Reviews

The new product cycle is favouring Nissan dealers at the moment with the latest Micra launched in March and the new X-Trail and facelifted Qashqai in showrooms in time for the September plate-change. The Qashqai is the most important model in the Nissan line-up. It is the brand’s most popular model, regularly featuring in the top five monthly UK best ...

People who have driven an electric car will talk about three things in particular. They generally marvel at the instant delivery of torque and eerie quietness whilst voicing concerns about range. The number of EVs on the market has increased dramatically in recent years, as have their real world ranges which typically fall somewhere between 100 and 200 miles. So, ...

The heady days of 80,000 sales in the UK, in the late-1980s with cars like the 340 hatch, might be gone, but in 2017 Volvo is arguably moving towards a more sustainable place with vastly improved product. The first of the new breed was the mk2 XC90 – winner of Motor Trader’s 2016 New Car of the Year Award – ...

Few cars play such a significant role in dealer volumes as the Ford Fiesta with the outgoing model being the best-selling car in the UK for all of eight years it was on sale. Indeed, since launch in 1976 4.4 million Fiestas have been sold in the UK, 1 million being for the outgoing model which even in its last ...

With the knives out for diesels and continued range anxiety issues over EVs, hybrid remains the most popular alternative fuel option amongst new car buyers. Therefore the timing of last year’s debut of a plug-in hybrid version of Kia’s flagship Optima model seems prescient especially for dealer sales teams keen to tap into the environmental zeitgeist. Certainly with its low ...

The second-generation CX-5 SUV arrives in in dealer showrooms in July with prices ranging from £23,695 to £33,195. It is an important car for the network, accounting for a third of Mazda sales in the UK “The CX-5 is today our best-selling car line, selling slightly more than the Mazda3,” said Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson. “It replaces a ...

Our long term Kia Optima PHEV has been busy over the last month. It has completed a 560 mile round trip to Manchester and Leeds which tested its motorway and city driving ability and, of course, the unforgiving daily commute across south London to see if the car delivers on its fuel economy promise. A month on and the unforeseen ...

Forget all you know about the Nissan Micra because the latest incarnation is a totally different proposition in terms of looks, interior comfort, driving dynamics and its expected audience. The only carryover for this fifth generation model is the nameplate the supermini has worn since its debut in 1983. The new model is longer (+174mm), wider (+78mm) and lower (-55mm) ...

The Land Rover Discovery has changed its place in the world. It started out as a half-way house between the basic Defender and the luxurious Range Rover. In 1989 it didn’t have many competitors and it soon became Land Rover’s biggest seller. Now, in its fifth generation, the Discovery sits in the middle of a range of premium cars divided ...

Last year Kia joined a small band of manufacturers to introduce what could be a practical alternative to diesel with a plug-in hybrid version of its Optima model. For dealers this is good news as it could potentially extend the appeal of Kia’s D-segment saloon and therefore present conquest opportunities. We’ve taken delivery of an Optima PHEV to see how ...