There was a time when Kia was known for selling tough but somewhat agricultural cars that appealed for their straightforward approach, but not their finesse. Then in 2006 it launched the original cee’d and kickstarted a mission to completely transform how its brand was perceived.
Enthusiasts were wary when the Elise SC arrived in 2008. After all, the svelte Lotus had always been about lightness, purity and immediate response – yet the SC variant, for the first time in the Elise’s history, eschewed natural aspiration for supercharging. Continue reading >>>
A really great driver’s car can be so breathtakingly beautiful that you’d swear it was conceived by Michelangelo himself, or it can look like the back end of a pig. However, in the world of great driver’s cars, beauty is entirely incidental. It simply does not matter. Each of the following five points, on the other hand, is absolutely fundamental. For each one, we’ve highlighted a car that is a shining example of the discipline.
This week’s top stories picked by our editors feature debut news about the Toyota Supra, the promise of a Bugatti SUV, and a new Niro spokesperson. Continue reading >>>
Engineering, value and practicality: those are the qualities Skoda believes to be behind its success. Successful it is too, with recent record sales driven by the launch of its pair of SUVs, the Kodiaq and smaller Karoq. A full electrification strategy is around the corner too, with four plug-in hybrid and six fully electric cars due to join the range between 2020 and 2025. However, none of that is to say Skoda has forgotten the role that’s to be played by its smaller, more conventional cars – which is precisely how we find ourselves behind the wheel of the freshly revised Fabia.
You could say the 2018 Paris Motor Show is as notable for what isn’t there as what is there. Absentees include Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bentley, Ford, McLaren, Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen and Volvo, among others.
Few cars strike the balance between aspiration and accessibility as expertly as the BMW 3 Series. Since the original appeared in 1975 the 3 Series has been the car of choice for those who want an upmarket image, superb build quality and sublime handling. In total more than 15 million have been sold – which makes the arrival of an all-new version somewhat important.
With its 30th anniversary looming, the Mazda MX-5 has never looked more appealing. Early models can be picked up for less than £1,000, and from here on there really is an MX-5 for every budget. For now, the options top out with the car tested here, the 2019 MX-5 complete with a revised engine for an even more exciting driving experience.
This week’s top stories picked by our editors feature a Mercedes hot hatch, Ikea-designed car interiors, and a Jetsons-style flying car. Continue reading >>>
More research has come out that we drivers are a very distracted bunch; voice-activated assistants in our cars are marketed as tools to fight distracted driving. But voice-activated technology like Alexa and Siri can make drivers more distracted, not less. It just depends on how drivers choose to use this kind of tech. Continue reading >>>