When Volkswagen set out to build their new off-roader, the Tiguan, their stated intention was to produce a smaller version of the Touareg. The newcomer certainly looks the part. Like its bigger sibling the lines are classy, perhaps even understated. Indeed, despite its newness, the Tiguan caused little stir. Read More...

The Land Rover Freelander, Britain's favourite small 4x4, has grown up. Not that it has grown much bigger, but Freelander 2 is a more sophisticated, more refined and more up-market vehicle to keep the Freelander at the forefront of this market. Read More...

Drive a big off-roader these days and you may invite some questioning about your need for such a large vehicle. That's a more likely line of questioning if your choice of off-roader carries a badge that presents an image of luxury.
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Renault chose to play it fairly safe, in styling terms, when it launched the new Laguna in October. So, when I picked up the new Laguna Sports Tourer - which won't go on sale until January 2008 - it didn't really attract much attention for a model that no-one had seen on the roads yet. Read More...

I remember a year or so ago I was amazed at a Volkswagen Polo diesel that - try as I did - I could not get to do less than 48 mpg. That memorable performance has now been upstaged... by a Volkswagen Polo. But this one is the Polo BlueMotion, which, in its basic form, has such low emissions that it costs nothing to tax in the UK. Read More...

Considering that Citroen has had a long involvement in events like the Dakar Rally, in the tough off-road conditions of the Sahara, it's perhaps surprising that it has taken until now for the famous chevrons to appear on the nose of an off-road vehicle. The new Citroen C-Crosser is the product of international collaboration between Citroen, its sister company Peugeot and Mitsubishi. Read More...

Such has been the pace of Audi’s new model programme in recent months that the German manufacturer has seen its UK sales continue to grow. A series of strong new models have undoubtedly helped them to achieve this remarkable growth – Q7, TT, the R8 and the A5.. This time it is the turn of the new Audi TT for the road test spotlight. Read More...

"I have a Nissan Cash Cow to deliver to you." At least that's what I thought the guy on the phone said. The thought of a car that I could milk for money, sounded pretty attractive, but, unfortunately I think he had just fallen foul of the recent Oriental liking for strange names. Read More...

The Mercedes-Benz R Class is what could probably be described as a crossover vehicle. That is, it crosses over accepted market segments. It's an estate car. It's a six-seater so it is part MPV. And it is a four-wheel-drive, so it is part SUV. The trouble is, this crossing of boundaries makes it difficult to pin-point who will want to buy one. Read More...

It's an odd feeling sitting in the driver's seat doing nothing more than feathering the brake pedal while the car parks itself. The park assist system is probably the headline-grabbing technology on the car that has everything... or at least you can have everything if you pay for the right level of specification. Read More...

Kia has two established niche markets where it is seen as a serious player in the UK - the MPV Sedona, beloved by taxi companies, and the Kia Sportage. Until the Cee'd, however, its saloons and hatchbacks have appealed largely to the motorist on a tight budget who is determined to drive a new, rather than second-hand car. Read More...

When Subaru first appeared in the UK they were seen as workhorse vehicles for rural types. Pick ups and estate cars with some go-anywhere ability thanks to their four wheel drive system. Then, along came Colin McRae spearheading their high-profile world rally championship successes, Subaru suddenly became the sporty.
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In making the new Mondeo more appealing, Ford have also recognised that company and private buyers these days like their “toys”. European buyers want a high specification as standard and they also like to ‘build their own car’ from an options list strong on goodies. The new Mondeo obliges. Read More...

Volkswagen have celebrated thirty years of the Golf GTI with the launch of the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 30. And if you have been disappointed by the "softness" of some of the preceding models of GTI, this one is a cracker... a fire cracker! Read More...

Just over a year ago I was driving a Ford Consul convertible down the road into St Andrews and it set me thinking about how long it had been since Ford had been in the market with a drop-top version of one of their mainstream models. If you discount the SportKa, you have to look back to the Ford Escort Cabriolet.
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I remember going on the press launch for the first Hyundai Coupé (as opposed to its predecessor the Hyundai Scoupe - S Coupe get it?). The Scoupe was best forgotten so I didn't hold out much hope for the Coupé.
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I've been driving the latest revised Kia Sorrento. It makes a very convincing case and is certain to become a more common sight on UK roads, particularly with the new more powerful 2.5-litre turbo diesel.
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I find out how to do 57.6 mpg in a 4.7-metre long off-roader (with a little practice and some help from downhill gradients!). Read More...

I remember my “hot hatchback” years with considerable fondness. In the mid 80s the car to have was the Peugeot 205 GTI and I was fortunate enough to be able to graduate from the 1.6-litre to the top performance 1.9-litre.
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Jaguar’s design team under Ian Callum faced a tough challenge in creating the new Jaguar XK Coupé and Cabriolet. To satisfy the traditionalists, the new model had to have the unmistakable looks of a ‘big cat’. But, at the same time, it was important for the future of the company it would appeal to a new, younger generation of buyers. Read More...

Over the years I have been lucky enough to drive some exotic machinery. But I'm pretty sure that the most powerful car I have ever driven is my most recent test.
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