SWIFT by name and certainly swift by nature – Suzuki’s latest incarnation of their popular compact supermini proves that yet again they’ve still got the handle on making decent small cars.
It’s lighter, more powerful and more fuel efficient than the model it replaces, yet some have criticized Suzuki for losing their way and dubbing the Swift a shadow if its former self.
IT’S a tough one, this – pitching a new car into the bear pit that includes coupe offerings from Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
But you can’t fault Infiniti for trying, and if buyers are wooed by looks alone then the up-market arm of Nissan has a reasonable chance of getting away without too much of a mauling.
STUDENTS of the natural world will know that the Kodiak is, to put it succinctly, a ruddy great bear.
But now there’s another one around, with considerably less fur and less likely to bite you on the bum.
Skoda – who have had something of a penchant for exotic animal names in the past (Yeti, anyone?) have unleashed their very own ‘Kodiaq’ – and it’s a car that bears (!) close scrutiny.
ISN’T it ‘Ioniq’ that now he’s got the big seat at the table, Trump is trying to take America backwards?
All that coal he’s going to get the good ‘ole boys to dig out of the ground will doubtless be used to power the steam driven cars he’s going to get them to produce. Unemployment solved at a flick of his coiffeured quiff.
IT’S good to see a manufacturer cutting their cloth according to their cabriolet these days.
When others have taken the tin top route, there’s a definite tick in the ‘traditional’ box from Mercedes-Benz with smart fold down fabric roofs adorning their cabriolet models.
The latest to vie for your attention – and subsequent cash – is a rather fetching offering from the three pointed star stable in the shape of the C-Class Cabriolet.
ANYONE out there expecting the new Honda Civic to be much of the same is in for a surprise. Because it isn’t.
Somewhere along the line the decision has been taken to say ‘sayonara’ to the squat, compact shape of the last few variants, and give this 10th generation model a distinctive new look.
So they sat on it, forcing the body to take on a sleeker appearance, longer and with a lower profile yet still with swoops and curves in all the right places.
BEST looking SUV around? No contest really – it has to be the Range Rover Evoque.
It’s been a bit of a head turner since launch a few years back, and the enhancements on the latest versions just add to the package.
The end result is a classy looking machine that has proved to be the entry into Range Rover ownership for many, not that joining the club comes cheaply. The HSE Dynamic model sampled here sits in the pages of the brochure at £43,200 but it’s not put people off.
VAUXHALL really are going for the X factor with their latest models to hit the market.
Hot on the wheels of the all wheel drive Mokka X comes the Crossland X – more compact and bijoux, looking a bit like a fatter and pumped up Adam because it shares that floating roofline from the small hatchback.
But Crossland is pure SUV, albeit on the smaller end of the spectrum, easily picked out by its two tone paintwork and styling.
SUBARU’S Levorg GT is one of a kind – there’s just one version on sale here in the UK.
But it’s the spawn of a long line of Scooby estate cars, and charged with taking the brand into the 21st century as the successor to the highly useable Legacy, which isn’t a name you could run backwards.
But while Levorg reversed is Grovel, there’s nothing second class about this latest Subaru offering, which features a downsized turbocharged engine, a pretty decent cabin and the surefootedness that four wheel drive delivers.
MAZDA’S MX-5 has allofasudden taken on the persona of a bus – you don’t see one for ages, and then two come along in quick succession.
Following in the wheeltracks of the revised ‘regular’ soft top two seater, launched last year, comes the MX-5 RF.
It’s 28 years since the original MX-5 appeared, and it’s not changed much at all in that time, still basically the same car that ramped up the cult status tag back in 1989.
Little more than a handful of changes have been made to the smart and stylish two seater over the years. OK, it’s a little roomier, more comfortable and has far more kit these days, but basically it’s just been allowed to mature over the years.
Until now.