Author: Robin Roberts

If you live in the country, the chance’s you’ll like a dark horse such as the Subaru Forester. It is an all-time four-wheel-drive model with good ground clearance, carries and tows a lot but it’ll not cost you an arm and let like most 4WD or SUVs. The Subaru Forester also comes with something rivals clamour, rarity value. You are unlikely to see as many in the lanes and towns as with competitors, and that creates an air of individuality. There are three mechanically similar models of the Forester: XE, Sport and Premium, as we tested here, but they differ…

Honda has joined the modern space race. It has tested the waters before but this time it’s launched a serious strike for the sector that is steadily capturing more sales than ever and currently takes almost 60% of UK registrations. The new Honda ZR-V is probably its strongest competitor against brands that have been reaping the rewards of the mpv and suv market for a few years. Starting with the well-equipped Elegance grade from £39,494, this features 18-inch grey alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, 11 airbags, a rear-view camera, and an eight-speaker audio system. A nine-inch touchscreen display…

New car registrations in Wales shot up 23.8% despite the atrocious July weather, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. It was the same rise as in Northern Ireland but slightly trailed the growth in England of 29.5% and was ahead of Scotland’s 21.6%. New car sales in Wales reached 4,955 registrations last month and the UK totalled 143,561. So far this year, Welsh dealers have seen a 15.6% rise in business. Wales top ten: Ford Puma Toyota Aygo X Vauxhall Mokka Nissan Qashqai Ford Fiesta Ford Kuga Kia Sportage Kia Picanto Audi A3 Nissan Juke UK top…

If you believe pure electric cars are overpriced and underperforming, you haven’t tried the MG4 Trophy. Introduced last autumn as the top model in a new series, the Trophy builds on the success of the ZS suv and MG5 estate and delivers family friendly hatchback practicality wrapped in an eye-catching style. But its beauty is more than skin deep and the versatile Modular Scalable Platform it shares with its stablemates comes with a surprisingly good specification and a price which is highly competitive against its closes rivals. There are three new MG4 EV models; SE standard or long range and…

Honda’s tightened its hold on the SUV sector with this month’s announcement of the ZR-V, squarely aimed at families and retail buyers. The Japanese car-maker has a very loyal following and while it wishes existing owners will consider the newcomer when they want to change, it also hopes to hook in buyers from other brands as the sector now accounts for almost six-in ten new cars registered. For the Honda ZR-V, the emphasis is on proven powertrain technology, very high equipment levels, sporty handling and good economy. Although Honda’s clever magic seats have disappeared in the newcomer, it does provide…

Motorists’ complaints about electric vehicles and dealers selling them are rising, reports The Motor Ombudsman. The latest increase may be put down to a greater number of consumers getting behind the wheel of pure battery-driven models, and the cost of living crisis driving more individuals to recoup financial losses, as pressures on household budgets continue to build. The trouble-shooter dedicated to the motor trade said it received 291 complaints in Q2 versus 273 in Q1, with service and purchase issues dominating concerns and taking up almost a third of complaints. In many instances the problems centered on failing new technology…

Speeding convictions and fines will rise this autumn in Wales after the new default 20mph limit is introduced and Welsh Government ordered the removal of warning repeater signs and funded more camera vans. Existing 20mph repeater signs and soon-to-be illegal 30mph repeater signs will be taken down, offered to English authorities or recycled as scrap. Wales is the first part of the UK to introduce a default 20mph limit. Answering a Freedom of Information request from WheelsWithinWales, the Welsh Government said 20mph repeater signs will not be permitted on the newly reclassified roads and councils will have 12 months to…

The Kia Soul EV was the first modern zero emission model from the Korean manufacturer, one of the earliest compact electric cars and that experience has been put to good use. Originally, the Soul Maxx zero emissions model of 2019 was affected by the pandemics but with that behind us the new third general Soul EV is poised to sweep up sales. The original Maxx powertrain has been refined and we have been testing it with the long-range 64kWh battery and stronger 210bhp motor, which is arguably more practical for many owners than the medium-range 39.2kWh battery and 134bhp motor…

To some motoring journalists the Holy Grail of a range is the entry-level model of any series. Mentioned in price lists but rarely seen in showrooms or on the road, these starter models are often just a price point to get into a sector and destined to become the model of choice in daily rental fleets. Now, I had a former colleague who always bought the entry level model in a range he paid for with his own money and his argument, which is hard to contradict, was that the same engineering expertise and development expense has gone into the…

The Nissan Ariya not only turns heads but has the ability to change minds about electric vehicles. Striking styling both outside and in comes with deep carpets, arm-chair comfort, double-glazed windows and cabin-filling air conditioning, so its better equipped than many homes costing four or five times the Ariya’s list price. It also has a genuine range of about 300 miles. What you get for your money is a lot of technology, luxurious trim and driving systems which you can really use to maximise efficiency, enjoyment and go over 300 miles on a single charge. It’s not a cheap car,…