Giantkiller: Suzuki Swift 1.2 SZ4
Make no mistake, the small car market is a tough environment in which to exist. Look beyond the cutesy appearance and cheeky persona and you’ll find that the modern supermini is a tough little cookie. I won’t go as far as saying it’s a war out there, but there’s a battle for supremacy being fought and small cars don’t pull their punches.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the best selling car in the UK in 2010 and therefore the biggest selling small car was the Ford Fiesta, with some 103k finding new homes. The Vauxhall Corsa sold over 77k, the Volkswagen Polo notched up nearly 46k with the Mini knocking on the door of 42k. This isn’t to mention the likes of the Fiat 500, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Micra and a plethora of other superminis jockeying for position. Read more 
Brief encounter: MINI John Cooper Works Coupé
Social media has revolutionised the business of new car launches. When I were a lad, I had to turn to Autocar & Motor to read all about forthcoming new cars or spy shots. Alternatively, I’d flick through the pages of the local rag or rely on a certain TV programme that used to air at 8.30 on a Thursday night. Well, as Robert Allen Zimmerman may have said, the times they are a changin’. Read more
PetrolBlog takes a SEAT…
“Which one would you take home then?”. That was the question posed as the inaugural ‘#SEATtweetup’ drew to a close earlier this month. Taking a long, hard look up and down the line up of new SEATs, I couldn’t help myself from focusing on the Ibiza. The problem was, this just happened to be the MK1 Ibiza – 1989 vintage. Oh dear. Read more
Škoda at Frankfurt: MissionL accomplished?
If the rumours coming out of Frankfurt are anything to go by, the MissionL is a glimpse into Škoda’s future. As the company gears up for an ambitious global sales target of 1.5 million cars by 2018, the concept shown in Frankfurt is said to closely resemble that of the new car that will slot in between the Fabia and Octavia. In Škoda’s words, this is a ‘close to production ready concept car’.
Maserati Kubang: as if one ‘Super-SUV’ wasn’t enough…
Fans of tasteless and vulgar cars have never had it so good. Hot on the heels of the Eterniti Haemorrhoid comes the Maserati Kubang. What’s the betting that the same person who demanded the creation of the Eterniti also demanded a Maserati SUV?
I’ll start with a positive and say that the Kubang looks slightly better than the 2003 concept car, but that’s a little like saying that being hit around the head with a baseball bat is a little less painful than being hit with a sledgehammer. Read more
Copy Cat: Peugeot 508 GT HDi 200
The life of a photocopier toner salesman can be a lonely existence. The seemingly endless days spent negotiating Britain’s A-roads and motorways in search of that elusive order. The result is that the hapless salesman will invariably see more of their car than their own home and his children will recognise the postman before they recognise him. But he does have a unique and unrivalled knowledge of the road. He’ll be on first name terms with the waitresses in the Little Chef and he’ll have his own named parking space outside the Travelodge at Toddington Services. The photocopier toner salesman isn’t the king of the road, he is the road. Read more
Eterniti Hemera: So who asked for a ‘Super-SUV’?
Come on, own up. Who asked for a ‘Super-SUV’?
Who in their right mind woke up one morning and decided that what the world needs most right now is a ‘Super-SUV’?
Well whoever you are, please proceed to the corner of the room, bow your head in shame and promise never to open your mouth again. Because, my friend, the result is the Eterniti Hemera. Read more
Suzuki reveals the new Swift Sport
Last year, the Suzuki Swift Sport stole my heart and drove away with the title of PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2010. It therefore comes as no surprise that I’m just a little bit excited about the prospect of a new Swift Sport. Expected to go on sale in 2012, the car will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.
Take your seats: Volvo V60 T6 Polestar
I’ve never taken an electronics shop for a hot lap of the Nurburgring, but if I did, I have a feeling it would be much like my recent experience in the Volvo V60 T6 Polestar. Not only is the car loaded with technical gadgetry and wizardry, but it’s also a bit rapid.
The headline figures say it all. A 6-cylinder 3.0 litre engine, 329bhp and a top speed limited to 155mph, so there’s no doubting the performance. But to borrow a phrase from a well known tyre company, this power would be nothing without control, so it’s just as well that the T6 comes with a Haldex all-wheel drive system. Without it, the V60 T6 would either be torque steering for the next decade or planted firmly in a hedge. There’s only one word that can be used to describe the power and that’s ‘brutal’.
The lion wakes tonight: Peugeot RCZ GT THP 200
Regardless of what you think about the Peugeot RCZ, if you’re a petrolhead then you should be mighty pleased that it exists. Because, although the RCZ is far from perfect, it represents a clear turning point for Peugeot and is quite possibly the first genuinely desirable Pug in a decade. Who knows, maybe Peugeot will shortly be making a car that finally puts an end to the tiresome ‘is it as good as a 205 GTi’ comparison used for modern hot hatches? Read more
Economy drive? Volvo S60 DRIVe SE
On the face of it, there’s much to admire about the Volvo S60 DRIVe SE. The level of quality is exceptional, the standard of safety is astonishing and on paper at least, the economy credentials are eye catching. Having given the C30 T5 Polestar a glowing reference, I was keen to see if the brilliance could be carried into the rest of the range, so where better place to start than Volvo’s 3-series and Mondeo rival, the S60? Read more
First impressions: Volvo S60 DRIVe SE
This week I’ll be spending some in the company of the Volvo S60 DRIVe. You may have noticed that I recently took a shine to the C30 T5, so it was only natural that I’d want to check out the rest of the Volvo range. But rather than opt for another hot Volvo, I thought I’d give one of the more frugal models a run out. After all, we are still living in an age of austerity. Read more
SMMT Day: Speed dating with cars
This week I was invited to the annual SMMT Day at the Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire. Put simply, the SMMT Day involves automotive journalists and bloggers getting together in a central place with the primary aim of driving as many cars as possible. Or as I like to call it, speed dating with cars. OK, there’s also the opportunity to mingle with the good folk of the UK press offices, but in truth, the real attraction is the vast selection of cars available to drive. Think ‘kid in a sweet shop’ and you’d have some idea as to how it felt to be there. Read more
Safe sex: Volvo C30 T5 R-Design Polestar
The C30 is Volvo’s attempt at reaching out to a younger audience and winning a few conquest customers. Based on the S40, it is available solely in a 3-door, 4-seat configuration and having been launched in the latter stages of 2006, it is somewhat of a familiar sight on British roads. Having Ford’s C1 platform means it should be dynamically sound and as you’d expect, safety is a key part of the C30′s make-up.
This review follows a week driving the cooking T5 R-Design with Polestar upgrade, a model that shares the same 2.5 litre 5-cylinder engine as the previous generation Focus ST, so I had high hopes for this car. But does it make for a viable alternative to the BMW 1-series or Audi A3? Read more
Suzuki Jimny: How not to do video reviews
At a recent Suzuki press launch, we were given the keys to a Suzuki Jimny, pointed in the direction of a nearby field and told to have some fun. Well it would be rude not to take up the opportunity, so here’s James Batchelor doing a couple of laps of the field. Read more
Driving simplicity: Mitsubishi Lancer Juro
The Mitsubishi Lancer Juro isn’t a bad car. But then it isn’t a great car either. Indeed, I spent the first half of my week with the car bemoaning the fact that the car is so incredibly dull. But then, as the week went on I began to realise that this is perhaps the car’s biggest selling point. No, I’m not suggesting that Mitsubishi markets the car on a proposition of dullness, but there’s a lot to be said for good honest motoring. Let me explain. Read more
Brief encounter: Suzuki Swift 4×4
In truth, the Swift 4×4 shouldn’t really have been at Suzuki’s recent press event. The invitation spoke about the revisions to the Splash and waxed lyrical about the new Kizashi, but there was no mention of the Swift. Read more
Survivor: Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 SZ5
Cast your mind back to 1988. In the film world, Rain Man outgrossed Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Bruce Willis donned a white vest for the first ever Die Hard movie. In the pop charts, Cliff Richard claimed the Christmas number one with Mistletoe and Wine, whilst Milli Vanilli were still claiming to actually sing their own songs. Read more
Suzuki Swift Sport: successor to the throne?
There’s been lots of talk recently about the new offerings from Ferrari, Aston Martin, Pagani and Mini, to name but a few. But if I’m honest, there’s one car that is exciting me more than anything else and that’s the replacement for the Suzuki Swift Sport. If I’d managed to get to Geneva 2011, this would be the car I’d be hunting down. Read more
Close, but no cigar: Honda CR-Z
I really wanted to like the CR-Z, Honda’s new hybrid 2+2 coupé.
Being billed as a modern-day successor to the CR-X is always going to stir my imagination. But with the Type-R badge currently unemployed in the UK, the CR-Z is the only way to enjoy a hot Honda. Priced from £17,360, the CR-Z emits 117 g/km of CO2 and attracts zero road tax. Honda also claims that the car is capable of combined 56.5 mpg. So, a sporty coupé that’s cheap to run and doesn’t kill polar bears. Job done – surely we’ve found a contender for PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2011? Read more
