WINTER WARMERS
Well it’s that time of the year again; dark evenings, Christmas ads dominating the TV schedules, grey days with drizzle punctuated by crisp mornings when you lose all sensation in your hands whilst chiselling ice from your windscreen. As you may be able to ascertain, I’m not the biggest fan of winter. It’s also the time of year when many people’s minds turn their motoring minds to cars with all-wheel drive so it seems the ideal time for me to pick my favourite three all-wheel-drive cars.
SUZUKI JIMNY The previous incarnation of the Jimny has been for a long time one of my favourite little cars. It was almost unchanged in design from its launch 1998 up to very recently. Its only direct competitor, The Daihatsu Terios, was killed off a while ago and since then has had the market virtually to itself.
It came as no surprise therefore when Suzuki recently announced that it was about to launch a brand new Jimny, going on sale from January. Continuing the growing trend to move away from diesels, the new range will be powered solely by a 1.5-litre petrol lump producing 100bhp. Economy is officially listed as 41.5mpg and this will no doubt be helped by the fact that the drivetrain can be switched between two and four wheel drive as well as the option of switching between high and low range depending on conditions. Inside, the new Jimny has been given a fresh look, although most of the gubbins come straight from the Suzuki parts bin and are shared with other models, there are toys available such as air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control as standard. The range topping SZ5 adds
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15-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, climate control and satellite navigation. At the time of writing, prices are yet to be officially announced but are expected to start at around £16,000 when the range launches early in the New Year. KIA NIRO Times change and the motoring world moves with it. The prized family car 25 years ago was a Cavalier or a Sierra. These days, many people prefer to be sat higher up with more cabin and boot space that the now well established genre of SUV’s provide. Kia have long been a favourite of the private buyer and earlier this year launched the Niro, their first car, let alone SUV, that comes with a hybrid drivetrain.
