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Results 1 - 10 of 11

Mitsubishi i-EV (2007) electric CAR review

Ben Oliver, 05 October 2007 09:50

Just another pie-in-the-sky electric concept car, right? Wrong, for two reasons. Firstly, we’ve driven it: CAR Online is the first to get behind the wheel of the Mitsubishi i-EV. Second, Mitsubishi reckons it can have it on sale in the UK as early as next year - though 2009 seems a safer bet – for under fifteen grand. That will ...

Saab 9-5 Bio-fuel 2.0T (2007) CAR review

Ben Oliver, 02 August 2007 11:30

Nice stickers! Don’t tell me – it’s a Saab 9-5 running on bio-ethanol… Well-spotted Sherlock. This is indeed a very special 9-5 that turns up its nose at conventional fuels in favour of bio-ethanol. The 9-5 Bio-fuel was launched in its Swedish domestic market a year ago. Since then it’s accounted for 80 percent of all 9-5s sold – this ...

Honda FCX fuel-cell concept car (2007) CAR review

Ben Oliver, 01 August 2007 02:00

So this is a ‘production fuel cell car’? Can’t find it in the Honda price list… You won’t. California law requires big car makers to offer zero-emission vehicles as part of their line-up, and the hydrogen fuel-cell powered FCX is Honda’s latest. It will hand-build fewer than 100 from 2008 and ‘lease’ them to high-profile or worthy users for a ...

Ford Focus FFV (2007) CAR review

Ben Oliver, 31 July 2007 09:30

Aren’t alternative fuel vehicles meant to look like escapees from Buck Rogers? They used to, but Ford has the right idea. The only difference between this and a conventional Focus is a tiny ‘FFV’ badge on its rump. That's if you strip away the OTT stickers from this promomtional test car, that is; ours wasn't for shrinking violets. It runs ...

Lexus RX400h hybrid (2007) CAR review

3.5

Ben Oliver, 31 July 2007 09:25

It’s the one SUV Red Ken can’t object to… Not quite. Full credit to Lexus for making the RX400h the first car in both the luxury and SUV sectors to have a hybrid powertrain; its impressive CO2 claim of just 192g/km gives it a low company-car tax band and the fact that it’s a hybrid makes it congestion-charge exempt. Others ...

Lexus GS450h hybrid (2007) CAR review

Ben Oliver, 29 June 2007 03:20

Looks like a limo, but I suppose if David Cameron has one, it must be green… We’re not sure how much Tory-boy’s ‘celebrity’ endorsement is worth, but the Lexus GS450h is probably the most technically advanced ‘green’ car currently available as a standard-production model. It’s a big executive saloon with a premium badge and is priced accordingly, from £38,068. But ...

Honda Civic IMA (2007) CAR review

2.5

Ben Oliver, 27 June 2007 12:44

The poor man’s Prius? The Civic IMA is certainly cheaper than the better-known Prius, starting from £16,300 to the Toyota’s £17,765. Its propulsion principle is the same; IMA stands for Integrated Motor Assist. Both cars are petrol-electric hybrids and use batteries to store the energy that would otherwise be lost during braking. That energy is then sent to an electric ...

Citroen C3 Stop & Start (2007) CAR review

4.5

Ben Oliver, 26 June 2007 12:21

That’s not the future of green motoring - it’s just a Citroen C3. Don’t be so dismissive. The lengthily titled Citroen C3 1.4i 16v Stop & Start SensoDrive five-door, is very much the present of green motoring, as it carries a smart little innovation that will cut your fuel bills. It could significantly improve city-centre air quality if more manufacturers ...

Ford Focus FCV (2007) CAR review

Ben Oliver, 25 June 2007 08:25

Why am I supposed to get excited about a last-generation Focus saloon? Partly because it has a spec-sheet that reads like a Porsche 911 GT3 RS – ultra-thin lightweight glass, bespoke parts in aluminium and magnesium, carbon fibre tank; in all, 150kgs of weight saving to compensate for the extra weight of the hydrogen fuel cell powering it, which Ford ...

Smart Fortwo 1.0 (2007) CAR review

Ben Oliver, 03 June 2007 02:36

So this is the car that will save Smart? Given that it’s now Smart’s only model, yes. The Roadster was canned at the end of 2004 and the ForFour last year, leaving only the original two-seat city car. It keeps the ForTwo name, despite no longer having to distinguish itself from its deceased bigger brother. Sales of the other two ...

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