Suzuki Swift Sport ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley 

Light hatchbacks with brawny engines have been with us for over 30 years and how we have come to love them. The latest to join the fray is Suzuki’s second generation Swift Sport which has some rather big boots to fill as the original Sport caused quite a stir when it arrived in early 2006.

The basic Swift hatch is widely praised for its roomy, well built cabin and neat exterior design and this new Sport adds strong performance and crisp handling to the package. We hit the road to find out how good it really is.

Kia Carens ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

OK so we all know that people carriers are probably the least exciting cars on the road but Kia's new Caren's has a lot to shout about. Don't worry if you can't remember the previous model, you're not alone. It was completely lacking in sparkle. This Carens is new from the ground up, it's also the final piece of the Peter Schreyer jigsaw that has seen every model in the Kia range transformed into altogether more competitive machines. With stiff competition from a whole host of established models the new Carens needs to be brilliant to succeed. Read on to see if it's any good.

Volkswagen Passat Alltrack ON THE ROAD

Review & Photographs by Rob McSorley

The Volkswagen Passat is one of those cars that is often the default choice for both private and fleet buyers who want a no-nonsense family car offering plenty of space and refinement. But what about those who like the reassurance of all-wheel-drive for driving in trickier conditions? Volkswagen is widening the appeal of the Passat Estate with this, the new Alltrack. It comes with permanent four wheel drive, raised suspension and beefy body mouldings and rivals the likes of the Audi A4 AllRoad and Volvo XC70 by offering similar levels of space and kit. Its trump card however is its price which undercuts both rivals by over £5,000 kicking off at £28,580. We find out if its a credible rival.