Southern Group Happenings: November 2024
As the end of the year fast approaches, the frantic activity of the Southern Group members has continued. Last month saw one of our members depart X (formerly Twitter) for a new social media platform, along with a surge of road tests, news, features, and the very welcome arrival of a new member. Here, you’ll […]
SGMW Member’s Cars: Richard Gooding’s 2014 Volkswagen Polo BlueGT
When did you get your car and why did you pick it? I bought my Volkswagen Polo BlueGT in September 2021, to replace my almost 20-year-old Polo GTI after it got written off – going to a car enthusiast event, ironically – in June of that year after 10 years of careful, almost fanatical ownership. […]
2024 Isuzu D-Max V-Cross STEEL Edition review
BACK in 2012 Isuzu launched the D-Max to replace the Rodeo, and over the intervening years it has become a firm favourite with farmers and tradespeople alike for its hardworking credentials, known for being tough and reliable. It is a pick-up that just gets on with the job without fuss day in day out and […]
Southern Group happenings: October 2024
As autumn arrives in the UK, the members of the SGMW have continued to be as busy as ever. Last month, highlights from our members included (yet more) camping on top of cars, a varied mix of new drives, the reveal of the first-ever Kia pickup, and of course a large number of social media […]
Southern Group Happenings: September 2024
As the year heads on towards the colder months, the month of September typically offers a final glimpse of summer coinciding the SMMT regional test days. With the latter giving members a final chance to get together to test some cars ahead of our New Year Honours awards. As usual, the SGMW members have been […]
SGMW gets on track for New Year Honours testing at SMMT Test Day South
The SMMT South Test Day is a key date in the Southern Group calendar as a chance for members to test the latest crop of new models ahead of our New Year Honours awards, along with a great chance to catch up with each other and industry PRs. For 2024, the South Test day saw […]
2024 Kia driving day: Why the SGMW is miles better!
The Southern Group of Motoring Writers likes to think it is the biggest and best group but now it is official… our members are miles better than other regional colleagues. Don’t just take our word for it. This has been confirmed by none other than Kia UK and its multi award-winning PR team. Eighteen SGMW […]
Ford Racing Puma review: a lesson in driving purity
One of the most iconic sights in London is Tower Bridge, a landmark that is as much a part of the capital as the city is a part of it. But did you know that back when the world was still in black and white, people didn’t like it all that much – especially the […]
Southern Group happenings: August 2024
As summer continues for the Southern Group, the month of August 2024 was another busy one. Among the highlights were the SGMW Heritage Day, some camping in cars, supercars, and even a motorbike review in these hallowed pages. Read on for the highlights of what the SGMW got up to in August 2024. SGMW car […]
Kawasaki Z 7 Hybrid review: Kawasaki in charge with hybrid motorbike first
A quarter of a century ago I drove the original Toyota Prius hybrid saloon, the world’s first mass-produced petrol-electric hybrid car. The rest is, as they say, history, writes motoring writer Andy Russell. The Prius propelled four-wheel motoring into a new era of eco-efficiency even though, at the time, the hybrid hoo-ha was mind-boggling. Now […]