Southern Group Happenings: June 2026
Phew, assuming you haven’t melted, welcome to the June 2026 roundup of all things Southern Group. While the Great British summer is busy doing its best impression of a fan oven, the SGMW’s members haven’t slowed down for a second. In fact, despite the blistering heat, our membership was busy cranking plenty of new content […]
Ride Review: Classic comeback – Kawasaki KLE500 SE
Kawasaki has revived its KLE500 as a modern adventure bike. Andy Russell takes it for a spin for Orwell Motorcycles at Ipswich. Three success stories in the motorcycle world are the popularity of adventure bikes, mid-capacity models and classic comebacks. Adventure bikes are practical, 350 to 500cc models are driving sales and retro revivals are […]
Southern Group Happenings: May 2026
Welcome to the latest edition of the SGMW Happenings, the monthly round-up of what the group’s members got up to last month. In May 2026, our members have certainly got out and about driving a variety of new cars as well as creating breaking news about new ones. The highlights include a crop of new […]
Review | 2026 Alpine A290 GTS: a genuinely fun electric hot hatch
As EVs arrive in showrooms in ever-increasing numbers on a monthly basis, there is one niche that looks to be neglected: the hot hatchback. Now French sports car maker Alpine is having a crack with this, the A290 GTS. A fully electric hot hatch boasting quick performance, a taut chassis, and enough practicality so you […]
Southern Group Happenings: April 2026
Last month was a bumper month in automotive and for Southern Group members. A quick rough count of new content produced by our members stood at over fifty articles and videos, as well as many more print exclusives. The car industry was also busy in April as well. With a veritable flurry of new car […]
Southern Group Happenings: March 2026
In March, Southern Group members drove a wide range of new models from the latest Chinese SUVs, updated supercars, EVs, and even a plug-in hybrid. Of all the things to drive in 2026. As well as some in-depth advice on the best small SUVs to buy. In new car news, there were big reveals for […]
2026 BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport – a luxuriously rapid EV with polarising design
It’s hard to believe that the BMW iX arrived five years ago. This behemoth was the brand’s first large electric SUV, one that introduced its somewhat controversial new design language. Of course, when the iX was revealed back in 2021, BMW fans had much to say about the way it looked. How do I know? […]
Southern Group Happenings: February 2026
After the first month of the year finally ended, February finally arrived with the usual flurry of activity from the SGMW membership. Equally busy was the automotive industry, with an array of new reveals to kick-start the year, including Mercedes killing off more of their four-cylinder AMG models and a potential ban on flush-fitting door […]
Southern Group Happenings: January 2026
Welcome to the first 2026 edition of the SGMW happenings, a month where motoring writers typically fail at their New Year’s resolutions within the first few hours. After some reported excess over the Christmas period, the SGMW members returned to work with an even more prolific output than usual, with a flurry of new features, […]
Southern Group Happenings: December 2025
Finally, the end is nigh. By which we mean that 2025 is coming to a close. A month that usually signals the arrival of many automotive-branded biscuits and other edible paraphernalia to the houses of motoring journalists, along with a varied array of other automotive themed festive gifts. SGMW Awards 2026: HAPPY START TO 2026 […]