Aion’s UT compact electric hatch offers plenty of cheekiness, but under its cute facade lies a car that delivers excellent value. In all my years of driving, I’ve never come across a car that has promised to cure motion sickness. But the new Aion UT has a setting called ‘Motion Sickness Relief’, which apparently tries to smoothen the driving experience by reducing the regenerative braking and energy recovery to a minimum, ...
Read MoreThere are some cars that feel like a normal model change, and others that feel like the start of something much bigger. The new BMW iX3 belongs firmly in the second group. This is the first of BMW’s Neue Klasse generation of cars, and that alone makes it significant. The phrase Neue Klasse, or New Class, looks back to a very important period in BMW’s history, when the brand found a ...
Read MoreDongfeng enters the EV sedan space with the evocatively-named 007, but does this slick contender have what it takes to battle the rest?
Read MoreDongfeng wades into the Cat A electric SUV game with the Vigo, but beyond its funky looks lies a somewhat rough, unpolished diamond. They say good things come to those who wait. My Dongfeng Vigo test drive was rescheduled twice due to various circumstances surrounding the car. Given the proliferation of similar other Cat A electric SUVs on the market though, I can’t say that it was a delay I minded ...
Read MoreToyota does not usually rush into things. This is, after all, the company that turned hybrid motoring from a curiosity into a global habit, one Prius at a time. So when it finally decided to build a proper battery-electric SUV, you expected something deeply considered, perhaps even revolutionary. And it kind of is, apart from its name. The Toyota bZ4X, admittedly, sounds like someone dropped a keyboard down a staircase. It stands for ...
Read MoreThere are few vehicles that can claim to have reshaped an entire segment quite like the Porsche Cayenne. When it arrived in 2002, purists were horrified. Porsche, a company synonymous with low-slung sports cars, had decided to build a family SUV. Yet history has a funny way of proving critics wrong. The Cayenne not only became one of Porsche's best-selling models, but also paved the way for an entire generation of performance ...
Read MoreThe EV market is moving quickly. Manufacturers are racing to launch new models, chase longer range figures and introduce ever more technology. Against that backdrop, the Subaru Solterra XT might seem like a late arrival. After spending time with the car, I suspect Subaru would be perfectly happy with that observation. The Japanese brand has rarely been the first to jump on a trend. Instead, it has traditionally taken a more measured ...
Read MoreFamily cars were a simple thing in the past. If you had more than two children, elderly parents, or a habit of transporting half the neighbourhood, you bought an MPV and accepted your fate. Then SUVs arrived, and suddenly everyone wanted height, presence and the illusion of adventure, even if the most challenging terrain was the basement carpark at Marina Bay Sands. Tesla, for all its dominance in Singapore, has never properly ...
Read MoreAudi has spent the last few years trying to make its model naming system sound clever, which is usually the first sign that things are about to get confusing. The plan was simple enough: even numbers for electric cars, odd numbers for combustion-engined ones. This is why the new A5 became the replacement for the old A4, even though the A5 used to be the swoopy coupe-ish thing. Then Audi realised, perhaps ...
Read MoreThe Suzuki Fronx may be slightly dated by today’s standards, but it offers an easy, no frills driving experience that is refreshingly simple in today’s tech-laden market. Apparently, Fronx is short for “Frontier crossover”. Silly name aside, the Fronx is quite interesting. Because beneath the odd badge is a compact SUV that sits at an interesting crossroads for Suzuki. It is smaller than the Vitara, effectively stepping into the gap left by ...
Read MoreSomething is reassuring about a big Volvo. Not in the way a supercar reassures you with speed, or a luxury SUV reassures you with sheer presence, but in a more understated, almost philosophical way. It feels like a machine designed by people who have thought deeply about what a car should do for you, rather than how loudly it should announce itself. The Volvo ES90 is exactly that sort of car. At just ...
Read MoreThe name might not ring a bell immediately. That is because KGM is essentially the new face of SsangYong. So it's a rebrand? Yep, but also a reset. Honestly, it was needed (I'm sure you would agree). SsangYong always had a bit of a reputation. Tough, capable, but never quite polished. Yes, some might also say, 'fugly'. The Torres EVX, however, feels like a clear attempt to move past that. Cleaner design, ...
Read MoreThe Skoda Elroq is almost understated, and seemingly content to win you over the long way. Which, if you think about it, is very Skoda indeed. The Elroq sits neatly within Skoda’s growing electric line-up as the smaller sibling to the Skoda Enyaq, and if you’re familiar with that car, you’ll already have a good idea of what to expect. Skoda will tell you it’s an electric alternative to the Karoq, but ...
Read MoreIf I were to buy an EV today, it would be a little quirky and a little different. The Jaecoo J6 bags that mantra down to a tee. Because if we are to embrace electrification, it ought to bring a touch of joy along with it. Whether it is an internal combustion engine, a hybrid, or a full EV, the appeal of a car should always come down to how it makes ...
Read MoreThere was a time when MG meant something very specific. Lightweight roadsters, British charm, slightly rough around the edges, but full of character. Cars you drove for the feeling, not the numbers. Today, MG is a very different brand. It has grown up, moved on, and found itself in a space that is far more practical and, frankly, far more relevant to modern buyers. The MGS6 is a good example of that ...
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