MAZDA MX-5: the best got a bit better

mx5 2WHEN a nice sunny day presents itself but your heads sticks out into the wind a bit and what used to pass for a thick covering of hair is thinning out and losing its thermal efficiency, an autumnal morning can feel a trifle chilly.

But that’s no excuse not to drop the top on Mazda’s all new MX-5 and head out into our glorious countryside for a spin.

When you’re 6 foot 4 it’s a case of dropping into the Mazda as it sits as low to the ground as a dachshund’s dangly bits, but once you’re in you’re ready for business.

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KIA CEE’D: push the button

K_5321A BUDGIE with no beak sucks seeds, and Kia’s cee’d succeeds in being a very good all round car with that impressive seven year Kia warranty.

Now it’s got even better.

My favourite car from a far east manufacturer (yes, I’m aware it’s built in Europe) by quite some margin successfully marries up sporty looks with a reasonable price tag and real world economy and running costs in its new 1.0 form.

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SUZUKI VITARA: much improved as it rings the changes

SU_1591ANYONE who bought a Suzuki Vitara when it was launched 27 years ago will be rubbing their eyes in disbelief at how much the latest wearer of the badge has changed.

Suzuki’s global compact SUV still keeps things in manageable proportions, but it’s grown beyond all recognition from the model that was instantly recognisable in some circles for its huge wheel arches, even huger wheels – and not a lot else.

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JEEP CHEROKEE 2.2: giving customers what they asked for….

Jeep_Cherokee_08THOSE of us with long memories will possibly think of American GIs smoking huge cee-gars and hanging onto the top of the windscreen for dear life at the mention of the word Jeep.

It was the practical, utilitarian vehicle of the 1940s that helped to rout Johnny Boch and help win the second world war for the Allies. A brand that gave us – and the Germans – the WW2 Willys…..

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FORD MONDEO: it gives you an extra pair of hands

mondeo 1THE late Benny Hill used to like them big. So his ideal car, were he still alive and looking for one today, might well be Ford’s latest Mondeo.

It’s a piece of motoring hugeness the like of which the blue oval was formerly renowned for, a car whose body seems to go on and on long after you pass the rear wheels.

Consequently it’s got a boot the size of a builders skip, a rear cabin where no one feels in any way cramped, and it ably takes over the baton as Ford’s big family car.

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AUDI TT ROADSTER: a great car made greater

tt 4EVERY car has a beating heart – and none more so than Audi’s latest TT.

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.

And now, when you switch off and prepare to leave what is one of the finest cabins around, the silence is broken by a trademark heartbeat sound as everything powers down – ready for your next foray behind the wheel.

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