Page 8 - Tim Pitt News Today

The Toyota RAV4 Plug-in is a part-electric, part-hybrid SUV with impressive fuel economy and emissions – but a high price tag.

New Toyota RAV4 Plug-in 2021 review Tim Pitt © Provided by Motoring Research Toyota RAV4 PHEV Think ‘hybrid’ and most people picture a Toyota Prius. Play word association with ‘plug-in hybrid’, though, and a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will probably pop into your head. Yeah, sorry about that… The Outlander looks ugly, has a dated interior and is utterly forgettable to drive. Its success, frankly, was almost entirely due to low tax liability and the £2,500 Plug-in Car...

Meet the VN5, a London cab for packages, not people (LEVC) After nine months of the ‘new normal’, I now permanently work from home. Water-cooler bants now happen on Slack, meetings take place via Zoom. And the time I spent commuting back-and-forth on the M25 is now used for home-schooling two uninterested children. Every silver lining… Anyway, after 35 years, clearing the office was no small task. There were computers, desks and swivel chairs, of course, but also shelves ...

Alfa Romeo breaks auction record in a buoyant classic car market (Car and Classic) An Alfa Romeo GT Junior has sold for £50,000, smashing the auction world record for this model. The stylish classic coupe, originally exported to Australia in 1971, attracted 261 bids during a seven-day online sale. The record price is further evidence of a robust collector car market, which has so far resisted the creeping Covid malaise. Online auctions in particular are booming, as our interv...

Honda NSX (2020) review Tim Pitt © Provided by Motoring Research Honda NSX There’s a feeling among some enthusiasts that cars peaked in the early 1990s. It’s been downhill ever since. Writing for Autocar, Colin Goodwin went further, declaring 1994 ‘the greatest year in the history of the car’. I wasn’t old enough to drive back then, but I wonder if Colin is right. Yes, cars today are better built, safer and more sophisticated. But as driving machines, they’re als...

Inside Zenvo: the supercar company from Denmark (Zenvo) Take a stroll along Sloane Street and – in any more normal month – you’ll spot more Ferraris than you can shake a Gucci loafer at. But you’ll never see another Zenvo. Danish marque Zenvo builds just a handful of cars each year, making each one fabulously exclusive – and fearsomely expensive. If you have seven figures to spare and want the ultimate road-legal rush, they are happy to help. We spoke to James Banni...

Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce review: a very Italian affair (Alfa Romeo) I didn’t ‘get’ Alfa Romeo until the Giulia Veloce launch in 2017. My Damascene conversion took place at the Museo Storico near Turin, where many of the great cars from the marque’s history are on show. And what a history it has! There’s the 1935 Bimotore, a racer with two 270hp straight-eight engines that even Alfa’s official guide book describes as ‘cantankerous and difficult to tame’. Or the D...

Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce (2020) review Tim Pitt © Provided by Motoring Research Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce I didn’t ‘get’ Alfa Romeo until the Giulia Veloce launch in 2017. My Damascene conversion took place at the Museo Storico near Turin, where many of the great cars from the marque’s history are on show. And what a history it has! There’s the 1935 Bimotore, a racer with two 270hp straight-eight engines that even Alfa’s official guide book describes as ‘cantanke...

Porsche 911 Carrera (2020) review Tim Pitt © Provided by Motoring Research The Carrera coupe is the meat and potatoes of the Porsche 911 range. Or perhaps a bratwurst and fries, washed down with a refreshing pilsner, for those with Teutonic taste. Stepping up to the 911 Turbo swaps your sausage for a spicy currywurst and beer for a full-bodied bock. Then there’s the soon-to-arrive track-focused GT3: a lightweight salad with a crisp Riesling to vivify your senses. And finally...

Why the new electric Polestar 2 should have Tesla worried (Polestar) Polestar 2 or Tesla Model 3? That’s the burning question if you have £50,000 to spend on a new EV. Cards on the table: I prefer the Polestar. But the winner here is far from clear-cut. It really depends on your priorities, and how you plan to use the car. Let’s start with the styling. The Polestar is more saloon-on-steroids than upright SUV, with crisp contours and a chopped tail. There are hints of siste...