Who said Volvos were boring? September 16, 2013 Volvo’s new V60 Plug-In Hybrid is proof that sensible and cool are not mutually exclusive THERE was a time when the Volvo estate was thought of as the most sensible car imaginable, a large, boxy family vehicle parked outside a semi-detached house on a suburban cul-de-sac awaiting its sole function; ferrying children about as safely [...]
Not convinced by the Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid? September 16, 2013 TAKE A LOOK AT THESE ALTERNATIVES BMW ActiveHybrid 3 SE, £40,560 A powerful hybrid at its fastest. BMW has combined a 306bhp 3.0-litre turbo petrol engine with an electric motor, so total output is a massive 340bhp. This translates into a 0-62mph time of just 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. Unless you [...]
The MPV that’s cool… in a dad way September 9, 2013 Citroën has bent over backwards to make its new C4 Picasso accessible for style-conscious families MULTI-PURPOSE Vehicles (MPVs) have a reputation for being dull to look at and boring to drive. They’re seen as functional, humourless boxes, with sensible, easy-wipe cabins populated by the children of practically minded parents who shop with the head rather [...]
Not convinced? September 9, 2013 HERE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES Ford C-Max Zetec 1.6 TDCi £19,345 The Ford C-Max Zetec 1.6 TDCi easily outdrives the Citroën and it’s also almost £5,000 cheaper. It’s a tad behind the Picasso on acceleration (0-62mph 11.3 seconds) but trails a bit on top speed (114mph). It’s also behind the Picasso’s impressive CO2 emissions with 117g/km [...]
The Lexus LF-NX concept is a muscular, angular beast; a vision we hope will become a reality September 9, 2013 The Japanese carmaker is known for its stunning concept designs. Here is one from the top draw. LEXUS will today unveil its latest striking concept vehicle in the muscular LF-NX mid-sized crossover. The car, which will be displayed at the Frankfurt motor show, combines Tron-like styling with the latest hybrid technology. It adheres to Lexus’s [...]
A hot hatch with big shoes to fill September 3, 2013 It may be nippy, zippy and comfortable too, but can the Peugeot 208 GTI live up to the iconic 205? IS IT fast?” was the first thing my friend Dave said when I pulled up in the new Peugeot 208 GTI. He wasn’t the first to ask either. Peugeot’s designers have done an excellent job [...]
Not Convinced? September 3, 2013 HERE ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES VW Polo GTI 1.4 TSI DSG, £19,570 If you feel nostalgic about the first Golf GTIs, perhaps this Polo GTI is a better option. It’s only got a 1.4-litre engine that delivers just 177bhp, but it still gets up to 142mph and can hit 62mph in 6.9 seconds. It’s a good-looking [...]
A Range Rover that is truly sporty August 19, 2013 It’s the fastest, most agile SUV the manufacturer has ever built. We put it through its paces… in a jumbo jet They’re known for coming up with imaginative off-road courses, but the Land Rover Experience guys have outdone themselves this time. It’s fantastically silly. I’m driving the new Range Rover Sport SDV6 model up an [...]
Not convinced? August 19, 2013 HERE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES BMW X5 £60,830 The X5 xDrive M50d SUV model is BMW’s rival to the Range Rover Sport. Powered by a V6 diesel engine, it has an impressive power output of 381bhp but it’s a good deal faster with a spritely 0 to 62mph acceleration time of just 5.4 seconds. Its fuel [...]
Fast, sexy, cool: the Seat Leon SC August 12, 2013 Seat may not be the hippest car brand in the world, but the Leon SC provides a welcome injection of street cred BACK in 1990, When VW Group bought Spanish automaker Seat, it wanted to position it in its stable the same way Alfa Romeo sits within the Fiat Group. It has, however, struggled to [...]