http://www.honestjohn.co.uk All Road Tests Listed Here! en-gb Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 Copyright: (C) www.honestjohn.co.uk 15 Hyundai Santa Fe II (2006 - ) 418 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=418'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/418_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1258317261' align="left" /></a>'The 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 diesel auto was always a good 4x4. Especially good to drive quickly on rough tracks. For 2010 it’s gone through some mid-life changes. You can’t get the petrol V6 any more. Power of the 2.2 diesel is up, from 154bhp to 194bhp. Yet economy is also up, and emissions are down, all well under 200g/km. The manual is in VED Band I, and the auto in Band J. Instead of 5 gears you now get six, whether you go for the manual or the automatic, and that will bridge the gap of the old 5-speed manual between 2nd and 3rd. Yet prices are down, starting at just £21,495 for the 5-seater manual in Style trim, and rising no higher than £25,495 for the 7-seater Premium 6-speed automatic. The 2.2 engine is now chain cam and up in capacity slightly to 2,199cc. Torque is a stonking 422Nm at 422Nm from 1,800 to 2,500rpm. And the automatic gets even more. A frankly astonishing 436Nm, and all this from just 2,199cc. Amazing. The latest Toyota Landcruiser LC develops nothing like this from an engine 800cc bigger. I remember the original Santa Fe in this body as being...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=418 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=418'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/418_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1258317261' /></a> Toyota Land Cruiser LC (2010 - ) 417 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=417'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/417_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1258046201' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. Toyota’s Land Cruiser is one of those niche cars that pretty much sells itself. Every few years Toyota rolls out a new version, which refines the basic concept, which in recent years has been a mix of ruggedness, impregnable reliability and an ever-longer equipment list. Now it’s happened again, with the latest incarnation arriving in Britain with five doors, a 3-litre turbo diesel engine and an adaptive, five-speed automatic transmission, and a variety traction control devices to help it get through genuinely hostile terrain –and the higher up the £29,795-£44,795 price range you go, the more of these things you get. Slightly confusingly, Toyota sells two distinct Land Cruiser 4x4s; the other being a yet-bigger V8 diesel, but this car probably sells in the hundreds rather than thousands. Its re-incarnated smaller sibling looks new-but-familiar. It’s slightly lower than before, and Toyota has worked to make its hefty, high body cleave the air more efficiently, claiming the result is greater refinement and better economy. This being a proper 4x4 it has a truck like, separate chassis frame on which the body has been attached. This is one reason why these cars are often used to lug horse boxes...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=417 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=417'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/417_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1258046201' /></a> Peugeot 5008 MPV (2010 - ) 416 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=416'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/416_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256914726' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. Given Peugeot’s credentials as one of Europe ’s biggest mainsteam car makers it might seem strange that the company is only now offering a small-ish people carrier. It’s the 5008, which arrives in Britain in January, appearing not long Renault launched the third generation of its Megane Scenic, likely to be one of the car’s primary rivals, so Peugeot hasn’t exactly rushed to join this market segment. It has eschewed wackiness with the looks of its new car. The nearest thing to stylistic abandon are tail lamp clusters curving under the rear side windows. The rest of the 5008 is pleasant looking, and actually surprisingly wind-cheating for something with a big frontal area, an aid to fuel economy and useful for cutting wind noise. Inside the driver sits behind a one-piece, sweeping fascia moulding with an attractive set of instruments and controls, and has a driving position Peugeot claims mixes a high seat with conventionally angled steering wheel. Buyers can opt for five or seven seats, all of them full sized, comfortable, and in the case of the second and third rows capable of being manoeuvred or folded flat into the floor with the design aplomb expected...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=416 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=416'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/416_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256914726' /></a> BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo (2009 - ) 415 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=415'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/415_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256385171' align="left" /></a>'When you read ‘Grand Touring’, do you think of a Cortina with a little red badge on the back wing? Or do you think of Kevin McCloud’s recent television series, evoking memories of Grand Tours by adventurous Victorians? (We’ll jus forget, for a moment, that our Kev did his Grand Tour in a 1960s FIAT 500.) The BMW 5 GT (or ‘Gran Turismo’, as BMW chooses to call it) is all about crossing continents in comfort. It’s effectively an amalgamation of the most appropriate aspects of a big saloon and a big SUV (not of a coupe and an SUV as is the case with the X6). So you get four big seats (or five seats inside the cheaper versions), lots of leg and headroom, a slightly elevated driving position, and a complex arrangement at the rear that makes the car either a fully enclosed saloon or a hatchback. Like the Skoda Superb, you can open either a postbox-like boot lid, or the whole hatchback. And, as is the case with the Superb, you don’t get a rear wiper. You can take out the hefty rear parcel shelf and stow it neatly in a special compartment made for it under...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=415 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=415'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/415_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256385171' /></a> Renault RenaultSport Megane 250 (2009 - ) 414 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=414'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/414_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256284202' align="left" /></a>'A class-winning Nurburgring lap time of 8 minutes 16.9 seconds made RenaultSport’s stripped out Megane R26.R hottest of the hot hatchbacks. Quicker than any other front wheel drive car ever. But now we’ve got a new Megane and, not surprisingly, a new one from RenaultSport. They’ve upped the power, to a storming 250PS at 5,500rpm, and the torque to 340NM at 3,000rpm. And, as is the case with the RenaultSport Twingo and Clio, offer it in two versions: a hard core Cup, and a more luxurious Sport. The RenaultSport Megane 250 Cup isn’t as bare bones as the R26.R. It comes with aircon, Renault keycard, RAID automatic door locking, electric heated door mirrors, 60W RDS MP3 compatible CD Player, Bluetooth, ISOFIX rear child seat tethers, rear parking sensors, 8 airbags, Renault Dynamic Management, giving the option of two levels of ESP or switching it off completely a yellow faced rev counter and, rather surprisingly, cruise control with a speed limiter. On top of that, you get as standard the Cup Suspension Pack of limited slip differential; stiffer springs dampers and anti-roll bar; 340mm grooved front brake discs, red painted Brembo four pot brake callipers, 235/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=414 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=414'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/414_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256284202' /></a> BMW X1 E84 (2009 - ) 413 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=413'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/413_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256056126' align="left" /></a>'Niche marketing is all about finding needs people didn’t know they had, then fulfilling them. And VAG, Mercedes and BMW are becoming increasingly good at it. Last week I handed back a Skoda Yeti 4WD, deeply impressed by a car that doesn’t quite fit any established category. Today I’ve been driving another one: the BMW X1. It isn’t a 4x4 SUV, or a hatchback, or an MPV or a station wagon. Instead, it’s an amalgamation of all four. You can choose between 4WD or, more economical 2WD, which we did for the purposes of this test. And found that, on sensible 225/50 R17 tyres, the car doesn’t really need 4WD. The car feels taught and solid, as you’d expect from a BMW. Yet show it a rough track with some really nasty potholes and it soaks them up. We suspect, rather better then the 4WD version driving in front of us on optional 18” wheels with 225/45 R18 tyres. You don’t sit as high as in a junior SUV, which means the car’s centre of gravity is lower and it naturally handles the bends better. And you don’t look like you’re driving an SUV, which, to some people, these days,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=413 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=413'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/413_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1256056126' /></a> MINI MINI E (2010 - ) 412 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=412'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/412_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255895622' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. Big car makers have been talking the talk about electric cars for years, but few have actually tried selling them. Prototypes are made, there are tightly controlled field trials involving ‘partners’ such as local authorities, but the cars never reach the showrooms. A good example of this is Peugeot, which built battery-powered 106 superminis in the late 1990s. Now MINI appears to be going down a similar path. It’s built 600 electric examples of its enduringly trendy hatchback. All are left hand drive, with 150kw (the equivalent of a whopping 201bhp) DC electric motors in the front, juiced by lithium-ion batteries so hefty that they take all the space formerly occupied by the rear seats and a large chunk of boot space. Further compromise can be found at the front –they’re all left hand drive- but the company makes no secret that these are prototypes. It canvassed for twenty people living in an area covering London, Oxfordshire and part of Hampshire (MINIs are made in Oxford and this is project partner Southern Electric’s stamping ground), to pay £335 a month to lease the cars for six months them give them back, when the exercise will be repeated...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=412 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=412'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/412_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255895622' /></a> Honda FCX Clarity (2008 - ) 411 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=411'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/411_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255624637' align="left" /></a>' Man may not be able to walk on water. But he can now drive on it. The fuel cell of the Honda FCX Clarity harnesses a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, and H2O. This electricity then powers a 100kW electric motor to drive the car. It’s a bit smarter than that, though, also using hybrid regeneration technology to charge a lithium ion battery that stores and provides supplementary power. The result is acceleration of around ten seconds to 60mph, a top speed of 100mph and a range of up to 270 miles. (The video explains this rather better than I can.) Refilling the 171 litre reinforced tank with compressed hydrogen gas at 350 bar takes about 3 minutes. The gas is cooled to minus 40 degrees centigrade to ensure the process of compression does not create too much heat. And a comparatively low pressure of 350 bar means that the tank does not have to be ridiculously thick to safely contain it. In the car we drove the hydrogen was a byproduct of creating chlorine by electrolysis. NaCl + H2O gives NaOH + CL2 + H2 That plant alone creates enough hydrogen to fuel 1,000...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=411 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=411'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/411_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255624637' /></a> Citroen C3 (2010 - ) 410 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=410'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/410_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255465660' align="left" /></a>'Small hatchbacks make such a crowded sector of the market that no manufacturer can expect to come up with just another one and expect it to sell. Citroen, being Citroen, played it a bit different first time around with its original C3, making the car a bit taller and a bit more mini MPV-like than a run of the mill supermini. So what could it do to make its second-generation C3 stand out from the crowd and make you want to buy one? In France the authorities considerately place a small set of traffic lights at eye-level, so if you can’t see the overhead lights you still know when to get moving before the horns behind you start to blare. So Citroen’s designers must have travelled to more backward countries like the UK to realise the need we have to see the lights when were are first in a traffic queue. Hence the new Citroen C3’s unique feature. A screen that doesn’t stop until it’s on top of your head. Citroen calls it, “a touch of glass”. They had a bit of practice at this with their similarly over the top front window on the C4 Picasso that makes the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=410 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=410'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/410_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255465660' /></a> Skoda Yeti SUV (2009 - ) 409 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=409'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/409_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255272256' align="left" /></a>'Who would have thought that a car that looks like a box on wheels could be more fun to drive than some sports cars? Okay, before I go on, I had better point out that this a test of the £20,860 Yeti 1.8TSI 160 4WD Elegance, which is nearly top of a range that starts at £13,775 for the 105PS 1.2TSi. And mine had VAG’s new touch-screen SD card SatNav that adds a hefty £1,400 to the price. But the leather seats and 17” alloy wheels with 225/50 Pirelli P Zero Rosso ‘Klingon’ tyres were standard. As were bi-xenon cornering headlights, Varioflex seating, Bluetooth and auto-dimming mirrors. It’s pleasant to sit in and, though the ceiling is quite high, the height adjustable drivers seat lets you sit quite low if you want to. The steering wheel is multi-adjustable. And the controls fall to hand in typical VAG fashion. Though the optional satnav is a bit low for my liking, as you have to take your eyes off the road to view it. Varioflex means that the 35:30:35 rear seats all slide and tumble fold individually. They also recline slightly and the backrest of the centre seat becomes a handy armrest/cupholder...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=409 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=409'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/409_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1255272256' /></a> Vauxhall Astra I (2009 - ) 408 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=408'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/408_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254918725' align="left" /></a>'Make no mistake, the new Vauxhall Astra is a very important car. The survival of GM manufacturing in the UK depends on it. Happily, for the sake of you, Ellesmere Port workers and the British economy, its prospects are very good indeed. So far Ellesmere Port is the only plant in the World building this car, though it will soon also be built in Poland. Ellesmere had to win the contract. And among the many reasons it did are its exemplary safety record of no less than 19 million man hours without an injury to any of its workers. It also has the lowest warranty cost of any GM plant in Europe, which, to you means Ellesmere is turning out the highest quality. But none of that would matter to the average car buyer if the new Vauxhall Astra wasn’t a very good car. I can tell you, it’s not only very good. It leaps straight to the top of its class. The first important reason goes back to the steam age. It’s called the Watt’s linkage and was originally designed by James of the same name to constrain the movement of a steam engine piston in a straight line....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=408 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=408'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/408_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254918725' /></a> Smart Fortwo (2007 - ) 407 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=407'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/407_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254488048' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. It’s a sign of the times that that Smart has launched an ultra-low emission, diesel version of its second-generation Fourtwo city car in Britain. Previously, it thought no one would buy it here. A mix of economic pressures and environmental concerns led to a change of mind, and the car arrived in the summer of 2009, with claims that it was the cleanest off-the-shelf mass-market car available. Powered by a 799cc, three-cylinder common rail turbo-diesel mated to a five-speed transmission, the car produces 88g/km of CO2, and is theoretically capable of almost 85mpg. The diminutive, light, two-seat Smart is an ideal platform for this sort of thing, but the diesel motor’s 45bhp power output isn’t going to make it a hotrod. Smart claims a top speed of around 85mph, and a 0-62 of almost 20 seconds. These are figures that don’t look great on paper, but in reality, the car feels perfectly sprightly, and is a surprisingly relaxed motorway cruiser, since 3,000rpm equates to around 75mph. It is susceptible to motorway cross winds, and sometimes passing trucks will cause it to jink slightly, but given that the car has a very short wheelbase and is over five...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=407 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=407'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/407_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254488048' /></a> Infiniti EX37 SUV (2009 - ) 406 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=406'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/406_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254248552' align="left" /></a>'The Infiniti EX37 isn’t merely a new car. It’s one of a range of cars, previously unheard of in the UK, but very well known on the other side of the pond as Nissan’s equivalent of Toyota’s Lexus. And, unfortunately, we’ve got some corrupted American spelling creeping in here because you’re supposed to pronounce it “infinity”, not, as you might have supposed, “infineaty”. Its companions are the G37 saloon, G37 coupe, G37 Coupe Cabrio, and FX37, which is a bigger, wider SUV, all with re-tuned 320PS versions of the Nissan 350Z motor. Then the FX50, which is an FX37 with a 5.0 litre V8 and the forthcoming ‘M’ 5.0 litre V8 saloon. The saloon looks good and comes with a choice of rear wheel drive or intelligent four-wheel drive. The coupe and coupe convertible are rear-drive, look sensational and should give both the BMW 3-Series CC and the Lexus IS250C a run for their money. But the FX37, which Infiniti expects to be its best seller, is monstrously wide, hideously ugly, and sits on obscene 21” wheels, which make its four wheel drive useless in the country (though, in fairness, Infiniti does not claim any of its 4WDs to be...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=406 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=406'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/406_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254248552' /></a> Peugeot 3008 MPV (2009 - ) 405 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=405'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/405_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254071519' align="left" /></a>'The Peugeot 3008 is my surprise car of the year. Because who would have expected a slightly lardy ‘lifestyle’ vehicle to drive and handle as well as this one does? It manages to achieve the minor miracle by virtue of Peugeot, Citroen and BMW’s brilliant, but slightly rattly, 1.6 THP 150 chain cam variable vane turbo engine. I had one of these in a 207 for six months a couple of years ago, where it desperately cried out for a 6th gear. Then again in a 308 that did have the necessary 6th gear and out-economised the 207. But the 3008 has to be its spiritual home. I think they must have remapped it, though because it not only pulled strongly from low revs, it managed to cruise at something like 34mph per 1,000rpm in 6th, delivering an easy 44mpg +. A great engine, perfectly matched, is one side of its character. ‘Dynamic Roll Control’ that defies centres of gravity is another. Peugeot chassis engineers have managed to pull the trick of giving the car excellent hump absorbing ride, yet come to a corner and the rear damper rates change to increase its roll stiffness and it goes round them...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=405 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=405'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/405_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1254071519' /></a> KIA Cee'd II (2010 - ) 404 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=404'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/404_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1253991711' align="left" /></a>'With scrappage prices from £8,000, the KIA cee’d and Hyundai i30 have been selling like fans in a heat wave. Now, there’s a new, refreshed cee’d with a more upmarket look, lower emission engines and tax rates from just £20 from April next year. The EcoDynamics diesel manages that by virtue of its very simple ‘Intelligent Stop Go system’ that turns off the power when the car is stationary, then starts it again as soon as the driver presses the clutch. It’s foolproof, despite the disconcerting feeling of sitting at the traffic lights in silence, unsure you’ll be able to get off smartly enough as soon as they turn green. To force us to test it out, KIA sent us on a circuitous route through Liverpool’s revamped town centre that happens to have more traffic lights per mile than anywhere else I’ve ever driven. And, of course, the car was absolutely fine. It’s fully equipped, with split folding rear seats (carpeted underneath), driver and passenger height adjustable seats, aircon, CD player, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, alloy wheels, everything you need, including a 7 year-bumper-to-bumper warranty. And all for a list price of £14,195 before you get involved in scrappage, which...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=404 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=404'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/404_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1253991711' /></a> Audi A5 Sportback (2009 - ) 402 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=402'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/402_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1252517937' align="left" /></a>'Another day, another new model from a manufacturer that seems determined to create every single permutation possible. That is the essence of niche marketing. Long gone are the days when all you could offer was a saloon or a station wagon. Now, temptation needs to come in every shape and form: saloon, wagon, coupe, convertible, SUV, and, to round it off, a fastback just like Rover used to do with the 800. Except Audi has done it very much better. To tempt you or your company out of £23,710 to £36,220 + maybe £5,000 worth of extras, Audi offers sleek appeal. And it’s not hard to see the logic. Here is a large hatchback with a big 480-litre boot that looks so much like a coupe that ‘flashback’ might be a more appropriate moniker. You can get four inside, in comfort, each through their own door, plus a nipper in a child seat between the two in the back. So why would you have a dull saloon when you show off in a car looking like this? Audi has been quite clever with A5 Sportback power trains, too. All except for the 3.2V6 petrol are under 180g/km CO2, and, whatever...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=402 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=402'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/402_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1252517937' /></a> Mazda Mazda 3 (2009 - ) 401 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=401'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/401_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1252172148' align="left" /></a>'Click on (www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=381) and you’ll find a range test of the 2009 Mazda 3. Here we’re going to concentrate on the hot one. The 260PS, 380Nm MPS version. And because the car has a top speed of 250kmh (155mph) Mazda sent us somewhere we could legally find it. Northern Germany, between Hamburg and Rostock. Compared to its archrival, the VW Golf GTI, the new MPS looks good. The designers have found ways to enhance and accentuate the curves of the standard car; something they weren’t very successful at with its predecessor. It’s slightly bigger, slightly lighter, slightly more powerful and slightly better at putting its power down, Because 260PS and 380Nm is an awful lot to feed through the steered wheels, Mazda has adopted several means to manage it. One is reduced torque in the first two gears, as well as torque that reduces according to the steering angle of the front wheels. (It’s done by closing the throttle valve and opening the turbo wastegate.) Steering angle torque control is still applied even if the DSC is switched off. Another is a ‘Super Limited Slip Diff’ that gives 2/3 torque to the wheel that needs it combined with equal length...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=401 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=401'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/401_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1252172148' /></a> Mercedes Benz E-Class W212 (2009 - ) 400 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=400'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/400_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1251913294' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. In recent years Mercedes has diversified with mixed results. Its Smart city car and A-Class hatchbacks are technically clever but not the design paragons you might expect, and there has been the wider issue of how well its cars are built, something which, to their credit, senior managers have owned up to, and the company seems to be working hard to improve on its late 1990’s nadir. There must have been a sense of relief when the latest E-Class big saloons debuted, because they operate in a well-defined territory for Mercedes, and their predecessors have sold by the transporter-load to everyone from company directors to European cab drivers, because both valued space, engineering integrity and the capacity to last for a very long time. Actually, the two previous generations of this car, particularly the mid 1990’s-launched W210, was less robust, but this one is claimed to be a return to form. It certainly has acres of space for people and their chattels, a modern range of engines and the usual cleaner/faster/safer improvements found in new cars, although it’s a bit anonymous looking (excepting the genuinely distinctive coupes). Perhaps to prove that there’s more to the car than...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=400 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=400'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/400_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1251913294' /></a> Jaguar XK and XKR (2006 - ) 399 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=399'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/399_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1248249135' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. Jaguar seems to be having a serious go at re-inventing itself, with models like the XF and new XJ saloons working hard to move away from the slightly tweedy image that once served it well. With the compact X-Type’s demise, the oldest car in its range is now the alloy-bodied XK8 sports grand tourer, which with its oval grill and sinuous shape might be perceived as having more in common with cars Jaguar made in the past than those that have been launched since it arrived. It’s been around for three years, and has now been given a makeover, with some subtle visual changes outside; the sort of things which only diehard Jaguar fans will notice specifically, but which are enough to distinguish the latest cars from those that went before. Inside most of the design nips and tucks are equally low key, save for the adoption of an XF-style JaguarDrive transmission control, a circular chrome dial which rises from the transmission tunnel when the key is engaged and the starter button pressed. It’s a gimmick, but fun, and easy to use. One thing that’s absent from the latest cars are 4.2 litre badges on their rumps....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=399 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=399'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/399_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1248249135' /></a> Porsche Panamera (2009 - ) 398 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=398'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/398_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1247415288' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. It’s a bit dodgy to dislike a car you’ve never driven, but every time I see a Porsche Cayenne 4x4 I shudder. Whatever its merits as a car, the Cayenne ’s epic size and aggressive, chest thumping image don’t really appeal, but until recently the car was a big seller, and those who love Porsche’s sportscars owe the Cayenne, because without it the company might not have survived. And until now, for anyone wanting a five-door, four-seat Porsche, the Cayenne was the only choice. However, the company has spent years toying with these features for a high-speed sports grand tourer, slightly in the mould of the Maserati Quattroporte, and has now finally built one. Called the Panamera, its looks owe more to the 911 than the bull-in-a-china shop Cayenne, but there’s nothing delicate about its styling. This is a big, broad (over six feet) and rather squat saloon which isn’t actually ugly, and might be described as interesting rather than beautiful, although its thick pillars and swoopy glasshouse make rear three quarter vision pretty awful. Mechanically it has more in common with Porsche’s big 4x4, because its engine sits at the front, with the transmission immediately behind...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=398 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=398'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/398_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1247415288' /></a> Audi TT RS (2009 - ) 397 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=397'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/397_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1247077003' align="left" /></a>'It’s not that often I can get into a seriously quick car and immediately feel at home in it. By quick, I mean sub 5 second 0-60 and the ability to pull 100 on almost any short straight. I’m not into exciting cars that demand race driver skill to drift round corners on public roads. I want a car I can drive and control safely within my limited ability. I’m quite happy in a Nissan 350 or 370Z with the ASC or whatever they call it turned off. I liked the Jag XFD, XFR, XK8, but I’m not too sure of the latest XKR, if you get my drift. On the other hand, I’ve never felt safer than in an A4 Quattro, S3, RS4 or R8. Get in, toe down, first bend and they just go round. The TTRS is a bit different. It has an extremely compact 5-cylinder chain cam turbo engine unencumbered by the usual plastic cowlings and with plenty of room around it under the bonnet to flex its muscles. It develops a quite extraordinary 340PS from 5,400-6,500rpm, but, more usefully, a stonking 450Nm torque from just 1,500rpm up to 5,300rpm (where maximum power takes over). And...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=397 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=397'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/397_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1247077003' /></a> FIAT 500C (2009 - ) 396 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=396'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/396_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1246379466' align="left" /></a>'Last January, as 360,000 have done since, I liked the FIAT 500 so much I bought one. And my little car has been a stylish standby. It didn’t do much work during its first year because I had a long-term test car and scores more cars to drive. But, with the long-termer long gone, over the last month alone my 500 has clocked up around 1,000 business miles. And it still looks as cute and as fresh as the day I bought it. However, over the past year there have been several developments in Cinquecentoland. First, FIAT started building them for Ford, with a slightly different shaped body and suspension sorted out by Ford’s chassis engineers who, by using softer rear springs and adding an anti-roll bar to the rear twist-beam, made it both ride and handle better. So naturally, when FIAT shoehorned a 135PS turbo 1.4 engine into the 500 and called it the 500 Abarth, they adopted Ford’s ideas and tweaked them a bit further. Consequently, on standard 16” wheels and rubber, the 500 Abarth is a completely different car to drive from my FIAT 500 1.2 Lounge. It has meaty steering through which you can feel the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=396 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=396'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/396_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1246379466' /></a> Audi A5 Cabrio (2009 - ) 395 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=395'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/395_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1246268340' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. Convertibles were often cash cows for their makers; cars that could be built for a long time and sold at a premium. Audi kept knocking out its 80-based four-seat Cabriolet long after the car on which it was based had been replaced. An enduringly handsome European car, it was favoured by the Princess of Wales, and liked for its quality build and style. Chopping the roof off made it a bit of a jelly to drive, but that hardly got in the way of sales. Things changed when the A4 cabrio was launched. Audi did a thorough job in making it bodily solid and introduced the innovation of diesel versions, something which now hardly raises an eyebrow. That process has continued with open versions of its handsome A5 coupe, which are now reaching UK showrooms, and in engineering terms are hardly poor relations, being as up to date as anything Audi produces. Styling is familiar but modern, and Audi is again making a virtue of sticking with a traditional canvas roof rather than going for the folding steel jobs which everyone from Peugeot to BMW favours. Although not as thief proof (although the car has just won...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=395 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=395'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/395_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1246268340' /></a> Lexus IS250C (2009 - ) 394 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=394'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/394_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1245927391' align="left" /></a>'When I first read the price of the Lexus IS250C, I have to confess my jaw dropped a bit. I was expecting an entry level of £28,000 to £30,000. So £34,550 came as a bit of a shock. And that doesn’t even include satnav. For the Navigator version you are asked to hand over a cool £36,750. Lexus justifies this with a list of standard equipment as long as your arm (see below). Enough to pull the price of its closest competitor, the BMW 325i coupe convertible, way south of £40,000. So it’s actually quite brave of Lexus to quote an all-in price rather then tempt buyers with a low list price, then keep adding to it to put you into the specification you really want. Where the Lexus scores highest is in refinement. From the seamless 6-speed automatic transmission that cushions gearchanges beautifully, whether left to its own devices or summoned by the steering wheel paddles, to the astonishing lack of wind noise and buffeting with the top down, this is a seriously smooth convertible. The Japanese design and engineering team, lead by Keiichi Yonada seems to have thought of everything. For example, with the top up the cavernous...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=394 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=394'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/394_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1245927391' /></a> Chevrolet Cruze (2009 - ) 393 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=393'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/393_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1245361102' align="left" /></a>'I first saw this rather pretty Focus-sized car at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008. It’s actually Chevrolet’s new ‘world’ car based on its ‘Delta 2’ platform and competes in WTCC Touring car races. Unusually, it’s available only as a four-door saloon, but a five-door hatch is on the way. The proportions of the body are very pleasing from all angles. And though ‘C Sector saloons aren’t offered by many manufacturers, they are precisely what a lot of people want, particularly the recently retired who have got hooked on golf. The large 450-litre boot easily swallows two sets of clubs lying sideways in the handy indentations behind of the wheel-arches, with enough space for two compact trolleys tucked away in front of them. Another unusual but much requested feature is height-adjustable driver and passenger seats across the range, starting with the £11,495 1.6 S model, which also has air-conditioning, electric front windows and electric mirrors. Sold already? I’ll go on. The fascia is nicely styled with the radio controls set sensibly high. There are adjustable cup-holders between the front seats and bottle-holders in the doors. There’s enough leg and headroom for three across the back. Out on the road,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=393 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=393'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/393_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1245361102' /></a> SEAT Exeo (2009 - ) 392 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=392'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/392_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1245075932' align="left" /></a>'Over the model life of the Audi A4 B6 and B7, what started out as an attractive, solidly built, yet sometimes unwieldy and hard riding car turned into quite a good one. It was almost as if criticisms had been listened to and faults rectified as a result. I particularly remember, having written off ‘S Line’ models as internal organ re-arrangers, the last one I tried rode acceptably well. So I didn’t necessarily think it a bad thing that VAG has shipped the production line down to Barcelona and given the car a second lease of life as the SEAT Exeo. I’m happy to report that isn’t all they did. As well as a nose and tail job, and the insertion of the dashboard from the A4 cabrio, the Exeo gets VAG’s current generation 2.0 litre 143PS TDI. Out went the expensive low-pressure pump and Pumpe Duse injectors. In have come the cheaper, much better high pressure common rail system with piezo controlled injectors. The result is not only a quieter engine and a punchier engine from 1,750rpm, but also a much more useful engine at low revs. Those piezo injectors allow it to trickle down to 1,000rpm in 6th...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=392 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=392'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/392_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1245075932' /></a> Volkswagen Polo V (2009 - ) 391 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=391'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/391_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1244218403' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. Car makers apparently think their primary market is actors and models in their 20s. Most new car launches feature videos of unfeasibly good looking young people having exciting, life style experiences, and when VW pulled the wraps off its new Polo, there they were again, prancing round a car whose predecessors have sold very well because they were very, very sensible. The new one is likely to follow this trend, which shouldn’t preclude someone with fabulous bone structure desiring it, but it’s likely to appeal to a lot of other people too, not because it’s hip, happening and radical (which VW claims), but because it’s an attractive, nuanced, thoroughly engineered means of getting about. Although the floorpan is a development of the outgoing car’s, the new Polo is 7.5 per cent lighter, which is to be welcomed. Typically, VW couldn’t resist making it slightly bigger, but at least there’s plenty of cabin and luggage space. The body is all new. It still looks like a Polo, but in an up-to-the-minute way, with lamp clusters and window shapes that echo the latest Golf and Scirocco. The result is both attractive and inoffensive, which for a big selling car...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=391 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=391'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/391_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1244218403' /></a> BMW Z4 (2009 - ) 390 Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=390'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/390_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1242385861' align="left" /></a>'This is really a four-car test. We drove the new BMW Z4 sDrive 23i manual and 35i DCT auto. But since the new BMW Z4 has an electric folding hard top it’s a replacement of both the previous Z4 roadster and sadly also of the sensational looking Z4 coupe I tested back in 2006. So each new Z4 is two cars in one. The electro hydraulic retractable hard top is a work of art in itself. First, the rear section and back window rise up over the roof, then the trunk lid opens and the top stows inside the trunk. We timed the whole operation at just 18 seconds and, very usefully, once the roof is stowed, the generous 310 litre trunk capacity is only reduced by 130 litres to 180 litres, so leaves enough room for two people’s bags. Top up, the width of the trunk allows easy stowage of golf clubs. The car is slightly longer, wider and higher than the old Z4. And tough its obviously just a two-seater, the cabin feels reasonably spacious, the seats are comfortable and even on 18” wheels with the optional active suspension set to sport + the ride is not too...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=390 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=390'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/390_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1242385861' /></a> Volkswagen Golf VI (2009 - ) 389 Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=389'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/389_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1241573523' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. The latest Volkswagen Golf GTi is an almost boring car to write about for the perverse reason that it’s so good. In its first two incarnations, the Golf GTi was a huge success. Fun, charismatic, practical and built by Germans so it didn’t break. With the next two Golf variants, particularly the early ‘90’s Mk3, the GTi rather lost its alchemy, but when Golf number five arrived with its stiffer body and multilink rear suspension, VW had apparently found it again. The car was hailed as a return to form, and now that Volkswagen has given it a serious mid-life makeover, the latest version is better still. In its original, fondly-remembered guise, the GTi was a sort of grown up Mini Cooper, with intimate driving responses, acceptable ride quality and a driving position designed for human beings. Even if the brakes were a bit rubbish, it was fun and aspirational in an achievable way. The new one is fun and civilised, but grown up. Plant your foot and the throttle and the 2-litre, turbocharged engine makes a nice selection of noises, but it’s quiet and easy going the rest of the time, trickling along like a regular...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=389 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=389'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/389_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1241573523' /></a> Chrysler Voyager (2008 - ) 388 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=388'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/388_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1240808995' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. The Chrysler Voyager is one of those cars that’s been around for such a long time that it’s easy to forget how many of them are now running about. In 2008 the car was totally redesigned, and somewhat ‘poshed up’ at the same time. If you want a new one, it will wear Grand Voyager badges and be stuffed with kit. The market segment once occupied by the old, un-Grand Voyager is now taken by the current Grand version’s stablemate, the Dodge Journey; a car that by some way is the least dodgy produced by that moribund brand. The seven-seat Grand Voyager now sits in a small but definite market niche for plush, big people carriers. It’s the sort of thing well-heeled families might buy instead of a 4x4 or a big estate. It’s also aimed at chauffeur and private hire companies who employ cars like this use to flog around town or ferry business types from airports to hotels and conferences. In its latest incarnation the car looks a little squarer than before, with familiar Chrysler styling touches including a large, deep, grill, and is visually inoffensive. Chrysler made the old Voyager for years, and by...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=388 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=388'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/388_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1240808995' /></a> Renault Scenic (2009 - ) 387 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=387'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/387_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1239913863' align="left" /></a>'Just as Renault was first in Europe with a full size MPV (the innovative Espace), it was also first in Europe with a mid size MPV. Now we are into the third generation of Scenic. So is it just change for the sake of change, or have they managed to make it significantly better? For marketing reasons, the UK gets the 7-seater Grand Scenic first, in May, and the shorter 5-seater Scenic will follow in July. The new Renault Grand Scenic is remarkable value for money, with prices starting at £1,060 less than before, for more car. £14,995 for the base model 1.6 Extreme undercuts the worthy, but van-derived VW Caddy Maxi Life by £1,000. Obviously, as features increase and better engines find their way under the bonnets, Grand Scenics start to get dearer. Diesels start at £16,495, for the lowest emission 7-seater you can buy (138g/km). While the best engine (in my opinion, anyway) is the chain-cam, water-cooled turbo petrol 1.4TCE 130, from £17,595. But first, a general description. The centre three seats slide, tumble and completely remove individually. The rearmost pair of seats individually pull out of the load deck very easily indeed and are decently comfortable for...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=387 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=387'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/387_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1239913863' /></a> Peugeot 308CC (2009 - ) 386 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=386'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/386_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1239518480' align="left" /></a>'They should have issued the Peugeot 308CC with a Bank Holiday weather warning. Filming day dawned with drizzle. But the local forecast said there might be a few sunny spells by late afternoon. So we postponed the start. Got the car down to Bosham by 2.00pm. Had a late pub lunch. Then, by the time we had finished, the tide had gone out and the skies had cleared. Briefly. How better to test the robustness of an electric folding hard top? Ours upped and downed between showers completely at least 15 times. It wasn’t the fastest, taking around 20 seconds. But it certainly showed no sign of failure. And remained leak proof whatever Mother Nature chucked at it. I’d asked for a 1.6THP 140 auto, so I could do a two-in-one, both of the transmission and of the car. (Links to tests of the THP 150 manual hatchback and SW below.) This is, of course, the same variable vane turbo petrol engine as the MINI Cooper S, with the wick turned down by 35PS. But with the four-speed autobox attached it’s still a fairly aggressive accelerator rather than a lazy old wafter. You don’t need to use the Tiptronic function...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=386 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=386'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/386_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1239518480' /></a> Nissan 370Z (2009 - ) 385 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=385'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/385_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1239177376' align="left" /></a>'I had always thought that the Mazda MX-5 was the World’s best selling sportscar. But I was wrong. If you start counting at the original 240Z of 1969, Nissan has sold 1,700,000 Z cars to Mazda’s 950,000 MX-5s. Sure they lost their way in the 1980s and went through a lardy stage. Then, as a result of the last recession, we lost official imports of the heavy-duty 280PS 300ZX twin-turbo. Z cars died completely by the end of the nineties and it wasn’t until 2002 that keen drivers started personally importing the sensational all-new 280PS 350Z. UK demand for that car was so huge that when Nissan put the roadster on sale in October 2005, the entire UK allocation for a year was sold out within minutes. Power hikes then followed, with 300PS from March 2006 and a new 310PS engine from May 2007. These are real hairy-chested sportscars, in the same league as a Porsche Cayman but with different driving characteristics. Front mid engined and rear drive, they are beautifully balanced so even an average drive like me can have a lot of fun with them without getting into trouble. And that’s with the ESP switch off. In a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=385 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=385'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/385_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1239177376' /></a> Citroen C3 Picasso (2009 - ) 384 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=384'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/384_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238496283' align="left" /></a>'Prepare yourself for a rave review. This is an astonishingly good car. I was already aware of its practicality, from flipping the seats and photographing the interior at last year’s Paris Motor Show. What I wasn’t prepared for was the way it drives. You sit in a slightly van-like position with the space around you accentuated by the bay window effect of the front screen. The steering wheel adjusts in and out and up and down and never obscures the Citroen C4-like line-of-sight digital speedometer. Anyone from 4’ 10” to 6’ 7” can easily get comfortable. Drive off and the first thing you notice is you’re not noticing any bumps. Ride quality is of the magic carpet variety from soft, long travel suspension. So I wasn’t expecting any fun on corners. How wrong I was. The car turns in and glues itself to the road surface in an extraordinarily sure-footed manner. Thank the 195/55 R16 tyres and some very clever damping for that. It’s almost as if the wheels spring out on arms to push all the tyres down and keep them gripping as well as possible. I tested the car on a dry day, but this is the sort...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=384 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=384'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/384_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238496283' /></a> Toyota Verso (2009 - ) 383 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=383'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/383_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238350915' align="left" /></a>'Toyota doesn’t do a Yaris Verso, a Corolla Verso and an Avensis Verso any more. Just one Verso, built at the Adapazari factory in Turkey. And, after 430,000of the previous version, this is the new one, on Toyota’s World MC platform. At first, Britain will only get the Verso 147PS 1.8 petrol Valvematic, with 6-speed manual or 7-ratio CVT, or 126PS 2.0 diesel, with 6-speed manual only. A 132PS 1.6 petrol Valvematic will come later, as the entry model and also a 150PS 6-speed torque converter automatic 2.2 diesel (as tested late last year in the new Avensis). Based on figures for the old Verso, Toyota expects to sell 20% 1.6, 20% 1.8, and 60% 2.2 diesel. Naturally the new Toyota Verso more efficient than the old one, more spacious inside, with five individual rear seats in the back that fold separately to leave an evenly flat load deck. Happily, you don’t have to remove the head restraints first. The new 1.8 Valvematic petrol engine, same as in the new Avensis, is particularly impressive, emitting 164g/km and managing more than 40mpg combined even with a CVT transmission. Though anyone seeking maximum economy can expect around 50mpg from the 2.2 diesel....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=383 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=383'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/383_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238350915' /></a> Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV (2008 - ) 382 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=382'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/382_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238265401' align="left" /></a>'The new Toyota Urban Cruiser is an oddball car. It’s chunky, without absorbing urban ruts, potholes and speed humps as well as a Qashqai on same size tyres. The diesel comes with four-wheel drive that doesn’t endow it with off-road ability. The petrol engine is very efficient, with stop-start, but isn’t outstandingly fuel efficient or low in CO2. And the collapse of Sterling against the Yen has meant that UK prices are a bit jaw dropping. So where can it possibly fit in an economically bankrupt country run by a government hostile to motorists? Well, the diesel all-wheel-drive just happens to be the lowest emitting four-wheel drive you can buy (lower even than the FIAT Panda Multijet 4x4). But instead of using power to every wheel to make it an accomplished off-roader, it behaves much like an Audi S3 with a third of the power, and becomes a surprisingly capable on-roader. In any kind of driving that could be considered remotely normal you cannot unstick the front. And that allows safe yet entertaining cornering of the ear-to-ear grin variety. Obviously with a mere 90PS and 205Nm torque from 1,800rpm it’s no ball of fire. The turbo whistles like One Man...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=382 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=382'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/382_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238265401' /></a> Mazda Mazda 3 (2009 - ) 381 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=381'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/381_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238248707' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 26th March 2009 Development of the Mazda 3 and the Ford Focus has always gone hand in glove. They share engines, suspension and steering, though not mutually inclusively. Sometimes Ford has been ahead with one component. Sometimes Mazda. What can’t be denied is that both cars have been steadily improved. And now, for the new Mazda 3, it’s Mazda’s turn to be first with the upgraded suspension. Upfront, the mounting span is increased by 20mm, a stronger crossmember tower has been introduced, the cross arm made thicker and the crossmember bushing optimised for better lateral rigidity. Round the back the multilink ‘control blade’ suspension has acquired a stronger centre member. The result is a car that not only rides better, but also steers and handles better than it did before. Better, even, than my Focus III ECOnetic, which I reckon previously set the standard. And vastly better than the Golf Mk IV, particularly in the steering department. Mazda talked a lot about styling, and while you may have your own opinion about the smiley new front, I think most eyes will be pleased with the profile of the hatch, the rear end of which remains unmistakably Mazda 3. The...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=381 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=381'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/381_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1238248707' /></a> Volvo S80 (2006 - ) 380 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=380'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/380_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1237748718' align="left" /></a>'It seems only yesterday that I last test-drove a Volvo S80. But actually it was December 2006. And now Volvo has introduced some significant and very sensible improvements. The first is the option of the same 110PS 1.6 engine and 5 speed transmission as fitted to my Focus ECOnetic. I drove an S80 with the 2.0 136PS diesel last year and found it surprisingly okay. But is this quest to reduce CO2 to just 129g/km from a big car just a step too far? We’ll have to wait to find out, as no 1.6 DRIVe cars were available at the test. The other new engines are a 205PS sequential twin-turbo version of the evergreen D5, now offering 420Nm of muscle over a wide range of engine revs for a penalty of 45.6mpg and 164g/km. While, in between this engine and the four cylinder diesels, an improved single variable vane turbo D5 offers 175PS with 420Nm torque for 47.9mpg and 155g/km CO2 that usefully puts it under the 160g/km limit for company car write-downs. The other main changes to the S80 are that is it now offered with a choice of either a sporty, more responsive ‘Dynamic’ chassis, or a softened,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=380 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=380'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/380_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1237748718' /></a> Nissan Note (2006 - ) 379 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=379'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/379_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1237748438' align="left" /></a>'I last tested a British built Nissan Note almost three years ago and reckoned then that it was a reasonable rival to the Honda Jazz. Not as brilliantly versatile as the Jazz inside, but slightly taller and using its height to provide more upright seating and plenty of space inside without becoming top-heavy like an MPV. As before, the beneficial features are wide opening doors with low sills for easy access, a sliding and folding rear seat that gives either very good or excellent rear legroom without sacrificing too much boot space, and a false boot floor made up of two reversible planks that allow you either a level surface, or a deep hole in which to stow things (with a space-saver rather than a can of puncture repair glop underneath). The high roof allows three to sit in the back seat without piggy in the middle having to duck Other knick knacks are folding picnic tables on the front seat backs, an air-conditioned glove locker capable of cooling 12 cans of Coca Cola, a dash top compartment, and a flip up passenger seat squab with ‘secret storage’ underneath (not secret any more). So no clever lift-up rear seat squabs...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=379 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=379'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/379_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1237748438' /></a> MINI Convertible R57 (2009 - ) 378 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=378'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/378_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1237134882' align="left" /></a>'First a lesson in MINI product codes, just so we’re all clear about this. The first BMW MINI was coded R50, followed by the R52 convertible, while the Cooper S was designated R53. The second generation MINI hatchback is the R56. The Clubman version is the R55. And the new convertible is the R57. Apart from the completely different range of engines and transmissions and new suspension, the main benefit of the R57 MINI Convertible over the R52 is a 10% stiffer structure. This is very important in a convertible with no roof to stop it twisting over speed cushions. And, in the case of the R57 MINI convertible, completely eliminates the dreaded ‘scuttle shake’. The other benefit, of course, is enabling the suspension to do its job properly without being compromised by a writhing frame. And because the MINI engineers have done such a good job, they saw no reason not to offer a full 211PS John Cooper Works version of the new convertible. The best place to test that, of course, was a race track. While the obvious place to test the 120PS MINI Cooper convertible was the road, happily during a pair of March days blessed with...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=378 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=378'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/378_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1237134882' /></a> Suzuki Alto (2009 - ) 377 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=377'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/377_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236960487' align="left" /></a>'Visiting the Paris Motor Show in October 2008, I was surprised to see what looked like a facelifted Citroen C1 on the Nissan stand. Time for some re-education. It turned out that what I was looking at was the Nissan Pixo version of the new Suzuki Alto, a car I was first alerted to by the boss of Hyundai as a serious competitor to his excellent i10. So I went to have a look at the new Alto on the Suzuki stand. Compared to the Nissan Pixo it’s definitely the better looking of these almost identical twins. And it differs from the C1, 107 and Aygo by having a two-piece hatchback instead of one made entirely of glass. However it does share weight and cost-saving features of the Citroen C1 clones, like pop-open rather than wind-down rear door windows, rear seats that fold back onto the squabs instead of folding flat, no a/c in the SZ2 base model and only two rear seatbelts, making the air-conditioned, 5 year warranted, similarly priced Hyundai i10 1.2 Classic seem luxurious in comparison. At least, emitting just 103g/km, your company can buy you a manual Alto and offset 100% against a single year’s tax....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=377 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=377'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/377_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236960487' /></a> Jaguar XF (2008 - ) 376 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=376'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/376_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236754715' align="left" /></a>'This is a twin-test of the all-new Jaguar XF 5.0 V8 petrol and 3.0 V6 diesel. And it’s all about torque. Simple, straightforward research has shown that 80% of all driving is below 2,500rpm, and 95% is below 4,000rpm. So Jaguar concentrated on making its new engines develop as much torque as possible at low rpm. And, of course, as well as making the engines more pleasant to drive, more torque at lower revs means better fuel economy. The new Jaguar 5.0 litre V8 develops an impressive 31% to 34% more torque than the old 4.2 between 1,500 and 3,000rpm. However the new 3.0 V6 S diesel doubles this improvement by developing a massive 61% more torque at 1,500rpm than the old 2.7 V6 diesel. More torque than the benchmark BMW 535d twin turbo. Up to 600Nm. For the XF 3.0 diesel engine, Jaguar has used sequential turbos differently. Like Volvo with its new D5, the big turbo comes in first, and the smaller turbo only at high revs. So actually the two turbos are running together less of the time than a pair that started small turbo first. The added effect is faster throttle response, eliminating the bottomless pit...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=376 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=376'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/376_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236754715' /></a> Land Rover Freelander 2 (2006 - ) 374 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=374'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/374_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236160761' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon Land Rover has an image problem. The things people love about its cars (4x4 capabilities, high driving position and, frankly, scale) are the very reasons others deride them as examples of pointless excess. Then there’s an on going perception that its products haven’t always as well made or reliable as they should be. Until last year the company could take such brickbats with a shrug. It posted record sales, particularly in America, where even the vulgarian Range Rover Sport was regarded by many as compact and a bit introverted. No longer, and some serious re-invention is now required. The first example of this is a Freelander with an engine stop/start device –claimed to be a design first for a 4x4. Called the TD4_e, it features a system that will be fitted to all diesel manual Freelanders (you re-start the engine by pressing the clutch pedal, so automatics won’t have this capability, at least not yet). Land Rover has beefed up the starter motor, battery and other related components, which are all going to have to work much harder, and engineered things so that lights, climate control, hi-fi, etc, keep going. Should they start draining the battery, the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=374 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=374'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/374_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236160761' /></a> KIA SOUL (2008 - ) 373 Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=373'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/373_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236171230' align="left" /></a>'My fault, I know. I video tested the KIA Soul without knowing exactly which model it was. So, though a phone call to KIA elicited the information it was a Soul 2 diesel at £12,495, in fact it turned out to be a Soul Shaker diesel at a slightly stiffer £13,495. Still good value for money though. Especially compared with what that will buy from Ford or Honda, assuming no discounts. You might regard the KIA Soul as being perversely styled. It’s as if it’s different for the sake of being different. A bit like the peculiar box-like Far East Market Hondas, the Nissan Cube and the Daihatsu Materia. There’s no logical justification for the way it looks or why you should buy it. Yet that’s in its favour. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised. I was. For a start I loved the colour, ‘Vanilla Shake’. To driven in a car that shade in Thailand you have to be a member of the Thai royal family. Inside, the seats and the dash complement it perfectly by mixing a chocolately brown into the décor, like in inverted choc-ice. The luggage area looks a bit stingy, until you lift the floor and find...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=373 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=373'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/373_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1236171230' /></a> Hyundai i20 (2009) 372 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=372'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/372_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234997903' align="left" /></a>'My week with a Hyundai i20 1.2 Comfort didn’t start well. It began with a 120-mile drive through one of the worst rainstorms I can remember down to Poole harbour. And it wasn’t until I was past the end of the M27 that I realised the tank had been delivered just a quarter full. If I didn’t find a fuel station fast I was going to run out. Fortunately the econometer was reading 53.3mpg, so as I kept passing fuel stations either on the wrong side of the dual carriageway or behind an impenetrable barrier there was just a chance I might get to one I could get to. And, I did, poured £20, and carried on my way to the Abarth 500 launch without making a single wrong turn. Apart from its startling economy, the adverse conditions revealed some of the car’s other qualities. The steering is centre weighted, robbing it of some feel on the straight ahead but helping it to track straight through several centimetres of water. The height adjustable drivers seat is hard, but comfortable on a challenging run. The power characteristics help you keep precisely to a speed on the clear, unwavering and very accurate...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=372 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=372'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/372_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234997903' /></a> Mazda MX5 Roadster Coupe (2006 - ) 371 Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=371'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/371_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234691363' align="left" /></a>'The Mazda 5 has had a facelift. It’s a bit like meeting an old girlfriend, thinking she looks a lot better than you remember, and not being quite sure why. She went to the right plastic surgeon. Instead of major scalpel work it’s just been a neat nip and tuck. A half measure of botox in the lips. A bit of sculpting around the eyes. A shapelier rear end. And suddenly she’s a new, younger woman. There’s also been a bit of surgery under the skin. The rev limit of the 160PS 2.0 litre engine has been raised to 7,500rpm, allowing it to unleash its full power at 7,000, so you can stay in the gears longer. A new Induction Sound Enhancer makes her a bit more aural when she’s performing. Yet, surprisingly, she’s easier on the wallet. Fuel economy is up to 38.17 mpg and emissions down to 177g/km or 181g/km for the Sport, bringing her one band down in the annual tax. The 1.8i is also improved in this respect, up from 38.7mpg combined to 40.1mpg, and down from 174k/km to 167g/km. For the second time in Britain, there’s also the option of an automatic transmission with the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=371 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=371'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/371_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234691363' /></a> Abarth 500 (2008 - ) 370 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=370'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/370_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234514177' align="left" /></a>'Driving down to Poole in Monday’s rain I thought I might as well be going to test a bath. Yet by Tuesday the storms had blown over, leaving clear blue skies and only part of out test route under water. Happily they had cleared the snow from Gurston Hillclimb, so we drive the cars and be driven in a manner that would be illegal on the open road. The standard model Abarth 500 looks very similar but could not feel much more different from my own FIAT 500 1.2 Lounge. My 1.2 Lounge is all show and no go, with, frankly, fairly poor steering and ride quality. I forgive it because I love the car and get an astonishing 51 miles to the gallon. But I can’t pretend it’s anything like as good to drive as, for example, a Mazda 2 1.3TS2 or a Suzuki Swift 1.5GLS, or any MINI. The Abarth 500 has 135bhp compared to my 1.2’s 69. And, frankly, that would be terrifying in the basic Panda chassis my 500 is lumbered with. Happily, Abarth has taken a few leaves from Ford’s book and adopted the torsion bar of the Ka to stop the back axle twisting....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=370 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=370'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/370_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234514177' /></a> Volkswagen Golf VI (2009 - ) 369 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=369'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/369_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234022107' align="left" /></a>'When I first tested the Mk V Golf I thought at last VW had come up with a Golf that actually lived up to the car’s image. It wasn’t just a step better than the miserable Mk IV, it was a whole leap better. Now the new Golf Mk VI moves the game on a stage further. Though apparently cheaper to build than the Mk V, it feels even better. The facia gives a higher impression of quality than any other mass-market hatchback. Open the glovebox and you find it’s velour lined instead of the usual plastic bin. And if the designers are considerate enough to have thought of a small reminder flasher in the door mirror you wonder how else they’re looking after you. You’ll find all mod cons in the central console, by which I mean an aux socket, USB socket and connectors to most modern phones and iPods, so they didn’t skimp there. The rear passengers benefit from their own heater/aircon outlets at the back of the console and their own door speakers. Unlike Honda, VW didn’t revert to a cheap twisty beam back axle. The new Golf has a sort of multi-link arrangement. The 1.4 chain-cam...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=369 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=369'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/369_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1234022107' /></a> Suzuki Splash (2008 - ) 368 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=368'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/368_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1233394432' align="left" /></a>'The old Suzuki Wagon R and Vauxhall Agila were archetypal old people’s cars. They had upright seats and were easy to get in and out of, but looked like shoeboxes on wheels. Consequently, very few people who weren’t getting on a bit bought them. Then, last year, Suzuki and Vauxhall ditched their square cars for squares and launched the Splash and new Agila. Possibly even taller than their predecessors, but at least with a bit of style and design flair about them. Now, with everyone watching the pennies, Suzuki has introduced a 119g/km, £35 tax version of its Splash, as well as the £35 tax 1.3 diesel and the £120 tax 1.2 and 1.2 auto. It hasn’t thrown away any worthwhile spec apart from the alloy wheels, and even the base 1.0GLS has aircon, electric front windows, a dash-top rev counter in a pod, and 60/40 rear seats that neatly fold flat in one easy movement. Under the boot floor there’s a huge, removable ‘wet bin’ for wellington boots, poached salmon, road kill, or whatever you may care to throw in it. And, under that, a spare wheel. A space saver, yet nevertheless a wheel rather than a can of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=368 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=368'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/368_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1233394432' /></a> Alfa Romeo MiTo (2009 - ) 367 Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=367'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/367_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1232906463' align="left" /></a>'First, it’s not “Me Too”, it’s “Me Toe”. An amalgamation of the cities of Milano, where Alfa Romeos comes from, and Torino, where the MiTo is built. It also, rather handily, means “myth” in Italian, which could be a little bit unfortunate for a car that blends elements of the magnificent, contemporary Alfa Romeo 8C, and the cute little Giulietta Sprint of the early 1960s, yet is really a FIAT underneath. The car is unashamedly not aimed at traditional ‘Alfisti’, who have recently been buying Alfa Romeos in ever decreasing numbers. But instead at the ‘want it now’ generation, in their 20s and 30s, who fell for the current FIAT 500 without ever realising it was a styled on a tiny 1950s economy car. Though this does rather depend on them being able to get credit. Inside, on top versions of the MiTo anyway, there’s the same all singing, all dancing Microsoft Blue&Me system that hooks up brilliantly with i-Pods and USBs and most mobile phones. And in all versions there’s a little lever next to the gearstick with the initials ‘D’, ‘N’ and ‘A’ inscribed on its quadrant. ‘N’ is for ‘Normal’, that translates to a fairly stiff ride...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=367 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=367'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/367_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1232906463' /></a> Honda Insight II (2009 - ) 366 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=366'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/366_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1232475656' align="left" /></a>'Ford has its Focus ECOnetic. VW has its Golf Bluemotion. But instead of developing ever ‘cleaner’ diesels, Honda has gone down the hybrid highway. Why? We all know that, driven carefully, a Focus or Golf diesel can deliver 60mpg. So what’s the point of the added complication of hybrid drive? Actually, less complication. To conform to the latest emissions regulations a modern diesel has to have a particulate filter in its exhaust system. Add that to swirl actuators in the exhaust manifold that break loose and lunch the engine, a common rail diesel pump that seizes at the slightest lack of lubricity in its fuel, and a dual mass flywheel inclined to become a dual mess flywheel and modern diesels are both potentially and actually less reliable than modern petrol engined cars. Run them in town and they often won’t run for long without clogging the particulate filter, or without the filter destroying the engine oil. And in London that’s as well as having to pay the congestion tax on top of paying 10p more for a litre for diesel than for petrol. So that’s £8 a day, on top of £35 a year VED v/s a hybrid’s £0 a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=366 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=366'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/366_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1232475656' /></a> FIAT QUBO MPV (2009 - ) 365 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=365'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/365_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1231953409' align="left" /></a>'Happily, FIAT has now decided to stick with what it’s good at: small cars. And the decision could not have come at a better time. So as well as Pandas, 500s, Grande Puntos and the forthcoming Topolino, the company is now offering us a cheerful little MPV along the lines of a smaller Berlingo, based on the Grande Punto, and shared, in part, with Peugeot/Citroen. (The PSA versions get PSA engines; FIAT versions get FIAT’s.) There is ample room for five and plenty of loadspace in a car just 13 feet long. And features like sliding side doors and tumbling or completely removable 60/40 split rear seats. An added bonus, available with the 1.25 Multijet diesel only, is FIAT’s Dualogic 6-speed automated manual gearbox that is obviously going to go down very well with Motability customers. (Tell me another small utility with a diesel engine and a two pedal autobox.) Colours are bright and cheerful, including the sunset orange of our car, a bright metallic green, a deep blue and various other hues. Specification is quite high with features like height and reach adjustable steering on all models. And, instead of a solid dead axle, it has a torsion beam...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=365 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=365'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/365_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1231953409' /></a> BMW 7-Series (2009 - ) 364 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=364'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/364_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1231522719' align="left" /></a>'By Martin Gurdon. A lot of us have invested in things we might have avoided if only we’d known the world economy would start behaving like a grand piano chucked from the top of a tower block. Things like expensive shoes, shares in Woolworths or perhaps a new car. Which brings us to BMW. It’s spent about one billion Euros on a car, the latest 7 Series, which is big, complex, expensive -£54,000 buys the poverty version, £100k plus for one with all optional the bells and whistles- and likely to be viewed by many as the last word in vehicular conspicuous consumption. This a problem for BMW; which wants to sell the 7 Series to people with a lot of disposable income, in a world where those that still have money are hanging onto it, and those that don’t are now saving up for something like a lightly soiled Kia Pride, rather than a flagship uber saloon. Then there are the private hire companies which bought the diesel versions of the outgoing 7 Series to waft captains of industry to airports and posh hotels. If Robert Peston is right, there’ll be less wafting, and so less work for the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=364 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=364'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/364_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1231522719' /></a> Honda City 4-door (2008 - ) 363 Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=363'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/363_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1230455987' align="left" /></a>'Neither Honda nor Toyota expected the Thais to buy a small hatchback. The market in Thailand for this size of car was saloons. And if you asked Thais before 2003 they’d have confirmed that they didn’t like the look of hatchbacks. So, instead of launching the Yaris to the Thai market, Toyota gave it the Yaris based Soluna Vios. A decent enough small four-door with a 110PS 1.5 VVTI engine and 5-speed manual or 4-speed torque converter auto. (I should know. My Thai has done 110,000 kilometres in hers.) And instead of introducing the Jazz (or ‘Fit’) to the Thais, Honda played safe by rebodying it as its second generation ‘City’. (The previous City had been flat-floor Civic based.) Unfortunately, with its disjointed upright stance and portholed ‘A’ pillars, the City wasn’t going to win any beauty contests. And Thais puzzled as to why Honda had ever bothered with its lift-up-squab ‘magic’ rear seats. The Soluna Vios ran away with the Thai small saloon market, and the Honda City languished. Then some brave person at Honda decided to try the Jazz on the Thai market after all. With the same 110PS 1.5 I-DSI engine and CVT-7 transmission as the City....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=363 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=363'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/363_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1230455987' /></a> Ford Focus III (2008 - ) 362 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=362'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/362_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1229402175' align="left" /></a>'Nearly 6,000 miles, so time for a second report of my Focus ECOnetic 110. As mentioned before, extras include Quickclear screen, perimeter alarm, adaptive front lighting, interior stainless steel interior styling pack, rear park assist, rear side window sun blinds, power converter and, most useful to me, the Communications Pack of small colour screen satnav with a removable SD card memory and Bluetooth hands-free system. I hadn’t noticed until parking in a dark place, but it also has directional headlights. Obviously the main interest in this car is whether an average driver like me, using the car for a mix of short and long journeys, can get anywhere near the claimed fuel economy figures. One thing I have discovered is inconsistency between the fuel computer and my own brim to brims. With the onset of cold weather and an increase in short runs, economy seemed to have been dropping faster than a barometer in hurricane season. The more thermodynamically efficient an engine is, the longer it takes to reach running temperature, and at around zero outside the Focus can take 10 miles. The computer sometimes said under 50mpg. Yet the average has remained remarkably consistent, at between 56.31 and 57.55,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=362 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=362'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/362_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1229402175' /></a> Toyota Avensis (2009 - ) 361 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=361'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/361_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1228507087' align="left" /></a>'This is the new, leaner, greener Avensis. With new, more powerful, and higher revving, yet more economical, lower emission petrol engines, while diesel engines develop more torque at lower revs to give better real world economy. It looks a bit like the latest Corolla Altis, as seen in Bangkok with a welcome red taxi light. Instead of the old bullnose of the previous Avensis, Yaris, Aygo and Hilux, it has acquired a facsimilie of the front of the larger Camry. Not exactly like the Altis, though. The English built Avensis has a bigger grille extending all the way to the front end of the bonnet. Anyone wanting to sell cars in Europe now has to meet an overall fleet average of 130g/km CO2 by 2012. On current projections, helped by the ultra low emitting IQ and Aygo, Toyota is on course for 140g/km in 2009, so, along with Honda, is better placed than most to meet the 130g/km limit without incurring EC fines. This translates into benefits for company car providers and BIK taxpayers because all 1.8 petrol models, including the CVT auto, and all diesels except the D-4D 150 auto and the 180 T-Spirit Tourer come in under 160g/km....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=361 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=361'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/361_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1228507087' /></a> Toyota IQ (2008 - ) 360 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=360'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/360_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1227632741' align="left" /></a>'“I-Cute” doesn’t quite ring true. Pretty, it isn’t. This is a little car for the head, not the heart. A FIAT 500 is cute. A Hyundai i10 1.2 is a brilliant suburban buy. A Toyota IQ is probably the most sensible, practical city car on the planet. In a length of less than 10 feet, it packs in five star NCAP crash safety, four adult size seats and a turning circle of just 3.9 metres. Now ten feet is one foot longer than a Smart ForTwo, but the IQ is For Four, occasionally, when it needs to be, and two or three plus their clobber when it doesn’t. Toyota very wisely held the launch in Milan, which is infested with cars parked haphazardly anywhere the owners can squeeze them in. Unsurprisingly, a lot of these cars are Smart ForTwos that command a practical kind of urban chic. And there are growing numbers of FIAT 500s that are actually less practical and more expensive then the Pandas they are based on, but are bought on looks and looks alone. The Toyota IQ won’t be bought on looks. It’s runtish, though less abbreviated than a Smart. It looks more like a small...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=360 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=360'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/360_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1227632741' /></a> Audi Q5 (2008 - ) 359 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=359'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/359_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1227029917' align="left" /></a>'There’s a startling fact in the Audi presentation document for its new Q5. Only 2% of 4x4 owners have ever driven across rough country. So what’s it all about, then? The answers are status, which we can all understand. And, er, “lifestyle”. That seems to mean showing everyone you have the capability to cross deserts and polar landscapes. That you can ski, windsurf, wake board, scuba dive, climb mountains and do the whole Bear Grylls bit. But really it amounts to keeping up with the school run mums. No sooner has one of them kerbed her alloys dropping off a snotty sprog at the £2,000 a term prep school, then all the others are going to be harassing their husbands into buying the latest wheels in the status stakes. List prices kick off at a reasonable £27,650 for the 2.0TDI, and rise to £37,540 for the 3.0V6TDI SE. But that’s far from the full story, because every car we tried was so loaded with options that in one case the on the road price was over £47,000. Some of these goodies, like the Technology Pack at £1,995 are worth having, because this includes excellent 3-dimensional satnav with an updatable hard...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=359 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=359'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/359_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1227029917' /></a> Mazda Mazda 6 (2008 -) 358 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=358'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/358_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1226428581' align="left" /></a>'The latest incarnation of the Mazda 6 has always been an impressive car. Very handsome, and easily confused in the mind, with the Honda Accord. You have to look twice to be sure which is which. And the Mazda 6 station wagon probably has the most graceful rear end of any station wagon anywhere in the World. It steers and handles beautifully too. Easily on a par with the latest Mondeo at its best. But the engine range wasn’t as strong as the rest of the car. The 1.8 petrol engine is a very good 1.8, but the 2.0 litre doesn’t compare as well with other 2.0 litres, the 2.5 emits too much to get on most people’s shopping lists these days, and the 2.0 diesels, though strong, had been developing a bit of a reputation for turbo trouble in the old Mazda 6. So Mazda got to work on a new alloy block, chain cam, balancer shaft diesel engine, like Toyota raising the capacity to 2.2 litres, and offering it in three different outputs of 125PS, 163PS and 185PS. Not only that, by virtue of some clever technology and a new type of particulate filter, CO2 levels are down...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=358 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=358'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/358_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1226428581' /></a> Renault Megane Coupe (2009 - ) 357 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=357'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/357_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1226170766' align="left" /></a>'Renault has been very clever indeed. Instead of offering a nondescript 3-door version of its new Megane, it has given us a coupe. Which, of course, means that instead of having to charge less, it can charge more. £400 more, actually. But just look at it. Whereas a 3-door Focus looks better than a 5-door Focus the car is still a Focus. Vauxhall has been a bit more successful with the Astra Sport Hatch. Citroen with its distinctive C4 flatback coupe. And KIA with its ProCee’d. But Renault has transformed the Megane into a coupe every bit as stunning as the VW Scirocco. And that statement probably undersells it. The Megane Coupe has a bit less headroom than the hatchback in the back. And a bit less luggage room in the boot. Though it still seats five, not four. Renault engineers stiffened the springs quite a lot, by 19%. And lowered it by 10%. Though even on the 225/44 R17 tyres of our TCE 180 it didn’t rattle our teeth over the ridges that Spanish highway engineers lay in your path to slow you down for ‘obras’. But the most sensational thing about it is the way it goes. The...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=357 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=357'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/357_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1226170766' /></a> Renault Megane III (2008 - ) 356 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=356'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/356_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1226170462' align="left" /></a>'At the time of writing I don’t know if the new Megane was voted European Car of the Year. But it has been, it wouldn’t have been a typical COTY political decision, or another carve-up between the Italians and the French. The new Megane is so comprehensively and refreshingly better than the old one, it deserves the title. True, most of the engines are carry-over belt cammers. But the 1.5 diesels are all under 121g/km and the 1.9 130 is a punchy goer. What’s specially good about the car, apart from the looks (which grow on you), is what Renault has done underneath. It’s almost as if they rediscovered ride comfort. Like Ford did to the back of the FIAT 500 to turn it into the Ka, they’ve softened the springs and increased the roll stiffness. And here they have been even more clever than Ford because, instead of welding an extra bar into the ‘U’ shaped twist-bean, they have made the beam into an almost square section tube, which is lighter. They also worked very hard on the steering. Not only is the rack built into the front suspension subframe, the sensitivity of the electric motor assistance has been...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=356 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=356'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/356_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1226170462' /></a> Ford Ka (2008 - ) 354 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=354'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/354_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1225526785' align="left" /></a>'As you may well have read or seen elsewhere www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=305, I have a FIAT 500. And I’m not going to pretend the new Ford Ka has nothing in common with it. It’s basically the same car, or Ka, however you spell it. The future will apparently bring us a Ka with a new 900cc two cylinder petrol turbo engine developing up to 110bhp and 120Nm torque and capable of 60mpg. And an ultra-economical 900cc turbodiesel ECOnetic emitting just 80g/km CO2. But, in the meantime, we have to settle for FIAT’s 1,242cc 69PS petrol engine and 1,248cc 75PS Multijet diesel, with Ford names attached to them. No problem there. My 500 1.2 petrol is returning 51.1mpg in mixed use and, while no ball of fire, is a decent, relaxed and pleasant performer. Its Achilles heel is its handling. Get it on a roundabout and while the entry is fine, the left turn onto the exit road can have the back end lifting a wheel and hopping across the road. It’s simply too stiff. Lowering the tyre pressures a couple of pounds curbs its tendency to head towards the kerb and improves ride quality a bit, but doesn’t entirely eliminate the deficiency....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=354 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=354'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/354_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1225526785' /></a> Suzuki Grand Vitara LWB (2005 - ) 355 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=355'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/355_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1225952325' align="left" /></a>'Two years on from my first test of a pair of Grand Vitaras, a 1.6 petrol SWB and a 1.9 diesel LWB, Suzuki sent me its new 2.4 ‘silent chain cam’ petrol model to complete the hat trick. You can actually get this new engine in both sizes of Vitara. And with a 4-speed automatic transmission that still keeps the CO2 under punitive tax bands. Emissions are actually slightly lower than the old 2.0 litre petrol engine. The car has had a mild facelift (it wasn’t showing any wrinkles). The front end is slightly different, door mirrors now incorporate side indicators, and there are some extra touches of ‘quality’ inside, such as grey wood inlays to the dash. The 6CD player radio now has MP3 compatibility. The 5-door version is now on 18” wheels with 225/60 R18 tyres. All keep their full 4WD functions of selectable 2WD, 4WD high range, 4WD high with locked centre diff, and 4WD low range with locked centre diff. So it’s a serious off-roader if you need it to be. Gearing of the 5-speed manual worked out at about 23.5mph per 1,000rpm giving a 3,000 70mph cruise. It will tow 1,850kg. From memory, ride quality...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=355 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=355'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/355_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1225952325' /></a> Hyundai i10 (2008 - ) 353 Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=353'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/353_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224952491' align="left" /></a>'I really liked the original Hyundai i10 1.1 when I tested it back in March. And so, it seems, did everyone else. Demand exceeded supply by more than 50% and, after expecting to sell 7,000 in its first year, by October 2008 Hyundai had already sold 11,000. The main problem was supply of the 1.1 engines. Happily now solved by the advent of the all-new alloy block, chain-cam 1.2 Kappa engine. This eager little engine delivers more power and torque and more performance, yet emits slightly less CO2. Enough less to put the all singing, all dancing Style model with alloys, aircon, all-electric windows and electric sunroof into the £35/£30 tax bracket. Astonishingly, this tiny car is actually a full-five seater, with five proper lap/diagonal seatbelts. There’s plenty of headroom in the back. And the rear cushions fold forward so the 60/40 seatbacks can be folded to leave a flat luggage deck. Underneath the rearmost section there’s a 6” deep modular tray. And under that, a space-saver spare wheel. It somehow conspires to out-Panda a Panda, offering quite strong acceleration at low speeds and astonishing handling for something so small and tall. It gets a bit flat on the motorway,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=353 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=353'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/353_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224952491' /></a> Renault Laguna Coupe (2009 - ) 352 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=352'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/352_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224748410' align="left" /></a>'The new Renault Laguna hatchback left some reviewers underwhelmed. Yet the Laguna Coupe has completely the opposite effect. The shark’s mouth front that doesn’t quite work with the hatchback looks made for the coupe. It looks good from every angle: full on front, side, even the rear end has a sexy new interpretation of the Renault ‘bum’. The car comes as a straight coupe with 150PS 2.0 litre diesel pr 205PS 2.0 petrol turbo engines and 6-speed manual boxes. The diesel can be ordered with a 6-speed autobox. In Europe there’s also an ultra low emission, low tax 150g/km CO2 175PS 2.0 diesel in non-GT coupe versions only. But the more interesting version is the GT that incorporates Renault’s much lauded 4Control four-wheel steering chassis. The engine range for that is 180PS 2.0 litre diesel, 205PS 2.0 petrol turbo, both with manual 6-speeders; or a new chain-cam 235PS 3.0 litre V6 diesel, or a new belt-cam 240PS 3.5 litre V6 petrol, both with 6-speed autoboxes. When I tell you the V6 diesel develops 450Nm torque from just 1,500rpm compared to the 300Nm of the petrol, and that it comes in under 200g/km CO2, then you’d have to be a real...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=352 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=352'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/352_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224748410' /></a> Mazda BT-50 pick-up (2006 - ) 351 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=351'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/351_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224507075' align="left" /></a>'The Mazda BT-50 pick up, originally launched in 2006, has just had an upgrade, with the new option of a 3.0 litre engine and 5-speed automatic transmission for the UK. So, a good time for a road test. Interiors now feature nicer upholstery, pleasant amber lighting for the switches and an AUX jack for the audio system. Outside there’s a new grille, new lights front and rear and new colours. The 4x4s can all tow 3,000kg braked, and have an impressive load capacity of 1,219kg. The UK doesn’t get the ‘Freestyle’ 2+2 cab, the first cab of its type with pillarless rear-hinged rear doors for the simple reason they don’t sell well enough. But we do get the 2WD or 4WD single cab and the 4WD double cab, the latter with a 143PS 2.5 engine and 5-speed manual box, or the new 156PS 3.0 engine coupled to a 5-speed automatic box (unfortunately, not available for testing). Sales of all pick-ups in the UK have been hit by removal of the BIK tax advantage they used to enjoy that made them much cheaper for company drivers than a car. To ease this pain slightly, particularly for small limited companies, Mazda UK...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=351 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=351'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/351_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224507075' /></a> Suzuki Swift (2005 - ) 350 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=350'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/350_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224221984' align="left" /></a>'This car surprised me. I’d driven a Swift before at an SMMT test day and not been particularly impressed. But maybe that’s because I drove twenty other cars the same day. I really liked the 1.5GLX Suzuki sent me this week. I knew readers had the hots for it because of all the e-mails I received from the Suzuki Swift fan club. So I thought I’d better make a longer acquaintance with the car. The 1.3 and 1.5 petrol engines are chain-cam, Toyota Yaris derived. We’ve got the 1.5 in our Vios in Thailand, where it develops a bit more power and plenty of torque that matches its long (automatic) gearing very well. The Swift 1.5 has plenty of low down grunt too. You can row it along economically like a diesel, not needing high revs. And it’s an eager little thing, like an excitable Pug puppy. The steering is light, but with plenty of feel. With a wheel in each corner and quite wide track it feels well ‘planted’. And it grips like a Pit Bull Terrier. Just doesn’t want to let go at all. On our video test, my ‘assistant’ dropped her camera and complained it was like...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=350 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=350'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/350_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1224221984' /></a> Volvo XC60 (2008 - ) 349 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=349'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/349_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1222701418' align="left" /></a>'by Chris Rees. It was a Brit – Paul Horbury – who changed forever Volvo’s shoebox styling ethic by penning cars like the original C70 and S80. Now another British designer is radically changing Volvo’s style: Steve Mattin (whose last job was designing the Mercedes GL and ML) is the man behind the new Volvo XC60, a car whose design, according to Volvo, embodies ideas like ‘emotional’ and ‘dramatic’. It’s certainly a striking design. In the compact 4x4 market – a new place for Volvo to populate – it really stands out. An implausibly high waistline and a dramatically sculpted rear end shout for attention. One reason the XC60 is so striking is because it looks so big, rather like a slightly shrunken but modernised XC90, but actually it isn’t that long (it’s only 13cm longer than a Volvo V50, for instance). If the exterior is a shock, the interior remains very ‘Volvo’ – which is a Good Thing. It’s full of clean lines, wonderfully tactile surfaces and a choice of tasteful Scandinavian wood or aluminium trim. But even here you can appreciate changes: the trademark floating centre console is now angled towards the driver, BMW-style, and the ‘X’ motif...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=349 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=349'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/349_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1222701418' /></a> Skoda Superb (2008 - ) 348 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=348'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/348_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1221187506' align="left" /></a>'If you’re looking for a mini limo, look no further. The old Skoda Superb found a lot of friends. The new one looks set to be more popular than a tax cut. To stretch a point, there’s more legroom in the back than in business class. Behind the back seats, a colossal 565 litres of boot space. Twice as much as some cars. And so you don’t do your back in loading luggage, the bootlid will open conventionally, like a saloon. Or you can open the whole back, like a hatchback. Taxi drivers, please form an orderly queue outside your Skoda dealer. To castigate it as a cab isn’t fair to the car. It’s also a decent drive. Much better than the VW Passat that donated some of its suspension to Skoda’s own floorpan. We took out the 2.0 170PS common rail diesel, also found under the bonnets of Audis and Passats. In our case the Elegance model with standard fit Columbus touch-screen satnav with Bluetooth and full leather seats. It’s easy to get comfortable. The dash lights up in nice shades of green. The satnav has really good graphics, and transforms to a pictogram of the car showing how...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=348 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=348'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/348_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1221187506' /></a> Honda Jazz/Fit (2008 - ) 347 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=347'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/347_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1220375356' align="left" /></a>'I don’t have to argue people into buying a Jazz. They love it anyway, for all of the sensible reasons I’d have used in my sales pitch. So it’s not an emotional decision based on looks alone, as it might be for a Fiat 500 or a MINI. It’s the whole package: a car that’s going to do everything you want, never let you down, and not cost a lot to run. Unlike the average bloke. The new Jazz takes everything people loved about the old Jazz. Then takes it all a couple of steps forwards. You get an even more versatile interior. Better performance. Improved economy. And they’ve also made it handle and ride better, the two less than brilliant aspects of the old car that buyers tolerated because the rest of the car was so good. Prices start at £9,990 for the basic 1.2S, now with a chirpy 90PS VTEC engine rather than an 83PS DSI and coming in under 120g/km CO2, which means £30 tax next year. You pay an extra £1,000 for the same deal with a/c and alloys. But the 1.2 isn’t quite gutsy enough on the motorway, so better to pay an extra £500...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=347 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=347'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/347_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1220375356' /></a> Ford Fiesta (2009 - ) 346 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=346'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/346_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1220084768' align="left" /></a>'This is Ford’s big new baby, and its first truly world car since the Model A. The new Fiesta will be built in plants throughout the planet, from Valencia in Spain to Rayong in Thailand. In a couple of years there are going to be literally millions of them out there. Why is it so important? The reason is the world is finally seeing sense and downsizing to cars that don’t gobble up too many diminishing and increasingly expensive resources. Bigger cars may have been profitable, but don’t look good the balance sheet if you can’t sell them. So Ford has applied big car thinking to its small car to make it a car people not only want to own but one it can make money out of. Ford hasn’t just shrink-wrapped a Mondeo. It started from scratch. The structure is immensely robust, especially the cocoon around the cabin, made out of 55% high tensile steel, multi-layered for strength. There are at least five airbags. The bonnet is built to cushion pedestrians. The car is designed from the start to achieve five NCAP stars. The whole front softly deforms on a glancing blow. And even the paint over the front...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=346 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=346'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/346_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1220084768' /></a> Honda Jazz/Fit (2008 - ) 340 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=340'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/340_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1217223974' align="left" /></a>'Now with driving impressions embargoed until 25-8-08 The new Jazz goes on sale in the UK in October. It’s slightly bigger, much prettier, and different from new Jazz sold in Japan since last October and in Thailand since March. The difference from the Japanese and Thai versions is why we had to wait for it so long. Instead of the new 100PS 1.3 and 120PS and 140PS 1.5 i-VTECs with a CVT-7 option on the 1.5, we are getting a 90PS 1.2 and a 100PS 1.4 I-VETEC with an optional 6-speed i-SHIFT automated manual. The reason is fuel economy and CO2 emissions. And a completely different UK and European market for the car from Japan and Thailand. In the EC tests, the new 1.2 manual will deliver an excellent 55.4mpg and emits just 120g/km CO2, putting it in Band B for VED at £35 this year, £30 next year. The only way to get this sort of figure for the automatic was to adopt the more efficient i-SHIFT automated clutch system developed for the Civic. Consequently, the 1.4 i-SHIFT manages 54.3mpg combined and, also at 120g/km, sneaks into the £35/£30 tax bracket. Only the 1.4 manual is over, at 124g/km...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=340 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=340'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/340_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1217223974' /></a> Dodge Journey (2008 - ) 345 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=345'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/345_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1219566789' align="left" /></a>'If you think of the Qashqai +2 as a 7-seater Qashqai, then you’d be forgiven for looking at the Journey as a 7-seater Caliber. But it’s a bit better than that. Like the Caliber, it’s front-drive only, not the 4x4 it appears to be. So it’s easier on fuel, yet shrugs off kerbs and speed cushions as effectively as an SUV. It has a lot of showroom appeal. The LED dash lights up like a small aircraft’s and is very clear in all lighting situations. (Our two-hour test drive contrived to give us every kind of climatic condition of a lousy English summer.) The ‘Tilt ‘N Slide’ centre seats fold up and slide cleverly forwards in one movement for access to the rearmost. Being sort-of American there are cupholders everywhere. All three centre-rear seats have ISOFIX tethers, so one kiddy can sit in the middle with a clear view forwards, though they won’t take three child seats across. The rear side doors open 90 degrees making installation of child seats less back-breaking than usual. Seats are progressively 40mm and 17mm higher helping rear passengers see forwards. There are bins under the floor with removable wet liners, like small washing up...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=345 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=345'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/345_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1219566789' /></a> Volkswagen Scirocco Mk III (2008 - ) 344 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=344'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/344_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1219220044' align="left" /></a>'Not long ago it seemed that every manufacturer was giving up on coupes. GM killed the Calibra. It was curtains for Ford’s Cougar and Puma. Toyota terminated the Celica. VW gave its Corrado the coupe de grace. Only Peugeot persevered with its astonishingly refined 407 coupe. Hyundai hit the hot spot with its Corrado inspired Coupe. And Alfa stayed in there with its GT and Brera. But times change. Where before a niche was the way to lose money, now it’s one of the few means to make money. Profits don’t come from cheap, mass-market eco cars. They come from what the public perceives as exclusive autos. So if a manufacturer can create a bit of wow factor status and charge more money for it at no greater manufacturing cost, his eyes light up like a cash register. So the Scirocco (named after a north African wind) is like a breath of fresh air. The last two were both based on the Mk 1 Golf. This one’s underpinnings come from next year’s Golf Mk VI. And it certainly brings back the excitement of the wonderful 190PS Corrado VR6. Unfortunately, like some people, it does not photograph well. You’ve got to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=344 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=344'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/344_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1219220044' /></a> Ford Focus III (2008 - ) 343 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=343'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/343_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1218814647' align="left" /></a>'I’ve got my own cute little FIAT 500. But the car I’ve been doing the miles in is a Ford Focus ECOnetic. It took a long time to arrive because I’d ordered it in ‘Frozen White’ and the first production ECOnetics were metallic blue. Extras include Quickclear screen, perimeter alarm, adaptive front lighting, interior stainless steel interior styling pack, rear park assist, rear side window sun blinds, power converter and, most useful to me, the Communications Pack of small colour screen satnav with a removable chip memory and Bluetooth hands free system. Normally the car would list at £16,550, but mine came in at £18,625, though all Fords are priced to be discounted so you can knock as least a couple off that. All Focus III 1.6 diesels are under 121g/km CO2, so £35 tax, but by virtue of low rolling resistance tyres and an aerodynamic body kit the ECOnetic gets down to 115g/km and squeezes an extra 3mpg out of a gallon at a certificated combined figure of 58.9mpg. The 90PS version does even better at 114g/km and 65.6mpg. I got 63.9 on my first day with the car on a business trip into Fulham. But that soon dropped...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=343 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=343'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/343_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1218814647' /></a> Jeep Cherokee (2008 - ) 342 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=342'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/342_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1218127238' align="left" /></a>'Despite at least 65 4x4 SUVs on the UK market, if you want a real off-roader for around £25k, and you need to do certain things, you could find yourself stuck in the mud. Say, for instance, you have to tow a big twin-axle caravan, or a double horsebox, or a biggish boat, or a sizeable livestock trailer, or a hamburger stand, then you’re caught between a stone and a boulder. On the one hand there are any number of SUVs that can tug up to 2,200kg. But they won’t be brawny enough. On the other hand there are the big bruisers from Toyota and Land Rover that can haul 3,500kg. But they’re either too crude or too expensive. So you’re left with the KIA Sorento and the Nissan Pathfinder. Both good off road. Both capable of tugging at least 2,800kg. Both offered with manual or automatic boxes and decent diesel engines. Both with no charisma. Back in the 1990s, the Jeep Cherokee used to dominate this middle area of the 4x4 market. It created the image that enabled Jeep to go upmarket with the Grand Cherokee. And since the first Land Rover was really just an English copy of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=342 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=342'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/342_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1218127238' /></a> Abarth Grande Punto (2008 - ) 341 Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=341'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/341_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1217773292' align="left" /></a>'In the days when small FIATs had their engines in the back, Carlo Abarth was the guy who put the stings in their tails. Hence the scorpion badge. His special parts used to arrive at the tuning shop in a wooden crate. And the spannermen would get to work turning a humble FIAT 600 into an Abarth 750TC, then 850TC and eventually 1000TC developing as much as 108bhp. Abarth went on to build beautiful little rear-engined Zagato bodied coupes with FIAT or Simca based engines, some of which were finished off by Radbourne Racing in London. And he graduated to bigger and better ventures including sportscar racing, taking on the likes of Porsche and Ferrari with considerable success. The FIAT brand reflected in this glory so it was only natural that FIAT should want to revive the notoriety of the Abarth name. As well as sticking scorpion badges all over the Grande Punto, it has done a proper job that Carlo would have approved of. Under the bonnet you get a mildly tweaked FIAT 1.4 T-Jet engine, mustering 155PS instead of its normal 150, with a ‘sport’ overboost button that summons an extra 17lb ft of torque, bringing the max...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=341 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=341'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/341_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1217773292' /></a> SEAT Ibiza IV (2008 - ) 339 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=339'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/339_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1216573469' align="left" /></a>'Good news, everybody. VAG has finally come up with a new floorpan that’s the equal of the class-leading Toyota Yaris. And the first car you’ll find on top of it is the very pretty, spacious and comfortable new SEAT Ibiza. It’s the first car styled under the leadership of Luc Donckerwolke, who took over from Walter d’Silva, and a very nice job he has made of it. From some angles, the “Dynamic” criss-cross crease lines make it look like a Mazda 2, though it’s actually taller and squarer. Despite that and a deep 292 litre boot (with a full size spare wheel underneath), it’s actually lighter than the old Ibiza, so goes a bit better with lower CO2s and better economy. There will be no “coches viernes”, either, because the President of SEAT, Erich Schmitt, randomly, but personally, checks the quality of cars coming off the line. There are as few new features across the range. A hill hold control stops the car rolling back for two seconds after you release the parking brake. There are optional cornering foglights and, on cars with Bi-Xenon lights, these too follow the direction the car is being steered. Instead of expensive factory-fitted satnav,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=339 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=339'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/339_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1216573469' /></a> MINI Cooper S JCW R56 (2008 - ) 338 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=338'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/338_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1216014868' align="left" /></a>'On the launch in Spain back in 2006 I found the original pre-production R56 Cooper S a big antiseptic. We were promised go-kart handling and we got something with as much feel as a TV remote control. So we said so, and MINI Project Leader Horst Radibojevic seemed to take it to heart. He made sure the production cars were a lot more fun to drive. But now it’s almost as if Herr Radibojevic has been losing sleep over our slurs. Because the 211PS John Cooper Works is a little monster. If you don’t touch anything, it behaves like any other ‘Health & Safety’ sports car with 211PS and an all-up weight of 1,130 kilos. All kinds of initials and acronyms conspire together to turn it into the sort of motor anyone can drive and no one can get into trouble in. But then, there are a couple of buttons. Press ‘Sport’ and the throttle response and the steering become sharper, but do not gain any ‘feel’. Press DSC for 1 second and you raise the level at which the electronics step in to keep you on the road. Press DSC for 3 seconds and it’s like opening the lion’s...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=338 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=338'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/338_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1216014868' /></a> Mitsubishi Lancer (2008 - ) 337 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=337'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/337_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1215593031' align="left" /></a>'Road Test by Sarah Thomas The Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart 2.0 turbo with twin clutch SST is a generously proportioned C-segment car. Due for launch is early 2009 it looks set to provide him and her with a great balance between a good looking and comfortable family car with the high sports performance and handling of the Evo as well as an array of great kit that comes as standard. Complementing the Lancer Sports Sedan and the Lancer Evolution, The Sportback and Sportback Ralliart have been designed to connect the strategic dots and become the driving force of Mitsubishi Motors passenger car offensive. With 344 litres of standard boot and 1,394 litres with the back seats down, the Ralliart is one of the largest cars in the competitive C segment, making it an excellent choice for the family who like to get out and about. You also get a lot of car for your money, even at basic trim level as the Sportback Ralliart is kitted out to a very high spec and comes as standard with: *650 W Rockford FosgateTM premium audio system *Hard Disk Drive (HDD) 7-inch LCD monitor on-board navigation *BluetoothTM-enabled hands-free phone kit *Auto-light control &...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=337 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=337'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/337_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1215593031' /></a> Citroen Berlingo Multispace II (2008 - ) 336 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=336'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/336_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1213361705' align="left" /></a>'Citroen doesn’t seem to be able to stop making its old models. The public won’t allow it to. Just as the Xsara Picasso lives on to sell alongside the C4 Picasso, so too will the original Berlingo Multispace enjoy an afterlife, its production lines moved from Vigo to another factory in France. That’s fortunate because, like the C4 Picasso, the new Berlingo Multispace is an altogether more sophisticated car than its revered ancestor. It sits on the same platform and suspension as the C4 and the Peugeot 308SW. So instead of being quite good for a van it actually is car-like to drive with a fine blend of ride and handling that belie its utilitarian looks. It shares the same engines as the C4 and 308, available now with the 110PS 1.6 HDI that seems to power everything these days, as well as lower powered diesel and petrol engines. They’ve made it more family orientated, with stowage spaces all over the place, and folding picnic tables on the backs of the front seats together with three separate folding, reclining and totally removable rear seats on XTR versions. Behind them you can still carry a washing machine, fridge, motor mower, double...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=336 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=336'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/336_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1213361705' /></a> Audi A4 B8 Avant (2008 - 335 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=335'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/335_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1213022442' align="left" /></a>'Just as night follows day, the wagon version of a new car follows the saloon. But an A4 Avant is more than just an estate car. It’s a brand in itself. I remember the launch of the A4 B6 Avant in Berlin. The saloon had been out for at least 9 months. Yet nevertheless the excitement on the faces of people in B5 Avants when they saw the new car was palpable. They craned their necks, pointed, spoke to each other in excited tones, set a new target for their hard-earned income. It wasn’t quite like that for the B8 Avant. We’d already hade two bites of that particular cherry, driving LHDs in Sardinia and RHDs in Portugal. No point in jetting us off somewhere special for the load-lugging version. We already knew it would drive pretty much the same. (Test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=295) But now the range has expanded to include more engines, including a quick, frugal and low CO2 2.0TFSI. And, like the saloon, the new Avant is not only quite a bit bigger than the old one, it sits on a longer wheelbase. This translates into more head and legroom for passengers, more loadspace, now up to 1,430...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=335 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=335'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/335_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1213022442' /></a> FIAT Bravo (2007 - ) 334 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=334'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/334_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1212825757' align="left" /></a>'Tax, the price of oil and particularly the UK price of diesel mean that ECO is becoming increasingly important. Every manufacturer now has an mid size ECO diesel: Citroen with the C4 1.6HDI EGS, Peugeot with its 1.6HDI 308s, Ford with its Focus ECOnetic, VW with its Golf Bluemotion, and now FIAT with its new Bravo 1.6 Multijet. These days, instead of offering performance none of us can legally use, manufacturers put their finest minds to work on reducing CO2 and increasing economy. I’m currently running a Ford Focus ECOnetic that is turning in a remarkable 62.4mpg, the best economy of any car I have ever driven. FIAT has tackled this too, but in a slightly different way. FIAT Powertrain Integration Manager Gianluca Sapia explained. And managed to apply as much charm to emissions control as Julie Eckersley does to the news. He told us that FIAT has overcome its diesel EGR valve problems by using a DC motor instead of a solenoid, allowing much more precise control. The diesel particulate filter is located close to the engine where exhaust gases are hotter and help it regenerate more efficiently. The entire engine weighs a mere 170 kilos. The injection pump...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=334 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=334'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/334_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1212825757' /></a> Ford Kuga (2008 - ) 333 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=333'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/333_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1212489519' align="left" /></a>'What do you do when you’re second last to join the party? Everyone else has been there for hours. Some even from 5 o’clock. So how do you suddenly become life and soul? For the small SUV shindig, Ford made its Kuga best to drive. There are gimmicks, of course. Including a hatchback within a hatchback, so you can fill the load area with Tesco’s bags without smashing the eggs when you slam the back shut. And you get rear picnic tables for the kids to collapse their MacDonald’s fries and cokes onto their laps. But apart from that it’s a proper Ford. Which means, like the Focus and Mondeo, it sets a new class standard for ride, handling and feelgood factor behind the wheel. Instead of something cheaper and nastier, Ford has adopted the expensive and extremely well proven Haldex centre clutch, as used by Audi in its quattro systems. Under the bonnet you get the latest, improved, Dagenham built, 2.0 ‘Duratorq’ TDCI 136 engine, which Ford now makes for Peugeot, Citroen and Volvo. And which, significantly, chunders out a mere 169g/km of CO2, less than any other diesel SUV apart from the Nissan Qashqai 1.5DCI, and which means...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=333 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=333'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/333_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1212489519' /></a> Peugeot 308 SW (2008 - ) 332 Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=332'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/332_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211831609' align="left" /></a>'This car is unique. It’s the only station wagon available in the UK with the option of seven seats. And they are all forward facing. The outgoing 307 SW wasn’t bad, combining a great chassis with 7-seater capability. But the Peugeot designers in Paris have looked at every way they could improve it. And I’m pleased to say they have, not least in offering it with a sweet, flexible 150PS turbo petrol engine and all-new 6-speed box that gives it the capability of around 38 mpg. Who needs a ‘depollution system faulty’ diesel? Especially at 125p a litre. To list the improvements I’ll start at the back and work forwards. Unlike the 307SW, but like the 207SW, the rear window opens either to drop stuff in the back, or carry ladders or kayaks with one end poking out of the back (more on that later). Like the 307SW, the rearmost seats are removable. Unlike the 207, they fold up into neat suitcase size for easy removal and storage. Though if you want to leave them in the car you can double fold them against the backs of the centre row. All three centre seats are full size. They are set...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=332 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=332'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/332_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211831609' /></a> Mercedes Benz SLK (2004 - ) 331 Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=331'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/331_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211831102' align="left" /></a>'While Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone battled it out in the London Mayoral elections, another war had erupted in the Home Counties. Porsche, based in Berkshire, challenged the hike in C Tax for high emitters scheduled to start in October 2008. If Ken Livingstone had been re-elected, cars emitting more than 225g/km were set to be charged a daily rate of £25 to enter London, with no exemption for residents. Those under 226g/km would have remained at £8 per day, and those under 121g/km would have been exempt. Boris Johnson has promised to abolish the £25 tax, but we have yet to see what he will actually do once he gets a look at London’s accounts. Happily those following Ken’s footsteps in Manchester have also followed Ken’s out of the door as voters voted with their wheels. The other tax faced by owners of cars over 225g/km is VED. From March 2009, VED on a car emitting 226-255g/km will be £415 a year, and for those emitting over 255g/km, £440 a year. Additionally, from March 2010, these cars will be hit with an additional purchase tax of £750 and £950 respectively. So does this mean the end of expensive cars...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=331 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=331'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/331_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211831102' /></a> Chevrolet Epica (2008 - ) 330 Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=330'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/330_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211789557' align="left" /></a>'Oddball car, this one. Mondeo sized. With a choice of 5-speed manual diesel, 6-speed automatic diesel, or 5-speed manual transverse straight-six petrol. Badged ‘Chevrolet’, yet built in South Korea. The straight six LS model will set you back a startlingly reasonable £13,595. This is for a big car 15’ 9” long with a colossal 480 litre boot and bags of room in the back seat. Usefully, the seatbacks fold down 60/40 so you can carry long loads if you want to. So what’s it like? You can judge for yourself how it looks from the snapshots. I’d stay slightly ungainly. A bit too high off the ground. Though there is a bodykit to address that if you so wish. You get a stack of kit, including air conditioning, 16” alloy wheels, cruise control, electric front and rear windows, electric mirrors, double DIN CD radio with MP3 socket, steering wheel radio controls, front, side and curtain airbags, leather covered steering wheel, and even part-leather seats. The 1,993cc six-cylinder engine is double overhead chain cam, puts out 141bhp and 195Nm torque and pulls the car to 60 in 9.6 seconds before running on to a top speed of 129mph. You pay at...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=330 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=330'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/330_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211789557' /></a> Hyundai Grandeur (2006 - ) 329 Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=329'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/329_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211529997' align="left" /></a>'Chances are the Grandeur is a car you’ve never seen or even heard about. It’s imported in very limited numbers, to order only and the loan of this one was a rare privilege. I first became aware of it at the UK launch of the Hyundai i30, when Ken Lee, Hyundai Motor UK’s President, turned up in one. Nice shape, I thought. Luxurious interior. Popped the bonnet and found a transverse 3.3 litre quad-chain-cam V6 lurking underneath. So, naturally, I expressed an interest. The old Hyundai XG30 was a reasonable enough luxo-barge. But Hyundai has moved on since those days. So how much better could the Grandeur be? My first surprise was that the car delivered wasn’t the one I had seen before. That had been metallic grey with a startling white leather interior. The car that came was stately solid black with black leather inside. Launched 2005, it’s way behind the technology of last week’s Jaguar XF. The doors don’t automatically open because you’ve got the keyfob in your pocket. There’s no button starter. No gear change switch that rises like magic out of the centre console. The Grandeur is much more traditional and, it has to be said,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=329 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=329'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/329_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211529997' /></a> Renault Grand Modus (2008 - ) 328 Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=328'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/328_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211353693' align="left" /></a>'I liked the original Modus a lot more than I had expected to. Cute, likeable, practical and a good drive summed it up. Now Renault has stretched it six and a half inches, which doesn’t read like much, but makes a much bigger difference. Gone is the clever ‘Triptic’ rear seat because, with 160mm more wheelbase, the Grand Modus doesn’t need its back seat to become narrower to slide backwards and forwards. There’s better rear access, too, because the rear doors are also 160mm longer. Combined with the height of the seats and the excellent front access, this makes the Grande Modus ideal for the elderly, or anyone needing good ingress and egress front and back. And, of course, if you slide the seat back you don’t lose space in the centre as you do with the ‘Triptic’ seat, so the Grand Modus remains a 5-seater. It’s not quite so versatile in the seat folding stakes, though. You can fold down either side of the 60/40 backrest, but to completely free the floorspace you have to unclip the heavy seat sliding mechanism and fold the whole thing forward. That frees up 1,454 litres of loadspace compared to 1,283 in the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=328 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=328'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/328_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1211353693' /></a> Jaguar XF (2008 - ) 327 Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=327'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/327_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1210784987' align="left" /></a>'I’m in love. With a car. Daft as it sounds, if you read on you might start falling for the Jaguar XF as well. I can’t remember feeling so good in a car. Except, maybe, during a brief fling with an XKR convertible. The XF I’ve been driving isn’t one with the slightly suspect 2.7 V6 diesel engine. Or with the old Mondeo’s 3.0 litre V6, not bad that this engine is. I’ve been tooling around in the all-Jaguar 300bhp XF 4.2 V8. And unless you stump up an extra £10k for a supercharger, that’s the quickest one they make. It was black. A good colour for it because it accentuates its length. At 16’ 3” it stuck out from my hard-standing as much as a Mercedes CLS had a few years ago. And it looked so long and sleek I couldn’t wait to get comfortable inside. That’s when it plays a couple of unnecessary but effective tricks. It’s keyless, so you just walk up to the car with a gizmo in your pocket, get in, press the brake pedal with a foot, and press the starter button with a finger. It doesn’t start, it whoops into life with a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=327 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=327'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/327_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1210784987' /></a> Renault Koleos SUV (2008 - ) 326 Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=326'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/326_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209808225' align="left" /></a>'Up against at least 23 direct competitors, and a total of 65 other 4x4 SUVs the Renault Koleos had better be good. It is. Renault doesn’t call it a ‘4x4’ or an ‘SUV’. Instead it prefers the title ‘Crossover’. By which it means a cross between a hatchback, a 4x4 and an MPV. And it reckons that, coming almost last in the race to build this sort of vehicle, it has learned from the successes and failures of everything in front of it. For example, the rear seat folding mechanism is clever, and a bit like the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage’s. You pull a lever either side of the hatchback and both sides of the 60/40 split rear seat flop down leaving a flat, unobstructed floor. Instead of one big hatchback, the tailgate is split horizontally, so the top lifts up and the bottom hinges down, like a Mitsubishi Outlander’s, taking 200kg, so two people can sit on it spectating at an event, or while pulling on their Wellingtons. Rather than a limp-wristed excuse of a 4WD system, like a CR-V’s or RAV-4’s, the Koleos has the full Nissan X-Trail kit, that selects 4wd automatically when needed, allows you...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=326 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=326'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/326_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209808225' /></a> Mercedes Benz C-Class W204 (2007 -) 325 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=325'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/325_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209545533' align="left" /></a>'I missed the original launch of the W204 C Class and had to get a colleague to write the test for me. Ironically, my first drive of a W204 was on the Honda Accord launch the week before ‘my’ C320CDI arrived. Honda had hired examples of the competition and the Mercedes representative was a base spec C200CDI Classic SE manual. I actually liked that car. It felt hewn from solid, completely honest and that it would do 1,000,000 miles. It wasn’t fast, but the gear ratios were well matched to the engine, it handled well and it was comfortable enough for the driver to last 1,000,000 miles as well. The £42,000 C320CDI Sport estate was a different kind of animal. In basic form it costs £35,000, but this one had £7,000 of extras. The usual stuff: leather at £1,295, satnav at £1,995, park assist at £605, metallic paint at £620. However it did include (for £610) a very clever towbar that completely tucked away under the rear valence where it could do no harm when not in use. For the £17,500 extra it cost over the C200CDI Classic saloon, this C329CDI Sport estate was a genuine luxury sports estate. Instead...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=325 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=325'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/325_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209545533' /></a> Audi A3 cabrio (2008 - ) 324 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=324'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/324_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209459483' align="left" /></a>'We tested the new A3 Cabrio on a perfect day. Half way through our drive the skies opened and it rained cats, dogs, frogs and fishes. Ideal weather to check Audi’s claim that you can get the roof over your head in 9 seconds flat. Audi made some interesting claims about that roof. The advantages of fabric compared to the folding tin tops we have been seeing from almost everyone else. Status is one. A coupe convertible with the top up doesn’t look like a convertible. It can look like you are driving something as mundane as a saloon. Trunk space is another. Most coupe convertibles rob you of almost all of it with the top down, but the Audi hood sits on top of the trunk, leaving a very useful 260 litres of space into which to post your luggage. And it’s lighter, so, combined with the strengthening of the structure at floor level, it gives the car a lower centre of gravity than a folding tintop. You can get a 160PS 1.8TFSI, a 200PS 2.0TFSI, a 105PS 1.9TDI and a 140PS 2.0TDI. (That’s the old PD engine rather than the new piezo injected 2.0TDI in the A4 B8.)...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=324 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=324'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/324_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209459483' /></a> Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life (2008 - ) 323 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=323'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/323_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209017289' align="left" /></a>'Suddenly there’s an answer to everyone who needs to carry seven people and their luggage as well. It’s diesel. It costs just £15,995. And it’s from Volkswagen, the same people who would otherwise offer you the colossal Caravelle at upwards of £28,405. Peugeot’s excellent 8/9 seater Expert Teepee undercuts the Caravelle, of course, offering similar levels of accommodation at prices from £19,000. And soon we’ll see the powerful new Hyundai i800 8 seater at £18,500 - £19,500. However, £15,995 is a lot less than that. So what do you get for your money? 4,875mm is 16’ 0”, the same length as an Isuzu Rodeo pick-up, so don’t expect to be able to park it in the same space as a Polo. The driver sits van high rather than SUV high. The three centre passengers all get full sized seats at the same height. While the rearmost pair sit slightly higher, opera style, peering over the shoulders of the three in front. There’s plenty of head, shoulder and legroom for everyone. And simple, double-folding access through the sliding side doors to the rearmost seats. Behind them is a luggage deck most car owners would be glad to have. Big enough to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=323 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=323'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/323_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1209017289' /></a> Subaru Legacy and Outback Diesel (2008 - 2009) 322 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=322'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/322_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1208932550' align="left" /></a>'This is a car so many people have been waiting for so long that as well as commissioning a write-up I had to test it myself. You can read Danny Cobbs test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=306. For my impressions, read on here. I found this a very honest car. In the spec that showed up it’s fairly basic, with things like alloy wheels, aircon and cruise control, but not much else. I have to say I actually prefer the wide, flat cloth seats to the leather bound chairs in the last Legacy I tested. Start up and it can sound like someone is rattling an old box of spanners under the bonnet. It’s certainly not as smooth as the new Accord diesel, or the KIA Cee’d/Hyundai i30 chain-cam diesels for that matter. (Unlike Subaru petrol engines, the 2.0 Boxer diesel is chain-cam.) But once you’re underway the noises recede and the awareness you’re driving a diesel comes from the strong torque rather than the chatter of the engine. Where many diesels are geared at around 35mph per 1,000rpm in 6th, the Legacy boxer only has 5 gears in its pleasingly precise shifting box and 5th gives around 32mph per 1,000rpm. This not...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=322 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=322'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/322_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1208932550' /></a> Honda Accord Tourer (2008 - ) 321 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=321'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/321_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1208629472' align="left" /></a>'The secret of making a torque converter automatic work efficiently is a matter of matching gearing and lock-up with the torque characteristics of the engine. That’s why, according to Project Leader Hiroyuki Ikegami, Honda has been able to achieve better economy figures for its 2.4i petrol engined torque converter autos than for the manuals. Better even than those for a twin-shaft transmission like Mitsubishi’s new SST. Honda hasn’t yet managed to perfectly match its 5-speed auto to the much narrower and stronger torque band of its new 150PS 2.2 I-DTEC diesel engine. Prototypes are running, though, and once Honda is happy with the CO2, economy and drivability, we’ll see this combination in the UK. A lot of thought has gone into the new Accord. You notice it in details like the fact the undulating dashtop does not reflect in the screen, the holes in the centre console are deep enough to hold bottles without interfering with your gearshifts, the reversing camera has the clearest, brightest screen display I have ever seen, the satnav controls are simple and intuitive, and the spoken instructions come from a voice that sounds like a combination of Joanna Lumley and Jenny Agutter rather than Miss...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=321 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=321'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/321_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1208629472' /></a> Vauxhall Agila B (2008 - ) 320 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=320'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/320_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1208333073' align="left" /></a>'Ultra Violet tests the new Vauxhall Agila If a manufacturer asked us ladies to design a car suitable for our needs what would we put at the top of our shopping list? For me, I would start with a head turning exterior to annoy the neighbours. I do not want the car to be too big thus being accused of damaging our dooming environment. I love metallic paint as it is cleans up well and vibrant colours are a must. The interior would have to be spacious with lots of oddments to store safely, personal effects. To be quite honest, I am not a huge fan on complicated in-car gadgetry. A decent CD player and air conditioning will suffice. I need space for the children in the back without stumping their growth. With my precious cargo on board, the car has to be full of safety features. As I clock up many miles each week, the car will have to be good in the fuel consumption stakes. Being a cost conscious purse string holder, I would prefer a car with low insurance group, low VED band and or course, low CO2 emissions . Finally, the luggage area must be able...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=320 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=320'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/320_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1208333073' /></a> Toyota Auris (2007 - ) 319 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=319'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/319_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1206764099' align="left" /></a>'Like the FIAT Bravo 1.4 T-Jet test, this is a catch-up to the Auris range test a year ago, where I never got a proper chance to drive what was then called the T180. Now it’s re-named the SR and has had some minor tweaks, but retains its powerful 177PS chain cam diesel engine and fully independent trick rear suspension. Put simply, the tilt/slide sunroof has been dropped, it now has rear privacy glass and a subtle rear spoiler, and, unlike the rest of the Auris range, is listed £300 cheaper. The model has come in for some stick from boy racer road testers for not being sporty enough. And indeed, when you come from a Focus, 308, C4, Golf or Leon you think you’ve entered a comfort zone rather than a pitlane. The whole thing is softer. The steering needs more turning. You sit higher. In traditional terms it doesn’t feel like a hot hatchback. Yet whack it down a potholed street or, worse still, one festooned with metre wide ‘speed cushions’ and you don’t cripple your coccyx or shatter your spine. Instead you glide relatively serenely over the damn things. In inclement weather, too, it can be desirable...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=319 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=319'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/319_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1206764099' /></a> FIAT Bravo (2007 - ) 318 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=318'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/318_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1206412803' align="left" /></a>'The FIAT Bravo has the kind of stunning styling that Italians somehow seen to do almost effortlessly. In the right colour it’s probably the best looking mid-size hatchback you can buy. Yet my first impressions of it weren’t too good. After a truly spectacular launch in Rome we got to drive a diesel on 18” wheels with 40 profile tyres to Ostia and back. A distance of about 30 miles. All I learned from this was light, feel-free and unresponsive steering, whatever setting, and terrible ride quality. It wasn’t until FIAT delivered a 1.4 T-Jet 150 to me that I got to drive it properly. A year since the launch I still admire the styling. Like a bigger Grande Punto with an unmistakably FIAT look that doesn’t come from its grille shape but from the heart of Italian design. If it was longer and lower it could be a Maserati. Inside, too, it looks good with a sort of carbon fibre stippled effect to the dashtop that doesn’t reflect in the windscreen. But, after 750 miles in a Yaris I found it really difficult to get comfortable. Seat and steering wheel seemed to me to be at the wrong angles...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=318 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=318'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/318_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1206412803' /></a> Citroen C5 II (2008 - ) 317 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=317'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/317_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205840231' align="left" /></a>'No doubt in my mind, if you showed the C5, the Mondeo and the Laguna together, the C5 is the most beautiful car. It photographs well from every angle. It has presence and class. It’s a car you could take pride in owning. It can surprise and delight in practicality as well. The concave rear window allows the lid of the huge boot to open much wider than usual (it’s a saloon, not a hatchback like the old C5). So you can load it very easily without disjointing your back. (Though please note I did not rain-test it.) Under the boot floor is another nice surprise. A full-size spare wheel. No ridiculous compressors and squeegees of glop that are as much use on a shredded tyre as a can of hairspray. Get in and you find masses of adjustment for the driver’s seat and steering wheel, allowing any size and shape to be comfortable, particularly the very tall. There is a surprising amount of headroom inside the car for such a low roofline, but that’s because you sit deep, cocooned safely inside. Then the fun starts, or doesn’t, as the case may be. The new C5 comes with three different...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=317 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=317'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/317_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205840231' /></a> Mitsubishi Evo X (2008 - ) 316 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=316'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/316_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205742568' align="left" /></a>'This is a test of many cars. Before, in the UK, we got Australian built Lancers that were sensibly priced Focus size cars. And a series of Japanese built hotshot EVOs, all based on entirely different, but ageing Lancer saloons. The EVOs had fairly explosive performance and culminated in something called the ‘FQ 400’ that was almost too quick for its own good. A 400bhp four-wheel drive 2.0-litre roadgoing saloon was taking ‘evolution’ about as far as it could go. But now the line between Lancers and EVOs is far less distinct. Like the old car, the new Lancer is a four-door saloon, but it’s a bit bigger and heavier and in the summer will be joined by a five-door ‘sportback’. The range will start with a 1.5 litre five-door ‘Sportback’ at £12,499. And immediately does start with a 1.8 litre four-door saloon, in three trim levels, and the option of a six selectable ratio CVT automatic. Biggest normal engine is a 2.0 litre 140PS pumpe duse diesel, bought in from VW and bolted to a 6-speed manual. Then things start to get interesting. Because topping the normal Lancer range will be a 240PS four-wheel drive Ralliart Sportback loaded with...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=316 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=316'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/316_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205742568' /></a> Toyota Yaris II/Vitz (2006 - ) 315 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=315'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/315_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205514338' align="left" /></a>'This is a return test of one of my favourite small cars, in special high value trim. In my view the Yaris is up there with the Jazz and the new Mazda 2 and basically does everything a small car should do, without any vices or irritations. This tests the 1.3 petrol TR. Full test of the 1.4 D-4D at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=230 The Yaris doesn’t have a clever interior, like the Jazz, but on its 185/60 R15 tyres it rides and handles a lot better. It isn’t as sporty as a Mazda 2 1.3 TS2, but it’s more comfortable and more practical. Nice design features I really like include the downward sloping windowsills that give the driver an excellent view of the mirrors. There is more height adjustment on the drivers seat and more height and reach adjustment of the steering than on any other small car because, of course, there are no old fashioned instruments that could be concealed behind the wheel rim. The speedo itself is a large digital LED exactly in the driver’s line of sight and focal distance. These features, combined with the excellent ride quality, make the car very comfortable for a big size range of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=315 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=315'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/315_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205514338' /></a> Mazda Mazda 6 (2008 -) 314 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=314'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/314_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205134616' align="left" /></a>'“On the wagon” aptly sums up this review. Because that’s what Mazda calls what other manufacturers variously describe as an estate car or a station wagon or, less descriptively, a Tourer, a Touring or an Avant Please read in conjunction with the original test of the 2008 Mazda 6 saloon at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=300, which this supplements with impressions of the 140PS diesel engine that’s the same in saloon, hatchback, or wagon. The old Mazda 6 diesel was an exceptionally stylish, fine handling and practical wagon, with one touch ‘Karakuri’ 60/40 split folding rear seat that leaves a level load area. The new one takes karakuri (Japanese for pleasing functionality) a stretch further, with a longer, wider load bay, a parcel shelf arrangement that comes up with the hatchback so you don’t have to faff around loading it, and even more style than the old car. The new car has pronounced and very sexy ‘hips’ over its rear wheels, turning what might have been a workaday model into the best looker of the range. There’s even a useful 55 – 45mm extra rear headroom compared to the saloon and hatchback that complements the car’s Mondeo rivalling rear legroom. They’ve managed to get...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=314 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=314'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/314_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1205134616' /></a> Hyundai i10 (2008 - ) 313 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=313'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/313_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1204478165' align="left" /></a>'No doubt about it, this useful little car is where a lot of buyers are going to have to put their money in years to come. 119g/km CO2, so £35 a year tax and, hopefully, London CO2 tax-free from 27th October 2008. 56.5 mpg. 95 mph. A not--too--slow 15.2 seconds 0-60. Five doors. Five seats. Five lap/diagonal safety belts. Standard air-conditioning, Central locking. Front electric windows and mirrors even on the ‘Classic’ model. A five year unlimited mileage warranty. And a low, low starter price of £6,495. Add £600 for the Comfort to get a height-adjustable drivers seat, remote locking and electric rear windows. Add a further £500 (and sacrifice that all important 119g/km) for the Style and you buy features unheard of in this price range: alloy wheels, heated front seats and even a proper internally sliding glass electric sunroof. Add £300 more and you can even have a 4-speed automatic. Previous attempts by Hyundai included the Atoz and the Amica, the latter ultimately selling out as a bargain-basement £4,995 special. But even at £6,495 the i10 is substantially better value. It romps along quite respectably on the motorway, and despite low gearing of 20mph per 1,000rpm in 5th,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=313 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=313'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/313_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1204478165' /></a> Renault Clio III 197 (2006 - 2009 ) 312 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=312'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/312_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1204226350' align="left" /></a>'Is this car hard core, or soft porn? On the one hand it makes you suffer. It has no aircon, just an ordinary CD/radio and no fancy bits at all. You even have to reach over and wiggle little stalks to adjust the door mirrors. The exhaust note assaults your eardrums. Maximum power and torque both come very high in the rev range, at 7,250rpm and 5,550rpm. The gearing is very low at just 20mph per 1,000rpm in top, so it drones trying to cruise at 70mph. And if you’ve been feeding your bottom a bit too much you might find it won’t fit into the narrow Recaro seats. Instead of little luxuries it gives you 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, third gear acceleration that won’t feel too slow on a track day, sharp steering and excellent Brembo four pot calliper 315mm cross drilled front disc brakes. Yet, tootling round town, variable ratio power steering makes it a doddle to park, the variable valve timing chain cam engine pretends to be a pussycat, and even the ride quality is acceptable. What I like about it is that everything is there for a reason rather then for show. The vents in the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=312 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=312'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/312_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1204226350' /></a> Renault Twingo II (2007 - ) 311 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=311'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/311_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1203613643' align="left" /></a>'The biggest enemy of the new Twingo is the FIAT 500. Twingo prices are a bit lower, starting at £7,500 for the base model, rising through £8,375 for the Dynamique, to £9,995 for the TCE 100 GT tested here. So it’s not bargain basic and cheap like the original Twingo that found lots of friends for its 1959 Mini simplicity, low price and Kermit-like cuteness. Renault was so afraid the old Twingo would steal Clio sales (and profits) they never made it right-hand drive. And that low end of the market (£5k - £6k new) is now mopped up by basic version of the FIAT Panda, Ford Ka, Citroen C1, Peugeot 107, Toyota Aygo and KIA Picanto. Starting at £7,500, there’s obviously a bit of money to be made from the new Twingo, for Renault and its dealers alike, if they can find a market for the car. Really, it’s almost identical in size and concept to the Citroen C2, that has sold steadily for Citroen. And it’s a more practical car than the C2 because the back seats slide by about a foot, giving a choice of bootspace or decent rear legroom, assuming in an 11’ 10” car you’re...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=311 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=311'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/311_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1203613643' /></a> Peugeot 308 (2007 - ) 310 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=310'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/310_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1203234812' align="left" /></a>'No doubt about it. No words minced. This car is fun, fun, fun. It may not look like it from outside, but it’s got more sparkle than a Dolly Parton dress. Everything is right: grip, steering feel, engine power, and what doesn’t usually correspond with these, ride quality. Peugeot must have taken the handcuffs off its chassis engineers and told them to make it handle better than any other medium hatchback. Then nicked the great little engine out of the 207 THP 150 (and MINI Cooper S), gave it longer gearing, and shoved it under the bonnet. The result is a car with the body of Jo Brand, the sharpness of Jo Brand and the energy of Russell. It’s the front-end grip and feel that brings a stupid ear-to-ear grin to your face. Admittedly mine had had £100 optional 17” wheels with 225/45 low profile tyres. But what they lost on the road humps (not much, actually) they gained hugely on the curves. I’d though you couldn’t buy cars as grippy as this any more. And all that front-end emphasis doesn’t come at the expense of a tricky tail. The back seems to stay planted solidly whatever you get up...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=310 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=310'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/310_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1203234812' /></a> Mazda Mazda 5 7-str (2005 - ) 309 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=309'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/309_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1202407400' align="left" /></a>'There wasn’t much wrong with the original 2005 Mazda 5: Sliding side doors, decent diesels, six-and-a-half seats with a sliding centre row so legroom can be shared, foldaway centre half seats, rearmost seats commit ‘karakuri’ and fold away at the pull of a tab, a fine handling focus-based floorpan, and a 1,678 litre load capacity with the seats all folded. But there were a few niggles. No automatic, for one. Happily I’m now able to report that this serious shortcoming has been addressed with a useful 5-speeder that pulls a reasonably relaxed 27.5mph in 5th and has a manual shifter designed by a physicist rather than a German (forward to change down, back to change up). Another criticism was fast and unevenly wearing tyres. Mazda had already partly overcome this by specifying just one special type of tyre: Dunlop SP Sport 2050s. But now, according to project leader Kenichi Fukanaga, the entire rear suspension has been redesigned, ostensibly to “optimise stability on motorways and curves.” But really to eliminate once and for all the bugbear of excess tyre wear. To make absolutely sure, new, much stronger alloy wheels are also fitted. Satnav used to pop up like a carbuncle on...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=309 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=309'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/309_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1202407400' /></a> Volkswagen Tiguan SUV (2008 - ) 308 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=308'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/308_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1201797938' align="left" /></a>'Oh, no, not another 4x4. Are the roads really that bad? What next: an Audi Hiawatha? By my count the VW Tiguan numbers the 63rd SUV on the UK market. Should you be even remotely interested? Well, first there’s the badge. VW reliability might not be as legendary as it was. But that Beastie Boy medallion still cuts some sway in snobby Surrey suburbs. Then there’s the back seats. Slightly higher than the fronts, Freelander style, giving kids in the back a view forwards, and making them less likely to chuck up down your neck. These seats are also supremely comfortable, centre rear is fine for adults as well as kids and legroom is generous. Engines aren’t too shabby, either. VW’s standard 140PS 2.0 TDI, and its interesting 150PS 1.4 turbo-supercharged petrol. There’s a diesel automatic, which there isn’t with the CR-V, RAV-4, C-Crosser, Outlander or 4007. This is a real torque converter 6-speed auto rather than a pseudo auto or a DSG. It’s not too bad in the mud, either. At least the ‘Escape’ version with shovel front and sump shield isn’t. Especially with the autobox, because pressing the ‘Off Road’ button slows its throttle response, activates the hill...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=308 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=308'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/308_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1201797938' /></a> KIA Pro_cee'd 307 Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=307'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/307_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1201456850' align="left" /></a>'Guest Test by Jackie Violet ‘Three’ is a very popular lucky number for many people, myself included, but will it be a lucky number for KIA as it launches its third and possibly finally variant to compliment the cee’d and cee’d SW? Well, initially I thought, why another? But this new three-door pro_cee’d fills a hole in the KIA clan as it is very sporty looking number that should appeal to customers who have so far dismissed the KIA brand as unsuitable for their needs. Not only that, the pro_cee’d is the only three-door in Europe (it’s being built at Zilina in Slovakia) to come with KIA’s unprecedented seven year, 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, and has stunning looks and severe road presence that will surely appeal to young couples craving street cred as well as older couples whose children may have flown the nest. You see, what the Korean designers have done that many other manufacturers have not when producing a three-door, is to build it as a completely different car from the five-door. They have increased the overall length by 15mm and reduced the height by 30mm, resulting in a low elongated, coupe-like stance, further accentuated by...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=307 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=307'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/307_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1201456850' /></a> FIAT 500 (2007 - ) 305 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=305'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/305_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1200429070' align="left" /></a>'This is a bit different from a normal road test. For a start, it’s a very important car: ‘European Car of the Year’ 2008. And I’m thinking of buying one. The sense of this won’t be missed by other people with small limited companies. Because, until 31st March, 100% of the cost of a car emitting less than 121g/km CO2 can be offset against corporation tax. And, as long as I pay for my own petrol, I’ll be taxed on a BIK of 13% of whatever the car costs. £7,900 (for the 1.2 Pop petrol) and I’ll be paying 40% of £1,027, which is £410.8 a year. £9,300 (for Pop diesel) and I’ll be paying 40% of £1,209, which is £483.60 a year. Even if I went mad and plumped for the Lounge spec diesel at £10,700, my tax liability would still only be £556.40. And I’ll be driving around in this year’s most chic new car that could end up worth close to what I paid for it by March 2009. So I wasn’t just interested in what the 500 was like from your point of view. I was looking at it from my point of view. As you...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=305 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=305'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/305_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1200429070' /></a> Subaru Legacy and Outback Diesel (2008 - 2009) 306 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=306'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/306_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1201118147' align="left" /></a>'Subaru enthusiasts, pony club members, and anyone living up a muddy lane or above the snow line had been clamouring for this for years. Subaru now expects to sell 85% of Legacy Sport Tourers and 95% of Outbacks with its new ‘Boxer’ diesel engine. Here is Danny Cobbs test: And so it came to pass, nine years after the Subaru engineers were given the green light to produce the world’s first boxer diesel-powered engine, here it is. To begin with, when it goes on sale in February, only the Legacy and Outback will get the option of this 2.0-litre, flat-four, oil-burner. The Impreza will be diesel-free until the latter part of this year. Obviously we’re not going to be dishing any awards for cutting-edge industry initiatives here, but that’s another issue. The key question is whether it’s all been worth the epic gestation? The short answer is yes. Any engine which can pull the architecture of a not-so-inconsequential-sized estate car to a top speed of 126 mph while powering all four of its wheels and still boast nearly 50mpg is surely be worthy of a positive reception. And if those facts weren’t impressive enough, then take the starting prices: a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=306 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=306'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/306_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1201118147' /></a> Isuzu D-Max Rodeo Denver (2003 - ) 304 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=304'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/304_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1199152310' align="left" /></a>'What do you do when your wife hocks the car you bought her to buy her dad a new pick-up he doesn’t need? Divorce springs to mind. Because this comfy family arrangement you will eventually pay for means that the used pick-up you bought her father two years ago has now passed to her brother. However, divorce, in this case, could prove even more expensive than buying two motorbikes, a car and two pick-ups. So better to let the little wife (and business partner) pay for her latest acquisition out of her allowance, and make that new pick-up the subject of a road-test. Papa’s truck is the latest generation D-Max Hi-Lander with Isuzu’s I-TEQ chain driven twin-cam 16v 2.5 diesel that pumps out 136PS at 3,600rpm and 217 lb ft torque at 1,800rpm. It’s apparently a very good tower, emits only 213g/km CO2 so is under the 225g/km ‘nasty’ limit and what Thai farmers really like is that it’s chain cam. They’ll point proudly at the chain case and use sign language to show there can be no disastrous loss of belt, as can happen with a HiLux Vigo or an L200 Triton 2.5. They may also mention the rear...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=304 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=304'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/304_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1199152310' /></a> Subaru Legacy and Outback Petrol (2004 - 2009) 303 Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=303'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/303_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1198289950' align="left" /></a>'Updated 11th January 2008 I’d been mightily impressed by a brief driver in a 245PS Legacy Spec B automatic. Three levels of power output, paddle-shifting five speed autobox. Fantastic. A great big WRX STI. So I’d ordered one to road test. The driver delivered it and collected the previous week’s Rodeo while I pounded away at my keyboard. So it wasn’t until I went out to the car that I began to suspect something was up. Er, nothing behind the steering wheel. Up the creek without a paddleshift, you might say. And it didn’t go like a 245PS 3.0 litre flat six either. While I was taking my snaps I popped the bonnet and counted the spark plug leads. One, two, three, four…that’s it. I obviously hadn’t got a Spec B, then? I opened the package that came with it and found it described on the insurance doc as a “2.5 Sports Tourer auto”. The mystery deepend, because they’re not supposed to do a 2.5 Sports Tourer. That was dropped when they upped the power of the 2.0 litre to 165PS. Sure the 2.5 continued in the Outback. But this wasn’t an Outback. Eventually I got this cleared up. It...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=303 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=303'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/303_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1198289950' /></a> Renault Laguna III (2007 - ) 302 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=302'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/302_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1197285339' align="left" /></a>'Guest Test by Chris Rees Any car maker competing in the cut-throat D-segment (that’s Mondeo-sized family cars) faces a dauntingly sheer rock-face at the moment. Against a backdrop of collapsing sales, every brand is rushing to claim the ‘premium’ credentials that are necessary to keep its model in the game. Renault’s mountain is bigger and steeper than most. It has seen Laguna sales nose-dive in recent years, while its performance in owner satisfaction surveys has been little short of disastrous. So here’s the huge task that Renault has set itself: to become, by 2009, in the top three brands for product and service quality. That means beating the Germans and most of the Japanese – quite some feat. According to Renault, the new third-generation Laguna is the car that begins the turnaround – and it’s spent one billion euros to ensure that it does. Having driven the new Sports Tourer estate – there’s also a hatchback version – does the new Laguna III have that quality aura? No question, this is way above anything that Renault has previously delivered. The feel of the materials in the cabin, for instance, is now comparable with VW and Audi. The cabin looks best...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=302 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=302'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/302_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1197285339' /></a> Ford Focus III (2008 - ) 301 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=301'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/301_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196365650' align="left" /></a>'You have to feel for companies like Volkswagen. No sooner had they launched the Golf Mk V, based as closely as it could be on the first Focus, then Ford came up with its even better second generation Focus. Now, without adequate warning, and well before VW has got its Mk VI on the road, Ford has stolen the march again and brought us another Focus so heavily revised it’s effectively a Focus Mk III. Thankfully Ford left alone the car’s structure that earned it five NCAP stars for occupant safety and four for child safety, and gave it class-leading handling and ride comfort. Instead they concentrated on completely re-panelling the exterior of the car, tidying up the interior, fitting the Mondeo’s Easifuel filler that won’t let you put petrol in a diesel, and adding politically correct extras like Electronic Stability Control across the range. Ford has been environmentally correct, too, as all 1.6 diesels are now under 120g/km CO2, whole the ECOnetic puffs out just 114g/km. So all qualify for £35pa annual tax and, if Ken’s promised plans go through, all Focus 1.6 diesels can enter Central London free of any congestion taxes from February 2008. There are other...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=301 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=301'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/301_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196365650' /></a> Mazda Mazda 6 (2008 -) 300 Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=300'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/300_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195064484' align="left" /></a>'(Figures updated 28-2-2008) This is a tale of two cars. On the one hand we have the entry level Mazda 6 1.8S, coming in at a very reasonable £15,100 on the road. On the other, we have the BOSE audio, leather-trimmed 2.5SL at a considerably heavier £20,680. Actually “heavier” is the wrong word. Because all new bigger, better Mazda 6s weigh in at an average 35 kilos lighter than the old car. As with the new Mazda 2, the company has stopped eating all the pies and is thinking along the same lines as a supermodel. As well as more car at less weight it’s also more streamlined. Little touches, including a gizmo that looks like a horses hoof in front of each of the front wheels, cut drag down to a very impressive Cd 0.27. That makes it quieter and more fuel-efficient which in turn means it emits less CO2 so you pay less tax, whether you’re a private motorist or a company driver. One of the factoids Mazda was keen to impress on us was that whereas the previous 1.8i meant you were taxed on a BIK of 24% of the car’s list price, the new 1.8 comes...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=300 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=300'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/300_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195064484' /></a> Honda CR-V III (2007 - ) 299 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=299'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/299_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194855427' align="left" /></a>'This is my comfort zone. Now that the punishment for exceeding the 70mph speed limit is sequestration of all your worldly assets, I’ve found a car I’m happy in at 70. It’s a whole new world, especially with Active Cruise Control. Instead of racing BMW 318s in the outside lane (not that I ever did), now my driving is all about anticipation and consideration. Will the car on my shoulder pass me before I need to pull out to pass a truck? Is the truck ahead gaining on the truck in front of it? Will it want to pull out and pass? I spend my time watching every other vehicle on the road working out what its next move will be. And that’s not made easy by Active Cruise Control, because even when you set the radar to the closest gap, it still likes to keep you more than a safe distance from the vehicle in front. It will spot that the nonagenarian in the Honda Civic up ahead is actually driving at 40mph long before I do and slow me down until I get it out of the radar. Which isn’t easy on a sweeping right bend because the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=299 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=299'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/299_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194855427' /></a> BMW 1-Series E82 coupe (2008 - ) 298 Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=298'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/298_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1193514710' align="left" /></a>'How does 306PS in a 4-seat coupe the size of a Golf grab you? And not any old 306PS engine, but ‘engine of the year’: BMW’s sensational twin-turbo 3.0 litre straight six that’s both benignly tractable and very, very fast. Over the last year BMW has been turning its slow selling sow’s ear of a 1-Series into something of a silk purse. First we saw the three-door hatchback version with it’s Efficient Dynamics 118 diesel that has since been developed to limbo under the 120g/m CO2 limit that gets it into London for nothing from next February and cuts the annual tax bill to £35. Now they’ve build a two door booted E82 coupe version, which they see as a sort of junior E92 3-Series coupe. (For collectors of model numbers, the 1 Series 5-door is E87 and the 3-door is E81.) And as well as the 2,979cc 306PS petrol engine you can also have it with two 1,995cc diesels, one of which offers a respectable 177PS and the other a jaw-dropping 204PS. Yes, indeed, the first production diesel delivering more than 100bhp per litre (even after you convert 204PS to 201bhp). The E82 is shorter than the E92 at...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=298 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=298'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/298_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1193514710' /></a> SEAT Altea Freetrack (2007 - ) 297 Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=297'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/297_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1192875332' align="left" /></a>'When I first drove the SEAT Altea I didn’t like it. And that was not because the launch was in Watford rather then Altea. I couldn’t get on with the way the tall body handled, the 140 diesel that bogged down then catapulted the car forward, and the coalface of a dashboard. But since then it’s been allowed to grow 13” into the XL. And now SEAT is offering a version of the XL with four-wheel drive, that they call the Freetrack 4. Renault tried this sort of thing before, not very successfully, with the facelift Scenic RX4 that had a spare wheel on the back and used a lot of fuel. But SEAT, being part of VAG and availing itself of VAG’s parts bin, has taken a different route and fitted the Altea Freetrack 4 with the same Audi quattro-derived running gear as the Skoda Octavia Scout. And either the 170PS version of the 2.0TDI or the 200PS 2.0TSI petrol engine. Best of all, it’s offering what is effectively a bigger and better Golf GTI for pretty much the same sort of money: £21,395, according to the crib sheet in our TDI 170. There’s masses of room inside. Huge...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=297 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=297'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/297_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1192875332' /></a> KIA Cee'd (2007 - 2010) 296 Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=296'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/296_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1192253956' align="left" /></a>'The KIA Cee’d and Hyundai i30 have been getting rave reviews from a press that usually shuns South Korean cars. Recently, Andrew Frankel writing for ‘Autocar’ pitched an i30 against a Focus, a Golf and a Peugeot 308, and the i30 won. Different story over at Haymarket’s ‘What Car?’. That gives the Cee’d four stars and the i30 only three, though the compilers might spot this apparent anomaly and correct it. Like the Focus, Mazda 3 and Volvo S40 (or the A3, Golf, Leon and Octavia), the Cee’d and i30 are, of course, sisters under the skin. Almost identical twins, in fact, sharing not only floorpans but also their entire engine ranges. The companies themselves rate the Cee’d as slightly more sporty and the i30 as slightly more refined. Mazda 3 v/s Focus, perhaps. Or maybe Leon v/s Octavia. Unlike the i30, the Cee’d for European consumption is built in Zilina in SlovaKIA. The i30 will be built in the neighbouring Czech Republic in a year or so, but is currently assembled in South Korea. Since I’d tested the i30 hatchback range it made best sense to check out the new Cee’d SW in this test. It’s a decent sized,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=296 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=296'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/296_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1192253956' /></a> Audi A4 B8 (2008 - ) 295 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=295'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/295_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191601352' align="left" /></a>'Updated Tuesday 22nd January 2008 Just as Porsche has developed increasingly sophisticated solutions to overcome the fundamental imbalance of an engine overhanging the back wheels, Audi has had to do the same job at the front. Worst of all were the old iron block five-cylinder Audi 100 diesels that much preferred to go straight on at corners than actually change direction. Fortunately, for most of us, these are no more than a memory. Audi has continually been getting better at dealing with its disability and had all but disguised the ponderous pendulum effect of its overhanging engines in the final incarnations of the A4 B7. But its big breakthrough came earlier this year with the A5. The engine still sits out in front of the front wheels longitudinally, but, by moving final drive further forward, the weight of engine and transmission is better distributed between the front wheels. How they do this is to take drive from the back of the gearbox, then run a propshaft forward to a differential that sits on the right hand side of the flywheel, with the left driveshaft running between the engine and the flywheel. Next year’s A4 shares this new drivetrain, as well...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=295 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=295'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/295_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191601352' /></a> Mazda Mazda 2 (2007 - ) 294 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=294'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/294_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191011454' align="left" /></a>'You’ve been able to buy the new Mazda 2 in the UK since 8th September. The launch was brought forward for 57 reg and because there was plenty of RHD production available from Japan. But LHD Europe won’t get it until November, so though the UK TV campaign started on 8th September, and though orders are coming in at twice the expected rate, most UK journalists weren’t able to drive the car until 3 weeks after the UK launch. I guess if we had, then orders might have been three times better (as they are in Japan) because we could have assured you it’s a smashing little car. It looks good from every angle. Comes in nice colours such as solid red, metallic green, gold, silver, metallic dark blue, metallic grey, and, happily, solid white. And it’s a hoot to drive. Mazda talks about “joy and love of ownership” and the Mazda 2 has so much sparkle, drivers, both men and women, are going to love it. It’s lighter by 100kg than the old, boxy Mazda 2. It’s also a tiny bit shorter as well as lower and a lot stiffer. Without a driver inside it weighs only 955kg, bucking...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=294 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=294'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/294_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191011454' /></a> MINI Clubman R55 (2007 - ) 293 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=293'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/293_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190379093' align="left" /></a>'No doubt about it the MINI is the biggest motoring marketing success Britain has ever seen. The Oxford factory will turn out 240,000 next year and we still can’t get enough of them. But there was a limit to how many buyers there could be for a car that, however much fun it was to drive, could only take four at a pinch. Even totally besotted MINI lovers were having to look for something else once the Clear-Blue strip gave them the good news. What they really wanted was a stretched MINI, with a bit more room in the back seat, and a bit better access to it. And that’s exactly what BMW now gives them in a charmingly retro recreation of the original Mini Traveller. Except it can’t be called a ‘Traveller’, for copyright reasons. So it’s actually named from another Mini ancestor, the ‘Clubman’. It’s 240 mm longer than a MINI, with more legroom, more luggage space and a slightly longer wheelbase that alters the handling in the same way as the original Minivan and Mini Traveller did from the original Mini. And in the back you can choose at no extra cost between a three-seater bench (with...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=293 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=293'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/293_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190379093' /></a> Volkswagen Polo IV (2005 - 2009) 292 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=292'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/292_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190226789' align="left" /></a>'74.3mpg combined is a bold claim for a 1.4 diesel. 83.1 at 56mph is even more remarkable. As, of course, is 99g/km C02 which not only gets you off Congestion Tax from February 2008, it gets you off annual vehicle tax altogether. Underneath, this is basically the same Polo tested in January 2002. It’s had a facelift since then, and now sports different headlights. VW has added some aerodynamic tweaks, including a closed front grille a lower front spoiler, a tiny rear spoiler and sat it a bit closer to the road. The car gets 5J x 14 alloy wheels with unfashionable deep section and narrow 165/70 hard compound tyres. But the main changes are under the bonnet. There, the 1.4 litre belt-cam 3 cylinder TDI engine has a variable vane turbocharger and Electronic Gas Recirculation to both increase economy and reduce emissions. While the final drive has been lengthened with revised ratios for 3rd, 4th and 5th that offer 35mph per 1,000rpm in 5th. In theory, that should not have done as much as it has. There’s no fancy system that shuts off the engine when you stop, no clutched alternator, no special battery. Inside, it’s fairly plain. Standard...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=292 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=292'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/292_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190226789' /></a> Nissan X-Trail (2007 - ) 291 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=291'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/291_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190123808' align="left" /></a>'I can’t tell you how reliable the new X-Trail is going to be. We won’t know about that for a year or two. Hopefully the turbo troubles that dogged the old 2.2 will not reappear in the new 2.0 litre Nissan diesel engines. And on the evidence of the Pathfinder and Navara that use a bigger version of the engine, such problems should all be in the past. I had to start with that before (just like the last time) I tell you what an excellent vehicle the new X-Trail is. It has a family resemblance to the old X-Trail. But it’s actually completely different. If feels different from the easily accessed driving seat (low door sills will please many drivers). The instruments are in front of you instead of in the middle of the dash. And once you get going it soon becomes apparent it’s both stiffer and sharper in the handling department without sacrificing any ride comfort. I drove the 2.5 petrol with torque-converter CVT auto first and for a mid-range SUV that feels astonishingly refined. It whirrs a bit ascending hills, like any CVT, but it’s more background noise than strangely disturbing. If you don’t mind the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=291 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=291'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/291_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190123808' /></a> BMW 3-Series E92 Coupe (2006 - ) 290 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=290'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/290_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190269278' align="left" /></a>'Why is it that as legislators and police get heavier and heavier on speed manufacturers keep coming up with faster and faster cars? I was bricking it just at the thought of driving the new M3 V8 on the road. Not from fear of crashing, but from fear of being hung drawn and quartered for getting caught using even half its power. I needn’t have worried. As with previous M3s, the low gearing and huge power means a smooth take off from 1st through the gears is difficult. But you don't have to. The benign nature of the new V8’s torque curve allows you to start rolling in 2nd. Getting tediously technical, it develops 260Nm at 1,000rpm, 340Nm at 2,000rpm and its maximum of 400Nm from 3,500rpm to 6,500rpm. So that’s bags enough to plonk along at 1,000rpm to 4,000rpm without scaring anyone, including yourself. This is a very fast car you can drive slowly. To tempt you not to, power is 250PS at 4,500rpm, 340PS at 6,000rpm, 400PS at 7,500rpm and 420PS at 8,300rpm. But you don’t actually get those last 800rpm and 20bhp unless you press the ‘Power’ button, or pre-programme that into your ‘Mdrive’ preferences. You get...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=290 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=290'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/290_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190269278' /></a> Hyundai i30 (2007 - ) 284 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=284'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/284_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401450' align="left" /></a>'(Updated with RHD impressions 8th August 2007) Every week I get around 20 e-mails asking for Focus sized diesel, torque-converter automatics. And I have to tell the reader sorry, unless you go to a 1.9 litre engine, there aren’t any. Which is quite surprising when you consider that the Focus section of the British car market works out at over 500,000 a year. South Korean carmaker Hyundai didn’t have a Focus-sized car. So when it decided to offer one, the company wisely figured it had better fill that particular gap. So, from September, you will be able to buy Hyundai’s new i30 model with a 115PS 1.6 diesel engine and a four-speed automatic transmission. The good news for my e-mailers doesn’t stop there. The i30, like the Toyota Auris and its own cousin the KIA Ce’ed, is slightly more upright with higher seats than the class average. So it’s easier to get in and out of, which is something bound to appeal to the sort of people who want a 1.6 diesel auto. Not only that, for the i30 model to get a foothold in this highly competitive section of the market, it had to be a very good car....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=284 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=284'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/284_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401450' /></a> Peugeot 4007 (2007 - ) 289 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=289'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/289_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401586' align="left" /></a>'Memo to Friends of the Earth: 4x4 SUVs are now reproducing at a faster rate than any other type of vehicle. At the last count there were at least 65 different 4x4 SUVs either available now or about to be on the UK market. Here’s a list: Audi Allroad, Audi Q7, BMW X3, BMW X5, BMW X6, Cadillac SRX, Citroen C-Crosser, Daihatsu Terios, Dodge Nitro, FIAT Panda 4x4, FIAT Sedici, Ford Kuga, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Terracan, Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Commander, KIA Sportage, KIA Sorento, Land Rover Freelander, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus RX, Mazda CX-7, Mercedes ML, Mercedes GL, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mitsubishi Shogun, Nissan Qashqai, Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Murano, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Patrol, Peugeot 4007, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover, Renault Koleos, SEAT Altea Freetrack, Skoda Octavia Scout, Ssangyong Kyron, Ssangyong Rexton II, Subaru Forester, Subaru Outback, Subaru Tribeca, Suzuki SX4, Suzuki Jimny, Suzuki Ignis 4GRIP, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Toyota RAV-4, Toyota LandCruiser LC, Toyota Landcruiser Amazon, VW Tiguan, VW Touareg, Volvo XC60, Volvo XC70, Volvo XC90. However, our tree hugging friends need not be unduly alarmed....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=289 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=289'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/289_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401586' /></a> Mazda CX-7 (2007 - ) 288 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=288'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/288_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190269404' align="left" /></a>'Did you know that half of the new cars sold in the USA are ‘Sports Utility Vehicles’ (what Ken Livingstone calls “4x4s”, and brands the owners “idiots”). In Europe, sales have doubled from 280,000 in 2001 to 560,000 in 2006. There will soon be no less than 62 different SUVs on sale in the UK. Not quite what Ken or Friends of the Earth had in mind, but earners of much needed profits for manufacturers. And now Mazda has entered the fray. SUVs are what marketing men call a “niche market”. And since very few people who buy 4x4 SUVs ever venture further off the road than the kerb, the product planners have tried to find niches of their own within the niche. This can make nomenclature a bit clumsy. Mazda describes its new CX-7 as a “Sports Crossover SUV”, which won’t mean much to the average man. So I’ll call it a Sportscar on Stilts. It’s very sleek and good looking for something that competes against blinged up bricks like the Dodge Nitro. Its cd is 0.34 rather than the usual 50 or 60. Instead of a diesel engine, an automatic transmission and soft suspension, it has a 260PS...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=288 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=288'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/288_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190269404' /></a> Peugeot 207 (2006 - ) 287 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=287'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/287_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190550169' align="left" /></a>'(Please also see 207 range test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=211 And original 207 GT THP 150 road test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=253) And first 207 GT THP 150 long term test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=272 Years ago I actually owned a 205 GTi 1.6, for 15 months and 15,000 miles. Bought for £6,400 brand new. Sold for £6,200. Changed the oil every 3,000 miles. Ran it in carefully at varying revs on the newly opened M25. First big run Wimbledon to Newhaven, then Dieppe to Zaragoza. 900 miles in a day. I still remember how the car came to life in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Then on to our place in Denia. Another trip Wimbledon to Plymouth, then Santander - Segovia - Burgos - Chinchon - Toledo - Consuegra - Denia. Brilliant little car. Just enough power to overtake, but not too much to get you into trouble. And fantastic balance. You could move the back out just by shifting your bum on the seat. So to me the 206 was a terrible disappointment. But driving the first 207s in Majorca back in early 2006 I realised Peugeot had got the recipe right again. It’s a much bigger, heavier car. Legislation has seen to that,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=287 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=287'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/287_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190550169' /></a> Jeep Patriot (2007 - ) 286 Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=286'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/286_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538606' align="left" /></a>'Guest Test by Danny Cobbs It’s hard to find a real bargain on the forecourt these days, but this one is going to make a lot of customers – and dealers – very happy. The Patriot is a 4x4 with almost the same dimensions as the Ford C-Max but more off-road ability than all the far-eastern SUVs put together. The iconic styling means it could only come from one manufacturer, Jeep, but the surprise is the price-tag of just £15,995. The Americans have spent the last few years being considered as an also-ran against the likes of Land Rover, particularly in light of the updated Freelander and Range Rover’s success. Some of the more ambitious newcomers to this sector, like KIA, have been making serious headway, whereas Jeep has been stuck in a rut associated with poor emissions and over-powered American muscle under an expensive bonnet. But its off-road heritage is undisputed and it’s just pulled a fast one in comparison to its siblings Dodge and Chrysler. The Patriot is a 4-door SUV with build quality as a priority and a price-tag to make it better value for money than any other 4x4 in the same sector. It’s 20 per...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=286 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=286'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/286_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538606' /></a> Lexus LS600h (2007 - ) 285 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=285'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/285_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538713' align="left" /></a>'(Video test by Martin Gurdon.) “Waftastic” reads like a word Mike Myers may have invented to describe emissions from the F.B., or perhaps even a new Austin Powers cologne. But it also aptly describes an LS 600h L, the biggest, best and so far only hybrid limousine you can buy. It has a new 294PS 5.0 litre V8 petrol engine, a 224PS regenerative electric motor, a battery of batteries, four-wheel drive and an epicyclic ‘CVT’ transmission. And it is the only limousine in the world that can waft away from a kerb completely silently, emitting nothing whatsoever into city atmospheres, achieving everything Ken Livingstone apparently wants apart from an ostentatious display of hard-earned wealth. The car arrives in the UK on 1st October and the order book for the 275 examples to reach the UK this year is already full. Think about it for a moment. A two-and-a-half ton limo that can pull 60mph in 6 seconds, go on to an electronically limited 155mph, cruise at 112mph at just 2,000rpm, return 30.4mpg and steams in at just 219g/km CO2 so it’s also the only limo that doesn’t get hit with £400pa tax from next year. The ‘Hybrid’ signs on the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=285 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=285'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/285_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538713' /></a> Volvo V70/XC70 (2000 - 2007) 283 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=283'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/283_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401754' align="left" /></a>'Have a crash in a new Volvo V70 and your chances of stepping out intact are better than in any other station wagon. There are now extra airbags in the seat squabs to protect your lower body in impacts from the side, while the front crumple zone is built from four different types of steel to absorb head-on impacts progressively, leaving the cabin intact. Even the rear bumper is of a new, buttressed design. There’s no safer estate to be in. It’s a bigger, heavier, stronger car than the previous V70, based on the new S80 floorpan rather than the narrower S60 floorpan of the previous V70. It isn’t as pretty, though. The old V70 was one of the best-looking estates you could by. The new one is handsome enough and doesn’t offend the eye, but doesn’t catch it either. It actually looks better in XC70 four-wheel-drive guise with matt black bumpers and side protectors to ward off damage, and, thankfully, no matt black nose like the old XC70. Tailgate access is now much better, which will please antique dealers, and cargo volume to window height is up 60 litres. The rear seat backs are split 40-20-40 to suit different...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=283 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=283'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/283_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401754' /></a> Mercedes Benz C-Class W203 (2000 - 2007) 282 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=282'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/282_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190561303' align="left" /></a>'Guest Test by David Thomas It was a miracle we didn’t run smack into the back of it at 70mph. Through the pouring rain, the lumbering school bus had pulled out from nowhere and only a last-minute flick of the wheel had saved our bacon. But the ‘bus’ that had appeared as if by magic was made of cardboard and the ‘winding country road’ was a lane marked out by cones on an old wartime airfield in the middle of Wiltshire. Although the rain was real, the make-believe road hazards were laid on by Mercedes-Benz to demonstrate the sharper steering and handling it claims is offered by a revised C-Class that went on sale last week [14 June]. Slightly wider, longer and taller by up to 55mm, the C-Class range has now been simplified from the previous five levels of trim to just three: SE, Elegance and Sport – with the four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines re-worked to deliver as much as 13 per cent more power and up to six per cent better fuel economy, while the three petrol V6 units remain unchanged. The Sport model is easily distinguished by a large Mercedes star positioned in the grille instead...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=282 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=282'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/282_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190561303' /></a> Toyota Soluna Vios (2003 - 2007) Thailand 281 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=281'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/281_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538931' align="left" /></a>'We’ve had our Soluna Vios for 39 months, and 80,000 kilometres, so I thought it was about time to sum up how it’s been. When my Thai fiancé (now wife) wanted a car, I was faced with searching in unfamiliar territory. But on the basis of specification and money it boiled down to a Honda Jazz-based City or a Soluna Vios, familiar in Thailand but neither of which are sold in the UK. The Jazz was only just arriving on the Thai market at the time and meeting with the reasons why Honda stuck a boot on the back of it to create the City. At the time, Thais thought they didn’t like hatchbacks and neither did my wife. Like the rest of Thailand, she does now, but never mind. And I had aesthetics problems with the looks of the City. So it had to be the Vios. And it had to be the ‘S’ automatic with all the goodies. Then she specced it up with leather, window deflectors and a rear spoiler. It’s turned out to be a very good choice. Apart from an interior light delay that drained the battery on day 2, it’s been a real little...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=281 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=281'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/281_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538931' /></a> Chevrolet Captiva SUV (2007 - ) 280 Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=280'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/280_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401918' align="left" /></a>'Despite the protestations of earth huggers, four-wheel-drive cars seem to be breeding at an alarming rate. Not too long ago the Vauxhall Frontera had the ‘Sports Utility Vehicle’ niche pretty much to itself. And if you wanted something bigger you could have a Discovery, a Shogun or a Range Rover. Then along came the RAV-4, then the CR-V, then the Freelander. Now you need eleven hands to count them all: Audi Allroad, Audi Q7, BMW X3, BMW X5, Cadillac SRX, Citroen C-Crosser, Daihatsu Terios, FIAT Panda 4x4, FIAT Sedici, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Terracan, Jeep Compass, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Commander, KIA Sportage, KIA Sorento, Land Rover Freelander, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus RX, Mazda CX-7, Mercedes ML, Mercedes GL, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mitsubishi Shogun, Nissan Qashqai, Nissan X-Trail, Nissan Murano, Nissan Pathfinder, Peugeot 4007, Porsche Cayenne, SEAT Altea Freetrack, Skoda Octavia Scout, Ssangyong Kyron, Ssangyong Rexton II, Subaru Forester, Subaru Outback, Subaru Tribeca, Suzuki SX4, Suzuki Jimny, Suzuki Ignis 4GRIP, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Toyota RAV-4, Toyota LandCruiser LC, Toyota Landcruiser Amazon, VW Tiguan, VW Touareg, Volvo XC70, Volvo XC90. That’s a very crowded market for...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=280 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=280'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/280_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190401918' /></a> Citroen C5 (2001 - 2008) 279 Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=279'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/279_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190402020' align="left" /></a>'This is a very privileged car. Because after the C6 it’s the first to get PSA/Ford’s fantastic 2.2 twin-turbo 173PS diesel engine coupled up to the Aisin Warner 6-speed automatic transmission. The engine was brilliant when I drove it in a 407 manual last year, and does sterling service with less power and more torque in the LandRover Freelander II (also now available with the same AW 6-speed automatic). But it will be next year before you’ll find it and the 6-speed auto under the bonnet of the new Mondeo. I knew what to expect of the engine. But not the transmission. First acquaintance was not good. No paddleshifts. And a wrong way round ‘Tiptronic’ type shifter. So I simply left it in drive, as most drivers will. And very quickly discovered that it didn’t need paddleshifts. The combination of engine and transmission is seemingly ideally matched, like the Zafira CDTI 120 6-speed auto. But a lot smoother, and a lot quicker. Like the 407 2.2 173, this C5 is a very rapid car. It doesn’t pretend to be a sportscar (this was a luxurious estate). And Citroen has compromised in favour of comfort, quietness, fuel economy and tyre life...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=279 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=279'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/279_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190402020' /></a> MINI MINI One R56 (2007 - ) 278 Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=278'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/278_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483154' align="left" /></a>'Unlike the old MINI One, the new one is a 1.4 rather than a 1.6. So you can’t simply programme out the throttle restrictor to get Cooper performance from it. You have to settle for the 95PS it comes with. But, of course, the point of the One is to offer MINI looks for less money and a MINI that’s insurable for kids at an affordable Group 5. Inside, unless you go for the Pepper pack, you get quite a nasty plastic steering wheel that is plainly there to encourage you to spend extra for leather. But the Pepper pack is expensive, so you may prefer to choose your own goodies from the long list. The One is obviously neither as fast nor as much fun as a Cooper or Cooper D. But on the same optional 195/55 x 16 Goodyear Excellence tyres handling is the same as the Cooper D. And, despite lower overall gearing of 25mph per 1,000rpm in 6th, road noise on the motorway seemed more subdued than in the Cooper D. Possibly due to a combination of the lighter engine and higher revs partly drowning out the tyre roar. I compared it directly to ‘my’ 207...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=278 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=278'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/278_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483154' /></a> MINI MINI Cooper Diesel R56 (2007 - ) 277 Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=277'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/277_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483287' align="left" /></a>'Whatever was wrong with the MINI Cooper S we tested back in October, now they seem to have fixed it. The Cooper Diesel I’ve just handed back was exactly how I think a MINI should be. I guess in driving the pre-production cars we must have been guinea pigged. BMW was trying out various suspension and tyre combinations to find out which we would find most acceptable. That would explain why MINI project leader Horst Radibojevic was anxious to cross-examine all of us at the coffee break half way through the test drive. We spoke as we had found. The Cooper S we had been driving was extremely refined, for a MINI, but completely lacked the raw “go kart” like feeling of fun BMW had so accurately captured with its first generation of MINIs. We had appreciated the new car for its smoothness. But we hadn’t enjoyed driving it, and that, and the looks, are the main reasons for buying a MINI. From what I’ve read by other people you’d be forgiven for thinking that the MINI Cooper diesel is the least fun of the new MINIs. Yet I found it the most fun. A lot of that was down...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=277 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=277'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/277_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483287' /></a> BMW 1 Series E81/E87 (2004 - ) 276 Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=276'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/276_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483389' align="left" /></a>'BMW has been cleaning up its act. Reducing CO2s, which goes hand in hand with improving economy. Yet also boosting power and performance. The results are a 130 mph diesel capable of 60 mpg. A 130 mph petrol model that squeaks into the 15% BIK bracket for 2007 to 2008. And similar improvements to the 120i and 120d. How BMW has done it is by a series of modifications that they collectively call ‘Efficient Dynamics’. These include ‘Brake Energy Regeneration’ by which they save 3% of power and CO2 by clutching the alternator so it only charges on engine over-run. (Effectively getting electricity for nothing.) The power steering is now variable electro-mechanical, so absorbs no power at all in the straight-ahead position and very little at speed, giving a pleasant ‘meaty’ feel to the wheel. The car has auto stop-start, which shuts down the engine when stationary and starts it again as soon as you press the clutch. There’s an ‘Optimum Shift Indicator’ for gear changes. Radiator flaps which shut off airflow on start-up so the engine gets to temperature more quickly, and also shuts off airflow when the radiator doesn’t need it. Low rolling resistance Michelin Primacy ZP 205/55...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=276 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=276'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/276_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483389' /></a> Ford Mondeo IV (2007 - ) 275 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=275'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/275_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483618' align="left" /></a>'There are three minor faults with the new Mondeo. In strong sunlight the dash vent grille reflects in the windscreen. You can’t always easily see the information display in the centre of the instrument cluster. And the quality of the cable manual gearshift varies from car to car. But that’s it. Ford seems to have done the impossible and built a car so astonishingly good it eclipses everything else under £30k. Yet prices start at half that. It’s big both outside and inside. As big as the old Granada Scorpio, yet with a lot more rear seat head and legroom and a massive 540 litre boot. It actually feels bigger inside than the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E Class. It’s also very comfortable, with superb seats you never have to readjust. It has excellent ride quality. The roadholding and handling are terrific. And both engines we tried were very strong too. If Audi, BMW and Mercedes owners drove it without knowing what it was, most would think it was a better car. But as soon as they found out it was a Ford, badge snobbery and the fear of massive depreciation would start getting in the way. Ford...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=275 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=275'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/275_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483618' /></a> Audi R8 (2007 - ) 274 Sun, 22 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=274'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/274_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483496' align="left" /></a>'Fallen out with Ferrari? Patronised by Porsche? Anguished by Aston Martin? Jaded by Jaguar? Few cars have been as eagerly awaited as Audi’s new R8, already sold out in the UK until late 2008. Advance orders have been taken since 2005. You can’t wangle yourself onto the waiting list. So the only way you can get early delivery is to buy someone else’s. Which means you’ll pay a premium. And the list price of £76,825, plus extras, could easily rise by overs of as much as £10k. So the question everyone wants an answer to is, “is it worth it?” You get a lot for the base price. Stunning looks, a 420PS 4.2 V8 with 430Nm torque, quattro four wheel drive, leather, air, Audi’s new, non-distracting LED daytime running lights, leather seats, fantastic 8 piston brakes, a pop-up rear spoiler you can bring down at the touch of a button; even a Ferrari-like visible engine in an open compartment under the back window. Plus a 0-60 of 4.4 seconds a top speed of 187mph and the phenomenal performance that implies in-between. The standard colours are Ibis white (which I haven’t seen but which looks sensational on the S5), with Ice...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=274 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=274'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/274_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190483496' /></a> Audi A5 and S5 (2007 - ) 273 Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=273'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/273_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538475' align="left" /></a>'Friday 20th April 2007 Styled by a team led by Walter d’Silva, the man responsible for the Alfa Romeo 156 and the current SEAT Leon, the A5 has had quite a long gestation. We first saw it as the Nuvolari concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2003 and it’s taken four years to hone and refine it into the car you see in the photos. D’Silva was given the time because, underneath, the car has the next generation of Audi drivetrain, and that couldn’t be developed overnight. The engine still overhangs the front wheels longitudinally, but the reason why the wheels are much further forward than on past Audis is a completely new transmission in which the final drive sits in front of the gearbox. Compare the noses of the A5 and the Alfa Brera or Peugeot 407 coupe, and even though those two are transverse engined, the front wheels of the A5 are much nearer the front. As well as a longer wheelbase than past Audis, the A5 also has much improved front suspension, now 5 link, with a steering rack repositioned in front of the engine so steering input is fed more directly to the wheels. The...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=273 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=273'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/273_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538475' /></a> Mazda Mazda 3 (2004 - 2009) 248 Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=248'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/248_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191161289' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 12th October 2006, updated 4th December 2006, updated again 12th April 2007. Over the last three years Mazda has made a million Mazda 3s. It’s the company’s best selling model ever. So now’s the time for a high performance version. However, not just a warmed over Mazda 3. This hatchback had to be hotter than everyone else’s. Including the Golf GTI 2.0T, the Leon 2.0T FR, the Focus ST, the Astra VXR, the Alfa 147 GTA and the Megane 225. Under the bonnet you’ll find the same 260PS, 380Nm torque 2.3 chain-cam turbo engine as fitted to the four-wheel drive Mazda 6 MPS. Only the 3 isn’t four-wheel drive. Which, together with its unequal length driveshafts, caused Mazda’s development engineers more than a few headaches in trying to get the power down. The car has electronic traction control and dynamic stability control, like the Mazda 3 Sport. Unlike the 150PS Sport, it also has a mechanical limited slip differential. But as well as that, in an attempt to get all that power and torque to the tarmac, it also has a steering-angle-sensitive throttle damping system. The idea is that when the steering is turned the system curbs the amount...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=248 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=248'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/248_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191161289' /></a> Peugeot 207 (2006 - ) 272 Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=272'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/272_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549806' align="left" /></a>'Friday 6th April 2007 The first time I drove “my” 207 GT THP 150 I just drove it. (‘THP’ stands for ‘Turbo High Pressure’, incidentally.) I liked the power delivery, the handling, the braking. Thought it was like a 21st Century incarnation of the 1986 205 GTi I ran 20 years ago. But, as with people, it’s not until you have a long-term relationship that you start to appreciate the whole package. As with the Prius II I ran in 2004, I actually got exactly the same car I’d originally tested. And it’s loaded. Panoramic roof, leather, JBL Hi Fi, RT3 satnav, phone, CD changer, fragrance diffuser, rear parking aid. The panoramic roof is standard, but the other extra bits add £3,120 to the price. Other standard kit includes a lot of stuff like directional headlights, dual zone climate control, aluminium pedals and gearknob, five 17” Hockenheim alloy wheels with 205/45 Pirelli P Zero Neros, electrochrome rear mirror, automatic folding side mirrors, plus automatic lights and wipers, tyre pressure monitoring system and a five star NCAP safety rating. My 1986 205GTi had none of this. And, worryingly, wouldn’t have even rated one star in the NCAP tests. Now, three months...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=272 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=272'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/272_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549806' /></a> Nissan Qashqai (2007 - ) 271 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=271'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/271_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549640' align="left" /></a>'Friday 23rd March 2007 (corrected 11-6-2007) You may not be able to pronounce it, but Nissan Qashqai has been an astonishing success. It has already sold exactly twice the anticipated number. No less than 5,000 are now on UK roads. And, astonishingly, the fourth and fifth most numerous conquest sales are to former owners of BMW 3-Series and MINIs. So while the idea of a car that looks like a small SUV, but isn’t necessarily, may not seem very appealing, it obviously has pressed the right buttons for around 1,000 buyers a week. The car comes with 1.6 or 2.0 litre chain cam petrol engines, a belt cam 1.5 litre Renault diesel and, from June 2007, a new 2.0 litre chain cam diesel engine. The 1.6 has a 5-speed manual box, while all the others come with 6-speed manuals. A torque converter CVT is optional with the 2.0 litre petrol engine and a new 6-speed torque converter auto will be with the 2.0 litre diesel. Both 2.0 litre petrol and 2.0 litre diesel can be ordered with four-wheel drive with either transmission. But most Qashqais already sold have been ordered with two-wheel drive. The driver’s seat has an impressive range...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=271 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=271'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/271_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549640' /></a> Ford Focus CC (2006 - ) 270 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=270'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/270_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549507' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 20th March 2007 As you can see, it’s a good-looking car. A bit colour sensitive. It’s a matter of “does my bum look big in this colour.” It doesn’t in Acqua Blue. But it can do in ‘Iris’ or ‘Luna’. And, like the 207CC, tan leather suits its Italian styling very nicely. It’s listed cheaper than the Astra Twintop and Eos. And though Ford only expects to sell 6,000 in a full year, it will have built in a margin that allows for discounting. There’s also a launch offer of free dual climate control and leather on CC-3 versions, so it’s off to a good start. Its bum hides a colossal boot of 534 litres. So bags of space for golf bags or holiday luggage, and still 248 litres with the top down. That means a few inches sacrifice of rear seat legroom, though. A 5’ 9” person can travel a decent distance behind another five-foot-niner, but two six footers can’t. Engines are a 1.6 100PS Mazda-derived chain-cam four, Ford’s 145PS 2.0 litre chain-cam four, both with five speed manuals, or the Ford/PSA 2.0 litre diesel with a six speed manual. It can tow up to 1,350 kg with...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=270 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=270'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/270_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549507' /></a> Citroen C4 (2004 - ) 269 Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=269'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/269_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549081' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 18th March 2007 This may look like just another Citroen C4. But it is actually one of the most ‘environmentally correct’ cars you can buy. It’s a medium size 5-door, 5-seat hatchback with a 110PS 1.6 litre diesel engine and a six-speed transmission with an electronically controlled electric clutch. (You can drive it on an automatic licence.) But what sets it apart from every other medium size hatchback (apart from the Toyota Prius) is that it emits just 120g/km CO2. That will qualify it to be congestion charge exempt when the new 120g/km rule comes into effect in 2009. It delivers an official combined economy figure of 62.8mpg. And, right now, 120g/km means you pay only £35 a year annual VED. So, what’s it like to drive? Slowly, around the suburbs and in traffic it’s fine. When you stop, drive disconnects completely so you don’t have to brake unless you’re on a hill (no hill holder, unfortunately). Drive reconnects very smoothly when you set off again. And there’s no jerk from 1st to 2nd. It’s not quite as smooth driving in full-automatic out on the open road until you get used to feather-footing the accelerator pedal and anticipating the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=269 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=269'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/269_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549081' /></a> Alfa Romeo Spider (2007 - ) 268 Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=268'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/268_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538340' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 24th February 2007 Third roadster test of the week and at least Alfa Romeo managed to arrange some sunshine. Brighton wasn’t sunny for the Audi TT Roadster, Jerez wasn’t sunny for the Peugeot 207CC. But Morocco was for the Alfa. It was so good I’m sorry to tell you we forgot to try it with the top up Happily the choice of engines was also right: the 3.2V6 Q4, and the 2.2 four-cylinder front-drive. (I’d already done the 2.4 Multijet in the tintop Brera coupe www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=240) Alfa has been a bit clever with the spec, offering only one level of trim (and now offering only one on the Brera too), making the price premium from hard-top to soft-top a straight £2,000. You get quite a lot of kit, including 17” 5-hole alloy wheels with 225/50 R17 tyres, electric folding heated door mirrors, dual zone automatic climate control, five airbags, including drivers knee bag, fog lights, rear parking sensors, cruise control, multifunction display with trip computer, and, of course, an electric folding soft-top with glass rear window that goes up or down in 25 seconds. It’s breathtakingly beautiful to look at, of course. Somehow better balanced and less front-heavy looking...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=268 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=268'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/268_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190538340' /></a> Peugeot 207CC (2007 - ) 267 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=267'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/267_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549206' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 21st February 2007 (Please also see 207 range test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=211 and 207 GT THP 150 test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=253) This test very nearly never happened. Flying into Jerez for a visual landing in low cloud the pilot of our A321 Airbus forgot to get his gear down and had to abort in the last few seconds. After that, he had to find the airport again. I’ve never circled and banked so close to the ground in a plane as big as an A321 before. Nor stood in such a long queue at the airport toilets. After nearly wiping us out to get us there, we reflected, Peugeot better have made a decent job of the car. And the weather didn’t help. It was to be my second test of a convertible in two days in winter mist and rain. The 207CC is better looking than the 206CC it succeeds. (Which, incidentally, sold a whopping 366,900.) And it comes in some very attractive colours (see the specs below). Best of the lot is the lovely ‘Parthenon White’: a sort of very pale creamy ivory, as you can see in the photos. There will be three engines, eventually. On test we...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=267 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=267'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/267_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190549206' /></a> Audi TT Coupe (2006 - ) 245 Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=245'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/245_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166295' align="left" /></a>'Friday 15th September 2006 Updated Monday 19th February 2007 A Golf with the same 200PS turbo engine as the new Audi TT is £5,000 less. A Leon with the same engine is £9,000 less. The TT always was an expensive style statement with exquisite touches that buyers persuaded themselves made it worth the money. This latest incarnation actually is worth the money. Instead of a steel tub, 69% by weight of the new car is aluminium. And because aluminium is a lot lighter than steel, that means almost all the car. Only the rearmost floor and the hatchback lid are steel, to help with the weight distribution. Almost everything else, including the monocoque ‘chassis’ sections is aluminium. Though a slightly bigger car, it’s actually 75kilos less than the old car, and 75 kilos is the weight of an average bloke. This lightness and the stiffness of the glued-together shell makes it a lot more agile than the old TT. Instead of having an efficient, but slightly dead feel to it, the new TT is very sharp, very grippy and very sporty even in front-wheel-drive 2.0T incarnation. It’s nothing like the Leon 2.0TFSI FR or Golf GTI, good that they are....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=245 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=245'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/245_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166295' /></a> Mitsubishi Shogun (2007 - ) 266 Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=266'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/266_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574166' align="left" /></a>'Monday, 19th February 2007 If you look at last year’s figures for 4x4 SUVs you might think the green envy crowd had got one over on the green welly brigade. But you’d be wrong. Though overall SUV sales were down 6.2%, sales of the biggest ones were actually up 4.3%. Not because the buyers are all ‘idiots’ intent on buying the most icecap melting 4x4 they could afford for the suburban school run. But because a lot of country people actually need a big, capable 4x4 to tow their trailers, caravans and boats or to cross their land to shoot the foxes they’re not allowed to hunt any more so their chickens, ducks, and pheasants don’t get wiped out. The new fourth-generation Shogun is a proper, working vehicle with a 4-cylinder 3.2 litre diesel engine developing a stump-pulling 381Nm torque. Whether manual or automatic it has a straightforward 2WD, 4WD, 4WD with locked central diff and 4WD low range with locked central diff. For the really tough stuff a locking rear diff is optional. Don’t forget Mitsubishi has a track record as this sort of thing. Modified Shoguns have won the Paris Dakar Raid no less than twelve times. It...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=266 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=266'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/266_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574166' /></a> Smart Fortwo (2007 - ) 265 Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=265'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/265_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574339' align="left" /></a>'Friday 9th February 2007 It seems like only a few years ago, but the first Smart City Coupes actually hit the streets in 1998 and since then no less than 770,000 have been sold worldwide. Smart’s expansion plans have failed. Both the Nedcar-built and Mitsubishi Colt based ForFour and the Roadster Coupe have been shelved because they could not generate enough profit. Yet the original concept has continued to sell, especially to city dwellers in Rome, Paris, London, Berlin and Madrid. So now it’s time for a new one. As usual, cars grow, and the new Smart ForTwo is 195mm longer with a 55mm longer wheelbase and 31mm wider track. That gives better crash protection front and back (good enough to sell in the USA) and frees up more room inside for passengers and luggage. You can now get 220 litres behind the seats, or 340 litres stuffed to the roof. It feels very spacious inside for such a small car. But, despite an 8.75 metre turning circle, at 1,867mm it’s now too long to park at right angles to a kerb. Petrol engines are Mitsubishi-derived 999cc three-cylinder chain cammers with outputs of 61 or 71bhp, or an 84bhp turbo....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=265 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=265'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/265_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574339' /></a> FIAT Panda (2003 - ) 264 Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=264'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/264_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574579' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 8th February 2007 I’m a Panda fan. I like the Panda 1.1 Active. I like the Panda diesel. I like the Panda 4x4. So why did the indisputably cute Panda 100HP not quite push all my buttons? It looks terrific. Like a souped-up small FIAT should. A basic, upright tiny utility car with fat alloys, chunky tyres and a special grille. It’s good inside, too, with supportive seats, nice steering wheel and the same brilliant centre switchgear arrangement of all Pandas. Mine came in a gorgeous deep metallic ‘New Orleans Blue’. And it has a rorty exhaust. I can’t work out why they gave it six gears though, because they’re all low. Even 6th only gives you 21mph per 1,000rpm. So it’s no motorway cruiser. And they’re all very close together, not just in ratio, but also in lever movement. It’s hard to feel the change of plane shifting from 4th to 5th, though, strangely, much easier to slot from 5th to 4th, or 6th to 4th for that matter. It hates speed bumps. Can’t cope with them at all. Too narrow to straddle metre-wide speed cushions. And crashes badly over street wide flat-tops at anything more than 20mph....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=264 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=264'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/264_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574579' /></a> Mitsubishi Outlander II (2007 - ) 263 Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=263'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/263_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574870' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday, 7th February 2007 This car is a nice surprise. We’ve had to wait a long time for it because of some complex component sharing. For the UK the first batch of Outlanders have the same 2.0 litre VAG TDI PD 140 as the Mitsubishi Grandis and countless numbers of VWs, Skodas, SEATs and Audis. And since it emits just 183g/km CO2, that gives it the smallest ‘carbon footprint’ of any SUV capable of carrying seven. Later it will get a 158PS version of PSA/Ford’s new 2.2 litre diesel, and in exchange will give its body to the Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007. So this test is also a foretaste of what those two will be like. It will also get a 168bhp 2.4 MIVACs petrol engine combined with a CVT automatic transmission. It’s a handsome looking thing, with a front reminiscent of the L200 Triton pick-up and a rear that looks remarkably like a Ford S-Max. Inside you get five comfortable seats, the rear three split, sliding and slightly reclining 60:40 with a sort of trigger mechanism that tumbles them forwards leaving a completely flat load floor with the folded seats as a bulkhead. Behind them is a small...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=263 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=263'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/263_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574870' /></a> FIAT Bravo (2007 - ) 262 Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=262'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/262_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574969' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 31st January 2007 Updated 30-6-2007 Gianna Nannini. That’s a name you probably haven’t ever heard of. If so, I strongly recommend you key it into Google or Amazon and get hold of one of her albums. She has the greatest voice in the whole of Italy. Deep, smoky and mellow, but is virtually unheard outside her home country. And hers is the voice behind the Italian commercials for the new FIAT Bravo. To begin his presentation, FIAT boss Luca de Meo explained that according to his research the main customer expectation from FIAT is style, at 37%. Quality came in at 16%. That’s lucky, then. Because the new FIAT Bravo, developed in just 18 months from conception to launch, is a triumph of style over substance. It’s a beautiful looking car, putting everything else in its class to shame apart from the Honda Civic, which takes style in a completely different direction. The new Bravo has the Maserati coupe look of the Grande Punto, but more so, with a low front and a steeply raked window line to pertly rounded rump. A cheer, then, for the styling. It’s roomy inside, with plenty of space for five, and a boot...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=262 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=262'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/262_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190574969' /></a> Honda Civic Type R II (2007 - ) 261 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=261'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/261_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575078' align="left" /></a>'Monday 29th January 2007 Not many hot hatchbacks have been awaited as eagerly as this one. The old Civic Type-R had close to cult status. 35,000 were sold worldwide. And punters are passionate. You could make disparaging remarks about a chap’s nearest and dearest, but criticise his Type-R and he’d eat your liver with a nice Chianti. Such deification led to deep anxiety that the new Type-R would somehow fail to live up to the old one. No chance of that. Honda itself is an enthusiastic company, so listens to Honda enthusiasts. And there were, dare I mention, some criticisms of the old car Honda felt it needed to address. Too raw was one. The power came in too late. The engine wasn’t flexible enough. The steering didn’t have enough feel. And the ride was between a rock and a hard place. Then, of course, there’s Honda’s brave new bodyshape. No other car in the world looks remotely like it. But how would it take to the Type R treatment? The body alone a very good reason for buying the new car. It makes everything else look previous century. Besides that, it’s very practical. No hatchback the same size has...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=261 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=261'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/261_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575078' /></a> Audi A3 + S3 (2003 - 2008) 260 Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=260'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/260_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575162' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 28th January 2007 Sweet car. Now you’d think that a 265PS four-wheel-drive hatchback hiding behind Audi’s aggressive barbeque grille would be anything but sweet. But this is a sports car that’s as happy to pootle through town as it is to claw its way round greasy corners at ridiculous speeds. It may develop its serious 350Nm peak torque between 2,500 and 5,000rpm. Hoever, there’s still enough to keep it perfectly happy trickling along at 1,000 – 1,500 rpm. The gearing helps. You get about 25mph per 1,000 rpm in 6th and the ratios below that are all fairly close. So, unlike a turbodiesel geared at 35mph per 1,000 rpm, you have torque as well as power from quite low engine speeds. The gearshift is top notch as well. The S3 has shorter shifts and is very positive. It’s very fast and I never mis-slotted. A nice touch is a digital speed read-out in the centre of the dashpanel as well as the dials. On 18” wheels and 225/40 R18 tyres I can’t claim the suspension absorbs pot-holes. It is stiff, but not stomach-jarringly solid. Get the seat position right and it’s also twinge-free after 300 miles in the saddle....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=260 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=260'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/260_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575162' /></a> Audi A4 B7 (2005 - 2008) 158 Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=158'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/158_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195801463' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday, 1st Dec 2004 Updated 23rd January 2007 In September 2004 I lucked into a cancellation for first drive of the new LHD Audi A4 2005 model, before even its official launch at the Paris Motor Show. On that occasion I got to drive a 2.0 TDI 140 6-speed manual Avant and a 3.2 V6 petrol Multitronic, both front-drive only. Now I’ve driven three more of the new range: the 2.0 130bhp petrol Multitronic Avant, the 3.0 V6 TDI quattro Tiptronic Avant, and the car in the photos: the 2.0 FSI Turbo petrol quattro 6-speed manual Avant. So this missive kicks of with updated old copy, then runs onto driving impressions of the three other cars. As you can see from the photos, the A4 has been completely facelifted. And this isn’t simply window-dressing, because under the bonnets are four new engines: an all new quad chain cam 255bhp 3.2 FSI V6 petrol; the new 200bhp 2.0T FSI petrol engine shared with the Golf V GTi; the quad-chain-cam 3.0 TDI V6 shared with the A6, but de-tuned to 204bhp; and the 140bhp 2.0 TDI shared with the Golf V, A3, Touran and Altea. This last engine is likely to be...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=158 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=158'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/158_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195801463' /></a> Toyota Auris (2007 - ) 259 Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=259'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/259_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575375' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 16th January 2007 First, let’s get one thing straight. It’s “Owris”, like “Audi”, not “Ooris”. We can’t have you mispronouncing the successor to the world’s best-selling car ever. The Auris hits Britain’s streets on 1st February. Apart from rapidly depleting dealer stocks, the Corolla is no more, though the Corolla Verso soldiers on and I guess Bangkok’s favourite taxi, the Corolla Altis ‘limo’ saloon will continue to be built in Thailand. The Auris is a decent enough looking car, a bit like a big Yaris, sitting on a long wheelbase and a few centimetres taller than the average C segment hatchback. It’s a bit more interesting inside, with a flying buttress arrangement housing the gearlever higher than most of us are used to, a commodious centre console and a flat rear floor making it a five seater which is genuinely comfortable for five. Disappointingly, the ‘Optitron’ digital dash is laid out with analogue circular instruments instead of the excellent central digital display of the Yaris that you don’t have to re-focus from. The engine range includes a 1.4 petrol, a new 1.6 petrol, and 1.4, 2.0 litre and 2.2 litre diesels. Transmissions are 5-speed manual with the petrol engines...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=259 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=259'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/259_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575375' /></a> Volvo S80 (2006 - ) 258 Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=258'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/258_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575489' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 12th December 2006 It used to be called ‘Carriage Trade’. Now ‘Private Hire’. Those Middle Eastern guys in sharp suits, sunglasses and E220 CDIs who show up to take you to a TV studio. I wondered what they would think of the new Volvo S80 D5. It’s a big, comfortable car that feels immensely strong, cruises at 2,000rpm at 70, yet definitely keeps you in touch with the road both through the steering and the seat of your pants. Soft it isn’t. It’s a full five seater with plenty of head and legroom even for piggy in the middle in the back. The boot is huge, with a flap that folds up from the floor to divide it in two and hide an illegal immigrant. The six-speed autobox is slurry with no paddles behind the wheel and a back-to-front ‘Geartronic’ function. The steering wheel is one of the nicest I’ve very held. It’s the right size and right thickness, and rightly Volvo has restricted the number of buttons on it. Those on the left control the cruise and those on the right the radio volume and station and the phone. You do it all by rule of thumb and,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=258 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=258'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/258_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575489' /></a> Citroen C4 Picasso 7-st (2007 - ) 256 Sun, 10 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=256'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/256_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575594' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 10th December 2006 This is the car that would have surprised no one by becoming European Car of the Year 2007. Without taking anything away from the Ford S-Max that secured the title (by managing to be both a drivers car and an MPV), the feature-packed C4 Picasso pushes the concept of compact MPV further than it has ever gone before. Unfortunately it was a latecomer to COTY and some of the judges did not get enough time to fully appreciate quite how much it offers. I’ll start with the seats. There are seven of them. The rearmost two each pop out of the boot floor with a single tug. The centre three are each full-size separately sliding and folding with ISOFIX tethers on all of them. They also fold flat with one tug, but very usefully the squabs on the outer two fold up so they can be slid forwards individually to give generous access to the rearmost pair. Unlike the Zafira, two centre row passengers can stay in their seats while two more get into the rear pair. At 5’ 9” I can happily sit behind myself in all three rows. All five-rear seats can be folded...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=256 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=256'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/256_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575594' /></a> Mazda MX5 Roadster Coupe (2006 - ) 257 Sat, 09 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=257'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/257_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575766' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 9th December 2006 Obviously the Mk MX5 was designed to be a folding hard-top coupe as well as a folding soft-top coupe right from the start. The hard-top folds into the same space as the soft top, takes just 12 seconds to do so, and weighs a mere 18kg more than the soft-top. With slightly different rear panels and the addition of standard air conditioning, total weight is just 37kg more than the soft-top. Less than the average 10 year old child. The boot takes the same 150 litres as the soft top. Like the Mercedes SLK, it looks just as good with the vandal-proof top up as it does with it down. And it’s fair to compare it with an SLK that costs around £8,000 more at its cheapest. There is no official auto, however. But independent importers TW White and Son offers the automatic version, so there’s no reason not to save that £8,000. Testing in November on storm-lashed roads in the North of Scotland is no comparison to testing in Summer in Portugal so it’s a bit difficult to say whether the extra weight of the roof makes any difference to the handling. It’s still a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=257 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=257'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/257_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575766' /></a> Skoda Roomster (2006 - ) 255 Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=255'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/255_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575895' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 3rd December 2006 When you first look at the Skoda Roomster you think it’s going to be another Berlingo. A very good combi-van utility-car kind of thing, yet still basically a van. Get behind the wheel, though, and it doesn’t feel like that at all. Admittedly, my test car had the ‘small leather kit’, which included a leather-covered steering wheel. Something you don’t expect to find in a van. But the wheel also has a full range of height and reach adjustment, and so does the seat. So you think you are in a standard VAG group car. Start the engine (the best and most obvious choice is the 105PS 1.9 TDI PD) and it’s also as quiet and amiable as the same engine in a car. No big hole in the torque delivery then a sudden rush at 1,700rpm. This gently provides its modest but adequate power without any unpleasantness. It steers, corners, rides potholes and speedhumps just like a well-sorted mid-size estate car. It isn’t as big inside as you think it’s going to be, though. Its 450-530 litre boot and total luggage capacity of 1,780 litres compares unfavourably with the Berlingo’s 624 litres and 2,800 litres....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=255 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=255'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/255_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190575895' /></a> Vauxhall Corsa D (2006 - ) 254 Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=254'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/254_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160375' align="left" /></a>'“Cmon.” The new Corsa was pipped at the post by just two points for the coveted title of European Car of The Year 2007. At the end of the day, though, despite all the hype, the Corsa is just a car. And the winner had the advantage of being a ‘multi-purpose vehicle’. (The Ford S-Max.) There’s no doubt that the new Corsa is well made. It feels strong and solid. The sort of small hatchback the Germans would build in Germany. Though in fact it’s assembled in Zaragoza, Northern Spain, a few hundred kilometres from the VW Polo plant at Pamplona to the West and also few hundred from where they put the bitz of the SEAT Ibiza together, at Martorell to the East. Under the bonnet of the two cars I drove throbbed an engine hidden under a big plastic cover badged ‘Ecotec’, which is in fact the same excellent 1,248cc Multijet diesel as used in a multitude of FIATs. And underneath, of corsa, it’s the same basic structure as the FIAT Grande Punto. But compare the two side by side and they’re not really repanelled clones. Even the bulkhead structure is different. I did more than 500 miles...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=254 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=254'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/254_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160375' /></a> Peugeot 207 (2006 - ) 253 Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=253'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/253_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160549' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 16th November 2006 (Please also see 207 range test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=211 Peugeot has done it again. I loved the 205GTI and the 306GTI. I reckon they got close with the 206 GT HDI 110. And I could see the potential in the 207 from the way the lesser models handled. But now, hats off to them. They’ve come up with sharpest, grippiest front end with the most accurate and informative steering on any current small car. And, unlike the 205GTI, the new 207 GT won’t swap ends on you. It’s not tail happy at all. And even when the front end finally starts to let go it tells you exactly what it’s doing and leaves you firmly in control. Not only that, it’s comfortable, it rides well, it’s fuel efficient (40.3mpg), and it has a water-cooled turbo so you don’t have to worry too much about idling before you switch off. The engine is the same chain-cam 1.6 as used in the 2007 MINI Cooper and Cooper S. www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=249 But in the 207GT it only puts out 150bhp at 5,800rpm and has a mere five gears in its box. But the ace up its sleeve is strong torque of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=253 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=253'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/253_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160549' /></a> Toyota RAV-4 (2006 - ) 252 Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=252'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/252_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191165884' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 11th November 2006 After 4 months and only 1,850 miles my ‘long term’ RAV-4 D-4D 180 has now gone back to its maker. You can see my road test of another at http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=235 , which carries a full description. This one wasn’t as melodious as the first, at first. We took a while to get used to each other. And running on Total diesel most of the time it wasn’t quite as economical. Though an average of 37mpg over 1,784 miles is still pretty good for a big 4x4 capable of 0-60 in 9 seconds. Those miles included a fair bit of town running including an hour getting nowhere fast on Tooting High Road. And a long time idling while waiting for some valet parking. I reckon on Shell diesel or BP Ultimate I’d probably have averaged 38. By the way, over 4 months, the Bridgestone runflats lost no pressure at all and the engine used no oil. The seating position seems a bit odd, but you get used to it and it’s actually very comfortable. The gearchange is snickily precise, but with 400Nm torque the box doesn’t like the shift from 1st to 2nd. Grip and handling on...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=252 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=252'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/252_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191165884' /></a> Volvo C30 (2006 - 2009) 251 Fri, 03 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=251'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/251_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160748' align="left" /></a>'Friday 3rd November 2006 Those nice people at Volvo are only planning on selling 5,000 C30s in 2007. They’d better make some more. If the idea was to turn a Ford Focus into a rival for the Audi A3, then Audi must be worried. First the looks. The C30 isn’t just a good looking car, it’s exquisite. A lot of people will buy it for the styling alone. With its simple glass rear hatch, it harks back to the 480ES of the 1980s, and the P1800ES before that. Yet unlike those cars, it seats four of me very comfortably and even has space for our luggage. Or our golf clubs, because the Volvo designers have thoughtfully hollowed out the sides at the back of the luggage area to take a couple of bags of clubs lying horizontally. (A hard luggage cover to conceal those precious woods and irons is coming later.) The car abounds with Volvo detailing. For example, you still get a clip in the front window frame to hold parking tickets to the screen, so you won’t get done for “failing to display” when they blow off the dash top into the footwell. It has the same ‘floating’...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=251 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=251'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/251_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160748' /></a> Honda CR-V III (2007 - ) 250 Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=250'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/250_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160889' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 1st Novemer 2005 When is a 4x4 not a 4x4? Honda would like you to believe when it’s the new CR-V. And it puts up a very convincing argument. The new, British-built CR-V 2.2 diesel chucks out 173g/km CO2, which is less than a lot of cars and means you can park it for £130 a year instead of £300 in Richmond council’s new residents parking tax scheme. It takes up less road space than the average family estate car, yet it offers more room inside. It’s safer for the occupants in a crash and even protects any pedestrians it may hit. So the mere fact that it offers part-time four-wheel drive to help get you out of a muddy field should not upset Ken Livingstone or Bamber Gascoigne in the slightest. You are definitely not an “idiot” for buying one. You can even have a rear window sticker to try to educate the green-envy brigade telling them “not all 4x4s are the same”. Like the RAV-4 which was really the first of this type of vehicle it’s now in its third manifestation. And in fairness to the RAV-4, the basic 2.2 litre diesel version of that also emits...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=250 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=250'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/250_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191160889' /></a> MINI MINI Cooper and S R56 (2007 - ) 249 Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=249'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/249_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191161076' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 31st October 2006 Last updated 18-1-2007 Has BMW taken the fun out of the MINI? First reports from “first drives” a month ago tended to end with that conclusion, And seemed to be worrying MINI Project Leader Horst Radibojevic as he cross-examined us after our own first drive. Second and third in BMW’s list of ‘What’s the same’ about the new MINI are “the kart-like handling” and “the wheel-at-each-corner control”. And from our experience that patently was not true. The thing about the original Mini, Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S on their tiny 10” wheels was that they did feel exactly like go-karts. The steering wheel connected you directly to the road with no sponge pudding in between. It informed you exactly what each wheel was doing and fed every ripple, pebble and grain of sand to your hands. At lower speeds you could change direction so alarmingly quickly that your passenger wasn’t firmly strapped down she could land on your lap. Despite 15”, 16” and 17” wheels, BMW managed to hang onto the fun factor with its rejuvenated MINI. A fully loaded supercharged MINI Cooper S convertible on 17” wheels could sometimes feel exactly like an original...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=249 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=249'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/249_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191161076' /></a> KIA Carens (2006 - ) 247 Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=247'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/247_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166058' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 5th October 2006 The old KIA Carens was a decent enough vehicle. Roomy, pleasant, reasonable to drive and at very fair list prices. The trouble was at heavily discounted transaction prices, the better looking and better to drive Citroen Xsara Picasso wiped the floor with it. But now the goalposts have shifted. Citroen is still there with 5-seater Xsara Picasso Desire diesels from around £9,800 via a broker. And its much more expensive new 7-seater C4 Picasso. Vauxhall offers a much-improved new Zafira. Renault has updated its Scenic. Ford has the excellent S-Max. And both Vauxhall and Renault offer 7-seater diesel automatics. So what sort of a fight does the new KIA Carens put up against all this stiff competition? Obviously before discounts, it’s still price competitive, starting at £11,995 for the petrol engined 5-seater and £14,495 for the diesel engined 7-seater. While diesel automatics start at a very enticing £15,495. It’s good looking, not in an alien South Korean kind of way, but aesthetically pleasing by any standards. It has a pleasant interior, with practical touches like a shelf in front of the passenger, a dashboard that doesn’t reflect in the windscreen and even a ‘curry hook’ in...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=247 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=247'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/247_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166058' /></a> Mitsubishi Colt 3-door (2005 - ) 246 Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=246'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/246_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166176' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 1st October 2006 This is really an update of my previous test of the Colt Red 3-dr. The Colt 3-dr is basically well equipped with ABS + EBD, twin airbags with a key-switch to switch the passenger’s off, Radio C/D player, trip computer, rev counter, lockable glove compartment, lots of useful cubby holes, grab handles front and back, passenger and driver vanity mirrors, sliding and double-folding rear seat, very comfortable front seats, good quality, solid feeling plastics, height-adjustable steering wheel, three 3-point rear seatbelts, electric front windows and a really neat two-sided interior light: just press the lens your side and the light goes on. In addition, to justify an extra £1,000, the Colt Blue has side airbags, rear outer ISOFIX seat fittings, remote central locking, 6 speakers, MP3 compatibility, automatic headlights with a light sensor, blue and black leather covered steering wheel, blue and black cloth sears, automatic rain sensors, alloy wheels and metallic blue paint. There is excellent headroom and huge seat travel. I drove the Colt Red with a guy who is 6’ 6” and even he did not need to push the seat all the way back. The doors excellent access and open so wide...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=246 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=246'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/246_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166176' /></a> BMW 3-Series E92 Coupe (2006 - ) 244 Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=244'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/244_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166400' align="left" /></a>'Every seven years BMW presents us with a new 3-Series coupe. In 1992 it was the E36. In 1999 the E46. And now, in 2006, the E92. You may need a bit of help here to de-confuse the E numbers. The E90 is the current 3 Series saloon. The E91 is the Touring. And the E93 will be the forthcoming coupe-convertible. Unlike previous 3-Series coupes, the E92 shares no body panels at all with the saloon. It sits on a long wheelbase, helping reduce pitching over undulations. Somehow it’s been “de-Bangled” of the sometimes-odd styling quirks of all recent BMWs. You don’t have to persuade yourself it’s a good-looking car. It simply is. Though a bigger car than the E46 coupe, on average it’s ten kilos lighter. And it’s very practical, too. There’s plenty of leg and headroom both front and back for four full-sized people. The long, deep 440-litre boot seems almost as commodious as a VW Jetta’s. The back seatbacks fold down individually. And between then there’s a ski-hatch. I didn’t have any golf clubs with me but reckon you could get four bagfuls in lengthways if you needed to. It’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=244 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=244'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/244_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166400' /></a> Suzuki Grand Vitara LWB (2005 - ) 243 Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=243'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/243_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166570' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 20th August 2006 This is the second part of a two-part test. Previously the remarkably RAV-like Grand Vitara 1.6 3-door (www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=242). Here the Grand Vitara 5-door with a 1.9 litre Renault diesel engine. Start it and it sounds like a truck-load of gravel being emptied onto a wasp’s nest. Smooth it isn’t. It’s quite low geared too, for a diesel. Just 25mph per 1,000rpm. But unlike the 3-door it comes with lockable centre diff and low range gears as standard. So you can go off-roading, if you can find an off-road. It also has a high-set air inlet, bolted to the bonnet shut plate, which means it’s not likely to hydraulic fording a stream or a flood. That extra length gives it much better ride quality and sportier handling. You still don’t want to cruise at much more than 75-80mph, but it’s stable and positive at speed rather than a bit vague like the old solid-back-axle Vitaras. And, of course, you can get an extra person in the back seat. Plus a lot more luggage. The rear seats are split 60:40 and as well as reclining slightly also tumble leaving a flat luggage floor, though tumbled they take up...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=243 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=243'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/243_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166570' /></a> Suzuki Grand Vitara LWB (2005 - ) 242 Fri, 11 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=242'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/242_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166689' align="left" /></a>'Friday 11th August 2006 This is a test of two parts. First the remarkably RAV-4 like Vitara 1.6 3-door. Then, separately, its big sister with 5-doors and a 2.0 litre diesel engine. (www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=243) It may not go down well with everyone, but I really like the styling of the 3-door Vitara. The car is about as close as it possibly could be to the old 3-door RAV-4 without infringing some sort of artistic copyright. And, since you can’t buy a new 3-door RAV-4 any more I can see woman buyers frocking to a Suzuki dealer near them. You get up into the car very easily thanks to no sill at all and a nice, high driver’s seat. Despite the short cabin there’s plenty of room for a five foot niner behind a five foot niner and the rear backrests recline slightly to make the seats decently comfortable. If you have a dog, the rear seats tumble-fold forwards (just like the old RAV-4’s) leaving a flat floor and the side-opening rear door (also just like the old RAV-4’s) leaves a sill low enough for even a Yorkshire Terrier to jump in. I used the car to shift some heavy boxes of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=242 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=242'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/242_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191166689' /></a> Mercedes Benz B-Class (2005 - ) 241 Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=241'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/241_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191311505' align="left" /></a>'Thursday, 3rd August 2006 After a normal car, getting into the B-Class is slightly odd. You have to step up quite high. Then you find yourself sitting on the floor. It didn’t do my back any favours. Seat and steering wheel are fully adjustable in all directions. The controls are all quite light, especially the steering (on Michelin Energy 205/55 R16 tyres). The manual B170 petrol comes with a 5-speed box, though most buyers will pay £1,390 extra to get the seven ratio ZF CVT Autotronic also available in the A Class and Ford Focus and C-Max 1.6 TDCIs. That light feeling translates to the way the car handles. It’s effortless, a quality much appreciated and even needed by some drivers. At low speeds the handling is viceless. Though at speed the lightness and lack of ‘feel’ conspire with the shape of the body to demand constant attention, especially in crosswinds on the motorway. Ride quality is good and “speed cushions” absorbed reasonably well. Despite only 116bhp, the optional Speedtronic cruise control works simply and is well worth the extra £205 now that many road works limits are enforced by SPECS average speed cameras. Speedtronic also includes a maximum speed...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=241 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=241'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/241_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191311505' /></a> Alfa Romeo Brera (2005 - ) 240 Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=240'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/240_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191311935' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 29th July 2006 Apologies to everyone reading this, but I think I’ve been testing the wrong car. The front-drive Alfa 159 1.9JTDM is beautifully balanced. The front-drive 159 2.4JTDM is 33% more powerful yet still works well. The four wheel drive 159 3.2 Q4 was a disappointment, but colleagues tell me that with the 7 inch shorter wheelbase of the Brera the 3.2 Q4 mechanicals work brilliantly. My mistake was to borrow the front-drive Brera 2.4JTDM. It’s another Giorgetto Giugiaro car, like my 105 Series GT Junior, originally conceived as a showcar, but one that made it through to production. It’s certainly a stunner, though not from every angle because of the relatively short wheelbase and the heavy overhangs, particularly at the front. I think that’s what makes the front-drive Brera less of an exquisite drive than the 159. And why it comes to life with four-wheel-drive in the manner of the short wheelbase Audi quattro turbo that Hannu Mikkola was so effective in. The Brera is nominally a four seater, but at a mere 5’ 9” I cannot sit behind myself, and I’d warn anyone leaning in to strap child seats into the ISOFIX fittings to watch their...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=240 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=240'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/240_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191311935' /></a> Mercedes Benz E-Class W211 (2002 - 2009) 239 Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=239'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/239_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191312292' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 26th July 2006 New engines, 2,000 improvements and gremlins finally expelled The revitalised Mercedes E Class may look like the old one, but it’s a good car made better in almost every respect. Engines first, bottom to top, the 1.8 litre 200K now develops 184bhp and 250Nm torque with similar economy and CO2 output as before. The 220CDI (the most popular engine) is up 20bhp to 170bhp, and now offers 400Nm torque yet economy is improved to an average 44.8mpg and CO2 is 167g/km. The 3.0 litre 231PS 280 V6 petrol engine was new last year, the 3.5 litre 272PS 350 V6 petrol replaced the old 320 at the same time. Other engine changes from last year are the 3.0 litre 280 and 320CDI V6s with 190bhp and 224bhp respectively. Hot news is that the E500 now gets the 5.5 litre 388PS V8 from the S Class and SLK that whacks it up to 60mph in a fraction over 5 seconds yet still offers 24.6mpg combined economy. While sitting right at the top of the tree is a new 6.2 litre non supercharged V8, actually built from scratch by AMG, that pumps out an outrageous 514PS and 630Nm torque...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=239 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=239'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/239_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191312292' /></a> Mercedes Benz R Class (2006 - ) 238 Fri, 21 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=238'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/238_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191312663' align="left" /></a>'Friday 21st July 2006 Another day, another massive Mercedes. At 5,157mm (17 feet) the RL is actually 69mm (2.7 inches) longer than the gargantuan GL Class. However, instead of seven seats, the car is built around six supersize Americans. Everyone gets an individual seat and room to stretch their legs, though the rearmost are only good for people less than 7’ tall and weighing under 20 stone. At 5’ 9”, getting into the car, I felt like a midget. It’s on a different scale, like a ‘Spot On’ model car compared to a Dinky. Mine came on optional 19” AMG wheels with gigantic 255/50 x 19 tyres which actually look right on the car, though the standard 235/65 x 17s are probably a bit more comfortable to ride on. Mercedes describes the R Class as a Grand Sport Tourer: part sports saloon, part estate and part MPV, with a hint of SUV. The car weighs 2,270kg before anyone gets in, which is 160kg less than the GL. Yet curiously, in hilly conditions, the 320CDI engine seems to struggle to pull it along, whereas it felt adequate in the GL. The RL hums along the motorway very quietly though, and since...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=238 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=238'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/238_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191312663' /></a> Lexus RX400h (2005 - 2009) 237 Sun, 16 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=237'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/237_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191313046' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 16th July 2006 I don’t feel any guilt making a case for the Lexus LS400h. It’s a quiet and very comfortable conveyance with the performance of a big V8 SUV, yet fuel economy that beats all full-size diesel SUVs. I averaged 31.3mpg, which is nothing to be ashamed of in a car that kicks out 273PS, gets to 60 in 7.3 seconds and weighs 2,000kg. It’s not cheap at £36,393 for the base model to £45,258 for the fully loaded SE-L version I drove. And some of the trim isn’t really grand enough for a forty-five grander, like the rattly ashtray cup holder and the honorary console between the seats. A BMW X5 has much better ambiance. But it’s superbly comfortable. It’s very quiet and pleasant to drive. It handles better than most SUVs. And if you suddenly need to get a move on the combined power of the engine and two electric motors whack you up to warp speed remarkably quickly. The anchors are very good, too. Despite nearly twice the weight of the Honda Hybrid, you don’t get the same feeling of braking against the heavy flywheel effect of the electric motors. So how does it work?...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=237 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=237'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/237_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191313046' /></a> Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio (2006 - ) 236 Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=236'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/236_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191313192' align="left" /></a>'I’m delighted to report that VW has cracked it. Faced with almost overwhelming competition from Ford, Peugeot, Renault, Vauxhall and Volvo, the wags from Wolfsburg have come up with the best folding tin-top your folding can buy. The Eos 2.0TFSI 200 has the sweetest engine, the nicest transmission, the stiffest body, the finest handling and the best rear legroom of the lot. The real joy is it’s the one and only coupe cabrio that actually goes and drives like a sportscar rather than merely look like one. And, as an added bonus, it even has offers electric sliding sunroof when you have the top up. It’s not often that I return a test car to the venue then take a pair of private buyers out in it and sell the car to them. Yet that’s exactly what happened. A retired couple had seen the Eos and came over to have a good look at them. VW wasn’t insured for them to drive, but as long as I took them out it was okay. They wanted to replace a Peugeot 306 automatic cabrio. They had done their homework and studied the brochure from their VW dealer. But this was the first...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=236 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=236'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/236_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191313192' /></a> Toyota RAV-4 (2006 - ) 235 Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=235'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/235_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191318489' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 12th July 2006 Stepping out of a Yaris and into a RAV-4 is bound to give the wrong impression. I always remembered the old RAV as the sportiest of all the SUVs. Yet this big new RAV-4 D-4D 180 felt more like a Shogun. That misconception didn’t last. It has the same brilliant 177PS 2.2 litre diesel engine as the Avensis. Though sitting a foot or so higher, it obviously feels completely different. The six-speed gearshift is longer, but snickily precise. Third gear is just as useful. Yet the engine has a completely different set of sound effects. It feels extraordinarily free-revving, like some diesels can after they’ve done 300,000 miles. And the exhaust has a melodious, echoing bellow as if the tailpipe is 4” in diameter (it isn’t). Like the Avensis, this RAV-4 can motor. After taking the usual pictures, I found an Audi A6 3.2 on my tail and, much to the driver’s surprise, easily out-accelerated it to over 100mph. Diesel 4x4s just aren’t supposed to do that sort of thing. Of course, this was only once, in the interests of science. The rest of my tenure was fairly strictly speed-limited and often in cruise control. And...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=235 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=235'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/235_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191318489' /></a> BMW Z4 Coupe (2006 - ) 234 Fri, 07 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=234'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/234_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191317177' align="left" /></a>'Friday 7th July 2006 It’s a good looking car. Hunched on its back wheels like a cat about to pounce, there’s a bit of competition E-Type, Ferrari GTO, Cobra Daytona and BMW 507 in it. Somehow, all the bells Bangles and beads come together. And before you ask there’s plenty of room for golf clubs in the boot (of the 3.0i, anyway). Get into the Z4M and the first assault on your senses is the steering wheel. The rim is so thick, some people simply won’t be able to touch fingertips around it. So it’s a man’s car, then? Too right it is. The car has so much power it’s actually quite difficult to change gear smoothly. You think that’s the price of lightening quick gearchanges when accelerating hard. Yet, perversely, it’s also difficult to make quick gearchanges. And the quicker you go, the lighter the steering becomes, making the car tricky to aim accurately through fast corners. With that light steering, neither of us felt inclined to switch off the ESP. The trick variable diff digs in hard at the back. Yet still, as a driver, you’re conscious of just not being able to pilot the car smoothly. And...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=234 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=234'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/234_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191317177' /></a> Mazda Mazda 3 (2004 - 2009) 233 Fri, 07 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=233'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/233_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191318607' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 6th July 2006 The Mazda 3 has been given a discreet facelift and a general tweaking. Nothing hugely significant. Merely a good car made better using lessons learned on the Volvo S40/V40 and Ford Focus with which it shares its floorpan, suspension and drivetrain. The Mazda 3 was the second car after the C-Max on Ford’s C1 platform, preceding the Volvo S40/V50 and the Focus itself. So the new version benefits from three years of lessons learned with the shared technology. Outside, the Mazda logo in the grille is slightly bigger. The rather ugly optional slatted grille has been abandoned. The front bumper is restyled. The alloy wheels are a new design. There are some new colours: Carbon Grey mica, Phantom Blue mica, Aurora Blue and Icy Blue mica. (Happily, the best old colour, a very rich solid red, has been kept.) And there’s an extra diesel: the 90PS version of the Ford/PSA 1.6 offering combined economy of over 60mpg. Under the skin, suspension settings have been altered slightly to make the car more responsive, improve ride quality and refinement and reduce noise levels. Other improvement include a keyless card entry system and cruise control on high spec models,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=233 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=233'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/233_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191318607' /></a> Mercedes Benz GL-Class (2006 - ) 232 Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=232'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/232_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191317331' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 1st July 2006 Updated Wednesday 25th July 2006. Size is everything. Mercedes builds its ML and GL in the USA, the land of the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator and the Hummer H2. So to offer the most desirable 7-seat 4x4 in the World it had to think big. The GL is 5,088mm long (16’ 9”, in English). It’s also 1,920mm (6’ 4”) wide before you close the door mirrors and 1,840mm (6’ 1”) high without being risen on the air suspension. It’s a lot of car. And sits on huge standard 18” wheels with 265/60 R18 tyres or massive 19 inchers with 275/55 R19s. Engines for the UK are a 224PS 3.0 litre V6 diesel, a 306PS 4.0 litre V8 diesel and a 388PS 5.5 litre V8 petrol. The 4.0 litre V8 diesel is a new engine. Other markets also get a new 340PS 4.7 litre V8 petrol, All feed their power to the 4MATIC four wheel drive system via Mercedes 7-speed 7GTRONIC automatic transmission, and all have AIRMATIC suspension that enables you to raise the height of the body in three stages according to the severity of terrain you are asking the car to tackle. Kerb weight is...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=232 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=232'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/232_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191317331' /></a> Honda Civic Hybrid UK (2006 - ) 231 Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=231'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/231_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409651' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 25th June 2006 The UK market Honda Civic IMA was always a bit of an oddball. An Integrated Motor Assisted 1.3 engine, 5-speed manual transmission and the four-door South East Asian Honda Civic City body. The new one, now called Honda Civic Hybrid, has the striking 4-door body of the latest South East Asian and American Civic 4-door (the only way you can get that body in the UK). Plus a Jazz 1,339cc engine modified with self closing valves. And, taking a leaf from Toyota’s Prius book, a CVT rather than a manual transmission. Like the old car, leather seats are the only option. Unlilke the old car, and like the UK built Civic 5-door, you get a superb line-of-sight digital speedometer and a rev counter seen through the steering wheel. The idea is that on start-up and acceleration the petrol engine operates in low-speed valve timing mode with electric motor assist. During low-speed cruising the engine valves close and the car runs on electric motor alone. During gentle acceleration and high-speed cruising the petrol engine operating in low-speed valve timing mode powers the car. During hard acceleration the petrol engine operates in high-speed valve timing mode with motor...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=231 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=231'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/231_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409651' /></a> Toyota Yaris II/Vitz (2006 - ) 230 Sat, 24 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=230'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/230_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409515' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 24th June 2006 The bigger, better “bigsmall” second-generation Yaris has been around in other parts of the world for well over a year now. I spotted one on rental in Bali in June 2005. And I’m also fairly close to the model because we have owned the saloon version, the ‘Soluna Vios’, (which came first) in Thailand since March 2004. Toyota’s global logistics mean different markets get different engines and transmissions. In Thailand all Yaris and Soluna are 110bhp 1.5 litre with 5-speed manual or 4-speed autoboxes. While European Yaris from the French factory come with 1.0 litre three cylinder Aygo engines, 1.3s from the old Yaris or the same 88bhp 1.4 diesels as offered in the MINI One D and Toyota Corolla. There aren’t any true Euro automatics, just an electronically controlled electric clutch posing as an auto, available with the 1.3 and the diesel. And in Europe at least there aren’t any of the previously popular ‘Postman Pat’ Verso versions. Though that might change if Toyota finds it worthwhile to send us the Japanese Yaris Ractis. The bigger body is much better looking than before. The dash is more of the same with a higher quality look,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=230 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=230'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/230_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409515' /></a> Dodge Caliber (2006 - ) 229 Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=229'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/229_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409220' align="left" /></a>'Wedneday 21st June 2006 Now there’s an idea. A car that drives like a truck. Stepping out of the Honda Civic IMA and into the Dodge Caliber was like climbing into a 4x4 pick-up. You sit high. And the huge steering wheel is right in your face. There’s no reach adjustment, so you have to keep the thing close to your chest. Just like driving a Navara or an L200 or a Rodeo. Which brings me to the most obvious exterior feature: the bling wheels. On the SXT Sport version we drove these are planet sized eighteen inchers, made to look even bigger by generously deep-profiled 215/55 R18 tyres. Even on base models the wheels are 17” with 215/60 R17s. Very truck-like indeed, and perfect for shrugging off traffic harming measures such as the local council’s chicanery to wreck your car. So, before driving it, the niche it’s aimed was as obvious as the three pairs of boob jobs in Big Brother. This is a motor from the people who make Jeeps, yet aimed squarely at socially responsible, environmentally aware school mums. They can park their Calibers on the kerbs outside junior’s school without attracting anti-4x4 stickers. Dodge has built...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=229 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=229'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/229_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409220' /></a> Toyota Avensis (2003 - 2008) 228 Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=228'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/228_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409359' align="left" /></a>'Friday 16th June 2006 I ran an original 115PS Avensis D-4D for six months a couple of years ago. I wound up describing it as “an amiable thing. Does the job very well. And never, ever snaps back.” The fully independent chassis was always capable of carrying more power, and was always adjustable. It wouldn’t take much tinkering underneath to make an Avensis grip and handle like a track day car. However, that would create more wear on the bushes and tyres than Toyota and 99% of its customers want in a family car. So, though it has plenty of potential, the Avensis is set up to last. Nevertheless, Toyota has now give the Avensis a mid-life facelift, improved the suspension, put indicators in the door mirrors, sharpened up the diesels, made all engines timing-chain (the old 2.0 D-4D was belt) and added a cool £1,500 to most of its prices. The old 114bhp 2.0 D-4D goes up to 126bhp, plus a useful extra 20Nm torque and an extra (6th) gear. There’s a new 150bhp 2.2 D-4D 150 6-speed. And to top off the Avensis range, a 175bhp (177PS) 2.2 D-4D 180 6-speed. I’ve covered the Avensis general attributes before...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=228 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=228'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/228_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409359' /></a> Nissan 350Z Roadster (2005 - ) 227 Tue, 13 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=227'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/227_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409924' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 13th June 2006 Imagine the perfect afternoon. The Cotswolds. Clear blue skies. Open top-sportscar. A beautiful girl in the passenger seat. And 300bhp under your right foot. Could it have been the combination that made me like the 350Z so much? Or was it the car? It was even my favourite Nissan colour, described as “Sunset Orange”. It had Nissan’s excellent Birdview DVD satnav, a reasonable £1,200 extra. And ‘Alezan’ Orange leather seats, that won’t be to everyone’s taste but had a kind of sweatwork effect woven section that stops you sticking to them. Dropping the top is a fiddly old process. You have to unclip it at the centre of the screen rail, have the engine running, put your foot on the footbrake, then find a button hidden under the dash. But when it’s down the car looks fantastic. Unlike many sportscars, the cabin is actually very spacious with plenty of useful places to stow or put things. You don’t feel claustrophobic in as you can in an MX5. And when you adjust the steering wheel height the instruments go up and down with it, so you can always see them clearly. The engine note is pure fruity,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=227 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=227'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/227_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191409924' /></a> Mercedes Benz SLK (2004 - ) 226 Sun, 11 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=226'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/226_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436746' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 11th June 2006 The SLK is probably the most exquisite piece of street jewellery you can buy. It’s a ‘must have’ ‘want one’ kind of car on its looks alone. A bit girly, if you had to get critical, but Clarkson smokes an SLK55 so it must be okay for blokes too. It has all the bits of the original SLK, most importantly the electric folding hardtop. But it looks vastly better. A bit like a shrunken Mercedes McClaren SLR with better proportions. Come to think of it, personal preferences aside, there probably isn’t a better-looking car than the new SLK anywhere on the planet. You pay for that, of course. Prices start at £28,272, rise inexorably to £50,757 and it’s alarmingly easy to add £9,000 - £10,000 from the options list. My specced up 280 came in at £40,670 which takes an awful lot of hairdressing to raise. The roof works brilliantly. You just toggle a button. And even with an inflatable space-saver tyre underneath, there’s enough room in the boot for a reasonable amount of luggage. Mercedes maximises the capacity by providing a hard plastic luggage cover between your stuff and the space the roof needs to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=226 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=226'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/226_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436746' /></a> Volvo XC90 (2002 - ) 225 Thu, 08 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=225'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/225_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191410071' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 7th June 2006 It’s nearly 4 years since the XC90 was launched. You can see my original test way back at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=59 What happened since that launch surprised even Volvo. It introduced the company to an entirely new niche and one that has demanded increasingly upmarket versions. So naturally Volvo has responded. First with ‘SE Lux’ and ‘Executive’ trim, then with a more powerful 185bhp D5 engine, and now with a heavily refreshed range, including two important new engines. Most important is the all-new I-6, a chain-cam 3.2 litre all-alloy short block straight six, also destined to find itself under the bonnets of the Jaguar XJ, the Jaguar S-Type and the new Land Rover Freelander. It’s being built for Volvo by Ford at Bridgend in Wales. Complementing that, and moving the car further upmarket to compete against top X5, Range Rovers, Mercedes MLs and GLs and Porsche Cayennes is a 315PS Yamaha-developed narrow-angle all-alloy chain cam 4.4 litre V8. Price range is £44,225 to £53,965, which doesn’t seem to be a problem for the 10% of XC90 buyers expected to go for the guzzler. The 3.2 is an exceptionally smooth, sweet, free-revving engine, but despite a flat torque curve,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=225 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=225'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/225_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191410071' /></a> Volvo C70 CC (2006 - 2009) 209 Tue, 06 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=209'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/209_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191689570' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 21st March 2006 Updated to include D5 Wednesday 7th June 2006 I like the S40 and V40. Nice styling. Decent road manners, as you’d expect from their Focus II floorpan. I even appreciate the clean look and functionality of their ‘floating’ central dash panels. I wasn’t a fan of the old C70 convertible though. It shook, shimmied, leaked through the door mirror housings and did not drive anything like as well as its styling promised. Surprisingly, and this is a very subjective thing, the new C70 doesn’t look quite as good from all angles and in all circumstances as preview photos promised. Or maybe it just doesn’t suit red as well as silver or pale metallic blue. The stubby front that works brilliantly on the saloon and station wagon can seem slightly at odds with the low curve of the roof. And red appears to emphasise that. On its 18” Mirzam wheels with 235/40 tyres it’s not too happy over speed cushions either. And at first there seemed to a kind of stickiness to the electro hydraulic steering, pulling the car one way or the other, which I never noticed in any of the 5-cylinder saloons or estates, or...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=209 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=209'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/209_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191689570' /></a> Nissan Micra C+C (2005 - ) 224 Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=224'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/224_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191410392' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 4th June 2006 This job is full of surprises. At the same time on the same morning as one chap handed me the keys to a wow-factor, fully loaded forty grand Mercedes 280SLK, another pair of drivers rather sheepishly delivered a plain metallic grey Nissan Micra C+C 1.4 Urbis. Sheepishly because the other car they had to deliver to someone else was a shocking pink Micra C+C, which had been causing them some embarrassment on the M25. I did what anyone else would have done. I completely ignored the Micra and drove the SLK. However you have to do what you have to do and the next day, in blazing sunshine, I took the Micra to my usual place to snap it. First surprise was the way it rode the metre-square speed cushions. Whereas the SLK had shuddered and creaked, the little Micra took them better than any other small car I can remember. Absorbed them completely. Even one wheel over the centre, one on the flat, fingers in the door-shut, it didn’t seem to twist at all. Its sensible 175/60 R15 tyres had something to do with this. But the fact it didn’t shake like a wet dog...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=224 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=224'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/224_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191410392' /></a> Nissan Note (2006 - ) 223 Thu, 01 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=223'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/223_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191431705' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 1st June 2006 Someone had to come up with a reasonable rival to the Honda Jazz. And while the Nissan Note doesn’t break new ground like the Jazz did (and still does), it has enough to commend it to win friends and influence poeple. The beneficial features are wide opening doors with low sills for easy access, a sliding and folding rear seat that gives either very good or excellent rear legroom without sacrificing too much boot space, and a false boot floor made up of two reversible planks that allow you either a level surface, or a deep hole in which to stow things (with a space-saver rather than a can of puncture repair glop underneath). The high roof allows three to sit in the back seat without piggy in the middle having to duck Other knick knacks are folding picnic tables on the front seat backs, an air-conditioned glove locker capable of cooling 12 cans of Coca Cola, a dash top compartment, and a flip up passenger seat squab with ‘secret storage’ underneath (not secret any more). So no clever lift-up rear seat squabs as in the Honda Jazz. But if you wanted to store something like...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=223 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=223'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/223_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191431705' /></a> Audi Allroad (2006 - ) 222 Tue, 30 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=222'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/222_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435109' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 30th May 2006 If you are in any doubt about the purpose of this car, just take a look at that front. For a couple of thousand more than a standard A6 Quattro Avant SE (and for less than the S Line), you get the full hunting, shooting and fishing version with self-raising suspension and an useful 2,100kg towing capacity. One day you can be shooting grouse on the fells, the next day tugging a pony trailer across a muddy field and the next day (drought orders permitting) wafting your way up to a Congestion Charge in limo-like luxury. It’s the all-purpose country person’s car. As capable as some 4x4s off the road, and many times more capable on it. On the road, it drive and looks no different from an ordinary shooting brake, and the anti-4x4 brigade are so ignorant of what is and what isn’t a 4x4 you’re unlikely ever to get a ‘save the planet’ sticker stuck to your windscreen. The A6 Avant is very favourably tested elsewhere on the site, though not the quattro versions which had not been launched at the time. It’s a big, good looking, comfortable car with excellent 2.7 litre and...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=222 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=222'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/222_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435109' /></a> Renault Espace (2002 - ) 221 Mon, 29 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=221'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/221_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435338' align="left" /></a>'The best thing about the Renault Espace is the view. You sit behind a panoramic windscreen, broken only by two slim screen pillars. (The strength is in the pillars behind them.) And you look out over the most stylish instrument display of any car you can buy. Digital speed display, digital rev counter and satnav display are all right in front of you in line of sight at the base of the screen. While the dash itself is a Chinese puzzle of opening compartments in which to store gloves and knick-knacks. But what Renault didn’t do is create a nice tray anywhere near your hands on which to lay your phone. Possibly because they expect you to use the car’s own Bluetooth phone system. The new 175PS 2.0 litre EU4 FAP engine is the most powerful diesel of its size. But inevitably turning up the wick has left a black hole in the power delivery up to around 1,500rpm. Drop below that and you can spend anxious seconds entering roundabouts or turning onto main roads waiting for the acceleration to begin. And it’s a soft, roly-poly old thing. The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than handling so press on...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=221 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=221'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/221_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435338' /></a> Citroen C6 (2005 - ) 220 Sun, 28 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=220'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/220_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435529' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 28th May 2006 Until now, if you wanted a prestigious £30,000 - £40,000 saloon car you could choose between an Audi, a BMW or a Mercedes. Or a Jaguar or a Lexus if you didn’t want to give your money to the Germans. Now Citroen offers the sort of genuine alternative that only Citroen ever could. A big car in the tradition of the DS, the SM, the CX, and the XM, so authentically Citroen that if they weren’t into numbers (and Renault hadn’t nicked the name) they could have called it the ‘Authentique’. It’s long and low with Citroen’s unique ‘Hydractive’ suspension and offers a completely different driving experience from anything with ‘fourspring coil technique’. (There’s a rather rude joke about that.) It’s actually more like a modern DS or an SM than a CX or an XM. You don’t turn into a corner as you would in a BMW. Instead you turn the wheel and wait a fraction of a second while the car responds. It then tackles the corner reasonably competently with decent steering ‘feel’ and grip, but isn’t too happy about a second change of direction. Attempting to drive it as you imagine a rally...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=220 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=220'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/220_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435529' /></a> Ford S-MAX (2006 - ) 219 Sun, 21 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=219'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/219_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435692' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 21st May 2006 Ford seems to have done the impossible. Come up with a seven-seater sportscar. The S-Max looks sporty. It goes, drives and handles as well as many so called sportscars. Yet instead of being a 2-seater or a 2+2 it’s actually a 5+2, with a lot more room for the two in the back than the average 2+2. The whole point is to offer MPV versatility for the sort of people who wouldn’t normally be seen dead in an MPV (except, of course, at their funeral). You sit lower than in a C-Max or the new Galaxy. It’s 2” shorter and 3 “ lower but the other dimensions are the same. With engines from a 125PS 1.8 diesel to a 220PS 2.5 petrol turbo you can have as much economy as a Focus diesel as much go as a Focus ST. The most important thing is it looks good. With sporty styling touches like engine compartment side vents (when did you ever see them on an MPV?). And it feels good. The quality, fit and finish bear comparison with an Audi. This might be the huge breakthrough Ford needs. The fact is a Focus or a Mondeo...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=219 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=219'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/219_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435692' /></a> Ford Galaxy (2006 - ) 218 Sat, 20 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=218'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/218_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435876' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 20th May 2006 By “All New Galaxy”, Ford means what it says. None of the new Galaxy is a carry-over from the old one. It isn’t even made in the same factory. It has new engines, new transmissions, a new floorpan (from the next Mondeo) and it’s now built in Gent in Belgium alongside the new S-Max, instead of in Portugal along with the VW Sharan and SEAT Alhambra that shared almost everything apart from their badges. The old Galaxy sold a solid 10,000 a year in the UK; 100,000 over ten years, making it consistently the best selling 7 seater in the UK. Happily the new Galaxy improves on it in every respect apart from prices, which have been kept remarkably well contained. From many people’s point of view, the most important improvement is that to get stuff in you don’t have to chuck the back seats out. They all fold up, all five of them, not quite into the floor but to become a slightly raised floor. They’re also all separate, individual, full-sized seats. And all five of them slide backwards and forwards. You can carry seven rugby players hundreds of miles without any of them having...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=218 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=218'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/218_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191435876' /></a> Renault Megane CC (2003 - ) 217 Thu, 18 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=217'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/217_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436031' align="left" /></a>'Thursday 18th May 2006 Who would want to be a mainstream car manufacturer right now? You can’t just run off a million identikit Cortinas every year and expect people to buy them. These days the punters want to be different. They want niche cars. So, like Polyfilla, you have to offer something to fill every single niche. Hence the current compulsion to saw the roofs off every saloon and hatchback there is, then fit some electric motors to it so it stows away in the boot at the touch of a button. Just like the 1958 Ford Fairlane Skyliner. In attempting this feat, manufacturers have had mixed success. Some roofs split into three parts and, with much whirring of motors and tensioning of cables, eventually disappear into a boot the size of an elephant’s bum. Making the car look like a cross between an elegant coupe and a 25 stone builder. They’re all at it: Mercedes, Peugeot, Ford, Volvo, Vauxhall, Daihatsu, Lexus, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mitsubishi…and achieving various degrees of success. But the first time I put the roof down on the Renault Megane CC I realised Renault had cracked it. This two-piece top is incredibly simple. Instead of cables and...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=217 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=217'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/217_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436031' /></a> Jeep Commander (2006 - ) 215 Sat, 13 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=215'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/215_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436422' align="left" /></a>'Big surprise. I’d never been too keen on Jeep Grand Cherokees, finding them sloppy on the road and smaller inside than they appeared to be from the outside. But, to be fair to Jeep, I’d never driven them off road. The last Jeep I did drive off-road was a 1942 Ford I owned many years ago. The Commander Limited is styled to look a bit retro, along the same square cut lines as a 1990s Cherokee, and embellished by screwed-on wheel arch extenders. Oddly, but attractively, instead of hiding the screws that hold the dashboard in place, there are fake screw heads that look as if they do but don’t. It’s also a seven seater in the manner of the Nissan Pathfinder and the latest Hyundai Santa Fe, but it can’t take the same seven rugby players as a Land Rover Discovery 3. Legroom at the back of the Limited is limited because, like the Pathfinder, there’s no toe room under the centre seats. That said, the two in the back seats (or the dogs in the back, for that matter) have a separate air-conditioning supply. And the seats fold flat in one simple movement that won’t break a lady’s...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=215 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=215'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/215_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436422' /></a> Renault Clio III (2005 - 2009) 214 Sat, 13 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=214'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/214_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688464' align="left" /></a>'There is no doubt that Renault has turned the Clio into a classy little car. You almost expect to see a Jimmy Choo shopping bag on the back seat along with a bunch of other designer labels. It’s very good looking. Better than the 207, in my eyes. And since that’s its main competition it at first seems to have the job sewn up. Nice colour range, too. It looks particularly good in dark metallic blue with alloys. And the solid Capsicum red that mine came in is a really rich red (always the best colour to photograph). Of course, it is up against the much cheaper and even better looking Grande Punto as well. But for strange, snobbish, style reasons, many Brits who would be happy with a Renault or a Peugeot won’t be seen dead in a FIAT. Inside (the Dynamique) you get a nice steering wheel with height and reach adjustment, a driver’s seat that comes back to the position you set it after someone else clambers into the back, enough head, leg and hiproom in the back for three normal sized people and curiously angled instruments, yet after a first drive you get used to them....<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=214 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=214'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/214_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688464' /></a> Mitsubishi Colt CZC Cabrio (2006 - ) 216 Fri, 12 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=216'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/216_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436568' align="left" /></a>'Friday, 12th May 2006 The concept car looked great at motor shows. But that was before they had to engineer a hard top and a boot it would fold into. So it shares the sort of cab-forward big rump look of the 307CC and from the side with the top up looks distinctly dumpy. But unclip the roof locks, pull the button on the door handle, and it transforms itself from a plumpkin into a cute little cabrio. It still isn’t ‘drop-head gorgeous’, but, like Page 3 of The Sun, it looks a lot better topless. Top up, in the rain that greeted us for our test, it feels like a very solid little thing. The version with TURBO emblazoned in large chrome letters on its rump shares the same fairly heavy steering of the CZT hatchback. This is an advantage on the motorway (even allowing you to drive ‘hands off’ for a while if you want to) and you can build as much muscle on the way to the gym as you can pumping iron once you get there. It also passed the Erin Baker fingers test, by which you poke your fingers into the bottom of the door-shut...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=216 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=216'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/216_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436568' /></a> SEAT Leon II (2005 - ) 213 Fri, 05 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=213'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/213_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688585' align="left" /></a>'Friday 5th May 2006 Walter d’Silva designed the Alfa 156 and 147. Opening the garage doors to one of those is a bit like waking next to the face of a woman so beautiful you forgive her almost anything. Which can be the case with these Alfas. Walter was tempted away to SEAT, a few months before the launch of the original Leon, but too late to influence its styling. That car’s beetleback, Alfasud shape, like the hunched, racy look of the 2nd generation Toledo, had nothing to do with d’Silva. The first SEAT to bear his touch was the Ibiza launched in 2002. Then we started to get tantalising glimpses of a new generation of d’Silva SEATs, showcased by the Salsa concept car in 2002. That first morphed into the Altea MPV and I wondered what had happened to it. Then the disappointing, lardy-arsed 5-door Toledo that looked like the taxi it has become all over Iberia. We had to wait until last year for the car the Salsa was the true precursor of. And I forced myself to hang on until the 2.0TFSI before driving it, because I didn’t want to be disappointed. There’s a good reason for...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=213 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=213'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/213_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688585' /></a> Peugeot 207 (2006 - ) 211 Wed, 03 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=211'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/211_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688728' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 28th March 2006, Updated with prices 3rd May 2006. The 207 has a big job to do. It has to follow Peugeot’s best selling cars ever: the 206 and the 205. It has to be loved. Being bigger than a 206 (actually the same size as the old 306), it has to sell for more money. And it has to win hearts and minds of buyers who might otherwise have plumped for the new Clio. There’s no bargain basement 207. Though prices weren't set at the launch they later came in at "from £8,995", which is £1,500 more than the cheapest FUIAT Grande Punto. If you want a ‘Two O’ for less, the 206 will continue alongside for a while, like the 205 did after the launch of the 106. At least you get a lot for your money in the base model 207. Dubbed the ‘Urban’ it comes equipped with unexpected kit like a switchable passenger airbag, side airbags, remote control central locking with deadlocks, three rear 3-point seatbelts with outer belt force limiters and a comfortable centre rear seat with adequate headroom. You’ll also get for your £8,500 a 1.4 litre 75bhp petrol engine, electric front window...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=211 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=211'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/211_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688728' /></a> Cadillac BLS (2006 - ) 212 Sun, 02 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=212'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/212_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688304' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 2nd April 2006 You can easily get people’s attention. But to keep their attention you have to reward them. You watch a football match for the skills and the goals. You read Jeremy Clarkson for the hilarious metaphors. You sit through the Wild Bean Café coffee commercial over and over again because the girl is gorgeous and the guy’s expression at the end cracks you up. Cars are all about rewards too. You could simply buy a car as a tool, to get X and Y from A to B. But increasingly people don’t do that. They want something special they can feel good about and continue to feel good about every time they get into it. Their reward to themselves for all the hard work they have done. A car that sets them apart from other people. Marks them as an individual, not a number. That’s why sales of standard family motors like Mondeos and Vectras are on the slide. But we’ve even moved on from that. The BMW 3-Series now actually outsells the Mondeo, so while it is rewarding to drive, it hardly marks you out as an individual. These days, car buyers are constantly looking for...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=212 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=212'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/212_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688304' /></a> Suzuki SX4 (2006 - ) 210 Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=210'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/210_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688973' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 25th March 2006-03-21 ’Cute and Chunky’ seems to sell cars, particularly to women. Now that Toyota has abandoned the short wheelbase RAV-4, Suzuki has come up with a new 3-door Vitara with very similar looks. And, in collaboration with FIAT, also presents us with this cute and chunky 5-door hatchback called the SX4, built in Esztergom, Hungary. It’s likely to succeed whereas others like the Rover Streetwise failed because as well as having urban warrior looks, it’s also available with four wheel drive so has the kit to act the part should the occasion arise. However, to make sure it gets a bite at every faction of the its niche market, you can also have it as a plain two wheel drive, as a two wheel drive automatic, and as quite a powerful, yet economical diesel. Not all at the same time, though, as the two permutations you cannot have are a diesel automatic or a four wheel drive automatic. Though the car looks quite small (about the size of a Citroen C3) it’s actually a reasonable 5-seater with plenty of headroom for the centre back and enough width to accommodate three pairs of adult hips. The boot is...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=210 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=210'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/210_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191688973' /></a> Jaguar XK and XKR (2006 - ) 208 Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=208'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/208_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191689079' align="left" /></a>'Friday 17th March 2006 Fashion these days dictates bling wheels and sonorous sounds from exhaust pipes. That’s why we see Vectras with factory fitted nineteen inchers. And, as Terry Thomas once put it, we hear “sheer ruddy Tchaikovsky” coming out of the backs of everything from Golf R32s to the latest Mercedes SLs. The dishonourable exception is the Ferrari F430, which somehow contrives to sound both earpiercingly loud and awful. But you can’t beat a good V8. And until yesterday, to my ears at least, the unbeaten V8 was the wonderful new Audi RS4 hotdogging past the pits at Goodwood. Then there we were, on a miserably cold day in the Cotswolds, trying to take some snaps of the new XK8 we’d been driving, when another one snarled past. It didn’t growl like the SL500. It didn’t bark like the RS4. It snarled, at half song, waiting to pounce, warning everyone in the vicinity it had at least another 2,000rpm to go. As the commercial tells you, it’s gorgeous. A much more Jaguar-like successor to the original 3.8 E-Type than the XJS or the outgoing XK. It somehow manages to be both a beautiful grand touring cruiser and a real...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=208 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=208'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/208_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191689079' /></a> Mitsubishi L200 Triton (2005 - ) 199 Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=199'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/199_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699266' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 29th January 2006 Updated Saturday 11th February 2006 Updated Friday 17th March While everyone else was at the L200 launch, testing the new L200 on World Rally stages in Turkey, I was driving it in Thailand. That’s where it’s built, of course. So I also got to see it being built at Mitsubishi’s superclean factory at Laem Chabang, plus a visit to Laem Chabang port from which all vehicles built in Thailand are exported. As you may know, in Thailand, the new L200 is rather impressively badged the Triton. Like the Isuzu Rodeo (D-Max) and the new Toyota Hilux (Vigo), also built in Thailand, it was launched there a long time before the UK. However, while the D-Max and Vigo took a year to 18 months from Thai to UK launch UK, the L200 Triton has only taken 6 months. Like the D-Max and the Vigo, the L200 is not available in the UK with the most powerful diesel engine that can be found under Thai market bonnets. EU4 regs have seen to that. However, though I thought I was driving the 165PS 3.2 (it certainly went well enough), in fact all I actually had under my right foot...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=199 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=199'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/199_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699266' /></a> Lexus IS250/220D (2005 - ) 207 Mon, 13 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=207'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/207_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699461' align="left" /></a>'Monday 13th March 2005 I was supposed to get an IS250SE auto. But due to press-refleeting it turned out to be a brand new manual with just 36 miles on the clock. Both have six speeds, so plenty of ratios to make the most of the engine’s top-end power. But changing them by hand was a chore I could have done without. That said, it’s a nice transmission. The lever has the heaviness of a big workshop lathe, together with the oily precision of a rifle bolt. So you can slot it from 6th to 3rd or 4th to 6th without any fear of hitting the wrong ratio. The only cog in the works was the ease with which the 1st to 2nd synchromesh could be beaten. Continuing with industrial analogies, the parking brake is like something out of a signal box, yet angled towards the driver and really nice to use (so no excuse for giving the guy behind red eye at the traffic lights). Though actually slightly shorter and narrower than an Alfa 159 the IS250 has very solid, ‘big car’ feel to it. Everything about it feels of the highest quality you can buy in its size...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=207 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=207'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/207_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699461' /></a> Hyundai Santa Fe II (2006 - ) 206 Wed, 08 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=206'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/206_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191689295' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 8th March 2006. At the risk of upsetting Ken Livingstone, between 1996 and 2005 the UK market for what he calls "4x4s" has grown by 1,310%. Hyundai sells 9,805 a year, which gives it a 6.9% of this lucrative business. Between 2001 and 2005 Hyundai sold 17,462 of its Santa Fe model alone. This probably has less to do with the Santa Fe’s off road ability than its on road ability to shrug off speed humps without damaging either itself or its occupants. The people who drive them are far from the “idiots” Ken brands them as. That description might be more appropriate to the people who ordered the installation of the road humps that inevitably led to this change in the type of vehicle so many people now drive. Meanwhile Hyundai has not let the Santa Fe rest on its muscular haunches. Instead the company presents us with a bigger, better and altogether new Santa Fe; one that can comfortably seat the same seven people as the average 50 seater bus carries, or, alternatively, rids city streets of as many as six unnecessary single-occupant cars. Instead of the original organic look, Hyundai has gone for clean lines and...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=206 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=206'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/206_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191689295' /></a> Vauxhall Zafira B (2005 - ) 205 Sat, 04 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=205'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/205_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699139' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 2nd March 2006 This test is to answer an often-asked question: The World isn’t exactly overflowing with 7-seater diesel automatics. So is the new Zafira diesel auto any good? It’s up against the Touran DSG, the forthcoming new Sharan DSG, the forthcoming new Galaxy 1.8 diesel automatic, the last of the old Shalambra diesel automatics. And that’s about it. First, the seating arrangements. As anyone familiar with the old Zafira knows, the rearmost pair of ‘Flex7’ seats pull up out of the low floor. But first you have to slide the heavy, one-piece centre bench forwards, and to do that the front seats also have to be in a fairly forward position. You can then arrange a compromise in legroom for all three rows, but you can’t do it individually for the centre three as you can in a Peugeot 307SW. Passengers in the rearmost seats are fairly comfortable, but they sit low and the taller among them will find themselves sniffing their knees. To turn the car into a load carrier, you lift the centre bench upwards then slide the backrest as far forwards as it will go. According to Vauxhall’s brochure you can then carry a small...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=205 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=205'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/205_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699139' /></a> Volkswagen Jetta (2006 - ) 204 Sat, 25 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=204'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/204_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699979' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 25th February 2005 I have the dubious distinction of not only having owned two Atlas Grey Jettas, but of having owned them both at the same time. One was a ‘GT’, described by ‘Car’ magazine as “a Golf GTI with a rucksack”. We seemed to have it forever. Eventually I advertised it on my website for £150 or “free to a man of the cloth”, and it reverently soldiered on in the hands of a West Country vicar. My other Jetta was a 16v, which, in Autocar’s capable hands, had actually proved to be slightly faster than the Golf 16v hatchback. 0 – 60 was just over 7 seconds, in second gear. Those old Jettas were quite raw cars. They just looked so dull that no one in a policeman’s uniform ever even noticed their existence. I remember tagging a BMW 535i across Oxfordshire at 120mph. In fairness I’d better point out that the BMW was slightly handicapped by a stepladder on its roof rack. The case would never have got to court anyway because no one would have believed it. An invisible Volkswagen and a 120mph window cleaner. Now Jeremy Clarkson has given the new Jetta his kiss...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=204 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=204'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/204_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191699979' /></a> Alfa Romeo 159 (2006 - ) 203 Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=203'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/203_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191700123' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 18th February 2006 Updated Thursday 1st June 2006 There’s no doubt it’s a looker. Just like the Alfa 156 put the E46 BMW 3-Series in the shade, the 159 does the same to the E90. But the 159 is styled by the master, Giorgetto Giugiaro, not Walter d’Silva who left and went to SEAT. All through my life my blood has been stirred by Giugiaro designs, starting with the 105 Series Giulia GT when he worked for Bertone. Whether the 159 quite does it in the same way as d’Silva’s 156 is a vexed question. It’s certainly a far more beautiful sight to open your garage doors to than an E90 3-Series. But would you rather have one than an E90? That’s something Alfa is not banking on. They will only import 3,500 in 2006, less than 5% of E90 3-Series likely to be sold. So, like ‘The Man Who Loved Women’ (in the movie he drove a Giulia Ti), if you go for an Alfa 159 you’ll be ostracised by many, but admired by a significant few. Will you enjoy the car as much as the attention? They only had diesels on the day I drove. So I...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=203 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=203'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/203_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191700123' /></a> Toyota Aygo (2005 - ) 173 Tue, 14 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=173'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/173_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770250' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 10th May 2005 Updated Tuesday 14th February 2006 It must be a tough life being a car designer these days. There you are, refining the styling of the spoiler on your next imaginary supercar when along comes Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen with an impossible brief for a new small car. First there are all the rules and regulations any new car sold in Europe must comply with: ABS, crumple zones, emissions; an almost endless list. Then there are the crash tests it must pass. Then there’s fuel economy and insurance group. Then there’s the tiny amount of money it must be built for and still make a profit. And, oh yes, it will have to look good and drive well so people will buy it. At this point the bad designers jack it all in and slope off to become a dive master on Koh Samui. But the good ones relish the challenge. And Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen must have picked some good ones because between them they came up with the Aygo. Here we have to pretend we’re sailors because Toyota wants us to pronounce it “I-go”, as in “Aye, aye, captain.” Of course it isn’t just the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=173 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=173'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/173_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770250' /></a> Mercedes Benz SL (2002 - 2008) 201 Sun, 12 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=201'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/201_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191700439' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 12th February 2006 Four years ago, I wrote “Forget Ferraris, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Porsches. The most desirable car you can buy is the new Mercedes 500SL. Wherever you happen to be, no other car impresses most of the people most of the time. It’s the one car the world over that says you’ve arrived before you even start your journey.” That hasn’t changed. The range has expanded up and down. You can now have a relatively fuel efficient £63,000 3.5 litre SL350 with 272bhp and 350 Nm torque. This is slightly better in all respects than the old 3.7 litre SL350. You can go one better with the new £75,880 5.5 litre 388bhp 500SL. Or you can go completely Puerto Banus with a £149,000 SL65 AMG that boasts 612bhp, 1,000Nm torque and a de-restricted top speed well over 200mph. Over the last year UK registrations have split 65.4% SL350, 23.2% SL500, 0.8% SL600, 9.1% SL55 AMG, while 1.5% cough up the extra £49,000 for an SL65 AMG. People will know you have the latest model from the slightly cleaner styling with a more pronounced V shape bumper, three large air intakes, chrome fog light surrounds, new alloy wheel...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=201 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=201'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/201_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191700439' /></a> Peugeot 307 SW (2002 - 2008) 202 Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=202'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/202_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191739814' align="left" /></a>'Friday 10th February 2006 It was a bit embarrassing being asked to long-term test a facelift Peugeot 307SW when I was already long-terming a Ford C-Max. But it has made for quite a useful comparison. For a start, the 307SW is a genuine 7-seater. The fact that the centre three seats individually slide as well as double fold means that with a bit of co-operation most families of seven can make sure everyone has enough legroom. At 5’ 9” I can arrange the seats so I am comfortable in all seven of them. And that’s the 307SW’s unique selling proposition. It is now the one and only station wagon with seven forward-facing seats that can comfortably accommodate seven. It lacks a few things ‘my’ C-Max has, such as cruise control and optional satnav. It’s not as easy to get in and out of. Nor is it quite as comfortable. However (makes a change from ‘but’), Peugeot seems to have been working on the engine. It should be exactly the same 136PS PSA 16 valve diesel as the C-Max’s. Yet it doesn’t feel the same. Whereas in the C-Max, torque comes in with such a wallop it can spin its front...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=202 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=202'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/202_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191739814' /></a> FIAT Grande Punto (2006 - ) 200 Sun, 05 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=200'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/200_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191700227' align="left" /></a>'Back in the 1970s, FIAT’s advertising strategy was summed up in one word: “brio”. Every advertisment, every poster and every commercial told you the cars were as fun-loving as the Italians. FIAT had 6% of the UK market. Then along came a change of strategy: “Built by Robots”. FIAT’s market share began to slide. And despite some decent cars, like the Tipo, Uno and the original Punto, FIAT was forever having to unload stock onto rental fleets to get it shifted. Recenty, FIAT got back into “brio” with the Panda. No other small, cheap car has as much character or is as much fun to drive. There’s a new UK MD, Giulio Salamone. FIAT customer care is being completely overhauled. A few days ago came the shock announcement that FIAT UK is back into profit. Biggest surprise of all is how good the new Grande Punto is. The Italian’s aren’t like the French. If their national cars aren’t any good, they simply stop buying them. And over the past few years there has been a noticeable absence of the previous vast quantities of new FIATs on Italian roads. Yet in the first few months from launch, Italians have bought 100,000...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=200 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=200'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/200_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191700227' /></a> Ford C-MAX (2003 - 2010) 198 Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=198'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/198_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191741337' align="left" /></a>'Wednesday 4th January 2006 As I write, ‘my’ C-Max 2.0 TDCI Zetec sits outside sparking like a new car from its recent £7 TOP’s Simoniz carwash and polish. That was very necessary after travelling 350 miles from the frozen, snow-covered North East on 28th December. Why does road salt turn everything black? As usual, the car didn’t miss a beat. The electric parking brake mechanism did not seize up in minus five degrees Northumberland temperatures. The wheels spun a bit in the frozen snow, reversing to the turning point on my dad’s steep driveway. But once it was pointing the right way it hauled itself up the steepest bit no problem. The excellent Quickclear windscreen ensured perfect vision. Even a blizzard and frozen slush on the A69 didn’t faze the car. All of which will be music to Ford’s ears because my reason for having the C-Max at all was to dispel any fears people might have about electrical glitches, especially with the 2.0 TDCI. I thought I was getting it for 6 months. Turns out to be a year. Ford even gave me both remote plip keys, which is trust indeed. (They usually hang on to the spare.) And...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=198 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=198'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/198_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191741337' /></a> Honda Civic UK (2006 - ) 197 Sun, 04 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=197'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/197_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740090' align="left" /></a>'Car manufacturers can go three ways with a new car. They can take the ‘safe’ route of making it as much as possible like the old one, yet still updated, safer and more refined. The Golf V and the Focus II are prime examples. Or they can take a few risks and go a bit radical as GM and Citroen did with the Astra and C4. Or they can throw away the rulebook entirely, as Honda has done with the new Civic. The new car isn’t going to win any granny awards. It’s as East of Eastbourne as Honda could have gone. Lots of owners loyal to Civics are going to desert to Toyota Corollas and Mazda 3s. But hopefully, because it looks like a concept car Honda actually went ahead and made, even bigger numbers are going to turn their backs on Golfs and Focuses and shift to the sexy new Civic. If you’re shocked by the egg-shaped exterior you’re going to be astounded by the inside. The dashboard is like something out of Starship Enterprise. There’s a huge blue-tinted rev counter seen straight ahead through the multi-adjustable, multi-function steering wheel. Then, right in your line of sight, a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=197 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=197'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/197_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740090' /></a> Ford Focus ST (2005 - ) 196 Mon, 28 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=196'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/196_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740236' align="left" /></a>'Ford Focus ST Road Test Tuesday 28th November 2005 Fast Fords have been around a lot longer than fast VWs. Think back to the original Ford Cortina GT and Ford Lotus Cortina. In those days VWs still had sluggish flat-four engines in the boot. It actually took VW another ten years to come up with the Golf, and thirteen to launch the Sloane’s favourite okay yah GTi. Then, in the decades that followed, snobbery dictated that that fast VWs were for yuppies and fast Fords were for chavs. And the truth was that the Mk II Golf GTi was a better car than the Escort XR3i. The Mk II GTi 16v was better than the Escort RS Turbo. Lines were drawn. Plumbers and plasterers wouldn’t be seen dead in a Golf. Snobs turned their noses up at anyone in an Escort. Then with the Mks III and IV Golfs started putting on weight and losing their reputation for reliability. While Ford had the audacity to come up with a better car. So much better that when VW re-thought its Golf for the fifth time it used the Focus as its benchmark. Desperate to regain the high ground VW pulled out...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=196 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=196'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/196_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740236' /></a> Toyota HiLux Vigo (2004 - ) 195 Tue, 22 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=195'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/195_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740548' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday 22nd November 2005 I don’t know about you, but though the new Toyota Hilux was officially available in the UK from 1st October I have yet to see a road test. It was launched in Thailand, to much excitement, as the Hilux Vigo, in August 2004 and there have been tests of independently imported 163bhp 3.0 D-4Ds. But, partly because of EU emissions regulations, and partly because UK RHD Hiluxes are sourced from South Africa rather than Thailand, the UK has to make do with officially imported 102bhp non-intercooled 2.5s. Later, there will be a more powerful intercooled 2.5. And I find it very hard to believe that with opposition such as the 173bhp Nissan Navara and 145bhp Isuzu D-Max 3.0 I-TEQ we won’t eventually see a version with Toyota’s long established 3.0 163bhp D-4D. The Hilux one of the World’s most popular vehicles, built in 9 countries with 12 million sold in 164 markets. Obviously the USA is the biggest market in the World for pick-ups, but Thailand, where most mid-size pick ups are built, is the second with around 400,000 sold every year out of a total vehicle market of 700,000. Toyota warns that Thai market Hilux...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=195 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=195'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/195_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740548' /></a> Mazda MX5 (2005 - ) 194 Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=194'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/194_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436992' align="left" /></a>'Lots of people claim to be father of the Mazda MX5. The story I like most came from Shigharu Hiraiwa, original project leader. The task fell to him to sell the MX5 concept to the then formidable three-man Mazda main board. He simply said, “would you like to build a car for one third less than a Mazda 323?” All three heads nodded in the affirmative. He then asked, “would you like to sell that car for one third more than a Mazda 323?” all three heads nodded enthusiastically. That’s how the original Mazda MX5 got signed off. Now, 16 years and 721,000 sales later, we have a third incarnation of the most successful sportscar ever built. Some important differences are a slightly longer wheelbase, theoretically allowing drivers up to 6’ 1” tall to fit comfortably inside the car. The soft-top latch is now central, enabling the hood to be folded up or down single-handedly in as little as 3 seconds. The new chain-cam engines are more powerful, yet the 1.8 offers better fuel economy and lower emissions, making it a better BIK deal for company drivers. And, despite being bigger and better, the car is only 10kg heavier than...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=194 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=194'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/194_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191436992' /></a> Chrysler 300C (2005 - ) 193 Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=193'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/193_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740684' align="left" /></a>'27th October 2005 A lot of drivers bemoan the demise of big rear drive automatics. They’re not after the statement that a BMW 5-Series or a Mercedes E-Class makes about them. Nor into spending the money that making such statements entails. They simply miss the performance, luxury and ambiance of a big rear-drive car like a Scorpio, an Omega or a Volvo 960. The Omega is probably the most missed of all. So, quite smartly, GM stepped into its breach and filled it with the right-hand-drive Cadillac CTS, at prices between £25k to £30k. Meanwhile, Daimler Chrysler’s other half was looking at the same niche. And, though they’ve been a long time coming, we can now finally buy RHD examples of the Chrysler 300C. To launch it Chrysler sprung two surprises. The first is the option of Mercedes very latest 218bhp 3.0 V6 diesel engine. The second is the price: just £25,750 on the road. For that you get a large 5-seater saloon sitting on big 18” wheels with huge, unfashionably high profile but very good looking 225/60 tyres. You get leather upholstery, 8-way heated electric memory seats, dual zone climate control, tyre pressure monitoring system, Xenon headlights, headlight washers,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=193 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=193'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/193_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740684' /></a> Peugeot 407 Coupe (2006 - ) 192 Sat, 15 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=192'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/192_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740805' align="left" /></a>'Updated 7th February 2008. When the Peugeot 406 coupe was new I came out of a shop to find an Italian staring at my test car enraptured. He said it was the most beautiful car he had ever seen, and when I told him it was built in Italy his heart swelled with pride. The 407 coupe isn’t designed by Pininfarina, nor built in Italy. It was shaped in-house by a team now based at Velizy near Paris, and is built on a separate line of the 407 factory at Rennes. It shares the long front overhang of the 407 saloon, balanced by a long rear overhang and looks better from some angles than others. Front three-quarters, rear and rear three-quarters and side-overhead all look stunning. Fill in the gaps for yourself. Because it’s longer and lower than the 407, with no hatchback, Peugeot engineers have managed to make it even stiffer, which is always a good start. Add the 407’s excellent front and rear suspension and you have the makings of a fine riding, fine handling coupe that justifies its twenty-two to thirty-one grand touring price-tag. There are four decent seats in the bright and airy cabin, a 400...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=192 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=192'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/192_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740805' /></a> Nissan Navara d40 (2005 - ) 191 Sat, 08 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=191'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/191_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740938' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 8th October 2005 The new 174PS Nissan Navara is currently king of the pick-ups. Not only will it carry more than a ton, it will also cruise at more than a ton and for that it deserves the Respect shown in its TV commercials. Compared to the average car, and previous generation pick-ups, it’s a big vehicle, longer than the average parking space. Sitting high on 17” wheels with chunky 255/65 R17 Goodyear Wrangler tyres, getting in means a climb. But the neatly minimalist dash, the multifunction steering wheel, even the ‘Birdview’ satnav are all familiar Pathfinder kit, which is hardly surprising as the two vehicles were developed side by side on the same ladderframe chassis. Same long-reach, floppy gearshift, too, which quickly becomes acceptably precise once you get used to it. Performance is slightly better, with 60 reached in 10.5 seconds rather than the 11.2 of the heavier Pathfinder, and a (conservatively estimated) top speed of 105mph. Two aspects that aren’t the same, though, are the handling and the ride comfort. Instead of a coil sprung rear axle, the Navara’s finned diff is suspended on a pair of cart springs in the time-honoured manner of Constable’s ‘Haywain’. It...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=191 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=191'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/191_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191740938' /></a> Mercedes Benz S-Class W221 (2006 - ) 190 Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=190'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/190_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757975' align="left" /></a>'1st October 2006 Updated 15th February 2006 Six years into its model life, we have a New Mercedes S-Class. Though it will be more like seven years before the new W221 reaches Britain in March 2006. The current W220 S-Class is to most eyes a beautiful looking car, the svelte lines of which belie its bulk. It has been a great favourite, selling 17,852 in the UK alone, the most common car parked kerbside outside the embassies and consulates of Kensington. Now you can pick one up used for around £12,000 they are even gracing the station taxi ranks of posh suburbs like Walton-on-Thames. I liked the car very much. Always felt at ease behind the wheel of a big Benz, especially the twin-turbo S600 and the LHD only S500 4-Matic that cornered in the wet as you might imagine a Mitsubishi Evo limousine. But the car had its critics. Not enough boot room was one complaint. Quite a lot of niggles. And a perception that quality of build and materials used was progressively downgraded. Add to that extremely high servicing and repair costs and there had to be another reason why 70% - 90% of owners stayed loyal to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=190 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=190'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/190_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757975' /></a> KIA Rio (2005 - ) 189 Sat, 24 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=189'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/189_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757651' align="left" /></a>'Saturday 24th Sept 2004 The biggest problem the new KIA Rio has it you’ve heard it all before. Family car at baby car price. Lots of extras at a stripped out price. 1.4 engine for the price of a 1.2. All that kind of stuff. And even though the old Rio was a lot of car for the money, it wasn’t really much of a car. All that has now changed beyond belief. I got into the new Rio diesel a bit irritated because I’d arrived late after a dental appointmen. Then I tried to cut short the route and went the wrong way. Then I hit traffic. So it wasn’t until I was half way through the test run that I began to realise what a good car I was driving. The diesel engine is so flexible it takes anything you throw at it. No sulking at low revs then a sudden outburst of torque. It just gets on with the job. “Need some acceleration to get past that 40ft truck with the shed-tugger in front? Certainly, sir. Happy to oblige. Ah, here’s a roundabout. Don’t worry, I’m not scared of it. Just push your right foot at the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=189 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=189'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/189_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757651' /></a> MINI Convertible R52 (2004 - 2008) 188 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=188'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/188_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758343' align="left" /></a>'Tuesday, 20th Sept 2005 When I tested a MINI Cooper back in 2002 I reckoned it was the most fun car there was. Not the fastest by a long way. It didn’t need to be. The combination of size, grip and handling simply made it hugely enjoyable to drive at any speed it was capable of, even fairly slowly. The MINI Cooper S convertible is not the same thing at all. It’s a lot faster. It’s a lot stiffer. And, with the top down, it’s more like driving a very powerful go-kart. Some aspects are quite nostalgic. The supercharger whines at about the same pitch as the gearbox did on an original Mini. It’s very cute to look at. You sit close to the ground. And on 17” wheels it bangs and crashes almost as badly as my old Mini van with full race suspension and 10” wheels. Of course, with 163bhp through a 6-speed box it gets to 100 faster than my old Mini gasped to 50. The engine has a lovely ‘linear’ power delivery. No ‘all or nothing’ like some turbocharged engines. The torque is there for you from very low revs in all gears, making the car...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=188 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=188'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/188_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758343' /></a> Mercedes Benz ML-Class (2005 - ) 187 Sun, 11 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=187'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/187_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758121' align="left" /></a>'Sunday 11th September 2005 Life is full of compromises. Do you choose the Rioja because you like it, or the Chardonnay because she likes it, or settle in between for the Viura? Do you buy a small house near your work or big house 30 miles away or a medium size house in the suburbs? Do you go for a prestige 4x4 that’s good off the road or one that’s good on the road or one that’s half good at both? Until recently those were the choices you faced. LandRovers of all types (apart from Freelanders) were brilliant off the road but dismal on it. BMW X5s and Porsche Cayennes were the opposite. Mercedes MLs, being the first posh ‘lifestyle’ SUVs, were neither. Only VW Touaregs and Range Rover Sports have proved surprisingly good wherever you point them. With the new ML, Mercedes has decided that it won’t make the decision for you. Instead, it sells the car in three different spec levels with three different wheel sizes, makes self-raising air suspension optional, and, for serious off-roaders, offers serious off-road gear as a factory fitted option. The new ML is longer, wider and lower than before. Altogether more impressive without...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=187 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=187'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/187_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758121' /></a> Mazda Mazda 5 7-str (2005 - ) 177 Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=177'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/177_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191769759' align="left" /></a>'Originally 1-6-05. Updated 6-9-05. Update child booster seats 18-10-2006. The Mazda 6 seats five. The Mazda 5 seats seven. Once you’ve got your head around that we can talk about what ‘project manager’ Kenichi Fukanaga calls a “6 + 1”. It’s built on basically the same platform as a five seater Mazda 3, which we all know is the same as a Volvo S40, Ford C-Max and the new Focus. A very good place to start. What Fukanaga and his team wanted to do was create a versatile and practical car, with functional features like sliding doors, that is also good to drive, and looks good. So, seating plan first. The 6 + 1 idea involves a gap between the two centre row seats into which either a narrow centre seat base can be swung from inside the left seat base, or a console tray with a suspended oddments bag from inside the right seat base. The Japanese call this idea, and indeed any idea that is unexpected yet well thought out, “karakuri”. Behind these seats is another pair, really only of use for children who do not need booster seats or for very small adults, that can be easily...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=177 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=177'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/177_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191769759' /></a> Mitsubishi Grandis MPV (2004 - ) 186 Sat, 03 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=186'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/186_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758646' align="left" /></a>'It’s longer than a Galaxy, but shorter than a Mondeo estate. So this is a big MPV, a class above the excellent Mazda 5 and head to head against the Toyota Avensis Verso rather then the Corolla Verso. It looks really good. Long and sleek, rather than tall and boxy. One of the few MPVs you might consider on appearance alone. The practicalities are pretty good too. Like the outgoing Space Wagon, it has a ‘slide across’ cab. The gearshift sprouts from the dash, but unlike the Galaxy and C-Max there’s no Ford console to lift your legs over so you can easily slide over and get out of the front passenger door. The rearmost seats, dubbed ‘Hide and Seat’ by Mitsubishi are full of tricks. You can flip them up out of a well that then leaves space for luggage, Honda Shuttle style. But they can also be folded to provide a pair of spectator seats under the hatchback for British sporting events when it rains. No backbreaking job, either. The seats are cleverly counterbalanced so all of this is relatively effortless. When facing forwards, there’s toe room under the seats in front and with a bit of co-operation...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=186 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=186'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/186_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758646' /></a> BMW 3-Series E91 Touring (2005 - ) 185 Wed, 03 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=185'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/185_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757261' align="left" /></a>'The first time I drove a new E90 3-Series I crashed it. We were supposed to be experiencing blowouts on a bend at a test track. The brief was to lock it on cruise control at 80, take it once round the bend like that, then, second time round, the passenger’s job was to throw a switch that pulled the valve out of a back tyre. First blowout on ordinary tyres; second blowout on Bridgestone runflats. Except I forgot that the bend after the 80mph bed tightened up and there was no way through it at 80 in cruise control. So we understeered onto some gravel, had a little 80mph rotation, kept the engine running, then got on with the real job. And, of course, the car handled it brilliantly. Without Dynamic Stability Control, on standard tyres, the rapid deflation led to a spin. With DSC, it didn’t. Then, without DSC, when the runflat deflated, the result was as undramatic as the standard tyres with DSC. After that we did 10 miles on rural Italian roads in a 320i with a front runflat running flat. The 10 miles with a rear runflat running flat. All a very impressive demonstration of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=185 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=185'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/185_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757261' /></a> FIAT Croma (2005 - 2007) 184 Tue, 02 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=184'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/184_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757509' align="left" /></a>'The Croma is back. And, knowing full well there was no way it could sell an ordinary car in a market stuffed to the gills with Mondeos, Vectras, Mazda 6s, Lagunas and Avenses, to name but a few, FIAT has come up with something different. “A cross between an estate car and an MPV at a hatchback price” sort-of sums it up. It’s a bit taller than the norm, so you sit slightly more upright. It’s easier to get in and out of. You can almost ‘walk into it’ like you can with a Ford C-Max. And it’s very comfortable, for up to five 6’ adults with all their luggage. Plenty of leg, head and shoulder room, front and back. Smaller than the Renault Vel Satis, yet doing a similar sort of job. Engines are a pair of 1.9 litre Multijet diesels with 120bhp or 150bhp, as seen in Vauxhall Astras, Vectras, Signums and Zafiras, SAAB 9-3s and various Alfa Romeos. These are smooth, powerful and, with a combined consumption of 46.3mpg, commendably economical. Standard transmission is a 6-speed manual, with a 6-speed autobox top of the options list. ‘Coming soon’ will be an awesome auto-only 200bhp 2.4 Multijet, while...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=184 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=184'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/184_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757509' /></a> Mazda Mazda 6 (2002 - 2007) 183 Sat, 30 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=183'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/183_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757794' align="left" /></a>'There are 785 engineering changes to the facelifted Mazda 6. But most of them are hidden from sight. Thankfully Mazda hasn’t messed around with its dramatic looks. Just a few small improvements there. Instead, Seichi Omoto’s team has concentrated on the really important bits. So we get more powerful, more refined diesel engines, now EU4 with maintenance-free particulate filters. More powerful, more economical petrol engines. A new six-speed manual transmission. A new five-speed automatic. Under the car’s skin is a stiffer, stronger structure. Outside, the changes are so subtle they’re hard to spot. Dark grey bezels around the headlights, slightly darkened rear light covers, minor changes to the grilles, two new body colours: Phantom Blue mica and Brilliant Carbon Grey mica. Inside, the seat fabrics look better and ‘breathe’ better, the radio CD multiplayer is now piano black, the instrument dials have chrome surrounds, and there’s now a keyless entry and immobiliser system that allows you to open the doors at the touch of a button and start the engine, just as long as you have the keycard in your pocket. Subtle improvements wherever you look. We tested the new 145PS 6-speed diesel estate. Fair enough because my original test...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=183 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=183'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/183_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757794' /></a> Mitsubishi Evo IX (2005 - 2008) 180 Sat, 23 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=180'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/180_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758451' align="left" /></a>'I’d driven EVOs before. Most memorably an EVO VIII FQ400, on an unfamiliar track, with an instructor who kept grabbing the wheel to show me the lines, in a blizzard. At times I couldn’t even see the sides of the track, never mind the next corner, so don’t ask me about that car. The EVO IX is the latest and last of a long line of EVOs, which began, logically enough, with the EVO 1, a 247bhp all wheel drive car built to qualify for FIA Group A rally regulations and get out there and fight the Imprezas. The EVO II arrived in 1994, with 256bhp and, over the years, progressed to the EVO VIII, the ultimate incarnation of which was the FQ400. In case you were wondering, ‘FQ’ does mean ‘very quick’: 0-60 in under 4 seconds and a top speed rev limited to 157. For the EVO IX, Mitsubishi has carried over the Bilstein suspension and Active Centre Differential of the EVO VIII MR range, with new rear springs which reduce the height of the car and enable the ‘Super Active Yaw Control’ to work better. MIVEC variable valve timing is new to the EVO, improving breathing at...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=180 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=180'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/180_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758451' /></a> Nissan Micra (2003 - 2010) 182 Wed, 20 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=182'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/182_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758796' align="left" /></a>'This started off as a test of Nissan’s bargain priced MINI-rivalling 160SR, but got side-tracked by a very pretty little Sport + diesel. Please bear with me. I’ve heard the Micra describes as “so cute, it’s like a baby.” But that statement is colour-sensitive. In sparkling mica baby blue it does look impossibly cute. It’s really good in pastel cream as well. And the cars have colour co-ordinated interiors with cream pseudo bakelite heater switches and little retro touches learned from the Figaro that lift them from being just another small car into something altogether more stylish. People buy Micras because they like them, not because they think they think they have to have one. The 160SR comes with stiffer, lower suspension, dynamic ESP, deep front spoiler with integrated projector fog lamps, body coloured roof and side spoilers, dark tinted headlamps and graphite finished 16" alloys. Also, side-curtain airbags, aluminium pedals, white dials, Intelligent key, six-speaker CD system, automatic wipers and lighting plus air-conditioning all as standard. The test car was a fiery metallic red, seemingly intended to bring out the devil in it. And in order to give Micras a bit more street cred in this respect the company...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=182 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=182'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/182_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758796' /></a> Peugeot 1007 (2005 - ) 181 Thu, 14 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=181'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/181_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758967' align="left" /></a>'The 1007 is a brave and risky gamble for Peugeot. It’s an original, intended to set a trend rather than follow one. The first small car in Europe designed around a pair of electric sliding doors. It caused sensations at Motor Shows a couple of years ago when it was displayed as the ‘Sesame’ concept car. But is it just a gimmick? Or does it make an open and shut case? No doubt about it, the doors work, and the car is exceptionally easy to get in and out of on city streets. From outside, the remote key allows you to open the door either side. From inside you pull a switch and they quietly pop out then glide back, a bit like the doors on an Underground train. You can even drive with them open, which might be illegal, but was the way newpapers used to get delivered to news stands. But that’s not the point of the 1007. It’s to offer something new that people will see in action and smile at, then want one. Fashion can tell people to do all sorts of ridiculous things. Buy shoes so high they can’t walk in them, wear baggy trousers...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=181 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=181'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/181_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191758967' /></a> Chevrolet Matiz (2005 - ) 179 Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=179'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/179_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757390' align="left" /></a>'Sponsor of Celebrity Love Island and Chevrolet’s smallest car, the Matiz puts its gloves on against the Panda, the Picanto, the Charade and the newly born Czech triplets C1, 107 and Aygo. To have a fighting chance it has to offer things the others don’t. Headroom is one of them. There’s plenty of it, back and front, even for people of 6’ 6”. There are three lap and diagonal seatbelts in the back and while three across is a squash for adults, it isn’t for kids, which makes the Matiz excellent transport for the school run. There are four doors, of course, each with wind-down windows (electric in the front). The back seats fold down fully, if a bit untidily, without removing the neat headrests. And you have a choice of folding both squab and backrest 60 or 40, so could carry four with enough luggage for four. Though the hatchback only key-locks from outside, there’s a release lever on the driver’s floor. The dash is quite neat with a big central speedometer and rev counter in line of sight rather than tucked behind the steering wheel rim. (Though this doesn’t seem to free the wheel itself for up and...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=179 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=179'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/179_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191757390' /></a> Jaguar XJ6, XJ8, XJR (2003 - 2009) 178 Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=178'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/178_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770413' align="left" /></a>'Sometimes you read performance described as an “iron fist in a velvet glove”. Not this time. “Velvet glove”, for sure. This is the smoothest, most refined diesel in the World. Yet, though it gathers pace commendably quickly, to 60 in 7.8 seconds, and is far from a “limp wrist in a velvet glove” it certainly doesn’t perform with the feeling of being hurled forward by some brutal, unseen force. No problem. It simply lopes along in its natural speed range of 90 – 120mph, noiselessly, effortlessly and, pushing a comparatively light kerb weight of just 1,659kg, very economically. The official figure is 35mpg combined and we found no reason to disbelieve this. It actually feels like its only sipping fuel even at 100mph. Apart from a curious tinkling noise that sounds a bit like pinking when accelerating hard, this Jaguar is the least diesel-like diesel I have ever driven. You can’t hear it at all. At idle, electronically controlled active engine mountings reduce vibration by 90%. Outside the car, if the surroundings are quiet, you can hear a subdued diesel rattle. But in town even that is drowned by surroundsound and you don’t notice it. The electronically controlled air suspension...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=178 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=178'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/178_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770413' /></a> Volkswagen Golf Plus (2005 - ) 176 Thu, 16 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=176'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/176_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770918' align="left" /></a>'Renault has to be congratulated for changing the way people think about cars. Renault invented ‘Multi Purpose Vehicle’ with its 7-seater Espace. And followed up with the similarly versatile 5-seater Scenic. Now, if a manufacturer wants to sell a lot of cars it has to offer more than just a standard family hatchback. As well as a saloon version and an estate, it has to offer an MPV. So Citroen has the Picasso, FIAT has the Multipla, Ford has the C-Max, Honda has the FR-V, Mazda has the Premacy (about to be replaced by the Mazda 5), Nissan has the Almera Tino, SEAT has the Altea, Toyota has the Corolla Verso, Vauxhall has the Zafira. VW already had the Touran. Now, mid-way between the Touran and the Golf, it offers us the Golf Plus. The Plus only 3.75” taller than the Golf. But that’s enough to allow passengers to sit slightly more upright which most find more comfortable. And, since bent legs don’t take up so much length, the designers can offer a choice of more legroom or a longer load-bay. To facilitate this the 60/40 split back seats can be slid forward or backward on runners. One or both...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=176 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=176'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/176_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770918' /></a> Volkswagen Passat (2005 - ) 175 Sat, 28 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=175'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/175_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191771038' align="left" /></a>'VW engineers can’t make up their minds what to do with the engine of the Passat. At first it was longitudinal, slung ahead of the front wheels like an Audi’s. Then, in 1988, they laid it horizontal across the car, like the Golf’s. Then, in 1996, they went back to Audi-style longitudinal. Now we have a new Passat, once again with a transverse engine. This is the biggest, most luxurious Passat VW has ever built. And it bristles with thoughtful features. As well as bottle holders in the doors it has an umbrella holder, like the Skoda Superb’s. Also, like the Skoda Superb it has a retractable bag hook in the boot, to hold your Tesco bags upright instead of emptying themselves across the boot floor. As well as that, in the boot, there are two useful side pockets to stop bits and pieces flying about. For Golfers, the barriers slide out so you can lay at least a couple of bags of clubs across the boot. And under the floor there’s a full-size steel spare wheel with no speed restrictions attached. The car has an electric parking brake. Press the button marked P and the brake discs are electrically...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=175 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=175'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/175_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191771038' /></a> Cadillac CTS (2004 - 2008) 174 Sat, 21 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=174'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/174_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770588' align="left" /></a>'What does ‘Cadillac’ mean to you? A vast V8, V12 or V16 from the 1930’s? A befinned behemoth from the 1950s? A Ghostbusters ambulance? An Eldorado pimpmobile? A long, black hearse? A Seville, unsuccessfully imported from the mid 1970s to mid 80s, then again in the 1990s? Unfortunately, Cadillac’s brand values as one of America’s finest cars have been diluted by some terrible dross, but you can’t blame General Motors for wanting to re-establish its best name as its best car. That wasn’t going to happen if they continued to build them the same old American way. So Cadillac’s fresh new cars are built in a fresh new factory at Lancing, Michigan, to quality standards that, in the latest JD Power surveys, even beat Lexus. The CTS now being imported to the UK with right-hand-drive has been on the market in the USA since 2003. It was already a good car, but GM wanted to refine it and be absolutely sure of getting all the bugs out before introducing it to more critical Europeans. The CTS we are getting now has new chain-cam 3.6 and 2.8 litre V6 engines, a slick 5-speed autobox, rear wheel drive, and the sort of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=174 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=174'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/174_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191770588' /></a> Mercedes Benz CLS-Class (2005 - ) 172 Mon, 02 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=172'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/172_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191771172' align="left" /></a>'Rich Thais were crawling all over it at the Bangkok Motor Show, where, with luxury tax, it stood to set them back at least £75,000. So we should think ourselves lucky at only being asked to stump up £43,000. Plus about £8,000 for essential extras like Satnav, leather, Parktronic and sexier than standard alloys. It’s a staggeringly dramatic looking car. One long curve from front to back. But first impressions from the drivers seat show up what seem to be compromises, until you learn to live with them. However tall or small you are, the nearside ‘A’ pillar slightly obscures the nearside door mirror. The pedals are designed for amputees with no left leg so if you’re a left foot braker you have to twist yourself slightly. And the parking brake requires a considerable degree of left leg dexterity because it’s all too easy to knee yourself in the mouth while trying to apply it. But park the car. Get out. Go and do something else for half an hour (always a good tactic). Then get back in and you forgive it these minor shortcomings. It’s the car you always promised yourself. ‘Mine’ had optional AirMATIC suspension with three settings,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=172 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=172'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/172_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191771172' /></a> Nissan Pathfinder (2005 - ) 171 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=171'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/171_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191771331' align="left" /></a>'Nissan is getting out of volume and into niches. Nissan’s X-Trail has outsold its Primera and been much more profitable because it has sold at much closer to the list price asked. And demand for used X-Trails is even greater than for new ones, keeping used values so high that I am now seeing them selling at auction at a higher percentage of their new prices than same age, same mileage BMW 320dSEs. So, unsurprisingly, one of the directions Nissan is following is the off-road route. Late last year saw the introduction of the extraordinary Murano, a Lexus RX300 competitor with a detuned Nissan 350Z motor. The enormous V8 Nissan Titan is by far the best big pick-up to drive and is also hugely capable off-road. Later this year we’ll get a new ladderframe chassis Navara pick-up. And now, to grab a fat chunk of the 7-seater 4x4 school bus market, Nissan presents us with the large and perfectly formed Pathfinder, also on a tough ladderframe. It’s roughly the same size as the Discovery 3 and does pretty much the same job at prices starting £5,000 lower. These days £25,800 isn’t a lot to pay for this much vehicle and,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=171 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=171'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/171_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191771331' /></a> Ford Fiesta (2002 - 2008) 155 Wed, 13 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=155'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/155_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833780' align="left" /></a>'Original Test November 2004. Updated 13th April 2005. Ford model ranges are never complete until there’s a quick one. And now, at last, there’s a fast Fiesta. It has a mildly breathed-on chain-cam Mondeo engine putting out 150PS, dropped and stiffened suspension, big 17” alloys with 205/40 section tyres and, for £150 extra, two wide police alert Carlos Fandango ‘go faster’ stripes the length of the bonnet and roof. It looks particularly good in white with blue stripes, the old Ford motor sports colours, but you can also have red, blue or black with white stripes, and stripes along the side for an extra £75. There’s a single-slot CD player for that authentic ‘boom boom’ noise. And the exhaust pipe has been specially tuned to sound like a 1960s rally car. So the spirit of the original boy racer XR2 has been re-incarnated in the current Fiesta body. How does it all come together? The engine revs very freely, the suspension is rock hard and the responses are instant, so if you want to work at your driving you can put up some pretty quick A to B times on your favourite roads. And I guess it’s stiff enough to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=155 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=155'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/155_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833780' /></a> Mitsubishi Lancer (2005 - 2007) 170 Wed, 06 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=170'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/170_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191780311' align="left" /></a>'With the Colt and now the Lancer, Mitsubishi has shifted tactics to offering some of the best list price bargains around. Lancer list prices start at just £9,999 for the 1.6 saloon and a mere £10,499 for the 1.6 estate. Even going mad you can’t spend more than £11,999 for the most expensive 2.0 litre Sport estate. So what do you get for not very much money? Well, in front of you, as a permanent reminder of your tight-fistedness, is the most poverty-stricken fascia this side of an Oxfam shop. It looks like someone simply carved a hole in it with a Stanley knife to fit the standard DIN size radio CD. The rest of the interior is okay, though. Lots of places to store things in the centre console; even a double-lidded armrest box. The steering wheel and driver’s seat are height adjustable. There are twin airbags. And, on the Sport estate, a sporty leather rimmed steering wheel that links to steering with decent feedback, at low speeds anyway. Gearing is also quite low at around 20mph per 1,000rpm in top. However, the engine is sprightly, free-revving and flexible rather than a sluggish old droner so the gearing does...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=170 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=170'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/170_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191780311' /></a> Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) 168 Fri, 18 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=168'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/168_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191780655' align="left" /></a>'Some cars are like old friends. And that’s the way I feel about Mondeos. I approached this one, a TDCI Ghia X estate with a familiarity that bred content, awaiting its new ‘surprise and delight features’, and was delighted to find it came with the 5-speed autobox. Not just that and a right-way-round selector, it also has steering wheel pushbutton shifters. In practise, you just leave it in Drive most of the time, only switching over to manual when conditions suggest that might be wise. Long sweepers, for example, are best taken in 4th; tighter bends in 3rd. The chain-cam Duratorq TDCI 130 engine is a rough old thing when you wake it up on a cold morning. Diesels and autoboxes often aren’t the best bedfellows in these circumstances. But my Mondeo soon settled down to the arduous task of negotiating a street festooned with those metre square flat-top traffic harming ‘cushions’ that knock so many suspension systems out of alignment and cause severe tyre wear. Even on 205/50 x 17s it shrugged them off. Then, when it snowed, the Quickclear heated front screen and heated rear screen came on automatically. So even though I’d had to wipe 3” of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=168 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=168'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/168_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191780655' /></a> Vauxhall Combo kombi (2002 - ) 169 Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=169'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/169_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191787903' align="left" /></a>'Bit different, this one. I’d expected something like a Berlingo Multispace with windows in the back. Or, at least, windows beside the rear passenger seat. But, to comply with medieval British Customs and Excise regulations, the Combo Crewvan they sent me came with sheet steel rear windows. A stupid result of one of the many ridiculous laws the Brits put up with to the bemusement of other nationalities. It actually proved to be a surprisingly good vehicle and I’ll get to that soon. But first I’m going to rail against the rank stupidity which makes a van so much more expensive than a windowed utility that, even if a VAT registered business gets the VAT back, it’s still out of pocket. At £11,372 on the road before VAT, this very good 5-seater Combo Crewvan actually costs more than the £9,795 a windowed 5-seater FIAT Doblo with the same 1.3 Multijet engine costs after VAT. It’s more than the Doblo Family 7-seater 1.3 Multijet, which costs £10,595 on the road, VAT paid. At the time of writing you can get a Citroen Berlingo Multispace 1.9D for just £8,500 on the road. So what on earth is the point of asking £11,372...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=169 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=169'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/169_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191787903' /></a> Mitsubishi Colt 3-door (2005 - ) 167 Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=167'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/167_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191780542' align="left" /></a>'Base models are often the best test, so we went straight for the £7,499 Colt Red. The dashboard is the same as the 5-door. The front end is the same. But the 3” shorter 3-door is really a different car. The plus points and minus points depend on where you’re coming from. It’s well equipped with ABS + EBD, twin airbags with a key-switch to switch the passenger’s off, Radio C/D player, trip computer, Trafficmaster Smartnav, rev counter, lockable glove compartment, lots of useful cubby holes, grab handles front and back, passenger and driver vanity mirrors, sliding and double-folding rear seat, very comfortable front seats, good quality, solid feeling plastics, height-adjustable steering wheel, three 3-point rear seatbelts, electric front windows and a really neat two-sided interior light: just press the lens your side and the light goes on. All good stuff. There is excellent headroom and huge seat travel. I drove with a guy who is 6’ 6” and even he did not need to push the seat all the way back. The doors give the best access of any car anywhere, beating even the 3-door Toyota Yaris. They open so wide and so far into the footwell that even...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=167 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=167'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/167_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191780542' /></a> KIA Sportage (2005 - ) 162 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=162'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/162_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788333' align="left" /></a>'Updated Thursday 17th February 2005 The first nice surprise when you step inside the new KIA Sportage is the smell. There isn’t one. Interiors of cars from South Korea used to pong like a glue factory, but thankfully the Sportage is an odour-free zone. It retains a few other bugbears, though. The indicator switch is on the right. It has a fiddly DIN fit radio/CD with a cheesy ‘welcome’ display. And until you get used to them the ergonomics feel all wrong. It doesn’t fit around you the manner of a modern motor. The gearlever, parking brake and steering wheel don’t all naturally fall to hand. However, with one further reservation, that’s all the bad bits done and dusted. It’s a very impressive SUV. The back seats are especially good. Just pull the catches on the top and the squabs move forward as the backs come down leaving a flat load area very quickly indeed. As well as that, the back seats recline slightly, as in the Nissan X-Trail, enabling rear seat passengers who already enjoy plenty of legroom to sleep a long journey away. And in a £15,995 car, leather comes as standard. The rear hatch of the XS...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=162 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=162'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/162_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788333' /></a> FIAT Panda 4x4 (2005 - ) 166 Sat, 12 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=166'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/166_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788098' align="left" /></a>'It’s hard not to love the FIAT Panda. Chic, cheerful, small and cute. European Car of the Year 2004, it’s comfortable, fun to drive, has the best-designed control panel of any car anywhere and comes in some great solid colours, including Guacamole green, Vanilla yellow and a kind of creamy turquoise. I covered the Panda 1.1 Active elsewhere on the site. My conclusion was, “I reckon that FIAT has cracked the nut that no one else quite managed to since BMC came up with the original Mini: A cheap, basic car that puts a smile on your face.” I thought the 1.1 Active was the Panda that made the most sense. But now we have the options of a Panda with a diesel engine, or a Panda with four wheel drive. Later, we might be able to buy both together, depending on how robust the drive system proves to be with the more torquey diesel. It should be okay though. There are plenty of original Panda 4x4s still romping around with over 200,000 miles under their wheels. The Multijet is the same 1,248cc chain-cam 16 valve Euro 4 70bhp common rail direct injected diesel also found under the bonnets of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=166 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=166'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/166_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788098' /></a> Audi A6 (2004 - 2009) 165 Sat, 05 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=165'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/165_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788000' align="left" /></a>'Elsewhere on this site you’ll find a near rave review of the Audi A6 4.2 quattro tiptronic saloon, the 3.0V6 TDI quattro tiptronic saloon and the 3.2 V6 petrol SE front-drive 6-speed manual saloon. So, for driving impressions of those engines, please go to that test. Here I get to drive the 2.7V6 TDI front-drive 6-speed manual Avants, the 3.2 V6 petrol front-drive 6-speed manual Avant, a 3.2 V6 petrol front-drive 7-speed multitronic Avant, and a 2.4 V6 petrol front-drive 7-speed multitronic Avant. It would have been nice to complete the picture with a 2.0 TDI 140 multitronic and a 2.7V6 TDI multitronic, but none were available on the day. The new Avant is a big car, longer than the saloon and 4mm higher. It’s also very beautiful, both sleek and perfectly proportioned, and that shape brings the added benefit of uncannily low wind noise. Crucially, the roof is higher over the heads of rear seat passengers and comfortably accommodates three. The luggage area is long, and wide; more than a metre even between the rear wheelarches and 1.2 meters right at the back, which is handy for golf clubs. Seats up, there is 565 litres of loadspace to window...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=165 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=165'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/165_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788000' /></a> Honda CR-V II (2002 - 2006) 164 Sun, 30 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=164'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/164_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788219' align="left" /></a>'The RAV-4 started the UK Sports Utility Vehicle thing back in June 1994. Then sprouted an extra pair of doors making it even more practical in June 1995. But the Honda CRV was an honourable second onto the scene, beating the LandRover Freelander to the market by 6 months in June 1997, and coming in at £2,000 cheaper. It caught the public imagination of what a family car should really be, was an instant hit, and has remained so ever since. There have been many other more recent pretenders to the throne. Most notably the excellent Nissan X-Trail, which is much better off road. More recently, the Mitsubishi Outlander sneaked onto the scene. While Hyundai and KIA surprised everyone with the grippy handling Tucson and Sportage. Ford/Mazda had a go too with the all-independent Maverick II/Tribute. Imagewise at least, the current Jeep Cherokee is also a contender. While the bigger Hyundai Santa Fe, KIA Sportage, Hyundai Terracan and Ssangyong Rexton are all in the same price range. Honda went back to the drawing board and launched the current shape CRV in early 2002. And now, using the opportunity of its new 2.2 litre diesel engine, has refreshed that design for...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=164 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=164'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/164_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788219' /></a> Mercedes Benz A-Class W169 (2005 - ) 163 Wed, 19 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=163'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/163_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788460' align="left" /></a>'The first big improvement of the new A Class is the feeling of heavy, Germanic solidity. There’s nothing flimsy about it. The plastics are thick. The pile of the upholstery and carpeting is deep. Even the feel of the rear seats as you fold them is reassuringly over-engineered. Unlike the original, it’s a proper Mercedes in miniature rather than just a small car with a Mercedes badge. It drives and handles like a larger, heavier car too. It’s quiet, refined and smooth. You could step out of an old W123 E Class or a W126 S Class into a new A Class and feel the cars were made in the same factory by the same people (even though they aren’t). If you had driven a company Mercedes for the last 20 years of your working life, a new A Class would be the perfect retirement car. All the quality, without the length. I drove to the launch in Mercedes new small trendy car, the Smart ForFour. And the contrast could not be greater. The Smart is chic and cheerful, not really a Mercedes at all. The new A Class is altogether much more grown-up. It needs to be, because it...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=163 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=163'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/163_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191788460' /></a> Honda Jazz/Fit (2001 - 2008) 161 Sun, 26 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=161'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/161_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191790444' align="left" /></a>'Since its launch now nearly 3 years ago the Honda Jazz has been almost universally rated as the best car in its class. It has a very clever cabin design, an extremely economical petrol engine, a decent automatic version and it's cute. In Bangkok it’s the equivalent of a MINI and you hardly ever see one without mica paint, bling wheels, spoilers, skirts and blacked-out windows. The Thais and Malaysian also get an engine we don’t: a 110PS version of the 1.4 I-DSI (Intelligent Dual Sequential Ignition). The reason is that Honda is using the Jazz to keep its CAFE rating as low as possible, which is also why it has now introduced a 77PS 1.2 litre version as part of the 2005 model year facelift. That also sees some rationalisation of specs, with the SE version acquiring the old Sport’s 15” alloy wheels and 185/55R15 tyres, but losing its standard sunroof. And, most important of all, they’ve done some more work on the ride quality which was just about the only thing anyone ever found to criticise on the original Jazz. So how did Honda move the goal-posts and wrong-foot everyone else? The first thing they did was shift...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=161 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=161'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/161_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191790444' /></a> Renault Modus (2004 - ) 160 Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=160'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/160_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194106412' align="left" /></a>'Seriously cute, immensely likeable and very practical sums it up in one line. I hadn’t expected to get on with the Modus as well as I did. First proper drive was a night-run to the airport with steamed up windows in freezing fog. The Modus unsteamed its widows with unseemly ease for a stone-cold diesel engine. The 1.5 DCI has plenty enough poke, to the extent that you don’t really want any more in a car like this. At first, the steering feels a bit over-centred, but grip is good and you soon get used to it. The cable shift feels like one, but not to the extent I’d complain about it. Only the digital speedo on the passenger side of the central pod is a little touch of RHD skinflinting. The digits are so big you can read it easily enough, but the surrounding rev counter light show is a bit harder to keep track of. Take your eyes off the road and you will see that 3,000rpm gives you a usefully long 80mph cruise (actually a true 76mph). Ride quality is very good too, absorbing poor surfaces and road humps like a balloon-tyred 4x4 despite the car’s diminutive...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=160 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=160'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/160_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194106412' /></a> FIAT Doblo (2001 - ) 159 Tue, 07 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=159'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/159_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191790887' align="left" /></a>'Peculiar looking contraption, the Doblo. Deliberately styled to look utilitarian, almost like a pastiche of a 1930’s hotel bus. The kind of car you could bump in a carpark with an even chance of it ending up looking better. So no worries about the odd scratch, then. And the big advantage of the ‘Family’ versions tested here is that they’re the cheapest 7-seaters you can buy (in the UK, at least). The back seats are held in place by big locks at the tops, so there’s no fiddling around at floor level to try to fold them. The centre outside pair are the neatest folding for rear seat access that I’ve ever folded. The side doors slide, like a Berlingo’s. Unlike some bigger MPVs, there’s bags of headroom for everyone to wear hats. And, if that isn’t enough, FIAT even does a raised roof version for an extra £705. The rearmost seat is a bit of a clunky old thing and doesn’t fold out of the way to leave bags of room for bags. If you want serious space in the back you have to get some help and lift it out completely. But at least all of the seats...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=159 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=159'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/159_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191790887' /></a> Peugeot 407 SW (2004 - ) 157 Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=157'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/157_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833897' align="left" /></a>'Two road tests in one this time, and a mystery solved for anyone wondering why Peugeot builds a 407SW as well as a 307SW. Also a paradoxical comparison between the 136bhp 2.0 HDI 16v in the smaller 307SW, and the 110bhp 1.6 HDI 16v in the larger 407. To make sense of the two cars, the 307SW is best thought of as a 7-seater MPV that looks like an estate car in the tradition of Peugeot - seater estates. While the 407SW is a less practical, more stylish alternative to a hatchback in the manner of an Audi A4 Avant or Renault Laguna Sport Tourer. Of course, Renault takes all this one stage further by offering both a Megane estate and a 5 or 7-seater Megane Scenic MPV as well as the Laguna Sport Tourer, but we won’t go there right now. One thing is for sure: there is not another MPV anywhere in the world that outhandles the 307SW. It drives, grips and gives even more pleasure than the 307 hatchback. And with the 138PS (136bhp) 2.0 litre 16v HDI it’s geared to give 35mph per 1,000 rpm in 6th, so you can cruise all day at 90mph and...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=157 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=157'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/157_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833897' /></a> Citroen C4 (2004 - ) 156 Fri, 19 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=156'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/156_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833241' align="left" /></a>'Buyers of medium size motors never had it better. A much more solid new Golf; a dramatic new Astra; a better built, more refined new Focus. And now, stepping smartly from the bottom of the class to the top, the stunning new Citroen C4. Five different petrol engines, from a hard-worked 90PS 1.4 to a fire-breathing 180PS 2.0 litre. Three diesels from a 92PS 1.6HDI to a 138PS 2.0HDI. Only 5 speeds in the boxes of all but the 6 speed 2.0HDI. And automatics on the way for the 1.6 and 2.0 petrol engines. The two bodies are completely different, yet the space inside them is virtually identical. The cracking 3-door coupe is £400 less, and a benefit of its low rearward sloping rear window is excellent vision for reverse-parking. They are five seaters with five proper belts, but there’s less headroom and comfort for back seat piggy-in-the-middle than there is in the new Focus. As befits a Citroen, the dashboard is radical. The centre digital speedo is translucent so you can easily check your speed in all lighting conditions. The rev counter sits just above the fixed steering wheel hub and glows completely red when you red-line. Audio controls,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=156 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=156'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/156_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833241' /></a> Ford Focus II (2004 - 2007) 154 Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=154'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/154_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833005' align="left" /></a>'The old Focus was Britain’s best selling car and clearly the class leader. Even VW admitted that Focus qualities were its goal when it designed the Golf Mk V. The voice of experience (actually the bloke I was driving with) reckoned, “if you could only have one car to do everything then it would have to be a Focus 1.6.” Nothing else combines practical with such a fine driving experience. So now we have a new Focus, on a new platform, previously tried under the Mazda 3, the Volvo S40 and V50 and the Focus C-MAX with mixed results. Would the new Focus be best of the bunch? Or would it be ever so slightly disappointing? You can see for yourself it’s lost its leading edge looks. Where previously we had brave, sharp and fresh, now we have a mishmash of compromises. It looks like it was designed and redesigned by several committees all so frightened of making a decision they relied on cautious consumer research. So the new Focus is bland. But at least the committees made sure it’s a full five-seater. Centre-rear is a comfortable place to be with decent headroom and plenty of padding under your bum...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=154 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=154'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/154_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833005' /></a> Honda FR-V 3+3 MPV (2004 - 2009) 153 Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=153'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/153_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833382' align="left" /></a>'Not too long ago, a ‘family car’ was a straightforward saloon, hatchback or estate seating two in the front and three in the back. And, because the French tended to have bigger families, there were Citroen, Peugeot and Renault seven-seater estates. Then along came the Renault Espace and the Chrysler Voyager and seven-seater ‘Multi Purpose Vehicles’ were born. Since then, Renault did it again by inventing the five-seater MPV in the form of the Scenic. And, just to be different (very different) FIAT pulled its six-seater Multipla out of the brown paper bag. So how does the new Honda FR-V fit in? Honda already had its seven-seater (now six-seater) Stream MPV, which succeeded the excellent Shuttle. Then Honda’s Masaaki Tsunoda took his two kids for a ride in an old Cadillac, which just happened to have a three-seater bench in the front, like a Tokyo taxi. The kids loved it, both of them sitting together in the front with dad instead of one relegated to the back. So Tsunoda got hold of a FIAT Multipla and started working out how Honda could improve on its 3 + 3 seating concept. He already had an ideal ‘flat floor’ platform, used in...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=153 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=153'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/153_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833382' /></a> Vauxhall Vectra C (2002 - 2008) 151 Sun, 17 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=151'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/151_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833489' align="left" /></a>'The new Vectra is a big car for big people. It’s so big in the front seats that trying to get comfortable I felt like I’d shrunk. So that’s the first piece of good news for our growing population. Big continues at the back. The yawning chasm of a boot looks like it would cheerfully accommodate an entire flat-pack kitchen. So if you ever see a new shape Vectra with a top-box, the family inside it is probably moving house. But all that baggage space does come at a price and in this case it’s rear legroom. Even I found it uncomfortable to sit behind myself, so while a giant would be happy in the front seat, he’d better not regard the new Vectra as family transport. The belt-cam FIAT/Alfa/GM 1.9 litre 150PS diesel is very impressive. Not as gruff and ‘sudden’ as VAG’s new 140PS 2.0 litre. But with masses of mid-range torque that fling the car forwards in 3rd and 4th gear. I can’t imagine any mid-managers relegated from their 3.0 litre V6s feeling short-changed in that department. Vauxhall certainly gets its gearing right these days. The 150 pulls around 35mph per 1,000rpm in 6th which is not...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=151 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=151'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/151_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833489' /></a> Citroen C5 (2001 - 2008) 149 Thu, 14 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=149'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/149_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191826794' align="left" /></a>'If ever there was a case for plastic surgery, it had to be the 2001 model Subaru Impreza. Closely followed by the Citroen C5 hatchback. The C5 estate always had eye appeal. But the hatchback looked like two entirely different cars that had been cut and shut together. Citroen was so self-conscious of this it even delayed the C5 launch for some last-minute nip and tuckery which merely made the best of a bad job while the stylists at Velizy went to work on a full facelift. Judge for yourself. The front gives the impression of an Italian speedboat. The rear just a hint of a Maserati. But at least they now look like the front and back of the same car. And some angles are very pleasing. I’m harping on about this because the looks are the main change. However, there are a lot of other improvements, some extra equipment and some new engines, most significant of which is the one we drove. This is PSA/Ford’s new 1.6 16v 110bhp diesel, now popping up under the bonnets of Focuses, C-Maxes, Mazda 3s, Peugeot 206s, Peugeot 307s, Peugeot 407s and Citroen’s own Picasso. On top of 50mpg capability, the huge...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=149 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=149'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/149_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191826794' /></a> FIAT Idea MPV (2004 - ) 152 Mon, 11 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=152'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/152_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833621' align="left" /></a>'FIAT’s Idea is a very interesting little car. It’s cutely good looking. It isn’t gimmicky. It’s all about packing as much versatility as possible onto the same size footprint as the Punto. And it succeeds. The first pleasure is the central dashboard. It’s not quite as good as the Panda’s, but it works in the same way with every switch and knob falling naturally to hand without having to take your eyes off the road. The seating position is adjustable up and down, the steering wheel adjusts for reach as well as height. Though tall people won’t be as comfortable as I was because the squabs aren’t long enough for them. (Any longer and they’d rob the back seat of legroom.) It really is very clever indeed in the back. The seat squabs slide backwards and forwards, and tumble, and recline 60/40. But the backrests fold 40/20/40. And while there is plenty of headroom for three to sit across the back seat, they’d better not have been eating too many pizzas because three big bums won’t fit. The front seat backrests also fold fully forward into tables. But the table tops slope, so you’d have to park facing downhill to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=152 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=152'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/152_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191833621' /></a> Vauxhall Astra H (2004 - 2009) 148 Sat, 09 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=148'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/148_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191826916' align="left" /></a>'It’s obvious that the new Astra is going to give the New Focus a harder time than the old Astra ever gave the old Focus. The old Astra was a worthy car with decent handling, but it looked like a hamster compared to the sporty Focus. Now, things could not have changed more dramatically. Because now it’s the Astra that’s exciting, flashy and different and the Focus that’s gone over to the conservatives. I guess Vauxhall must have wanted to impress me. Because the Astra they sent wasn’t a 1.4 or a diesel. It was the almost full house, six-speed 170PS Turbo SRi. And it’s a good drive. A multi-adjustable seat and steering wheel give a good position for just about anyone (yes, there is an optional tilting squab). It’s sweet and docile around town with the sort of torque at 2,000rpm you expect from a diesel. Yet point it at a clear stretch of road, pick your gear correctly and it takes off like a scalded cat. The handling is quite good too, but I’d just been spoiled by the near perfect balance and steering of the BMW 120d, so I did notice the inevitable tugging at the wheel...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=148 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=148'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/148_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191826916' /></a> KIA Cerato (2004 - 2006 ) 150 Tue, 05 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=150'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/150_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827028' align="left" /></a>'Three things instantly identify any car from South Korea: the indicator switch will be on the right; it will have a horribly fiddly DIN fit radio; and the plastic inside will stink. However, the Cerato is a neat, distinctive car that looks good from any angle rather than the conflicting mish-mash or all pervading blandness that can sometime emerge from Korea. It’s style won’t simply disappear into the forgettable like so many of its and Hyundai’s forbears. And, in the £11,999 2.0SE saloon you get a lot of kit, including a/c and leather. First impression is the smell. Why does the inside of every South Korean have to be such a nightmare to the nose? Get used to that and, looking around, you find nice, big dials (the speedo is enormous), lots of stowage space including cupholders, trays and a split-level armrest. Three proper three point belts across the back seat. 60/40 folding back seats. Height-adjustable steering wheel and driver’s seat, but no lumbar adjustment. Get going and apart from the indicators being on the right it’s a painless experience. At least the steering has a bit of meat to it. Switch on the radio. Er, how do you switch...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=150 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=150'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/150_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827028' /></a> Toyota Prius II (2003 - 2008) 147 Sun, 03 Oct 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=147'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/147_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194627993' align="left" /></a>'We’d been together for six months now and, though I’ve been unfaithful with scores of other cars in that time, I was still happiest with ‘my’ Prius. Now she’s gone and I feel even more of a gap in my life than when I sold my much loved SEAT Leon 20VT. What at first appeared strange, almost alien, about the controls and they way the Prius needs to be driven now seem so obvious I wonder why other cars aren’t the same. You plip your way in, push the electronic key into its slot, press the start button, kick off the foot operated parking brake, shift your left foot to the brake pedal, then snick the tiny gear selector lever from ‘P’ on the display to ‘D’ or ‘R’, lift off the brake, press the accelerator, and off you go, silently, on the electric motor. Which is perfect for the neighbours when I have to set off at 5.00am. Usually the engine purrs into life soon after, but even this can be prevented by pressing the EV button and motoring out of anyone’s earshot electrically. It’s delightfully simple. Get stuck in traffic or have to stop at a road junction...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=147 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=147'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/147_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194627993' /></a> BMW 1 Series E81/E87 (2004 - ) 146 Sat, 25 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=146'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/146_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827132' align="left" /></a>'Rock solid was the first impression. Yes, I know that’s a corny old cliché, but the BMW 120d really does feel as if it’s been drilled and ground out of a solid piece of iron ore. The steering is heavy duty, too. And what it lacks in lightness it makes up for with the sort of feel you forget when driving front wheel drive cars. It’s totally uncorrupted and very nearly perfect. To the extent you immediately feel at one with the car. That’s what BMW is advertising. That’s what the car is about. The ride quality’s good, too. At least it is on the standard 16” wheels with 205/55 tyres fitted to the 120dSE I drove. And not a shake or a rattle anywhere. BMW has squeezed an extra 13bhp out of its 2.0 litre diesel, plus a total of 340Nm torque at 2,000rpm and puts it through a 6-speed manual box. That means that you’re through 2nd gear very quickly, but you soon learn to short-change into 3rd. 6th gives you 37.5mph per 1,000 rpm on the speedo, so at motorway speeds you’re bang on peak torque and the car whispers along delivering well over 40mpg. Unless, of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=146 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=146'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/146_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827132' /></a> Smart Forfour (2004 - 2006) 145 Sat, 18 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=145'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/145_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827256' align="left" /></a>'It seems to have taken Forever to arrive, but the SMART Forfour is finally here. And, as predicted, it’s already got the public pointing. The original SMART City Coupe and the Smart Roadster turned heads. The Forfour does too. And the expressions on people’s faces say they want one. Most couldn’t manage with a two-seater City Coupe (now, appropriately called the ‘Fortwo’). Most couldn’t justify spending upwards of £11,995 on a cute but tiny two-seater SMART roadster, however much they wanted one. But they can start to think very seriously about a full four to five-seater hatchback that starts at £7,995. That buys the 1.1 litre ‘Black’, a special launch model to welcome buyers with a bargain. And it is. You get the same floorpan, same engine and same gearbox as the new Mitsubishi Colt. And what you sacrifice in headroom you get back with the funkiest four-seater hatchback you can buy. It doesn’t lack much either, as an entry-level model. You get four-wheel disc brakes with ABS with Brake Assist, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Acceleration Skid Control. There’s power steering, electric front windows, a radio/CD player, a sliding, folding rear seat with a 60/40 split backrest (though unlike the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=145 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=145'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/145_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827256' /></a> Audi A4 B7 (2005 - 2008) 144 Mon, 13 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=144'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/144_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195801250' align="left" /></a>'Bit of a scoop, this. By chance I lucked into a cancellation for first drive of the new Audi A4 2005 model, before even its official launch at the Paris Motor Show. I had to rush to get this on site, so please excuse any missing bits. As you can see from the photos, the A4 has been completely facelifted. And this isn’t simply window-dressing, because under the bonnets are four new engines: an all new quad chain cam 255bhp 3.2 FSI V6 petrol; the new 200bhp 2.0T FSI petrol engine shared with the Golf V; the quad chain cam 204bhp 3.0 TDI V6 shared with the A6; and the 140bhp 2.0 TDI shared with the Golf V, A3, Touran and Altea. This last engine is likely to be by far the most popular throughout Europe and the UK. Underneath there are plenty of improvements, too. The new transmissions allow the longitudinal engines to be set a bit further back, aiding weight distribution. And the mainly alloy, four-link-per-wheel suspension has been redesigned using lessons learned on the S4 and the new A6 to give both a better ride quality and a sportier feel to the car, especially to front wheel...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=144 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=144'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/144_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195801250' /></a> Mitsubishi Colt 5-door (2004 - ) 143 Fri, 10 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=143'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/143_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827576' align="left" /></a>'Like the Honda Jazz before it, the new Colt and its sister car the SMART Forfour have brought a breath of fresh air to small hatchbacks. (More about the ventilation system later.) I first sat in the back of one for a rest at the Motor Show, and was amazed at the amount of room in there. It’s a proper, comfortable five-seater; a statement that cannot be said of cars like the new Audi A6, Volvo S60 and many other big motors with small interiors. On top of that it’s versatile. The rear bench is split 60/40 and each half slides, folds, tumbles and completely removes. With both sides out the car is transformed into a flat-floored van. The front seats are comfortable, too, with a height-adjustable steering wheel. The A pillar quarterlights effectively remove any blindspots. The dashboard is good to look at with plenty of useful cubbyholes. The plastics are all good quality. And at night it all lights up into a sort of transluscent glow. In the £8,995 1.1 Classic I drove the diminutive three-cylinder petrol engine has to work hard. But it’s a game little thing with enough torque to haul the car along at a...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=143 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=143'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/143_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1191827576' /></a> Toyota Corolla Verso (2004 - 2009) 142 Fri, 03 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=142'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/142_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194459057' align="left" /></a>'There’s no doubt that mid-size MPVs have been getting better to drive. With the first generation, roll understeer on a bend could leave you with the frightening decision whether to let the thing stray onto the other side of the road or run the risk of rolling it. The Picasso was an improvement. Then the new Scenic and the C-MAX completely re-wrote the rulebook, handling easily as well if not better than their hatchback counterparts. Now we have the all-new Toyota Corolla Verso 7-seater. Today’s Toyotas all handle a lot better than the badge implied five years ago. The Corolla is as good as a Focus, lacking only Focus steering feel. And now Toyota has decided to put that right too. I noticed a lot more meat in the steering of our Soluna Vios than I’d ever felt in a Toyota before. And it’s the same story for the new Corolla Verso. So it not only handles well, it makes you feel part of the car. ‘Delightful to drive’ is only slightly over the top. It’s very good indeed. Inside, there’s familiar Toyota switchgear for things like windows, doorlocks and mirrors. The good looking black dashboard is rock solid with...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=142 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=142'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/142_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194459057' /></a> Peugeot 206 hatchback (1998 - 2006) 141 Sun, 29 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=141'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/141_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1093758942' align="left" /></a>'I’d showed up to drive the new 407 SW, but the enthusiastic PRs told me to try this one first. So I did. It looked as close as any 206 has ever got to the 205GTI I ran and loved 16 years ago. More luxurious, of course. With all the 206 GTI petrol model’s goodies including 16” alloys, 205/45 tyres, Teves ESP, ASR, CDS, ABS with Electronic Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Force Distribution, automatic air conditioning, CD autochanger, deep hugging bucket seats, aluminium pedals and gearknob. And very, very red. But a diesel GTI? How would that work? I got comfortable, adjusted the mirrors and turned the key. Anyone who has driven the SEAT Ibiza TDI 130 and the Skoda Fabia vRS 130 knows they don’t drive anything like a GTI. You get frantic grunt between 2,000rpm and 3,000rpm, but nothing much below or above this rev band and have to use the 6-speed box row them along to get a satisfying drive. But PSA’s 1.6 16v diesel drives completely differently. It stumps up 180 lb ft torque at 1,750rpm and 110bhp at 4,000rpm. But it also ‘overboosts’ in the higher gears only, giving up to 195lb ft. So...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=141 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=141'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/141_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1093758942' /></a> Nissan Primera IV p12 (2002 - 2006) 139 Fri, 13 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=139'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/139_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1091796652' align="left" /></a>'Two years ago Nissan expected to sell 18,000 Primeras a year and 4,000 X-Trails. Now it’s selling 10,000 Primeras a year and 10,000 X-Trails. Nothing to do with the Primera being a bad car. The problem is, like the Mondeo and the Vectra, it’s no longer the kind of car most people want to buy. But Nissan still needs to sell 10,000, so it’s improved the car. And I’m happy to report a facelift was not for Nissan. The Primera still has the same individual shape, deliberately styled to look like a car after it’s been parked in a snowstorm. Instead of messing with the styling Nissan has looked at the details. And just about every part of the Primera that could have been improved has been. Inside you get new brushed aluminium look doorhandles. Grab handles that don’t trap your fingers. The same central instrument display now with new subdued orange backlighting. A vastly improved, more friendly information centre now with a colour screen that also gives a colour TV view of what’s behind the car when you’re reversing. The already excellent DVD ‘Birdview’ satnav has been improved with built in traffic avoidance and the disc which covers the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=139 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=139'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/139_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1091796652' /></a> Smart Roadster (2002 - 2006) 138 Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=138'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/138_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194337628' align="left" /></a>'It’s a toy. Now you could pay a lot more, like £17,000, for a souped-up, bling-bedecked version of this particular toy. But would you get more fun out of it? I’ve already driven higher-spec LHD and RHD Smart Roadsters and Roadster Coupes. The basic concept is the same as the 1958 Healey Sprite, which was a very basic car. So this time I’m driving the most basic version of the Smart Roadster: the Roadster Light. Unlike the first LHD £10,000 Smart Roadster specials, this one has the full 80bhp engine of the better equipped versions. But it doesn’t have paddleshifts for the gearbox, fat alloy wheels, air-conditioning, sports seats, or an electric retractable roof. Which makes it lighter, as the name implies. And therefore a little bit faster. The six-speed electric clutch gearbox is still a bit obstructive. But the way to get the best out of a car is to learn its quirks and exploit them. And once you get your head around pushing the lever forward to change up; back to change down, you can pick up speed very rapidly. The figures say something like 10.4 seconds to 60, but because you’ve been through three gears to get...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=138 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=138'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/138_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194337628' /></a> Ssangyong Rexton (2003 - ) 137 Tue, 27 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=137'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/137_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194341630' align="left" /></a>'This car is huge. In black, it looks like the transport of Triads in a Tartan Asian Extreme Thaikwando movie. Underneath it’s a hefty ladderframe chassis, solid rear axle 4x4 developed from the Ssangyong Musso, which became the Daewoo Musso. All very confusing even though Ssangyong remained in production right through the Daewoo debacle and has now re-established itself as the official UK importer of the Rexton. It’s obviously designed to supply a lot of status. The styling isn’t quite the way Land Rover would do it, but when you see Rextons in glass and chrome showrooms in places like Bangkok you can understand how they are trying to nick a chunk of the fat cat 4x4 market. All this is very important because if it doesn’t grab you that way then there is no point at all in buying a top-spec Rexton 270 SX XDI which is the subject of this test. Adopting a completely different mind-set, the Rexton 290E Tdi does make a huge amount of sense to farmers and anyone needing a cheap, big, basic 4x4 to haul something heavy. Like a 3,500 kilo livestock trailer, horsebox, chrome caravan or mobile hamburger stand. The difference is the...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=137 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=137'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/137_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194341630' /></a> Jaguar S-Type (1999 - 2007) 136 Sat, 17 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=136'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/136_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1090090074' align="left" /></a>'BMW offers big diesels. Mercedes offers big diesels. Audi offers big diesels. All with better economy, lower C02s and therefore lower BIK tax for company drivers than equivalent petrol models. And now that British bosses are leaner, hungrier and more cost-conscious than the fat cats they used to be, it’s very hard to put them into a car that not only guzzles petrol but guzzles tax at 40% as well. So now, with Prescott in a Prius, Jaguar has had to get its act together and start offering BIK friendly alternatives. The front drive X-Type diesel is already the most popular X-Type. The lightweight aluminium XJ is awaiting some new big diesels being developed by PSA and Ford. And the S-Type has been the first recipient of PSA/Ford’s new 206PS 2.7 litre twin-turbo diesel V6. So what does this do to the car? In the old days Jaguar engines were so smooth you could balance a coin on the cam covers. Stand next to even a rust-bucket Mk II and your ears wouldn’t tell you if the engine was running or not. That was part of the point of a Jag. The last thing you wanted was a car that...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=136 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=136'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/136_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1090090074' /></a> Toyota Prius II (2003 - 2008) 135 Sun, 11 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=135'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/135_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194627870' align="left" /></a>'I’ve had my Prius II T4 for more than three months, now. Not as long as Autocar and Auto Express have had theirs, but long enough to understand what this car of the future is all about. Put simplistically it has the 1.5 litre VVTI petrol engine from the Yaris and Soluna Vios de-tuned from 109PS to 76PS and 85lb ft torque. But between this and its epicyclic automatic transmission is a regenerative electric motor which can add another 67PS and 295lb ft torque. Or, when the car is coasting or semi-coasting on a feathered throttle, the motor generates electricity which is stored in a battery pack between the rear wheels. Exactly what happens when is shown on a pictogram on the central screen of the dashboard. The car takes a bit of getting used to, first to drive, and secondly to drive regeneratively so you squeeze the most out of your petrol. Get in from either side (no Ford console in the way), plug the electronic key into its socket and press the start button. The dashboard lights up, but the engine doesn’t start. You then left or right foot brake and snick a tiny lever into ‘D’ or...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=135 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=135'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/135_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194627870' /></a> Volkswagen Touran MPV (2003 - ) 134 Tue, 06 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=134'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/134_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195297034' align="left" /></a>'Visitors who read my original road test of the VW Touran 2.0 TDI 16v (which follows), will have got the impression I wasn’t exactly impressed. So why did I step out of the same car with a Direct Shift Gearbox smiling from ear to ear? It could be that VAG have responded to criticism with one or two tweaks here and there, especially in the handling department. But the real hero is their long-awaited DSG autobox. This began life in the Audi TT 3.2 quattro DSG, an obvious sports car, with steering wheel button-shifters. However, the 7 seater Touran diesel, with just a floor-mounted lever, is not many people’s idea of a performance car. How wrong they can be. The 6-speed DSG box and the 140PS 16v diesel engine are made for each other. There are no paddle or button shifts because you don’t need them. In Sport mode the box does everything you could do faster than you could do it. The vehicle is astonishing. It romps up hills and grips round corners almost as enjoyably as a MINI. Yet there are not one, but two rows of seats behind the driver. I’d have been happy with this level...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=134 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=134'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/134_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195297034' /></a> Volkswagen Touareg (2003 - ) 133 Mon, 05 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=133'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/133_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195291501' align="left" /></a>'(This begins as the original March 2003 Road Test, then moves on to cover the 2.5TDI 6-speed Tiptronic.) Different things get different people excited. A beautiful woman. A handsome man. A dangerous sport. An exotic holiday. A 5.0 litre V10 diesel engine. Well at least I got the order right. So let’s concentrate on the engine. It pumps out 310 brake horsepower and, wait for it (because you do have to wait for it), a staggering 553 lb ft of torque. We used to call that kind of torque “stump pulling”. But this is enough to pull a California Redwood out by its roots. That’s why there has to be a bit of a delay between you stomping your foot on the pedal and that monster torque feeding through a six-speed autobox to the wheels. If it tried to get there instantly, something, somewhere would snap. It’s also a beltless and chain-free engine. The camshafts, the diesel pump, the alternator, the PAS pump and the a/c pump are all driven by gears. The two speed alternator charges not one but two batteries: one for auxiliary power and the other to re-start the engine. It hauls this 2,542kg vehicle to sixty...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=133 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=133'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/133_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195291501' /></a> Skoda Octavia II (2004 - ) 132 Tue, 29 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=132'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/132_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194196809' align="left" /></a>'Despite the huge fan club I never got on with the old Octavia. It always seemed to me to be a Passat body on a Golf floorpan overhanging both ends far too much. Strange, because the Toledo is only half an inch shorter on the same wheelbase, but somehow contrives to look right to my eyes rather than wrong. So Spain always beat Czechoslovakia 2 to 1. No aesthetic problems with the new Octavia. Despite being two and a half inches longer than the old one, it carries its length off much better. It’s a handsome, individual looking car with a distinctive front grille, and an air of quality. We tried two versions, both diesels, first the 105PS 1.9 TDI PD, then the 140 PS 2.0 TDI 16v 6-speed. The quality of the cabin impresses as much as the exterior. It’s solid, nicely put together using decent quality fabrics and plastics. Seat and steering wheel are adjustable in every plane apart from sideways. And there are plenty of cubbies and grippy holes to put things. Instead of being merely amiable, the 105 can lift its skirts and is a quick cruiser. There’s still plenty to come at 80 – 90...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=132 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=132'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/132_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194196809' /></a> Volvo S60 (2000 - 2009) 131 Fri, 18 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=131'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/131_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195409668' align="left" /></a>'The S60, V70 and XC70 have all been around for 5 years now, so Volvo thought it was time to refresh them. They all boast new, ‘softer’ fronts subtly different from each other, new interiors and the option of an innovative new system Volvo calls “BLIS”, for blind-spot information system. The idea is to eliminate the blind spot in the car door mirror’s field of view with the intention of making lane changes safer in streams of traffic. A wide-angle camera in each mirror arm surveys the blind spot area and relays the information to a computer which assesses the level of risk. If the object it spots is moving much faster than you are, or you are moving much faster than it, this is considered low risk and a warning unnecessary. But if, as is so often the case in parallel streams of traffic, a car has sneaked up on you or you have simply forgotten about it, the system warns you something sitting in your blind spot by means of a light in the door trim next to the mirror. A lot of bugs had to be worked out of the system to prevent it being unduly alarmist,...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=131 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=131'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/131_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195409668' /></a> SEAT Altea (2004 - ) 130 Fri, 11 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=130'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/130_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194169521' align="left" /></a>'I have very fond memories of Altea. It’s a pretty artist’s town on a turquoise sea between Benidorm and Calpe. I had a girlfriend there when I was about 20. Her mama was a painter, and took me to a wonderful restaurant called Pepe’s in an old building by the sea where we ate charcoal grilled mackerel with chilled red wine. But instead of launching the Altea in Altea, SEAT chose Watford. Why? Well it just so happens that The Grove hotel in Watford’s green belt is probably the finest art hotel in Britain if not the finest hotel full stop. Everything, from the wall of keys behind reception to the Perspex case of butterflies in my room, is an accessible kind of art that delights even sceptics like me. And the sun shone almost as intensely as it does on the Costa Blanca. So the scene was certainly set to launch a car SEAT wants us to appreciate for its style and form. I worked out a useful little route from The Grove Hotel to Grove Lock on the Herts/Beds border via Ivinghoe, along undulating roads that are an excellent test of any car’s suspension system. (I believe you...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=130 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=130'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/130_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194169521' /></a> Lexus lS200 (1999 - 2005) 129 Wed, 02 Jun 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=129'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/129_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1086155974' align="left" /></a>'I remember the launch of the Lexus IS200 at the 1998 Motor Show. There was a lot to feast your eyes on because the same show also saw UK launches of the Jaguar S Type, the Rover 75 and the E46 BMW 3-Series. The Rover 75 and the Jaguar S Type seemed satisfyingly retro (the Rover more so than the Jag) and, while the E46 3-Series was a pre-Bangled evolution of the E36, the one car that stood out as clean, fresh and new was the exquisite IS200. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it from any angle. And, thankfully, after this year’s enhancements, there is still nothing to offend the purist. The Audi A4 B6 and the new Volvo S40 get very close. But neither quite match the neatness of the IS200. The interior is a pleasant place to be, too. The chronograph instruments are nicer to look at than they are to read in a hurry. (If you want an ideal instrument display, buy a Prius II). The chrome gearknob operates the short-throw six-speed gearbox like a classic rifle bolt. And instead of a range of four and six cylinder engines, you get just one: a smooth 155PS...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=129 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=129'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/129_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1086155974' /></a> Audi A6 (2004 - 2009) 128 Thu, 20 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=128'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/128_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195765076' align="left" /></a>'Wow! I could have begun this test with a bit of model history, or some techno-babble or a quote. But let's not mess around. The new A6 is fantastic. And so far removed from the old one it shouldn't even be thought of in the same breath. This account covers three models: the 3.0TDI quattro SE 6-speed Tiptronic, the 4.2 petrol quattro SE 6-speed Tiptronic, and the 3.2 FSI petrol front-drive SE 6-speed manual. With fuel prices going crazy again and with 225bhp under the bonnet, the reasonably priced 3.0TDI quattro is the obvious car to start with. It's powerful, refined and comfortable, grips and handles well, has steering wheel paddle shifters for the gears, can do 33mpg combined, and sounds wonderful: like no other diesel car I've ever driven. Volvo 850TDIs with the old straight five VAG 2.5 diesel made nice noises. But the 3.0TDI V6 plays you a symphony you never get tired of. Normally it’s quiet. Yet get the hammer down and you hear a gutsy growl that's such a pleasure to listen to you can wreck your fuel economy figures just turning up the volume. The steering is light for parking, yet weights up nicely to...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=128 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=128'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/128_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195765076' /></a> Peugeot 407 (2004 - ) 127 Sat, 15 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=127'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/127_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1193759210' align="left" /></a>'Peugeot is very keen to impress on the press that the 407 is a working car. 70% of 407s will sell to fleets. 75% will be diesels. The company knows a 407 can never meet aspirations fulfilled by a 3 Series or a C Class. It’s a business tool, up against Mondeos, Lagunas and Vectras. And cars as business tools stand or fall on what they can offer the 40,000 mile a year man. That’s worth thinking about for a moment. At an average speed of say 50mph, 40,000 miles means 800 hours behind the wheel, which is more than thirty-three 24 hour days and almost a tenth of a whole year. So a business car has to do a lot more than simply convey its driver from place to place. It also has to be his communications centre from which he can do deals, arrange appointments and, on Britain’s crowded roads, phone ahead to apologise he’s going to be late. Since, quite rightly, we’re not allowed to touch our phones in the car any more, Peugeot has turned its new business car into one. Whether you go for the small black and white screen satnav, or the full colour...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=127 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=127'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/127_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1193759210' /></a> Hyundai Coupe (2002 - 2008) 126 Sat, 08 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=126'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/126_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1084017521' align="left" /></a>'First it was dubbed the “swoopy coupe”, launched in 1996. Then, in January 2000, it grew bulbous protrusions, like an early nineties Celica GT-4. Then, in January 2002, it became the seriously good looking car of today. I admit the Bank Holiday Grey sky made ideal photographic conditions. But that rear three quarters view is one of the best of any sports coupe ever. Including Ferraris. The design team must have studied the form of exotic sports coupes a bit like Quentin Tarantino studies movies. It’s got heart. It got passion. There isn’t any way it could be improved. It’s a stunner. And the only real competition these days is from the Toyota Celica. That’s the slightly worrying bit. VW didn’t cancel the Corrado, Ford didn’t chop the Cougar and Vauxhall didn’t curtail the Calibra because the cars were selling too well. The market moved away from that kind of car. Instead of climbing down into their low-slung cabins, punters clawed their way upmarket into more upright saloon-based coupes, like the BMW CI and the Mercedes CLK. Which, of course, are much easier to get in and out of for anyone past the age of 60. Not that any of...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=126 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=126'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/126_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1084017521' /></a> Hyundai Santa Fe (2001 - 2006) 125 Sat, 01 May 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=125'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/125_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1083408954' align="left" /></a>'“Organic” is the best word to describe it: a bit like H. Gigor’s sets for the original Alien movie. Pop the bonnet and you half expect something with a lot of teeth to jump down your throat. Instead, you find a transverse V6, like the one in the Lexus RX300. Hyundai prefers to call it “muscular”. And that’s how the woofly 177bhp 2.7 V6 sounds when you fire it up. You feel like you’re in a big Surrey School Run SUV, yet you only forked out £17,995 for it, brand new with a five year warranty. The handling doesn’t encourage you to take liberties. It isn’t in the same class as a RAV-4, for example. But it isn’t excessively woolly or vague either. There’s just enough steering ‘feel’ to put you in touch with what’s going on, yet it remains light enough to isolate you from harshness. There is a bit of road noise, and a lot of rear tyre roar in the rain, but otherwise the Santa Fe is quite a pleasant, relaxing place to be on a long motorway run. Passengers are also well catered for with lots of rear legroom, semi-reclining rear seats and bags of room...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=125 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=125'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/125_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1083408954' /></a> Hyundai Getz (2002 - 2008) 124 Sat, 24 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=124'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/124_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1210062767' align="left" /></a>'It’s pretty enough. Quite well designed. Very well received. But I’d better put my cards on the table straight away, this is not my type of car. Now I’m going to heap praise on it from the point of view of the sort of people I think it will appeal to. Even though it lacks fashionable style, it is a good looking little car. It’s well packaged too, with excellent space utilisation that crams a quart into a pint pot. The front is roomy. The seats adjust properly. The steering wheel goes up and down. Everything is within easy reach. You just have to get used to the South Korean positioning of the indicator switch to the right of the steering wheel. Things are pretty good in the back seat, too. It’s a 2 + 1 back seat rather than a 3, even though there are three proper three- point seatbelts. But legroom is okay. There’s a handbag hook on the back of the passenger seat. And the rear backrests recline, making a huge difference to rear seat comfort on a long run. Then we come to the trunk, which is so deep it looks like a lift-shaft. The floor...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=124 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=124'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/124_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1210062767' /></a> Renault Scenic (2003 - 2009) 123 Fri, 16 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=123'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/123_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194106564' align="left" /></a>'Shock announcement: I’m about to recommend a Renault. I have just spent a week with a Scenic dCi 120 Privilege and, far from finding faults, I enjoyed every minute of it. One reason was the cheerful, perky, free-revving 120bhp diesel engine (this one had done 8,000 miles). Another was the near perfect 6-speed gearbox. I also liked the seating position, the steering, the handling and the thoughtful design of the interior. You can lose things in there. Apart from the glovebox, there are eight separate lidded storage compartments, and a between-the-seats console box so big it could take a small dog. It might be an idea for Renault to run a valeters competition for the most unusual object found in those cubby holes during a pre-sale clean-up. The car has a flat floor so you can slide across with reasonable ease. To accomplish this Renault has adopted a dash mounted electric parking brake control which does take a bit of getting used to and might be a candidate for trouble in future. That said, it does apply the parking brakes far more firmly than a human arm, so there shouldn’t be many cases of Scenics rolling away and becoming part...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=123 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=123'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/123_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1194106564' /></a> Renault Megane II (2002 - 2008) 122 Sun, 11 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=122'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/122_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1193936365' align="left" /></a>'We have to thank the bravery of BMW and Renault. Just as car styling was becoming samey and safe, along came Chris Bangle and Patrick le Quemant. Their designs have polarised opinion, but at least they got people talking and no one can accuse either of them of building boring Euro boxes. However, you’ll find no bustle bottom poking out of the back of the Renault Megane Sport Tourer. Instead, and unlike the Laguna Sport Tourer, it’s squared off as a station wagon should be and offers an impressive 1,600 litres of loadspace. That makes it quite a big car. At 4,500mm it’s longer than the average family hatchback-derived wagon, though not quite as long as a 4,804mm Mondeo estate. This length and strong self-centring variable ratio steering give it a very secure feeling on straight roads; better than the Megane hatchback. But in the rain the front-end can get a bit unruly, seemingly wanting to unstick itself and forcing a slower pace through the twisties than normal. It could all balance itself out with a load in the back, of course, but I didn’t try that. And Renault does offer an optional understeer reducer as part of its £750...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=122 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=122'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/122_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1193936365' /></a> Toyota Soluna Vios (2003 - 2007) Thailand 121 Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=121'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/121_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1081007817' align="left" /></a>'The Soluna Vios is a very pretty Yaris-based four-door saloon built in Thailand for the Thai market. Thai Car of the Year 2004, sales have taken off to such an extent that most of the new cars with red plates you see on the streets of Bangkok are new Soluna Vios. And with very good reason. Even the base J model comes with metallic paint and aircon as well as an excellent 109PS chain-cam engine. But this test is of a 1.5S auto, the spec of which includes central anti-hijack auto locking, electric windows front and back, electric mirrors, digital instrument display, single CD player, front fogs, alloy wheels, twin airbags, reverse warning beeper, four wheel disc brakes and ABS. The dealer threw in a remote alarm/immobiliser, extra rustproofing, gear selector lock, extra glass tinting, overcarpets and overmats. And we added side window visors, grey leather interior pack, a car cover, plus the inevitable spoiler. First impressions in the Bangkok traffic were very smooth, refined and quiet with plenty of feel to the power steering and a sensible selector which lets you lock out overdrive 4th with a button and select 2nd and 1st manually if you want to. 4th...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=121 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=121'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/121_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1081007817' /></a> FIAT Punto II (1999 - 2006) 119 Sun, 21 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=119'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/119_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196616925' align="left" /></a>'A lot of journalistic flak has been flung at the latest incarnation of the Punto. Accusations that FIAT has robbed it of its character, ruined its looks, messed up its handling and destroyed its appeal have all been made with varying degrees of vehemence. The facelift was about as unnecessary as giving Giselle Bundchen a nip and tuck. I agree with my colleagues about that. But the rest of the Punto is fine. It’s still one of the easiest cars to get in and out of. There are plenty of cubby holes all over the place for phones, cameras, sunglasses, money, even cups. The seating position is the same, height-adjustable for the driver and with a height-adjustable steering wheel. Paint and trim colours are still bright and cheerful. And, if anything, the ride and handling have improved. It may be a bit softer than the first of the phase II Puntos, but it needed to be. It grips, handles and steers well enough, providing you don’t inadvertently press the ‘City’ mode steering button and really frighten yourself because that’s strictly for parking. The reason for driving it was to check out FIAT’s new 1,249cc all alloy Multijet diesel, now also...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=119 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=119'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/119_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196616925' /></a> Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) 118 Sun, 14 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=118'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/118_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196543255' align="left" /></a>'I’d asked to try a six-speed Mondeo. They sent me a Ghia X 2.5V6, which list at £20,700. But they knew what they were doing. I’d driven and liked most of the Mondeo range before at some time, but all a long time ago and had forgotten what excellent cars they are. And the 2.5V6 that Pete brought to my door is probably the best of the bunch. These days the car market can disappear up its own backside thinking aspiration, status and one-upmanship. That’s why the BMW 3-Series now outsells the Ford Mondeo in the UK, which actually makes the BMW a more ‘common’ car than the Ford. The stupid thing is that status-seekers wind up driving a BMW 316i for the same sort of money a more clued up person ends up paying for the car I drove. Sure, Mondeos shed cash like the Scottish Parliament building fund, but they don’t cost much to maintain and don’t break down often, so buy them right in the first place and you don’t have to end up a loser. Even with a six speed box and 170PS, the 2.5 V6 is no sportscar. 8.3 to 60 sounds quick, but if...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=118 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=118'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/118_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196543255' /></a> FIAT Panda (2003 - ) 120 Sat, 06 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=120'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/120_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190872644' align="left" /></a>'It’s cheap. It’s cheerful. And it’s European Car of the Year 2004. The first thing that strikes you is its cuteness. It’s smaller and sweeter than it looks in pictures. You instantly want to like it. Get inside and the central knobs and switches panel is simply the best in any car at any price. It’s a model of clarity and every single button falls instantly to hand. So does the neat little dash mounted gear lever. The steering wheel is height-adjustable, but the rim is too thick. Smaller women with small hands are not going to like that at all. There are airbags for driver and passenger, and the passenger’s can be easily switched off. Front windows are electric. Door mirrors are manual, tiny and don’t have enough range of adjustment. Interior plastics look very basic, yet also thick and strong. There’s masses of headroom in the back and three can sit comfortably across the back seat, but there are only seatbelts for two and I didn’t like the sharp exposed front seat runners that look like they could do a lot of damage to people’s feet in an accident. Annoyingly, you need the key to open the back...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=120 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=120'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/120_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1190872644' /></a> KIA Picanto (2004 - ) 116 Sat, 28 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=116'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/116_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196149098' align="left" /></a>'First impression of the KIA Picanto is of a rather surprised little car. It seems to have huge eyes and a small open mouth that aren’t quite how you expect a car to look. But it comes in a range of bright colours, including orange, red, blue and green as well as black. And it’s as cheerful as it is likely to be cheap. KIA would not be drawn on price when the car reaches the UK on 27th May, despite leading questions along the lines of “will it start at £4,995?” and “can you do a PCP for £100 a month?” However, though the company would prefer a bit more profit, to grab the headlines it wants these might not be too far off the mark. The buyers KIA is hoping to attract are “mid to late 20s” who will see the car as cheap, cheerful, practical and fun, a bit like the original Mini, the new FIAT Panda and the current Daihatsu Charade. The company isn’t attempting so sell to the sort of status seekers who go for the current MINI at more then twice the price. It wants its Picanto to be the painless to own, non-car...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=116 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=116'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/116_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1196149098' /></a> Volvo V50 (2004 - ) 115 Sun, 22 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=115'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/115_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195409856' align="left" /></a>'Last year I wrote a rave review of the new Volvo S40. It was the first time for a long time a car had exceeded all my expectations. That test covers the 170bhp and 220bhp 5- cylinder automatics, so if they are the engine and gearbox combinations you are interested in, you’d better read it after this. Here I look at the new Ford/PSA 2.0 litre diesel version of the V50, which is anticipated to account for 50% of V50 sales, and the All Wheel Drive 220bhp V50 T5, which arrives later in the year. There’s no doubt it’s a gorgeous looking car. Like the Audi A4 B6 Avant which is its most direct competitor, the V50 has even more eye appeal than the saloon. It’s attractive from all angles; beautiful at the front, neat at the side and butch at the back. Most of the technical details are the same as the S40, so no point in repeating what’s already in the S40 test. Significant differences are, of course, the luggage space and a bit more headroom in the back seat. This was the first time I had driven the 2.0 litre version of Ford/PSA’s new 16 valve common...<br clear="all" http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=115 <a href='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=115'><img src='http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/lib/img_draw.php?image=/home/www/honestjohn.co.uk/html/uploads//roadtestimgs/115_1.jpg&scale_max=110&t=1195409856' /></a>