Lifestyle

  • Supercars go green
    Wednesday, 10th March 2010
    Even mainstream sportscar makers Porsche and Ferrari are jumping on the eco bandwagon
    RYAN BORROFF
    FOR the last few years, the supercar brands largely ignored the move towards greener motoring. Instead they have continued to produce products and concepts that followed the traditional performance car development trajectory – they got faster, more powerful and generally more obnoxious. Only smaller carmakers including Koeniggsegg and Fisker Cars felt the need to experiment, even develop vehicles using alternative power. This year, however, is different. At this month’s Geneva Motor Show, when the rest of the motoring world were displaying their latest cleaner, eco introductions, two of the... [Read more]

  • Plug & play
    Wednesday, 3rd March 2010
    Still think electric cars are glorified golf carts? As our new columnist discovers, electric vehicles are no threat to motoring
    RYAN BORROFF
    THE FACTS: TESLA ELECTRIC CAR PRICE: £86,950 RANGE: 236 miles 0-60MPH: 3.9 secs TOP SPEED: 125 mph CO2 G/KM: 0 THE demise of the combustion engine is not something I long for, yet burning through... [Read more]
  • The best way to get around town
    Wednesday, 17th February 2010
    They keep evolving, but scooters continue mixing convenience and cool
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    THE Italians have known it for decades, and there was a moment in the Sixties when the British youth cottoned on too – when it comes to motorised transport, there is nothing cooler than a scooter. It... [Read more]
  • French go back to the future
    Wednesday, 27th January 2010
    A revamp of a classic car is a winner, in town and country
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    REMEMBER the Citroen DS, the futuristic sensation born in 1955 and used endlessly in films of car chases in Paris in the 70s? It was all long and pointy, with a Pope mobile–like cabin, such was the... [Read more]

  • The Mini enters a BRAVE GREEN WORLD
    Wednesday, 20th January 2010
    Electric cars are fast gaining ground. This one’s at the front of the pack
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    I had preconceptions about this car before I drove it. Having batteries will mean it will weigh more than a normal Mini and it will be sluggish due to the extra weight. The ride will be harsh, it’ll... [Read more]
  • Four by phwoar
    Wednesday, 13th January 2010
    BMW’s new all-terrain motor is just the ticket when the snow is thick on the roads
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    I’VE just returned from a stint on the East Coast of the USA where I thought we had done quite well with snow. The thing is, it’s no surprise when it arrives over there. “Snow days” tend to close... [Read more]
  • Roar POWER
    Wednesday, 6th January 2010
    This Italian supercar looks the business inside and out, but it’s the noise it makes that really impresses
    VICTORIA BATES
    WHEN I returned home from taking this car for a spin around the local area, I found a post-it note stuck to my front door with a message from a friend who lives locally. “Hi V,” it read. “I realised... [Read more]
  • Up the hatch
    Wednesday, 16th December 2009
    With its latest version of the Clio, Renault is continuing to set the standard for small, nippy hatchbacks
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    WE’VE tested some super-hot hatches on these pages, most recently Honda’s Civic Type R Mugen and earlier in the year Ford’s Focus RS, both of which are stunning performers. Here we have another. The... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Wednesday, 2nd December 2009
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    TOM WRIGGLESWORTH IN SOHOComedian Tom Wrigglesworth made newspaper headlines after his attempts to help out a pensioner being ill-treated by a train guard resulted in him being reported to the police... [Read more]
  • A gripping drive
    Wednesday, 2nd December 2009
    Honda's limited edition hatchback is rough, raw and extremely fast
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    THE LAST time I drove a Civic Type R, I found the ride quite brutal. So I have to admit to being slightly wary of having this one to test on UK roads, but it had to be done, because just 20 of them... [Read more]
  • Best of British
    Wednesday, 25th November 2009
    Bentley's new sports car is not just for show offs it's also a spectacular drive
    I’M CURRENTLY feeling like a WAG. To clarify, this is purely down to my current motor, and not because I’ve hooked up with a Chelsea striker. You see I’m driving around in a Bentley... [Read more]
  • cruise control
    Wednesday, 18th November 2009
    IF I told you that I recently indulged in a spot of mid-week mud-larking, then where would you picture me?  The wilds of Scotland? The Yorkshire Dales? Well, not quite. This time I was in the EJ... [Read more]
  • Fit for James Bond
    Wednesday, 11th November 2009
    Expect people to drool when you step on the gas in this ludicrously powerful, super slick convertible
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    IT’S funny the varied reactions that you get when you are driving around in a supercar. Take a moment when I was parked unloading some things from the boot. A guy came over to the car, looked... [Read more]
  • New Merc is in an (E) class of its own
    Wednesday, 4th November 2009
    This is just the ticket for the school run, and also offers a few little luxuries on the side as well
    I HAD a nice massage today, while driving a Mercedes through the forests on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. We reviewed the new E Class Coupe recently and this wagon is from the same grown-up stable. It... [Read more]
  • Going green in Tokyo
    Wednesday, 28th October 2009
    Traffic-stimulated scent, remote controlled batteries the future is electric, nifty and Japanese
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    TOKYO. I bet a good few of you reading this page will have been to this city.  It’s my first time here, I’ve been itching to go for years and finally I find myself staring out of my... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Wednesday, 28th October 2009
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    MOTHERLAND Having swept the awards at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Motherland, a play recounting the true stories of women affected by the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, is currently... [Read more]
  • Small but perfectly formed
    Wednesday, 21st October 2009
    Futuristic windscreen design makes this car seem bigger than it is
    Along comes another supermini, this one with a windscreen that reaches back to the end of the front doors. The car is cute, highly styled and with lots of chrome to make it look more premium,... [Read more]
  • MERCEDES' NEW COUPE IS A TRUE MILE-MUNCHER
    Wednesday, 14th October 2009
    A typically smooth, attractive ride will please commuters, without setting the world alight
    WITH increasing frequency, I get into a new car and find myself banging my head or elbow on something that’s infringing on the space inside the cabin. Take this latest coupe. As I lean forward... [Read more]
  • OUT OF OFFICE
    Wednesday, 30th September 2009
    TIMOTHY BARBER
    RAT PACK AT THE ADELPHINewly opened this week, Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas celebrates the world of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr in their Vegas heyday. Recreating the glitz,... [Read more]
  • Audi's dream-mobile
    Wednesday, 30th September 2009
    It's not the best-looking, but this hatchback is a brilliant drive, and goes easy on the petrol too
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    IS it me or have Audi toned down their design approach? They used to love a bit of flared wheel arch where possible, stance and statement arriving hand in hand. Has the recession blunted their flair... [Read more]
  • Space shuttle on wheels
    Wednesday, 23rd September 2009
    The new Nissan is a show-stopper even when it's parked
    IF NASA and superyacht designer Wally Power were to design a car together, this would be the result. Staring at the rear end of the GT-R is like looking at the space shuttle. There are four exhaust... [Read more]
  • Even a saloon can be sexy when it's made by Porsche
    Wednesday, 16th September 2009
    It's nimble to drive, intimidating to look at and ridiculously comfortable to sit in. What's not to love about this indulgent four-door?
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    IT was with surprise that we learnt that Porsche was going to build a four-door car. Porsche has always made two-door sportscars, why would it want to sink its teeth into the saloon market? But the... [Read more]
  • Cadbury boss blasts Kraft's sour proposal
    Monday, 14th September 2009
    CONSUMER GOODS
    ASHLEY ARMSTRONG
    CADBURY ramped up its defence at the weekend against a takeover from Kraft after its chairman Roger Carr blasted the bid as “unattractive.” In an open letter to Kraft’s chief... [Read more]
  • CRAZY HORSES beneath the bonnet
    Wednesday, 9th September 2009
    It might not have slick German design, but the new Mitsubishi makes a very beautiful noise
    BENEATH a considerable amount of wing, skirt and angular metal lies a car, the chavmobile that is the FQ 400. I clamber on board the Mitsubishi gunship, turn the ignition key and on comes Radio 3.... [Read more]
  • Not Fiat for purpose
    Wednesday, 2nd September 2009
    Minimal suspension and a radio with its own will are among this cute-looking car's exasperating flaws
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    I WAS driving another car altogether recently with a motoring pal and we got on to the subject of the Fiat 500. We naturally progressed on to this high-performance version of the car. Fiat has taken... [Read more]
  • A car for all seasons
    Wednesday, 19th August 2009
    There's nothing the Land Rover Disco 4 can't handle
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    EPIC is the word. For a person who doesn’t much care for heights, I’m doing pretty well. I’ve just scaled the terra-pod, a 200ft metal version of a hill-climb. Despite the nerves, I... [Read more]
  • Small but perfectly formed
    Wednesday, 5th August 2009
    The new Mini is an improvement on the last one, which means it's a rocking car. It's just too pricey
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    THE FACTS:MINI JCW CONVERTIBLE6-SPEEDMANUAL PRICE: £23,4700-62MPH: 6.9secsTOP SPEED: 146mph (limited)CO2 G/KM: 169g/kmMPG COMBINED: 39.8 THE Met office came in for flak last week after... [Read more]
  • Good-looking but a trifle shallow
    Wednesday, 29th July 2009
    It feels smooth and looks good but the new Sportback just lacks va va voom
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    THE FACTS: AUDI A5 SPORTBACK 3.2 LITRE FSI QUATTRO7-SPEED S TRONIC PRICE: £36,110 0-62MPH: 6.6secsTOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 379g/kmMPG Combined: 30.4/216g/km AUDI is celebrating a one hundred... [Read more]
  • Falling for a Romeo
    Wednesday, 22nd July 2009
    Alfa Romeo's new 8C Spider is a thing of beauty &8194;and then there's the roar of the engine
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    HAVE YOU ever seen anything so beautiful you could cry? For me, it’s this object before me, Alfa’s drop-dead gorgeous 8C Spider. So here I am, at Balocco circuit, Alfa Romeo’s... [Read more]
  • Middle of the road
    Wednesday, 15th July 2009
    Audi's new prestige car is smart but doesn't justify its price tag
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    ANOTHER version of the popular and much-copied TT is here. Do I sound bored? I’m not really, it’s just that this sector is chock-full of perfectly good cars, many of which have taken a... [Read more]
  • The hard-core soft-top
    Wednesday, 8th July 2009
    Other versions might not be great, but the latest, convertible Fiat 500 is enough to persuade even the most sceptical driver
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    IF this road test ends abruptly, it is because I’ve been skewered by a BAE Hawk T1A aircraft flown by one of the Red Arrows display team, which as I am writing are rehearsing for the first day... [Read more]
  • Automatic for the people?
    Wednesday, 1st July 2009
    The new Merc is technically great, it's just a shame you can't get to grips with the gears
    THE best high-performance cars come with a manual gearbox, right? Well, not according to Mercedes-Benz. On the evidence of this car, their stance appears to be that machines can change gear more... [Read more]
  • Breezy RIDER
    Wednesday, 24th June 2009
    The new 1.4l version of theVW Scirocco gives you a lively, passionate ride. And it holds its own against the Golf GTI, too
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    IN September last year I waxed poetic about the performance and handling of the 2.0 litre version of this car. It’s a sublime drive, with oodles of torque and finesse and I was impressed. So... [Read more]
  • Electric Shock
    Wednesday, 17th June 2009
    Finally, a non-petrol car that is actually pretty good and it means you don't even have to pay the congestion charge either
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    CAN you imagine plugging your car into a three-pin plug in the wall, leaving it for eight hours and then driving for up to 70 miles on that single charge? Well, that is what the Smart Fortwo electric... [Read more]
  • Defender of the realm
    Wednesday, 10th June 2009
    Land Rover's 4x4 is a national institution that's almost as much fun to drive in the city as outside it
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    THE FACTS: Land RoverDefender 90 XSStation Wagon6-speed manual PRICE (MODELTESTED): £26,8150-62MPH: Figuresnot availableTOP SPEED: Figuresnot availableMPG COMBINED/CO2: 28.3/266g/km A FEW years... [Read more]
  • Small car, big noise
    Wednesday, 3rd June 2009
    Finally, a 1.2 litre engine that's able to offer more power than an electric toothbrush has arrived
    VICTORIA MACMILLAN BELL
    WHEN I covered the Geneva Motor Show back in early March, I said I wasn’t a fan of the shape of the new Polo.  Now in its fifth generation, it looks like a new Golf from the front but with... [Read more]