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Drives

You looked for...

- Ben Barry
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and found 16 items

Results 1 - 10 of 16

Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series (2008) CAR review and video

Ben Barry, 06 November 2008 16:00

This is the Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65 Black Series, the star of CAR Magazine’s December 2008 cover. CAR was invited to an exclusive test drive of this outlandish machine on road and track at Mas du Clos, France. Just 350 SL Blacks will be produced, with only nine coming to the UK. We’ll deal with the road test here, but you’ll ...

Hyundai Genesis Coupe (2008) CAR review and video

Ben Barry, 24 October 2008 09:00

CAR Online has just driven Hyundai’s new rear-wheel drive Genesis Coupe. And it’s good. Very, very good. Hyundai hasn’t yet committed to bringing the car to the UK, but our first drive confirms that – like Barack Obama and the US – the Genesis Coupe would be a transformational character for Hyundai. CAR getting hot under the collar about a Korean ...

Kia Soul 1.6 CRDi CAR review

Ben Barry, 16 October 2008 13:36

We got up close with the production Kia Soul a couple of weeks back at the 2008 Paris motor show, but today CAR has driven the Soul in Korea. It’s a B-segment offering from Kia, a model the Korean firm hope will help build on the Ceed’s success while attracting a younger audience. Think of it as our Mini or ...

Mercedes C63 AMG Performance Package (2008) CAR review

Ben Barry, 24 September 2008 09:00

The Mercedes C63 AMG Performance Package costs £3210 and promises to turn the four-door saloon from Affalterbach into an M3 beater. For your money you get uprated brakes and suspension, a limited slip differential and a steering wheel trimmed in nappa leather and Alcantara. Shouldn’t that kit be standard on the Mercedes C63 AMG? It’s a good point. The ...

Vauxhall VXR8 facelift CAR review

Ben Barry, 17 September 2008 09:00

It might have only been launched a year ago, but the Australian-built Vauxhall VXR8 has already been upgraded. The big news is the new LS3 engine. Seems the 6.0-litre V8 LS2 was a bit weedy at 411bhp and 405lb ft, so the LS3 takes its place with a newly swollen 6.2 litres of Aussie muscle. The VXR8 isn't exactly in ...

BMW X3 2.0d CAR review

Ben Barry, 05 August 2008 13:31

Previously untouchable in the premium compact SUV segment, the BMW X3 now finds itself with some impressive competition. Audi has the Q5 and coming over the hill, looking like a monster, is Mercedes’ GLK. Both are based on newer platforms than the X3 and offer serious, credible alternatives. Can BMW’s baby premium 4x4 still match up? Isn’t the BMW X3 starting ...

BMW M5 CAR review

Ben Barry, 29 July 2008 13:05

The E60 BMW M5 is the fourth-generation M5 and, at £65,890, the third-most expensive car in the M-Division range – sitting below the M6 Coupe/Convertible but above the M3 Coupe/Saloon/Convertible and M Coupe/Roadster. How does it drive? Brilliantly. It’s comfortable, extremely fast and sure-footed but playful. If anything lets it down, it’s the unnecessary gadgetry – but we’ll get to that later. ...

VW Passat R36 CAR review

Ben Barry, 29 May 2008 11:09

This is Volkswagen’s most powerful production Passat yet - the new R36, a car that trumps the last generation’s unloved W8 in the power stakes. Big deal, you might think, but bear with us. For £30,990 you get a 3.6-litre V6 churning out 295bhp and 258lb ft, four-wheel drive versatility and subtly imposing styling. What sets the VW Passat R36 apart visually? ...

Jaguar XKR-S (2008) CAR review

Ben Barry, 23 May 2008 10:32

Here’s the car Jaguar fans have been waiting for: the XKR-S, the fastest, hardest-looking XK so far. Available only in Ultimate Black as a limited run of 200 in right- or left-hand drive for European-only markets, the XKR-S is yours for a fiver short of £80k. Read on for CAR Online’s first review. How much extra power has the Jaguar ...

Aston Martin 4.7-litre V8 Vantage Roadster Sportshift CAR review

Ben Barry, 22 May 2008 17:18

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster was introduced only a year ago, but already it’s been revised, the headline stats being a V8 that’s been bored and stroked from 4.3 to 4.7-litres (new pistons, liners and crankshaft), pushing power from 380bhp to 420bhp and torque from 302lb ft to 346 lb ft. The price? It rises from £91k to £93k ...