Mercedes-Benz G-Class review: The sensible status symbol SUV Life&Style The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen has preened and flexed in so many rap videos, my teenage son assumed the ‘G’ stood for ‘Gangster’. Imagine his disappointment, then, when I dutifully pointed out the name is a contraction of the German word Geländewagen – literally translated as ‘go-anywhere car’. Were his eyes not already glazing over at this [...]
New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster will be ready for the summer Life&Style Aston Martin seems to be on a roll at present, with a raft of new and updated sports cars launched during the past 12 months. Following in the tyre tracks of the mid-engined Valhalla hypercar, limited-edition Valiant and new V12 Vanquish, the latest arrival from this British marque is the 2025 Vantage Roadster. Based on [...]
Polestar 2 review: Popular premium EV now tops 400 miles Life&Style First launched in 2022, the Polestar 2 was the first fully electric model from the Chinese-owned Swedish brand. However, things move fast in the EV market, so Polestar has given its stylish crossover a substantial overhaul. The Polestar 2 faces a lot more competition than when it initially went on sale. The market for electric [...]
Rolls-Royce to invest £300m in Goodwood as buyers go bespoke January 8, 2025 Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce has announced a £300 million boost for its Goodwood headquarters. The investment represents the largest injection of capital since the West Sussex factory opened in 2003. Originally home to 300 staff, the Goodwood facility started out by building one car per day. Now more than 2,500 people work at the ‘Home [...]
Audi R8 V10 GT RWD review: A last blast in a landmark supercar January 8, 2025 The R8 was Audi’s first supercar – and might be its last. R8 production has already stopped and it won’t be replaced. After 18 years, two generations and countless special editions, this run-out V10 GT RWD (one of 333 cars worldwide, and only 15 allocated to the UK) is the end of the road. I [...]
Porsche 911 Carrera 2025 review: Sensible sports car still sparkles January 7, 2025 For 40 years, the entry-level Porsche 911 has been called ‘Carrera’. Back in 1984, a 911 3.2 Carrera developed 231hp, accelerated to 62mph in 5.6 seconds and cost £31,950. For comparison, the new 911 Carrera driven here serves up 394hp, blasts to 62mph in 3.9 seconds and has a list price of £99,800. According to [...]
Best cars of 2024 – From the new Aston Martin Vantage to the McLaren Artura Spider December 13, 2024 The car industry is facing strong headwinds, from import tariffs to mandated EV sales targets. Despite it all, though, 2024 has produced some genuinely exciting new cars, many of which we were lucky enough to drive. This isn’t a round-up of the ‘best’ cars of the year; many of the vehicles listed here are totally [...]
Kalmar 9X9 review: Exclusive drive of new Porsche-based hypercar December 11, 2024 Britain’s best-selling car in 1986 was the fourth-generation Ford Escort. In aptly named Popular spec, it had a 50hp 1.1-litre engine that could wheeze to 62mph in 18.2 seconds and nudge 90mph. The Escort brochure boasted of plastic head restraints, a lidded glovebox and ‘door panels with the unexpected luxury of cloth inserts’. Meanwhile, on [...]
Callum Skye: first look inside the radical, British-built EV December 11, 2024 Callum has revealed the interior of the new Skye – a mould-breaking, British-made electric off-roader, due in 2026. The Skye’s cabin is surprisingly spacious for a compact car, including two child-sized rear seats that fold down to boost luggage capacity. Its minimalist aesthetic is combined with high-end materials, plus near-endless scope for personalisation. I sat [...]
I drove a Rolls-Royce Spectre through a super storm December 9, 2024 It’s chucking it down in the airport pick-up zone, the soundtrack a cacophony of announcements, slamming doors, rat-a-tatting wheelie-suitcases, flapping umbrellas and the dull drone of aircraft taking off and landing. The waiting Rolls-Royce’s door closes behind me, and, cosseted inside a shell of black and Tango-orange, things are dramatically different. Rolls-Royce enjoyed record sales [...]