Author: Robin Roberts

Reality shows are all the rage and if there was one about vehicles I think the survivor would be the Toyota HiLux. It has faced and overcome challenges such as being blown up in a building being demolished and drowned in a rising tide, only to start up with what I would term “tinkering”, apart from needing to replace a broken windscreen when it was dug out of the building rubble. There are also numerous on-line videos of HiLux models of a certain age still starting and running in jungles, deserts and sometimes without conventional seats. The Toyota HiLux is…

It can be hard learning to drive, but relearning brings a whole new skill set into the driver’s seat of the latest Tesla Model Y dual motor. Tesla is a pioneer in the new age of electric cars and after their first Model X SUV hit the market in 2015 it then rolled out the Model 3 saloon two years later and completed its range with the larger SUV Model Y in 2020. Within three years the Model Y overtook the Toyota Corolla to become the world’s best selling car and the first electric model to achieve that remarkable result.…

When the world’s best selling car gets a significant makeover, you have to take a serious look at the Toyota Corolla. Launched in 1966, the Corolla became the best selling car in the world eight years later, overtaking the Beetle in 1997 for total sales and in 2021 went on to exceed 50 million models, being made in ten countries. It was also the platform for the Daihatsu Charmant from 1974 to late 1980s built in Japan and since 2020, the  Suzuki Swace is a cheaper version of the Corolla and is made in Burnaston, Derby assembly plant for European…

If you have a big family I don’t think there is anything to touch the Hyundai Santa Fe when it comes to room, comfort and interior design features at this price. Aimed squarely at the US market to begin with, this is a big, very big car, which fills and sometimes overhangs most parking bays. There is large and then there’s extra large, a category the Hyundai flagship model really fulfils. The Santa Fe was Hyundai’s first SUV and launched in 2001, five generations ago in the model series and today comes in Premium, Ultimate and new Calligraphy trim levels…

Ford has been a hesitant entrant into the modern BEV market, but is quickly making up ground with models such as the Explorer SUV. While it used its own technology for the Mustang electric sports car, to cut costs and development time it turned to Volkswagen to create the Explorer SUV derived from the ID.4 platform and powertrain. That’s not a bad thing for buyers even if it does show Ford was behind the ball with BEV technology development a few years ago. The Explorer comes in Select or Premium trim levels with a RWD or AWD covering six models,…

Revised, repriced and released this Spring, the Subaru Forester is ready to take on rivals in the serious SUV sector in 2025.  Launched in 1997 on the back of a very impressive rallying impact by Subaru, the Forester was aimed squarely at the expanding SUV sector but in particular the country dweller who’d appreciate simple yet effective full-time all-wheel-drive. Here was something to pull a horsebox or agricultural trailer or possibly actually tow your Impreza to an event. Over five million have been sold. The new Subaru Forester range comprises the Limited from  £38,995, Field at £41,545 or Touring £44,100.…

Skoda has something for everyone in its family friendly range beginning with their baby suv, the Kamiq. Launched in 2019 as Skoda’s smallest suv, the Kamiq shares its floorpan with the Seat Arona and Volkswagen T-Cross, but offers more interior room. To maintain family resemblances, the Kamiq shares a similar face to the larger Skoda SUVs, the Karoq, Enyaq and Kodiaq but comes as a more compact package. To keep down costs and with space limitations,  the engines are not hybrid but the biggest version has a clever cylinder deactivation feature allowing it to automatically run on half of its…

The new flagship Mazda CX-80 is poised to make a big impression in the luxury multi-seat SUV sector. New car sales went and are going through a tough time but it must be said that in 2024 Mazda did better than most. Mazda UK sales director Laura Brailey told us global registrations for the brand rose 11% last year to a record 1.4 M and in Britain it intended to lift its current 117 dealership outlets to about 126 by filling open points by 2026. “We have seen a downturn in private sales but we know more people have moved…

The Ford Capri name is back and turning heads some 55 years after the original model. The first Ford Capri designed by the same man who styled the Ford Mustang was produced from 1969 to 1986 and covered three generations with two million models registered. Originally made in Ford Halewood, Liverpool plant, the new all-electric Capri uses the Volkswagen Group platform and battery and is assembled in Cologne, Germany. Whether or not you consider the new Capri launched in 2024 is a worthy successor to the original you cannot fail to spot some styling influences in the latest version, probably…

The Government has announced a relaxation of electric vehicle sales targets to help the car industry in the face of trade tariffs from the US and a slow take up for pure electric cars without manufacturer incentives costing them millions of pounds. It is what the motor industry and component suppliers have been asking for over the last few months when it became apparent the planned introduction date of  2030 would not be achievable. It has already slipped back on the Continent. Now, a ban selling new pure petrol and diesel cars will still come into effect in 2030, but…