ROAD TESTS

MEET the Sportage – a Kia that costs £20,777. We can hear the sucking of air through teeth from here – and we agree: Yes, that does sound a bit rich. But the manufacturer has form here.
Take Kia’s recently launched Sortento SUV as an example. The BMW X5-sized model is selling out in the [...]

Remember how we were incomprehensibly blown away by the Porsche 911 Turbo?
500bhp of awe-inspiring performance, handling to similarly astound and an overall desirability that plain hurt? Well, Porsche has only gone and done it again…
How? By giving the 911 Turbo even MORE power! Making it EVEN faster and EVEN more expensive. This means it will be [...]

DEALERS often use the phrase ‘gets you from A to B’ when talking about an economical, small car.
But what if ‘A’ is Portsmouth and ‘B’ is Edinburgh – would you use a typical A-to-B car?
Well, being cost and environmentally conscious, we thought we’d give it a go. Could we cover the 450 miles north [...]

In a world dominated by ever-softer, ever-more lifestyle-focused SUVs and crossovers, it is good to see one brand still makes a ‘proper’ off-roader.
The Mitsubishi Shogun may not be the flashest kid on the block – and certainly not the newest – but there’s no denying the smack-in-face non-subtlety of its impact.
Mitsubishi dealers swear by the [...]

If you like your motoring with wind in the hair and lashings of excitement, then the Abarth 500C will be right up your street.
The maker – Fiat Group’s performance arm – has just unveiled the drop-top version of its potent little city car and we’ve climbed behind the wheel.
Packing a 1.4-litre 16v turbo-charged engine [...]

LOTUS is moving upmarket. The firm has signalled its intention to aim straight for Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin in the future.
Bold stuff? Well, it’s a move up from where the firm is today. But not without precedent… Let’s go back to the 1970s, and the glory days of mercurial owner Colin Chapman.
He was [...]

ASKING me whether the new Kia Sportage is a cool car could be seen to be a rather unwise thing to do. I mean, anyone who knows me will be aware of my dubious tastes in all-things 1950s, and that I have no idea who Justin Timberland is. A music chap, apparently – I thought [...]

THE BMW 5 Series has been with us for almost four decades, and shows no signs of waning. Rumored to be BMW’s most profitable model line, the current range is extensive, uses cutting-edge technology, and looks set to further sales which today stand at more than 5.5 million. 
Why 5 Series, though? Quite simply, because it was the [...]

Suzuki car buyers are a loyal bunch, as its 150 UK dealers will know only too well.
Mainly retail customers, they will buy model after model; fourth-generation Suzuki ownership is not uncommon, which isn’t bad going given the average three-year replacement cycle. That’s a lot of customer currency to trade on.
Why do they keep returning? [...]

Welcome to the most important Audi for car dealers, ever. Bold claim – what leads us to make it? Well, Audi says this is going to be its best-selling car; better than the A3, better than the A4. You’ll quickly be seeing a lot of this little hatch…
Little? Indeed: The A1 is Audi’s Mini, with [...]

Saab is alive! We’ve reported about the on/off saga seemingly non-stop over the past few months here at Car Dealer Magazine.
The final instalment, though, saw the revival of the firm, under supercar maker Spyker. Not only is it saved, but there’s also a brand-new model to mark the rebirth. Enter the BMW 5 Series-rivaling [...]

Two words send a shiver down my spine: You’re On. They arrive via direct message on Twitter from Lexus PR chief Scott Brownlee and I know immediately what they’re referring too – the Lexus LFA, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with me at the wheel. 
Cue involuntary sweating, palpitations that have nothing to do with [...]

It’s never really been the prettiest of cars, and to be honest compared to its stable mates it’s pretty, well, ugly.
But the Cayenne has always been capable, not only at taking the kids to school, but as a proper 4×4 and all-round family car. 
To some non-believers it can come as a bit of a [...]

THIS review was written by 13-year-old Elliot Morris who wants to be a motoring journalist. Here, Car Dealer gave him the opportunity to have a go at writing a review. This is his take on the Aston Martin Vantage.
WHEN you see it, you want it! This is the Aston Martin Vantage. One of the most mind-blowing [...]

RENAULT is not shy when it comes to doing mad things with hatchbacks.
Not so long ago, Car Dealer fell in love with the extreme Renaultsport Megane R26.R – roll cage, hardcore suspension, no stereo, two seats and all. It was every inch the road-going rally car, we reckoned. And we loved it.
It did, indeed, [...]

THE Range Rover is 40 years old this year. In that time, it’s turned from a luxurious Land Rover into a pinnacle of motoring, that bears comparison with the best Mercedes and Jaguars.
Indeed, if you’re looking for an intriguing British alternative to a Bentley Flying Spur, the big Range Rover is a compelling choice.
That’s [...]

NEW Bentley saloons don’t come along every day. Indeed, if you want to know what the last all-new Bentley range-topper was, you need to flick the history books all the way back to 1930.
That’s when the 8-Litre was unveiled, a car that WO Bentley personally oversaw to the nth degree.
Unfortunately, his attention to detail [...]

THE VW Beetle is the daddy of sales legends.
No other car can beat its staggering sales total – Ford’s Model T may have been a pioneering car, which put millions on the road, but the Beetle beat its production record way back in 1972.And had another 30-odd years to go after that!
You may already know from many [...]

ONE of THE coolest cars of the late 1980s was Honda’s ballistic CR-X.
Short, squat and stubby, it was a road-going missile when fitted with the mesmerising 1.6-litre VTEC engine, famed stratospheric rev limit ‘n all. This model, more than any other, cemented the VTEC legend in Honda’s history.
Now, the brand is hoping to repeat this [...]

A sleek coupe with design cues to rival an Audi R8, built in the same factory as the Aston Martin Rapide but yet can be bought for £20k? Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it – but it’s not.
This month, Peugeot’s hotly anticipated RCZ hits dealer showrooms and with it a tidal wave of customers. [...]

HONDA’S Civic is a stalwart of the innovative Japanese company’s model range – but even so, it’s still surprising to remember what a long-runner it is.
Would you believe, it’s actually older than the Volkswagen Golf? Honda launched it back in 1972, making it the second-oldest Japanese car model line still running.
Mind you, if you [...]

WHAT do you expect from an Alfa Romeo? The cynics in the audience are cat calling something about iffy reliability – we can hear them from here.
But put that little chestnut to one side and what do you end up with?
Passion. An Alfa isn’t a sensible purchase; it’s a heartfelt one. You are supposed to [...]

Omologazione is what the ‘O’ in ‘GTO’ stands for: homologation special. This is Ferrari’s name for its most extreme road cars – those that are built only to satisfy the legislators who run the racing championships.
Want to enter GT racing? Build X number of road cars first, then we’ll let you in. 
Mad motors are thus [...]

AUDI launched the famous Quattro 30 years ago this year. Gene Hunt, among others, is most grateful that it did. Thing is, since then, it’s not really had a model comparable with the dramatic icon.
The firm continued to develop the Quattro, but when it was dropped in the 1990s, there was nothing to take [...]

BMW dealers sell 5,000 X5s a year: It is a profitable model indeed for the firm’s UK retailers.
And it was quizzing those annual buyers that set the template for the mid-life facelift of the luxury five or seven-seat SUV. What did they want? Plenty more, it seems, of the same…
Thus, the new X5 looks almost exactly like [...]

LUXURY car sales are dominated by one model – the Mercedes S-Class. Try as they might, rivals just don’t seem to be able to break this stranglehold.
BMW’s been having a go for decades, and Audi joined the party a decade-and-a-half ago with the all-aluminium A8. Neither has dethroned the S-Class.
There’s one rival that’s been around far longer, [...]

HONDA NSX, a mere cult car? No, it’s more than that: indeed, it’s one of the most significant cars of the past few decades. This sounds like heady praise indeed, but don’t take our word for it.
That is, instead, the view of McLaren F1 maker and car design god Gordon Murray.
Back in the early [...]

THE reasons why Rover doesn’t exist today are perhaps epitomised by the launch of the Metro.
In development for more than half the 1970s, it was nevertheless rushed to launch and then, well, never really achieved the goals set for it. 
Sure, it did pretty well in terms of sales – it wouldn’t be a legend if [...]

STIGMA in the car world is a tough burden to carry and is often even harder to shed.
Skoda has been at the sharp end of motoring jokes for decades, but has cleverly sidestepped them to become the forward-thinking car brand it is now.
The new Superb Estate is the latest car in the marque’s PR offensive. Estate cars [...]

ONE-in-10 Porsche Boxsters will be the new Spyder variant. It is that sort of specialised car, one that Porsche won’t even guarantee will completely insulate the cabin from the rain (yes, really).
That’s why the firm expects dealers will sell them as second or third cars.
Think of this, then, as the Boxster Club Sport, the Boxster [...]

AN eight second 0-60mph hot hatch isn’t much to write home about these days. But 0-60 in eight seconds and just 119g/km CO2? If someone had suggested that was possible two years ago you’d have said they were having a giraffe.
Engine and efficiency technology have come a long way, baby. In combining a 143bhp version of [...]

Alfa Romeo is a brand that conjures up all manner of images in the average car buyer’s mind: Passion, flair, beauty – it’s the stuff motoring dreams are made of.
But on the flip side of the coin are the less attractive connotations – reliability woes and trouble-prone electrics are reputations dealers are still struggling to overcome.
With that in [...]

MINI has been such a phenomenal success for BMW, many carmakers have looked on enviously. Particularly those whose modern-times sales staples have been smaller cars.
Take Citroen. It sells no end of city cars and superminis, but are they able to command Mini-like premiums? Alas not.
Enter, then, the DS3. A new range created by Citroen to ride [...]

THINK Volvo, think square estates, think 240. The maker is still intent on changing this – senior managers have stated their determination to do so to Car Dealer Magazine – but, for now, the image remains.
Thing is, though, the 240 may be square, but that sure doesn’t make it bad.
It was launched in 1974 [...]

CITY cars for the past five years have been where it’s all been happening. Exploding fuel prices, a desire to be more eco friendly and the credit crunch have all played a huge part in focussing the spotlight on the babies in carmakers’ ranges.
Throw in the cash conscious buyers the scrappage scheme funnelled into dealers and [...]

CAN you hear that gentle breeze? Well get used to it – that’s the sound of the winds of change and they’re blowing around the car industry.
One thing’s for sure, the old guard better watch out because the Koreans are coming – and this time they’re got the products to match their ambition.
Not content [...]

KIA’S remarkable expansion continues apace. It’s already sorted for competitive models in sectors such as the city car and family car classes.
The new Sportage takes the challenge to popular cars in the compact SUV sector, and the latest Sorento offers luxury SUV motoring without the luxury SUV price tag.
Now, it’s turning to other growing sectors within [...]

Any production car that produces 670bhp is worthy of cult car status in Car Dealer Magazine’s eyes.
It’s even better when said power is produced at a dizzy, screaming 8,000rpm – and little short of genius when it is a mighty mid-mounted 6.5-litre V12 that’s doing all the hard work. Yes, there is little doubt [...]

 
Colloquially known as the car that burned touring car hero Jason Plato on national TV, there’s far more to the Caparo that just being, er, a bit of a hottie.
Designed to demonstrate cutting-edge British technology, it’s thoroughly deserving of Cult Car status. Indeed, its fiery habits maybe even only enhance this…
The designers, both ex-McLaren F1 [...]

THE Rover 200 was one of the best cars Rover ever made. Sure, it wasn’t quite the most dramatic-looking.
Nor was it the most interstellar to drive. It wasn’t even history’s most innovative Rover. But, in terms of market-hitting success, probably nothing can beat it. 
No, not even the iconic original Mini.
Controversial? Maybe. But it’s also because [...]

FERRARI doesn’t hang onto its laurels for long, with a lifespan of just five years for every new model.
Yet even Ferrari was surprised at how quickly the mid-engined F430 fell from fashion once the California, with its fancy folding hardtop, hit the streets. So the F430’s replacement, the 458 Italia, really must do the business.
Just [...]

CAR Dealer Magazine staff are of a certain age. In our childhood, there was only one daddy on the World Rally circuit. The Lancia Delta Integrale. World Rally Champion 1987. 1988. 1989. 1990. 1991, too.
Oh, and don’t forget 1992. 
On the poster we had on our wall, they’d run out of space on the laurel wreath graphic [...]

TWO seats, soft top and rear-wheel drive – three ingredients that form the basis of a recipe for success.
Add in a dash of affordability, a pinch of cute styling and lashings of handling prowess and you’re well on your way to a Michelin Star winning banquet of a car!
When Mazda designed its MX-5 it [...]

BMW has designed the 730Ld luxury limo to be something of a Tardis in reverse.
Huh? Well, sure, there’s no arguing with the presence it has on the road. Yes, that ‘L’ stands for long-wheelbase. Fittingly, it’s huge.
Long, lithe and designed – at no little expense – with a totally bespoke roofline to the standard-wheelbase model [...]

PORSCHE’S new 911 Turbo can accelerate from 0-62mph in as little as 3.4 seconds. Now that is fast – very fast. But maybe not quite fast enough.
See, Porsche’s engineers dropped enough hints to us on the new car’s launch to suggest it’s very much on the 
‘conservative’ side of cautious. Meaning, to all intents, Porsche has [...]

FIAT was in strife in the early 1980s. Not an unfamiliar situation for the Italian firm, in all fairness. But this particular predicament was especially bad.
It needed a car to save it, to replace the ageing 127 and give the automotive giant the all-important volume it needs. 
Basically, it needed a winner. A car that [...]

BRIDES traditionally have a habit of being late to weddings. It’s almost accepted: the nudges in the crowd, the nervous groom, the best man getting into the spirit of a few lunchtime beers by winding up the groom (and that’s before his hilarious ‘lost the ring’ joke). 
However, even the most disorganised bride would have trouble [...]

THE new Astra has a lot of work to do. In recent years it’s been overtaken by the VW Golf and Ford Focus in the driving stakes – now the new Vauxhall hatch needs to reignite the brand.
With the manufacturer’s future the stuff of soap operas, one thing is for certain – the Astra has [...]

SO, the latest Astra is a ‘vital’ car for Vauxhall? A ‘make-or-break’ model in many ways? Well, no change there. It’s always been so, ever since the very first was launched back in 1980.
Back then, Vauxhall was in strife. It had a grim reputation, an ageing model line-up of rear-drive cars… one of the most [...]

Ah, how different things were a decade ago. Back then everything was booming. Nothing was running out. Anything was possible. Well, almost.
Certainly, launching the world’s fastest, most powerful, most expensive car was but a walk in the park. Well, it was if your surname was Piech, and you were boss of the mighty Volkswagen.
Ferdinand had [...]

THERE can’t be many Porsche fans left with a weak heart. They just wouldn’t have survived the shocks they’ve been submitted to in the last decade.
It started with the Cayenne – an off-roader with a Porsche badge – gasp! Then there was the Cayman, a cheaper sportscar that was so good the only car it [...]

NISSANS didn’t used to be Nissans in the UK. They were Datsuns, and models such as the supermini-sized Cherry made the firm’s name here in the 1970s.
Reliable, cheap and sturdy, they were pretty dire to drive, but reassurance-seekers didn’t care. The cars were fuss-free enough to establish the idea of Japanese cars in the UK.
By the [...]

A Fiat with a waiting list? You bet. That’s the measure of success earned by the funky 500, which is sold in 51 countries and has won over fans in every one. Fiat’s take on the MINI is more than up to the task.
Now it’s established, Fiat’s expanding the range. First key addition is an [...]

If Continental GTs are new-gen Bentley, this is very much the old money choice.
Class, elegance, upstanding dignity – oh, and a huge great slug of none-too-subtle British beef. That’s the Arnage, alright. If Brunel were alive today, he would drive one of these.
Some may be surprised to discover that, despite its stately appearance, it is not [...]

Land Rover admits the Range Rover Sport has been a brilliant car for them.
It boasts almost the cachet and allure of the bigger Range Rover Vogue, yet is derived from the more attainable Discovery 3 mechanicals. This keeps prices realistic – and demand high.
Beefy profit margins on this hit model mean the firm’s been [...]

HARD to believe that Renault used to be known as a conservative, middle of the road brand.
Oh, sure, it had funky cars such as the 5 supermini. But, alongside these were Renaults 9s, Renault 11s; even the Fuego coupe somehow managed to make sporty boring.
Today, the brand is one of Europe’s most forward-thinking. [...]

JUST as you do with a Bentley Continental GT, see a top-spec Range Rover with large wheels and special paint, and you think only one thing: Premier League footballer.
That’s quite a leap from the original Range Rover’s roots in muddy farmer’s fields.
Back in the early 1970s, the Range Rover had sliding windows, plastic seats… [...]

BMW car dealers will not be inundated with demands for this car.
A 555bhp uber-SUV, costing £77k? Not highest on the wish-list of today’s buyers. That’s why BMW is estimating sales in the tens, rather than hundreds. This is a car for China and the Far East.
So, why are we getting it? Well, because every [...]

Pre-Quattro, Audi didn’t really stand for much. It was a posh Volkswagen, little more, in the eyes of car buyers; it had the same sort of quirky standing as Saab.
Case not helped by building models such as the Audi 50 – a badge-engineered first-generation VW Polo…
This approach was never going to turn it into [...]

HERE at Car Dealer Magazine we’ve fallen in love with a lot of cars in our time. But one of the most amorous we’ve ever driven was the Maserati Quattroporte: The four-door saloon car from the Gods.
Maserati, you see, employed angels to tune the engine, in the time-honoured Italian way. It then put it on [...]

SOME 100 years after it started, Audi is still making fine cars. There’s a reason why you see so many TTs on the road, after all.
It’s a great motor. Car buyers can’t get enough of them and Audi dealers know there’ll always be a market.
But as any brand expert professes, to continue this success, [...]

WHEN Renault first announced it planned to shoehorn a two-litre engine into a Clio, it was met with mixed reactions.
Some thought it was just plain stupid, others stupidly fun. But, thankfully for the French marque, most fell into the latter category.
With competition in this small car hot hatch sector fierce, the Renaultsport models have [...]

IN 1960s US, they had Steve McQueen. They had San Francisco. They had the Mustang. They had so much that was cool, and fun, and modern, and enviable. In the UK, we had Brian Blessed, Slough, and the Austin Maxi.
Thank the lord then for Ford. Ever the savvy marketeers, the mighty Blue Oval spotted an [...]

GROWN men go weak at the knees. Women swoon. Small children explode with excitement.
No, there are not many cars that offer the visual stun of an Aston Martin Vanquish; it’s the world’s most powerful automotive tazar shot. 
Launched in 2001, the Vanquish was Aston Martin diving straight into the 21st century. The DB7 had been beautiful [...]

YOU’VE got to smile. That’s not an order, it’s a fact. You see no matter how grim life gets; how much we’re squeezed by the government for every single last penny, or how often you forget to pack your sandwiches, you’ve still got to smile.
It’s healthy, it’ll cheer up you and those around you, not [...]

IT’S funny how two simple letters can stir so much emotion in so many people. That sweeping blue and white RS emblem can be traced back through a bloodline that plots a graph of hot-hatch evolution.
It’s a name that has graced the rear end of some truly awesome cars – from rally legends such [...]

LOCKED in a basement of the French firm’s design department is, I imagine, a complete and utter nutter.
Think Sloth from the Goonies mental. Shackled at the ankles and waist, every so often this beast of a Frenchman is fed one of the firm’s production cars to ‘play’ with.
Sloth, or as he’s known in France, [...]

NOT since Gary Glitter has something fallen from the dizzy heights of super-stardom quite so ungracefully.
Think back to the days of Colin McRae’s era and the amazing Impreza models we all enjoyed. The incredible P1, the Richard Burn’s inspired R22B – both stunning machines with looks that matched their performance.
But then something went wrong [...]

The Abarth 500 Essesse and MINI Cooper S are bitter rivals. So much so it led to a seething office row over which is better. To settle the argument we headed to the Isle of Wight to find out. It rained. A lot.

 
THE Isle of Wight is a funny old place – if you ever went [...]

THE car that saved the company. Le sacre numero. The car of the decade. Yes, there are no shortage of plaudits for the Peugeot 205.
Quite simply, it is the most important car the company has ever made. Remains so. And still, for many, is irreplaceable.
To understand why the 205 was so significant, you need [...]

It’s already an icon. A handful of lucky Nissan dealers will be basking in the halo effect soon, when it arrives in the UK. It’s the mainstream-maker alternative to the Porsche 911. It is, of course, the Nissan GT-R.
We could feature the regular version here – after all, with well over 1,000 UK orders, [...]

HAS Volkswagen dropped the ball before it’s even been played?
See, the latest Golf GTI ‘only’ produces 210bhp – down on the Ford Focus ST’s 225bhp, never mind the 300bhp-plus of the Focus RS rocketship. An Astra VXR? 240bhp. Mazda 3 MPS? 260bhp. Even the elderly Megane RenaultSport had 230bhp – and the new one’s [...]

NOW isn’t an easy time to be launching the replacement to the 350Z. Times are tough for us all – but especially for the target buyer of the new Nissan.
The 370Z customer is likely to be a white-collar middle manager, earning a sensible wage, 2.4 children and mortgaged up to the eyeballs.
And that [...]

It was the car that brought Mercedes to the masses and looks as fresh today as it did back in 1983 – it’s our latest Sales Legend, the Mercedes 190.
THE Mercedes 190 was launched as the most affordable Mercedes ever. Which, you must note, is a relative term. It’s like saying Richard Branson is going [...]

It is most famous for being the car The Stig developed. Remember the Koenigsegg’s first attempt at lapping the Top Gear test track? It ended in an ignominious spin, as the hypercar proved just too hyper for the reclusive racer.
‘Fit a rear wing,’ he said. ‘Then, it’ll be the fastest ever round here.’ Koenigsegg [...]

She’s posh, likes shopping, lunching with friends and is climbing the social ladder. No, I’m not talking about Cheryl Cole (for once), this time it’s Miss Minnie Bya who has caught my attention – and she’s in a bit of a dilemma.
You see, a few years ago if Miss Bya’s husband/dad/secret lover wanted to [...]

It’s a direct line from customers to BMW engineering staff that has led to the new Z4 being how it is. See, BMW engineers are sporty types. The sort who turn DSC off.
They like their hard-riding, focused machines – cars such as, ooh, the original Z4. Particularly ones with high-output straight-six engines.
Customers, however, were [...]

BENTLEY dealers. They’re selling loads of used cars. The problem is the new side. What they need is something to get the confidence going.
How about, then, a 200mph convertible? With 600bhp? That does 60mph in 4.5 seconds? And, with 750Nm of torque, has enough grunt to pull a whole housing estate down? 

That should do [...]

Times change. Porsche, for example, went to the brink of bankruptcy during the last, post-80s boom recession.
Yet in this current crisis it’s one of the most powerful car companies in the world – a controlling interest in the Volkswagen Group giving the German manufacturer influence far beyond the performance realm.
Porsche knows you have to adapt [...]

 
A supercar without the super-salaried baggage? That’ll be the Audi R8. A car gaining a reputation for being the thinking man’s hypermotor.
It’s driven by Premiership footballers with degrees. Company MDs who know the name of the tea lady. Nice sorts, in other words.
Problem is, until now, it’s not been quite super enough. Audi’s delicious [...]

The editor made the mistake of buying a Focus ST in November - after reading this RS road test he regrets it!

THE very fact this car has made it into production in these green-focussed times is a surprise.
With most mainstream manufacturers installing fuel-sipping, eco-friendly diesels under the bonnets of their best sellers, the Focus RS is a pleasant surprise.
But [...]

ALFA Romeo stands at international motor shows are famous for one thing. The girls.
Seriously, they are almost entirely staffed by supermodels.
It is common for some journos to head straight over there, camera in hand (yes, we said camera) to get shots of ‘the latest model’. Ugh. It’s an ugly site at times, surrounding all [...]

The sixth-generation Golf is hitting dealer showrooms right now. Volkswagen’s most important car is ideally timed to help dealers through the gloom of the plunging new car market.
Thing is, 35 years ago Volkswagen dealers were similarly doom-laden – and also looking to the Golf as the great white hope.
Back then, the Golf was completely [...]

What’s the best car Porsche makes? The 911, surely? Well, look at where the smart money goes, and the Cayman is definitely in with a shout.
It has always been great to drive, for thousands less than its famed icon – and now, freshly face-lifted, with direct injection and the 911’s PDK gearbox, it’s even [...]

 
DNA. Clever stuff. Genetic coding that relates one thing to another. Father to son, mother to daughter. Alfa Romeo 8C supercar to Alfa Romeo MiTo supermini…
No, seriously. From surface-mounted headlights to circular LED taillights, via slender glasshouse and curvaceous hips, this compact hatchback really does capture the spirit of its high-class, high-price Competizione cousin. The [...]

THE Golf is a top 10 seller in the UK. What’s more, it is also Europe’s best selling car. So you could say the launch of an all-new one is vital. But how many are going to notice? 
A common criticism with any new Golf is that it looks too much like its predecessor. But, even [...]

‘It’s ‘car’ now, not ‘kay-aye’ or ‘ka’,’ said one dealer to us, as he took delivery of his very first new baby Ford. ‘However it’s pronounced, though, I’m delighted to see it. This couldn’t have been better timed.’
Such is the excitement in the Ford dealer network over the brand-new, second-generation Ka. The old one lasted [...]

HOW could you fail to be seduced by Ferrari’s most powerful road car? Driven by, of course, a howling V12 engine?
Sadly, if EU legislators have their way, the V12’s days are numbered – which could well make the 599 GTB Fiorano the last of a great line.
With a 6.0-litre V12 hurtling 612bhp to the [...]

Out with the old, and in with the shock of the new. Company car drivers were brought straight into the 80s with a slap in the face back in 1982, when Ford launched its most controversial car ever. 
Replacing that old favourite, the Cortina, the Sierra was as radical as a pound coming in coin form. [...]

BMW certainly sprang this one on us. An all-electric MINI, that’s not only a fully-working, driveable vehicle – but one which is being pressed into public service as we speak! It was certainly a shock…
Trials are underway in America with 500 buyers able to lease a MINI E for £550 a month. They’ll last a [...]

Has Japan finally cracked the supercar code? Car Dealer pitches Lambo vs GT-R in a head-to-head to find out.
IN 1967, Spen King – the man responsible for the first Range Rover – told his bosses ‘I think we ought to watch out for the Japanese.’ His prediction, based on seeing the very first Japanese cars [...]

FOR a car that doesn’t officially go on sale in the UK until March, the GT-R has already built up an enviable reputation.
Nissan’s hard-working press demonstrator was bought over to the UK a full 10 months ahead of the launch, and since then it has driven off with more silverware than any other Japanese [...]

WHILE Japanese supercars have famously suffered from a lack of charisma in the past, that’s not a criticism you can level at Lamborghini.
Even with the calming influence of Audi at the controls, machines like the Gallardo have Italian style oozing from every panel gap. Only now, the passion is matched with decent build quality [...]

With Toyota revealing it will make its first loss since 1941, the new iQ city car needs to be good. But is it too expensive? Richard Aucock finds out
HERE is Toyota’s Smart-beater – or so the troubled carmaker hopes! The iQ may be tiny, but it has a huge weight on its shoulders.
With the Japanese [...]

WAS the Scirocco ever really cool? It may have been when first launched, back in the 70s, but the Golf GTI followed a few years later – and in creating an entirely new, must-have hot-hatch sector, effectively stole the Scirocco’s cult car thunder.
It dragged on, updated but essentially unchanged, for nearly two decades, before [...]

I almost crashed an M6 the first time I drove one. In the car park. In reverse. Mildly embarrassing, you could say. That bloody SMG semi-auto gearbox…
See, you can’t juggle the clutch in an M6, nor edge along with a slur of the torque converter. It’s either go or stop, one or zero, there’s very [...]

 
MiTo fever is well under way in Alfa Romeo dealers. And how they deserve to have a ‘pizza’ the action (sorry)!
Boss Christopher Nicholl has slashed the network, encouraged those who remain to pull their socks up, and the result is the strongest state of health the dealer network has seen in years. 
It may not [...]

WHEN was the last time you just got in a car and drove somewhere? I’m going to bet it was some time ago. Remember when you were young and had just passed your test – if you were anything like me you’d just get behind the wheel for the sheer hell of it.
Perhaps it [...]

I’ve had an interesting couple of months on the road test side of things. As you saw last month, we stretched the legs of an Aston Martin DBS, Caterham R500, Mitsubishi Evo X in Wales – all capable of hitting 60mph in under five seconds.
Then, a few weeks ago, as you’ve read on the [...]

DON’T be confused by the hype. The California is not the new entry-level Ferrari. Indeed, it’s actually more expensive than the existing F430.
Bang goes the modern-day Dino replacement we speculated on when rumours of the new model first started to surface.
No, instead it is the ‘approachable’ way into Ferrari ownership. We mean that not [...]