August 2026

There is a distinct, nostalgic thrill to slinging a leg over a proper supermoto. It looks like it means business just standing on its side stand, tall, lean, angular, and mean. Built for hooliganism. 

The 2026 Suzuki DR-Z4SM is the long-awaited, ground-up overhaul of Suzuki's iconic supermoto platform. Replacing the long-running DR-Z400SM, the new model updates the classic "thumper" design with modern fuel injection, updated chassis geometry, and lightweight electronic rider aids while keeping its nimble, street-focused character.

I should probably start this review with a confession: I’ve never really wanted an electric car.

There is a particular kind of silence that only exists 250 miles south of Malé, past the last cluster of resorts your travel agent has heard of, in an atoll so remote that even the fish look faintly surprised to see you.

Ascot, more than anywhere, understands horsepower. It has spent centuries breeding it, grooming it, weighing it and inviting people in elaborate hats to bet on it. The BMW iX3 50 xDrive brings 463 horses of its own to the party, although none of them eats oats.

Aston Martin is not short of powerful front-engined cars, but the new Valen takes things considerably further. Revealed during Monterey Car Week, it is the most powerful front-engined Aston Martin in the company’s 113-year history and according to Aston Martin, the world’s most powerful front-engined production car.

There is sensible and then there is Gordon Murray sensible. The new S1 has no enormous fixed rear wing, its suspension has been softened and it even comes with additional sound insulation. Yet it also has a naturally aspirated V12 capable of reaching 12,100rpm, a proper manual gearbox and a central driving position. In almost any other context it would be considered completely unhinged. Alongside the S1 LM however, it is practically a grand tourer.

Ducati V4 X Diavel

V4 X Diavel 

‘Tis a thing of Beauty’

Every 15 May, Chile marks Día del Pisco – a national toast to the grape spirit that has been distilled in the Elqui, Atacama and Coquimbo valleys since the sixteenth century, and which carries its own Denominación de Origen protecting the name for producers in those regions alone. It's a spirit built on sun: high-altitude vineyards, some of the clearest skies on earth, and Muscat grapes that ripen into something intensely aromatic before they ever reach the still.

I wasn't in any hurry to get from Edinburgh to Kelso. The drive through the Scottish Borders is one of those routes that's worth taking your time over, with quiet roads, rolling countryside and villages that tempt you to stop more often than you'd planned. It also seemed the ideal opportunity to get to know the new Mazda CX-5.

The car I was driving was fuelled by sustainable fuel from Sustain, produced by recycling atmospheric CO₂. It's part of Mazda's belief that there isn't a single answer to reducing emissions and that different technologies will all have a role to play.