Car reviews

Oh lord, not another modern-day Matra Rancho. Ah – immediately, you’ve spotted Seat’s biggest problem with the Altea Freetrack. This is a crossover – part MPV, part 4x4. And, with its ‘family car...

Is this the new Kia Cee’d in disguise? Not really. The Hyundai i30 may share the same basic platform and engines as the Cee’d by sister brand Kia but its exterior, interior and ride and handling...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Another Volvo Estate. Didn’t the Swedes invent this sector of the market? Listen to Volvo and you’d believe that its estate car stands alongside Coca Cola and Levi jeans as one of the world’s leading...

So the Turbo Coupe gets the predictable cabrio chop then… Spot on. And at £106,180, this turbocharged, open-top, tech-fest is the flagship of today’s range. The only 911 topping £100k comes with a...

It looks like there’s a major change going on here Certainly is. Gone are the smooth curves of the previous C-class, replaced with something far more edgy and, dare we say it, rather modern. The...

This looks a bit more interesting than the outgoing Mazda 2 You’re not wrong. When it arrives here in September, Mazda’s new 2 supermini will sit on spanking new chassis architecture – the same basic...

How new is this 'new' 9-3? Saab has made 2157 changes in facelifting its 3-series rival, rendering the 9-3 almost completely distinct from its Vectra platform. Or so says Saab. The nose is the most...

Haven’t we seen this somewhere before? Not the European version, no. The diminutive Mitsubishi i city car closely resembles the ‘Concept i’ shown back in Frankfurt 2003 and a production version has...

Ohhh… suits you Mr Kacher Thank you very much indeed. Yes, Rolls-Royce's Drophead is a truly breathtaking vehicle, one in which it only feels right to wear a tailored suit before swinging open that...

Dib dib dib, the Roomster’s gone scouting… Yep, Skoda’s quirky-looking mini-MPV dons a neckerchief and becomes the Roomster Scout. The ‘transformation’ includes a hike in ride height – the Scout...

The Hy-wire? Sounds like a circus act… Don't be fooled. It’s a very significant bit of technology. When General Motors unveiled AUTOnomy at the Detroit Motor Show five years ago, the oddly compelling...

The Hy-wire? Sounds like a circus act… Don't be fooled. It’s a very significant bit of technology. When General Motors unveiled AUTOnomy at the Detroit Motor Show five years ago, the oddly compelling...

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.

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 were...

How does a hydrogen-powered RX-8 work – and no technobabble please... It's simple. The RX-8's rotary engine can run on either petrol or hydrogen, which is stored in liquid form in a second fuel tank.

It looks like a slightly more colourful Exige - what's the story? This is the Exige 265E - the fastest ever Exige and the first bio-ethanol Lotus. The digits 265 denote the 265PS power output, or...