Road tests

Things are done very differently at the grass-roots level of bargain-basement motoring. Priorities such as style, refinement and brand image go out of…

Creating the perfect performance car needs a complicated recipe. What if you remove one or more of the ingredients?

We've always felt disappointed by the C-Class Sports Coupe. Although sharply styled and impeccably built, it has traditionally lacked the driver appea…

Meet the Donkervoort D8. You may never have heard of it, but we bet you can guess what it's based on by looking at the long bonnet and tiny, door-less…

Age is no barrier to beauty - take Alfa Romeo's GTV Coup� and soft-top Spider as proof. Launched in 1996, the two cars stopped traffic with their adve…

Check out these statistics: two turbos, 308bhp and a whopping 750Nm of torque. Only Bentley's Arnage and the Mercedes S600 can offer more pulling powe…

Turbos have long been a Saab trademark. In 1977, the Swedish firm became an innovator when it unveiled the 99 Turbo - the first really successful blow…

With soaring fuel prices and tax rates linked to CO2 emissions, it's no wonder most off-roader drivers have turned to diesels to help ease their bills…

Most car builders like to keep quiet about platform sharing. No one boasts about the fact that an Audi TT sits on the same chassis as VW's Golf, or th…

An entry-level supermini is ideal for buzzing around town, and Skoda's cheapest Fabia is better than most. But stray out of the city and it can feel u…

Car designers rarely subscribe to the theory of fixing something only if it's broken, but Smart's stylists have never taken the conventional approach.…

You're in the market for a practical supermini-cum-MPV, but also hanker after diesel power to ease economy that bit further. The problem is, our class…

The words 'Audi' and 'bargain' have rarely, if ever, appeared in the same sentence together. Until now, that is. So what's changed? Well, the German m…

Some good news for those still mourning the recently departed Ford Puma: its soul goes marching on in the new Sportka. The blue oval's chassis boffins…

If there is one model that has kept Citroen's ageing Saxo alive for nearly seven years, it's the VTR. While the hair-raising VTS supermini was the ver…

It's not every day that two brand new off-roaders turn up at the same time. So is it a coincidence? No. Porsche's Cayenne and Volkswagen's Touareg are…

It's easy to be cynical about the Jaguar XJ6 as it uses the S-Type's 3.0-litre 240bhp engine to create a new entry-level model. But the firm is adaman…

What would it take to make you Express an interest in a van? How about thousands of pounds off your annual motoring bills? MG Rover is hoping to tempt…

Jaguar is going for the jugular. The all-new seventh-generation XJ is the Coventry firm's most advanced production car ever - although you'd be forgiv…

If you like the design, equipment and style of an executive saloon, but don't fancy the expensive running costs, here's a car that SEAT claims will sa…

The diesel engine's rise to power among luxury cars is now virtually complete. Last month saw the arrival in Britain of the first oil-burning prestige…

Vauxhall is the first to admit that the VX220 hasn't been the success it had hoped. Despite having striking looks, supercar performance and fantastic …

When the Ka arrived six-and-a-half years ago, it caused a real stir. Here was a Ford which looked amazing, was cheap to buy and fantastic to drive. Bu…

If you think MP3 is a trio of politicians or maybe the latest boyband, then you're not keeping up with recent advances in technology. MP3 allows music…

With a ride hard enough to rattle out your fillings and huge bucket seats, the Civic Type R isn't practical enough for most people. Enter the new Type…

Car fans who visit any French city can't help but notice a strange phenomenon. High-flying executives have shunned their posh saloons and instead are …

While there's no denying the Discovery's status as one of the finest full-size SUVs, even the biggest successes can get it wrong - as in the case of t…

It might have won the hearts of a loyal band of owners, but the Smart City Coupe has always been something of a compromise.

There was a time when the Subaru Impreza could do no wrong - buyers faced a long waiting list and many would-be owners resorted to importing cars from…

As unlikely combinations go, the Ford Focus ST170 Estate is up there with peanut butter and jelly. Blending the speed of a hot hatch with the practica…

The words 'base model' don't really work with a car such as Mercedes' SL, but that is essentially what this newcomer is. Priced at £56,340, it's £11,4…

If you heard that MG had swapped the ZT 160's V6 for a four-cylinder 1.8-litre engine, you might feel short changed. But the powerplant switch has bee…

Put the kettle on, because this is a commercial break - a break designed to appeal to company car users. If you can prove that you need to carry goods…

Say hello to one of the most significant new Peugeots of 2003! No we haven't gone mad, we really do think that much of the Partner Combi Escapade. Bas…

Before the dark days of joyriders and huge insurance premiums, the GSi badge meant something to Vauxhall owners. An Astra with these three letters on …

There was a whole industry built around tuning the classic Mini, but so far the go-faster brigade has kept away from the new model. However, all that …