Car Reviews

Has the cheeky Fiat 500’s big brother, the 500X compact crossover, got the X Factor? Fiat struck gold in 2007 with the launch of the 500. Its cute retro looks were an instant hit. The 500 family was further enlarged with the 500L and 500L MPW. The 500L, and particularly …

The new Corsa is Vauxhall’s toughest challenger yet for the Ford Fiesta’s sales crown. It shouldn’t be underestimated how important the new Corsa is to Vauxhall. Consistently among the top three bestselling cars in the UK, it also happens to be Vauxhall’s most profitable car. The current third generation hatchback …

Ford, VW and Vauxhall beware – Nissan is back in the family hatch sector with the all-new Pulsar. For what seems like an eternity, Ford, Volkswagen and Vauxhall have had it all their own way in one of the UK’s most competitive car sales markets. The Focus, Golf and Astra …

It’s safety first with Volvo’s XC60, but now with a little extra style and sportiness thrown in… Volvo has a vision that by 2020 no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car. The XC60 is proof positive that Volvo is well on its way to …

Meet the cute, chunky and remarkably capable new Fiat Panda Cross. The Fiat Panda has been with us since 1980 and is now into its third generation. Young in Doctor Who terms, but legendary in the motor industry. The first Panda 4×4 was launched in 1983 to great acclaim, winning …

French car giant Renault dares to be different with the all-new Twingo. Before the original Mini rewrote the small car rulebook in 1959, rear-engined runabouts were not unusual. Since then they’ve become a rarity, so Renault’s decision to design the third generation Twingo with the engine in the back is …

Meet the new Jeep Renegade – a “baby” Jeep with an Italian accent… The Jeep Renegade is a significant achievement because it’s the first product of the Fiat-Chrysler union – jointly developed by American and Italian designers and engineers. It’s also the first model in Jeep’s history to be built …

All-new second generation Kia Soul is greatly improved, but it still divides opinion. The Kia Soul is a Marmite of cars – you either love it or hate it. Just to be different, I was somewhere between the two before my week with the Kia Soul Connect Plus 1.6 CRDi. …

Meet the ultimate Golf, the hottest hatch ever – the Volkswagen Golf R. Occasionally a car feels right within a few minutes of making its acquaintance – the VW Golf R is one of those cars. Flagship of the Golf range and priced from £29,000, the R is much more …

Some cars are forgettable, some grow on you and others immediately put a smile on your face. The new Citroen C1 is definitely the latter. Perhaps it’s partly because it has a big, cheeky smile. It also has a lot to do with the way it drives. I genuinely haven’t …