Author: Robin Roberts

It’s hard to precisely put your finger on it, but it’s fair to say that the BMW 420i M Sport Coupe fits like a glove around a driver. A development from the 3-series Coupe and Convertibles, the 4-series has been in the range since 2013 and today comes in both bodystyles as well as a Gran Coupe with a choice of four or six cylinder petrol engines with rear or all wheel drive and some fully electric versions. The range spans the £45,300 to £63, 340 bracket and the most popular is our test car’s specification. The standard model’s price…

The Mini has been part of the British and European car market for over 65 years and is still not ready to be pensioned off against much younger rivals. Since becoming part of the BMW Group in 1994 the famous British Leyland and subsequent Rover Group models have been completely reinvented, modernised and brought very much up to date. You only have to look at the current range to appreciate it has something for everyone while still retaining its distinctive eye-catching and trendy styling both externally and inside. The MINI range covers both petrol and electric models with three-doors, five…

To some it looks like a version of the MINI it has helped build in its homeland of China in a deal with BMW, but it comes at a price which really takes on the bigger names. There are three models in the GWM Ora 03 range, and after the EV-grant the costs are £21,245 Pure, £25,235 Pro and GT at £29,245 with a 48kWh battery in the entry model and 63kWh battery in the others. With the bigger battery in the test car the charging time from a 7kW home unit is 7.2hrs and with a maximum 64kW boost…

Audi has dealt a clever hand and a blow to rivals by offering petrol or diesel mild hybrid new versions of its highly popular Q5 rather than go down the pure electric road now being taken by competitors. It is, simply, building and selling the cars customers are asking for in their lives. They are also a lot cheaper than pure battery electric vehicles. While initially sold with a self-charging 48-volt motor, there will be plug in hybrids joining the range in the near future. Now in its third series, the range comprises six versions with petrol or diesel engines,…

It’s not turned a wheel on British roads but already been rated as one of the safest cars you can buy. The all-new Mazda6e has achieved a maximum five-star rating by Euro NCAP in its recent series of tests. In the two categories of Adult Occupant and Child Occupant protection, Mazda’s latest all-electric model scored an excellent 93%. The Mazda6e was also rated 74% for the protection of Vulnerable Road Users and 77% for its Safety Assist systems. The Mazda6e’s 93% score in Adult Occupancy included maximum points in the side barrier test and good or adequate protection to all…

Making the right car at the right time is an objective all manufacturers aim to achieve but do not always reach and the 21st century has been decades of decisions and, generally, success for Skoda. After producing some of the ropiest cars sold across Europe in second half of the 20th century, Skoda became part of the massive Volkswagen Group in 1991 and their models and fortunes dramatically changed. Once the bargain brand of VW which reworked previous models as they were superseded, the current Skoda line up is, in fact, a parallel range utilising the Group’s enormous engineering resources…

About 80 years ago, Volkswagen began building its empire making a car for the people and it’s never lost sight of that objective which is neatly fulfilled in the Tayron. It is a car very much made for today’s markets around the world and fills the gap between its top of range Touareg and five-seat Tiguan with the widest powertrain possibilities in a seven model series of four trim levels from approximately £41,000 to £54,000. There are petrol, diesel, mild and plug-in hybrids. All it lacks, for now, is a full electric version, but the PHEV we tested has an…

If quirkiness won car awards, the Hyundai Inster Cross would silently sweep up a red carpet and win. In our week with this highly distinctive city car from the massive Hyundai & Kia group it continuously attracted attention whether moving or parked, including in traffic queues. I can think of nothing since the Nissan Cube which has elicited such excitement with people pointing, or extending necks to take it all in when sitting beside you or behind in traffic. Not that they had to stretch very far because the Inster is not a big car but really a city car…

Luxury MPVs are a rare sight in the UK, but Lexus has joined the game with the LM350 – a people carrier that wants to deliver limousine levels of comfort. It takes aim at the likes of Mercedes’ V-Class and other premium German offerings, yet adds a unique Japanese twist with focus on refinement, exclusivity and efficiency. A brief background The LM badge first appeared in 2019 as a petrol-only model for the Far East, but it wasn’t until the second generation arrived in 2023 that a hybrid option was introduced and sales expanded into Europe. The LM350h is the…

When you discover your car’s glovebox can only be opened by an electric switch you realise you’re driving something a bit different, a bit special and out of the ordinary. The discovery was made as we sat transfixed by the sheer complexity of the Polestar 3’s infotainment and driving display contained in a 14.5-inch laptop-like portrait screen in the centre of the fascia. And that was just the start before we ventured further and had even moved off. At this point we need to stress the importance or necessity of becoming fully acquainted with what is hidden deep behind that…