The current Octavia, not to be confused with the original classic Octavia that was produced from 1959 to 1971, is now in its 3rd incarnation and has been around since 1996.  It was the first completely new Skoda to be produced under…

Well, it’s a SEAT Leon estate that’s been given four-wheel drive, a bit of a lift and plastic extensions on the arches.  Admittedly, that doesn’t sound like much when you say it quick, but it makes the X-Perience quite a practical vehicle if you need 4x4-ability every now and again.  Granted, from the outside it bears a quite resemblance to Skoda’s……..

As new vehicle launches go, this was pretty cool.  From a trendy hotel in Manchester with a roof top terrace, to a drive through its bustling city centre, this is exactly what the brilliant PR team at SEAT was looking for when they decided to celebrate the launch of SEAT’s new urban SUV, the Ateca……..

Based on an extended platform of the Peugeot 208, the 2008 is taller, chunkier and more curvaceous than some of its competition, though not as pretty as its bigger sibling, the 508 RXH, which incidentally has to be one of the prettiest estates around.

The 2008 is Peugeot’s answer to the increasingly popular compact crossover market and….

It's a van. "I can see that, but what on earth are you doing reviewing a van?"  you may ask, and it's a valid question. 

It started last year when I was invited to DriveIt, a dedicated light commercial vehicle show at which visitors could test drive any of the vehicles on show, on different types of roads, and that included a challenging off road route.  As you can read if you click the link, amongst the many pick-ups, Peugeot had their New Partner ATV (All Terrain Vans) for me to play with…….

Just what is the Peugeot 508 RXH Hybrid4?  Well, it’s a beefed up, selectable 4x4 estate with hybrid technology, which, if I’m being completely honest, nearly put a downer on the whole experience for me, but let’s hold off on that thought for a moment.  With extended wheel arches and raised ground clearance, the 508 RHX really does look the part, it’s …….

Now in its 5th generation, Mitsubishi say that they went back to the drawing board and created an entirely new vehicle from the ground up with significant improvements pretty much everywhere.

New for 2016 are Single Cab 4Life and Club Cab 4Life variants with the promise of improved ………

The ASX is Mitsubishi’s entry into the compact crossover market in which they believe that it will target the style conscious family buyer who wants to upgrade from a C-segment hatchback to a compact SUV.  Thing is, there’s a lot of competition in that particular market with the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Skoda Yeti, Hyundai ix35, Suzuki S-Cross and the Nissan Qashqai.  Have Mitsubishi hit the nail on the head?…….

The L200 has been in production since 1978 with the first models arriving in the UK almost a decade later in '87.  Those first UK models were only available as a Single Cab in either 2WD or 4WD, buyers would have to wait another decade for the Double Cab to arrive in 1997. 

Since its launch in 2006, the fourth-generation L200 has been a huge success for Mitsubishi and has plenty of ……….

Between 1953 and 1998, Mitsubishi motors produced over 200,000 Jeep variants under licence from the Willys company in America. Very few were exported, but as they were predominantly right hand drive, a few were imported into the UK. This particular example dates from 1979 and is just one of 8 that were ‘officially’ imported by the Colt Car Company. It has undergone……….

Since the first-generation Shoguns arrived in the UK back in 1982, they have built up a 34-year reputation for being a tough but affordable vehicle with go-anywhere off-road capability. Available in both SWB (3 door), and LWB (5 door), they've won countless awards over the years for their on and off-road ability, and having never driven one, we at The Mud Life figured it was…….

Now in its 12th year, Mercedes-Benz' VanExperience was held for the first time at the brilliant Millbrook Testing Facility near Milton Keynes, which as always, proved to be an excellent venue.

VanExperience Live takes place for more than 1,900 invited van operators and goes far beyond any normal test drive. It’s a unique opportunity to assess how Mercedes-Benz vans perform in all areas, including…..

Now, I’ve always had a thing for big V8 saloons, over the years I’ve owned an Rover SD1 and a Lexus LS400, and more recently I was tempted by a Mercedes CL500, but the cash was ear marked for a new kitchen instead, meh.

It had just began to rain, and the nice folks on hand escorted me to the S500 under an umbrella. I grinned, not because ……..

The G-Wagen is an imposing vehicle whichever way you view it, its reputation is legendary, but then so is the price. This particular G350 TEC BlueTec costs £83,830, then there’s the £22,320 worth of extras bringing the total up to an eye watering £106,150……

The original CX-5 was introduced way back in 2012, and with global sales of over 1.5 million it now accounts for roughly 25% of Mazda’s global sales volume, with more than 32,000 current-generation CX-5s having been sold in the UK; no mean feat.

Being 5 years old, it’s no surprise then that the wise folk at Mazda have been busy working on a new and improved version, and with …..

The Honda CR-V is already one of the most popular compact SUVs in the world with more than 750,000 have been sold in Europe since it was launched in 1997.

For 2015 the CR-V gains a comprehensive range of enhancements, including a high power 1.6 diesel engine, a nine-speed automatic transmission that delivers an unrivalled power-to-consumption ratio, world-first safety technology (intelligent-Adaptive Cruise Control), City- Brake Active System as standard on ….

Like other small cars, the Picanto has never been on my radar.  It isn't huge, it doesn't have a big V8, nor does it have any kind of 4x4 system, so why did I fly all the way down to Grosseto, Italy to drive one then?  Well, I was going to say that your answer is in the question, I love Italy, but that isn't the reason at all - no, seriously, it isn't!…….

When this, the second generation XF arrived in 2015, it was re-fettled using aluminium which made it significantly lighter, and, coupled with new diesel engines and transmissions, made it one of the most efficient cars in its class.

So, with its great reputation, and being the only Jaguar from the current line up that I hadn’t driven, it would be an understatement to say ………

Like all motor manufactures these days, Jaguar realised that if they want to make more money and keep up with Porsche, BMW and Audi, then they'd better create an SUV.  So they did, and a rather good one at that. 

To make life easy for themselves, you'd think that Jaguar would borrow the F-Pace's underpinnings from Land Rover, which would make perfect sense.  However, take a peek at…..

In our mind, the outgoing Sportage still looks as fresh as a daisy, which is testament to its designer, ex-Audi designer Peter Schreyer who also had a hand in styling the new model. Retaining its sloping roofline, bulging arches and minimal glass, the new model is still recognisable as a Sportage, but with a more ………