When The Beautiful South wrote their song Rotterdam (Or Anywhere), they could have been writing about the itinerant life of a road tester. Motoring hacks travel to locations that serve a particular purpose: to drive around in big circles. And then we go home. To the outsider looking in, I can well appreciate that you… Continue reading Why we still fly around the world just to drive in circles
Author: Autocar Magazine UK
Anglesey to Amalfi: 3000 miles in a plug-in hybrid Volvo XC90
Sometimes the job calls for a soft, spacious machine that makes an art of being undemanding. In other words, a wafter. A certain elegance to the design is always nice to have – a 5.0-litre Jag XJ will look rather better on your driveway than an ID7 – but ultimately the calibre of any wafter… Continue reading Anglesey to Amalfi: 3000 miles in a plug-in hybrid Volvo XC90
Driven: Ford’s epic £2m Dakar Rally monster
Some opportunities don’t come along that often – and aren’t the sort of thing you say no to. Such as the chance to drive a £2 million Dakar Rally challenger in a private forest. How exclusive was this opportunity? Well, at the time I climbed behind the wheel, only three people outside of rally outfit… Continue reading Driven: Ford’s epic £2m Dakar Rally monster
My star car of 2025? It’s a van, actually – and it’s made by Kia
The Kia PV5 was developed with a laser focus on usability, versatility, load capacity and economics. That’s because the sort of people who will buy an electric van will base their decision on spreadsheet calculations and other wholly unemotional factors. Yet despite that, this bold new entrant into the commercial vehicle sector is somehow utterly… Continue reading My star car of 2025? It’s a van, actually – and it’s made by Kia
Christmas presents don’t get much better than a Megane R26.R
Christmas Day 2023 is one that Dan Baines will never forget. “Ever since seeing one at Silverstone years ago, I’d always wanted a Mégane R26.R,” he says. “Last December, I found a 2009-reg with 44,000 miles for sale. It was being offered by a friend in the trade. I trusted him. I never saw the… Continue reading Christmas presents don’t get much better than a Megane R26.R
Mario Andretti on his favourite cars, circuits, races and rivals
America’s greatest racing driver? It’s subjective and depends entirely on your perspective. But what we can state for certain is, in terms of worldwide fame, stature, personality, longevity of career and relentless achievement, they don’t come much bigger than Mario Andretti. Just that name alone… he’s a sporting colossus. Andretti won in pretty much everything… Continue reading Mario Andretti on his favourite cars, circuits, races and rivals
I didn’t think the MX-5 could get better – then they put a Jag V6 in it
My favourite driver’s cars tend to be small, light and rear-driven, with a charismatic engine and a manual gearbox. With its blueprinted quad-cam V6 and lightly breathed on suspension, Rocketeer’s Mk1 MX-5 was well up my street on paper, but I did have a slight sense of trepidation before driving it. It’s fundamentally a 30-year-old… Continue reading I didn’t think the MX-5 could get better – then they put a Jag V6 in it
Gucci car, anyone? Autocar’s ‘alternative’ predictions for 2026
The start of the year is traditionally a time to make predictions about what will happen in the coming months. But making predictions is hard, especially in an industry as unpredictable as the automotive sector. Still, we’re experts on the car world, so of course we can predict with unerring accuracy every key event that… Continue reading Gucci car, anyone? Autocar’s ‘alternative’ predictions for 2026
I will be karting for as long as my bones will permit it
Five seconds after climbing into a kart, I am entirely comfortable. My gloved hands find the steering wheel rim, my feet rest easily against the pedals and I am contented. Five seconds after actually driving off, things are different: the vibration makes me feel sick and my glasses shake so much that my vision is blurred. It’s… Continue reading I will be karting for as long as my bones will permit it
I saved £25k by buying a German Lotus instead of a British one
As a twenty-something back in 1990, Simon Bailey dreamed of owning a Lotus Carlton, Vauxhall’s 176mph supersaloon that raised questions in the Commons and rattled the likes of BMW and Mercedes. A quarter of a century later, he has realised his ambition, although the car on his driveway is not a Vauxhall but its Opel… Continue reading I saved £25k by buying a German Lotus instead of a British one