Author: Robin Roberts

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,…

Built in Sunderland since 2006 when it was launched, the Nissan Qashqai has been an enduring success story. It was one of the first modern generation Crossover models and instantly won hearts and minds, not forgetting bank accounts, of British buyers, rolling into new generations in 2013 and 2021. It was Britain’s best selling car in 2022 and it’s also picked up UK awards for reliability and low running costs so it’s as relevant today as it was 17 years ago. The introduction of the e-Power model last year was a landmark, harnessing Nissan group’s experience with electric drive and…

The sector has pulled in completely new brands from China alongside off-shoots of European and Asian manufacturers who all want a piece of this increasingly important “green” branch of the high earning business. SEAT first launched its sporting Cupra sub-brand in the 1990s on hotter models of its petrol-powered line up, taking its name from Cup Racing and reflected its performance on tracks and rally stages around the world. But things were changing in the naughties and the competition in the market place revolved around developing electric models so SEAT looked into the parts bins of its parent Volkswagen Group…

SEAT Leon has raised its game in the very competitive family car sector as the industry slowly pulls away from the Covid pandemic and components shortages. It was unfortunate timing for the comprehensively revised Leon to be announced three years ago to date and all the changes are only now really appreciated. The new-look SEAT Leon comes in six trim levels from just under £23,335 with a choice of Hatchback or Estate style, petrol, diesel, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, six-speed manual and DSG automatic transmission, rising to £33,525. Our test car sits mid-range and is a nod to…

Move over supercars, there’s a new head turner on the road, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Talked about for a few years and on sale last year in Britain, the very retro Buzz is one of the rare newcomers that manages to break with modern convention by being old-school conventional. Borrowing styling cues from the famous VW dubs of a few decades ago yet sweeping up the latest technology along the way it’s a package which cannot fail to please. It’s a modern people mover par excellence which does what you’d expect and a few things you’d not expect, while looking…

KIA sales are soaring in Britain and to keep ahead it has seemingly taken a step back with the latest generation of the popular Soul EV. KIA Soul was launched in 2008 after the company looked to its Californian styling studio for a new model to appeal to the 18-35 year old American buyer market and its concept creation debuted at the Detroit motor show in 2006. The production model broke cover at the 2008 Paris Motor Show but a completely new second generation with larger proportions was shown in New York and Frankfurt motor shows in 2013 and went…

We tested the double-cab Musso back in late 2022 and were impressed with its room and practical points and as we were giving it the once over, SsangYong Motor UK announced a little extension to the range. Actually it added 12-inches to the loadbed of the top specification Saracen, adding a + sign to denote its growth. Some may think that 12-inches is hardly worth adding but for those who really use the pick up as intended it transforms the Musso Saracen+ into a model with the greatest payload in its class and when you are working to a budget…

Two Welsh enthusiasts behind the world’s largest private members’ supercar club have partnered with exclusive villa and country-house businesses and brought the business back to Wales for a growing number of local members. Auto Vivendi supercar club members from around the world will now be able to select breaks at luxury rental properties throughout the UK and have a supercar at their disposal for part or all the time they are away. Auto Vivendi is the brainchild of Maesteg-born Richard Thomas and Craig Williams, from Usk, and they have built it up with a collection of 30+ cars which are…

The Nissan Juke has been with us for over a decade but it can still hold its own against rivals now it has been given a Hybrid powertrain. It has just picked up five-stars for safety as well so it’s not lacking where it matters for many families. In production since 2010, the Juke crossover sits below the larger Qashqai and was intended to have a more sporting appeal than its stable-mate with which it shares powertrains but there have only been two generations of the series with the current debuting in 2019. Over the years, the Nissan Juke has…