NEWS

On paper Hyundai has got a new stylish and well-equipped d-segment car. But is it any good? JAMES BATCHELOR finds out WHAT IS IT? The i40 has an enormous task on its hands. Not only is the Korean firm pitching it against established D-segment cars like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall’s Insignia, but also the i40 [...]

The Cruze saloon is attractive but too niche for Chevrolet. Now a five-door hatchback has arrived. JAMES BATCHELOR reports WHAT IS IT? Chevrolet has high hopes for this car. The Cruze has become the most successful Chevy around the world in recent years, but the UK arm of the business has been crying out for [...]

One of the most important engines has been fitted into one of the most fashionable cars. JAMES BATCHELOR investigates. WHAT IS IT? Fiat is giving us another dose of nostalgia by slotting a two-cylinder engine into the 500 and 500C, just like the original 13bhp car of 1957. However, it’s not all show and no [...]

With new engines and improved refinement, the popular XC70 has had a makeover. JAMES BATCHELOR investigates. WHAT IS IT? Quite simply it’s the XC70 we all know and love, but now refined, improved and generally made a more pleasant car to live with. Out goes the ‘old’ D5 and in comes a more powerful unit. [...]

Ford is hoping to increase the number of Focus Estate sales with a new, cool-looking version. JAMES BAGGOTT tries it out. WHAT IS IT? It’s the estate version of the Focus offering more practicality and versatility over its hatchback equivalent. That car has already sold 10,000 units since its debut in March, while the estate [...]

Following the DS3, the DS4 is Citroen’s next model to wear the premium badge. DUNCAN CHAPPELL has driven it. WHAT IS IT? It is a long list of things: A hatchback, a coupe, a family car, a sporty car, a crossover – but most of all it is a statement. Voted ‘Most Beautiful Car Of [...]

One-in-six large cars in the UK is a Mondeo. Now Ford has given it a make-over. JAMES BATCHELOR reports WHAT IS IT? It’s a refreshed-looking Mondeo with new engines to make the car as competitive and as desirable as ever. WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? As you’d expect from Ford, Mondeo Man has plenty of choice. [...]

THERE’S not an awful lot to tell you about day four of RTOTY11, only that we have shot many pictures, it has rained a lot, and I have driven my first ever Caterham. But first the rain. We have been blessed with fine weather up until yesterday, but naturally soon as snapper Matt turned up, [...]

IF we’ve learnt anything from today it’s that you should always remember your friends – because you’ll need them. No, I’m not quoting that from Mystic Meg’s column in The Sun, but today’s events have proved that if you keep in mind people who can help, you must use them. Last year on RTOTY10 you [...]

SO, it’s the second day of #RTOTY11 and we’ve taken a step back in time. As we are staying so close to the location of last year’s picture location, we thought we’d pop back to the beach for a little reminiscing. Out of the amazing range of cars we have this year, there are two [...]

FIVE cars on route to Wales for a special feature in the magazine. Sounds like the perfect dream, doesn’t it? Sadly though, the fact of the matter is that the dream only really comes to life once you’re IN Wales – as we have painfully found out. That’s because we probably chose completely the wrong [...]

I HAD a strange dream last night that someone left a Porsche 911 on my drive and posted the keys through my letterbox. But this time it wasn’t a beer-induced dream, it was true. Sat outside when I woke up this morning was this black GTS Cabriolet – and lying on the doormat was the [...]

Is Chevrolet’s killer five-year deal and new hatchback a winning combination for dealers? JAMES BAGGOTT finds out WHAT IS IT? The replacement for the Kalos and a B segment rival for the likes of Britain’s best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta. Can it compete with that? Probably not, but as a competitor to the likes of the [...]

The RS3 is the latest Audi to wear the fabled badge, but can it match its predecessors? JAMES BATCHELOR finds out WHAT IS IT? It’s the RS treatment given to an A3, creating not only the car that sits at the top of the A3 range, but also the cheapest RS model currently on sale. [...]

JAMES BAGGOTT takes the wheel of one of the most exciting M-badged sports cars to date and doesn’t want to let it go WHAT IS IT? The closest buyers will get to a reborn E30 M3. This is the pumped-up, low-production-run M car that many fans have been waiting for. With just 450 coming to [...]

BMW has placed a 2.0-litre engine in its Cooper S range to make the SD, but is it any good? JAMES BATCHELOR finds out WHAT IS IT? It’s a BMW 2.0-litre diesel engine installed into the Cooper S range of Minis – from hatch to Countryman. The Cooper SD has the highest amount of torque [...]

Along with the latest Rio and Optima, the new Picanto aims to shape Kia’s future. James Batchelor investigates. WHAT IS IT? This is the all-new version of Kia’s city car with a body penned by Peter Schreyer incorporating the now familiar ‘tiger’ family face, sharp creases down the flanks, vertical lights at the rear, and [...]

Suzuki is dipping its toe in the D-segment with the Kizashi. JAMES BATCHELOR has driven it. WHAT IS IT? This is Suzuki’s attempt to break into the D-segment – and it’s doing it with a car limited to 500 units packed full of equipment normally reserved as extras on other makers’ cars. WHAT’S UNDER THE [...]

Audi has decided to take on the Mercedes CLS with its stunning A7. JAMES BATCHELOR investigates WHAT IT IS? Numerically it might sit between A6 and A8 saloons, but the A7 is a four-door coupe. Like the A5, the A7 is called a Sportback and mixes four- seats with coupe lines. WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? [...]

How many Volvo XC70 owners actually realise just what their cars are capable of? At the launch of the refreshed model in Sweden, Volvo let us try what many buyers never will – tackle some seriously rough off roading. Seen by many as simply a jacked-up version of the V70, Volvo was keen to demonstrate [...]