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► Remains SUV handling benchmark ► Strong value, loaded with equipment They say to understand where you’re going you need to know where you came from, but so stark is the contrast between this third-generation Ford Kuga and the Blue Oval’s first European mid-sized SUV – the developed-with-Nissan Maverick of 1993 – that the scholastic learning is worthy of a Masters dissertation in crossover evolution. In fact, it’s quite the leap from its immediate eight-year-old predecessor, having grown (89mm longer, 44mm wider), yet become more lithe (6mm lower, up to 80kg lighter) in the pro...

What exactly is the Citroen C4? It’s a question that’s hard to answer, partly because of its new design that’s somewhere between a normal hatchback and an SUV, and partly because the C4 name has been used on a number of cars over the past decade or so. It started out as a normal family hatch, like a Volkswagen Golf or a Ford Focus, but then the funky-looking and excellent C4 Cactus was introduced before the C4 hatch was dropped. Then the C4 Cactus was toned down and made to look more like a hatchback thanks to a mid-life facelift, which we felt reduced its appeal. Now the C4 name is bac...

This almost car-less state of affairs wasn’t supposed to be absolute and permanent. Ford did have plans to sell the Focus Active in the United States before Trump administration tariffs killed the plan in 2018. Could Ford revive the plan to sell a car in the U.S. that isn’t a traditional sedan? Well, they just launched exactly that sort of vehicle for the Chinese market, the Evos, at the Shanghai Motor Show. The Evos is a sort of fastback-shaped wagon/crossover along the lines of the Citroën CX 5, without the French funkiness. Ford Ford was scant on traditional car details, like whethe...

That announcement came June 3, 2008, as the price of oil was skyrocketing towards $147/bbl. for West Texas Intermediate. Gasoline prices were sky high, and remarkably, almost exactly the same price they are in Western Canada right now, despite oil prices currently being US$68/bbl. for WTI. Also, the plant closure announcement came before the recession hit that September. That July, I bought a used SUV made at that plant, a fully loaded 2004 Buick Rainier. I got it cheap, because no one wanted SUVs, remember? Step forward to April 25, and Ford, the one North American auto maker that did not...

Awkward squad: EV charging can be infuriating if you don't have access to a home wallbox If your car has developed a fault, or for consumer advice, turn to Honest John by emailing honestadvice@telegraph.co.uk Circuit bored My wife and I bought an electric Kia e-Niro, which at 75 felt like a brave thing to do. I have no range anxiety as, with up to 280 miles on a full charge, I can easily visit friends and family and return to our wallbox charger at home. My biggest irritation is charging away from home. For some reason, each provider has its own method of selling you electricity and it seems ...