The new topless Range Rover Evoque is a glorious blown-up Barbie car and we kind of love it October 4, 2016 As controversial as the EU referendum, the world’s foremost luxury 4×4 maker has lopped the top off its compact model in a bid to create a new lifestyle niche; the Cabrio SUV. To some, this is the best of all words. To others, it is a motorised selfie stick. Soft-top off-roaders aren’t a new concept. [...]
Audi Q2 review: specs, handling, engine, comparisons – the lowdown on the new mini Q7 October 3, 2016 You probably know about the Audi Q7, maybe you even drive one. Designed to offer Americans a cultured way to get around in a four-wheel-drive SUV, the big Audi ticks all the boxes, including the one that still defines an enduring attitude to cars in America: biggest is best. Of course, the Q7 is totally [...]
Want to be more like James Bond? Aston Martin has just unveiled its first boat September 28, 2016 So you only ever wear black tie, you drink all your martinis shaken, not stirred and you managed to get your hands on the ultra-limited edition DB10. Now you've run out of ideas about how to be more like James Bond. Lucky for you, Aston Martin has come up with a new solution: its first-ever boat. Naturally, it's [...]
Ferrari GTC4Lusso review: The four-seater is now even more likely to scare its three passengers witless September 26, 2016 If you own a Ferrari, you sometimes get sick of driving. Turn up to a birthday party or a barbeque and you literally have to spend hours giving people joyrides, one by one, when you’d rather be eating burgers. Or trying to fully savour the jealousy of your ex, who’s now married to a Hyundai-driving [...]
Jenson Button for a day: Now anyone can drive a McLaren around Silverstone September 13, 2016 Showjumper; vet; Spice Girl: those were my childhood career ambitions. And yet here I am, strapped into a fluoro green McLaren 570S, touching 150mph on the Hangar Straight at Silverstone, fulfilling the dreams of small boys everywhere. In the passenger seat is instructor Elliott Cole, who has spent the day showing me the ropes – [...]
Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe review: The 1960s classic car has been reborn, and is more thrilling than any comparable Porsche September 12, 2016 Ah, the weekend toy. The car you own as much for the kudos as the fun of driving it. The weekday family SUV demands a certain conformity if it’s not to embarrass the family it’s bought to transport. But such restrictions don’t apply to that special something you keep in the garage. And what could [...]
The Maserati GranTurismo isn’t without its problems, but learn how to treat it and this Italian beast is one hell of a drive September 6, 2016 I got a few weird looks unloading my soiled wellies from the back of a Maserati as I checked into Monaco’s Hermitage Hotel. Where on earth had I been, the valet must have thought. Some 48 hours earlier I was ankle deep in what Uncle Monty would have described as “beastly mud and oomska” at [...]
Fancy driving a Tesla? You can rent one from Heathrow Airport August 17, 2016 Horses were a cool way of getting around. You couldn’t ride one into a tree or over the edge of a cliff, even if you tried. You could fall asleep on them and safely wake up in the stable next to your house. They eat nothing but hay and poop out pure, nutrient-rich horse puddings. [...]
Abarth 124 Spider review: We took the high-performance Fiat to Silverstone to find out August 16, 2016 Just 12 years ago, Fiat launched the Stilo Abarth. It’s not a car that the brand’s marketeers would like us to bring up in the first paragraph of this review. It was stodgy, slow, and nowhere near a Golf GTI challenger. But the Stilo wasn’t a true Abarth. Abarth is Fiat’s performance offshoot. Initially an [...]
Audi RS7 Performance review: Is the new super-powered coupé gilding the lily? August 8, 2016 There are very few new cars more desirable than the latest Audi R8. With a 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed nudging 200mph, the £120,000 supercar will out-accelerate almost anything on London’s streets. Even better, it’s packed with enough technology to make even the worst traffic jams that little more bearable. But [...]