IF you’ve been around a bit and I’ll hold my hand up to that then you’ll remember the Polo being the small entry level model into the burgeoning VW range.
Not any more. Well, not small anyway. Today’s Polo has an equivalent size to the Golf as it used to be.
It’s grown into a decent sized family offering, the five door model sampled here offering decent space for the modern man about town and his growing clan.
ENGINE in the back, rear wheel drive – sounds like a recipe for something a bit different.
But if you’re thinking along Porsche lines here, forget it. For this is the set up of the new Renault Twingo. And a Porsche pounder it ain’t.
What it does do, though, is up the stakes in the city car class, and it has a large dose of undoubted chic to woo buyers with.
NOISE. The defining attribute of a true sports car. And there’s no getting away from the fact that you can’t have one without the other.
So if you like your cars to purr like a pussy then you won’t be in any way interested in the new Jaguar F-TYPE.
If, on the other hand, you relish the prospect of your ears being assaulted by the sort of noise that shouts performance – lots of it – at you, read on.
JAMES Brown had soul. Motown had soul – by the warehouseful. And Kia’s got Soul, in the shape of their updated compact SUV crossover.
And they’ve also cornered the market in buttons. I don’t think I’ve ever counted so many inside a car.
For the record, there are 16 alone on the steering wheel, five each on either side of the big sat nav screen plus a couple of knobs, and another 10 plush one big control knob for the heating and ventilation.
TWO’S company, three’s a crowd – but not necessarily when you’re talking about a smart little city car.
It was something like nine years ago when the French, in the shape of Citroen and Peugeot, teamed up with the Japanese (Toyota) to produce a small car for Europe.
Now, building on the success of the trio the link up spawned, they’re having another pop at it.
AUDI certainly came up with the right name to sum up its new super clean A6.
Ultra pretty well says it all – ultra smart, ultra efficient, ultra comfortable and ultra desirable, all on one.
The A6 has been one of the staples of the business sector for some time, but was possibly in danger of being overlooked with competition fierce for sales.
NOT one; not two; not even three or four. The ubiquitous Volkswagen Golf is now available with a choice of no less than FIVE power sources.
True, they’ve not all arrived yet (the plug-in hybrid GTE arrives next year) but the pure electric e-Golf is here now, and whispering its way around a street near you.
THERE was a time when small was scoffed at – but not any more.
The SEAT Leon we have for family motoring has a modest 1.2 litre turbocharged engine – but time and again it proves the Doubting Thomases wrong with its ability to combine acceptable performance with good economy and low running costs. A great family car.
IF ever there was a car that gave a manufacturer an instant hike in the credibility stakes it’s the Peugeot RCZ.
No disrespect intended, and hopefully none taken, but while Peugeot produce a worthy range of cars to suit all sizes, tastes and needs, there was no real stand-out product. Until RCZ came along in 2010.
It’s fair to say it’s been a hit for the French manufacturer. And now it’s got a racy engine to go with its sleek,racy looks.
VAUXHALL’S innovative Meriva MPV has got itself a new Euro-6 diesel engine to cart around its legions of fans.
And as well as the power under the bonnet, Meriva’s had a stylish update to its looks.