Take a BOAT through green lanes: Byways Open to All Traffic are the countryside’s best-kept secret November 5, 2014 Most Londoners don’t drive for pleasure – quite the opposite; it’s a chore, a practicality, something to get out of the way as quickly as possible. But it needn’t be like this. For those in the know, there’s a way to seek adventure and discover corners of the UK that nobody has explored in decades, [...]
Car review: The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster is a new breed November 3, 2014 The British classic may have Mercedes money behind it now, but it’s sharper and more powerful than ever. Aston Martin, which is rightly known for making beautiful British cars, nevertheless has one small problem. For far too long, its cars have looked, well, the same. The company’s employees and a small number [...]
Not convinced? November 3, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FERRARI 458 SPIDER PRICE: £198,997 0-62MPH: 3.0 secs TOP SPEED: 199mph CO2 G/KM: 307g/km MPG COMBINED: 21.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Five Stars PERFORMANCE Five Stars PRACTICALITY One Star VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars PORSCHE 911 TURBO S CABRIOLET PRICE: £142,140 0-62MPH: 3.1 secs TOP SPEED: 198mph CO2 G/KM: 227g/km MPG COMBINED: 29.1mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN [...]
Car review: Porsche Cayman and Boxster GTS October 27, 2014 Welcome to driving Nirvana. This week we have a pair of cars that deliver total vehicular enlightenment; it doesn’t matter whether you opt for the convertible Porsche Boxster GTS or the hardtop Cayman GTS coupé, both are simply sublime. With those three letters (which stand for “Gran Turismo Sport”) Porsche has injected attitude into the [...]
Car review: The Lexus NX 300h is an eco-friendly drive that doesn’t skimp on gadgets October 13, 2014 Pulling away in a car on a wave of silence still doesn’t make sense in my brain. I’ve driven plenty of electric and hybrid cars, but every time I gently move off from a standstill on a peacefully eerie surge of current-fed calm, it still gets me. I’m experiencing this soothing yet unsettling [...]
Car review: The Morgan Roadster may be unwieldy, but it’s a joy to ride September 22, 2014 Sometimes life throws you a curve ball – my drive in the Morgan was one. This was no ordinary road-test; no private jet awaited at the Harrods terminal at Stansted, the London Morgan dealership simply arranged for a Roadster to be delivered to my home. The plan then was to drive 400 miles [...]
Car review: The new Audi TT feels more like a top-end VW than a thrusting sports car September 16, 2014 What’s your take on the Audi TT? A brilliant interpretation of Bauhaus design language? An unusually attainable, good looking sports car? Or so commonplace it barely even registers? The original TT was something special. No car manufacturer had built such a bold interpretation of the coupe away from a motor show concept. And no one [...]
Car Review: Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde September 9, 2014 I have solemnly sworn to not mention the words “soul” or “passion” even once in a review of an Italian car. With the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifolgio Verde hot hatchback, it’s an easy promise to keep. This Alfa is devoid of either. A quick bit of history. The “Quadrifoglio Verde” boot badge comes from [...]
Car review: Frontline Developments’ MG Abingdon Edition is a very fast blast from the past September 2, 2014 To be perfectly honest, when I was driving this car, I hadn’t realised quite how much it costs. Probably for the best, because had I known it was nearly £96,000 I might not have enjoyed chucking it around the Oxfordshire countryside quite so readily. And since this stands as one of my drives of the [...]
Car review: The new Bentley Flying Spur V8 is a comfortable 2.4 tonne beast August 18, 2014 I can think of worse ways to be stuck in traffic than sitting inside a Bentley, especially if you’re not driving it yourself. This is particularly true of the new four-door Flying Spur V8, which has emerged from the shadow of the two-door Continental GT range, and now stands as its own separate model line. [...]