Author: Robin Roberts

Style and safety go hand in hand with Volvo, but today you can add success to that shopping list, as so many Brits did in 2021. In a UK market which saw just 1% expansion, the Volvo line up increased 4% to 48,260 cars giving them a record 2.93% share of the British total. Most of that came from the new Volvo Recharge PHEVs and pure electric models which doubled in demand and accounted for 37% of registrations. Alongside, its used cars Selekt programme went up 12%. Volvo boosted its Recharge powertrain last autumn and immediately picked up awards, sales…

The company moved to Tonypandy as part of the UK Government’s encouragement to boost jobs in South Wales following WW2 and it started production in 1947 for Land Rover. Work expanded and it was a significant supplier to car and light commercial vehicles over the next 70 years but the contraction in vehicle manufacturing in the UK combined with the global decline of the automotive sector along with the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic and semi-conductor shortages has made the plant unsustainable. In a statement issued this week, Allevard, which has been part of the Sogefi Group since 1999,…

With escalating costs of serious 4×4 cars and sports utilities it’s little wonder that edgy pickups have cornered the market, and one of the most popular series is the Isuzu D-Max. There are Utility, DL20, DL40 and V-Cross derivatives built on the same chassis, using the common powertrain with 6sp manual or automatic transmissions and nearly all 4WD, but their cab space varies along with payload so buyers have maximum choice of model for any particular purpose. Building purely commercial vehicles allows Isuzu to concentrate on a specific sector where work comes first but they recognise in the harshest conditions…

Everyone has their own opinion on supercars, but few would say one virtue is how slowly they can go and still excite,writes Robin Roberts.  Evolved from the 488 series, the Ferrari F8 Spider blends the performance of the more track focused Pista with the practicality of the GTB and creates a very useable supercar with its own personality. Add the versatility of a folding metal roof which operates in 14 seconds and you have a car that comfortably copes with the worst and wonderful best of British weather. The engine is the familiar 3.9 litre V8 which can trace its…

When it comes to choosing your new car it’s not always obvious that the better choice is not your first choice. Buyers who pour over print or on-line reviews can become numbed to the choices and models laid out before their eyes. Badge envy may blur vision and the surreal experience is sometimes far from reality. You have to physically get into a car and experience it to fully appreciate it and anyone who tells you different either does not want to sell you the car or is secretly worried its shortcomings may show up and you’ll shove off to…

The sporting Mustang name has been cloned from the muscle car launched in the mid-60s and its seventh generation becomes the brand’s longest-lived nameplate. The Mustang Mach-E is a family SUV and therefore vitally important to Ford with a choice of models based on standard or extended range batteries, rear or all-wheel-drive and software tweaked to give economy or exciting performance. Some equipment and styling changes distinguish the models to the users and viewers’ eyes and reflect in the prices from about £42,530 to £66,280 and at the upper end the Mustang Mach-E becomes the highest priced model ever sold…

The five-seat pure-electric Skoda Enyaq sits at the top of their range and takes them into a new sector populated by premium brands which command very high prices and can mask the cost of their pure-battery technology. In that comparison, the Enyaq is not that expensive but to anyone who remembers the bargain small cars Skoda formerly made it’s in another league. It’s really a very big step up in terms of sophistication and comfort, and comes with a choice of 179ps 62kW or 204ps 82kW battery that can be nearly fully charged in under 40 minutes at best or…

Audi has been one of the most successful brands in modern times as it aims squarely at making the cars people want to buy like their Q3. Initially launched in 2011 with a mid-life facelift afterwards, the larger second generation hit the road in 2018 sitting on the latest versatile MQB platform from the Volkswagen Group and offers for the first time a plug-in hybrid powertrain in the massive 40-strong range alongside pure petrol or diesel engines. Today there are tall SUV or lower Sportback body styles, five-trim levels and a big engine range, choice of front or four-wheel-drive and…

SEAT broke new ground for itself when launching the Arona subcompact crossover in 2017 slotting beneath the slightly larger Ateca and it’s strengthened itself with a completely new look outside and in together with a host of technical upgrades The industry has been falling over itself to bring in crossover models between MPVs and hatchbacks due to their wider practicality and versatility, and SEAT couldn’t be left out of this ever widening sector so came up with this Ibiza-derived five-door, five-seater. Other manufacturers have done the same but the Arona is definitely one of the best, thanks to its excellent…

The arrival of the Genesis GV80 this autumn will give those who want to be different, to make an automotive statement, a new way to express themselves. Genesis chief creative officer is Peruvian-born Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, who before joining the Korean company in 2015 headed up design in Volkswagen’s Bentley and Lamborghini divisions, knows his way around big stylish SUVs and it shows in the GV80. Some have termed the GV80 a bargain Bentayga and its upright profile, matrix-nose and substantial tail certainly turn heads in the way the Crewe SUV does. What’s more, slip inside and the rich leatherwork…