The 4C: fast but no alpha male March 3, 2014 Alfa Romeo’s new sports car looks the part but its performance falls short compared to its rivals THERE’S something lurking in the special pit lane structure Alfa Romeo has built over its test track. Even in silhouette, it’s easy to pick out the rakish form of the Italian firm’s new 4C sports car. It’s waiting [...]
Not convinced? March 3, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… PORSCHE CAYMAN PDK PRICE: £50,705 0-62MPH: 4.9secs TOP SPEED: 174mph CO2 G/KM: 188g/km MPG COMBINED: 35.3mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Five Stars PRACTICALITY Two Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars LOTUS ELISE S PRICE: £37,150 0-62MPH: 4.6 secs TOP SPEED: 145mph CO2 G/KM: 175g/km MPG COMBINED: 37.5mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Two Stars PERFORMANCE [...]
Racing ahead of the competition February 24, 2014 Bentley unveils its Continental GT upgrade, a car that brings a touch of high-end British class to motor racing BENTLEY is returning to motor racing this year. But rather than creating a fancy prototype for the job, its comeback will be in a chunky Continental GT, a car that’s been purring around the City for [...]
Not convinced? February 24, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… ASTON MARTIN DB9 PRICE: £135,521 0-62MPH: 4.6 secs TOP SPEED: 183mph CO2 G/KM: 333g/km MPG COMBINED: 19.8mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Two Stars PRACTICALITY Two Stars VALUE FOR MONEY One Star MERCEDES-BENZ SL 63 AMG PRICE: £110,785 0-62MPH: 4.3 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited) CO2 G/KM: 231g/km MPG COMBINED: 28.5mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN [...]
The M235i is petrol-head nirvana February 17, 2014 BMW has outdone itself with this riotously fast, remarkably good value addition to its world-beating M-range America: land of the free, home of the brave – a famous phrase that probably wasn’t meant to apply to the speed limits. Which is tricky, given this new BMW M235i does 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds, and the local [...]
Not convinced? February 17, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… PORSCHE CAYMAN PDK PRICE: £41,616 0-62MPH: 5.6 secs TOP SPEED: 164mph CO2 G/KM: 180g/km MPG COMBINED: 36.7mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Five Stars PRACTICALITY Two Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars MERCEDES-BENZ CLA45 AMG PRICE: £42,265 0-62MPH: 4.6 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited) CO2 G/KM: 161g/km MPG COMBINED: 39.8mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three [...]
An electric car that truly electrifies February 10, 2014 The first electric city cars didn’t pass muster. Now, Volkswagen has finally given us one to get excited about FRANKLY, we’ve waited far too long for an alternative to the infernal G-Wiz. The original electric city car has been on London’s roads for a decade now, ferrying glum-looking owners for whom the zero-emissions dream was [...]
Not convinced? February 10, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… SMART FORTWO ED PRICE: £20,395 0-62MPH: 11.5 secs TOP SPEED: 78mph CO2 G/KM: 0g/km CHARGE DISTANCE: 62 miles THE VERDICT: DESIGN Two Stars PERFORMANCE Two Stars PRACTICALITY One Star VALUE FOR MONEY One Star RENAULT TWIZY PRICE: £7,595 0-62MPH: n/a TOP SPEED: 50mph CO2 G/KM: 0g/km CHARGE DISTANCE: 50 miles THE VERDICT: DESIGN [...]
Leaner, meaner but still not sexy February 3, 2014 Nissan’s new Qashqai ticks lots of boxes – especially for families – but leaves me feeling something is missing OVER the past three weeks, we’ve looked at some exotic cars – the Peugeot RCZ R, Audi A3 Cabriolet and Ferrari F12 Berlinetta – that do one thing very badly: storage. And, let’s face it, even [...]
Not convinced? February 3, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FORD KUGA 2.0TDCi ZETEC PRICE: £22,395 0-62MPH: 10.6 secs TOP SPEED: 118mph CO2 G/KM: 139g/km MPG COMBINED: 53.3mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Two Stars KIA SPORTAGE 1.7 CDRI ‘3’ PRICE: £23,095 0-62MPH: 11.9 secs TOP SPEED: 107mph CO2 G/KM: 143g/km MPG COMBINED: 54.3mpg THE VERDICT: [...]