Vehicle Tests

I ought to come clean here, I like Subarus, I really do. And not for the ‘boy racer’, loud, high street touring idiot reason but because they drive so well. Because the late Colin Mcrae made one fly round rally stages, because they generally do as you ask every time without complaint. I had a lovely Legacy once until someone ...

What is it? The ASX is Mitsubishi’s entry into the compact crossover market in which they believe it will target the style conscious family buyer who wants to upgrade from a C-segment hatchback to a compact SUV.  Thing is, there’s a lot of competition in that particular market with the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Skoda Yeti, Hyundai ...

What is it? This year Suzuki are celebrating 45 years of their first compact SUV, and with global sales of over 2.7million vehicles sold across 188 markets there’s no sign of it slowing down.  In its current guise, this legendary little off roader has hardly changed since 1998 when it was revamped and renamed, as the saying goes, if it ...

Every so often, manufactures arrange driving days so that journo’s can mess around… ahem, I mean drive and properly assess their range of vehicles, and this particular Driving Day was arranged by Mazda up in t’hills of Halifax, Yorkshire.  Being a Lancashire lad I grabbed my passport and made sure that all my jabs were up to date and set ...

  What is it? It’s been said that the Kia Sportage has taken the SUV world by storm since its introduction back in 2010, and it isn’t difficult to see why as the Sportage still looks good with its sleek body, elegant lines and of course Kia’s 7 year, 100,000-mile warranty. In 2014 it was subject to a no extra cost ...

In only its second year, DRIVEit is the UK’s leading dedicated light commercial vehicle exhibition and driving event that’s free, live and interactive.  Based at the world-famous Bruntingthorpe proving ground in Leicestershire, visitors can test drive any of the vehicles on show, and with over 6 miles of test tracks you can give them a true and proper going over.  As ...

Now in its 12th year, Mercedes-Benz’s VanExperience Live was held for the first time at the brilliant Millbrook Testing Facility near Milton Keynes, which as always, proved to be an excellent venue. VanExperience Live takes place for more than 1,900 invited van operators and goes far beyond any normal test drive. It’s a unique opportunity to assess how Mercedes-Benz vans perform ...

Vacant from the market for a number of years, Honda have returned to the sub-compact SUV crossover market that they created, in style. The original HR-V was launched in 1999 and made quite an impact. Surprisingly spacious and versatile for its size, it’s newest guise keeps this trend and raises the bar. With sights set firmly on the Nissan Quashqui ...

I grew up in a home where after coming from nothing, my Dad’s dream was to own a Rolls Royce. After business success he bought his first, a Silver Shadow in the early eighties. This was replaced with a Silver Shadow II in around 1986 and this car remains in the family, still loved by my Dad. As such, I ...

Initial Ponderings Over the last 12 months or so I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with the Mazda6 Tourer, the CX-5 and the nimble Mazda2, and with each vehicle being a genuine joy to drive, I can honestly conclude that I’m becoming a quite a fan of the marque. They’re not just fun to live with either, with Mazda’s ...