Category Archives: What’s new

INFINITI Q50 hybrid: world first for performance saloon

infiniti q50 5FOUR-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel played an active role in the testing and evaluation programme of Infiniti’s new  Q50 in his capacity of Infiniti’s Director of Performance.

So he was likely to be totally nonplussed by the fact the car brings to motorists a world-first steer-by-wire system – or to put it another way, a system with no physical link between the road and the steering wheel.

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AUDI S1 quattro: hooning with Hannu

DSC0406THE last time I had a ride in an Audi S1, rally legend Hannu Mikkola was in the drivers seat (no, honestly, he was) and he was holding the drivers door shut while changing gear, steering, and hooning round Goodwood race track for all he was worth.

Thankfully Audis flex significantly less these days so you and I needn’t worry about bits opening when they shouldn’t.  The latest S1 is therefore a worthy successor to that short wheelbase S1 quattro from the 1980s that Mr Mikkola and I found ourselves in that day.

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KIA VENGA: second chance for a first impression

Venga 3COULD any self-respecting non-Arsenal footy fan ever consider buying a car called the Venga?

Actually, there are probably some Gooners who wouldn’t buy one either at the moment, but they’d be missing a trick.

Because Kia’s family orientated supermini currently has the edge when it comes to results. It delivers on pace, practicality, efficiency (in terms of fuel), and as it doesn’t do a lot wrong, there’s not a lot of need for excuses…..

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NISSAN NOTE: ticking the boxes for the family car buyer

Note 1SPACE and running costs – two of the biggest factors facing the family car buyer.
And the other dilemma is whether to plump for a hatchback or a mini MPV.
Nissan’s latest Note is a car for those who crave practicality. It might not be hugely stylish or brilliant fun to drive but there’s a range of economical engines, as well as a decent amount of space.

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AUDI TT RS plus: light the blue touch paper….

TT RS 3FANCY a bit of extreme motoring? Then Audi’s blisteringly quick ‘light the blue touch paper’ TT RS is the car for you.

It’s a car that has been successively honed and improved since its debut in 1999  as a real jaw dropper – so much so that there was a hefty trade in left hand drive models from abroad for those who couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of a pukka RHD version.

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