BMW’S first foray into the four door coupe market has certainly caught the eye – I almost had to take my shoes and socks off to count the number of positive comments it sparked.
And if it’s power you crave, then you ‘ve no need to look much further. The range is topped by a new 450hp twin turbo V8 that should satisfy the most ardent petrolhead.
IS it really as far back as 1995 that Diana gave ‘that’ interview to the Beeb’s Martin Bashir? And was it really that long ago that they started selling appliances with pre-wired plugs for the first time?
1995 was notable for some significant deaths – Fred Perry, ex-PM Harold Wilson, Ronnie Kray, Fred West (no real loss there, obviously) but also for one significant birth – Honda’s CR-V.
I USED to hate cross country at school – mile after interminable mile of plodding through fields, ditches, across streams, down paths that had never seen a human before and usually in cold, damp, windy weather.
Couldn’t see the point.
But then along came a driving licence and ‘cross country’ took on a whole new meaning.
PEOPLE like Porsches – of that there’s no doubt.
The German sports car manufacturer has just enjoyed the best year sales in its long history, with turnover up an impressive 25 per cent over 2011.
That means they shifted 143,096 cars – and not just sleek little 911s, Caymans and Boxsters either, as the big muscley Cayenne also does its bit for the company.
POSSIBLY picked a bad couple of days to go to north Wales to sample the delights of the latest Peugeot 208 GTi.
For so long the bastion of the speeding motorist hating constabulary, it was also, for our brief stay, home to rather a lot of senior police officers in what was Speed Awareness Week. So, you might agree, not a good time to go hooning around the neighbourhood in the latest incarnation of what was one of the very first and very best hot hatches.
THERE was an air of inevitability about this happening, given Audi’s mastery of diesel propulsion and the company’s growing trophy cabinet with its Le Mans successes.
And now it’s here – the Audi SQ5 TDI, the very first S model with a diesel engine.
THERE used to be a slogan years ago that went along the lines of ‘you’ll be amazed at a Mazda’ – and you would today once you’ve cast your eyes over the all new Mazda6.
It is without doubt the best looking car they’ve brought to the market since someone took a pencil out of the tin and penned the little MX5.
THEY claim racing improves the breed, and that technology developed at the top level of motor sport filters down to those of us with slightly less ability behind the wheel.
And you’ve got to admit they’ve got a point. Just take a look at the average steering wheel these days and you’re likely to find more buttons than a big girl’s blouse on it.
SEAT’S Leon of 1998 vintage was their first C segment car under VW ownership, and sparked the emergence of the FR and Cupra spec cars for the more sporty orientated driver.
And its success here since then has proved it’s not just Spanish holiday resorts and islands that Brits have a strong liking for.
But nowadays the Spanish economy needs a shot in the arm, and the latest model could be just the car to drive to the rescue. Because it’s really quite good.
HERE’S a Mirage that’s very real – and one you’re likely to see more and more of on the roads.
And you’ve got to say confidence in Mitsubishi’s latest small car is high. One dealer took 23 orders on his launch weekend and Mitsubishi UK MD Lance Bradley says although they’re targeting 4,000 sales a year, the initial response has been so good they feel they can quite easily sell twice that number.