim level, the K40, with a 1.5 litre petrol engine and choice of manual or automatic transmission in just five colours. The models rise from £23,030 for the manual version to £24,550 for the automatic, but there are a host of purchase and pcp options available Taking…

Value for money rarely comes with the sophistication and refinement of the Skoda Superb SE L Estate. 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 in the family group with VW or Audi badges. There are hatchback and estate bodystyles with a wide choice of petrol, diesel or phevs power from just under £37,000 to almost £45,100 but there may be offers on some models…

A century after the brand was created, MG sports cars have been reimagined for today’s motoring generations. The 2024 launch of the MG Cyberster turned heads with the two-seater convertible’s dramatic styling and opened-eyes with its performance as the world’s first fully electric open-topped sports car. It was a brave decision by MG’s Chinese owners SAIC but thinking out of the box set them apart and put them in a place any manufacturer would want to be – in demand. With designers and engineers based in the traditional home of MG at Longbridge, Birmingham, and colleagues in Shanghai, China, the…

The Toyota Prius was ahead of its time when created and today’s model still sets standards for others to aim at achieving. 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, which has been a saloon as well as a lift-back. It is one of the most popular of Toyota’s model range fulfilling the role of a family car as well as being a model of choice among taxi drivers around the world, but with the…

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 hidden jem in the shape of the classic saloon. Yes, a car with a boot which does not break the bank has been retained.  The Mazda3 has been in production since 2003 and four generations have rolled off lines across the Far East. In some…

It may be unknown to many but KGM has aspirations to become the brand you’ll desire to drive. The former SsangYong manufacturer went bust twice in recent years but in 2022 was rescued by Korean conglomerate KG Mobility which is pursuing a clear programme of new model introductions in conjunction with the resources of Gibralta-based Bassadone Automotive Group, founded in 1904, which works with Toyota and Jeep and has franchises across the Continent. The first fruit of this new-found investment by KGM is the third-generation Actyon, first released between 2005 and 2011 and then from 2012 to 2018. Further vehicles…

Think family cars and I bet the next image in any driver’s eyes is a Volvo. Once associated with the immensely practical, purposeful and frills-free Estates, the company has undergone a rejuvenation and now offers a range of sophisticated SUVs brimming with the latest safety technology. They also started off big to sell to the US market but realised they needed to offer a more compact SUV models for Europe. That process of change was started by the XC40 series in about 2018 which spawned petrol and diesel models before moving with the times and into the electric age. After…

The highly popular Suzuki Vitara has been given a make-over for 2025 to enhance the appeal of this already highly competitive medium sized SUV. The Vitara hybrid remains a strong selling model in the range and Suzuki has redefined its styling, raised the level of standard equipment and technology as well as further improved hybrid efficiency to stretch the mileage range. Vitara now utilises the Motion and Ultra grade names which follows on from being introduced previously for S-Cross, Swace and Swift models. Various changes include a re-designed front grille and bumper, rear upper spoiler incorporating rear window side spoilers,…