Car reviews

Hmm, a new Mazda 2. The old car was pretty dull, wasn’t it? Yes, but the new 2 is different. Out goes the frumpy, MPV-like styling of the previous model to be replaced by something altogether more...

It looks quite small. Where will the Splash sit in Suzuki’s range? It’s a replacement for the unloved and unlovable Wagon R+ and built on the underpinnings of the current Swift. It’s the same size as...

You’ve had a ride in the new Nissan GT-R, then? We have, as you might have seen on our video clip. When CAR was invited to photograph the GT-R in Hokkaido (on a strictly look but don’t touch basis),...

This Kia’s called the Kee. Is it the key to a bright future? If you talk to the firm’s design chief Peter Schreyer it is. That grille is the future look of all Kias. He wants the company’s cars to be...

I know Bond drove it last year but what’s all the fuss about? It’s a DB9 with a bodykit isn’t it? Steady on. The DBS is certainly based on the DB9 but then so is the DBR9 racer that won the GT1 class...

The 8C Competizione? Always thought it was just a concept vehicle. Is it now a proper production car? Well it’s certainly about to go on sale – for a mere £111,000. Alfa is only going to make 500.

So Vauxhall reckons the VXR8 isn't fast enough? You got it in one. Vauxhall's UK performance arm VXR (sister division to the Continentals' OPC Opel brand) is becoming seemingly more power-crazed by...

Ford Verve? Isn’t that the Fiesta replacement? It certainly is, although by the time it goes on sale in November 2008 it’ll probably be called Fiesta again. Whatever the name, the new car will have a...

What's this, another weird electricmobile? Weird yes, electric no. It's a petrol-fed, twin-cylinder featherweight city car that claims 65mpg. On paper the vital stats of the Microcar seem to make...

The old Mazda 6 was the acceptable face of repmobility. Will we get more of the same? When the first 6 came out in 2002, it was a genuinely surprising and enjoyable product in the stale upper-medium...

Volvo already has a couple of off-roaders. What does it need another one for? The Swedes claim that people who want to do off-roady things like driving down dirt tracks and towing horseboxes will go...

This new Audi A4, it looks classier than before... Audi has moved its game on, as indeed it had to. With squarer proportions than the ubiquitous 3-series, this forthcoming A4 looks decidedly more...

What’s this? It looks like a Range Rover Sport on steroids! Well, essentially it is. However, there’s much more to the Bowler Nemesis than its humble Range Rover DNA. Let me explain. British off-road...

So this is the tenth new version of the Evo – why should I still take any notice? Sure, some previous new Evos had differences that only its diehard fans could spot or cared about. Not this time. The...

Another yawnworthy 911? Or a yee-hah one? Definitely the latter. 911 Turbo not hard enough? Then how about removing the four-wheel drive, sir? Want to smash the magical 200mph barrier? Soak in the...

An Infiniti G37? Isn’t that just a posh Nissan 350Z? Yes and no. A lot of the G37’s basics are 350Z-derived, but this is far more than just badge engineering – the Infiniti is a very different beast...

Abarth? Am I right in thinking the last time I saw that name it was on a Fiat Stilo? Wash your mouth out! We don’t talk about that. Abarth has now been launched as a new brand in the Fiat stable,...

So you’ve driven the Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Remind me, what is it? The Scuderia is essentially a pared back and re-focused Ferrari F430. Scuderia means team in Italian and, for Italian car fans, the...

Another 4x4? Just what the world needs... Are the Europeans displaying poor timing by jumping on the 4x4 bandwagon just as the environmental question is ratcheting up to new heights? Perhaps, but...

So you're saying this is a cut-price GT3? Not exactly, but there is an element of truth to that. The Powerkit is a genuine factory-fitted Porsche tuning package offered only on the Carrera S that...