Winning best hybrid vehicle award in this years Diesel Car & Eco Car Awards, the all-new Kia Niro hybrid crossover is doing rather well for itself.  Launched in August 2016, the Niro is Kia’s first dedicated hybrid vehicle and was a joint design venture between Kia's studios at Namyang in Korea and Irvine, California…….

Mitsubishi say that the Shogun is aimed at true off-road drivers who demand a comprehensively equipped, reliable and cost-effective vehicle with proven all-wheel-drive ability.  And they’re right, this classic off-roader combines four-wheel-drive...

The Alltrack is modified to provide both on-road and off-road capabilities providing, and I'm reading from the press bumf here, an excellent combination of performance, comfort, loadspace and traction in poor conditions.…

Overall, this new version has an increased wheelbase of 77mm and is 60mm longer in length, which may not sound like much but it does make a difference to its ride.  Not only that but the luggage space is now increased to 520 litres, and if you slide the rear seats forward you ….

Around 20 years ago a friend of mine had one of the very first Golf estates, and apart from routine maintenance it never set an inch of tyre tread in a garage, it just kept on going, and …

The S-Cross first went on sale in October 2013 and last year received its first make over.  Suzuki’s aim was to make the S-Cross stand out from the crowd more and gave it a bolder look with a new, higher front end, newly designed LED rear combination lamps and …

I’ll tell you what it is, (warning, spoiler alert) it’s one of the most fun, practical and value for money 4x4s that I’ve driven, that’s what it is!

Ever since its market launch in 1988, the Suzuki Vitara series has earned high acclaim, it was compact, easy to drive and had …..

Before we tucked into our lavish tea (northern for the food we eat at 5.00pm) in front of the roaring open fire, we listened to the powers-that-be from Suzuki as they went into detail about why they’d axed models such as the SX4, and went on to …

In 2013 Suzuki launched the SX4 S-Cross, their first real attempt at a crossover vehicle, though Suzuki claim it to be much more than just any old crossover – it’s the perfect fusion of family-friendliness, safety and performance, they reckon.  Time to find out ….

In 2015 Suzuki are celebrated 45 years of their first compact SUV, and with global sales of over 2.7million vehicles sold across 188 markets there’s no sign of it slowing down.  In its current guise, this legendary little off roader has hardly changed since 1998 when it was …

The new, fourth generation Vitara is as stylish and robust as ever, offering the usual value for money ethos that you would expect from Suzuki.  The range starts at £13,999 and is available in SZ4, SZ-T and SZ-5 grades. Suzuki’s ALLGRIP intelligent four-wheel drive is ….

The Grand Vitara, in my mind is one of those sturdy workhorse type 4×4’s that you find on farms, in remote villages as well as the average driveway, a much loved and revered 4×4 that, when I learnt Suzuki was ending production, I arranged for their very last press car to be delivered …

So what, dear reader, makes a Subaru so competent off-road?  These days of course, we have quite a lot of electronic witchcraft that goes on in all modern cars, but with Subaru, they also have…

Based on the Impreza, the XV is Subaru’s endeavour to tap into the lucrative and fashionable lifestyle crossover sector.  It comes with beefed up suspension and an extra bit of ground clearance.  As well as a taller body, it looks more like a sporty hatchback than a traditionally style SUV, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the XV is an SUV pretender, ‘cos it isn’t, not by a long stretch……..

This week, the Yeti has been the definition of a marmite car.  I’d say it’s been an equal 50/50 split of comments like ‘What the hell is that?’ and ‘Yup, I’m feeling so turned on right now…’  

Personally, I’ve always like them, the Yeti in my eyes is a stylish and practical substitute to…

The current Octavia, not to be confused with the original classic Octavia that was produced from 1959 to 1971, is now in its 3rd incarnation and has been around since 1996.  It was the first completely new Skoda to be produced under…

Well, it’s a SEAT Leon estate that’s been given four-wheel drive, a bit of a lift and plastic extensions on the arches.  Admittedly, that doesn’t sound like much when you say it quick, but it makes the X-Perience quite a practical vehicle if you need 4x4-ability every now and again.  Granted, from the outside it bears a quite resemblance to Skoda’s……..

As new vehicle launches go, this was pretty cool.  From a trendy hotel in Manchester with a roof top terrace, to a drive through its bustling city centre, this is exactly what the brilliant PR team at SEAT was looking for when they decided to celebrate the launch of SEAT’s new urban SUV, the Ateca……..

Based on an extended platform of the Peugeot 208, the 2008 is taller, chunkier and more curvaceous than some of its competition, though not as pretty as its bigger sibling, the 508 RXH….

It's a van. "I can see that, but what on earth are you doing reviewing a van?"  you may ask, and it's a valid question. 

It started last year when I was invited to DriveIt, a dedicated light commercial vehicle show at which visitors could test drive any of the vehicles on show…