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Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer

When we last tested this car’s predecessor, the C4 Grand Picasso, eight years ago, the MPV already felt like an endangered species, replaced in the public’s want list by more aggressively styled SUVs. Now, it really does seem like the end of days for…

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First Look – BMW i7 xDrive 60

Chauffeurs will finally be able to specify a fully-electric large saloon later this year when the new BMW i7 goes on sale. The i7 forms part of an all-new 7-series range, giving BMW a crucial advantage over rival Mercedes-Benz, whose new S-Class does not…

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Road Test – MG5 SW EV Exclusive

Every once in a while, a new car comes along that just hits the sweet spot for the private hire sector. The Chrysler 300C gave executive chauffeurs a winning and affordable combination of Mercedes reliability and Bentley looks. The Toyota Prius Mk2 ticked corporate…

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Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de 4Matic AMG Line

It’s perhaps predictable that a lot of manufacturers have gone down the SUV route for their first “proper” electric cars. After all, it’s where the hot spot of the market seems to be, and there are practical advantages too – a tall body design…

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Mercedes-Benz S500L 4Matic

At last, it’s here. And it doesn’t disappoint. Covid-19 has played havoc with manufacturers’ launch schedules, and a second lockdown meant the scheduled October launch of the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class in Stuttgart was cancelled at the last minute, leaving us tantalisingly so near, yet…

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Hyundai Ioniq Electric Premium SE

Hyundai launched the Ioniq back in 2016. It came in three flavours: all-electric, a plug-in hybrid and a regular – or “self-charging” hybrid. That was a smart move, and still is. Having different power units in one body makes sense, and Ioniq started taking…

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Mercedes Benz EQV 300 Sport

It’s taken a while, but finally, ULEZ-compliant seven-seaters are starting to become available. Now, with the arrival in the UK of the Mercedes-Benz EQV, London chauffeurs looking to replace their tired diesel MPVs will before the end of the year have a genuine, practical,…

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Ford Tourneo Active

Ford Tourneo Custom Active SWB 2.0TDCI 170PS

The Ford Transit Custom has been one of the real successes of the beleaguered 2020 car market. Light commercials are not included in the top 10 car sales charts, but if they were, the Transit, combined with its passenger-carrying sibling, the Tourneo Custom, would…

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Mercedes E300de AMG Line

Mercedes-Benz continues to refine and revise its best-selling E-Class range, the car it considers to be at the heart of its range. The current generation of E-Class was launched in 2016, and now the 10th-generation model is getting a final facelift to see it…

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Ford Tourneo PHEV

Ford Tourneo Custom Titanium PHEV

London ULEZ-compliant seven-seaters have been in serious short supply this year, regardless of Coronavirus. If you want an electric people-mover, the only vehicle available has been the Nissan e-NV200. Fortunately, the car companies are now getting their acts together. Vauxhall and Peugeot have unveiled…

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VW Caravelle

Volkswagen Caravelle Executive 2.0 TDI 150PS 7spd DSG

Volkswagen continues to upgrade its Caravelle people-mover. Four years after the T6 version arrived here, the big, van-derived seven-seater has received another facelift, adding more style and better finishes, and reaffirming the Caravelle’s credentials as the closest competitor to the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, still the…

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Skoda Octavia Estate

Skoda Octavia Laurin & Klement Estate 2.0 TDI 150PS

Hybrids, PHEVs and electric cars may be dominating the agenda for urban private hire operators, especially in London. But it’s easy to forget that not every operator needs to go electric just yet. Indeed, diesel still represents the best choice for many private hire…

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Vauxhall Vivaro Life

Vauxhall Vivaro Life Elite 2.0 Turbo D

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Vauxhall since General Motors sold the business to PSA Peugeot Citroen three years ago. Already Vauxhall has expanded its car range with SUVs based on Peugeot running gear, and last year the Fiat-sourced Combo small van was replaced…

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BMW X7

BMW X7 xDrive 30d MSport

Off-roaders are growing in popularity in our sector, especially at the top end of the market. There are a number of factors driving this trend. One is overseas visitors, especially those from the US or the Middle East, where SUVs are now the dominant…

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Audi A6

Audi A6 40 TDI 204PS S line S Tronic

Audi’s latest A6 was launched toward the end of 2018 launch, and is aimed as a serious challenger to the executive chauffeur sector’s benchmark car, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. It’s bigger, roomier and cleaner, and comes packed with the full suite of impressive safety and…

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Seat Tarraco

Seat Tarraco SE Technology 2.0 TDI NR 150PS

Yes, it’s another SUV. It’s a stark reality of the world motor industry that, right now, everything is becoming SUV-shaped. Indeed, the saloon car as we know it is becoming an endangered species, outside the prestige brands, where the executive saloon is alive and…

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Audi e-tron

Audi e-tron

How’s the future looking? Well, the hovercars and jetpacks we were promised in the 1950s and ’60s have so far failed to materialise, but at last we are starting to wean ourselves off fossil fuels as far as cars are concerned. Tesla might argue…

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Ford Tourneo

Ford Tourneo Custom Titanium 310 LWB

Ford started calling its passenger-carrying Transit the Tourneo back in 1995, and the vehicle is well established as a reliable urban seven-seater taxi. As successive versions of the Transit have been launched and facelifted, the Tourneo has slowly shifted up-market, to a point where…

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