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 [...]
Stylish, bold and practical to boot December 9, 2013 Peugeot’s alternative to a regular hatchback is a car that can pull you out of an icy spot this winter THE CLASSIC Chelsea Tractor is pretty impractical for most Londoners; it’s expensive to run, the side streets can be narrow and you practically invite abuse from cyclists. This is probably why small crossovers have been [...]
Not convinced? December 9, 2013 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… MINI COUNTRYMAN ONE D PRICE: £17,620 0-62MPH: 12.9 secs TOP SPEED: 106mph CO2 G/KM: 115g/km MPG COMBINED: 64.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars NISSAN JUKE 1.5 dCi ACENTA PRICE: £16,390 0-62MPH: 11.2 secs TOP SPEED: 109mph CO2 G/KM: 109g/km MPG COMBINED: 61.4mpg THE VERDICT: [...]
Reliable? Certainly. Cool? Not quite November 25, 2013 Skoda has built a strong reputation on its solid, dependable cars. Now it’s aiming for something more stylish SKODA’S transformation under the stewardship of Volkswagen Group has been nothing short of remarkable. In 15 years it has evolved to become one of the best-selling car brands in Europe. It is also one of the most [...]
Not convinced? November 25, 2013 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FORD FOCUS EDGE 1.6 TDCI 115PS PRICE: £17,395 0-62MPH: 10.8 secs TOP SPEED: 120mph CO2 G/KM: 109g/km MPG COMBINED: 67.3mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars KIA CEED 1.6 CRDI PRICE: £16,295 0-62MPH: 11.5 secs TOP SPEED: 122mph CO2 G/KM: 97g/km MPG COMBINED: 76.3mpg THE [...]
To Infiniti but probably not beyond November 18, 2013 This tech-heavy premium motor has an impressive array of gadgetry but fails to knock your socks off Performance first” is the motto of Infiniti, the premium car brand from the same company behind Nissan. You can tell it’s serious because, at the launch of its latest car in Barcelona, everyone from Infiniti is dressed like [...]