Vauxhall’s pocket rocket returns: New Corsa VXR proves heady days of hot hatches are back April 20, 2015 Are there no bargains anymore? Hot hatches used to be value thrill machines, cramming outsized engines into tiny bodies to create instant exhilaration. But then everyone bought small SUVs, seemingly giving up on dreams of one day owning a car that’s actually fun to drive. But hot hatches are having a revival – the model [...]
Not convinced? April 20, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FORD FIESTA ST PRICE: £18,395 0-62MPH: 6.9 secs TOP SPEED: 139mph CO2 G/KM: 138g/km MPG COMBINED: 47.9mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Five Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Five Stars RENAULTSPORT CLIO 200 PRICE: £18,995 0-62MPH: 6.7 secs TOP SPEED: 143mph CO2 G/KM: 144g/km MPG COMBINED: 44.8mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars [...]
Car review: The Tesla Model S P85D is seriously fast, with an “Insane” mode to scare off its rivals April 13, 2015 Tesla, the darling of the alternative-power car makers, has made more progress in a few short years than the likes of Ford, General Motors and even Toyota when it comes to electric cars. The American firm, co-founded by Elon Musk of PayPal fame, has not only made great strides technology-wise, but has also achieved much [...]
Grand National Sweepstake April 9, 2015 40 Horses, 4m 31/2 f, 30 fences and AP McCoy’s last ride in the race. Bill Esdaile casts his expert eye over the Grand National runners. Lord Windermere 40/1 Former Gold Cup winner but isn’t in form and has a massive weight Many Clouds 33/1 Had a very hard race in the Gold Cup and [...]
Best month of car sales this century April 8, 2015 Nearly half a million new cars rolled on to Britain’s roads in March, the best month for new car registrations since 1999. Consumers and firms registered 492,774 new cars in March, up six per cent on the same month last year, according to figures released yesterday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). [...]
Dashing chaps: Jaguar’s design guru, Ian Callum has teamed up with the boys from Bremont April 8, 2015 As a watch enthusiast who’s also lucky enough to be a watch-industry insider, one tends to get blasé about meeting the legends of the trade – something that’s par for the course when it comes to doing the rounds at that annual extravaganza of all things horological, the Baselworld watch and jewellery trade fair. So, [...]
Don’t get burned by the buy-to-let boom: Funding retirement with rental income could turn into a disaster April 7, 2015 The new pensions freedoms are finally here and many savers will be considering taking a lump sum from their savings. Investing in a buy-to-let property to fund retirement may seem like a good idea, but pensions experts are warning of the risks. Eighteen years after the creation of the first buy-to-let mortgage, this form of [...]
Wall St slips before reports – New York Report April 1, 2015 US STOCKS eased yesterday as weaker-than-expected economic data spurred concerns over growth ahead of tomorrow’s jobs report and first-quarter earnings. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 77.94 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 17,698.18, the S&P 500 lost 8.2 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 2,059.69 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 20.66 points, or 0.42 [...]
US car sales slow down at General Motors and Ford April 1, 2015 US car manufacturers General Motors (GM) and Ford reported a drop in US car sales in March as consumer demand hit the brakes. GM’s share price has been dipped slightly on reaction to the news, falling by almost two per cent to around $36.80 per share. Shares in Ford dropped by around 1.5 per [...]
US car sales slow down at General Motors and Ford April 1, 2015 US car manufacturers General Motors (GM) and Ford reported a drop in US car sales in March as consumer demand hit the brakes. GM’s share price has been dipped slightly on reaction to the news, falling by almost two per cent to around $36.80 per share. Shares in Ford dropped by around 1.5 per [...]