#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
Can you believe it’s been nearly 25 years since Škoda surprised drivers with a solid and sensible saloon that gave hot hatches a fright? (Actually, it might have looked like a saloon, but it featured a “liftback” hatch rather than a boot lid.)
The 2024 Volkswagen Golf R Estate – yes, estate. Why not? It’s like the ultimate Q-car Golf. Seemingly a practical family load-lugger. But oh boy, are you in for a treat if you floor that throttle!
London’s Pall Mall transformed into a motoring paradise with the brand-new St James Motoring Spectacle, right in the heart of the city, just outside the iconic Royal Automobile Club.
Ford, the company that brought us the revolutionary Model T and literally made cars affordable for the masses, is now stepping away from the very mass-market models that built its empire. If you’ve been keeping an eye on the automotive world, this is massive news, and not exactly what you’d expect from a brand like Ford. After a fascinating interview with Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, published recently in Car Magazine, it’s clear that big changes are happening.
The BYD Seal is an EV saloon from China’s biggest maker of new energy vehicles. And it’s rather good! Now, it’s joined by another Seal – except this one isn’t a saloon; it’s an SUV. What’s more, it’s not even an EV – it’s a plug-in hybrid! Should it feature on your next family car buying shortlist? Well, let’s find out.
So, I was coming back from a media launch drive of a brand new, shiny, tech-laden, plug-in hybrid family SUV, boasting an impressive list of features longer than the Pan-American Highway. Yet, I couldn’t help but ponder that whilst it was undeniably brilliant, my pituitary gland remained decidedly indifferent. Despite having over 300bhp under my right foot, where were the coursing endorphins and the dopamine hit? Oh wait, I’ve found them…
I know what you’re thinking… lately, I’ve been thinking it too – cars and the car industry… things are… well, I don’t know, they’re not quite as they should be, as they used to be, right? And that’s putting it lightly. Somewhere, there’s a serious misfire happening, and gears are grinding to a halt. So what’s gone wrong? Where, when, how? Well, let’s get into that, right after this.
Do I have a treat for you! This past weekend, I was at the amazing West London Classics Show & Shine 2024 event, mingling with fellow petrolheads and getting some fantastic vox-pop interviews. If you’re as passionate about cars as I am, you’re going to love this video.
Right, so you might remember that I made a couple of videos in the last few months about how the next generation, younger people, are not getting into motoring as much as our generation did. And I’ve been quite fair in saying that, considering the cost and everything involved in the process, it does make perfect sense. But hold on, because there’s some new evidence that’s just come to light, thanks to Auto Trader, that might make me rethink that stance. Either I jumped to that conclusion too quickly, or maybe things are changing.
This is the new 2024 MG3 Hybrid, priced from just £18,500. The third generation of the compact city car from Chinese-owned MG, that takes inspiration from the big brother MG4 EV in terms of design but aims to add style to practical and affordable motoring.