Ford’s new Focus is an accomplished car – at least at the upper trim levels – but does the high-end Vignale model justify the hefty price tag? When Vignale was launched to capitalise on a growing trend for buyers to opt for highly specified models, it was initially billed as a stand-alone sub-brand and only […]

When the crossover and soft-roader market exploded in the late noughties, major player Ford couldn’t afford to be left behind and the Kuga small SUV was born. The model has proved popular across Europe and Ford has announced an all-new, third generation Kuga this year, the first of its now extensive European SUV line-up to […]

It’s fair to say Volvo is on an upward curve at the moment. Not only are its new models winning safety awards but they’re garnering critical acclaim around the world as well. It might not be on the same scale as Germany’s all-conquering big three but the once under-threat Swedish company is able to go […]

The UK car market is having a tough old time at the moment, with new registrations falling on a monthly basis. But amid the sea of doom and gloom some brands are managing to swim against the tide, and none more so than Seat. The once-tiny Spanish firm is the fastest growing car brand in […]

For some cars, my daily commute on A-roads and through a city centre is an ideal test of their abilities. For others a stretch of empty B-road is best for getting the measure of them. You would think the Audi R8 Spyder with its 612bhp V10 was obviously in the latter camp. I did, which […]

Five years after the Jaguar XE first entered showrooms across the UK, the company has given the ‘baby’ car of its extensive range an update. In the wake of pioneering and innovative developments within the Jaguar F-Pace, E-Pace and I-Pace, the improvements — and they are significant improvements — to the XE arrive not before […]

Confession time. My time with the Giulia Quadrifoglio was pretty limited so this is more a brief impression than a full-on road test. But, my, what an impression. This is Alfa’s halo model – the one everyone lusts over before buying a diesel Giulietta – and it hits you hard and fast with its mission […]

Subaru’s Forester has been around for more than 20 years now, offering a practical and rugged leftfield choice long before soft SUVs became the norm. Those 20 years have seen the Forester evolve across four generations but later this year this all-new fifth generation will go on sale in the UK. Park the new and […]

Arctic Trucks started making a name for itself in this country after Top Gear took one of its modified Toyota Hiluxes to the North Pole in 2007 but the Icelandic firm has been around since 1990 taking rugged pick-up trucks and making them capable of astonishing off-road feats. As well as Toyota and Nissan, Arctic […]