If the modern SUV market were a school playground, Mitsubishi’s Outlander would be the kid who quietly aces the maths test, plays decent footy, and never once shouts “look at me!” across the oval. The new Aspire petrol version continues that tradition — unflashy but solid, with enough equipment to keep the family happy and…

There’s a confession due up front. I’ve long carried a baked-in scepticism toward Chinese vehicles — shaped by years of average plastics, clunky ride quality, and a healthy dose of badge snobbery. Not helped by the disastrous release of the JAC Truck range several years ago. But I’ll admit it: the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV…

Since the first Daimler-Benz (or was it Renault?) wheezed out of a shed to usher in the age of motorised transport — performance has been tethered to the limits of internal combustion. Each new engine found a little more power, a bit less thirst — inching forward with every generation. Then along came electric vehicles…