Subaru’s BRZ isn’t normally the sort of car you’ll read about in The Mud Life, for one its ground clearance is atrocious, and secondly of course it’s only 2wd.  However, I’m all for killing two birds with one stone, and when the invite came through from Subaru to test both their updated BRZ and Levorg down in Cowley near Cheltenham, I couldn’t resist…..

The Grand Cherokee in standard form isn’t a subtle 4x4 by any means, but when you add a deep front bumper which is filled with a huge air dam, flared wheel arches, 20” alloy wheels and finish off with a pair of big bore tailpipes, you get the sense that there’s …

The WRX is a strange car, but in a good way.  Yes, it’s a family sized 4-door saloon, yet it’s a 300ps 160mph monster, with handling characteristics to match.  First and foremost though, it’s a performance car that doesn’t compromise. My very first thoughts were, “Wow, the ride is hard” and “How heavy, yet precise, is the steering?” ……….

It’s a crossover-styled city car, that’s packed with goodies, for not a lot of money - and it’s a Suzuki, and what Suzuki doesn’t know about creating small cars and 4x4s frankly isn’t worth. As soon as it arrived at Muddy Towers it was put straight into action for an hours motorway trek to Wales where its 1.2ltr, 90bhp engine easily kept up with third lane cruisers.….

Being the smallest 4x4 in the Jeep range, the Renegade is the companies attempt to break into the ultra-competitive compact crossover segment, and to do this they worked closely with designers and engineers from ……

Winning best hybrid vehicle award in this years Diesel Car & Eco Car Awards, the all-new Kia Niro hybrid crossover is doing rather well for itself.  Launched in August 2016, the Niro is Kia’s first dedicated hybrid vehicle and was a joint design venture between Kia's studios at Namyang in Korea and Irvine, California…….

Mitsubishi say that the Shogun is aimed at true off-road drivers who demand a comprehensively equipped, reliable and cost-effective vehicle with proven all-wheel-drive ability.  And they’re right, this classic off-roader combines four-wheel-drive go-anywhere ability with a Euro 6-compliant turbo diesel engine, and is one of the few cars in its class to still offer …..

The Alltrack is modified to provide both on-road and off-road capabilities providing, and I'm reading from the press bumf here, an excellent combination of performance, comfort, loadspace and traction in poor conditions.  I have to agree, jumping into the 190ps version there's certainly a sense of calmness and practicality about the Passat……

Overall, this new version has an increased wheelbase of 77mm and is 60mm longer in length, which may not sound like much but it does make a difference to its ride.  Not only that but the luggage space is now increased to 520 litres, and if you slide the rear seats forward you ….

Around 20 years ago a friend of mine had one of the very first Golf estates, and apart from routine maintenance it never set an inch of tyre tread in a garage, it just kept on going, and going and, well you get the idea.  Not only was it a great family barge, but it was an exceptional work-horse too, carting heavy radio equipment all over the UK without a fuss, which is……

The S-Cross first went on sale in October 2013 and last year received its first make over.  Suzuki’s aim was to make the S-Cross stand out from the crowd more and gave it a bolder look with a new, higher front end, newly designed LED rear combination lamps and …

I’ll tell you what it is, (warning, spoiler alert) it’s one of the most fun, practical and value for money 4x4s that I’ve driven, that’s what it is!

Ever since its market launch in 1988, the Suzuki Vitara series has earned high acclaim, it was compact, easy to drive and had …..

On a cold and damp late November evening, a bunch load of writers and myself met up at the stately Crathorne Hall hotel in Yarm.  Before we tucked into our lavish tea (northern for the food we eat at 5.00pm) in front of the roaring open fire, we listened to the powers-that -be from Suzuki as they went into detail about why they’d axed models such as the SX4, and went on to …

In 2013 Suzuki launched the SX4 S-Cross, their first real attempt at a crossover vehicle, though Suzuki claim it to be much more than just any old crossover – it’s the perfect fusion of family-friendliness, safety and performance, they reckon.  Time to find out ….

In 2015 Suzuki are celebrated 45 years of their first compact SUV, and with global sales of over 2.7million vehicles sold across 188 markets there’s no sign of it slowing down.  In its current guise, this legendary little off roader has hardly changed since 1998 when it was …

The new, fourth generation Vitara is as stylish and robust as ever, offering the usual value for money ethos that you would expect from Suzuki.  The range starts at £13,999 and is available in SZ4, SZ-T and SZ-5 grades. Suzuki’s ALLGRIP intelligent four-wheel drive is ….

The Grand Vitara, in my mind is one of those sturdy workhorse type 4×4’s that you find on farms, in remote villages as well as the average driveway, a much loved and revered 4×4 that, when I learnt Suzuki was ending production, I arranged for their very last press car to be delivered …

So what, dear reader, makes a Subaru so competent off-road?  These days of course, we have quite a lot of electronic witchcraft that goes on in all modern cars, but with Subaru, they also have their famed Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system which is coupled to their Boxer engine.

“A Symmetrical… system, Boxer engine…  what on earth are you talking about?”…….

Based on the Impreza, the XV is Subaru’s endeavour to tap into the lucrative and fashionable lifestyle crossover sector.  It comes with beefed up suspension and an extra bit of ground clearance.  As well as a taller body, it looks more like a sporty hatchback than a traditionally style SUV, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the XV is an SUV pretender, ‘cos it isn’t, not by a long stretch……..

This week, the Yeti has been the definition of a marmite car.  I’d say it’s been an equal 50/50 split of comments like ‘What the hell is that?’ and ‘Yup, I’m feeling so turned on right now…’  

Personally, I’ve always like them, the Yeti in my eyes is a stylish and practical substitute to…