In-depth reviews

Toyota is a fine effort and a tribute to the company's engineers. Yet the hybrid isn't sophisticated enough to beat the best diesel hatches

The Colt CZC offers decent value for money. Its roof is well designed and handling agile, but ride, and material finish let it down.

The Caterham Seven might be an enduring legend, but it's evolved very gradually to respond to the needs of buyers, while providing ever more extreme p…

Great to look at, agile and fun to drive, the Punto Sporting has a lot going for it. It's well equipped too, and offers a fine blend of performance, e…

The Discovery has a polished drivetrain and chassis, with excellent build quality, strong residuals and a class-leading image.

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If your next £50,00 sports car has to be British, then the Marcos TSO is well worth considering.

The Subaru was a disappointment. The cabin and 3.0-litre engine showed promise, it's let down by economy, transmission and body control.

Firmly established as a manufacturer, Noble Moy Automotive has built up an impressive reputation for building sports cars that can take on the competi…

Any version guarantees an intense, racecar-like driving experience in a way no other road car can. That's what makes it so brilliant.

With an unbeatable diesel range and other engineering upgrades, the Avensis is good to drive, but falls short of its competitors.

Competing in the prestige coupe and cabriolet market the CLK has it all.

The Polo GTI looks similar to the Golf GTI, but doesn't match its bigger brother's superb ride and handling.

Ageing French supermini is off the pace and due for replacement, but has enough charm to ensure it remains popular to the end.

With a real dose of Italian style, the Grande Punto is not only one of the largest superminis, it's also one of the best.

Fiat has done a great job with the Sedici. It's good to drive, well built, has a stylish cabin and genuine off-road ability.

This fantastic-looking two-seater coupe and convertible is one of the most characterful around

The 207 isn't a class leader. While the driving experience is a plus, the engine and gearbox disappoint, and the design hasn't changed much.

Stylish Alfa Romeo GT looks great and performs well, especially in diesel guise

Mitsubishi's good-looking MPV is appealing, thanks to good looks, performance, handling and competitive pricing.

With our cities getting more and more congested it's little wonder that people are finally waking up to the qualities of smaller cars.

The Espace has a funky cabin design and superb diesel engines, but an inflexible seating layout, high prices and poor residuals mark it down

The Eos proves that VW is capable of building great cars. With a stiff body, handsome looks and good road manners, it has few weaknesses.

The GS450h is a very convincing hybrid. Eerily smooth and fast, well equipped and refined, it's the best model in the GS range.

The Getz offers lots of room, is well equipped and impressively designed. It's a strong budget supermini.

With more recognised luxury marques now in foreign control Bristol is totally unique in providing bespoke luxury cars for discerning customers.

The Golf TDI diesel is something of an institution, and with economy, torque and in-gear urge, it's not hard to see why.

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There's no doubting the quality of the Honda. But the two-rows-of-three layout is an acquired taste, and the FR-V looks pricey.

Focus-rivalling Peugeot is very good at being average, but lacks the magic to challenge class-leaders.

The Kia is fantastic value and a massive step forward from the car it replaces, making it a serious contender in the compact MPV sector.