It wasn’t that long ago that mainstream volume manufacturers all offered big, luxurious range-topping saloons. And inevitably those Ford Scorpios, Rover 800s and Vauxhall Omegas found favour among 1990s chauffeurs. Factor in Japanese reliability and you had a winning formula – and of course…
Read MoreIn the race for the most convincing zero-emissions solution, battery-electric cars have been the front runners. With the latest Lithium Ion battery packs giving cars a range well in excess of 200 miles, the electric car is touted as the long-term solution to air…
Read MoreIt’s rare that a mid-life facelift should get so much attention as the makeover BMW has given to its 7-series. The striking enlarged grille certainly drew a reaction – not all positive, it must be said. But when you see the car in the…
Read MoreAs facelifts go, the 2017 upgrade for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was a subtle one. A new radiator grille and some super-powerful multibeam LED headlights – but beyond that, it was business as usual for the Stuttgart flagship. But the big changes are under the…
Read MoreVolkswagen is entering its “third age”, the company has rather grandly announced. The launch of its first all-electric ID model, the ID3, is seen as the symbol of a new approach, and as vital to the company’s history as the original Beetle and the…
Read MoreThe Mercedes-Benz V-Class retains a unique position in the market – a large and luxurious MPV with a prestige brand that’s ideal for corporate shuttle and “mobile boardroom” jobs. The V-Class is a more up-market vehicle than the car it replaced back in 2014,…
Read MoreKorean car manufacturers are establishing themselves at the vanguard of moves toward electrification. Helped by a buoyant hi-tech sector, with companies such as LG at the forefront of battery technology, it’s no surprise to see Kia, and its sister company Hyundai, among the first…
Read MoreEver been off-roading in an electric car? Piloting the new Grandland X Hybrid4 through rutted tracks and muddy pools was a first – and it’s one way Vauxhall feels the car can show its capabilities. And I guess if we’re heading for an electric…
Read MoreVolkswagen’s CC four-door coupe turned out to be a surprise hit in the executive chauffeuring market. A stylish, low-roofed derivative of the previous-generation Passat its good looks won it some orders – though in truth, it was a little restricted in the back seats.
Read MoreAir quality is undoubtedly a major issue, and it’s one of the key drivers behind moves toward electric cars rather than petrol or diesel. Hybrids, especially plug-ins, are seen as an important staging post on that route, as they’re not totally dependent on inadequate…
Read MoreThe BMW 5-series Gran Turismo was well received when launched in 2010. Combining a tall hatchback body with the running gear of the standard-wheelbase 7-Series, it was seen as a bit of an oddball, but in a good way. The car has found its…
Read MoreHow France must envy the German luxury car industry. Chic brands such as Christian Dior and Yves St Laurent rule the high-class end of the fashion industry, but French cars remain workaday volume models.
Read MoreOnce upon a time, when the launch of the Ford Galaxy was far, far away, Renault bestrode the MPV universe like a colossus. The Espace, the car that invented the modern MPV, had few rivals, and for many chauffeurs, was the go-to car for…
Read MoreThe 2010 Audi A8 has been a fine car, but it’s starting to show its age. That pop-up satnav screen was impressive on launch, but now its 4:3 format looks small and outdated compared to the vast digital panels of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. And…
Read MoreThe new Mercedes-Benz E-Class has hit the ground running in the chauffeur market, winning the Executive Car of the Year award in last November’s Professional Driver awards.
Read MoreThe Seat Alhambra was born out of convenience in the late 1990s, to boost capacity at the Portuguese plant that makes the VW Sharan and, at the time, the Ford Galaxy. Ford soon split from the venture and made its own Galaxy, but the…
Read MoreThe third vehicle to derive form the new Ford Mondeo platform is the S-MAX. Overshadowed by the Galaxy as a Private Hire Vehicle, the more family-oriented S-MAX is nonetheless a highly competent people-mover.
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the world took its first glimpse of the Toyota Prius. Within two years, a 1995 Tokyo Show concept would be a production reality, and the hybrid revolution was under way.
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