Author: Graham Baalham-Curry

As the automotive industry moves towards a greater use of renewable energy Ford offer mild hybrid, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid technology globally on six models within their range. With one additional vehicle offering full electrification, which is priced just shy of £51,000 the Ford Mustang Mach-E has raised the eyebrows of purists of the Blue Oval. To most, the picture of a sleek sports car with a throbbing V8 engine up front and questionable handling is what they would see when the words Mustang and Ford are mentioned together. What Ford give us with their new Mustang Mach-E however is…

When it comes to electric vehicles I have always struggled to get excited about them that is until I drove the Honda e. Right up until spending a week with this quirky little Honda, I have never found an EV that I would actually wish to own. Many that I have experienced all carry merits in various areas, but none of them drove particularly well. Living semi-rural, I feel that the extra weight carried in these vehicles, thanks to their batteries, isn’t absorbed pleasantly via the chassis nor through the suspension on our rural roads network. They often feel very…

Electrification is said to be the future of motoring and there is one electric vehicle that has been gathering accolades throughout the UK since its launch last year. Korean manufacturer Kia has quite a large family, with something in the region of ten models on offer. A few of these models have a different body styles available, adding to the family size, and a large percentage are available as hybrid. In regards to electric vehicles, the award-winning Kia EV6 is the brands first dedicated one. Built upon the new E-GMP platform, it is the first of eleven all-new BEV’s to…

The 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland, who own and operate Kirkistown Racing Circuit in County Down, held their annual awards party in The Beechlawn Hotel in Dunmurry on Saturday 7th January. After an excellent meal, Circuit Manager, Donal O’Neill began the prize giving procedure with the 1995 World Formula E (now known as 250cc Superkarts) Champion, Trevor Roberts, presenting the awards. First up were125cc Superkarts. Donal recalled that Hillsborough driver, Noel Lindsay, was racing motorbikes at the same time as himself, too many years ago! Noel collected the third place trophy while Millisle driver, Ross Witherow, took the Prince…

Last summer I spent a week with the Suzuki S-Cross which coincided with a camping trip and I was shocked at how well it coped with carrying people and luggage. My first experience of this model came at the launch of the full hybrid Suzuki Vitara, when a couple of S-Cross models were entrusted to do the airport transfers for some of us journalists attending the event. The drive from Manchester Airport to Carden Park Estate took something in the region of 75 minutes, during which time the S-Cross proved to be much more comfortable and accommodating than expected when…

First launched in 1999 the Honda HR-V looked like the offspring of a hearse and an off-road vehicle after a one night stand, especially in three-door guise. Despite looking like it could take on a plateau whilst delivering bread, ground clearance wasn’t anything worth talking about. Self named by Honda as the ‘Joy Machine’ it soon became a rival to the Land Rover Freelander, Toyota RAV4 and Suzuki Jimny. It was well built and reliable, available in two or four-wheel-drive, and still looks pretty funky today. A neighbour of mine actually has one, and it always catches my eye. The…

It is around eight years since I last spent any time with the Kia Sportage and this all-new model is almost unrecognisable in comparison. First launched in the mid 90’s, the then utilitarian Sportage was a firm favourite with farmers and those who lived in rural areas thanks to its reliability. It wasn’t until after 2010 that the Kia Sportage became a popular sight on the school run. That model looked great in comparison to its predecessor, and offered so much more. A restyle in 2016 kept the Kia as a popular choice for many buyers amidst a sea of…

First launched just before the turn of the millennium, the Ford Focus has become a common sight in the driveway of many family households. New at the time chassis dynamics made it a rewarding car to drive no matter what guise you owned. Thanks to its success in the World Rally Championship, sporting models such as the ST and RS were created to fulfil the needs of the sport’s governing body as well as the demand from car enthusiasts. My wife and I have both owned the Volvo engined MkII ST model, one of which was fairly well tuned to…

With an unrivalled warranty, grown-up looks and commendable economy, can the Kia Rio put up a fight against some well established rivals such as the Vauxhall Corsa? I was given the chance to find out during a week spent with the car pictured, which comes in at almost £22,000. This may look like a lot of money, and indeed the Kia is priced £2,500 more than the highest spec Suzuki Swift. However, it is around £2,000 cheaper than the Vauxhall which has been a best-in-class seller for years. The Rio range starts from a much more affordable £16,150 and standard…

Having driven a handful of Mazda CX-5 models since first launched a decade ago. The second and current generation came to market around 2018. This quietly confident model suiting the needs of many, it has become a good seller for Mazda. But I was somewhat confused as to why I had custody of the model pictured and tested. At a quick glance it doesn’t look any different to the car I reviewed within the previous twelve months, so I assumed a new engine had been added to the range. When sitting down to write about what Mazda offer within the…

With the motorsport season pretty much concluded for the year, a question many ask is what happens at the end of the competitive racing season? “Well, some drivers are not ready to put their cars away for the winter,” explains Donal O’Neill. “Some have bought new cars and want to try them out. Some just want to have fun, without the pressure of having to win. For these reasons the 500MRCI, who run Kirkistown Racing Circuit, put on a Rally Test Day in December and another in January/February. Donal, who’s the circuit manager, continued, “At the most recent one on…

We get to grips with the Subaru Forester which received a hybrid system a while back and find out if electrification is the way forward for the Japanese maker. Regular readers will know that I have a huge affection for the Subaru brand which stems from my time following and competing in rallying. It’s a brand that has always produced cars based around performance, agility and a rugged ability. In recent years, however, the performance aspect has been lacking. And although I was very critical of the self-charging hybrid’s performance in a previous first-drive article, but I take some of…