#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
There’s a new EV player in town – and it goes by the name Xpeng. If you’ve never heard of them, don’t worry, you will. Xpeng is one of the latest Chinese electric vehicle brands to enter the UK market, and their first offering here is this: the G6, a mid-size coupe-SUV aimed squarely at buyers considering a Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and even the BYD Sealion 7.
I don’t often say this about electric cars, but I’ve been waiting to try this one for a while. Ever since Renault first dropped images of a retro-fabulous concept that looked like it’d teleported straight from a 1970s disco into a new Star Trek movie (The Roads of Khan!), I’ve been itching to tickle its torque and see if the drive matches the desire.
A new affordable electric SUV that’s more refined and packed with greater tech than its predecessor, the all-new MG S5 EV is essentially the replacement for the best-selling MG ZS EV. The S5 EV steps up the game in terms of style, performance, and practicality – while still offering astonishing value – so should it be on your shortlist?
Usually, when you arrive at a media drive event for a new car, you’re greeted by some PR, there may or may not be a presentation, and then you jostle with the other journos for some keys and take the new car for a drive. However, BYD did things a little differently for the launch of its new Sealion 7 electric family SUV.
Subaru doesn’t do things like everyone else. While most brands chase style over substance, dazzle you with tech, and try to convince you how sustainable-savvy they are, Subaru quietly gets on with making tough, dependable all-wheel-drive SUVs that outlive most of their owners’ vegetable patches (as they witness weeds reclaim their allotment ambitions).
BCG BMW SOLD! The End of an Era for My Classic E30.
8 February 2025 – Well, here we are. The BrownCarGuy BMW E30 325i SE – the BCG BMW – has officially moved on. The keys have been handed over, the last revs have echoed through the streets of Brent, and the car park suddenly feels a little too empty.
Mazda want to do it all. They want a big new flagship luxury SUV. That’s also hugely practical and a versatile seven-seater. Plus, thrifty economy and the ability to emit slightly tanked-up butterflies at most. It also needs to be relatively punchy when it comes to performance and can prove a tasty steer despite it breadth and width. Meet the new 2025 Mazda CX-80, the brand’s new top dog three-row SUV for Europe. This isn’t just Mazda’s largest and most spacious SUV – it’s a bold statement aimed at premium rivals like the BMW X5, Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery. But does it have what it takes to challenge the establishment?
If you’re looking for a crisp and smart-looking hybrid SUV packed with clever tech and features, I might have just the thing for you. Meet the Renault Symbioz E-Tech Hybrid – the name “Symbioz” is taken from the Greek word Symbiosis, meaning ‘living together’. You can’t quite live in this thing, despite its spacious interior. Still, it’s an interesting name and put me in mind of the word Symbiont, which reminded me of Jadzia Dax, the Trill Symbiont on Star Trek Deep Space 9, which was a gratifying thought, so the price of entry is worth it for that alone. We’re talking from £29,295 for the base spec, to £31,295 for the Esprit Alpine trim, and £33,295 for the range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine edition as tested here (plus another £650 for the Oyster Grey finish on this car).
Back in the day, I loved this thing. As a sci-fi fan, the Porsche 928’s sleek, rounded, pod-like aesthetic appealed to me. It’s astonishing and hard to believe, frankly, that the Stuttgart sports car company released this futuristic V8-powered 2+2 GT way back in 1977 – 47 years ago! Perhaps less surprisingly, it had an incredibly long production run of 18 years right up to 1995, and even today, it looks entirely contemporary and in no way dated at all!
The 2025 Kia EV3 is the Korean company’s latest contender in the electric car market. The compact SUV is trying to make a statement about affordability and usability with prices starting at £32,995 and a maximum range of well over 350 miles.
