It takes most cars a long time to gain a cult following, but the Suzuki Jimny managed to do this from the point that it went on sale. Thanks to a short on-sale period before CO2 emissions regulations killed it off, not many Jimnys were sold which has kept used values high thanks to very strong demand.

Ford Fiesta axed from line-up – It has been confirmed that the Ford Fiesta supermini will be axed from Ford’s line-up, with production of the brand’s compact hatchback scheduled to end in June 2023.

In an official statement Ford of Europe President Martin Sander said: “At Ford in Europe, we are accelerating our efforts to go all-in on electrification with our passenger vehicles being fully electric by 2030 – and all vehicles across our Ford portfolio by 2035. As we get ready to transition to an electric future, we will discontinue production of S-Max and Galaxy in Valencia, Spain in April 2023 and discontinue Fiesta production in Cologne, Germany by end of June 2023.

New 2022 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport launches with sharper dynamics. As Toyota’s high-performance GR range of sports cars continues to expand, its racier character is trickling down to the firm’s mainstream models. Following on from the likes of the Yaris, C-HR and Hilux, Toyota has revealed a GR Sport version of the RAV4, featuring bespoke design touches and stiffer suspension. 

While the Corolla has a reputation for being bland, Toyota has raised its game in recent years. Its cars are more interesting to look at as well as being more engaging to drive. This is typified by the Corolla, which scooped the Affordable Hybrid of the Year award in our 2019 honours, just a few months before DrivingElectric announced that the Corolla Touring Sports was its Best Medium Hybrid Car.

New-car registrations in the UK saw their second consecutive month of growth in September 2022, but remain down on pre-Covid levels, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The RAC has decried fuel vendors after August saw the biggest drop in wholesale fuel costs; a fall which has failed to be passed onto motorists. Unleaded petrol prices lowered from 182p per litre to 166p for the first time since April 2022.

The summer has been a tough period for consumers and businesses with fleet drivers alike. Initially facing skyrocketing fuel prices after the instability of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK is facing increasing energy bills, amid a cost-of-living crisis, as it moves into the colder months.

Verdict
The small family hatchback segment is one of the most popular, so the stakes are high to get things right. Hyundai achieved exactly that with the i30, which is good to drive, well made, well equipped and keenly priced. Yes, the Golf beat the i30 in a twin test that we ran last year, but it was a close match, with the Hyundai trumping the VW in a few areas.

You could be forgiven for overlooking the Lexus ES, because it has never sold in big numbers and it’s easily overshadowed by more obvious executive saloons. But this is a car that’s worth a closer look if you want a luxurious model that’s reasonable value for money and offers peerless reliability.It’s not all good news, though, because when we pitted an ES 300h against a Mercedes E 200 and a Genesis G80 back in 2021, the Lexus came last because of its disappointing infotainment and performance, plus a cabin that couldn’t compete with its German and Korean rivals.

Verdict

As Suzuki’s biggest-selling car, getting the Vitara right was crucial to the firm’s success, and it’s fair to say that this was achieved. We ran a Vitara 1.6 DDSiS for 10 months and over 11,000 miles in 2016 and we loved it, even if the diesel engine was a bit agricultural. But the space, comfort and wealth of standard equipment soon won us over.