In addition, when a car gets a mid-life makeover, quite often the specs change, but the reviews section often just keeps the new figures across the board or deletes many of the changed numbers relating to the pre-updated version.

A good example of this was for my car, a gen-1 Mazda3 1.6 petrol - the midlife updated version was remapped so that its CO2 emissions dropped from 172g/km to 149, mpg rose by about 5%, but the 0-60 time may (not entirely sure) have increased from 11.2 sec to 12.2, as the engine was carried over to the gen-2 car with the same CO2/mpg, but the gen-1 makeover version still shows 11.2.

I agree with GWS that some cars seem to lack info on the specs section like fuel tank and boot sizes, some even 0-60 times, torque or power. Some sites are also now including the measurments inside the boot and, for saloons, the boot opening size.

This can be really useful - my car is a saloon, whose boot is about 50 litres larger than the hatch version, but I cannot fit items in large boxes in it because the opening is too small; similarly the gen-3 car has a more shallow boot, which some people don't like becuase they can't fit suitcases upright. Additionally, many cars that now don't have a spacesaver spare as standard apparently have to raise the boot floor up (or it's humped in the middle, reducing useful height) to accommodate the spare.

Some models, like the CX-3 - at least the 4WD version and possibly all Sport models have uprated ICE contained in the underboot storage area where the space-saver spare could go, but this means you can't store one on these specific models with that trim/engine, unless it goes in the main boot (worthless [taking up valuable space] and dangerous as it could move around).

Mazda also charge a whopping £395 for the spacesaver spare wheel+tyre kit generally, whereas other makes charge £100 (probably a more standard fitting in the boot - not the tyre). What each make charges for this and whether a full sized spare can be fitted as an option would be useful info too.

I'm aware that there are many variables ... tyres, wheel size, road surface, etc., but I should appreciate an indication of internal noise levels at 50mph, 60mph & 70mph. This could be done on a standardised track to eliminate differences due to external variations.

Cabin noise is very tiring on longer journeys, but it is very difficult to find any comparative data when weighing up a choice between different vehicles. For me its far more significant than 0-60 times, maximum speed or mpg figures.

I like the HJ reviews, very down to earth, but the above is a good suggestion.

The cabin noise can be significantly affected by what OEM tyres are used - some car manufacturers will actually use different makes and models of tyre even on the same specced cars, which means the noise levels (as well as grip/performance etc) could vary quite a bit.

What would be useful is to have the tyre sizes for each model and trim level given, as nowadays the car manufacturers seem to love introducing new cars with unusual (rarer) tyre sizes, which often makes them 30-100% more expensive than ones that are more common, but would not be any different when driving.

e.g. my Mazda3 (and many cars from the early 2000s - 2010 or so) came with OEM 205/55 R16 V tyres. Most decent quality (summer) tyres for this size come in at about £65 (fitted). The gen-3 (and now gen-4) cars with the same mid-level spec get a slightly different 205/60 R16 V tyre. There are about only 20% available in that size compared to the more standard OEM ones on my car, and they cost about 30% more.

Many 'Sport' models on otherwise standard cars (i.e. not with uprated engines from the mid-spec models) now get 18in wheels an tyres compared to 17in on the previous generations, and again they cost A LOT more because they are the same rolling diameter as the 16in variants, which means they are unusal and larger than the previous gen cars ones.

I see so many shocked people at dealerships asking 'how much?!' when their XYZ Sport on 18in rims suffers (yet another) puncture and they have to forrk out £150 - £200 for a new tyre. Lots of people don't even bother to check the tyre specs when buying a car, so I think it would be useful to know what sizes they are, and a section (help section or similar) explaining about wheel and tyre sizes, issues and costs. To be fair, the Tyre Reviews website does a reasonable job of this, as do some others specialising in tyres, but they aren't frequented by the average car buyer.

Maybe worth mentioning in reviews what the OEM tyres are, especially if they have a noticeable affect on the handling/performance/comfort of the car. I see quite a few people swap out OEM tyres soon after buying because they are poor choices, improving the drive and comfort (including in-cabin noise) significantly. My original OEM tyres were absolutely terrible (getting a really poor rating on the TR website generally) - far better on noise and comfort for the next two I replaced them with over the next 6 year period.

Clearly stating what type of automatic is used - Torque converter, dual clutch, CVT or whatever.

Some indication of costs of servicing and whether it has a cambelt and how often it needs changing. Also the cost of frequently required parts - headlamps for instance.

Boot capacity I find useful, but I notice that it's unavailable on some cars, making comparisons between models tricky.

A more detailed description would be good. Is boot capacity with seats down the space loaded to the roof or up to the level of the windows? It's not clear. Also noting load length and width would be great.

Does the front passenger seat have an option of being folded forward to create a long load space? Again, I have no idea which model has this facility or not.

I haven't seen it mentioned yet - some indication of the reviewed car's position in the reliability top 100 would be useful.

Edited by focussed on 03/03/2019 at 13:44

3 Turning circle - very hard to find this in car brochures and most road tests. Again a poor turning circle can rule a car out if one has a confined driveway or parking space at work.

That took me back - I recall that car brochures in the 60s and 70s usually gave data including turning circle, which of course the Triumph Herald made a lot of song and dance about. Also things like gearbox ratios, road speed at 1000rpm .... all sorts. these days it's mostly about CO2 emissions and crash ratings, nothing of interest to the home mechanic :-)

Lots of good ideas here that I would have liked when choosing but a few that are missing and are important for drivers of "a certain age" / and limited mobility:-
1) Driver seat max height / min height
2) Passenger seat height adjustment? (not very common as it turns out)
3) Door opening angle. ie: 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 85 degrees etc
4) Boot lip height
5) Tailgate height when open - ie: is it a struggle to reach to close it if you are short

I found this site very useful for the information you suggested:

www.ridc.org.uk/content/motoring

I'd like to know servicing costs/packages by the manufacturer for the vehicle reviewed.

We visit dealers and look at the cars taking the pet crate with us to ensure it will fit (if they won't let us try it we walk) and a tape to check to boot capacity (manufacturers figures can and do lie).

Same here - when I was looking to replace my old Nissan Micra 13 years ago, I brought along the maximum amount of large items I knew I'd need for the boot - my holiday luggage and provisions (empty boxes, gold bag/trolley and suitcases) so I could check if they fitted in the boot of the cars I was considering.

I now also bring my tape measure as many modern cars have shallow boots, even with the movable floor at its lowest point, and cannot fit all my holiday stuff in without needing to put the back seats down. The same goes for the boot opening size.

Giving boot sizes in litres is incomplete (some sites give the dimensions of both), especially if the underboot area (formerly only for the spare tyre) and its many trays (no good for counting towards luggage space) is included in the boot size number.

... when I was looking to replace my old Nissan Micra 13 years ago, I brought along the maximum amount of large items I knew I'd need for the boot - my holiday luggage and provisions (empty boxes, gold bag/trolley and suitcases) so I could check if they fitted in the boot of the cars I was considering.

I now also bring my tape measure as many modern cars have shallow boots, even with the movable floor at its lowest point, and cannot fit all my holiday stuff in without needing to put the back seats down. The same goes for the boot opening size. ...

I think we can safely assume, Engineer Andy, that you're a bit of a "belt and braces" person.

I would say I am 'very careful' - probably why I'm an engineer. When I spend lots of money like when buying a car, I make sure what I buy do what I need it to - I see so many people PXing a car after just a few months because (for example) the car wasn't big enough for their storage needs, or (as happens a LOT) it was uncomfortable to drive because of a poor seat/seating position/ride quality.

I'll test drive a car at least twice and for a good 45mins (on a wide variety of roads and surfaces) to an hour each time, and spend a decent amount of time making sure the seat/steering wheel position is adjusted as best as possible before setting off. Too many people don't.

I don't want to waste several £0000s on a car (depreciation) and so would rather spend an extra few minutes/hours making sure I've got the best I can. I'll also walk away (as I did 2 years ago) if I don't find something suitable.

I suspect that where some of the older cars' scores do change (and they do), it's likely to be a mix of any reliability issues and to compare them with newer cars which (normally) are better, as otherwise every car would eventually get to be a 5 out of 5 through each iteration. Very few cars are worse than the model that preceded it.