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: [...]
Peugeot’s sporty coupé has punch January 20, 2014 The French carmaker has come up with the goods with this car that marries performance and style THERE are, no doubt, plenty of French products you’d be proud to call your own – a Christian Dior suit, maybe, or a bottle of Dom Pérignon. But when was a Peugeot last one of them? Probably the [...]
Not convinced? January 20, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… AUDI TTS COUPÉ PRICE: £36,045 0-62MPH: 5.5 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 184g/km MPG COMBINED: 35.8mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Two Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars RENAULT MÉGANE RENAULT SPORT PRICE: £26,925 0-62MPH: 6.0 secs TOP SPEED: 158mph CO2 G/KM: 174g/km MPG COMBINED: 37.7mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Two [...]
A3 Cabriolet: the everyman Audi January 13, 2014 This new, unassuming motor is a Jack of all trades, and there is nothing terribly wrong with that Audi likes to maximise the pizazz for the press launch of a new model. For the A3 Cabriolet it was a private jet to Nice and on to the Hotel Hermitage just off Casino Square in Monaco. [...]
Not convinced? January 13, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… BMW 12Oi M SPORT AUTO CONVERTIBLE PRICE: £30,9850-62MPH: 9.0 secsTOP SPEED: 135mphCO2 G/KM: 163g/kmMPG COMBINED: 9.0mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN One StarPERFORMANCE Three StarsPRACTICALITY Two StarsVALUE FOR MONEY Two Stars VAUXHALL CASCADA ELITE 1.6i TURBO AUTO PRICE: £29,1900-62MPH: 9.2 secsTOP SPEED: 135mphCO2 G/KM: 168g/kmMPG COMBINED: 39.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three StarsPERFORMANCE Two StarsPRACTICALITY Four StarsVALUE FOR [...]
The affordable unaffordable car January 6, 2014 Can any car be good value when it costs £300,000? When it’s as smart as the Ferrari F12, the answer is yes The paint on this Ferrari costs £16,000 extra. It’s still red, like most Ferraris sold in the UK, but this one is a special red: Rosso Berlinetta. The colour is available only on [...]
Not convinced? January 6, 2014 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… ROLLS-ROYCE WRAITH PRICE: £225,000 0-62MPH: 4.6 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 327g/km MPG COMBINED: 20.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Five Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Two Stars ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH PRICE: £191,080 0-62MPH: 4.1 secs TOP SPEED: 183mph CO2 G/KM: 335g/km MPG COMBINED: 19.6mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE [...]
Dacia has made quality on a budget December 16, 2013 The good-looking Duster comes with an even more attractive price tag for money-savvy SUV fans BARGAIN motoring options are not usually part of the brief for this column. But budget brand Dacia has been shaking things up so much recently that it’s impossible to ignore. Once, the Romanian carmaker was making cheap cars for central [...]
Not convinced? December 16, 2013 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… KIA SPORTAGE 1.6 GDI PRICE: £17,495 0-62MPH: 10.7 secs TOP SPEED: 111mph CO2 G/KM: 149g/km MPG COMBINED: 44.1mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars NISSAN QASHQAI 1.6 VISIA PRICE: £16,895 0-62MPH: 11.9 secs TOP SPEED: 113mph CO2 G/KM: 144g/km MPG COMBINED: 45.6mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN [...]