Mazda manages to compete, and be competitive, in the global mainstream without the advantage of massive corporate scale.  Toyota and Volkswagen vie for the top spot with 9-10 million car and SUV sales a year. Mazda sold 1.5+m last year predicting growth to 1.6+m this year.

So, if you don’t have the scale you have to be smart. The Mazda6, for example, seems entirely conventional – front-wheel drive; saloon or estate bodywork.  But, like the whole range, it is the result of a total re-think on how a vehicle is built from R&D to procurement, logistics, production process and engineering of the vehicle itself.

It’s been branded “SKYACTIV”. Engines are SKYACTIV-G (gasoline/petrol) or SKYACTIVE-D (Diesel).  And, here in the Autumn (initially in the new Mazda3), there is SKYACTIV-X.  Truly ground-breaking, it runs on petrol but combines both a spark ignition (petrol) and compression ignition (Diesel) combustion process.

Say hello to the first all-electric car from Audi, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is a large SUV.

​The E-Tron rivals other premium EVs such as the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model X, but does it bring something extra to the all-electric party?

Take away some of the glitzy bits and it is actually a fairly conventional family SUV to look at, with 20in wheels as standard and LED headlights, as well as a charging point on either side of the car, which is useful. Inside you are immediately welcomed by the high build quality we have come to expect from Audi - half a step up from Jaguar and with clear blue water to Tesla - although, strangely, the steering wheel buttons feel a bit cheap. 

Current Insignia was General Motors’ last big European project before it sold Opel-Vauxhall to PSA (Peugeot Citroen) in 2017. ‘Grand Sport Tourer’ (hatch) and ‘Sports Tourer’ (estate) arrived that year and the ‘Country Tourer’ late last year.

Hatch and estate 4x4s are 8-speed auto 2.0T 260ps petrol or 2.0BiT 210ps Diesel.  But the Country Tourer 4x4 can be had with a 2.0TD Diesel 170 engine and manual 6-speed gearbox. Otherwise it’s the 2.0 Bi-Turbo 210 auto again.

Overall the Insignia’s (asking) prices* are keen. Hatch from £19,940, estate from £21,500 (smaller engines) topping off at £39,720 for the GSi 4x4 auto. Country Tourer seems good value for money: £28,470 for the 2.0TD 170 4x4 manual (£27,150 front wheel drive); 2.0 BiT 210 4x4 auto at £30,080.

Until now, if you fancied a seven-seater Seat, your choice was limited to the Alhambra MPV, but with the advent of a third SUV in the line-up in a very short period, the choice of seven-seaters has increased by 100%.

Welcome to the Tarraco, which, as the largest SUV in the Seat family, sits above the compact Ateca and small Arona, and is closely related to the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. While outwardly similar, it feels sportier and firmer, sitting 20mm lower than its not-so-distant cousins. More on how it drives later.

The XC40 took the European Car of the Year Award for 2018 despite competition from Alfa Romeo, BMW and Audi.

It was Volvo’s first outright win although the XC90 was runner up in 2016 and Volvo came 3rd in 2013 and 1983.

Its recent success reflects the shift from solid, spacious saloons and estates to more on-trend SUVs and crossovers.

The saloons and estates have become sleek and stylish but over half of all Volvos made are SUVs and they are the core product now.

The SUV boom shows no signs of slowing and with it has come an interesting spin off.

Pickups, always looked on as workhorses, are sneaking in on the side with plush double cab versions providing alternative family transport.

The last few years have seen a surge in new pickups with Volkswagen, Renault, Fiat and even Mercedes-Benz joining the usual suspects of Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi L200, Ford Ranger and Nissan Navara.

Here we are taking a look at the Mercedes-Benz X-class . . . except that it is not all that it seems. Given Merc's strength in the commercial market it is a bit of a surprise that the German giant has joined forces with Nissan and taken the Navara as its starting point.

SUVs and crossovers now account for more than a third of new car sales across Europe.

Skoda saw the potential for a smaller SUV/crossover early. The 2009 Yeti was an immediate hit despite (maybe because of) its quirky, edgy, if practical angular profile.

The crossover market now is a very broad church with, at times, some pretty dubious bandying around of the term SUV.

Crossovers are basically ‘jacked-up’ front wheel drive five door hatchbacks with the kind of flexible interiors and seating which has hastened the decline of the MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle).
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