Test drive

Last year, Lightyear took its One solar electric vehicle to the track and managed 710 km on a single charge. That milestone was achieved at 85 km/h, but more recently the company has undertaken some high-speed testing at a track near Rome.

The Lightyear One solar EV validation prototype has taken to the test track, where it was driven for almost nine hours at 85 km/h and clocked up 710 km on a single charge of the 60-kWh battery – with a little help from its solar panels.

Acura’s small RDX crossover was completely revamped for 2019 with a new midpoint sport trim, called A-Spec, added. Improvements are across the board for the RDX, making it a much more compelling SUV than its previous generation was.

The Suzuki Swift has won plenty of plaudits since the fourth-gen car launched. More than five million have found homes over the past decade, making it the most popular model in the Suzuki lineup. The latest Swift builds on the foundation laid by its predecessors with a new look and more tech.

The new Subaru Impreza made a solid first impression on us during a product launch in California last year, but recently we had the chance to get properly acquainted by spending a full week (and several hundred miles) behind the wheel.

In addition to the luxury and pure driving experience we've come to expect, the new BMW 5 Series ushers in a raft of innovative features that bring self-driving cars a step closer to reality. So how does this mix of tradition and technology play out on the road?

From the all-electric i3 to hybrids like the X5 XDrive40e and glorious i8 supercar, BMW has been ramping up its low-emissions offerings in recent times. Now the i3 itself has been given an upgrade that adds a whopping 50 percent more range.

Mitsubishi has launched Mirage G4 Night Drive, a dual-screen interactive test drive for its new 2017 Mirage G4. The experience meshes a smartphone and a desktop or notebook computer to highlight the car's features in a virtual test drive you can do from home.

The British are a singularly odd bunch when it comes to things automotive. When they fail to amaze, they do an epic job of it, but when they do hit the mark, they do so with such perfection that it’s awe inspiring. The 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible falls squarely into the latter camp.

The high performance Tesla Model S P85D takes the already-impressive P85 and adds another motor, turning it into an all-wheel drive, all-electric, supercar baiting rocketship. We spent a week behind the wheel to see how the premier e-motoring experience translates into the daily drive.​

While test driving two of the new BMW 1 and 6 Series models yesterday, we were struck by a sense of satisfaction. Respectively, the two Bimmers are practical and luxurious – but they both ooze quality.

Late last year, Mini announced that there was to be a new John Cooper Works (JCW) model of its iconic car. That meant taking the Mini's typical bubblegum style, churning it through the JCW performance-machine and creating something altogether less wholesome. Gizmag took it for a spin.