Page 18 - Driver Power News Today

What makes a car premium? Is it the badge the model bears on its nose, or is it the level of technology on offer inside? Is it the refinement, or the quality, or the fact that spending more money means you don’t have to make compromises compared with a more mainstream alternative? In truth, it’s all these things and more – and for brands such as Hyundai that have been clamouring to elevate their image to a more upmarket status, this push towards a more premium product is embodied by the K...

Theres a reason why the Volvo estate has become such an icon: decades ago, while its rivals were focusing exclusively on saloons, this Swedish car maker was making far more practical family models.  It started with the Duett back in 1953 and continued with the Amazon, but it’s the boxy 240/260 and 740/760 estates with which Volvo cemented its reputation as the maker of such cars. The firm always prioritised safety and practicality over stylish design, which was great for those who valued fu...

Toyota GR Supra launched to great fanfare in 2019, and can cut it with great-driving sports cars like the Porsche 718 Cayman, while matching the image and usability of models such as Audi’s TT. However, the Japanese machine has only been available with a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six in the UK, despite a 2.0-litre four-cylinder model being offered in Toyota’s home country. Until now. Although it has less power, this new 2.0-litre GR Supra also weighs less than its brawnier brother, so...

Whether or not you think Tesla is an over-hyped company, or that its cars are deserving of the adulation that they regularly receive, you can’t deny that company founder Elon Musk has shaken up the market with products that are like nothing else. Not only that, but Tesla has also set up a charging infrastructure that’s the envy of its rivals. Tesla was founded in 2003 and its first car, the Roadster, was introduced in 2005. Effectively an electrified two-seater sharing much with the Lotus E...

Electrification really came of age in 2020, with company car drivers flocking in their droves to premium plug-in hybrids, like the three new saloons we’ve assembled here for this test, thanks to very low Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) taxation rates. This technology isn’t new, but all three of the cars here have either received an update or are all-new models. Let’s start with the BMW; the 530e is part of the overall update to the 5 Series range, with refreshed looks, interior tweaks and the same ...

Wind noise with roof down Qualities that make the fixed-roof Aston Martin Vantage a fine grand tourer are still in abundance in the Roadster - combined with the ability to drop the top in just seven seconds to benefit from the merest sliver of sunshine. Some rivals are sharper to drive and others slightly more practical, but the Vantage Roadster’s feel-good factor and deep-chested V8-powered performance are both enhanced when the roof is down, while quality and ability both improve upon the o...

Vauxhall’s electric supermini has brisk performance and offers plenty of equipment, but some rivals are better value for money

The 612bhp McLaren GT is here to take on the Bentley Continental GT. It’s fast, comfortable and luxurious

The Mercedes V-Class is an upmarket people-carrier that’s based on the German firm’s Vito van, although its commercial roots are extremely well hidden beneath layers of luxury and technology carried over from the Mercedes passenger car line-up. You’re most likely to find a V-Class MPV operating as executive or VIP transport for a corporate owner, but they’re also favoured by families with big households and budgets to match. It comes as standard with seven seats, but long and extra-long...

Volkswagen has shifted more than six million examples of its Tiguan family SUV since it was launched in 2007. More than a decade on, the car’s popularity hasn’t waned, because nearly a million examples were sold across the globe last year alone. Despite the Tiguan’s success, this sector of the market has moved quickly, and with many all-new and reinvented models hitting the market over the last few years, VW has given the second-generation Tiguan an injection of life with this facelift. I...