Car review
Car review
Workhorse tries to appeal to the lifestyle market with an abundance of equipment and a hardcore off-road edition
The Isuzu D-Max is tasked with spearheading its brand’s push into the “lifestyle” market; that well-trodden but eminently profitable niche that gave birth to cars as varied as the Land Rover Defender, Ineos Grenadier, Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.But what makes Isuzu’s sole passenger vehicle offering different is that it undercuts all of its closest rivals on price. It is cheaper than the Hilux, the Ranger, the Volkswagen Amarok, and even the KGM Musso. In short, there isn’t a cheaper way to get yourself into a large, rugged pick-up truck with a diesel engine.Isuzu realised that it’s not enough to simply make your agricultural workhorse, well, an agricultural workhorse. You need to give it luxuries like snazzy 18in alloys, an eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as adaptive cruise control interspersed with off-road goodies such as a snorkel, a winch and chunky, all-terrain tyres.But in gaining all of this additional technology and componentry are you now distracted from the fact it is no longer a cost-effective fleet-friendly tool? Or does it manage to blend true value-for-money, rough-and-ready charm with a modern feel that puts it as much as home towing your boat as parked next to it?The Isuzu D-Max range at a glanceBeing Isuzu's sole passenger vehicle offering, the D-Max’s range is fairly extensive but far from exhaustive. The entry-level Utility model gets interchangeable two- and four-wheel drive, a low-range gearbox, automatic headlights, 16in steel wheels (or 18s for the double-cab version), cruise control, hill descent control, air conditioning and bluetooth.Stepping up to the DL20 car costs around £5000 more and grants you a locking rear differential, 18in alloys, a 4.2in infotainment display, and servo-assisted power steering. The DL40 doesn't add any off-road equipment but gets additional luxuries such as LED headlights, a 7in touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, push-button ignition, and a reversing camera.The V-Cross, meanwhile, which is the primary subject of this review and the car Isuzu is using to target Defender and Grenadier buyers, gets a larger 9in infotainment screen, dual-zone climate control as well as lumbar support for the driver. You can additionally specify a camping kit complete with a two-man tent, sink, barbecue, awning and foldaway chairs.At the top of the range sits the Arctic Trucks AT35 edition and the Mudmaster V-Cross, the latter of which is new to the fleet and comes with a winch, a light-bar mounted to the roof, a snorkel, all-terrain tyres mounted to 20in alloys, but underneath it is the same as the regular car.All cars are powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine with 162bhp and 266lb ft. As standard, you get a six-speed manual gearbox but you can specify a six-speed Aisin automatic, said to shift 25% faster than its predecessor. In 2023, the sales split between the automatic and manual almost stood at 50:50.
Isuzu D-Max Giga Gears
Workhorse tries to appeal to the lifestyle market with an abundance of equipment and a hardcore off-road edition
The Isuzu D-Max is tasked with spearheading its brand’s push into the “lifestyle” market; that well-trodden but eminently profitable niche that gave birth to cars as varied as the Land Rover Defender, Ineos Grenadier, Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.But what makes Isuzu’s sole passenger vehicle offering different is that it undercuts all of its closest rivals on price. It is cheaper than the Hilux, the Ranger, the Volkswagen Amarok, and even the KGM Musso. In short, there isn’t a cheaper way to get yourself into a large, rugged pick-up truck with a diesel engine.Isuzu realised that it’s not enough to simply make your agricultural workhorse, well, an agricultural workhorse. You need to give it luxuries like snazzy 18in alloys, an eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as adaptive cruise control interspersed with off-road goodies such as a snorkel, a winch and chunky, all-terrain tyres.But in gaining all of this additional technology and componentry are you now distracted from the fact it is no longer a cost-effective fleet-friendly tool? Or does it manage to blend true value-for-money, rough-and-ready charm with a modern feel that puts it as much as home towing your boat as parked next to it?The Isuzu D-Max range at a glanceBeing Isuzu's sole passenger vehicle offering, the D-Max’s range is fairly extensive but far from exhaustive. The entry-level Utility model gets interchangeable two- and four-wheel drive, a low-range gearbox, automatic headlights, 16in steel wheels (or 18s for the double-cab version), cruise control, hill descent control, air conditioning and bluetooth.Stepping up to the DL20 car costs around £5000 more and grants you a locking rear differential, 18in alloys, a 4.2in infotainment display, and servo-assisted power steering. The DL40 doesn't add any off-road equipment but gets additional luxuries such as LED headlights, a 7in touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, push-button ignition, and a reversing camera.The V-Cross, meanwhile, which is the primary subject of this review and the car Isuzu is using to target Defender and Grenadier buyers, gets a larger 9in infotainment screen, dual-zone climate control as well as lumbar support for the driver. You can additionally specify a camping kit complete with a two-man tent, sink, barbecue, awning and foldaway chairs.At the top of the range sits the Arctic Trucks AT35 edition and the Mudmaster V-Cross, the latter of which is new to the fleet and comes with a winch, a light-bar mounted to the roof, a snorkel, all-terrain tyres mounted to 20in alloys, but underneath it is the same as the regular car.All cars are powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine with 162bhp and 266lb ft. As standard, you get a six-speed manual gearbox but you can specify a six-speed Aisin automatic, said to shift 25% faster than its predecessor. In 2023, the sales split between the automatic and manual almost stood at 50:50.
Car review
Facelifted city car offers stripped-back, simple driving at affordable prices
Good news! There’s a new car with a naturally aspirated engine and a manual gearbox that weighs under a tonne. It isn’t the latest carbonfibre Porsche special edition but one of the cheapest new cars you can buy: the Kia Picanto.Okay, ‘new’ is a stretch because this is the facelifted version of the third-generation Picanto, which was launched in 2018, and it’s a mostly cosmetic refresh at that. It gains Kia EV9-inspired headlights and there’s a new light bar at the rear, because of course there is.
Kia Picanto Giga Gears
Facelifted city car offers stripped-back, simple driving at affordable prices
Good news! There’s a new car with a naturally aspirated engine and a manual gearbox that weighs under a tonne. It isn’t the latest carbonfibre Porsche special edition but one of the cheapest new cars you can buy: the Kia Picanto.Okay, ‘new’ is a stretch because this is the facelifted version of the third-generation Picanto, which was launched in 2018, and it’s a mostly cosmetic refresh at that. It gains Kia EV9-inspired headlights and there’s a new light bar at the rear, because of course there is.
Car review
New version of Kia’s big SUV is a car of real ambition and new powertrain options
Apart from a few outliers and van-based exceptions, seven-seat MPVs are pretty much dead and buried in the UK. Instead, large family SUVs like the Kia Sorento have become the acceptable face of seven-seaters.In a way, the Sorento charts the history of Kia in the UK, evolving from crude Mercedes ML impersonator to bargain-priced tow car and family holdall, and finally to the sharp-styled, practical, capable mainstream tow car and family holdall you see here today.The fourth generation of the Sorento was launched in 2020 and introduced full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options for the first time. A facelift in 2024 brought a big interior refresh, as well as updated styling that emphasises the Sorento’s family connection to the electric seven-seater in the brand's line-up, the Kia EV9.The Sorento line-up at a glanceThe model range for the fourth-generation Sorento is refreshingly simple, even if the hardware itself is much more complex than was offered on the model before. All versions have mechanical four-wheel drive and two of the three models are hybrids.The PHEV is comfortably the most powerful – and potentially frugal – model in the line-up, as well as the most expensive. Notably, it retains the third row of seats, despite the need to carry a sizeable battery.There’s no need to learn some arcane trim level language. Instead, there is 2, 3 and 4. The higher the number, the posher the trim.VersionPower1.6 T-GDI HEV226bhp2.2 CRDi199bhp1.6 T-GDI PHEV261bhpAs for transmissions, there's a six-speed automatic for hybrids and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic for the diesel
Kia Sorento with Giga Gears
New version of Kia’s big SUV is a car of real ambition and new powertrain options
Apart from a few outliers and van-based exceptions, seven-seat MPVs are pretty much dead and buried in the UK. Instead, large family SUVs like the Kia Sorento have become the acceptable face of seven-seaters.In a way, the Sorento charts the history of Kia in the UK, evolving from crude Mercedes ML impersonator to bargain-priced tow car and family holdall, and finally to the sharp-styled, practical, capable mainstream tow car and family holdall you see here today.The fourth generation of the Sorento was launched in 2020 and introduced full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options for the first time. A facelift in 2024 brought a big interior refresh, as well as updated styling that emphasises the Sorento’s family connection to the electric seven-seater in the brand's line-up, the Kia EV9.The Sorento line-up at a glanceThe model range for the fourth-generation Sorento is refreshingly simple, even if the hardware itself is much more complex than was offered on the model before. All versions have mechanical four-wheel drive and two of the three models are hybrids.The PHEV is comfortably the most powerful – and potentially frugal – model in the line-up, as well as the most expensive. Notably, it retains the third row of seats, despite the need to carry a sizeable battery.There’s no need to learn some arcane trim level language. Instead, there is 2, 3 and 4. The higher the number, the posher the trim.VersionPower1.6 T-GDI HEV226bhp2.2 CRDi199bhp1.6 T-GDI PHEV261bhpAs for transmissions, there's a six-speed automatic for hybrids and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic for the diesel
Car review
Mercedes supersaloon swaps its V8 for a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder
For 25 years, Mercedes-AMG has used a V8 engine to define the unique appeal of its ‘super’ C-Class.The very first V8-powered one, the W202-generation C43 AMG, emerged just as Mercedes’ then-parent DaimlerChrysler was buying control of what would become its in-house performance brand right at the end of 1997. It became the very first AMG model to be built on one of Mercedes’ own production lines.If not for the V8 C-Class, then, perhaps AMG might not have become the success it is today. But, like it or not, another page in the AMG development story is now being turned. The V8 C-Class is dead – and its usurper is the new four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance with Giga Gears
Mercedes supersaloon swaps its V8 for a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder
For 25 years, Mercedes-AMG has used a V8 engine to define the unique appeal of its ‘super’ C-Class.The very first V8-powered one, the W202-generation C43 AMG, emerged just as Mercedes’ then-parent DaimlerChrysler was buying control of what would become its in-house performance brand right at the end of 1997. It became the very first AMG model to be built on one of Mercedes’ own production lines.If not for the V8 C-Class, then, perhaps AMG might not have become the success it is today. But, like it or not, another page in the AMG development story is now being turned. The V8 C-Class is dead – and its usurper is the new four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance.
Car review
Powerful updated 992-gen 911 gets hybrid power with sensational performance but carries a few extra kilos
Porsche has recently enjoyed people describing the GTS as the ‘sweet spot’ in the Porsche 911 range. It has had more oomph and more reward than the Carrera but not the focus nor the harshness of a Turbo or a GT3. Imagine, then, the reaction when Porsche first said it was going to hybridise it, and the online fury at the potential of a two tonne, pluggable 911. Only it turns out that it’s neither two tonnes, nor pluggable. It is, though, the most notable part of the 992-generation 911’s facelift (the 992.2, as Porsche people like to say). At the time of writing (July 2024), we’ve seen details of the GTS and the basic Carrera (more on which later too), but the GTS’s part electrification is the big news.
Porsche 911 Giga Gears
Powerful updated 992-gen 911 gets hybrid power with sensational performance but carries a few extra kilos
Porsche has recently enjoyed people describing the GTS as the ‘sweet spot’ in the Porsche 911 range. It has had more oomph and more reward than the Carrera but not the focus nor the harshness of a Turbo or a GT3. Imagine, then, the reaction when Porsche first said it was going to hybridise it, and the online fury at the potential of a two tonne, pluggable 911. Only it turns out that it’s neither two tonnes, nor pluggable. It is, though, the most notable part of the 992-generation 911’s facelift (the 992.2, as Porsche people like to say). At the time of writing (July 2024), we’ve seen details of the GTS and the basic Carrera (more on which later too), but the GTS’s part electrification is the big news.