THEGAYUK

Tag: Car Review

Our independent reviews on the best, smoothest, most economical and most reliable cars on the road and in the UK. From the world’s top manufacturers.

  • CAR REVIEW | Subaru Levorg

    CAR REVIEW | Subaru Levorg

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Subaru has kept things very simple with the Levorg. There is one body style, one engine option, one trim level and one gearbox.

    Actually now there are 2 engine options, but we’ll come to that.

    The body style is estate car, the trim level is GT, the engine is a 2.0 L petrol boxer engine which produces 147bhp and 198Nm torque and the gearbox is a lineartronic CVT (constantly variable transmission). This is basically an automatic gearbox but doesn’t have set gear ratios like a conventional automatic gearbox.

    With the Levorg, Subaru seems to have had a keen eye on active and passive safety. This is a very safe car with a 5 start Ncap rating.

    Literature and advertising around the Levorg point towards the active and passive safety features of the Levorg. To that end, it has just about every safety aid that you can find on modern cars. For example, it has Subaru’s EyeSight which is a form of driver-assist technology, a vision system working through a pair of cameras at the top of the windscreen monitoring the outside world, which feeds into the safety aides in the car adaptive cruise, pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management and lane keep assist with saw warning.

    This is a lovely car to drive, very smooth and the suspension is on the comfortable side of sporty. It’s not softly sprung which would bounce you around, but it’s not to stiff so doesn’t jar you or crash over potholes.
    Although the 2.0L boxer engine produces 147bhp, maybe it’s the CVT gearbox, but it isn’t fast. It’s fine around town, with plenty of initial acceleration, but when the road opens up and you want to press on, there’s not a great deal there. Then again, that’s not what the Levorg is about.
    Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive is standard. On the Levorg it is a road-biased system which means it doesn’t have the off-road electronics like x-mode. Symmetrical all-wheel drive means that the drive shafts are all equal lengths and the engine and gearbox are placed further back for better weight distribution. This means power is transferred to all of the wheels equally, resulting in better road holding. The boxer engine also sits low, keeping the weight low, reducing body roll. It works well and holds the road very well.

    It doesn’t have a great deal of ground clearance, and there is a subtle body kit on the car, so I wouldn’t be keen to take it off-road like the Forrester for example.

    The interior is excellent. Our test car had covered something like 11k miles and was like new. No rattles or squeaks and nothing broken, it really is a quality interior. The seats are full leather front and rear and are electrically adjusted and heated. They really hug you and are quite sporty but are nicely shapes and very comfortable. When you climb in, it feels great.
    You will find leather on the seats as mentioned, on the doors and centre console and some on the dash. Where there isn’t leather, the plastics are a high-quality soft touch.

    Our test car came in dark blue pearl, which I felt really suited the car. Exterior styling is sleek and sporty, but if I had one criticism I would say it’s a little anonymous.

    In summary, the Levorg drives well, is well priced, looks good, it’s not quick and handles well, in fact, it could easily handle more power I’d say. Maybe one day we’ll see an STi version.

    Subaru Levorg prices start at £34,770

  • The Good, The Bad and The Ugly | The Peugeot 206 1998 – 2010 or 2012. Possibly later (we think)

    Like the 205 before it, though not a direct replacement for which it turned into being was like the 205 before it, much needed. Desperately needed to be frank. Peugeot had shot themselves in the foot by not having a suitable 205 replacement ready. 

    I was there to see the launch at the NEC. A kind Peugeot PR allowed me to climb over the fence and tickle the 206 Escapade models faux-suede bumper coverings. A car that was launched to the world the same time as Ford unveiled their outrageous Focus. Competition was fierce. 

    The 206 was as far removed from the new design language used by Ford for the Focus as could be possible and by Peugeot themselves. This was a new age for the dancing lion of Sochaux-Montbeliard. Penned by Pininfarina, the 206 was a very attractive car then and now. Unlike monstrosity that Peugeot designed in-house called the 307. The rear quarter of the 206 was also reminiscent of that from the 205. A great car that saved Peugeot from the depths of hell. 

    Speaking of that rear pillar treatment, its language made it onto the 5 door model too which was not the case with the 5 door 205. However, what Peugeot did on the 206 SW was unforgivable. They fitted really cheap feeling door handles hidden in the door frame to give it coupe-like lines in a box body. The SW was no shooting break like a Scimitar GTE famously owned by Princess Ann or TGUK’s previous motoring editor Alan Taylor-Jones (Tell him on Twitter about Ann’s connection with the GTE at @alantaylorjones. He loves to hear it) That cock-up still haunts me today on what might have been an otherwise perfect car in all its guises.

    But we can forget the 206 SW because there were 2 models that were the main talking points for the 206. The stylish CC with its folding metal roof. Stylish that is if you ignored the convoluted boot top and bugger bars on top of it. What that was all about no one actually knew or could tell you about. Even the pressmen couldn’t tell you.

    Another amazing thing about the 206 was it was just a little bit nice on the inside. Ignore the over grooved grainy plastics and the cabin was quite fresh looking. The electric window switches didn’t quite come to hand and you needed to look for them but nothings perfect.

    In all its model guises had something to suit everyone.

    Handling was high on the agenda and no matter what 206 you bought, it could always prove fun no matter what engine you chose from the long list of available engines to suit. From a light 1.1 petrol to a torque packed turbo diesel, the 206 in all its model guises had something to suit everyone. Everyone that is except the hot hatch driver. The 206 GTi was vaguely luke warm and even the GTi 180 with its big 17” alloys and bucket style seats was still somewhat off the pace by the pack leaders from VW and Ford.

    But all this was forgotten when it came to the world rally championship and the rally weapon that was the 206 WRC. This was a super-compact car that stormed its way up the rally charts like the 205 before it. To add to the excitement for us Brits was the late Richard Burns (1971 – 2003 ) who would regularly bring home the points for Peugeot. The 206 WRC had big boots to fill and it filled them well. What it didn’t fill were the bumpers. On the road car, they looked good. On the rally car, they were enlarged to accommodate rally things so Peugeot decided to make a road-going rally special that you could buy. It was a standard 206 with the rally car bumpers. It looked a little Jimmy Hill as a result and it did not look like the rally car even with the optional rally pack of decals.

    The Peugeot 206 falls into two camps on the GBU. If like me and you can’t look at the SW and CC without wincing well there are things you can do. For the SW, burn those door handles with a blow torch and the CC, strap a wicker basket to the boot like an old MGB.

    The Peugeot 206 HATCHBACK. A good car that still looks good today. Trouble is because it’s had so many reinventions like Madonna around the world that no one at Peugeot actually knows if it’s still being made or not. You might still be able to buy them new for all Peugeot know!

  • CARS | Affordable Automotive Exotica

    CARS | Affordable Automotive Exotica

    A Sunbeam Rapier popped up on Twitter recently and it got me thinking about automotive exotica.

    Today, exotica is an over used word and set for the expensive machines from Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like. Cars that the everyday man, woman, beast, boy or girl can only dream about or buy on a PCP deal.

    In the early 1980s, there was a 70’s blue Sunbeam Rapier fastback parked down the road from the family home. Long, flowing and sleek with pillar-less doors and glass that vanished into the body, cut at the back with a thick black pillar and finished with a fixed window. Long because, at the time and still unusual today, it was built on the 98” estate chassis of the Hillman Hunter. It had 4 lights on the front and shiny wheel embellishers. That was always guaranteed to give the image of sporty styling.

    Parked alongside our 1979 Datsun Sunny saloon, it looked so exotic. Like a million dollars of exotica with a hint of American muscle thrown into the mix. By the time I started to notice the Rapiers, they were obsolete from the car showrooms. The Sunbeam brand having been renamed Chrysler in 76 and the whole company becoming part of Peugeot in 1979.

    That didn’t matter though because what we had here to a 5-year-old was eye candy.  And a wanton lust for this sex machine even though I didn’t know what any of those words meant back then. I was desperate for my father to buy the family something exciting. In 1982, he bought a Nissan Sunny 1.3 DX. Nissan sold a coupe version of the Sunny. He could have bought that. I was devastated. The car in the showroom was the 1.5 GL model. It had door bins in the door handles. I had plans for what to put in mine. The DX didn’t have them! I lived a poor life as a child.

    And so the posters on my bedroom wall changed with each passing fancy. Sadly there were no Sunbeam Rapier posters available so I had to make do with a Ferrari Testarossa and then the Coca-Cola Beetle. Affordable exotica was being overtaken with 80’s excesses and greed. Soon, boys up and down the country were actually wanting cars that actually went fast as well as looking fast.

    It seemed Ford’s Capri was struggling at this time too. Its sleek practical 3 door shape being outsold by just about every hatchback with a spoiler on the back. Exotic lines, once the darling of the man who looked set to go places fast, no longer cut it with the affordable price tag in 1986. Affordable exotica appeared to be old fashioned. A bit naff and hairy chested. Suddenly exotica HAD to be expensive and HAD to be fast.

    And there is nothing wrong with that as such. It’s just that with these changes of desire, there also comes an ability to be able to handle them. Something, many it would seem are so desperately lacking. You can’t open social media these days without someone filming a jerk in a hyper car having lost control 300 yards up the street. You never got that with the driver of a Sunbeam Rapier Fastback back in the day.  It would have taken them 12.8 seconds to get to 60 and the top speed was only 103mph anyway.

    To me, it’s always about style and never about going fast. In today’s clogged up roads, there are very few times in the daylight hours that you will actually find what was once termed “the open road” and be able to exercise your chosen 4 wheeled steed. Arriving is always favourable anyway so getting to your destination is a bonus.

    And through the years, these affordable cars with exotic looks have slowly vanished from our daily grind on the rush hour commute. Take a look around you and the car in front will be an SUV. In front of that another SUV sub compact lifted car and in front of that another one.

    What has happened is there are no affordable poster cars for today’s youth to dream about. There is nothing really exciting this side of a big BMW price tag. And even they are now making SUV’s with a misjudged use of the word ‘Coupe’ in them. It would seem sleek isn’t sexy anymore.

    Today, we live out our fantasies on Twitter, Instagram and snap-chat. Some as influencers in vehicles that clearly are not their own while bragging about what coat they wore while a few have actually invested in them. And then there is that investment. Pictures flooding social media, garages packed with expensive cars. Cars that do very little except gather dust.  

    It is all getting a bit samey these days. And here we go back to my original question. Despite being told that the young aren’t really into cars anymore, are there any affordable exotic cars that the young dream of owning? What are they actually going to be able to aspire too? At £271,146, a Lamborghini Aventador isn’t going to be achievable for many and I’m quite sure it isn’t going to be a Sports Utility Vehicle they want either.

    Look at it another way, a modest 2 bedroom house where I live is valued at £350,000 and it doesn’t even come with a garage. You’ll not want to park your car with a similar price tag on the street now, will you? 

    Many thanks to Andy from Twitter @addict_car for the Sumbeam Rapier pictures

  • CAR REVIEW | Kia Stinger 3.3 GTS

    CAR REVIEW | Kia Stinger 3.3 GTS

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    This week I have been enjoying the Kia Stinger GT-S.

    Kia describes the Stinger as a halo performance model. They say it is a GT car and not a hard-edged sports car.

    I read a very cool quote from chief designer Gregory Guillaume (Gee-ome) which said: “the Stinger has nothing to do with being first to arrive. This car is all about the journey. it’s about passion.”

    Stinger is a new direction for Kia, taking them into a new market sector. A 5 door, 5 seater fastback style grand Tourer. It is also their first Rear Wheel Drive car in the UK.

    Our Stinger is the GT-S which means it has the all aluminium, 3.3 litre twin-turbo V6 engine, producing 361bhp and 510Nm or torque.

    Interestingly, it makes peak power at 6,000rpm but…..makes its torque between 1500rpm and 4,500pm. 1500rpm! What this means is the engine is very tractable and you don’t need to rev it to get the most out of it, which is how a GT car should be. 0-62mph comes up in just 4.7 seconds and the top speed is 168mph

    The Interior is beautiful. It’s not brash or ostentatious, it’s elegant and dignified. I would describe it as somewhere between a dull Audi interior and an unnecessarily conspicuous Mercedes Interior.

    Seats, armrests, steering wheel, dashboard and gear shifter are all upholstered in plush Nappa leather. The centre console, Interior door handles & pedals have a brushed aluminium finish and there is a beautiful suede headlining.

    Both front seats are electrically adjustable and heated and cooled and the driver’s seat has a huge amount of electric adjustment for lumbar and bolsters.

    I actually found the seats firm but fantastically comfortable over a long distance. There’s plenty of room and they are very supportive.

    Suspension on the Kia is excellent. McPherson struts at the front with multi-link rear suspension. It’s also Blessed with DSDC: Electronically controlled, Dynamic, Stability, Damping, Control

    The car adjusts the suspension on the move, controlled by acceleration, braking and steering sensors. The driver can change the characteristics of the whole car by using the Mode Selector on the centre console.

    There are 5 modes: Smart – Eco – Normal – Sport – Sport+.

    Each position of the drive mode selector noticeably changes the characteristic of the car.

    I’m sure you’ve seen this kind of thing before. Steering, gearbox and throttle become more responsive, suspension firms up and the whole car takes on a more sporty attitude.

    In the Kia Stinger, the modes feel like well spaced gear ratios. They offer a very progressive, increased level of driver involvement by reducing the electronic intervention and increasing the fun factor, culminating in the full fat Sport+ mode.

    However, even Sport+ has some electronic involvement. It will go sideways but the car still has your back.

    If you really want to be a no holes barred hooligan, you can completely turn off traction control and stability control with another button on the centre console.

    Brakes are fantastic. Kia have blessed the Stinger with 350mm discs on the front and 340mm on the rear, both with massive calipers. The braking force is epic and the feel is excellent. When you first press the brake pedal, Initial bite is quite gentle. There is no snatching or jerky braking, it’s nice and gentle. When you apply more pressure, the braking force increases significantly. In short, the brakes are excellent, they are the best of both worlds: easy to use around town, and provide immense stopping power when needed.

    As a GT car, the Stinger really works. You can easily cover hundreds of miles in comfort, cocooned in a beautifully built cockpit, accompanied by the sweet but subtle song of the all aluminium V6. Slip the drive mode selector to ‘comfort’ and enjoy the relaxed, brisk journey.

    Turn the drive mode selector to Sport+ and you can drive it like you stole it. If you turn traction control off, you can pretend you’re a bad guy in a movie being chased by the superhero. It’s fast, poised, you can slide the rear end at will and be a total hooligan if you want.

    The chassis is fantastic. Whether you are cruising in comfort or being a lunatic in sport+, the car is never nervous and always feels predictable and controllable.

    One of the most striking features of the Stinger is the price. This 3.3 GT-S is the top of the range car with all the toys. It is only £41,646.24. There are very few options available, the standard car has all the toys as standard.
    To get something like an Audi S5 with a similar specification, you would be somewhere in the region of £62,000. I would have the Kia in a heartbeat over the Audi.

    If I had a concern, it would be over residual value. I would expect a BMW or Audi to have a stronger residual but, I don’t know.

    This Stinger is very, very good and in my opinion, better than any financially equivalent GT car.

  • CAR REVIEW | Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian X

    CAR REVIEW | Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian X

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    The Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian X is the latest in our series of lifestyle pickup reviews.

    Mitsubishi’s L200 is now in its 6th generation with production beginning way back in 1978, and worldwide production topping five million vehicles so far.

    If you’re looking for a pickup, you will be interested in some or all of the statistics, so here we go;
    There is an all-new 2268cc all-aluminium turbo diesel 4 cylinder engine producing 150bhp and 400Nm torque. Gearbox options are the new 6 speed automatic or a 6-speed manual.

    The payload is up to 1080kg and gross train weight (GTW) is 6100 kg.
    Curb weight for the L200 is 1935kg and the towing capacity is 3100kg with a twin axle trailer.

    At just under 5.3m long, this is a long vehicle and certainly doesn’t fit into a small, modern parking space. Width is 1.8m and feels no wider than most of the traffic around you. Lastly, the bed length is 1850 on this model.
    List price on the L200 starts at around £21,000, rising to £32,000 for what you see here, the Barbarian X.

    Solid axle and leaf spring at the rear and double wishbones and struts at the front.

    It wasn’t all that long ago that a pickup was simply a work tool. I remember early L200’s, Ford Rangers and many others, being pretty agricultural and basic. Over time, manufacturers have added more and more creature comforts. These days, manufacturers generally include at least one well-appointed, lifestyle type pickup in their range.

    Mitsubishi is no exception with their L200. This Barbarian X model is like a luxury SUV inside.

    Barbarian X comes with leather and Alcantara upholstery. The seats have sixpack quilted stitching, and leather features on door cards, centre console, armrest, and rear seats. The interior plastics are high quality and soft touch and after several thousand press fleet miles (aka hard miles) the interior is fresh, unmarked and doesn’t squeak or rattle.

    Exterior styling is a bit contentious. In a time when manufacturers seem to be trying to soften the styling on pickups to make them less aggressive, Mitsubishi decided on a more bold approach to the styling. The front is particularly striking with angle and straight lines dominating. They call is dynamic mesh. One thing is for sure, it’s an imposing sight in your rearview mirror.

    Side steps have been raised, in fact, the whole vehicle rides higher.

    Pickups have generally lacked in creature comforts over here. In the last few years, things have certainly changed, and this L200 boasts an impressive list of active safety aids. Partly lead by legislation and partly by customer expectation, o modern pickup is very well specified. This Mitsubishi has every active safety aid you would find on a modern car. Mitsubishi proudly state this barbarian X has class-leading active safety.

    As you would expect, there is a touch screen infotainment system. It’s not the last word in refinement but works well and has a good stereo.

    What’s it like to live with and drive? It has a poor turning circle and is a little bit bouncy over potholes, to be honest. Mitsubishi have stiffened the suspension over the previous generation. There are stiffer springs but in my humble opinion, the damping could be better. It works much better with a bit of weight on the back and is very smooth then. Let’s put this into perspective. This L200 is a pickup, designed to work for a living. It’s also a serious off-road tool with increased ground clearance over the previous model and a host of off-road features such as a low range gearbox and locking diffs. It’s also a luxury SUV and all for £32,000. Bearing that in mind, there is bound to be a compromise. Saying it’s compromised seem unfair though, it’s very nice to drive. I did 5hrs on the road in it one day with absolutely no issues or complaints. It was a lovely place to be.

  • CAR REVIEW | Vauxhall Corsa Elite Nav Review

    CAR REVIEW | Vauxhall Corsa Elite Nav Review

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    The Corsa name was first unleashed onto the British public in 1993. Here, it superseded the Vauxhall Nova and had the model reference Corsa B. Over in Europe, the Nova was known as the Opel Corsa (Corsa A) but let’s not get bogged down with the details.

    It’s hard to appreciate the impact the humble Vauxhall Corsa has had on the automotive world. It’s not a particularly revolutionary, but man it had an impact.

    How many young kids have learnt to drive in a Corsa, or had a Corsa as a first car? Maybe you had one as a first car? As it happens, I have a Corsa C parked outside the house as I write this. It’s no2 son’s first car.

    In 2017, PSA bought the Vauxhall brand from GM and has been busy rejuvenating the brand since then. 

    This all-new Vauxhall Corsa is a result of the new PSA influence and is based on the EMP1 platform, the same platform that the excellent Peugeot 208 is built on.

    Our press car was the well-appointed Elite Nav, fitted with the 1.5 Turbo Diesel engine. It’s a peppy and frugal unit, producing 102PS (100bhp) and giving back up to 70mpg. You also have the choice of two petrol engines (75PS/74bhp non-turbo or 100PS/99bhp turbocharged) and even an electric variant.

    It had the 6-speed manual gearbox rather than the 8-speed automatic gearbox. My preference is a manual and it’s a good gearbox that suits the car.

    Vauxhall offers the new Corsa in 6 trim options. Ours was the Elite Nav, top of the family tree. This is a well-appointed car with standard equipment including; 10-inch colour touchscreen, IntelliLux automatic LED Matrix Headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise control, leather seat trim with driver seat massage function and front heated seats, auto wipers, power-folding door mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, a panoramic rear-view camera, privacy glass, black roof and much more. Very impressive for a small car.

    Vauxhall list up to 53.3mpg on petrol engines, with C02 from just 93g/km C02. With the diesel engine, up to 70.6mpg and from 85g/km CO2. This diesel Corsa was had a 0-60mph time of 10.2 seconds.

    Vauxhall’s new Corsa is fun to drive. I’m not a small guy and if I had a couple of criticisms, it would be that the driver’s seat was a little small. I found it a little short in leg support and not high enough at the back. Having said that, I’m not the target audience for this car. Also, the interior was very black.

    It has a great chassis, comfortable and fun, it works really well. 

    I enjoyed the diesel, it’s a good engine that suits the car. I’m keen to try the full-electric version, I think it would be a really good, fun car to drive. The new Corsa has a really good chassis and with an electric powertrain, should be very interesting. 

    In summary, the new Vauxhall Corsa is a good looking, well built, well-equipped car. It’s fun to drive, practical and economical. There’s a range of incentives and finance deals to make the Corsa a great buy too.

    It’s a tough sector with plenty of competition. Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta and of course the Peugeot 208. I’m no Clio or Polo fan and find the Fiesta a bit bland. The 208 could be a problem for the Corsa though.

    Vauxhall’s new Corsa starts from £15,925.00, with the Elite Nav starting from £30,310.00.

  • CAR REVIEW | DS7 Crossback

    CAR REVIEW | DS7 Crossback

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    In 2009 PSA the parent company of Peugeot Citroen and now Vauxhall resurrected the DS name. They used it to denote certain models in the range as premium: for example the Citroen DS3 Citroen DS4 Crossback. It was always part of the Citroen range, then in 2015 PSA decided that they would make the DS a stand-alone luxury brand, a halo brand if you will. 

    DS7 Crossback reviewed

    On face value, the DS7 Crossback is just a large SUV. There are a lot of them about, 5 seats, nice interior, nothing particularly unusual or special. 

    However, what PSA has allowed to happen under the DS brand, is something a bit fresh and unique, something a bit more fun. 

    They have injected some fun and style back into motoring. It’s a really lovely place to be.

    The DS7 Crossback is typically French in its ride and handling. By that, I mean French cars are renowned for having excellent ride quality and the DS7 is no exception.

    It rides very well, very supple, soaking up the bumps with ease, but at the same time it’s poised, it handles well and it turns in sharply. I don’t know how they do it, to be honest.

    This model is the Premium and sits exactly the middle of the range. It has a 1.5 litre turbo diesel engine that produces 130 bhp and 300 Nm torque, so it isn’t desperately fast but it’s perfectly adequate.

    The DS7 interior is a beautiful thing. Nappa leather upholstery adorns front and rear seats which are electrically adjustable and have a built-in massage function. 

    You will find Nappa leather on the dashboard, on the door cards and on the centre console, all with a diamond quilted pattern stitched into the leather. That diamond is a DS styling trait and you will see it repeated on the switchgear, the headlights, exterior styling, in fact all around the car.

    Headlights are fascinating. That sounds odd I know, but on the DS7 you have LED projector headlights and when you look through the headlight lens, there are three individual projectors. When you turn the car on the three individual projectors do a little dance for you. They rotate 180 degrees, one at a time, then rotate back again, ready to do their job. 

    This is not just for show, the projector headlights turn with you as you steer, shining light onto parts of the road that would otherwise have been left in darkness until you arrive. An attribute carried over from the original Citroen DS 21 way back in the ‘60s

    Why should we settle for something that is nothing more than transport? Something that is perfectly good at its job just isn’t good enough anymore, as no end of faceless, soulless, boring SUVs out there. They pretty much all do the same job and they do it very well. They’ll take you where you are going, it will be comfortable and generally reliable.

    Is this enough? I just think it’s time for us to enjoy our cars again. 

    Can’t we have something that funky, fun, chic and adventurous? Life’s too short to drive boring cars, that’s what they say, and I think DS has taken that on board.

  • QUICK CAR REVIEW | Ford Ranger Raptor

    QUICK CAR REVIEW | Ford Ranger Raptor

    Toughened Up Toy Truck

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Ford take their Ranger workhorse pick-up and turn the volume to 11 making it into a BIG plaything. 

    Compared to the standard workday Ranger, the Ranger Raptor really is BIG. The reinforced chassis and body shell make it both imposing and rugged but does that make it massive and unyielding? 

    One thing to remember is that this is a European Raptor. It’s not the US Raptor which means it is suited to our roads and our unknown roads because it will travel well off-road.

    Off-road, its ability to cushion the ruts was astounding. The increases in height and track width playing a great part here. It all became a bit of a disappointment. Shocked by this admission, the man from Ford was intrigued by my statement and keen to find out why. The suspension soaks up the worst of the rough and smooths it like a cheesecake topping spread on a rough crumbly biscuit base.

    That capable suspension being made of linkages, coilover springs and Fox suspension systems in place of trusty but non-compliant leaf springs. It all comes together to make for a better than happy medium. 

    On-road this translates into a comfortable ride with very little road noise from the 30 plus inch wheel and purpose-built tyres with a 20 per cent strengthened sidewall. That said, push the mighty truck into a corner and you soon get complaints from the tyres.

    As is typical with a pick-up, the load bed area isn’t integrated with the main shell. This can have a detrimental effect with inertia shaking the rear end, more so when on the road than off-road. Like the main body, the bed is well bolted to the chassis.

    What doesn’t work is the engine and the 10-speed automatic gearbox. While the 10 speed is good at keeping the engine on the power band, in standard mode, it keeps it around 2500rpm. The changes are smooth and in some ways it behaves like a typical torque converter system with a bit of slush from the box. It belies the power outputs of the engine. 

    The engine, being a 2-litre turbo diesel, develops 213PS from a low 1500rpm and the 500Nm of torque is good in almost any situation. Mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox, it has a ratio for every situation you are ever likely to encounter.

    On the road, it doesn’t quite work out as well as you’d think on paper. Power delivery is smooth but it doesn’t feel as quick as the stated 10 seconds quoted. Overtaking needs to be planned. It doesn’t quite fit in with the promise of power that you’d expect. 

    I do love a truck so performance of the 0-60 variety isn’t my thing. It’s no Ford F-150 Lightening. What I would be looking at when buying this at almost £50k as tested is its ability to go off-road but also be comfortable on-road and thankfully it does both. So it’s nice to see the inside logical, convenient and comfortable with the fit and finish perhaps a little too good for a workhorse.  

    Cheap it might not be but then most playthings aren’t these days and that’s sort of what you have here and it’s fabulous. Speaking of playthings, on its launch, computer game Forza launched the Ranger Raptor to the game. Former TGUK motoring journalist, Alan Taylor-Jones proved to be quite the whizz kid. I wasn’t. Thankfully for me, Ford doesn’t test us on computers simulators first before setting us free. If they did I might be writing this from the other side of the cabin on the comfortable passenger’s seat! 

    Love 

    The size

    Fit and finish

    Smooth on road driving

    Loathe

    The size

    Price

    Performance

    The Lowdown

    Car –  Ford Ranger Raptor

    Price – £ 48,000 (as tested)

    MPG – 24.4 mpg (combined)

    Power – 213PS

    0-62mph –  10.5 seconds

    Top Speed –  106 mph

    Co2 – 233 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW |Volvo V90 T8 Twin Engine AWD R-Design Plus

    CAR REVIEW |Volvo V90 T8 Twin Engine AWD R-Design Plus

    Volvo V90 T8 Twin Engine AWD R-Design Plus | The Versatile Rapid Tourer

    Everyone is going hybrid these days and Volvo are no exception to this. The Swedes have been looking at ways of propulsion and with the help of sister company, Polestar, there is pretty much a T8 twin-engined model in every sector Volvo have entered. We look at the V for versatile V90 estate with the T8 setup.

    Let’s get my issue out of the way first. This model is Volvo’s largest of the ground-hugging saloon and estate cars and comes in R-Design. For a Luxo-barge, I had my reservations of the R-Design. It’s not a bad model in the range, but does this ‘sporty’ model get ruined by being made to feel dynamic for reasons that we Brits like it and more importantly, will I like it?

    The V90 comes with just 5 power sources across the range and the T8, with its 87hp electric motors powering the rear wheels is the most powerful out of them all. It’s available across the range except in the Cross-Country models. Those use a full 4WD system for obvious reasons. 

    The petrol unit powering the T8 is a 303hp petrol 4 cylinder. Combined with motor assistance on the rear wheels it will project the Volvo estate from 0-60 in just 5.0 seconds. In practice, it feels a touch more lethargic than that though this can perhaps be attributed to the beautiful way the car can glide away from a standstill without much noise at all. The electric motors go some way to eliminate the throttle lag of the petrol engine. It’s still a little hesitant but just enough to be worthy of a mention. 

    And 5.3 seconds 0-60mph isn’t to be scoffed at. Until recently it was the time set by the superstars like Lamborghini. Imagine the fun of being able to blow away a Countach with your 1,526-litre load-lugger with more space than a double bed in the rear. Admittedly you wouldn’t. You’d want to hear the sound of that Lamborghini V12 pull away.

    And here is the key to the V90 T8. Serenity. So perhaps it might come as a surprise that even in R-Design, the UK’s market leader in the range with dynamic feel, has this ability in almost any drive mode you select to isolate you from the harshness of what a 15mm lowered suspension set up could bring. From a spec sheet at least, it all seems superficial except for the said lowered sports suspension and 18-inch alloy rims.

    Inside is typical Scandinavian elegance. Ergonomic cockpit set up for driving pleasure and ease of use. The infotainment system allows for multiple changes and adaptions to suit you the driver and not the R&D departments preferences. And this allows you to set the car up to become more of how you want it and it’s A) surprising how specific we all are when given the chance and B) why more don’t offer this. This is your car after all. There ends up being very little to annoy and dare I say it, as a motoring journalist, not much to say any more about the insides of Volvo’s.  

    Driving is a pleasure and getting the best from the twin-engined set up is ease itself. The use of “twin-engine” is perhaps a little misleading when there is in-fact only one engine up front and two small electric motors at the back. By this calculation alone it should then perhaps be called a tri-engine. Anyway, I digress because the art of the system is beautiful. 

    Now 21 miles on the battery might not seem much distance at all but it’s more than you think. A drive home from visiting my father in Bognor saw me empty the battery packs by the time I arrived in Storrington. That was 22.1 miles of non-sympathetic motoring. The V90 T8 had the ability to carry itself quite rapidly at legal speeds on battery power down the A27. Not necessarily designed for rapid motoring over a distance like this, the batteries side of things did very well. And it’s this ability to have full use of the electric motors that makes it such an easy system to use. I do however struggle with its lack of ability to charge the batteries adequately when on the move unless you select it too. It’s sort of self-charging but by-passes the ability to use the hybrid system. 

    That said, I did calculate my fuel economy with the XC90 T8 being most favourable. With my daily commute now being just under 10 miles each way with the return drive home mostly being downhill (I’m not making that up), I could go for years without actually using petrol. But that really is exceptional usage.

    The Volvo V90 T8 is quite the Q-car then in terms of looks over function over ability. It carries stuff, lots of stuff. Cossets occupants in tranquillity and yet is as far removed from what you’d expect a Volvo estate to behave like. Forget the mind-blowing 850 T5R from the 90’s and their wake up call to the world as to what Volvo could do. That’s power dressed and old news. The V90 T8 is the future. For the moment at least.  

    Love

    Ease of use of the hybrid system

    Intelligent interior

    Serenity

    Loathe

    Unable to self charge adequately unless selected

    Aggressive pilot assist

    Some throttle lag from standstill

    The Lowdown

    Car –  Volvo V90 T8 Twin Engine AWD R-Design Plus

    Price – £ 67,500 (as tested)

    MPG – 97.4 – 117.7 mpg (WLTP combined)

    Power – 317hp (petrol) + 87hp (electric)

    0-62mph –  5.0 seconds

    Top Speed –  115 mph

    Co2 –  49 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Honda Civic EX Sport Line

    CAR REVIEW | Honda Civic EX Sport Line

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Civic Update

    What Do We Have?

    Honda has been busy evolving their tenth-generation Civic in an attempt to keep it abreast of the new challenges it faces within the competitive, if sometimes over-looked mid-sized hatchback segment.

    Changes for the new 19MY Civic include smoother front and rear bumpers and changes to the plethora of grills that dress them. The new model we came to try is being called the EX Sport Line. There also comes a new rear spoiler.

    The new car is being marketed as a sort of cheaper alternative to the highly acclaimed Type R. A Civic that is worshipped better than the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus [citation needed] Except with the Type R, it’s more about how immoral it is.

    The EX Sport Lines on offer for testing were fitted with either the slick 6-speed manual or new CVT gearbox. This CVT replaces the conventional automatic with its confusing push button selector. Instead, the new CVT is fitted with a standard stick shift as you’d find in a normal automatic.

    Driving

    Fitted with a plucky 3 cylinder petrol that pushes out a respectable 126 PS from a 1-litre capacity. Now this engine might not be what you would be expecting to see fitted considering the Sport Line is a type of Type R alternative but let us just remember that this is a Civic that mixes everyday drivability without the heart attack.

    Torque outputs alter retrospectively between the 2 transmission types with the manual having 20 Nm more at 200. On paper at least you could say you shouldn’t notice with outright performance figures being so close. That said, it did feel like the CVT was a little lethargic to shift unless you selected |sport| mode and then it would alter.

    Inside

    Inside sees changes to some textured panelling on the dashboard and the supportive seats. Racy red stitching is used to further heighten the racing appeal of the Sport Line.

    Where major changes have been made is within the new climate controls and stereo system. Main changes are the addition of buttons to help navigate the often criticised complicated screens. These now allow the most used sub-menus to be reached with one button.

    It is just a shame that the satnav detailing isn’t up to spec. Thankfully this can be avoided with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. I used Android and it worked very well. 

    Living With It

    It really comes down to what type of driver you are. The Civic is a car that comes highly recommended and you’ll find it has a legion of fans out there no matter what model they drive.

    So if you are a more enthusiastic driver then the manual will whet your curiosity to explore a random B road to its limits. The CVT won’t disappoint that much but you will have to work it that much harder and it’s not that rewarding to do so. As a competent commuter car that will sit in the daily grind of the A-B  traffic, it will be of great comfort that the cog swapping is left to the machine.

    Verdict

    The majority of the changes Honda has carried out haven’t really altered much to the Civic and there really wasn’t any need to do this anyway. The Civic has always been an accomplished car as both a driver’s car and a striking visual.

    We did ask about the change to a CVT gearbox. Honda was quick to point out its economy benefits and value for money in being able to offer an auto system cheaper than the system used previously. That aside, I personally feel it is a step backwards when Honda has progressed the Civic forward with the MY19 model.

    With that in mind, you will find this Civic being recommended, but just think about what type of driver you are before parting with your money.

    Love

    Looks

    Compliant ride

    Useable performance

    Loath

    “Sport Line” moniker

    Satnav graphics

    CVT gearbox

    The Lowdown

    Car – Honda Civic EX Sport Line

    Price (as tested) –  26,035 MANUAL (27,435 CVT )

    MPG – 45.6 MAN (42.2 CVT) WLTP combined

    Power – 126PS

    0-60 – 11.2 MAN (11.0 CVT)        

    Top speed – 126mph MAN (124 CVT)

    Co2 – 110g/km MAN (107g/km CVT) New Civic

    All photos Stuart M. Bird

  • The Gay UK Motoring Honours List 2020

    The Gay UK Motoring Honours List 2020

    2019 was a busy year for us at THEGAYUK motoring section and I’d like to thank all the manufacturers and PRs who helped make it possible. We could not do this without their continued support. 

    It was easy to pick my joker card for the car I’d have if I had the funds this year. It will comes as a surprise but I’ll explain why later. The number 2 position proved far more difficult for me to select. There were many cars to choose from with a few manufacturers making it more difficult because they had more than 1 in the firing line. You couldn’t see the carpet in the library for all the pictures.  In the end I settled it over a vodka based cocktail and a blast of Mel and Kim F.L.M.

    So let’s start with The Gay UK’s New Years Honours list.

    3 Citroen Berlingo £24,925

    It had to happen and I’m sure you all expected this so don’t start rolling your eyes at me for this. Simply put, there isn’t a vehicle out there that can match the Berlingo for space and comfort for 5 or 7 with the extra length model at this price.

    That space also has added visibility to swallowing huge loads and the low boot lip is a boon over an equivalent SUV. There is a compromise with the Berlingo and that comes from its van origins. You can’t escape these and it shows in the handling. Not that you’d think this was a problem judging by how fast you see the van piloted around. 

    Add it all together and it makes for a satisfying long distance cruiser that can also become everything you can think it could and it will. 

    2 Lexus LC500 £87,885

    This was the tricky one and in the end, I wanted to feel a million dollars without actually having to fork out a million. 

    V8 5 litre petrol power, growling exhaust, the ability to cruise in comfort and its looks are what those on the outside will see. Those fortunate to see inside will be well placed in a cockpit meticulously put together by Lexus Takumi masters.  

    A large small volume coupe is a difficult car to make and manufacturers have to go all out like Audi and new comers Polestar and they then also charge you a fortune for it. 

    Here the Lexus LC500 manages it so well and despite it costing almost £88,000, it is great value without the cost cutting compromise. It would be so easy for Lexus to fit switchgear from its parent company and it hasn’t.

    The extra cost option that comes with the Lexus as standard is that people will let you out in traffic. You can’t put a price on that.

    1 Suzuki Jimny £19,149

    The Suzuki caused a bit of a riot and ruined my otherwise planned honours list. Arriving as it did at the end of 2019, I didn’t expect to be sitting here, just after I’d written awful things about its flaws saying that it’s my number 1 choice for 2020. But there we go, nowt queer as a gay motoring journalist!

    And why? Its possesses human qualities that make the Jimny almost become anthropomorphic. You can’t help but melt at its cute looks and this makes you talk to it. You are never alone in a journey in a Jimny.   

    It never lied either at what it was and with that, it never pretended to be anything other than an honest little workhorse that would give you all it can and then some to get you were you needed to go.

    It’s the classic Grant Mitchell look. Heavily flawed with good intentions but cover him in the right clothes and he’s a winner.   

    If It Was My Money

    My must have is the Jaguar F Pace SVR. It only had one competitor with us this year and that was from Alfa Romeo. While the Stelvio Quadrifoglio was a mighty beast to drive, it was on the go all the time. And when it wasn’t, the cockpit quality let it down. This made the F Pace SVR all the better. To use both cars gung-ho powers all the time isn’t possible. About 80% of your time would be just normal driving and it’s that 20% of wild fun that gets over thrown by a cockpit and luxury feel that won the day. 

    And let’s not think the F Pace SVR is all about looks. What it lacked over the Stelvio in power prowess, it more than made up for it with being an absolute scream to drive at its limit and then beyond when the screaming gets louder. 

    Stuart

    xx