Car review: On the road with BMW’s Gran Tourer – the people carrier that’s out to prove luxurious doesn’t equal impractical May 11, 2015 Remember those BMW ads with the tagline “The Ultimate Driving Machine”? The Bavarian brand built its reputation on sporty saloons with straight-six engines and rear-wheel drive. Unfortunately, the 2 Series Gran Tourer falls short of being the ultimate driving machine. BMW’s seven-seat MPV is a stretched version of the Active Tourer that shares its [...]
Not convinced? May 11, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… CITROEN GRAND C4 PICASSO 2.0 BLUE HDI EXCLUSIVE PRICE: £28,110 0-62MPH: 10.2 secs TOP SPEED: 128mph CO2 G/KM: 115g/km MPG COMBINED: 64.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Five Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Five Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Four Stars FORD GRAND C-MAX 2.0 TDCI TITANIUM X NAV AUTO PRICE: £27,865 0-62MPH: 10.7 secs TOP SPEED: [...]
Car review: The Jaguar XE 3.0 V6 S is set to put British cars on top of the world again May 4, 2015 You know you’ve made it at work when you swap the keys of your bog-standard company car for a premium model better suited to the junior executive you’ve become, like a BMW, an Audi or a Mercedes-Benz. But if everyone is trading up, the brands risk losing the exclusivity that made them so appealing in [...]
Not convinced? May 4, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… MERCEDES-BENZ C 300 PHEV AMG LINE PRICE: £38,535 0-62MPH: 6.4 secs TOP SPEED: 152mph CO2 G/KM: 100g/km MPG COMBINED: 78.5mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Two Stars AUDI S4 PRICE: £39,615 0-62MPH: 5.0 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 178g/km MPG COMBINED: [...]
Car review: The Phantom’s little bro grows up – meet the Rolls-Royce Ghost II April 27, 2015 Drive the Rolls-Royce Phantom for any length of time, as Morning Wire did last August, and there’s a strong chance you’ll come away deeply impressed. Your CEO may well own one and, you’ll undoubtedly agree, he/she is a person of great taste. Alan Sugar has a Phantom. So does Simon Cowell, Kim Kardashian and [...]
Not convinced? April 27, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… BENTLEY MULSANNE PRICE: £229,360 0-62MPH: 5.3 secs TOP SPEED: 184mph CO2 G/KM: 342g/km MPG COMBINED: 19.3mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Two Stars MERCEDES-BENZ S600 L PRICE: £140,615 0-62MPH: 4.6 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 268g/km MPG COMBINED: 25.4mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE [...]
Vauxhall’s pocket rocket returns: New Corsa VXR proves heady days of hot hatches are back April 20, 2015 Are there no bargains anymore? Hot hatches used to be value thrill machines, cramming outsized engines into tiny bodies to create instant exhilaration. But then everyone bought small SUVs, seemingly giving up on dreams of one day owning a car that’s actually fun to drive. But hot hatches are having a revival – the model [...]
Not convinced? April 20, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… FORD FIESTA ST PRICE: £18,395 0-62MPH: 6.9 secs TOP SPEED: 139mph CO2 G/KM: 138g/km MPG COMBINED: 47.9mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Five Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Five Stars RENAULTSPORT CLIO 200 PRICE: £18,995 0-62MPH: 6.7 secs TOP SPEED: 143mph CO2 G/KM: 144g/km MPG COMBINED: 44.8mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars [...]
Car review: The Tesla Model S P85D is seriously fast, with an “Insane” mode to scare off its rivals April 13, 2015 Tesla, the darling of the alternative-power car makers, has made more progress in a few short years than the likes of Ford, General Motors and even Toyota when it comes to electric cars. The American firm, co-founded by Elon Musk of PayPal fame, has not only made great strides technology-wise, but has also achieved much [...]
Not convinced? April 13, 2015 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… BMW M5 PRICE: £73,960 0-62MPH: 4.3 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 231g/km MPG COMBINED: 28.5mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 63 AMG S PRICE: £87,010 0-62MPH: 4.2 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 235g/km MPG COMBINED: 27.2mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four [...]