Car Reviews

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 …

Is the soft-top Jaguar F-Type just eye-candy? Does it live up to all the hype? Let’s find out… I’ll start by putting you out of your suspense, No, it’s definitely not just eye-candy and yes, it does live up to the hype – if you have the money – with …

Is Jaguar’s hot new XF load-lugger a match for the BMW M Sport and Audi S? Jaguar has given the XF a new lease of life with the launch of the performance version of the executive favourite. Of course, Mercedes, Audi and BMW have been performance-pimping their cars for years, …

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is rightly being billed as a “game-changer” because it’s no ordinary plug-in hybrid. This big five-seater SUV is a very clever bit of kit – in the right conditions it’s capable of 148mpg+, it’s a genuine 4×4 and it’s keenly priced. It may not seem special …

First impressions of Alfa Romeo’s high-performance version of the cute little MiTo. The new MiTo QV now uses a 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo Petrol engine, producing 170hp, in combination with Alfa’s transmission (with steering-wheel paddle shifters) for the first time. Top speed is 136mph and it can reach 60mph in 7.3 seconds. Outside …

Is the Giulietta worthy of the Quadrifoglio Verde badge? First impressions… Just like its tomboy little sister – the MiTo – the Giulietta has been given a sports makeover. Most significantly, it now uses the same direct-injection, 1750cc turbo petrol engine and six-speed transmission from the stunning Alfa Romeo 4C …

The Honda CR-V is a master of deception. Now in its fourth generation, it’s been bodybuilding over the years and now dwarfs the 1995 original. The concept is the same though – a roomy five-seater SUV with a cavernous boot. Available with a variety of petrol and diesel engines, and in …

Kia has pulled off a masterstroke with the new sporty version of its bestselling Cee’d hatchback. The clever bit is that this five-door is not so much a hot hatch as a very warm one. So, Kia has pitched the Cee’d GT below the intense battle between the Volkswagen Golf …