Road tests

It's the diesel VXR! With a 200bhp turbocharged CDTI engine, sports suspension and uprated racing brakes, this hot Vauxhall Astra can run rings around…

The concept is simple - take all the refinement and luxury of the X5 and shrink it into a smaller SUV package.

Is Mercedes guilty of a cover-up? It claims this is a new-generation SL, but even the designers can't deny that it's hard to spot the alterations.

No wonder Fiat is billing its new Grande Punto as a mini-Maserati; it looks every inch the baby Italian supercar. But does the hot-test model in the s…

When it comes to customer loyalty, Saab is in an enviable position. Few other brands are followed with such passion - or patience. In fact, 9-5 buyers…

With more than 20 new off-roaders due to be launched in 2006, car builders can't afford to make mistakes when it comes to design

Who said that family cars can't be fast? Not Vauxhall, that's for sure. The Luton firm has added a 178bhp turbocharged engine and a VXR badge to its f…

Drop the hood, don the sunglasses... and cover your ears. That's what drivers might expect to do in a diesel convertible

There's no denying that Ford was completely caught out when it launched the original Fusion.

Adding a city car to its limited line-up certainly sounds like a good move for Proton, but how smart is the all-new Savvy?

You wait years for a new US car company to be launched in the UK, then two come along at once. Just as we were starting to get used to the idea of Cad…

The time for tuning up is over and Nissan's Note is set to perform! Too small to be a compact MPV, yet about 25cm longer than a Honda Jazz, the latest…

Good to drive, well built and ruggedly styled, Suzuki's Grand Vitara is a massive improvement over its predecessor

Engineers at Subaru's secretive tuning arm, STi, have a new mission in life. No longer satisfied with making high-performance Imprezas, the group has …

Over the years, Mazda has served up plenty of enthusiast-friendly cars - the RX-8 and MX-5 being fine current examples. But the firm hasn't had its ow…

If you need reminding that we live in strange times, take a moment to look at the Polo Dune.

Toyota's RAV4 has gone back to the drawing board to help keep it at the top of the lifestyle SUV class it created

Audi has finally entered the large off-roader market, and has set its sights on class-leading models such as the BMW X5.

Anonymity is not an option for SsangYong drivers. The wild styling of the Korean company's newest models leaves onlookers staring open-mouthed

A fiery 210bhp engine, uprated brakes and limited-slip differential make the MINI Cooper S one of the hottest hatchbacks money can buy

When Chrysler pulled the covers off its 300C more than two years ago, everyone admired the car's pure American style

It's one of the most dramatic looking cars in its class, but increasing competition from Ford, Honda and Volkswagen has finally forced Renault to book…

Big, diesel-powered automatics are nothing new, but with petrol costs now at an all-time high, these models are fast becoming a staple choice for fami…

Hyundai's Getz is going from strength to strength. Recently revised, the supermini will also benefit from a new 1.5-litre turbodiesel

There have been some famous badges in hot hatch history - GTi, SRi and RS to name but three! SEAT doesn't have such a familiar sporty brand....

How many names does it take to change the image of a four-door Golf? Volkswagen hopes the answer is only three.

Kia has never had much of a reputation for building big saloons - but a new Magentis might just change that.

Forget the Lancer Evo X... when it comes to new Mitsubishis, they don't get much more important than this: the L200 Double Cab

Better, stronger and faster was the billing for television's Bionic Man back in the Seventies, but it has taken more than 30 years for science fiction…

The diminutive model still looks every bit as futuristic as it did when the wraps first came off in 1998

In a world of hybrid and fuel-cell cars, plasma TV screens and wi-fi broadband, Daimlers are hardly seen as futuristic - and that's just the way custo…

You could never accuse Nissan of looking backwards. But here's a model that's a complete turnaround for car design. And it removes the need to reverse…

Half motorbike, half roadster. The Peugeot 20Cup is a motoring Minotaur, but unlike many of the concepts we've seen recently, it's no monster!

Fans of fast Fords rejoice - 2006 is here, and with it comes one of the most eagerly anticipated performance cars ever to wear the blue oval badge

A new class war is about to begin for luxury car buyers. When money becomes less important than status, a top-flight saloon used to be the obvious cho…

It's not only the Subaru Impreza that means a lot to Japanese car fans - mention Prodrive and they will almost certainly think of big wings and huge e…