2012 Kia Soul Hunter 1.6 GDi Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond

Kia Soul Hunter 1-6 GDi petrol - Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond - side 06

Believe it or not, the funky little Kia Soul is now four years old, so Kia decided to give it a bit of a fettle and tweak for 2012. Living with a Kia Soul in ‘Hunter’ spec from their ‘Originals’ range for a week, was Oliver able to see why the Soul has become such a common sight on Britain’s roads? Looking somewhat like a cross between an alien, a robot and an insect from the front, with a boxy and utilitarian but Read The Rest...

Kia Optima 1.7 CRDi 2 Tech Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond

KIA Optima 1-7 CRDI 2 Tech – Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond - front tiger nose grille - lead

As the Kia Press Office and many on Twitter are aware, a Kia Optima was responsible for making me miss my motorway junction one night! As a car reviewer and motor industry chap, my eyes always hone in on newly-launched or rare cars. So you guessed it, when I spotted this, my first Optima out in the wild, I followed behind it to weigh up its rear looks, inadvertently missing my junction in the process. I knew I had a Read The Rest...

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X FQ330 SST GSR Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Evo X FQ330 SST GSR road test review by Oliver Hammond Simons Car Spots - front flat-on

Steeped in an immense amount of rally and motorsport pedigree and much revered by car fans of all ages, the Mitsubishi Evo has now been around for a few years in this, its tenth incarnation. After living with ‘the beast’ for a week, did our Oliver feel the Evo X (in ‘middle of the range’ 324bhp form) still feels fresh and holds its chin up high? I knew that the Mitsubishi Evo X FQ330 SST GSR I was testing for the Read The Rest...

Mitsubishi Outlander 2-2 DI-D Manual GX4 Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond

Mitsubishi Outlander 2-2 DI-D Manual GX4 – Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond - lead side photo

Mid-size crossover ‘soft-roaders’ have become a wee bit too ubiquitous in recent years so in order for yet another one to save its bacon, it has to prove pretty good as an overall package for the people who will likely end up buying one. Oliver duly embarked on his week with the Outlander with this in mind. Before you delve into the rest of this review, you’ll be pleased to know that you’re not going mad and you don’t need to Read The Rest...

KIA Sorento 2.2 CRDI KX3 Sat Nav AWD Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond

KIA Sorento 2-2 CRDI KX-3 AWD Sat Nav - Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond - snow and ice terrain - main photo

The KIA Sorento may not be on the tip of everyone’s tongues when it comes to 4x4s, so as a self-confessed lover of SUVs and a relative newcomer to the KIA brand, was Oliver left impressed after a week with the 2.2 diesel manual version of KIA’s new Sorento? The original KIA Sorento was introduced by the Korean firm a decade ago in 2002. It was biased towards being a very capable off-road vehicle, built around a truck-like, ladder frame chassis Read The Rest...