Car Lifestyle

I had been asked to join Hyundai on an adventure trip in the Scottish Highlands with adventurer, Andy Torbet. Andy spent many years in the Army and is now a keen diver, climber, mountaineer, kayaker and seemingly anything else outdoorsy that is a little adventurous. It was all part of the launch for the new generation Santa Fe which we would be driving and sleeping in. Yes, that's right sleeping in. With slight trepidation, I was chosen out of our team (I still think this was some sort of sly trick, eh eh?). In spite of receiving an itinerary and...

By now many of us will have heard about or seen the hybrid electric buses circling the city of Liverpool - that's right I said Liverpool, not London. After an array of manufacturers had a stab at the city based eco market - Citroen and its C-Zero, Nissan and its Leaf - it seems cities are taking more of a hands on approach to reducing inner city emissions with the introduction of frugal public transport. The most popular example of this movement is of course Boris Johnson and his Source London campaign. This campaign saw frugal electric buses and vehicles like the...

Some people dream of owning that classic Chevy or Mustang, hoping for a garage full of vintage classics that whet the appetite of both the motoring enthusiast and the boy racer inside of them. Many of these famous car models are renowned for appearing on the silver screen, ripping up the roads in classic films like the Italian Job (Mini Cooper), Bullit (Ford Mustang) and even 007 (Aston Martin DB5). But let's be honest, a garage full of dream film cars is very unlikely. Thanks to Hot Wheels and other collectible companies however, we can replace these famous film cars with scaled...

Already existing in numerous countries, although the exact requirements vary, Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) allows new drivers to build up their driving skills and experience gradually on a well structured basis. Many have cited increased car accident involving young drivers as the reason to introduced GDL. Research conducted by 'Brake', the road safety charity, have found that young drivers are more likely to seek thrill from driving fast and cornering at high speeds, when compared with older drivers. Furthermore, its research has found that young males carry the greatest risk, as 17-20 year-old male drivers are almost ten times more likely to...

After seeing my Nan at the weekend I remembered the first time I had her as a passenger in my car. I had just passed my test and Mum had helped me to invest in a crappy little Ford Fiesta that was about 20-odd years old. The engine was covered with rust, but the price was right. And, as Nan only lived five minutes around the corner at the time, it was the perfect opportunity to drive to her house, pick her up and bring her to ours for the afternoon. Nan gets in, straps up and we head off. A minute...

With this year's Christmas fast approaching, a large scurry across shops both on the street and online is inevitable as people look for inspiration for gift ideas. If you're still looking to buy a gift for someone who really likes their cars, then the potential list of options can actually seem a bit daunting. So to provide a useful hand, here is our guide to five of the best car-based gift ideas for Christmas which should cover several criteria whether you're looking for something practical or fun. Or for that last minute Christmas idea, Moneysupermarket.com take a look at the gift centre. Satellite-navigation The...

It's Folly Friday time again and this time we take a look at how well rappers and cars mix, or in some cases simply don't. i.am.stolen Will.i.am (or William James Adams if you think his chosen moniker is ridiculous) has taken a lot of stick over his association with the car industry - earlier this year he decided to start his own automotive company, with the equally droll name of IAMAUTO. His first project with the company was a prototype vehicle, built with the help of West Coast Customs and using parts from a Dodge Challenger and a DeLorean. The flashy motor quickly...

Today's entry in MotorTorque's #carspotting feature focuses on a Japanese sports coupe with an unconventional door arrangement, the Mazda RX-8. First launched in the UK back in 2003 as a successor to the popular RX-7 coupe, the Mazda RX-8 has been described by numerous critics as an enjoyable car to drive, but one with practicality issues. These problems possibly contributed to the RX-8's struggling sales in worldwide markets and the coupe was withdrawn from Mazda's European showrooms in 2010 when it failed to meet updated regulations for emissions standards. Production of the Mazda RX-8 ceased all together earlier this year, when the Japanese...

Today's edition of MotorTorque's #carspotting blog follows a similar trend to the previous entry, in that it focuses on a Toyota sports car that's no longer in production. This time however it's a last generation Celica in our sights. The Celica name has featured on various Toyota sports car coupes and convertibles, spanning all the way back from the early seventies and featuring in every subsequent decade up until the mid-noughties. The grainy, slightly out-of-focus model seen in the image above is a seventh and last-generation Toyota Celica. In ways the Celica shares a lot in common with the Toyota MR2 roadster...

Today's entry in MotorTorque's #carspotting feature takes a looks at a Japanese convertible sports car and a former arch-rival of the Mazda MX-5 - it's the Toyota MR-2 Roadster. The exact car seen in the image above is a third and last generation MR2 model. Earlier versions of the Toyota MR2 were either sold as a two-door coupe or as a T-bar model which have two removable roof panels between a central structural pillar. The third generation MR2 however is a full on two-door convertible, hence the term Roadster as it is known as in Europe. The folding roof could be either a...