Key battlegrounds

Lots of small changes bring out the inner Essex of Skoda’s supermini

F ast versions of modern Minis are the sort of cars about which reviewers can’t seem to make up their minds. They’ve won group tests on about as many occasions as they’ve gone down in flames. Even thi

WHETHER IT BE a wild party, a holiday abroad or an existential crisis (perhaps all three), there are many ways to mark a birthday. The one Skoda has chosen, in honour of its 130th lap around the sun,

The last three mentions of ‘intake plenum’ I can find in Autocar’s archive related to the Ferrari 849 Testarossa, Gunther Werks’ Porsche 993 Speedster and, er, the world’s fastest tractor. Now to make

LONG BEFORE THE SUV explosion, estates were the go-to cars for families who prioritised comfort and interior room, but whose lifestyles required greater practicality than the usual saloon could offer.

WE ALL YEARN for self-identity. Not for any reason so shallow as to stand out from the crowd, but to be true to ourselves and to be seen as confidently doing so. The Vauxhall Astra can relate. For gen