Alpine A290 GTS review: 2025’s most exciting EV turns up the heat Life&Style The reborn Renault 5 has already won almost every automotive award going in 2025, including the European Car of the Year title. It’s the greatest comeback since Elvis Presley at Burbank Studios in 1968, or Niki Lauda at the Italian Grand Prix in 1976. If the electric Renault is the best thing since sliced baguette, [...]
Morgan Supersport 2025 review: Judging a book by its cover Life&Style Question: what do Donald Trump, the Morgan Supersport and Britain’s best-selling brand of yeast extract have in common? Answer: they all polarise people, like taking a pick-axe to the pie chart of public opinion. So, you will either love how the Supersport looks or you absolutely won’t. Sitting on the fence is seemingly not an [...]
Mazda CX-80 PHEV review: Hybrid SUV does things differently If you had contemplated buying a Mazda CX-60 SUV, but wanted to carry seven people, the new CX-80 could be the answer. With an upmarket image, it’s a more affordable challenger to vehicles such as the Land Rover Discovery and Audi Q7. Despite its considerable size, the CX-80 is not the largest SUV made by [...]
Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 68 Edition: Praise the Ford May 30, 2025 If this was a pitch on Dragons’ Den, it’s hard to imagine anyone agreeing to invest. “We’re bringing back the Ford Escort after 25 years of absence.” (Deborah Meaden arches an eyebrow.) “It won’t be legal to drive on the road.” (Stephen Bartlett slowly shakes his head). “And it will cost upwards of £300,000.” (Peter [...]
Frontline MGA Factory Edition review: Best of British May 28, 2025 Blatting between overgrown hedgerows, past a village green and a country pub, the little MG seems energised by the sunshine that dapples its polished chrome and British Racing Green coachwork. This could easily be a scene from 1955, and the idyllic England that lives in our collective imagination. From the driver’s seat, though, it feels [...]
Aston Martin Vantage Roadster review: An emotional high May 28, 2025 Six-point-eight seconds. No, that isn’t how long the Vantage Roadster takes to reach 62mph (it got there 3.2 seconds ago), but the time needed for its roof to go from open to closed. Aston Martin says this is ‘fastest fully automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market today’. And believe me, when the Alpine weather [...]
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid 2025 review: Work, rest and play May 21, 2025 Book a Porsche press car and there’s a good chance it will be delivered by a Cayenne. The vehicles often travel inside a covered trailer, which is hauled to all corners of the UK by this particular workhorse. “I love them. They’re just so capable and comfortable,” says the driver as he unloads my showroom-fresh [...]
Maserati GranTurismo Folgore review: Nice but niche May 20, 2025 After five years in development, Maserati recently scrapped plans for its fully electric supercar: the MC20 Folgore. Blamed on ‘insufficient demand in the super sports car market for a battery electric vehicle’, the decision reflects a wider challenge for the automotive industry. In short, car enthusiasts don’t feel enthusiastic about EVs. Where does that leave [...]
Bentley Flying Spur Speed review: Luxury limo or super saloon? May 1, 2025 Finally, the car industry has some clarity. The prime minister confirmed this month that hybrid cars – i.e. those that combine a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor – can still be sold in the UK until 2035. Going fully electric from 2030 would be “too soon”, said Keir Starmer, who expressed his [...]
Can a Young Driver training course reduce accidents by 80 per cent? April 29, 2025 On the 18th of June 1996, I passed my driving test. On the 19th of June 1996, I wrote off my Mini City E by parking it in the back of a BMW. For a 17-year-old who aspired to be a motoring journalist, it wasn’t the most auspicious start. To prevent my son from suffering [...]
