Stephen Ottley

3 days ago | torquecafe.com | Stephen Ottley

Before you even climb aboard the latest Porsche 911 Carrera T tells you what it’s all about. As you open the door, projected onto the ground is a logo proudly telling the world that this car is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox. The same logo is on a sticker adhered to the rear quarter window and inside our test car the gear shifter sits proudly in the centre of the cabin capped by a smooth Walnut knob.

5 days ago | torquecafe.com | Stephen Ottley

It happened to taxis with Uber, and Airbnb did it to hotels, but now it’s Toyota facing its own existential threat in face of a radical new rival. For decades the LandCruiser 70 Series, specifically the 79 Series ute, has been a staple in the outback, on worksites and generally in the hardest jobs you need for a vehicle.

5 days ago | torquecafe.com | Stephen Ottley

Ever since Toyota revealed the GR GT3 Concept at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon and then showed up at a Lexus dealer conference a few months later, there have been questions about whether the new coupe would be the new Supra or a new Lexus. Now we have an answer – it will be both. According to a new report from Japan’s Best Car Web site, the Japanese giant is planning to create a new sports car for both brands from the same new platform.

6 days ago | torquecafe.com | Stephen Ottley

Have we entered the new era of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) utes? Or is it set to be just another fad that we all look back on in the years to come and ask ‘why?’Obviously there is a lot of hype around the arrival of the Ford Ranger PHEV has attracted plenty of headlines in recent months, but before that BYD beat the Blue Oval to the punch, launching the Shark 6 PHEV (or New Energy Vehicle as BYD prefers) in late 2024.

1 week ago | torquecafe.com | Stephen Ottley

This week confirmed the end of the line for the Ford Focus ST. It joins a growing list of Hot Hatches that have been sent to the big car park in the sky in recent years, as the hatchback itself declines in popularity and the compact SUV continues to rise. But there are still some great small cars with big performance to enjoy, if that’s your thing. However, the ‘good old days’ of hot hatches being an affordable entrance into the performance car market are gone too.