Mercedes-Benz C220D
What was the prime economy car of 2011? Many remarkable figures came from new cars showing how much the industry has progressed in the current bid to save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions, but these were mainly set by small cars.

   In our view the most impressive demonstration of what can be achieved by today’s highly efficient engines was made by the latest Mercedes-Benz C220CDI. It certainly is astonishing that this roomy and comfortable saloon should have averaged 50.5 mpg overall when on test. On a long run it was often giving over 53, and dropped into the upper 40s only in town. They call this the BlueEfficiency saloon.

   The engine is a four-cylinder 2.1-litre diesel with 16 valves and two turbochargers, and drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission. Engine stop occurs automatically at traffic halts and starts again the moment the driver releases the brake pedal, but this does mean that you have to keep the brakes on when at rest, which might be annoying for following drivers with the stop lamps glaring at them. There’s no delay in start-up, and it was always ready to drive off even after the briefest of stops

  Extremely smooth, the transmission makes changes which are scarcely perceptible and response to the throttle is immediate. Below the steering wheel are paddle switches which can be used to override the normal settings, particularly useful to change down in anticipation of overtaking or to tackle a steep descent. To the rear of the transmission selector is a button switch which brings in Sport mode, then Manual, and back to the normal Eco mode in sequence. Most of the time we were happy to leave it in the Eco setting.

  A large and clear speedometer is flanked by a smaller rev counter on the right and matching dial for fuel and temperature on the left. Trip computer information selected by a switch on the steering wheel is easy to read, giving fuel consumption, average speed, running time and trip distance. Mercedes make the speedometer clearer by not cluttering up the dial with km/h conversions; instead, speed in km/h is shown digitally at the bottom of the dial all the time. The well-planned and neatly arranged console layout locates the navigation and functions screen right at the top, but unfortunately the navigation system was not operative.

   Ride comfort in the C220 is very satisfying although the suspension is on the firm side, but there is notably little tyre roar or thump. Wind noise is also well suppressed. An unusual feature is that the tyres are of different sizes front/rear; a space saver spare wheel is provided.

   Superb brakes are by discs all round, with cross drilling of the front discs for heat dissipation. By tradition, the C220 has a foot-operated parking brake with release on the right below the facia. The steering gives hair-line precision and the turning circle is compact for easy manœuvring. Front and rear proximity warnings are backed up by a digital display, the rear one being seen through the mirror, above the back window.

   The seats are upholstered in black leather with edge stitching, and there is electric adjustment for height and backrest angle. This and electric heating are provided for both front seats, and there is a rotary knob at the side allowing adjustment of the tilt angle of the cushion. The rear seat, with its generous central armrest, has no provision for folding the backrest. Boot capacity is huge, extending far forward almost out of reach, and it is convenient to be able to press a separate button on the remote locking key fob and see the spring-loaded boot lid open; but never put the key down in the boot and close the lid or, with the doors still locked, it would be trapped

   With its comfort, responsiveness and impressive ease of driving, backed up by the outstanding economy, this was a test car we were very reluctant to hand back. So, our Prime Choice for efficiency in 2011 is the Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI Blue Effeciency Sport 7-speed automatic, at £30,980.

SsangYong Korando
On and off has been the career of the Korean make SsangYong, which was relaunched back in April 2008 after being taken over by the Italian firm Koeliker. Now the scenery has changed again, though this time we are assured that it is here for good, following acquisition of the firm by the Indian engineering conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra; and there’s a new model: the Korando.

   This effectively replaces the former Kyron model, and here’s an interesting note: when the Kyron was reintroduced in 2008, its price was cut by a whopping £3,000, to £14,995. Now comes the Korando £2,000 dearer at £16,995, but it is over three years later, a much improved model and also very generously equipped. However, the £16,995 price quoted as the start of the range is something of an illusion as none of the examples available for test driving were anything near this attractive figure. They were nearly all in the £19-20,000 bracket, and then with only front drive.

   Four-wheel drive is available for the EX top of the range model, but it takes the price to £21,445, or £22,995 with auto transmission. However, the value is still good when account is taken of the substantial size and roominess of the Korando, its nice interior finish, and the generous equipment which includes an opening or tilting glass sunroof, power folding door mirrors, and electric seat adjustment; £999 has to be added for the Kenwood radio with CD and MP3, as well as a very good navigation unit which is heavily based on the Garmin system. There is also electric seat heating in both front and rear.

   Korando provides a high and commanding seating position and the engine is impressively smooth and quiet, pulling through a six-speed gearbox which has an easy change action. Ride quality is very good - a big improvement on the former Kyron model. Instrumentation is clear, with temperature and fuel contents shown by a column of blobs, and a constant read-out of speed in km/h which obviates the need for km/h conversions to be displayed on the speedometer. The engine produces up to 175 bhp, and economy of 47.1 mpg is claimed.

   Former models, the Rexton with four-wheel drive at £19,995 and the roomy seven-seater Rodius at prices starting at £14,995, are still available, and all of the new SsangYong models come with an attractive five-year warranty for which there is no mileage limit. It is good to see SsangYong making a strong come-back, and it’s notable that the Korando is claiming strong towing capacity up to a 2-tonne limit. Rodius has special appeal as a big executive car in which the middle row of two individual seats can be revolved to face to the rear - ideal for that board meeting on the way to the airport

   Not everyone will want four-wheel drive for such a vehicle as the Korando, because they appreciate instead its spacious interior, functionality, commanding view and the feeling that in it they won’t be bullied by other drivers. So we might list as Prime Choice the
Korando ES front-wheel drive with six-speed gearbox for £19,495; but for those who would feel silly if they became stuck in mud or snow with such a vehicle, it has to be the Korando EX with 4x4 and 6-speed T-Tronic automatic all for £22,995.

Audi Q3
What - not another new Audi? Yes, it’s the new Q3, a sporty new versatile semi-off-roader. Sometimes we are asked why we feature so many new Audis, and there are two answers; the first reason is that the manufacturer seem able to bring out new models at an amazing pace, the second is that their press and publicity department is extremely lively and informative - in contrast to some that seem so inactive one might wonder what they do all day!

   Less than two months after the introduction of the A6 Avant, bringing many novelties to this spacious family car, along comes Q3 in a different category altogether. Q3 is also a very significant model because it is built on a new chassis platform which will also be used for the A3 hatchback replacement due to be launched in 2012 - yet another new Audi, oh dear!

   Q3 has its engine mounted transversely, with the chief seller expected to be the 2-litre TDI diesel giving 177 PS with quattro drive to all four wheels through an S-tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox. The same arrangement is available with TFSI petrol engine, with the additional choice of a manual six-speed gearbox. Available from December 2011 is a manual version of the 2-litre TDI, but with only 140 PS and front-drive. There will be no V6 version because it is too long for transverse installation.

    Always keen to find new venues, Audi based their Q3 introduction in the north of England at Whitby (November 2011) from where they plotted a very demanding test route with many sharp climbs and twists, so it’s not surprising that the economy was a bit disappointing with the TDI quattro S tronic returning only 36 mpg, against its official figure of 47.9. On a longer run with more opportunity for relaxed cruising in the very high seventh gear one might expect to see at least 45 mpg.

   This was the only slight disappointment; the most outstanding aspect of Q3 was its excellent ride. Here is a car designed to cope with off-road conditions while also providing very high levels of comfort when dealing with our neglected road surfaces. It is aerodynamically shaped, and has bonnet and tailgate of aluminium.

   It gives a high seating position, helped by ratchet lever to raise or lower the driving seat and a good all-round visibility. Handling and steering are very reassuring with none of the slightly top-heavy feeling that besets some SUVs as a result of their high build. Also very impressive are the quietness of the diesel engine and the smooth response of the S tronic transmission which has two clutches and changes its gears automatically in response to speed and demand. Stop/start operates whenever the Q3 comes to a halt.

   Up/down gear shift paddle controls come with a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel at £240 extra, and another option called Drive Select (£220 extra) allows the transmission to go into freewheel in light cruising when the brakes are not being used. Another option which many will appreciate is a panoramic sunroof in two sections, opening at the front, costing £1,100.

   As with other Audi models S line trim is available bringing leather upholstery, dynamic suspension and many other sporty features, for £2,750 extra, but it was noticeable that all the cars available for test driving had the standard SE trim. The 2-litre TFSI petrol engine gives considerably more power (211 PS with S tronic) making the Q3 even more lively and responsive, but there seems little doubt that the one which Audi predicts will be the best seller is also our Prime Choice the Q3 2.0 TDI SE 177PS quattro S tronic at £28,460.

Skoda Octavia Greenline 11
Skoda is boasting record-breaking sales in the UK, and the same no doubt applies across the globe; no wonder, as the cars are well-built, spacious and offer extremely good value for money with their Volkswagen inspired quality and engineering. The attractively moulded body of the Octavia is, in fact, based on the previous VW Golf chassis and unless you are a badge snob then we would choose the Greenline 11 as a sensible, practical and budget-priced small to medium sized five-door family hatchback.

  The most eco-friendly model of the range, the car is cheap to run with the manufacturer quoting in excess of 74 mpg in their combined performance chart, and we feel this is not an unrealistic figure after a week of use over a mixture of roads and surfaces. With nicely balanced crisp handling and a comfortable ride, at all times we were completely at ease with the Octavia despite varying conditions, even including a spell of strong motorway crosswinds and torrential rain.

The 1.6 TDI pulls well and feels brisk, although acceleration time to 62 miles per hour is modest (although it doesn't feel it) at a shade over 11 seconds. Top speed quoted at 119 mph.

   What we liked particularly in town was its ability to potter along in heavy traffic in a higher gear with no sign of snatch, or tendencies to stall when you really should be in the next gear down. The finely tuned 1.6 TDI engine gives out carbon dioxide emissions of less than 100 g/km., meaning the Greenlne 11 slots into band A where no annual road tax is payable and is additionally exempted from the London Congestion Charge. Stop/start and energy recovery technology are other key features in helping to achieve such good economy. A comprehensive list of goodies, including cruise control and air conditioning, is included.

   Inside all fitments feel solid and well put together with high-quality surface material. Seating is first class with plenty of head and leg room, the boot volume of 585 litres extends nearly three-fold when the split folding rear seats are down. The Octavia range starts at around £14k with Greenline 11 versions (as driven) commencing below £18,000 OTR.

Audi A6 Avant
Here’s a clever feature to impress them at the Golf Club or Hotel. As you approach the back of the car carrying your golf clubs or luggage, just wave your foot beneath the rear bumper of the new Audi A6 Avant and like magic the tailgate opens without even need to put the luggage on the ground. It’s one of the novelties of this amazing new car, and it doesn’t reduce security in any way. It will work only if the person putting a foot beneath the back also has the key in pocket or handbag, and it functions only if the car is fully locked so it wouldn’t open if, for example, the car was paused at traffic lights. If you fancy this clever refinement for your next Audi, start saving, because the cost including advanced electronic key and electric action for the tailgate, is £1,180.

   Most of the brilliant features introduced for the larger Audi A8, such as the night vision assistant which picks out the outline of a pedestrian, and the adaptive cruise control with active lane assist, are now available on the new A6 Avant, but stand by for a shock when you add up the cost of everything. The 3-litre TDI quattro starts with a price of £40,140, but with all the fascinating kit added to the car the price nearly doubled to £78,745.

   One would need to be selective and perhaps forego the Oakwood inlays on the facia and the privacy glass. With further deletions one could trim the price back, especially if one went for the 2-litre TDI whose starting price is £31,340. The thing we did appreciate and would want to have, is the panoramic glass sunroof which opens at the front and makes for a bright and cheerful interior (as well as keeping the dog cool in summer) for £1,370.

The thing we did appreciate and would want to have, is the panoramic glass sunroof which opens at the front and makes for a bright and cheerful interior (as well as keeping the dog cool in summer) for £1,370.

   The 2-litre diesel has been made so quiet, smooth and responsive, that the advantage of the superb 3-litre V6 is slightly diminished, and it is the only one available with a six-speed manual gearbox. But one has only to drive the 3-litre TDI quattro a short way, experiencing the delightful smoothness of the S tronic seven-speed automatic transmission to feel ‘it has to be this one - let’s hope the budget can run to it!’

   Air suspension was fitted on the 3-litre test car, at £2,000 extra, and we have to confess that after trying it in all the available modes from Comfort through to Dynamic, we couldn’t see enough added in comfort and road behaviour compared with the 2-litre riding on steel springs to justify the added cost. No doubt many will disagree, and swear by the benefits it brings.

In this complete redesign of one of Audi’s most successful models, extensive use has been made of aluminium bringing a weight saving of some 150 lb, equivalent to a smallish adult. Attention has also been paid to fuel economy and emissions, bringing the combined consumption of the 2-litre manual to 56.5 mpg, with the 3-litre almost as good at 54.3 mpg (47.9 for the quattro). For those who want a petrol engine there is a 3-litre TFSI quattro with 7-speed S tronic transmission for £41,130 - a sign of the times, with the petrol version now costing more than the equivalent diesel.

Coming soon will be an even more powerful 3-litre TDI with two-stage turbo. The Prime Choice from the range has to be the one expected to be top seller, namely the A6 Avant 2.0 TDI SE manual six-speed at £32,100 arriving November 2011, but if the budget can be stretched, go for the A6 Avant 3.0 TDI SE quattro S tronic seven-speed at £40,950 and then start looking at the huge list of options!

Jaguar XJ, XF and XK
A formidable choice awaited us at a recent Jaguar driving day, with the emphasis on efficiency, more power and better economy. There were just two examples of the big XJ saloon - or should it be called ‘limousine’? - so it was important to start with one of these while still available. The test car was powered by the 3-litre V6 diesel engine, claimed to give 39.2 mpg, and did in fact achieve a commendable 36.1 on the test circuit. But what impressed more than this was the effortless performance, taking the XJ from rest to 80 mph in only 10 seconds, and the wonderful quietness and smoothness of the engine. Extensive use of aluminium in its construction has kept the weight down making the XJ feel commendably nimble and responsive.

    All Jaguars these days have automatic transmission, with the novel feature of a rotary selector for the transmission which rises up ready for us as soon as the engine is started and is turned to select Drive or Reverse. In the XJ it’s a six-speed giving very quick down changes, and providing choice of normal, winter or dynamic driving modes.

   Even before starting up, one is impressed by the overwhelming atmosphere of luxury in the XJ, from the superbly comfortable beige leather seats to the tightly-fitted covering of dark blue leather over the entire facia panel. There’s a large and very clear navigation screen, and an unusual feature is that only a 20 mph zone of the speedometer is illuminated at any time. For example, at 60 mph, the figures from 50 to 70 mph are displayed, and the other figures on the dial are visible but darker.

   To turn on the interior lights or map lights, just touch the light itself and it switches on. There are two glass roof panels with electrically operated shades; the front one can be made to open at the back and then slide rearward overlapping the rear one.

   Every kind of luxury is provided in the XJ, from the way in which the lid of the huge boot opens or closes electrically, and the ‘three-flash lane change indicators’, to the adaptive front lighting with cornering lamps and the acoustic laminated glass used for the windscreen and front door windows.

   Top director whose company can run to the £69,525 price is going to feel well rewarded with an XJ, whether enjoying its delightful driving characteristics or lolling about in the spacious rear compartment.

   After the extravagant luxury of the XJ, the latest XF with its sleek, sloping rear end, also impressed with its comfort and quietness. One would never guess that under the bonnet is not a six-cylinder engine, it’s the new four-cylinder diesel giving 190 PS output and enormous torque. It gives the XF a quicker step-off from standstill than the 3-litre which tended to be a little leisurely until the revs had built up.

   With this new 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel, the XF soars to 80 mph from rest in 13.4 seconds and on the test route it gave exactly 40 mpg, while the claimed economy is a staggering 52.3 mpg. The XF has an eight-speed automatic transmission and as well as winter or dynamic drive control, there are ‘paddle’ switches below the steering wheel to give the driver immediate command for up or down gear changes.

   All the instrumentation and panel layout in the XF are different from those of the XJ and a number of detail styling changes have been incorporated. The 3-litre diesel engine is still available as are two V8 petrol engines, one being supercharged to give 510 PS. But the big news on XF is this new, extremely smooth and quiet four-cylinder diesel, bringing this luxury saloon into Band F for tax at only £130 a year. With a price of £43,050, it saves £3,000 against the cost of the 3-litre V6 diesel.

   Unfortunately the rain had started by the time we were able to sit snugly in the XKR Convertible and experience its formidable V8 5-litre engine with supercharger to boost the power to 510 PS. What impressed now was how docile this fantastic engine is. You could use it to go shopping, trickling along smoothly in the traffic; but then get the chance to put the foot down when there’s a scream from the supercharger, a roar of engine and exhaust and the XKR simply bounds ahead, going from standstill to 80 mph in just over seven and-a-half seconds. What is also amazing is that it was able to put all this power through just the rear wheels, even on wet surfaces.

The XKR supercharged V8 with convertible body costs £84,550. For another £12,450 you can have the fastest Jaguar of all, the XKR-S, with power increased from 510 PS of the standard XKR to 550 PS.

   The XKR supercharged V8 with convertible body costs £84,550. For another £12,450 you can have the fastest Jaguar of all, the XKR-S, with power increased from the 510 PS of the standard XKR to 550 PS. It comes as Coupé only, and accelerates from rest to 100 mph in 8.7 seconds, almost the same as the standard XKR takes to reach 80 mph, and goes on to a top speed of 186 mph. The efficiency is shown by its consumption figure of 23 mpg, which is not too bad for such staggering performance.

   Deliveries of this new range of Jaguars begins in September 2011.Making a Prime Choice from this impressive line-up is easy: any Jaguar will not disappoint, but particular attention is deserved by the new Jaguar XF four-door saloon with the new 4-cylinder 2.2-litre diesel SE at £30,950.

Volkswagen BlueMotion additions
Basically, a recent Volkswagen Driving Day was concentrated on the new Pickup called Tamarack with four-wheel drive and choice of two turbo-diesel engines. Tamarack is out of scope of this essentially car-based Milestones feature, but the day gave us the opportunity to catch up on recent additions to the ever-extending Blue Motion technology in the Volkswagen range.

First seen on the Polo, the Blue Motion package includes stop/start at traffic halts, which many manufacturers are now offering, backed up by energy recuperation into the battery during over-run or braking, a gear change-up or -down indicator to help the driver use the most economical gear, plus engine/transmission refinements for optimum economy. It was tried first on the Eros convertible with 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine giving 122 bhp. It seems a perfect choice for this extensively restyled convertible giving vigorous performance with quite good economy (45.6 mpg overall); 2-litre TSI (petrol) and TDI (diesel) engines are also available.

Blue Motion apart, it was fascinating to watch the ingenious process in which the Eros folds away its rigid hardtop into the boot, still leaving quite a lot of luggage space when the car is open, and Eros is claimed to be the only convertible incorporating a tilt/slide sunroof as standard. You can now operate the roof folding process remotely. A further refinement is the fitting of ‘cool leather’ upholstery which reflects the sun’s rays, preventing the seats from getting too hot when the car is parked on a hot sunny day. In 1.4 TSI guise the Eros costs £22,900.

Next Blue Motion adventure was the Passant, whose TDI engine pulls so smoothly, quietly and vigorously that it is hard to believe its capacity is only 1.6-litre. It feels more like a 2-litre despite the fairly modest 105 bhp output, and the official mpg figure overall is given as 65.7 mpg. In brisk driving on a rather demanding test route the trip indicator did’t come up to that level, but showed a still very commendable 49.8 mpg.

The engine pulls very well right down to low revs. The handbrake is applied by an electric switch, but does not release automatically when you go to drive away  - a downward touch on the switch is needed to move off.

In the revised interior layout the analogue clock seems to be facing up to the roof rather than to the driver and front passenger, but this and the instruments are clear and easy to read, with the circular fuel gauge in the bottom of the speedometer.

Much the same engine and Blue Motion features are applied to the latest Jetta, essentially a saloon version of the Golf, but it has the drawback of only a five-speed transmission instead of six gears as in the Passat.

On looking at the prices and seeing that the Jetta at £19,530 is only £1,390 cheaper than the Passat’s price of £20,920, the Passat clearly emerges as the better buy. So from this very encouraging VW driving day during May 2011 our Prime choices are the Volkswagen Eos SE BlueMotion 1.4 TSI Convertible at £22,900, and Passat SE BlueMotion 1.6 TDI for £20,920.

Audi A6
Sometimes a new model feels just right within minutes at the wheel, and the new Audi A6 delighted us even before we had left the long driveway where the launch was staged. On the open road the thrill of its precise handling and the feeling that this big car is so responsive and lively increases with speed and distance driven.

Extensive use of aluminium in its construction contributes to the impression that the car is so light and nimble. It’s a big car that feels much more like a smaller one. Aluminium is used in 20 per cent of the A6 body area, and the four-cylinder 2.0 TDI version weighs 1,575 kg., 15 per cent less than a steel equivalent.

The view from the driving seat is excellent, and the 3-litre diesel engine in the model is so quiet and smooth that it’s almost a new sensation of diesel motoring. Ratio changes of the seven-speed automatic transmission are scarcely perceptible. A firm tread on the accelerator sends the speedometer needle scuttling round the dial, with 80 mph reached from rest in only 10.1 seconds and at the end of a rapid test drive the computer showed 41.8 mpg, which is remarkable for such a large car.

Leather-upholstered seats have electric adjustment and there’s a large storage compartment below the centre armrest with provision for locating a remote control phone there. In the test car the excessive use of black for the roof lining and much of the trim made the interior rather sombre, but there is a wide choice of colours and a sunroof is optionally available. Specially recommended is the adaptive air suspension which was featured on the test car and provided a superbly comfortable ride. It is adjustable to suit driving mode or comfort requirements.

Audi’s navigation system, already one of the best, is even better on this new model thanks to a larger screen which slides out and revolves upright when switched on. Audi is proud of its tie-up with Google which enables the driver to see a pictorial display of the surrounding countryside, but the excellent map display is more informative for navigation. The instruments are large and clear, but it’s surprising that Audi has not adopted the current trend of showing a digital display of speed in km/h; instead it has traditional km/h markings on the speedometer.

The new A6 comes as diesel in nearly all models, with choice of 2-litre, 3-litre V6, and 3-litre with quattro four-wheel drive, but there is also a 3-litre TFSI petrol version with quattro; this is the fastest model of the range with the engine developing some 300PS.

There is only one snag with the new A6: it’s that although the prices start off looking quite attractive, at £30,145 for the 2.0 TDI, there is a formidable choice of options. The executive who enjoys his toys will readily find that getting on for £30,000 has been added to the price if such things as LED headlamps with adaptive light for £2,710 and a very effective head-up speed display projecting the speed reading digitally as if seen on the road ahead (£1,450) are put on the shopping list. But perhaps it’s right that buyers can choose what refinements and equipment they want to add, and in its favour the A6 is predicted to have the lowest depreciation in its class.

Logically, one has to recommend as Prime Choice (as driven in April 2011) the model which Audi predicts will be the one in greatest demand, namely the A6 2.0 TDI SE with manual six-speed gearbox at £30,145, but if the budget can be stretched a little we would strongly recommend the A6 3.0 TDI quattro SE, well worth the extra at £39,110.

Renault Clio
The popular Clio supermini was once Renault's smallest model; however, over recent years it has edged more upmarket, no doubt inspired by the likes of the Magane and Laguna, resulting in a quite spacious cabin that now feels a whole lot classier, even in basic trim form.

Safe and enjoyable to drive, this ever-popular hatchback is available in three or five-door configuration with a sizeable range of petrol or diesel powerplants to choose from. We recently drove one of the 1.5 diesel engine variants which we were mightily impressed with giving strong all-round performance under a variety of road conditions, all combined with excellent fuel economy.

Handsome styling gives the Clio a more mature look and this is combined with a pleasant interior. Room in the back for adults is good and access to the rear on two-door models is easy due to wide opening doors.

With generous boot space the car can gobble up a fair amount of luggage making it a strong contender for those on a limited budget with a couple of children. On the road its driving manners are impecible with a slick gearchange and nicely weighted steering. Front seat adjustment and comfort is good, even for six-footers of more mature years!

Making light work of the worse that modern driving can throw at it, the Clio 1.5D was equally at home at the legal limit as pottering around town, and from past experience the same is equally true of smaller engined models. Residues are good and running costs competitive, arguably beats the likes of the Ford Fiesta; it is also comparatively cheap to insure, too. The Clio range starts at around £10,000 for the base model with a petrol engine.

Vauxhall Corsa
Perhaps it was a mistake to start my brief appraisal of the revised Vauxhall Corsa range with the SRi 1.7 CDTi which, at £17,390, is one of the most expensive of the range. It certainly performs extremely well, accelerating from rest to 80 mph in only 16 seconds and offering an economy figure of 62.8 mpg on the combined test sequence; but what impressed even more was the delightfully precise steering and handling which made this little Vauxhall very reassuring to drive. The trip computer recorded a more realistic 42.8 mpg, but this was after flying round the test route in rapid style. Driven more gently it should be able to show at least 50 mpg. The engine is remarkably quiet and is so smooth and responsive that there is little awareness at all that one is in a diesel car.

In contrast, the 1.3 CDTi tried after the SRi was less impressive on handling, though the engine rated at 75 PS instead of the SRi’s 130 PS still performed extremely well making this a very lively 1.3-litre. This version has only a five-speed gearbox unlike the six-speed in the SRi. Both cars were tried in three-door form, and the action of tipping the seat forward for access to the rear is easily done. Five door versions cost £430 extra.

The new Corsas are identified by the revised front grille treatment with the Vauxhall Griffin badge in the centre in place of the previous V, and there are new headlamp arrangements now including daytime running lights. Frontal styling is significantly different from that of the previous model.

The interior has also been revised and the facia, instruments and console layout are clear but with the obvious criticism that the screen for the navigation system is too low, with unnecessary space given to the ventilation outlets above it. The navigation screen is touch sensitive, but also cost-sensitive at a formidable £750.

A wide range of equipment is included with such features as steering wheel mounted audio controls, fog lamps and speed sensitive power steering, and there are many extras of the kind normally available only on much more expensive cars such as adaptive headlamps lighting the way into corners, plus static cornering lights, a hill hold device to prevent running back after a stop on a steep gradient, and an electrically heated leather trimmed steering wheel for comfort on icy mornings. A special cycle carrier unit is available.

The 1.3 CDTi ecoFLEX features start-stop to turn off the engine at brief traffic halts and start up again as soon as the clutch pedal is pressed. Both these diesel versions give low enough CO2 output to qualify for band C meaning no VED tax to be paid in the first year, and only £30 in subsequent years. All new Vauxhalls come with a life-time warranty for the first owner lasting 100,000 miles.

The range starts with a 1-litre 12-valve three-cylinder petrol model costing £9,995 and featuring Expression trim. Further trim levels are called Excite, Exclusiv, SE, SXi and SRi. Nearly £2,000 separates the price of the 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX from that of the 1.4 petrol with the same SRi trim level, but it is so good one would be inclined to advise: forego the £750 demanded for the navigation system, and regard as Prime Choice the Vauxhall Corsa 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX SRi at £17,390, but if this seems - as it is - an awful lot to pay for a small car like the Corsa, go for the Corsa 1.4iVVT petrol with Exclusiv trim at £12,920. Prices quoted March 2011.

Suzuki Kizashi, Splash and SX4
Only two examples of the Kizashi were available for driving at the updating test day for Suzuki cars for 2011, so it was important to grab it first for appraisal although it has not yet been determined whether it will be added to the range at the end of the year. Opinions were invited, and I had to say that the most disappointing feature was the enormity of the windscreen pillars (or, as often called, the A-posts). They made visibility severely restricted at junctions and roundabouts; did they really expect the Kizashi to have to survive being dropped on its roof from a height of 100ft?

Apart from this objection, this new Suzuki would move the range up into competition with such as the Audi A4. It proved comfortable,  relaxing to drive and very lively as a result of having a four-cylinder 2.4-litre petrol engine delivering 178 PS maximum power at 6,500 rpm. The engine is commendably quiet.

Kizashi is a four-door saloon. Our test car had four-wheel drive and automatic CVT transmission, though it may be decided to import only the front-drive six-speed manual version. We think the 4x4 with automatic would have special appeal, and would justify the price hinted at about £24,000. Equipment is generous including an electric sunroof, leather upholstery and electric seat adjustment. Go for Kizashi, we would say, especially if something can be done about the excessive width of the screen pillars.

More mundane but very functional motoring followed in the latest version of Splash, Suzuki’s small but practical MPV, now with a more efficient 1.2-litre petrol engine. It has varying valve timing and offers power up to 94 PS.

This and the basic three-cylinder 1-litre  engine promise overall fuel consumption of 55.4 mpg, and the all-important CO2 figure is 119 g/km giving both versions a £30 annual road tax, free first year.

The 1-litre Splash is available only with SZ3 trim at £9,495. The 1.2 versions offer SZ3 and SZ4 trim, with the option of auto transmission for SZ4 at £11,425. This also features key-in-pocket entry, locking and engine start, and a convenient feature is the way in which the tailgate can be opened at a touch on the electric release.

Substantially bigger than the Splash is Suzuki’s SX4, a roomy five-door more an estate car than a hatchback, and the range starts with the SZ3 trim, 1.6-litre petrol engine and front-wheel drive for £11,995. The other engine available is Renault’s 2-litre diesel, and both engines are available with 2- or 4-wheel drive.

The four-wheel drive system gives normal drive to the front wheels only, but an electric switch near the handbrake selects 4WD auto in which drive to the rear wheels comes in automatically when front wheelspin is detected.

A further press on the switch gives locked drive to all four wheels up to 40 mph. Above this speed the system reverts to 4WD auto, and switching back to 2WD is recommended when there are no traction problems, thus giving better economy. We were very impressed by the SX4 in SZ5 format with the 2-litre diesel engine and four-wheel drive, which seems a good choice for those needing to be able to tackle occasional snow or muddy road conditions.

Suzuki’s extensive range also includes the Grand Vitara bringing further improvements though perhaps not everyone will approve deletion of the tail-door mounted spare wheel in favour of a repair kit and inflator. Also with 4x4 and now with a better 1.3-litre varying valve timing engine is the little Jimny. It’s fun to drive but hard to get into the back seat and even harder to get out.

From this extended and improved range (driven in March 2011) the two models which impressed best for Prime Choice were the
Suzuki Splash SZ4 1.2 with automatic transmission at £11,425 and the SX4 SZ5 with 4x4 and 2-litre diesel engine for £16,695.

Infiniti Diesel
Since October 2009 when we first reported on Infiniti - the new luxury division of Nissan - much has changed and the new marque is beginning to be more widely recognised, identified by its oval badge with an upward kink in the lower edge. More dealers have been appointed and the range has widened. As promised at the outset, there is now a diesel option; it’s a 3-litre V6 giving 238 PS, available in the M30d saloon and the FX30d.

As before, the model identity of the Infiniti range is confusing, with the letters FX, EX, M and G, the last being the Coupé and Convertible models. FX and EX are described as five-seater cross-overs - midway between a full off-roader and a comfortable saloon, both having four-wheel drive. Standard power unit is a 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine, but the FX is additionally offered with a 5-litre V8 petrol unit. All three models can be ordered with the 3-litre diesel.

The sporty G models come as a four-door saloon, fixed head Coupé or Cabrio which folds its top neatly into the load area to convert it into a very stylish convertible. The G range are all V6 petrol models.

A recent test day provided opportunity to catch up with the new diesel engine, which is certainly quiet and performs very well, but one wonders whether the diesel option is appropriate for such a car, except for very high mileage owners. Although good, it was inevitably more noticeable than the very refined petrol engine with fuel consumption averaging around 32 mpg, which was only 5 mpg better than the much more powerful petrol engine was able to return. The test cars were all running on very low profile tyres which no doubt contribute to the precise handling but give a rather notchy ride on poor roads. All were fitted with seven-speed automatic transmission, notable for its prompt response and the smoothness of changes.

Many of the special features of Infiniti are not apparent at first glance. For example, the G37 saloon had self-healing scratch resistant paint. Had we known in advance we would have felt tempted to nudge it against a hard surface and time how long it took to recover! The G37 and M30d also had four-wheel steering, though we confess that we found it difficult to notice the difference from models with fixed rear wheel alignment.

It is certainly a wide range of models, with some like the FX30d topping £50,000, so the buyer would need to go along to one of the sales offices (now at Glasgow, Birmingham, Reading and London) and probe very carefully into what is offered.

When we made a Prime Choice recommendation after the October 2009 launch we favoured the Infiniti G37 3.7-litre GT Premium Convertible at £41,865. This still seems the gem of the range, but if a saloon is preferred to an open car with its inevitable load space limitations when the top is down, then the next Prime Choice is the
Infiniti G37 3.7-litre S saloon at £38,372. Both models are subject to £1,568 extra for 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shift controls below the steering wheel.

Audi A7 Sportback
Even when parked, the new Audi A7 looks elegant and built for speed, especially in the three-quarter rear view which many will see as an A7 goes fleeting past. Styled as a Coupé, which normally means ‘a closed two-seater’, the A7 is a very practical four-seater with five doors and generous space in the back. For tall people the rather limited headroom might pose some problems, though both the front seats have electric height adjustment.

The recent (November 2010) launch was staged in Spain, and when driving this car in right-hand drive form on the opposite side of the road to the UK, one was very aware of the visibility restriction to the left imposed by the lowness of the central driving mirror. It has to be low to give a clear view through the sloping rear window, and with the driving seat set high enough to see through the centre of the windscreen it was necessary almost to duck down to see below the mirror.  A huge tailgate lifts electrically including the window, the rear number plate assembly, a spoiler (which elevates automatically above 70 mph) and the inner parts of the tail lamp units, to reveal a huge boot. Rear passengers are far enough forward for their heads not to be contacted by the door when closing. All four door windows are frameless, and drop half an inch automatically in the instant of opening or closing a door.

There is no manual transmission availability for A7, and at present there are just four engines, all having V6 layout and, except for the less powerful of two diesels, quattro drive to all four wheels. The only one which is not a 3-litre is the 2.8 FSI petrol unit giving 204 PS and driving through a very smooth and fast reacting seven-speed direct change gearbox, which Audi calls S tronic. The driver can prompt changes up or down by using the selector control or by the ‘paddle’ switches below the steering wheel, but in hilly terrain when needing rapid changes through hairpins it’s a bit tricky to chase these switches round with the wheel. It would be easier if they remained in the same place.

The other petrol engine is a 3-litre giving 300 PS with the same transmission but higher overall gearing. Then comes the 3-litre diesel, again in two stages of power, one having 204 PS output and the other 245. The less powerful one has an eight-speed Multitronic (CVT) transmission, and drives only the front wheels, while the 245 PS version has 7-speed S tronic and quattro drive.

For our tests in Spain the more powerful of the petrol and diesel engines were available, so we can’t include the cheaper and less powerful models in this assessment. The choice is essentially petrol or diesel, and bearing in mind that both in this form are credited with a top speed of 155 mph, we would be swayed in favour of the diesel, which returned 38.5 mpg on our test drive and gave acceleration from rest to 80 mph in a shade over 11 seconds. Equivalent figures for the 3.0 TFSI were 26.9 mpg and a time of 9.3 seconds to reach 80 mph. Also influencing the choice are the CO2 emission figures which are 158 g/km for the diesel against 190 for the petrol. Both engines are superbly quiet in light running, changing to a delightful deep throaty growl when really opened up.

It was a joy not to be inflicted with Sport suspension, and the A7 provided very comfortable and quiet travel, especially in two of three cars tried which had adaptive air suspension - a £2,000 option. It goes without saying that these top-flight Audis are offered with a wealth of options, in some cases adding some £17,000 to the cost. You can have a brilliant navigation system presenting one of the best map displays ever seen, and an automatic parking system which will detect a gap in a line of parked cars and steer the A7 into it leaving the driver only to control speed and reverse or forward direction as instructed by the on-screen controls.

The whole interior design and layout of controls is simply beautiful and a triumph of neatness and logical design. Such quality and excellence are never cheap, and the range of four models starts at £45,220 for the petrol 2.8, going up to £48,070 for the 3-litre. S-line trim is available at £1,790 extra. As explained above, our Prime Choice is the A7 3.0 TDI quattro SE with S tronic transmission for £48,000, including VAT at 20%.

Ford C-MAX
Ford admits that it perhaps under-estimated the rapid growth in demand for multi-seaters of the kind pioneered by the Renault Grand Scenic, and was consequently rather late in the market. But now it catches up with launch of the new C-MAX, launched on a fresh chassis base which will also be used next year for the future Focus replacement, defining Ford’s family car philosophy for the next generation.

With stylish appearance it looks more like a conventional car than a multi-seater, with a very aerodynamically swept-back front, and sliding rear entrance side doors. There are two versions.

The C-MAX is a five-seater, and there is Grand C-MAX which is slightly longer in the wheelbase and has an additional row of seats at the back to bring total capacity up to seven. The central seat in the middle row is rather narrower than the one on each side, and is neatly arranged to fold and swing over to stow beneath the right-hand cushion when not required, leaving more space for two rear passengers. The occasional seats at the back also fold when not in use, and with all these seats down an extending fold-over cover turns the whole area into a level platform for luggage or it could even be used as a temporary bed.

A first impression on taking the wheel is that the windscreen is a long way ahead, as a result of its very gently sloping angle, and nothing of the car is seen ahead of the glass which makes it perhaps difficult to judge where the front end is until one becomes acquainted with it; but a convenience pack gives audible warning of proximity front or rear when parking or clearing a narrow space. It also includes an automated parking system as already offered on some Audi and Volkswagen models which works extremely well, identifying an adequately large gap between two parked vehicles, and then turning the steering wheel as required to fit the C-MAX into the available space, often with only a few inches to spare. All the driver has to do is to select the appropriate reverse and then forward gears and control the speed.

Impressive driving features of C-MAX are the comfort of the ride, with very good absorption of potholes and broken road surfaces, and the smoothness and quietness of the engines. Wind noise at speed is also well controlled. No great difference of ride and handling could be detected between C-MAX and the seven-seater Grand version.

There are only two trim levels, Zetec and Titanium. Among a number of features provided with the Titanium trim are key-in-pocket starting, automatic headlamp and wiper switching, and tyre deflation detection, but the buyer seeking best value would probably do well to stick with Zetec trim and spend any available spare cash on useful option packages especially the Convenience pack for automated parking, proximity indicators, and folding mirrors, all for £525 extra. We would avoid the Sony navigation system which provides a poor map, is fiddly to operate, and costs £750 extra; but it does include a rear view parking camera. The tailgate of the Titanium with Family Pack has electric action, but surprisingly this is not available for the sliding side doors.

Three petrol and two diesel engines are offered; the petrol engines include a 1.6-litre called Ecoboost, which features high pressure direct fuel injection, low inertia turbocharging, and independent valve cam timing to give a remarkable 150 PS output. But at £19,745 it is £1,000 more expensive than the standard 125 PS 1.6-litre and is available only with Titanium trim. The 1.6-litre diesel gives 115 PS and costs £18,245 with Zetec trim (£1,500 more than the base 1.6-litre petrol), and for £20,745 there’s a 2-litre diesel with output of 140 PS.

Except for the two base petrol versions all models including the 1.6 Ecoboost have six-speed gearboxes. All these prices are based on VAT at 17.5 per cent and are for the five-seater C-MAX. The seven-seater Grand C-MAX adds £1,250 to the five-seater prices, except for the 1.6 diesel with Zetec trim, where the two extra seats at the back add £1,500 to the price.

Best economy comes with the 1.6-litre diesel engine for which 61.4 mpg is the mean claimed figure, some 20 mpg better than the 1.6-litre’s 42.8 mpg. But in practice on our short test run the 1.6 petrol returned 37.4 mpg, and the 1.6 diesel 41.6. The test routes were necessarily short and did not give much opportunity for light cruising so these figures could easily be improved upon.

This new Ford range is an attractive addition to the choice of multi-seaters or spacious five-door family cars. We haven’t yet driven the standard 105 PS petrol engine, which is not available with Zetec trim and all the test cars had Titanium, hence a more powerful version of the 1.6-litre petrol (125 PS). But this engine coped well and the difference of £2,000 is a lot to pay for what is essentially the same car, so we would recommend as Prime Choice the C-MAX 1.6-litre petrol 105 PS with five-speed gearbox for £16,745; but if the seven-seater is wanted then again the Zetec wins, and it’s the Grand C-MAX 1.6-litre petrol 125 PS with five-speed gearbox for £18,745.

Chevrolet Spark
After using the Chevrolet Spark for a week, we have no hesitation in declaring it to be an extremely capable all-rounder with an exceptionally spacious interior (for its class) incorporating lots of standard equipment - including automatic climatic control - plus a nimble and economical 1.2-litre power unit, and all wrapped in a distinctive sporty five-door body shell. It is the smallest member of the Chevrolet family and replaces the Matiz in European markets.

Cars in this small 'city car' bracket need to be as much at home in the country, as in urban areas; this chevy does not disappoint. With some 80 bhp on tap from the four-cylinder 1,206 cc engine, and allied to a slick five-speed gearbox, it performed well in all conditions we encountered and, most importantly, we found it frugal under a range of everyday driving conditions.

Away from busy streets and on typical rural roads, the Spark could be a little fidgety if pushed hard, but by no means worryingly so; its steering and braking was precise inspiring complete confidence, even over some poorly surfaced and adversely cambered west country moorland routes.

Most importantly, even though the Spark (at well under £10k) would be considered a budget car by many, it never felt low cost; maybe, this was due to its spacious and generous high-spec cabin - a quality stereo and MP3 port is specified - as well as nice exterior touches such as the neat front grille profile, chrome-trimmed low level fog lamps, large tailpipe, roof rails and deep bumper, etc. Certainly, it has a distinctive personality all of its own which became quite affectious after a day or two of use.

Interestingly, the manufacturers have disguised the rear door handles by placing them high up within a plastic trim panel on the C-pillar; this works well and helps achieve the overall neat appearance of a two-door in five-door guise. Safety measures are doubly important in small cars and this chevy includes stability control and no less than six airbags; it has four-star Euro NCAP rating and the range starts at £6,945 on-the-road.

Audi A1
Just what many people want: a car of Audi build quality, prestige and service, but without the big size of a car like the A4 or even the A3, and now it is here in the form of the new A1. It has a three-door hatchback body with generous range of equipment and, of course, a huge choice of options. The silvery roof edging shown in our photograph is one of the many options available. 

The range starts with a 1.2-litre engine giving 86 PS and coming with a five-speed gearbox and all engines, petrol (TFSI) and diesel (TDI), are turbocharged. A larger petrol engine is the 1.4 with 122 PS output. For the 1.4-litre only, there is the option of S tronic auto transmission with seven speeds, costing £1,450 extra. There is just one diesel model, the 1.6 TDI offering 105 PS and coming with a five-speed manual gearbox. All models have very low CO2 output, with no first year car tax to be paid, and minimising the amount charged for subsequent years. The 1.2 TFSI SE costs £13,420 and prices move steadily up to the 1.4 TSI S tronic at £18,665.

At the recent UK launch, only Sport versions were available for driving and there was no 1.2, although this is available now for ordering. This was perhaps to emphasise the sporty character of the A1 and enable us to appreciate its precise handling and steering, but the ride and accompanying tyre roar and road thump were most disappointing. For our first drive we took the 1.6 TDI which proved relaxing to drive and showed an encouraging 54.4 mpg. This should improve with more mileage, as the A1 diesel is claimed to give 70.6 mpg. The engine is quiet but rather lacking in low-speed torque so it needs to be kept revving above about 2,000 rpm.

The next drive, again with a Sport version, was in the 1.4 TFSI with S tronic seven-speed twin-clutch transmission which proved altogether more lively, and the responsiveness of the automatic combined with very smooth changes from one gear to the next, made one feel that the extra cost for this transmission is well worthwhile. It includes paddle switches below the steering wheel to give the driver handy transmission control, though the automatic selection works so well that there is little call for them to be used, except perhaps to get ready for rapid overtaking. This version with S tronic is claimed to return 54.3 mpg; we didn’t come near that figure, but we did drive the car hard on a rather demanding route.

All models have start-stop systems to save fuel by stopping the engine at halts, but with the S tronic this works only while the driver’s foot is on the footbrake. Release the brake pedal, even with the handbrake pulled up, and the engine starts immediately.

At present, the small Audi comes only as a three-door, but no doubt there will be a five-door later. Leg and headroom in the back is good by small car standards, but getting into the back is not so easy as the front seat back tips forward but does not slide the whole seat bodily forward. This can be done using the sliding seat adjuster, but this is not a very convenient arrangement.

Rather surprisingly, the standard SE trim is not available for the 1.4 TFSI and only a very sport-inclined driver would want that over-firm suspension that comes with the Sport or S-line packages. If it had been possible to try the 1.2 we might have recommended it, but with nearly 20 PS more available for an additional £1,060 and the promise of spectacular economy, the Prime Choice from this new range has to be the A1 1.6 TDI five-speed with SE trim at £13,420. Prices quoted are correct at November 2010 and includes VAT at the forthcoming 20 per cent rate.

Kia Sportage 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi
As promised at the launch of the Sportage 2.0, new additions to the range have been launched bringing the model choice to 16, with prices now starting at £16,645. The launch was based in Slovakia where Sportage is made and a fascinating tour of the factory gave a good insight into the high standards of finish and build quality which go into this versatile vehicle.

After the tour we were despatched in the new 1.7 turbo diesel version, ‘straight out of the box’ as they say, with less than 100 miles on each one, for the 90-mile test drive up into the Tatra hills. Next day the Sportage 1.7 CRDi was changed for the new petrol 1.6-litre GDI for the return journey to the airport. Inevitably the journeys favoured the petrol model with a long downhill run at the beginning, which had been uphill for the diesel, and probably the diesel engine will benefit more from additional mileage to loosen it up. So it was not surprising that the mpg figures for both of them were much the same, the diesel returning 40.6 mpg, scarcely any better than the 39.9 of the petrol model. Official fuel consumption figures show the 1.6 petrol averaging 44.1 mpg, against 54.3 from the diesel.

What was very marked with both new models is how well they coped with the smaller and less powerful engines, and how very quiet and smooth they both were. In particular, the petrol engine is barely audible at tickover, and it was sometimes only by looking at the rev counter that one could confirm whether the stop/start system had cut in or not. It is only on hills and when overtaking that these new small engines seem rather hard-pressed to pull this big car along, and of course only the 2-litre Sportage models are available with four-wheel drive. Power output of the 1.6 petrol is 133 bhp, while the 1.7 diesel gives 114. The 1.6 GDI is also deceptively fast, cruising so quietly at 80 mph that one presumed the speedometer was over-reading, but in fact it was accurate within 2 mph.

Even at entry level, the Sportage 1.6 is generously equipped, with a full-size alloy-mounted spare wheel, and many features such as a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, fog lamps and cornering lamps, rain responding wipers, and a very good audio system. The main advantage of the next trim level, Sportage 2, is part-leather upholstery and a panoramic sunroof, opening at the front. More luxury including full leather upholstery and heated seats front and rear are among the goodies included with Sportage 3 which is available with satellite navigation.

In view of the refinement of the 1.6 petrol, and noting the difference of £1,500 extra for the diesel, we have no hesitation in recommending the Sportage 1.6 petrol version with six-speed gearbox at £16,645 as our Prime Choice. Prices quoted are correct at October 2010.

Audi’s Show of Power
Ten thousand horse power (PS) in one car park - that was the proud boast of Audi when it put on display examples of its top metal for driving recently.

The display certainly showed the huge choice now available at the top end of the Audi range, right up to the R8 Spyder with 5.2-litre V10 engine. Some of the statistics of this open two-seater are quite amazing: its engine is mid-mounted driving all four wheels, and can rev to 8,000 rpm, developing 525 PS. The top speed is 194 mph, with acceleration from rest to 124 mph in 12.4 seconds; at this speed, the ten pistons change direction 1,000 times a second. At the other end of the scale, the fully automatic hood can be put up or down when travelling at speeds up to 30 mph.

It was obviously important to grab the opportunity to drive one of the Spyders before they became swamped by demand on the test day, and the immediate impression was what a delightfully docile, stylish and comfortable car it is.

The suspension has magnetic ride adaptive damping, which adjusts firmness according to road surface and driving mode. A short driving route close to London gave little opportunity to unleash the fabulous power, but the feeling was always that the Spyder was itching to be given its head, and all the time there was the gorgeous roar of power from the exhaust. The test car had the six-speed manual gearbox which is standard in the £110,915 price, but R-tronic six-speed automatic is available. Not very attractive, but sporty looking, is the gear shift with its exposed gear slots after the style of a Ferrari. Even without the rear deflector in place, there was pleasant lack of wind buffeting; and only later did we discover that the seat belts have microphones for clear hands-free speech on the telephone.

After an all-too short drive round the test course, it was very pleasing to try the latest version of the TT Sports Coupé with 2-litre TFSI petrol engine featuring direct injection and turbocharging to give 211 PS and the test car had the new twin-clutch S-tronic transmission. It is claimed to give lightning fast gear shifts, but what is noticed more prominently is that the power just floods through in a steady torrent, without giving the driver any awareness of gear changes apart from the neat indicator between the instruments and the rev counter.

As with the R8, the brakes are tremendously responsive to a light touch on the pedal, but not in keeping with the R8 was the ride which seemed too firm in the TT, bordering on harshness.

The test car had the optional Audi magnetic ride control at £1,150 extra, but tried in all modes it disappointed. In other respects, the TT is a delightful Coupé (with quattro four-wheel drive, of course) and tolerable rear space for two. The Roadster with standard trim and 1.8-litre engine starts the range at £25,310.

A big price jump to £58,865 took us to the new RS5 Coupé combining terrific power from a V8 32-valve engine of 4,163 cc, delivering 450 PS. This had the S-tronic twin clutch automatic transmission with seven speeds, again delivering smooth power with little awareness of gear changes. It needed a footrest to prevent the feeling of the left foot hanging in the air and again the ride seemed very firm. Opinions among collegues differed, but we found the comfort best in the what is termed ‘Dynamic’ mode. The RS5 in this latest most powerful form certainly gives a wonderful combination of smooth, scarcely audible engine note switching on demand to give rocketing acceleration reaching 60 mph from rest in only 4.5 seconds and going on to a (governed) top speed of 155 mph.

All the cars on display provided a convincing demonstration of Audi’s engineering excellence, especially when it is noted that the extra power offered is largely accompanied by reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Making a Prime Choice from this formidable array tempts one to say: “Yes, please, all of them” but for special note we would give the ticket to the TT 2-litre TFSI S-tronic at £28,535. All prices quoted are correct at September 2010.

Suzuki New Swift
New models emerge from the industrious Suzuki empire - claimed to be the leading international manufacturer of small cars - with amazing rapidity and after the launch of SZ in January 2010 (see further down these Milestones pages), late summer brought a completely redesigned Swift, now called New Swift. The new car, identified by its huge clear glass lamp units faired front and rear neatly into the curvaceous styling, is considerably larger than the outgoing model, especially in terms of length, extended by 90 mm. There has also been a major redesign of the engines and the new petrol unit is smaller than the previous one, 1.2-litre instead of 1.3, yet it develops more power (94PS against the earlier 93). It is better on fuel economy and emissions; the new 1.2 petrol engine emits 116 g/km of CO2, putting it in Band C for annual tax at only £30.

Coming in Spring 2011 will be a 1.3-litre diesel engine, again more efficient than its predecessor, with CO2 at 109 g/km; it will be in Band B, with tax at £20. On the launch in Germany it was possible to try both engines, and although the diesel impressed with its quietness and eagerness it was felt that the very quiet and smooth petrol engine justified the difference between overall economy at 56.5 mpg against 67.3 for the diesel. For the petrol engine only there is a four-speed automatic transmission option at £1,000 extra, giving smooth and responsive performance, but with an old-style selector having no detent between Drive and Neutral. Automatic is not available for the diesel, and for this and the 1.2 petrol there is a five-speed manual gearbox with slick change and the gear lever conveniently located close to the steering wheel.

Three and five-door body styles are available, with a price difference of £450 and there are three trim levels: SZ2, SZ3 and SZ4. Specifications are generous, with disc brakes front and rear, vented at front, height adjustment for the driving seat, folding door mirrors and rear wash/wipe with intermittent action.

The top trim level provides the convenience of keyless entry and push button stop-start for the engine, but surprisingly the automatic stop-start system offered for some markets is not yet available for UK.

Road driving impressions were highlighted by the overall quietness of the car. Special attention has been paid to reducing wind noise around the door mirrors and for suppression of tyre roar, and the ride comfort is good though much may be due here to the billiard table road surfaces in Germany, unlike our neglected crumbling ones. The instruments are large and clear but rather recessed and tend to be hard to read when the car is in the shade; it would be better if they were permanently back-lit.

The rear tailgate has a concealed release and lifts to reveal a flip-over rear shelf. A space-saver spare wheel is under the floor. The steering is commendably precise, and the steering wheel is height adjustable; with the SZ4 is it also telescopic.

No diesel prices are available yet. On studying the prices for five-door 1.2 petrol models (which range from £10,445 to £13,245) £1,000 extra seems a lot to pay for air conditioning and alloy wheels, which are the main differences between SZ2 and SZ3; so our Prime Choice recommendation would be the New Swift SZ2 1.2-litre petrol five-door five-speed at £10,445.

Kia Sportage
Sometimes the changes introduced for a new version of a well-tried model perpetuating the same name are none too obvious and there is almost need to be able to see the outgoing version alongside to see what has altered. In the case of the new Sportage, the styling has been given a marked uplift: the car looks higher at the front with its penetrating snout and an upper radiator grille above a second opening below the number plate; the lamp units are now arranged as four groups.

It’s now described as a Crossover, a kind of midway stage between ordinary sports utility vehicle, SUV, and fully fledged off-roader. Although there’s the illusion of greater height, it is in fact slightly lower than the predecessor, though it is also wider and longer, yet weighs 90 kg less.

Inside, there is the impression of a very spacious cabin with generous room for five, but the facia layout is somewhat bland, presenting large areas of black plastic. But there’s a functional and very easily understood centre console layout. A large speedometer is clear to read, with smaller part-circle rev counter to the left and fuel/temp gauges paired vertically to the right.

The driving position is comfortable and easily adjustable for all sizes of driver, by means of ratchet lever height adjustment. Not so good is the thickness of the screen pillars, so the driver needs to move the head around to be sure nothing is hidden behind them at junctions. Load space is generous, with a tail gate that is easy to open and there is a full-size spare wheel beneath the load floor.

Generous specification includes heating for the seats in the rear as well as the front and when reversing a picture of what is behind is projected on the driving mirror as well as proximity sensors to give a warning signal if anything is in the line of contact when backing. The audio system is easy to use and includes CD player and connections for MP3, USB and iPod.

The big advance of the new Sportage is under the bonnet, where the transversely mounted 2-litre diesel engine develops 134 bhp and is more efficient, claimed to give 47.1 mpg, although we actually saw only 31.5 on the trip computer. CO2 emissions are down by 31 g/km to 156, putting it in Band G for tax at £155 p.a. The engine is quiet but not all that smooth at low revs, so the gears need to be used to keep revs above about 1,500 rpm. Drive is normally to the front wheels, but torque is transferred to the rear wheels as required. For severe conditions central lock-up can be selected giving positive 50-50 torque split to front and rear wheels.

An improvement over the previous model is that sensors, including noting whether the windscreen wipers are in use, determine if four-wheel drive is going to be needed and select it in advance, unlike the previous arrangement when drive to the rear cut in only when the front wheels started spinning..

This new Kia Sportage is an impressive and very business-like vehicle, ideal for big families and, of course, the exceptional warranty cover for seven years and up to 100,000 miles is a big attraction. It has a generous towing limit of 2,000 kgs. Additions to the range later will be a 1.6-litre petrol unit with direct fuel injection, and a 1.7-litre diesel.

Extra cost for the 2-litre with six-speed automatic is on the high side at £1,300 extra, so for Prime Choice we would recommend the very manageable six-speed manual Sportage 2.0CRDi First Edition at £20,777.

Subaru Boxers
It seems ages since it was first announced that Subaru’s excellent horizontally opposed engine would be offered in diesel form, but it happened at last in 2009 and a recent Press driving day showed that diesel is now an important factor in the whole Subaru line-up. Showing the demand for diesel these days, the addition of the 2-litre diesel engine has accounted for an increase of 40 per cent in Subaru sales so far this year.

Developing a diesel version of the engine was not as simple as might be imagined, and the unit was extensively redesigned with longer stroke and smaller bore diameters, giving capacity of 1,998 cc instead of the 1,994 of the petrol engine. The cylinder block is of aluminium alloy and the uprated cylinder heads have roller rocker arms. Camshaft drive is by chain. The engine develops 150 PS and all diesel versions have a six-speed gearbox.

All the range features four-wheel drive and the Outback and Legacy models are essentially estate cars with sufficient ground clearance to tackle quite demanding off-road conditions, while the low weight of the boxer engine contributes to good handling.

The Outback model is described as a Crossover between estate car and MPV and for this model only there is the option of a 3.6-litre petrol engine giving 260 PS. We enjoyed driving this with its terrific response (£35,795), but unfortunately there are no plans for this larger engine to be offered in diesel form. The Outback is available with the new 2-litre diesel engine (£27,995 with SE trim) or with a 2.5-litre petrol unit at the same price.

The model which we have always admired is the Forester, an all-purpose five-door estate car, now offered with a larger body giving more rear legroom and higher driving position. There is also an additional 10 mm of ground clearance, which is now 215 mm. Slightly disappointing is that the former two-speed ratio change, which offered lower gearing selectable on the move, is no longer provided now that there is a six-speed gearbox. This feature was particularly good for caravan towing.

The more car-like model of the range is the Impreza five-door five-seat hatchback which, even still with four-wheel drive, starts the price list with 1.5-litre boxer engine at £13,620. This price also includes the low ratio transfer box, as used to be fitted in the Forester. The 2-litre diesel engine brings a big price jump to £21,500. For those who want rally-style performance, Impreza is available at £32,390 with a turbocharged 2.5-litre Boxer engine giving 300 PS and a top speed of 155 mph. A special competition version of the Impreza is being developed by Cosworth Engineering, to develop 400 PS.

Making Prime Choice recommendations from such a formidably attractive range is not easy, but best advice would be to look at the Impreza 1.5 R petrol 4x4 with low range transfer at £13,620, and the Forester 2.0D X diesel 4x4 at £22,995.

Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi ‘Trend’ vans
Dorset-based stone merchants, Suttles, recently invested in new environmentally friendly vans from Purbeck Ford dealer St. Michaels Garage of Valley Road, Swanage. Suttles chose to use St. Michaels as their company ethos is to support local businesses wherever possible. The two companies have enjoyed a long standing working relationship for many years.

The vans will be used to commute between their three sites across the Isle of Purbeck and Poole. Laurence Sprigg, Suttles Recycling Manager, said, "As an environmentally-friendly-conscious company supplying recycled products, including crushed concrete and aggregates, the Fiesta 1.4 TDCi ‘Trend’ van is an ideal choice with their high parts recyclable rate; additionally, it’s also important for us to support local businesses and we have been dealing with local company, St. Michaels, for over 20 years."

Graham Lambert, dealer principal of St Michaels Garage, added "We’ve had a long business relationship with Suttles and are more than happy to supply their new extremely low emissions vans. One interesting feature of the vans is the ‘Ford Easy Fuel’, an ingenious misfuel inhibitor which only accepts the correct pump nozzle to prevent accidentally filling with the wrong fuel; we have at least one incident on our forecourt every couple of weeks and the cost of draining and disposal can reach £3000 for some makes."

Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi van with (l-r) Laurence Sprigg,
Paul Bush and St Michaels DP Graham Lambert.

St. Michaels Garage, who are the local Ford dealership in the Swanage area and sell new and used cars, as well as providing servicing and parts, is based on the Valley Road between Corfe Castle and Swanage, They are a well established family-run business which has been serving the community since 1962. Established for over 70 years, Suttles is the local premier provider of crushed stone and aggregates, including recycled products, for the Isle of Purbeck, Poole and Bournemouth areas.

For further information on St. Michaels Garage call 01929 480221 or visit www.stmichaelsgarageswanage.co.uk For information on Suttles telephone 01929 439444 or visit www.suttles.co.uk

SEAT Leon and Altea Ecomotive
A clever choice of launch venue and route for the introduction of SEAT’s new Leon and Altea Ecomotive models meant that one was either sitting in London traffic with the engine stopped, demonstrating the usefulness of its automatically controlled stop/start system, or bowling along the Kingston by-pass and subject to a 50 mph limit. So it perhaps wasn’t surprising that the Leon returned just 62.1 mpg on this short but very tedious test drive. We look forward to being able to subject it to more varied motoring conditions to see how the economy stands up at higher speeds; but it is certainly a very promising concept.

The engine is a four-cylinder 1.6-litre diesel, and the SEAT engineers have managed to make it an attractive yet very economical car, with the good news that its CO2 emissions figure is under 100g/km, so there’s no annual tax to pay.

In spite of this, it’s quite a large and roomy car, with good luggage space. The body is a five-door hatchback, though it looks more like a three-door because the rear door handles are neatly recessed into the rear quarter windows. There’s a well planned interior layout with large speedometer and smaller central rev counter as well as a comprehensive trip computer. A gear shift indicator reminds the driver of the need to change up early for economy, but it also indicates need for a down change at low revs. This is just as well, as the engine is obviously designed for economy rather than low-speed flexibility and doesn’t like to pull in fifth gear much below about 40 mph

The start/stop function works well as far as instant start-up on pressing the clutch pedal is concerned, but once or twice the engine surprisingly kept running at halts. Various inhibitors come into play to prevent it from operating at times when it would be inconvenient, such as when still moving at a few mph. During braking the energy recovery system puts charge back into the battery which should help to prevent it from getting too run down in stop-start city traffic over the winter months.

The Leon test car with SE trim was not cheap, at £18,140, but it comes well equipped including such refinements as all-electric windows, tyre pressure monitoring, and front fog lamps which come on individually to light the way on tight turns at night. Rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and rear parking sensors are included in a ‘convenience’ pack at £225 extra. The wipers are cleverly parked at the sides of the screen, in a recess beside the A-post, but with this and air bag housing, the pillars are inevitably very thick, so the driver needs to move his or her head around to be sure at corners and roundabouts that there is not another vehicle or cyclist masked behind the blind spot.

Considerably taller than Leon and billed as MPV, the Altea is also available with the 1.6-litre Ecomotive specification, giving the same 105 PS output and although not quite so impressive on economy it still manages a combined mpg figure of 62.8. Its CO2 output at 119 g/km means that there is no tax to pay in the first year and only £30 thereafter until (or if) rates go up.

There is a wide choice of engines for both models, right up to the Cupra R with 2-litre TSI petrol engine giving 265 PS in the Leon, but the Prime Choice at the moment is clearly the Leon 1.6 TDI Ecomotive which seems best value in S Trim, at £16,840.

Audi A8
Not everyone may be able to contemplate buying an Audi A8, even if as a used car after four or five years, but the good news about this latest launch from the ever-industrious Ingolstadt manufacturer is that many of the innovations it brings will ‘cascade down’ through the model ranges. So you might eventually be able to buy an A3 or even an A1 and benefit from some of the safety features which the A8 introduces.

There are many of them, such as the night vision system for identifying any pedestrians in the way. They loom up as ghostly figures in the space between the speedometer and rev counter. Headlight range is adapted automatically according to speed and the kind of road, with the addition of cornering lights. Adaptive cruise control monitors the proximity of other vehicles and adjusts speed accordingly. In event of critical situations such as skidding all sorts of automatic systems are triggered, such as turning on the hazard warning lights and tensioning seat belts. Tyre pressure monitoring and the Audi parking system, which warns of nearness to anything in front or behind, are standard.

There are also many comfort features which combine to make a journey more relaxing and to avoid tiredness, such as the seat massage system - we thought they were joking until we tried it and found how good it was - and the seats have memory and 14-way electric adjustment. The list of standard equipment is then boosted by a huge menu of options which will keep senior executives poring over it for ages deciding which goodies to have and which to pass by. What we particularly admired was the touch-sensitive pad which can be used to enter numbers or names just by drawing with a finger over the pad. You don’t have to take eyes off the road to do this and each letter is identified and confirmed by voice. This system can also be used to set a navigation destination, or to dial the telephone.

At launch, the two V8 versions, each with 4.2-litre capacity were available for driving and it was perhaps not surprising that both my colleague and I preferred the diesel version to the direct injection petrol one, although the petrol one is some £2,000 cheaper. The diesel is very quiet and refined yet gives enormous torque, reaching 800 Nm, although at 350 PS the power is slightly less than the 372 PS developed by the petrol version. Both engines are simply superb and give effortless performance, staggering acceleration and instant response. Transmission for both versions is an 8-speed automatic with paddle control switches beneath the steering wheel and an unusual selector. It reverts to the same position after moving it forward or back to select the appropriate drive range; an illuminated digit on the top of the inverted ‘L’ shaped selector shows clearly what has been selected.

It goes without saying that the handling, helped by permanent drive to all four wheels and air suspension, is magical, so is the selectable ride comfort. Like its predecessor, the A8 has a body shell largely constructed in aluminium for lightness and there are many refinements to save fuel, so the TDI is claimed to give 37.2 mpg, which is very good for a car of this size and carrying capacity.

The interior is delightfully finished and thoughtfully executed, with such clever features as stainless steel labels for switches which are perforated and back lit for ease of identity at night. How do they press the letter ‘o’ through the stainless steel without having the centre bit fall out? It’s one of the many impressive mysteries of the new A8.

Coming in September will be the 3-litre V6 TDI offering 42.8 mpg and a start price of £54,835; but in the meantime we have no hesitation in listing as our Prime choice the A8 4.2 TDI quattro with 8-speed Tiptronic transmission at £63,900.

Mazda6
It shows how diesel engines have improved enormously when we find how often the diesel is preferred to the petrol version when trying new test cars. We have been driving the revised and much improved Mazda6 on the delightfully clear and generally well-surfaced roads in Scotland and began the fist day’s activities with the 1.8-litre five-door petrol hatchback, whose engine gives 120 PS. It proved very quiet and smooth, but rather lacking in power when needed for overtaking. The seats locate well, and although the scuttle is a little high, the wipers park out of sight and the view forward is good. The instruments are large and clear but deeply recessed and tend to become lost in the shadows in sunny light conditions.

On main roads at moderate speeds, the 1.8 was returning fuel consumption around 42 mpg but it deteriorated to 37 mpg once more demanding roads called for full use of the available engine power. With TS trim, the Mazda6 with this engine costs £18,045, but looking at the additions of the TS trim it might seem better value to go for the standard S model at £16,995 and forego the alloy wheels, dual zone air conditioning, cruise control and trip computer which come with the TS. Note that saloon versions of the Mazda6 are discontinued and the range now concentrates on five-door hatchback or estate models.

After a relaxing and enjoyable drive in brilliant weather to our base for the night we declined the temptation of tea on the terrace and went out again on a long and demanding drive in the diesel with 163 bhp. This is the mid-range model, the new 2.2-litre diesel engine being offered in three forms: 129, 163 and 180 PS. It proved far more responsive than the petrol model although still commendably quiet and at one time the consumption was running at 54 mpg - a good figure for a car of this size and carrying capacity with five generous seats and a huge load space. Later on very hilly roads, it dropped to a still very good 50 mpg. This Mazda engine is an excellent diesel.

Next day came the chance to try the top version, the 180 PS diesel. This had LED instruments, again difficult to read in bright sunlight, but the body of the car was the very roomy estate car. The extra power did not seem all that noticeable, while the economy at 36.5 mpg was a lot lower.

This new version of the Mazda6 has been fine tuned into a very attractive model and the range includes a 2.5-litre 170 PS petrol engine as well as a Sport 2-litre petrol with automatic transmission. Inevitably it wasn’t possible to try all versions in the time available, but we have no hesitation in choosing as Prime Choice the
Mazda 6 2.2 diesel 163 bhp with TS trim (not available as ‘S’) at £19,745. The Estate car version is £650 dearer.

Kia Sorento
Just how well cars are being improved is illustrated by the latest version of the Kia Sorento. It feels much more manageable and responsive on the road than the predecessor and the figures bear out the way in which it performs better, yet uses less fuel. The previous model had a 2.5-litre diesel engine, but the capacity is now reduced from 2,497 cc to 2,199, yet its acceleration time from rest to 80 mph - a much better indicator than the widely quoted 0-60 mph time - is reduced from 20.4 seconds to a very creditable 16.1.

At the same time, the overall fuel consumption has progressed from 34 mpg to 36.2. The CO2 emissions figure is down as well, from 209 to 194, which reduces the annual tax by £10, to £235.

There are many other changes to the Sorento, including the fitting of a foot-operated parking brake in place of the previous pull-up lever. It is hidden away below the facia and is pressed to apply, then pressed again to release. This could be a useful anti-theft device, as any casual joy-rider probably wouldn't realise what to do to release it. The brakes are now solid discs at the rear, previously they were internally vented.

One aspect of the new Sorento which slightly disappointed was the suspension which gives quite a lot of bounce and reaction over bumps. In other respects the new Sorento proved pleasing to drive and coped very well when used to tow a medium size caravan.

Four-wheel drive was standard on the test car, which had the KX3 specification. Normally it's a front drive car, but drive to the rear wheels cuts in automatically when lack of adhesion demands. A switch on the right of the steering column locks the centre differential when required for very tough conditions. But accepting that not everyone wants four-wheel drive, Kia offers the Sorento in cheapest diesel form with choice of manual or automatic transmission and drive to the front wheels only, with prices starting at £22,495. The Sorento also no longer has the low range transfer gearbox which was available with the previous model.

There is also a base model with 2.4-litre petrol engine (front drive only) and five seats. All other versions have seven seats and the whole range is rated with the same top speed of 118 mph.

The test car with KX3 spec, priced at £30,005, brought a useful bundle of extras including a large two-piece glass sunroof opening at the front, electric adjustment for the driver's seat, xenon headlamps and key-in-pocket locking. Just press the Start button to drive away. We reckon the extras provided, including six-speed automatic transmission, justify the added cost, so our Prime Choice would be the Sorento 2.2 diesel KX3, six-speed automatic and 4x4 at £30,005. Worthy of special mention is that all Kias come with an impressive seven-year warranty lasting up to 100,000 miles.

Rolls-Royce Phantom
It was a not-to-be-missed opportunity: Rolls-Royce hosted the AGM of the Guild of Motoring Writers and in the afternoon there was to be opportunity for a few members to drive the fabulous £275,990 Phantom on a route from the Goodwood factory lasting about an hour and a half.

After a briefing on how it all operates, a touch of the Start button and a slight tremor and burble show that the massive V12 6.8-litre engine is running; touch the selector lever above the steering column down to the Drive position and away we go, as smoothly and gently as if the Rolls-Royce were electrically powered. There’s no need to release the parking brake - that happens automatically.

Then, after a little familiarity, an open stretch of dual carriageway gave the opportunity to press hard on the accelerator and feel the Phantom's effortless soaring acceleration, still with hardly any noise. The speedometer needle spun round the dial alarmingly quickly, but with a roundabout coming into view, a touch on the big brake pedal brought the speed down reassuringly quickly. The V12 BMW-derived 6.8-litre engine really is a marvel of power and refinement and the automatic transmission is so smooth that there is no awareness of ratio changes taking place.

From outside, as well as from within, the huge bonnet with its diminutive Spirit of Ecstacy mascot is very high. I would have liked to be able to set the driving seat higher than the limit allowed by the electric adjustment, yet one could not complain about lack of visibility.

After watching the Phantom being built at the discreetly concealed and elegantly designed factory, it was a thrilling experience to be able to drive it, albeit for only about 20 miles. Then it was time to pull into a lay-by to hand over to colleagues and try the sumptuous rear seat ride.

Perhaps the greatest impression left by the short drive in the Phantom was the way in which this huge car - and it really is massive - feels so nimble and responsive on the road, with delicate hair-line steering and wonderful precision in the way that all the controls operate.

The other lasting impression is the comfort of the ride. Phantom owners will have no cause to complain about the state of British roads, because the bumps and potholes are scarcely noticed.

I confess that I have never been much taken with the exterior styling of the Phantom with its slab front and diminutive headlamps, but inside it is a wealth of elegant design and immaculate choice of materials and finish.

As to be expected there are many unusual features, such as the way in which the instrument to the left of the speedometer is not the expected rev counter, but a gauge showing how much of the available power is held in reserve. Trickling along, it reads above 90 per cent, but tread firmly on the accelerator and the gauge swings round to the lower percentages - not that one can hold it there for long, such is the acceleration.

Also unusual is that the rear doors are hinged at the back and close electrically at the touch of a switch, with safeguards to ensure that they can never be opened when the car is on the move.

Slightly smaller and £80,000 cheaper (at £195,840) is the Ghost which might fit garage and budget better, but for the moment it must be the huge Phantom if one really wants to impress. A few may also be tempted by the Phantom available as a convertible for £321,740, and there is also a two-door Coupé version (£303,180). One might call it being spoilt for choice!

Suzuki SX4
Unfortunately, with all the plans made for the launch of its new five-door hatchback, including an off-road section through the woods at the back of Beaulieu, the new model with four-wheel drive was delayed and not available on the day. So the road route concentrated on the two-wheel drive model and the off-road section was tackled in the old model, which perhaps emphasised that not a great deal has changed.

The front of the car has been restyled and the main difference is that the 1.6-litre engine is substantially updated, with electric throttle control, varying valve timing and a revised intake system to give better economy (45.6 mpg is now claimed).

CO2 output is reduced to 143 g/km, which puts it in Band F for car tax at £125. The DDiS diesel engine (which is supplied by Peugeot) gives 90 PS and the CO2 figure is 129 g/km.

To complicate matters the SX4 is now renamed SZ, and there are two versions starting with SZ3 with petrol and 5-speed gearbox at £11,640, the better equipped SZ4 with hardly enough additions to justify its extra price, and a SZ4 with automatic transmission for £13,280. Then comes the four-wheel drive version, only with petrol engine for which prices are not yet available.

The new petrol engine is lively, quiet and smooth. On the road the Suzuki was judged a fairly average contender with the advantage of high roof line and good space, but a drawback is the considerable blind spot on the offside front quarter which is not helped much by the small fixed quarter window.

Where the Suzuki scores is availability of the 4x4 version which will serve very well for modest off-road work. Normal drive is to the front wheels. A three-way switch in mid position adds drive to the back wheels when slip occurs while in the third position it gives locked-up four-wheel drive for extreme conditions.

It’s a pity that we don’t have prices for this version yet, but if it is not too expensive our prime choice from the five models of this new hatchback, described as a Sport cross-over for all seasons, would be the 1.6 petrol SZ5 with 5-speed manual gearbox and 4x4.

SEAT Mania
No, that isn’t the name of a new model - it’s the term applied to a recent test day to bring us up to date on what they call ‘an avalanche’ of new models introduced by SEAT in 2009. There was a huge range of 30 new cars for assessment - far more than one could cope with in a single day; even a week would have kept us busy.

Most significant of the year’s new SEATs is the Exeo which marks the firm’s adventure into a new segment of the market, an elegant saloon with a huge boot and the distinction that all models have turbocharged engines.

Three of these are 2-litre diesels in three stages of power output, plus a 2-litre direct injection petrol engine giving a beefy 200 PS output and with Sport trim. Selected for a brief trial run was the 2-litre TDI in its most powerful form giving 170 PS. All Exeos have six-speed gearboxes as standard.

At once the Exeo impresses as a comfortable, well-equipped car, with an extremely quiet diesel engine giving really vigorous performance. Its claimed economy is around 48 mpg, but on the brief test route on indifferent roads including a short section of motorway it gave six miles per gallon less. The console is well laid out and the instruments are clear, but it’s a pity that they are not back-lit because they are deeply recessed and become virtually unreadable in shadow. An indicator shows what gear is engaged - perhaps superfluous information with a manual transmission - and doesn’t suggest the need to change up or down.

Priced at £21,455, this roomy saloon has great appeal and brings important new competition in the area of the market dominated by the Ford Mondeo and Peugeot 407.

Best-selling of the SEAT range is the Ibiza, which has now come in for a wide-ranging up-date with the car now based on the Volkswagen platform and bringing improvements in weight and fuel economy, with all models now giving less than 160 g/km of CO2. Particularly interesting is the new Ecomotive package which is available on Ibiza, Leon and the big seven-seater Alhambra. Wide ranging changes on the Ibiza Ecomotive include better aerodynamics, improved engine efficiency and higher (or ‘longer’) gear ratios for third, fourth and fifth.

It’s a little sluggish at low revs, so the driver needs to change down quite a lot to keep the engine on song, and it is then very responsive as tried with three-cylinder 1,422 cc engine giving 80 PS. Its CO2 emissions are low enough for it to qualify for Band A of annual car tax, with nothing to pay. It was priced at £12,755, and gave over 61 mpg without any attempt at economy driving and should readily achieve 70 mpg.

With time running out, and so many cars to examine, there was opportunity for a quick dash in the Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra.

Top of the performance range of Ibiza models and powered by the 1.4-litre TSI engine with turbocharger and supercharger to give 180 PS. The performance from such a small engine is staggering with a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds and top speed of 140 mph.

It has the seven-speed automatic DSG transmission as standard in the price of £16,695.  A rather bullish-looking black grille and lamps surround gives the Bocanegra its Spanish name.

With a formidable range of standard equipment the Cupra Bocanegra stands out as exceptional value for money for anyone looking for a small, fast, three-door car with great individuality. It comes only with top SC trim.

One couldn’t pick a Prime Choice from such a varied range, but of them all it was perhaps this last one which made the greatest impression; the SEAT Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra 1.4 TSI, turbo and supercharged, 7-speed DSG at £16,695.

Skoda Fabia
Having recently driven Skoda's latest Fabia we must say how impressed we were; certainly, if you want the space and versatility of a larger car in the framework of a compact one then you can't go far wrong with this smallish Czech supermini in either hatchback or estate guise.

Taller and more practical than the previous generation, the Fabia offers room for five with enough space left over for luggage. Attractively styled and sporting the familiar Skoda grille, the bodywork is nicely proportioned to give a stylish, contemporary look. Inside it is solidly put together with decent materials, it's comfortable, airy, has good passanger accommodation (among the best in its class) and incorporates lots of storage areas; this is all enhanced with a nice driving position, clear instrumentation and easy-to-use robust controls to give a refined overall package.

Refinement is also a strong point when on the move. The ride is surprisingly comfortable soaking up potholes and bad road surfaces with ease, and yet the car remains remarkably agile through its nicely weighted steering, even when pushed hard on twisty roads and through corners, an asset which is rarely the case with such a forgiving suspension.

The engine choice is wide enough to suit most tastes ranging in size from 60 bhp 1.2 to 1.6 petrol units producing some 105 bhp. Four diesels are available from a 1.4-litre 70 bhp motor through to a 105 bhp 1.9 TDi. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, or a six-speed Tiptronic (a function that permits all six ratios to be manually selection, if desired) automatic transmission can be specified on the 1.6-litre petrol version. Central locking and electric front windows are fitted on all models and a choice of six different trim levels, air conditioning, heated seats and such like, can be ordered.

High on value for money, prices start from under £9,000 including two years unlimited mileage warranty, a third year until 60,000 miles has been completed, plus other valuable benefits. Fabia is proof (if proof is needed) that Skoda has completed one of the most remarkable transformations in the car industry of recent years.

Audi goes stop-start
Will it work when the engine is still cold? we wondered and on stopping and putting the gear lever in neutral, nothing happened; sensibly, the stop/start system newly introduced on a number of Audi models does not operate until normal engine temperature has been reached.  There are some other safeguards, such as that it will not operate after reversing, or if a minimum speed of about 3 mph has not been exceeded. At normal times, though, it works extremely well and it’s rather pleasing to be stationary at the traffic lights in complete silence. The moment the clutch pedal is touched, the engine restarts, ready for a quick getaway.

This new stop/start technology was assessed on the A3 Sportback with 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine. This 1,390 cc engine is turbocharged with direct fuel injection and develops 125 PS, which is 10 PS better than the 1.6-litre atmo engine it replaces. With the stop/start package comes also regenerative braking, which puts some of the energy of slowing the car back into the battery to compensate for the extra current used by stop/start and reduce the load on the alternator.

Despite the economy features, the A3 1.4 TFSI returned only 35.8 mpg on the test route, although combined mpg is claimed to be just short of 50 mpg., so there’s still a strong case for the diesel. Apart from these aspects this new A3 Sportback is a very pleasing car, with lively performance and pleasant handling and controls. Price of the test car was £18,490, but there’s another £755 to pay if you want leather upholstery and don’t forget that Audi always adds upwards of £740 for on the road costs.

A magnificent line-up of Audi machinery was available for testing at the recent range review, providing the opportunity to catch up with some of the new models which keep emerging from the industrious Audi machine, in particular the A4 allroad and the new Q5. These are very similar cars to meet the demand for vehicles with good road behaviour as well as the ability to tackle quite demanding off-road conditions. Both proved excellent on the road - no off-road trials were possible - and choosing between them would not be easy, but our preference is for the Q5 over the A4 allroad. With 3-litre TDI engine its OTR price is £34,650, against £34,565 for the similarly powered A4 allroad, both having 7-speed S tronic transmission. Perhaps the deciding factor might be can you get it into your garage? The Q5 at 1880 mm excluding mirrors is 40 mm (1½ in.) wider than the new A4 allroad.

No Prime Choice is possible from such an extensive range, except to say that any Audi purchase will be expensive but not regretted. It’s good to see this strongly performance-orientated company putting real effort and technology into the drive for better economy.

Infiniti
Not often do we have a completely new marque to write about in Gear Wheels, but the exception comes with the October 2009 arrival of Infiniti, the new luxury product range from Nissan. Made in Japan, Infiniti is well established in 32 overseas markets, but now comes to Britain. On sitting in the cars one can’t help feeling that they are designed and aimed mainly for the wide roads of the American market, yet although they are all big cars they are impressively manageable on our roads.

These are extravagantly furnished and equipped luxury cars, with seven-speed automatic transmission incorporating ‘paddle’ up-down change switches below the steering wheel and in most versions a 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine developing 320 PS is the standard power unit. Common to most of the range is four-wheel drive and many models also feature four-wheel steering for improved cornering and handling. A disappointing aspect is the high level of wheel thump on bumps, made noticeably better on switching the damper setting from automatic to Sport, although one would have thought that the latter would have been harder. The engines are superbly smooth and quiet.

Prices begin at £30,300 for the standard four-door saloon, G37, and the range of body styles includes Coupé, convertible, and the FX defined as a ‘cross-over’ between estate car and large hatchback.

The convertible certainly looks stunningly elegant, but its drawback is that when the rigid folding top is lowered, not much room is left in the boot for luggage.

Infiniti’s argument is that their kind of buyers don’t travel far with the car open, but like to swan around in a fully open car after arrival, when the luggage has been safely moved into the hotel. Alternatively, perhaps the luggage might be sent on separately with the butler!

Right at the top of the range at £53,800 is the FX50S cross-over, which is the only one not powered by the 3.7-litre V6 engine. Instead, it has a 5-litre V8 giving 390PS, which certainly gives it formidable acceleration (5.8 seconds from rest to 60 mph, and 80 only a few seconds later). Infiniti is not for the economy-minded motorist: the claimed thirst for the FX50S is 21.6 mpg, and on a brief and rather demanding test run it showed 19.7 mpg. The 3.7-litre version is rated at 23.4 mpg, but actually returned 28.2 mpg when driven moderately in slow traffic. A diesel version is to be added.

At present there is only one dealership, on the A33 just south of Reading, but centres at Birmingham and Glasgow will follow soon, with eight more to open later.

Making a Prime Choice from this wide-ranging line-up is pretty well impossible, but we were taken with the Infiniti G37 3.7-litre GT Premium Convertible at £41,900.

Volkswagen Polo
It is now the best part of 35 years since the original Polo was launched in the UK. In the intervening decades over 10 million sales worldwide has been notched up - a very respectable achievement - and this is set to continue with the latest fifth generation model launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009; it became available in the UK from mid-October.

With each new generation this supermini has become noticeably larger (although slightly lower in height for the new car). It is also more technically advanced, but displays similar timeless looks to its predecessor. The influence of its larger stablemates is apparent.

The horizontal grille and neat headlamp arrangement is instantly recognisable from the Golf, while the sculptured wings blend neatly into the package along with other styling cues from the VW range. Nicely proportioned all round, the new supermini has been assembled (as to be expected) to the usual high standard of the marque; we can, therefore, predict, it will prove to be as reliable as earlier generations and hold it's value equally well.

The Polo is also stuffed with the latest safety features resulting in a five star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests; in consequence, the new car has been awarded a low insurance ratings - important for us budget conscious motorists.

Although we drove a four-door Polo, three-door models are expected to be available shortly and cost about £1k less across the range. Engine line-up (in petrol form) includes a naturally aspirated 1.2-litre unit developing either 59 bhp or 69 bhp, the more powerful 84 bhp 1.4-litre engine and a 1.2-litre turbocharged motor giving 104 bhp. Diesel variants are restricted to 1.6-litre TDI (common-rail power unit from the Golf) in either 74 or 89 bhp guise. A five-speed manual gearbox is specified for all but the 1.2 turbo which gets a six-speed transmission, while the 1.4 petrol sports a seven-speed Direct Shift Gearbox to neatly combine the comfort of an auto box with the responsiveness of manual change.

On the road all cars driven behaved impeccably with precise and sure-footed handling over a variety of roads and surfaces. Ride is comfortable, as is the seating, and the controls/instruments are all nicely laid out. The cabin oozes the quality (as well as features, such as DAB digital radio) expected in more upmarket cars.

Expect in excess of 50 mpg overall (careful drivers should comfortably exceed this figure) for most petrol variants with probably another 15 mpg or so from the diesel engined cars. The best selling model is predicted to be the SE 1.2-litre 60 PS with five-speed manual gearbox at £11.385 on-the-road which we feel is a good overall package and our Prime Choice.

Kia cee’d
After only two years in production, Kia’s strangely named cee’d model came in for an autumn 2009 clean-up bringing styling changes most noticeable at the front and in the interior where the console has a silvery finish and a more attractive steering wheel design. Instrumentation is excellent, with a large speedometer in the central position of the three units, clearly marked in white on black with red pointers and as soon as the engine is switched on they become back-lit, easy to read in all conditions.

This five-door hatchback is very easy to drive, lively and handles well, though the ride is a bit harsh. Seat shape is also not ideal, tending to slump one forward a little and we feel more central back support is needed. Nothing is seen of the car from the driving seat ahead of the windscreen and this includes the wipers which park neatly out of sight. As before, the three-door version is called Pro_cee’d and the estate car is cee’d SW.

Significant changes are improvements in engine efficiency, with introduction of automatic engine stop at traffic halts. This is nothing new, of course, having been available on Citroëns, Volkswagens and now Audis for some time, but Kia arranged a particularly horrid test route through the centre of Liverpool taking in every possible traffic light junction, to demonstrate how stop-and-go works. As soon as the car comes to rest and the gear is in neutral, the engine stops, starting again the moment the clutch pedal is pressed. It was surprising to find that in a 7.6-mile route through the centre of Liverpool, taking 40 minutes, the engine was off for a total of 11 minutes. Obviously this brings real benefits for those doing a lot of driving in heavy traffic, but initially the EcoDynamics programme is available only for the CRDi version with the less powerful of two 1.6-litre diesel engines, costing £14,195.

Diesel engines come with a six-speed gearbox, petrol ones only with five-speed and tend to be a little more fussy when cruising, though we found both engines to be extremely quiet and smooth.

There is little difference in acceleration times between the petrol-powered cee’d and the more powerful of the two diesels.

Kia is anxious to stress one important thing about its cars which has not changed and this is the exceptional seven-year 100,000-mile warranty.

There are three trim levels (simply labelled 1, 2 and 3), with prices starting at £11,595 for the three-door pro_cee’d with Trim 1 and 1.4-litre petrol engine, but an interesting choice is offered at £14,195. This is the price for cee’d with 1.6 petrol engine and automatic transmission, or the 1.6-litre CRDi (high power) engine giving 113 bhp, or the less powerful (89 bhp) engine with the EcoDynamics features, offering 67.3 mpg. The middle one of these was the one we enjoyed driving best and is still rated at 62.8 mpg, so our Prime Choice would be the Kia cee’d 1.6-litre CRDi 113 bhp diesel engine and trim level 2 at £14,195.

Chevrolet Cruze
In the turmoil of uncertainty about the future of General Motors, in July 2009, GM launched a new mid-range saloon imported from its American base. It has distinctive styling with an imposing frontal shape and comes with choice of 1.6-litre or 1.8 petrol engines, or a 2-litre diesel.

Good features are the quietness of the engines, especially the diesel version and the suspension gives a comfortable ride. Not surprisingly, the car is rather too big for a 1.6-litre engine, which can prove a bit lifeless on gradients, but the 1.8 performed reasonably well. Best choice is undoubtedly the 2-litre diesel, which is offered in two stages of power output: 125 PS and 150 PS.

The Americans can’t spell very well, so we must forgive the name Cruze and they are not much good at diesel engines, but they overcome this problem by using very good Korean built units, for which fuel consumption is claimed to be around 50 mpg. All versions have five-speed manual gearboxes, but a six-speed automatic is available for the petrol models at £1,100 extra.

The attraction of Cruze will diminish for many buyers on finding that it is available only as a four-door saloon; but there’s a good boot with concealed external release and under the floor is a full size spare wheel but with steel rim.

An impressive list of standard equipment is included, with quite a good sat-nav system available at £545 extra, with its map screen mounted sensibly high up. However, this option seems to be limited to the LT model which, with 150 PS 2-litre diesel engine, runs out at £15,195. The Cruze sounds good value at its start price of just under £12,000, but it jumps £1,600 to £13,595 for the 1.8-litre. At £100 less than this, the 2-litre diesel in its less powerful 125 PS form stands out as the best value, so our Prime Choice would be the
Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VCDi with standard S trim and five-speed manual gearbox at £13,495.

Audi A5 Sportback
‘Will it fit your garage?’is the question often asked about any new car and it takes increasing relevance when you see that the new A5 Sportback from Audi is longer, lower and wider than an A4 saloon and has a longer wheelbase. For many people, width is the worrying factor and at 1854 mm., excluding the mirrors, the new Sportback is probably too wide for many private garages.

Never mind, leave it outside, let passers by enjoy the lovely view of this elegant new model and relax in the knowledge that it has one of the most secure anti-theft systems available nowadays.

At the rear, the Sportback has a huge tailgate which opens easily, and joins up with an abbreviated and removable shelf to the rear of the back seat, hiding the contents from view. It provides a very wide opening and the luggage space is said to be almost as great as that in the A4 Avant estate car. It is claimed to combine Coupé style with saloon practicality and almost estate car carrying capacity; a slight drawback compared with the Avant estate is the lack of a rear window wiper. For a tall occupant, rear seat headroom is borderline, although there are recesses in the headlining at the back to give a little more space.

A disappointing feature is the poor instrumentation. The speedometer and rev counter are deeply recessed and become difficult to see in some shade conditions not dark enough to trigger the automatic lighting; the speedometer is, in our opinion, poorly calibrated with 120 mph at the top of the scale resulting in confusing congestion of the lower readings. However, a digital speed read-out can be selected in addition.

Taking a more vigorous look at fuel economy, Audi now includes automatic engine stop at halts with both the 2-litre petrol and diesel models, as soon as neutral is selected; the engine restarts on pressing the clutch. Energy is recovered during braking, to offset the extra battery drain of frequent starter operation.

On a test drive in Britain and France, with full use of the performace, the 2.0 TDI with six-speed manual gearbox recorded an impressive 45.5 mpg.

In addition to the 2-litre petrol and diesel units, the new Sportback is offered with 3.2-litre petrol, and 2.7 or 3.0-litre diesels. There was no 2.7-litre for assessment, but the 3-litre TDI with S-tronic automatic transmission proved an absolute joy to drive, with its effortless response, quietness and economy still on the right side of 31 mpg. But there is a high price penalty to jump from the 2-litre TDI at £27,140 with SE trim, to £32,600 for the 3-litre TDI, partly explained because the 3-litre includes quattro four-wheel drive.

Despite the large increase, our Prime Choice of the A5 Sportback would be the 3.0 TDI quattro 6-speed manual with SE trim at £32,600; but understandably the Audi prediction is that the main seller will be the 2.0 TDI front drive 6-speed manual with SE trim at £27,140. Quattro four-wheel drive is available for the 2-litre diesel at £1,500 extra.

Among three new models launched at the 2009 Frankfurt Show is the S5 Sportback with 3-litre V6 petrol engine boosted by a supercharger to give 333PS. It will go on sale in Spring 2010.

Mazda3
Even with the previous model parked alongside there is not a great deal of difference to be seen in the outward appearance of the new Mazda3. Mainly it has gone like the Peugeots with lamp units much more stylishly and aerodynamically swept back into the body; but there’s a lot more changed inside. as well as mechanically, starting with the engines. All are more efficient, giving better economy and reduced CO2, beginning with a 1.6-litre petrol unit and there are three new turbo diesels all with particulate filters, offered with choice of five or six-speed manual transmission, or five-speed automatic.

A 2-litre petrol engine is available with direct fuel injection giving 151 PS and this unit comes with automatic engine stop at halts, featuring an ingenious Mazda system whereby at traffic halts the engine stops always with the pistons in the appropriate position to restart the engine as soon as fuel is injected and ignited. Mazda claim that restart occurs in only 0.35 seconds, with hardly any assistance from the starter motor as soon as the clutch pedal is depressed. Engine stop is automatic when the car comes to rest with the ignition key still in the normal ‘on’ position and the gear lever in neutral. A second auxiliary battery is fitted to cover against lack of charge in town driving with a lot of stop-start work.

On test in Scotland, we found these new versions of Mazda3 very pleasant to drive, with neat handling and steering, plus excellent brakes by discs all round, all giving great confidence enhanced by the standard fitting of dynamic stability control and electronic brake force distribution. The only slight disappointment was the high level of tyre roar on some coarse surfaces encountered.

Particularly attractive features are the neat console layout which features a clear display of average mph and mpg, the clear instrument display, back-lit on some models and the roomy load space with the hatchback released by a simple push button.

Most of the Mazda3 range are five-door hatchs, but there are four saloon versions and the usual permutation of trim options: S, TS, TS2 and Sport. Prices start at £13,500 for the 1.6S petrol, extending to £19,900 for the 2.2-litre diesel in saloon or hatch.

Later this year a 15th model will join the range, called MPS with 2.3-litre petrol engine giving 260 PS at £21,500.

Time was running out for the return flight from Scotland and we had to press on very hard to get to the airport in time, so we were delighted to find how fast and responsive, as well as quiet, was the 1.6-litre diesel we were driving. It is rated at only 109 PS so it was very impressive to find that it performed so well, while returning 49.6 mpg. We have no hesitation in recommending as Prime Choice the Mazda3 1.6D TS with five-speed manual gearbox and CO2 emissions of 119 g/km, at £15,760.

Peugeot 308CC
When Gear Wheels writers attend Press launches of new cars, they often have to travel considerable distances to the venue. For example, the impending introduction of a new Mazda takes place just a few miles away from John O’Groats, the northernmost town in Scotland!

We don’t object (travel broadens the mind, they say), but it was a pleasant surprise to find the starting point for the introduction of the new Peugeot 308CC was on our doorstep at Christchurch, where we learned that our journey would include a sea trip – from Sandbanks to Studland, across the entrance to Poole Harbour!

Never mind - your contributor stayed with the open-topped car, spending the few minutes of ‘the voyage’ in having a good look round this latest Peugeot, trying the back seat for legroom (very little when a tall driver has moved his seat as far back as it will go) and admiring its high standard of equipment and finish. Later – at the Lulworth Castle stop-over to swop front seats with my driving companion and have a cup of tea – I tried the back seat again, this time with the car in closed coupe form. Sitting normally, my head was in contact with the rear window!

So – it’s not a car for carrying six-footers in front and rear at the same time, which makes it similar to many other moderate-sized sporty four-seaters, but for those who are prepared to live with this sort of compromise, Peugeot’s 308CC is an attractive proposition..

For an open-top car, the body is impressively rigid, with good handling, ample performance, decent economy and a high level of refinement. On a pleasant, sunny spring day and with the roof retracted into the boot, it wasn’t necessary to muffle up with hats and scarves. As well as the conventional heater system, the 308CC blows warm air round the backs of the necks of front seat occupants in a pleasant and quite unobtrusive manner!

You don’t need to stop to open or close the roof, but you do need to slow down to about 8 mph and the roof movement takes some 20 seconds. If there was nowhere to stop, I would put on the car’s hazard flashers while the roof was going up (e.g., with the onset of rain) or down.

The 308CC goes on sale in June at prices starting from £19,495 and rising to £24,295, with three 1.6-litre petrol engines (120 and 150 bhp for manual gearbox models and 140 bhp with automatic transmission) and diesels with 110 bhp (manual only) or 140 bhp (manual and auto). There are trim and equipment levels called Sport, SE, GT and GT100, together with a wide range of styling, in-car entertainment, safety and security, comfort and convenience options.

Audi R8 V10 and A5 Cabriolet
Quite the most exciting motoring of 2009 so far came with the launch in May of Audi’s latest additions to its fast-expanding and ever-improving range.

The new R8 5.2 has a ten-cylinder engine mounted midships in a car that is much the same as the previous race-bred R8, offering more power but also better efficiency.

It has direct fuel injection, develops 525 bhp and lifts the maximum speed to a staggering 196 mph. Perhaps if you took the mirrors off it would make it to 200 mph, or beyond!!

But more impressive still, we thought, was that the car is so manageable and tractable, trickling quietly through villages on the test route wisely chosen on the Continent, but also responding with wonderful zest to go soaring up to and beyond 140 mph in very short distances. Its time for acceleration through the gears from rest to 80 mph was only 6.4 seconds, with 100 mph reached only 2.6 sec later (total only 9 seconds).

Slightly disappointing is the very functional-looking but not very attractive interior, but this is a car to impress with its race-going style, and Audi cleverly arranges for the magnificent V10 engine to be always on display beneath a lift-up transparent cover behind the seats. It features quattro four-wheel drive, and gives the buyer a little bit of change out of £100,000 for the six-speed manual version - provided no extras are chosen - or £104,665 for the automatic version called R Tronic. This R8 5.2-litre is a formidable new rival for footballers and bankers who might have been thinking of a Porsche or Aston Martin.

A much more attractive-looking interior comes with the beautifully styled A5 Cabriolet. When the A5 was launched as a Coupé, it was felt that it would make the basis for a lovely convertible, and that is what is now on offer at prices from £29,795.

It proved delightful to drive with the top down, and the great joy is that by slowing down to under 30 mph the top can be put down or up entirely ‘on the button’ without need to stop. Outstanding features of this new convertible are the quietness, especially with the top in place, and the rigidity of the body.

There is total lack of the shake and tremor which tend to mar some convertibles on poor roads. It is also unique in being the only convertible available with quattro four-wheel drive.

It’s offered with six-speed manual gearbox or two types of automatic: multitronic with the 2-litre or 3.2-litre petrol models, or S tronic with self-changing seven-speed gearbox and double clutch for the quattro versions (2-litre, 3.2, and 3.0 TDI diesel on which it is standard). Although the excellent V6 3-litre TDI diesel engine is most tempting at £37,935, We were so impressed by the smoothness, quietness and eager response of the 2-litre direct injection petrol model that we would make our Prime Choice the Audi A5 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI 211 PS quattro S tronic with SE trim at £34,555.

Ford Kuga 2WD and 2.5 4WD
Many drivers want the space and convenience of an SUV like the Kuga, but are not worried about four-wheel drive; they don’t go off road, and if it’s snowing they stay at home. So it’s quite a good move for Ford to add a front-drive version of Kuga with the 2-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine, bringing three advantages. The first is a 2 mpg improvement in mpg, up from 44.1 to 46.3, the second is an important 10 g/km reduction in CO2 output, and the third is a useful £2,000 price reduction.

With Zetec trim the 2-litre front drive model costs £19,790, and the CO2 saving brings it into the under 165 g/km tax bracket, costing £150 this year, and £155 next year. Business customers will be able to claim a 20 per cent annual write-down allowance, instead of only 10 per cent for the 4x4. The £2,000 saving could be spent on the more lavish Titanium trim, whose 2WD price is £21,790.

Also added to the Kuga range is the five-cylinder 2.5-litre Duratec petrol engine as used in the Focus ST, Mondeo and S-MAX. This unit gives 200 bhp and makes the Kuga a much more lively SUV with top speed of 129 mph and 0-60 mph in 8.1 sec, with a six-speed gearbox. There is also a five-speed automatic transmission option for this engine only.

The Kuga 2.5 comes only with 4x4 and Titanium trim costing £25,090 (auto £26,290), but the combined fuel consumption figure tumbles to 28.5 mpg, and the CO2 emissions figure soars to a hefty 234 g/km. So for these penny-scrimping times, a realistic Prime Choice is the Kuga 2-litre TDCi 136 PS front drive at £19,790

Ford Focus RS
Just when we might have been thinking that Ford had run out of money and was heading steadily on to the rocks, along come two interesting launches. The first is an electrifyingly fast version of the Focus, continuing the long-established RS designation which first appeared with a hot version of the Escort in 1970.

The previous Focus RS went out of production in 2003. Its new successor is powered by a five-cylinder 2.5-litre engine with 20 valves and Borg Warner K16 turbocharger, giving a formidable power peak of 305 PS at 6,500 rpm. Maximum torque is 440 Nm, and all this fearsome output goes through a six-speed gearbox to the front wheels. Ford claims to have quelled any tendency to torque steer effect by an ingenious Ford RevoKnuckle system, but we can only say that in hard acceleration there was still quite a lot of tug on the steering. Not living up to the claims was the fuel consumption; the combined figure is supposedly 30.5 mpg, but despite a rather slow test route, and few occasions to give it a blast, our Focus RS gave only 22.3 mpg. Hard suspension gives a rather bone-shaking ride.

Is the middle of a recession, with shocking falls in car sales, a good time to launch a car like the Focus RS? Essentially it’s mainly for competition, and Ford is reckoning to sell only 4,000 examples in the next two years, with orders already taken for 2,000. So evidently the launch of Focus RS is timely, with deliveries starting later this year. For their £24,740 (the starting price for the RS), buyers will certainly get plenty of performance, with the top speed at 163 mph, and acceleration from rest to 60 mph in only 5.9 seconds.

Honda Insight
With its previous adventure into hybrid technology some ten years ago, also called the Insight, Honda’s styling was a bit of a monstrosity, and the car was only a two-seater which greatly limited its appeal. Now comes a more realistic and practical successor with the same basic principles of IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) and five-seater capacity.

The system is ingenious, using an electric dynamotor (combining the functions of charging and powering) fitted in line with the petrol engine. When the driver calls for power to accelerate away or climb a hill, the petrol engine and the electric motor work in concert. But throttle back to descend a hill or slow down, and the electric motor becomes a battery charger. In this state, the fuel supply to the petrol engine is cut off but the engine keeps turning, being in constant link with the electric motor. What is surprising is that in this state the valves of the engine continue to operate. One would have thought that pumping losses would have to be overcome, but as Honda engineers explain, the power required to push the pistons up against compression is regained as they go down.

The petrol engine has capacity of 1,339 cc and develops 88 PS; the electric motor adds only 14 PS, but produces a lot of torque, especially at low revs. The Insight is being offered only with a CVT automatic transmission but it operates very smoothly and has paddle shift control levers below the steering wheel as one of the advantages of the dearer ES version. Engine stop occurs automatically on coming to rest, though not cutting in as promptly as on some cars with this feature, and restarts automatically on pressing the accelerator.

Advantages claimed for this hybrid system are that it is efficient and particularly good on emissions, with a CO2 figure of only 101 g/km, so it qualifies for car tax at only £15 a year, and is exempt from the London Congestion Charge. All sorts of ingenious instrumentation is provided, from a digital speedometer whose background colour changes according to driving style, to read-outs of power use, battery state, and the number of green leaves on the trees to reflect how economically you have been driving.

However, one cannot help feeling that it is all a lot of politically correct inspiration not really backed up by the sort of economy one might have hoped to achieve. Honda’s claim is that the most economical version (SE) gives 64.2 mpg on the combined EC cycle. Driven swiftly but not unduly hard on a varied test route, it returned only 51.3 mpg, and a supreme effort at unrealistically low speeds gave only 69.3 mpg. The inescapable conclusion is that a small diesel-powered car would have done better, but would not have achieved the same low particulate emissions and low Nox output.

Not much extra is provided by the ES version which costs £1,300 more (at £16,790), so if you want to go green the Honda way, our
Prime Choice has to be the Honda Insight SE at £15,490.

Suzuki Alto
Interest in small economy hatchbacks is increasing all the time, so Suzuki’s launch of a new Alto range is timely. This is the seventh generation to use the Alto name since it first appeared 30 years ago, and the emphasis is on a smooth body shape for low drag with an efficient three-cylinder 12-valve engine giving a claimed combined mpg figure of 64.2. The engine gives a healthy growl when working hard, but settles down to give relaxed cruising where the main noise source is from the tyres. The suspension is rather firm and unforgiving on poor roads, but adequately comfortable, helped by well-shaped seats with good wrap-round for lateral location.

With sights set on sales of 7,200 a year, Suzuki has sensibly simplified the model range so that all have the same 50 bhp engine and five-door body, with prices starting at an attractively low £6,795 for the SZ2 trim.

There is not a great deal of difference between this base model and the next up, SZ3, which is priced at £7,245, an increase of £450. The main gain is the fitting of air conditioning. Moving up to the top trim level, SZ4, adds a further £715 to take the total to £7,960, but the list of improvements to the specification is more substantial and includes a small rev counter in a pod to the right of the speedometer, ratchet seat height adjustment for the driver, alloy wheels, fog lamps and some minor additions.

There is also the possibility to pay an extra £600 for the SZ4 and have it with a four-speed automatic transmission. There was only one example of this at the recent launch and we were glad to lay claim to it for the first test drive and found changes very smooth and the system lively and responsive. For anyone seeking a small car with an automatic transmission which is easy to use, the Alto SZ4 would be a good choice, though at £8,560 it is not as attractively priced as the base model. It is also, of course, less economical with an average consumption of 54.3 mpg, and the emissions figure rises from 103 g/km to 122.

Interior accommodation is fair, with a large unlidded stowage box in front of the passenger, and reasonably roomy door pockets. An internal release catch has to be used to open the tailgate, revealing a deep but not very long load space, with space-saver spare wheel nestling under the floor. A further advantage of the SZ4 specification is that the folding rear seat is centrally divided instead of being in one piece as on the two cheaper models. Thick screen pillars and a substantial ‘dead’ corner where the door mirror is mounted make a wide blind spot, so drivers need to move the head around at junctions to check that nothing is hidden behind them.

Unless one is particularly anxious to have air con at £450 extra, or the automatic version, there seems no doubt that the Prime Choice is the Suzuki Alto 1.0 SZ2 five-speed manual at £6,795.

At the same time as the revised Alto was launched, Suzuki offered a more powerful and quieter four-cylinder petrol engine for the Grand Vitara off-roader, now with capacity of 2.4-litre instead of 2.0. As before it has permanent four-wheel drive with diff lock and low range selectable by a simple rotary switch control. A number of minor improvements have been made, and the larger engine is claimed to be a match for the 2-litre on economy and emissions. Prices start at £13,800 for the 3-door SZ3, and top of the range is the 5-door SZ5 with automatic transmission for £18,250.

Volkswagen Golf
Half of the road was surfaced in a very low friction coating almost like ice, with a sprinkler playing on it, while the right-hand half was normal tarmac; and the test was to arrive with the speedo at least on 28 mph (45 km/h), then hit the brakes and swerve to the right to avoid the cones blocking the lane. This was one of the tests carried out when we visited the Volkswagen works at Wolfsburg and tried the new Golf for the first time, and it was certainly very impressive the way its anti-skid system responded and kept the car under control.

This is just one of the new features on the latest model, as part of a major drive to make the sixth generation of the Golf an even safer car. It has seven airbags including a knee protection one for the driver, a whiplash-limiting headrest system, and rear seat belt monitoring. The electronic stability programme which made the car so controllable on simulated ice conditions also includes an electronic differential lock and traction control.

At the launch of the new Golf in Britain in January 2009, the press office produced a pictorial display showing all the significant changes, which is useful since the new one, the sixth generation since the original was launched 34 years ago, looks very much the same as before. External identity features include the new radiator grille with VW roundal recessed into the front of the bonnet.

We drove first the 1.4 TSI model at £15,962, which uses turbocharging and petrol direct injection to give 122 PS output. It proved very lively and has a six-speed gearbox, but economy was a little disappointing, showing only 29.2 mpg on the trip computer. There is also a version of this engine with both turbocharging and supercharging to produce 160 PS, and claimed economy is 44.8 mpg.

Tried next was the 2-litre diesel which is an excellent engine, and although a bit more noisy than the 1.4 TSI, it was much better on economy, showing 49.5 mpg on the test route. Third example driven was the more powerful 2-litre TDI diesel giving 140 PS, in conjunction with the very impressive five-speed DSG (direct shift gearbox) which gives all the advantages of a fully automatic system, plus the ability to have full manual control if preferred.

On all the new Golfs we liked the seating and the control layout which now includes much clearer instruments. A small irritation is that the passenger’s wiper arm goes too far over to the driver’s side, leaving a streak across the driver’s sight-line. In other respects, though, the new Golf is undoubtedly a very pleasing and much improved car. Our favourite was the TDI 140 with DSG, but its price is a bit formidable at £20,537, so as Prime Choice we would recommend the Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0-litre TDI 110 PS with five-speed manual gearbox at £16,911.

Mini Clubman
If you like the idea of a MINI as your next car, but are a little concerned about its interior space, then the extra practicality of the Clubman (over the standard model) may just fit the bill. It should certainly be at the top of your list before looking at any other make.

Practical, versatile and comfortable are words that spring readily to mind to describe this model; and that is discounting its sure-footed handling, all-round performance, affordability and, of course, superb build quality with styling that incorporates a few neat retro touches. 

Although longer and taller than the standard MINI, it’s at the back where the main differences of the Clubman are immediately apparent. Gone is the single hatch door and in its place are two double doors - as on the original model of some four decades ago - operated by a couple of chrome handles with each door having its own wiper and, additionally, on the inside incorporating a practical cubby area for extra storage. From the side view, the long glass run is immediately noticeable, as is the distinctive rear edge pillars stretching from the roof to the bumper; the colour of the latter matches that of the roof to give an attractive two-tone paint finish. 

A unique single side rear-hinged door (similar, but not identical, to that employed on the Mazda RX8) on the right hand side allows a wider opening for back seat passengers, but you can still gain access via the opposite front door without too much effort. Although generally opening out into the traffic in the UK, the extra engineering efforts of placing this door on the nearside (our kerb side) would probably have been too costly for the restrictive worldwide market for vehicles that drive on the opposite side to us!

Most other interior features of this model are much on par with its stable mates. Obviously, the boot area is larger, plus an additional under floor area, as is the seating in the rear which gives extra legroom and more height.

Overall, we think the new Clubman is a worthy successor to the original car, especially as it is larger, more sporty and more refined in so many areas. Prices start at around £14k. 

Audi Q5
Almost too big for British roads, Audi’s Q7 is a luxury rival for the Range Rover market, but now comes a more practical alternative for those seeking a car of more reasonable size combining off-road ability with performance and driving pleasure: the Q5.

Tested on a demanding mountain route in Spain, it proved extremely comfortable to travel in, and very reassuring to drive.

There’s none of the suspension harshness and top-heavy feeling that tend to spoil some off-roaders, and it’s clear that providing a car with good response and sporty handling has been high on the list of priorities in designing Q5.

But it is also a highly practical vehicle with long-travel suspension, generous ground clearance, and easy access to the load space through a top-hinged and strongly spring-loaded tailgate, which can be opened by remote control. A quick-release pull on either side allows the wide or the narrow section of the rear seat backrest to fold down on to the one-piece cushion. A huge panoramic sunroof with the front section opening and sliding back above the fixed rear section is optional.

All versions of Q5 have quattro four-wheel drive permanently engaged, and there’s a hill descent control system. A clever feature is provision of a sensor to detect if the roof rack is in use, in which case it brings the electronic stability programme into action earlier.

At launch, there are just three engines: 2-litre petrol with FSI direct fuel injection, and two diesels: 2-litreTDI and 3-litre TDI. Of these, Audi expects the 2-litre TDI to be the best-seller of the new range, and it is certainly priced attractively at £27,070 (prices have been updated since the VAT reduction) with manual six-speed gearbox. Most versions are listed with S-tronic 7-speed automatic transmission. Especially attractive is the 3.0 TDI with SE trim and S-tronic transmission, but lots of money is needed to pay for extras, and the all-in price of the lavishly equipped test car was not far short of £47,000.

Again we have to criticise Audi’s speedometer, which has 120 mph at the top, so that all the important digits are crowded into the left side of the instrument, and even those who take their Q5 to Germany will not often see the speedometer needle in the right-hand half of the dial. Other than this silly mistake, the interior furnishing is delightfully neat and functionally arranged, and for ultimate luxury there is even a cup-holder which can be set to keep drinks either hot or cold. They certainly think of everything.

SE versions seem worth the £2,260 extra above the standard model, so our prime choice would be the Audi Q5 2.0 TDI SE quattro with six-speed manual gearbox at £29,320..

Mazda6 gets improved diesel
Starting in January 2009, the Mazda6 range increases with arrival of an enlarged diesel engine whose capacity goes up to 2,184 cc, and it is offered in three power versions:125 PS, 163, or 185. To make the choice even more extensive, there are three body styles: saloon, hatchback and estate car, and buyers can choose from five equipment levels.

There are also three petrol engines, though the diesel is so quiet and refined as well as offering more power and economy that it would be difficult to recommend any but one of the diesel models.

It is difficult to make a positive Prime Choice from the range until the prices are announced, and even then the recent launch over a severely testing route gave chance to drive only the 163 and 185 diesels. Of the two, we liked best the 163 PS, but this could be influenced by the fact that the 163 was in the slightly smaller hatchback body, while the 185 was an estate car. Fuel consumption is much the same for all models, with the quoted combined figure either side of 50 mpg, which is very good for a car of this size. The 163 PS version just creeps under the critical 150 g/km emissions limit, which is important for taxation even with the promised deferment of Chancellor Darling’s swingeing increases.

At the same time, Mazda introduces a rear vehicle monitoring system which shows a warning light on the interior side of the windscreen pillar, and if the driver uses the indicator to show intention to change lane when a vehicle is in the danger zone it sounds an additional warning. This is a good move to eliminate the need to turn the head to check that there is nothing in the blind spot before changing lane.

All versions have six-speed gearboxes as standard, and there will not be an automatic transmission for the diesel until 2010. Very convenient is the way in which the rear seat backrest drops down on to the cushion simply by pulling the release knob in the load space area. Not so good is the considerable blind spot caused by very thick windscreen pillars. The driver needs to remember to move the head around at junctions and roundabouts to make sure that no pedestrian or vehicle is masked by it.

Pending prices to confirm the recommendation, we would name as prime choice the Mazda6 TS Hatchback or Estate with 2.2-litre 163 PS turbo diesel engine.

Volvo C30
Every now and again a car stops you in your tracks. This was the case recently when we saw the Volvo C30 which, we believe, is one of the smartest looking new cars around.

Offering great value for money, it is a real head turner compared with most of today’s anonymous-looking hatchbacks. OK, from the front it’s very much S40 inspired (which is no bad thing) but further back its stunning Scandinavian design very much echoes the lines of the iconic Volvo 1800ES of the 1970s, particularly the swept flanks and distinctive all-glass tailgate, but we will leave you to judge for yourself.

Inside everything has a solid, stylish and quality feel. An attractive and clear dashboard is enhanced by a neat central console, extremely comfortable and supportive seats, and plenty of stowage areas. For a three-door car, rear space is surprisingly large with the superb individual seats allowing adults ample head, shoulder and leg room; the main drawback, if any, is probably the boot/load area which can best be described as 'just about adequate', although the seats do fold easily to make space for the occasional larger item to increase the cars load area and overall practicality.

On the move, this small executive hatchback did everything asked of it without undue fuss. Sharing many mechanical and chassis parts with Ford’s Focus we, however, preferred the Swedish set-up which, in our opinion, is probably engineered more towards everyday comfort rather than the raw performance and agility the Ford hatch is capable of. That said, we found the all-round dynamics of this compact Volvo excellent and could not fault it under normal road driving conditions.

At under £15,000 list price for the petrol 1.6 model, topping out at some £21k for the diesel T5 R-Design SE Sport, we feel the C30 range offers very good value for money, especially with a potential residual value of some 50% over three years. Be prepared, however, for those who cannot resist admiring its striking good looks, whichever model you choose!

Audi Field Day
Just how extensive the Audi range has now become, with 27 different models compared with only 12 ten years ago was amply demonstrated when the company recently held a Range Review near Wellesbourne, Warwickshire.

There was a bewildering choice of cars to be driven, and we decided to start off gently with the A3 Cabriolet in 1.8-litre FSI (direct petrol injection) form, and loved the smooth, quiet response of its engine, scarcely audible at all at tickover. We had driven the A3 Cabriolet at the launch in France, but we were glad to try it again on British roads and was just as impressed as before, especially when wafting along with the top down. Putting the hood up or down is entirely electric on the button, with no need to release any catches, and Audi retains the concept of a flexible soft top instead of the later trend to folding hardtops, with the advantage that generous 260-litre luggage space is available with the top up or down. Raising or lowering the top can be done on the move, up to 20 mph, so you can do it as you move away from your parking position.

With a six-speed gearbox, the A3 Cabriolet in this form was priced at £28,845 including options, but the range starts with 1.6-litre engine at under £20,000.

Following the A3 Cabriolet came the TT Coupé in its new guise with 2.0 TDI diesel engine and quattro four-wheel drive. It also featured magnetic suspension control - a system which varies the firmness of the dampers on demand, but we couldn’t really feel that the extra £1,650 cost of this refinement was justified. On the other hand we were tremendously impressed by the TT and reckoned it was the sportiest and most responsive diesel we have yet driven. It gives a lovely purposeful snarl of power when accelerating and soars rapidly up to its 4,500 rpm limit in the gears. It’s a bit difficult to get into the car, but once there you feel very snug and in control. We noticed at this test day that it is nothing for these cars to be stacked up with more than £10,000 worth of extras, and this TT listed at £25,850, totalled £36,050 in the form as tried.

Next came the big thrill: Audi’s R8, the amazing Coupé with 4.2-litre V8 engine, producing shattering performance. One felt in complete control of the car, although not too happy about the amount of feed-back through the steering, tending to pull slightly one way or the other, and the automatic transmission called R-Tronic created quite a surge between ratio changes, almost as if the brakes came on for an instant. It was made much smoother by easing the accelerator back for gear changes. We didn’t look at the price list until we had the R8 safely back in the compound, when it was found that the standard £83,245 was boosted to £98,975 by the extras. Its acceleration rockets the car from rest to 80 mph in only 6.9 seconds, and all things considered the fuel consumption at 19.9 mpg was not too bad although the test route didn’t allow much in the way of high speeds.

Another very fast car available for gentle proving round the Warwickshire lanes was the RS6 Avant which has a V10 5-litre engine developing 580 bhp, which must make it the fastest load carrier on the market. It was very comfortable and effortless to drive, and when opened up it proved as fast as the R8, going from rest to 80 mph in exactly the same time of 6.9 seconds. The RS6 has its top speed restricted to 155 mph, unlike the R8 which - with the important proviso always given, ‘where the law permits’ - is able to reach 187 mph. The RS6 was listed at £76,700, and a modest outlay on extras totalled it out to £80,510. Both of these, of course, have quattro four-wheel drive.

Also in quattro form was the last car for which there was time for a long drive, the A4 Avant 3.0TDI, which we were particularly keen to try to compare with my own Avant 2.5 TDI quattro which is now nine years old. We fell for this new Avant in a big way with its lovely refinement, effortless performance and very high levels of comfort, but there were some things we didn’t like. The test car had the S-line specification which means that those rather unsightly day running lights, like a string of shiny beads beneath the headlamps, are on all the time the engine is running; and the interior is rather sombre with black leather trim and black headlining.

A bad mistake, in our view, is the calibration of the speedometer, which has 120 mph at the top of the dial, and as much space devoted to the figures from 120 onwards as for those from 0 to 120, which are very crowded together. However, you can switch the computer information display to show speed digitally. Many other engines are available for the A4 Avant, but if you want a diesel with quattro four-wheel drive, which will be appreciate by caravanners, then the 2-litre TDI is attractively priced at £27,450. The 3-litre, costs £31,350 in SE specification, plus £1,400 extra for Tiptronic automatic transmission.

A fascinating day’s driving left us just time to go out again briefly in the R8 with manual transmission, reminding ourselves what a superb car this is for those to whom money is no problem.
Choosing a Prime Choice from this impressive array of Audi engineering is pretty impossible if any concern is given to price and running costs, otherwise one would like them all. However, the two which impressed particularly strongly are the A3 Cabriolet 2.0 TDI standard at £22,760, and the A4 Avant 3.0 TDI quattro SE for £31,350.

Universal screwdriver
Do you ever find you haven’t the correct screwdriver for the job and have to rummage about in the toolkit to find what you need? The JML universal screwdriver could be handy on such occasions, because it has a choice of 12 bits, any of which can be chosen and loaded in much the same way as a revolver. Just twist the barrel until the required bit is in the window, then push back and the required bit is in the jaw ready for use. The revolver barrel holds six bits, and the barrel with the other six stows away in the handle. It takes only a few seconds to unscrew the holder and swap barrels, and the driver head is magnetic so there is no danger of having the bit fall out and getting lost.

JML’s barrel-loading screwdriver costs £5.99 from John Mills Ltd, Regis Road, London NW5 3EG. Telephone 0800 781 7831 or you can order it on-line from www.JMLdirect.com

Volkswagen Scirocco GT 2.0 TSI
It’s quite amazing to reflect that 34 years have passed since the first Scirocco was launched, marking a major departure for Volkswagen from rear-engined air-cooled engines, to water-cooled front-drive models, to be followed by the Golf. Now comes the new one which is every bit as exciting as the original in terms of progress and driving pleasure.

Initially it is launched with a 2-litre 16-valve TSI engine, but next year a 2-litre TDI diesel will be offered. There will also be a 1.4-litre TSI engine which will be offered with six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG automatic. The current 2-litre TSI unit is a turbo-charged petrol engine with direct fuel injection and power output of 197 bhp, as well as very high torque (280 Nm).

We drove the Scirocco with the optional DSG automatic transmission and was thrilled by it. DSG stands for direct shift gearbox, and means effectively that the car has a six-speed gearbox with no torque converter, and drive is through twin clutches giving smoothly progressive power, and almost instantaneous gear changes, as well as providing the driver with complete control of up and down gear shifting if required, by means of the gear selector or paddle switches beneath the steering column. In fully automatic mode the Scirocco soars smoothly and swiftly through its gears to reach 80 mph from rest in only 10.7 seconds, and goes on to a top speed of 145 mph.

On first settling into the snugly shaped driving seat the impression is of sitting rather low with slightly restricted visibility, especially to the rear, where fixed head-rest hoops for the rear passengers rather spoil the view to the back. But soon after setting off the needle-sharp handling of the Scirocco and its sparkling performance make it a most desirable Coupé, absolutely a joy to drive.

It will take four people, just, but rear passenger space is a little limited, and the rear hatch opens by means of a switch on the driver’s door or the key fob, to reveal quite generous luggage capacity..

The rear seats are centrally divided to tip forward giving an extra load platform, and beneath the rear floor is a space-saver spare wheel.

The instruments are clear but slightly recessed and rather dark unless the lights are on. The body is fully galvanised and has a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. The interior of the car tried was in a rather sombre black, but a panoramic glass sunroof with electric tilt action is available at £230.

There are no trim options, and only the one engine at present, for a price of £20,940, to which the DSG transmission adds £1,330. It works so well, and enhances the sporty appeal of the Scirocco, that we feel justified in suggesting that the prime choice for a delightful high performance Coupé should be the Scirocco GT 2.0 TSI with six-speed DSG automatic at £22,270.

Dodge Journey
It’s claimed to be a ‘family friendly’ car, and the Journey does indeed justify the claim because a lot of thought has gone into the interior. Seating is provided for seven, and there are many clever features such as the way in which the centre seats move forward and tip to give easy access to the rear two, and stowage space is provided in a bin each side under the floor behind the front seats, and there’s another compartment under the front passenger seat.

On getting into the Journey you notice what a high vehicle it is from the way in which you climb up into it, and then enjoy a commanding view from the high vantage point. Also appreciated straight away are the neatness and clarity of the instrumentation which is all illuminated from a panel which is black until the key is turned. It was surprising to find that the speedometer is almost exactly accurate, demolishing an initial impression that the car was going nowhere near as fast as was being indicated. It turned out that it was, indeed, moving along very rapidly. At speed it gives a feeling of confidence and reassurance. The ride is also quiet and comfortable on main roads, but when taking poorly surfaced secondary roads there is rather a lot of suspension movement. The seats are comfortable, and the driver has electric adjustment but this is for the cushion part of the seat only, and features only on the dearer SXT version. Backrest angle is adjusted by lever release.

Although it may look like an off-roader, Journey is not intended as such. It has big ground clearance and sizeable wheels, but drive is to the front wheels only.The range starts with a 2.4-litre petrol model at £16,995. This has SE trim, which is also available with a diesel. Unlike the Jeep Cherokee from the same family, which uses an Italian VM diesel engine, the Dodge Journey has the Volkswagen 2-litre TDI engine which is very efficient and manages an official consumption figure of 43.5 mpg - creditable for a seven-seater. However, the installation and noise suppression of this diesel are not as good as Volkswagen manages to achieve, and one hears the growl of the diesel quite prominently all the time.

Automatic six-speed transmission is available for the SXT trim level, which is itself £2,000 dearer than the SE. Automatic adds a further £1,200, taking it to £21,195.

With its bullish and distinctive appearance as well as its generous carrying capacity, there is a lot of attraction in the new Dodge Journey; but on examining the equipment specifications we can’t really see £2,000 of extra value when you upgrade from SE to SXT. So prime choice of this attractive new model would be the Dodge Journey 2.0 CRD SE manual six-speed at £17,995.

Road,Track and Jaguar - Stuart Bladon's impressions
What an exciting prospect! Go to Germany and drive the new Jaguar XF on the road, and then try the XK on the circuit at the Nürburgring; it was too good an opportunity for Gear Wheels to miss, and it proved every bit as thrilling as expected. On arrival at Köln/Bonn airport my colleagues and I were confronted by a magnificent line-up of XF models, from which I chose first the 2.7-litre V6 diesel with automatic transmission and the advantage of ‘paddle’ levers beneath the steering wheel for prompting up and down changes.

At once the smoothness and quietness of this Peugeot-origin diesel engine impressed, and in hilly terrain on our test route it gave superb response. The only slight drawback is that the paddle switch controls go round with the steering, so when taking tricky tight bends it’s difficult to remember exactly where they are. Keep hands in the same position on the wheel? No, you can’t do that because on some of the bends you would finish up with arms crossed and colliding with each other!

This XF seemed absolutely magnificent, and is the model I would chose if selecting one to buy, because the diesel penalties are negligible, and the comfort of the ride and general quietness and ambience are wonderful.

At the end of our fairly short drive to the halfway changeover point it had scored 29.4 mpg, which was not bad for hard driving over a fairly demanding route. My only complaint is that the instruments are poor, and when it was necessary to have the lights on in wet weather, the figures become back-lit and even more difficult to read. Such a high-speed car merits a larger and clearer speedometer and rev counter.

For the second leg of the drive to the Nürburgring a 4.2-litre supercharged XF took the place of the diesel, showing staggering acceleration, as expected, though traffic conditions gave little opportunity to put the full power on to the road. This version of the XF would be most satisfying where the speed potential could be exploited, but even with a lot of dreary slow-speed running and few opportunities to overtake, it returned a horrifying fuel consumption. The cars were in left-hand drive form, with Continental instrumentation, and what looked like a frightening 19.7 litres/100 km was even more terrifying when converted to give 14.3 mpg.

All too soon we were at the Nürburgring race circuit, and the journey, initially in heavy rain, had been nothing like enough to explore and exploit the potential of the fabulous XF, but served as a welcome appetiser. After a quick comfort stop at the circuit it was then out to a formidable line-up of Jaguar XK sports cars, and at first some skid-testing was arranged. On a very low-friction wet road surface, the passage of the front wheels triggers a sideways jolt as the rear wheels pass over it, and it was quite an eye-opener to find how difficult it was to control the car in these conditions of simulated wet ice. Car after car went into a graceful pirouette in spite of full opposite lock steering correction. More impressive was the lane change test at 65 km/h (40 mph) when the XK showed its ability to respond to the steering and switch from one lane to the adjacent one through cones, in response to a sudden jerk of the steering.

Then it was into the crash helmets, and the exciting bit of the day’s testing on the Formula 1 circuit. We drove in pairs, following the line of a racing driver leading the way in another XK, which was a very instructive way to learn the capabilities of the XK. Highest speed reached on the all-too short straight was 195 km/h (121 mph), which seemed quite fast enough for me, though it was reassuring to be following the expert, and shown exactly where to start braking and what line to take through the corner.

After this came two laps as passenger with a racing driver - in my case, Tom Schwister, who showed the full potential of the XK. He kept asking: "Tummy OK?", meaning was I beginning to feel ill, as some passengers do on a racing circuit, but he needn't have worried - I was feeling great and really enjoying it.

Jaguar have a tremendous presence at the Nürburgring, with a hospitality suite, and staff on hand to demonstrate that the XK is a formidable high performance sports car, and it was good to have a brief acquaintance of both XF and XK. It’s a pity that all the cars were in plain black, but perhaps Jaguar wants to show that it’s what’s inside that’s important.

Jeep Cherokee
A storming off-roader is an apt description of the new Jeep Cherokee gained after a really convincing demonstration of this vehicle’s most impressive off-road abilities; at one stage even plunging down a bank and into a rock-strewn river for nearly half a mile of deep fording.

Successfully out at the other end and to another off-road facility, where the Cherokee really showed what it can do, clambering up deeply rutted climbs, and then slithering down equally steep and alarming ones, under complete control.

This new Cherokee with the optional five-speed automatic transmission has a hill descent control, operated simply by pressing a button and choosing in advance which gear to select. The higher the gear, the higher the speed it allows the Cherokee to attain up to a maximum of 12 km/h (8 mph), using the anti-lock brake system. It’s quite exciting just to sit back, see the bonnet disappear over a frighteningly steep drop, and then have the car descend under complete control. A three-position switch near the console gives choice of two-wheel drive, automatic four-wheel drive coming into action as needed for the terrain, and four-wheel drive low ratio. Starts on a steep hill are achieved without running back, thanks to the hill start assist system, and the hill descent control works equally effectively to prevent the car from getting out of control backwards when reversing down a steep and slippery slope.

Behaviour on the road is also good though perhaps less outstanding, with the new suspension system giving a comfortable ride with not too much in the way of bump thump or tyre roar, and a feeling of confidence is given by the handling and steering. A beefy Italian VM four-cylinder 2.8-litre diesel engine gives the Cherokee good hill climbing and lively performance, reaching 80 mph from rest in 19 seconds. The fuel consumption indicator at first seemed disappointing, with a reading of 26.5 mpg, but this is in US gallons, the equivalent metric figure being a more reasonable 31.8 mpg.

There are no petrol versions, and although a six-speed manual gearbox is the standard ware, it is expected that most buyers will opt for the automatic which suits it very well and seems worth the extra £1,000 cost. The selector is knocked to the left to change down sequentially, and to the right to change back up, becoming fully automatic again in D.

With a towing capacity of 2,800 kg, the Cherokee should prove a capable tow-vehicle, and at the test facility it was demonstrated towing a lightweight caravan through muddy water up to a foot deep.
Special feature of the new Cherokee is the optional canvas top roof which has electric action and gives a huge opening to the sky, making the car almost like a convertible. Costing £950 extra, the sliding roof can be opened at front or rear, or taken right back, and stopped at any position. Also available is an entertainment package including improved audio and a very easy to use and effective navigation system.

Leather trimmed seats are standard, and there is only one trim level, called Limited, to consider, so the prime choice would be the Jeep Cherokee 2.8 CRD Limited automatic at £25,595.

SEAT Ibiza
In July 2008 SEAT launched its fourth generation Ibiza model, built on a new base platform which will also be used by Volkswagen for the forthcoming new Polo. It has longer wheelbase and wider track, yet the new car is lighter than before. A body swage line runs back from the top of the lamp units across all four doors, and a new feature on some models is that the fog lamps serve also as side illumination lamps when turning. For a modest £35 charge, a mounting unit for the owner’s satellite navigation unit can be provided on the top of the facia, but the gently sloping windscreen is a long way away, and we found the Tomtom screen too small to see clearly from such a distance.

The Ibiza comes as a five-door, but three-door versions will be available from October. Oncoming options will include a direct-shift 7-speed auto gearbox before end of 2008, and a panoramic fixed glass sunroof.

Initially there are just three engines - 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 - all 16-valve petrol units, to be joined by diesel engines in 2009.

At the launch in the north-west of England, we drove first the 1.2 and was pleased to find how quiet this small engine is, becoming hardly audible at all at tickover, but inevitably it’s a little lacking on power, and those planning to use the Ibiza as a family car would probably do better to opt for the 1.4 or 1.6.

A poor feature of the car is that the instruments are deeply recessed and difficult to see. We found it necessary to have the sidelamps on all the time to obtain the necessary back lighting which should be on automatically. Otherwise, the calibration of the instruments is good, with the speedometer pleasantly devoid of the km/h equivalents which always make speedometers look untidy. Instead, as provided by Mercedes-Benz, the display between the speedometer and rev counter shows speed in km/h, and when the car stops this changes automatically to give the car’s total mileometer reading. There is no temperature gauge, and the fuel gauge is just a column of red blobs.

The return drive over the same test route in the 1.6-litre was much more rewarding, with lively performance available, but fuel consumption at only 37.9 mpg was a little disappointing. Its CO2 figure is 157 g/km against 139 for the 1.2 model, and claimed fuel consumption is 42.8 mpg. The Ibiza has only a five-speed gearbox with fairly low gearing giving only 21.4 mph per 1,000 rpm in fifth. The ride is a bit knobbly and bumpy but the handling and steering give a sporty feel to the 1.6, tried with Sport trim.

A useful option for S, SE and Sport models is a hill-hold feature: select first gear on a hill, then release the brake and the car will not roll back during the two-second delay while you engage forward drive. It comes as part of a package which includes electronic stability and emergency brake assist, all at £280 extra.

At £11,095, the 1.6 Sport is £1,775 dearer than the 1.2 with basic S trim and the addition of air conditioning, and seems worth the difference; our prime choice would be Ibiza 1.6 Sport at £11,095.

Honda Accord
Cars keep on getting larger, and the new Honda Accord is a typical example. When I settled into the driving seat of the new model my first impression was of sitting in a big car and being too low in relation to the base of the windscreen. I tried to activate the rachet lever beside the driving seat to give more height, only to find that it was already in the highest position. The Accord is also rather black and sombre inside, with a formidable array of controls and switches on the console; but these are all clearly labelled, and on switching on, the instruments light up as a model of clarity. Sensibly placed right at the top of the console area is the navigation screen under a large lip to avoid reflections and provide a clear map display in all conditions. The navigation system can be voice activated.

Tremendous work has gone into the engines to reduce emissions to well below the limits demanded by the upcoming Euro 5 standard in September 2009. The engine we tried first was the 2.2-litre diesel (i-DTEC) in six-speed manual gearbox form, and as with all Honda diesels, it is exceptionally quiet and smooth, wind and tyre noise being the dominant sound sources on the road. Contrary to the claims for this new 149 bhp unit, low speed response seemed a little lacking, and there was need to use the gearbox freely to keep the revs up, when the engine then seemed much more lively.

Acceleration times for the 2.2-litre diesel are almost the same as for the 2-litre petrol model, and it reached 80 mph from rest in 16.7 seconds, with a top speed of 131 mph. Driven briskly, the 2.2 diesel recorded 39.6 mpg, but would no doubt give a better figure given a less demanding test run providing more chance for cruising in sixth gear. The official claim for this model is 49.6 mpg overall. Impressive aspects are the comfort of the ride and the seating, and positive feel to the handling.

Next we graduated to the 2.4-litre petrol Accord with five-speed automatic transmission. Power output is 198 bhp, and in conjunction with this very smooth and responsive automatic it made the Accord an extremely pleasant car to drive, with the advantage of paddle switches below the steering wheel to give over-riding control of gear changes. In fact the transmission responds so well that there is little need to use these. This automatic will become available for diesel versions next year. Inevitably the 2.4 petrol model used more fuel, indicated at 26.5 mpg on the very informative computer display, but the claimed figure is 32.8 mpg. CO2 emissions are 204 g/km putting it in Band F for car tax at £210 this year, £300 next year. Price of the 2.4-litre automatic is £24,560, compared with £24,060 for the 2.2 diesel with equivalent EX trim and manual gearbox.

Tremendous efforts have been taken to make the new Accord a very safe car, with all kinds of optional equipment such as cruise control linked to the speed and proximity of the vehicle ahead, adaptive brake assistance, and a driver alert system to warn of wandering out of lane. Saloon and Tourer (estate car) versions are available, the Tourer costing £1,300 extra. We enjoyed the Honda Accord 2.4 EX automatic at £24,560 so much that we would name this as our Prime Choice; but for the economy conscious it would have to be the Honda Accord 2.2 ES diesel six-speed manual at £21,060.

Mazda RX-8 – R3 version
Going on sale from late August in “R3” form, the iconic Mazda RX-8 four-door sports coupe with its unique design of twin-rotor engine, which does without conventional valves while going through the motions of a conventional four-stroke working cycle, has been extensively up-dated and is more powerful, more refined and better equipped than ever; it is priced at £24,995 “on the road”.

With a claimed maximum output of 231 bhp (from what Mazda refer to as a 1.3-litre capacity - but has been suggested should really be regarded as 2.6-litres!) the twin-rotor unit remains incredibly smooth and mostly quiet until the driver uses full power, when the motor emits a sound perhaps best-described as a “shriek”.

It continues to be a most enjoyable driving machine, yet truly practical with its four-door access to very comfortable leather-upholstered seating (with the qualification that there must be compromises with tight legroom if all four occupants are tall).

For a car as rapid as this, the ride is firm without being harsh and the handling is excellent and very predictable, which it needs to be with a claimed top speed of 146 mph and 0-62 mph acceleration in only 6.4 seconds. It remains recognisably the same shape, but with mildly revised frontal styling of the strengthened body, large diameter wheels (19 inch) with very low-profile (40 section) tyres – although the ride isn’t harsh.

The six-speed gearbox has a short, smooth and precise movement which will be a joy to enthusiastic drivers who will probably be unimpressed by the fact that there is genuinely good flexibility from around 2,000 of the 8,200 rpm at which maximum power is developed!

As well as its unusual concept of sports coupe styling with four-door access, the RX-8 has many refinements, like dusk-sensing automatic lights, Xenon headlamps with auto levelling and washer jets, rain-sensing wipers, remote central locking with deadlocks. All four occupants have cup holders (!) and other luxuries include a premium Bose MP3-compatible audio system with no fewer than nine speakers and an integrated six-CD changer together with steering-wheel mounted audio controls.

Our early taste of RX-8 – R3 delights was in West Sussex, where the weather treated us to a variety of streaming wet roads as well as dry ones on a day of thunder storms, making the RX-8’s splendid handling a joy as well as a practical benefit.

The RX-8’s rotary engine is known to be a thirsty unit (the “combined” figure of this new R3 version is 24.6 mpg and owners of existing models will tell you that they would be happy to achieve that but seldom do so!) but although it may be an anti-social and anti-environmental attitude, not many potential buyers will worry too much about high fuel bills. This is truly a fun car but also a real four-seater. It doesn’t have many rivals in its price sector.

Ford Kuga
No one could say cars are not fashionable, and the big fashion these days is for what is called the Crossover, which is a polite way of saying ‘4x4 with environmental apologies’! Latest new offering in this category is Ford’s German-built Kuga, and a very pleasing car it is indeed. There’s none of the harsh ride characteristics of some 4x4s, designed for pounding over bad roads at ridiculous speeds - instead the Kuga is extremely comfortable, and it’s powered by a refined and exceptionally quiet four-cylinder 2-litre diesel engine with six-speed manual gearbox. There are no plans for a petrol version or for one with only two-wheel drive. The four-wheel drive transmission uses a Haldex coupling giving progressive torque transfer on demand as the rear wheels begin to loose grip on a soft surface.

The test route gave little opportunity to try Kuga at speed, and with few occasions to do more than about 40 mph it was perhaps not surprising that very good economy of 47 mpg was returned, but the official economy claim is also impressive at 44.1 mpg, with the all-important CO2 figure at 169 g/km which puts it in Band E with tax for 2008-09 at £170 (£175 in 2009-10).

To start the engine, the key can be kept in pocket or handbag and the Power button is pressed twice with the clutch pedal down. Good features of Kuga are the clear instruments and information display between the back-lit rev counter and speedometer, good visibility from a high seating position with large, clear door mirrors, and the two-stage tailgate which is spring loaded to lift of its own accord after an initial upward pull. Either the whole tailgate or just the upper part incorporating the back window can be opened.

Quiet, comfortable and easy to drive, Kuga looks set to win many friends for Ford, and it should prove reasonably inexpensive to run, helped by good insurance grouping (10E). The Kuga has plastic front wings, saving weight and reducing minor accident damage.

Only two models are offered, Zetec at £20,500, and Titanium for an extra £2,000, but a wide range of options is available including a 230-volt power socket in the rear offering up to 150 watts, to power such items as a laptop or to recharge a camera. However, unless one wants to go to the luxury of partial leather upholstery and some other items there didn’t seem to be enough extra to justify the added cost of Titanium trim, so our Prime Choice would be the Kuga Zetec five-door 136 PS 4x4 at £20,500.

Fiat ECO Bravo
In a big drive to encourage buyers, Fiat is offering 48-hour test drives, and the Bravo range which was launched in revised form last year, has come in for major engine developments. At the same time, the warranty has been extended to cover five years with unlimited mileage.

No measured fuel economy tests were possible at the recent driving opportunity based on Henley-on-Thames, but the indications of the fuel consumption indicator were most encouraging with readings of 51.1 mpg, and 50.8 from the new 1.6-litre Multijet diesel. The CO2 emissions figure for this engine is 119 g/km, which puts it in Band B for annual car tax at £35. Power output is a modest 105 bhp, but a more powerful version giving 120 bhp is available, as well as a 1.9-litre diesel offering 150 bhp. In addition there is a wide range of petrol engines starting at £10,995 for the 1.4-litre with base trim, the total range being 17 versions, including choice of five trim levels, all with five doors.

The new ECO engine proved a little lacking in response at low revs, so fairly frequent use of the six-speed gear change is necessary to keep the revs up, since nothing much happens once the revs have dropped below 1,500 rpm. There are many special features to the Bravo, including the hill-hold facility, which allows the car to restart on an uphill gradient, or reverse back up a downhill one, without need for clever handbrake coordination, and the steering has Fiat’s two-stage control giving choice of reduced effort for low-speed work, and increased sensitivity at speed. Most models also feature provision for the lights to stay on for a preset interval, lighting the way to your front door.

Particularly impressive on the test drive was the comfort of the ride - a feature too often neglected these days in the interests of optimum handling, yet the cornering and stability of the Bravo are very reassuring. Less pleasing is the way in which the instruments are rather buried away and hard to read unless the lights are on. Also, a driver taking advantage of the seat height adjustment to raise the driving position finds the critical left part of the speedometer masked by the steering wheel rim.

This latest Bravo brings many improvements and a comprehensive range of equipment is offered as standard, especially in the Dynamic trim as tried, and can be enhanced from the extensive options list offering such features as rear parking sensors, electric sunroof, and dual zone climate control. On the launch drive it was not possible to try any of the petrol models, and for a low-mileage family car the 1.4-litre 90 bhp FIRE engine might prove tempting with basic trim and the start price figure of £10,995 in spite of its high 158 g/km CO2 figure (annual tax £145), but we consider Prime Choice to be the Fiat Bravo 1.6 Multijet 105 diesel Active Sport six-speed at £14,655.

Audi A3 Cabriolet
Why Audi chooses to call its convertible a cabriolet is not quite clear, but what is certain is that this new small open car is absolutely delightful. There are none of the flexing and tremor of the body which are noticeable with many open cars, and the handling is excellent, with immaculate steering precision, plus roadholding which makes the car seem able to take corners at almost any speed - within limits, of course!

Unlike the modern trend to folding rigid hardtops for open cars, Audi retains the concept of folding fabric, and this system brings the advantage that there is no loss of luggage space in the boot, whether the top is up or not, and rear seat legroom is not compromised since it was not necessary to move the rear bulkhead forward. Also, the Cabriolet retains the split folding rear seat feature enabling boot space to be extended into the car, or for long items to be carried.

With the Sport and S-Line models, hood folding is entirely hands free apart from holding the switch to operate it. Lowering the roof takes nine seconds, and putting the top back up was timed at 12 seconds. The forward part of the hood has a rigid backing which serves as the tonneau cover when the top is down. The slight drawback compared with folding rigid top convertibles is that the hood is at risk of vandalism, and not as secure against thieves with a knife. With the standard model, nearly £2,000 cheaper, hood action is described as ‘semi-automatic, electrically operated’, so some releasing and fastening of catches is necessary.

Some may say the rear appearance of the A3 Cabriolet with the top down is slightly spoilt by the fixed roll-over safety hoops. The hood features a heated glass rear window.

Unusually in these days when emphasis is on diesels more than petrol cars, the models available for assessment at the launch were all powered by the FSI petrol engines in 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre form, both with turbocharging. Particularly impressive was the 2.0 FSI with superbly smooth and responsive S-tronic six-speed transmission which adds £1,400 to the already rather hefty £25,510 price for the 2.0 FSI, and if the budget will run to that, this would be our recommended Prime Choice. For a lower budget, and with the 1.9-litre TDI diesel engine and five-speed manual gearbox, you can still have lovely fun motoring at £20,750.

But of course, the temptation, if you can afford it, to spend a lot more on such refinements as leather seats (£1,200), satellite navigation (£1,650), and special alloy wheels (£300), can easily add together to push the price up another £8,000 or more. Being sensible, though, our Prime Choice would be the A3 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI Sport with S-tronic automatic transmission, for £26,910 or, keeping the budget down and reducing the all-important CO2 factor from 181 to 134, the A3 Cabriolet 1.9 TDI standard five-speed manual at £20,750.

New Mazda6
Mazda6 is more than just a new model from the Japanese company – which is part of the Ford family. It’s a whole new range! Cars tend to get larger and usually that means heavier. Not this one – although it’s bigger and stronger, it’s actually lighter and more efficient.

And the choice is impressive: three body styles (saloon, hatchback and estate car) and four engines - 1.8-litre, 120 horsepower petrol; 2-litre, 147 bhp petrol and 2.5-litre, 170 bhp petrol; plus an extremely refined and flexible 2-litre, 140 bhp diesel.

There are no fewer than 25 individual models ranging in price from a 1.8-litre petrol-burning five-door hatchback in “S” trim and equipment for £15,100, through “S”, “TS”, “TS2” and “Sport” to a five-door estate car with the highest (“SL” – meaning “sport luxury”) level of trim and the diesel engine for a shade over £22k.

Versions with 1.8-litre engines come with five-speed manual gearboxes, diesels have six-speed manuals and five-speed automatic transmissions are offered on more up-market 2-litre versions for an extra £1,050.

Our Mazda6 experience began from Manchester Airport in a five-door hatchback with the highest level trim and equipment available with this body (Sport) and the most powerful engine (2.5 petrol) at £19,630 and also the highest (12E) insurance rating. Heading off to the north-western corner of Wales, with its splendid scenery (mountains topped with late spring snow), over good roads with only light traffic, progress was rapid and effortless. It was interesting to find out just how far lengthy inclines could be tackled without changing down from the tall sixth gear!

Progress was halted when we came across colleagues stuck at the roadside, having clipped a large rock in the road which burst a front tyre (luckily, we just missed it!). Plans to assist them in changing the wheel came to nought when we discovered that there was no spare wheel – just a cylinder of “gunge” which supposedly inflates a punctured tyre and seals the hole - but won’t work when the tyre has a big split in it! You cannot beat a proper spare wheel!

Despite having the lowest profile (225/45) tyres and the stiffest suspension in the range, the Sport provided a smooth ride and confident handling to go with the strong performance.

The next day the diesel estate car was chosen with the greatest carrying capacity of the three body styles, although only by 49 litres compared with the hatchback (rear seat folded in both), while the luggage space of all three with all seats in use, but loaded only to side window level, is almost identical at a bit over 500 litres. Fold the back seats in the hatch or estate and you get a massive 1,700 litres when loading to the roof.

Unsurprisingly, the 2.5 petrol model felt the best to drive, with its greater power, but the diesel’s outstanding mid-range “grunt” (nearly 50 per cent more torque than for the largest petrol unit) provided outstanding flexibility and, in “real world” use, could well be considered more desirable, even at an extra £710 premium.

The best buy? Probably the diesel-powered hatchback in “S” trim and equipment level at £15,620 (only £510 more than the cheapest Mazda6) and with the next to lowest insurance group (8E), lowest emissions level and road tax groups, while still having high levels of trim and equipment.

Mazda2
One of my colleagues gained a favourable impression when he drove the Mazda2 during its launch, but this is the first opportunity we have had to try the supermini out over a more extended period, and mightily impressive it proved to be.

Producing a respectable 86 bhp, the lively and refined 1.3-litre petrol engine in the TS2 model used is allied to a beautifully smooth five-speed manual gearbox and a well balanced chassis, resulting in sharp all-round performer making the car great fun to drive whether on a long journey or merely pottering down to the shops; some may think the ride a tad on the firm side, but that's a minor trade off for its solid feel, sure-fire grip, agility and general handling. The overall fuel economy from our 2 was approaching 40 mpg, which is respectable for a petrol and more-or-less on par with what you would expect from a more expensive diesel unit.

Appearance wise, it's somewhat athletic stance ensures the new 2's design continues the dynamic image that the Japanese manufacturer has cultivated over recent years - its sharp, sporty, looks certainly puts it in a different league altogether from its rather boxy predecessor!

Inside the good news continues. The short overhang of the 'wheel-at-each-corner' concept means an impressive wheelbase resulting in a good deal of usable cabin space - rear leg room and boot space is particularly good for a car of this size - with extra interior room freed up by the high-mounted gear change lever and the neat centre console. Small touches like the well thought out glove box with map/magazine compartment add to the general ambience of this sub-£!0k otr motorcar.

From the drivers seat we like the uncomplicated dashboard, clear instrumentation and the neat rounded appearance of the controls and vents. Front seat adjustment was fine for my 6 foot, plus, frame, with good support and no signs of aching niggles from the lumbar region after a longish journey. Air conditioning, side and curtain airbags, 60/40 split rear seats, heated mirrors, and numerous other desirables, come as standard.

Our follow up drive of this small Mazda confirms the favourable impression gained at its launch in Scotland last year (we have reinserted our original launch impressions at the end of Milestones). All in all then, we feel the Mazda2 to be well designed and superbly engineered with excellent build quality throughout; in the long term, we would expect it to wear well and retain a strong residue value.

Audi A4
Cars go on getting bigger, in spite of the constraints for fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to be reduced, and so it is with the latest Audi A4. This third generation of the model is longer, wider and lower, and when driving it the impression is that it’s quite a big car now, offering a lot of space inside but needing more room on the road and in the garage. But by clever engineering the makers have managed to position the differential between the engine and the clutch, and thereby to move the front axle forward by 154 mm, and to position the steering rack below the front axle.

These changes have made the car better balanced, becoming delightfully responsive and precise to handle, while a longer wheelbase has allowed the new A4 to have more legroom in the rear, and for the boot capacity to be increased. Also, by improving the aerodynamic factor, Audi has managed to claim a 15 per cent improvement in fuel economy and emissions.

Remarkably, at the launch, all the models available for driving were diesel-powered, the choice being a four-cylinder 2-litre with six-speed gearbox giving 141 bhp, a 2.7-litre V6 available initially only with Multitronic eight-stage automatic, and a 3-litre V6.

The petrol versions available are a four-cylinder 1.8 and a V6 3.2-litre with quattro four-wheel drive, and both have FSI direct fuel injection. The 1.8 petrol is £1,350 cheaper than the 2.0 diesel, and has a six-speed gearbox. The V6 diesel 3-litre also has quattro.

There were not many things to disappoint in these highly impressive new Audis, but we didn’t like the lack of any footrest for the left foot, and thought the calibration of the speedometer very bad indeed. It has 120 mph at the top of the circular scale and then goes on round the dial to 180 mph. It means that the increments on the side which most drivers in UK will be using are very close together, and the all-important 30 mph figure is not marked at all. You just have to guess that it’s at the mark between 20 and 40, though it was not too clear which mark corresponded to 20 mph. However, it is conceded that the very comprehensive and easy to read computer display between speedometer and rev counter can be switched to show a large digital speed read-out.

All sorts of refinements are available such as a hill hold system which will be valued by caravanners, adaptive cruise control to maintain a fixed distance from the vehicle in front and air conditioning feeding through the seats to keep them cool in very hot weather. But prices need to be watched, as the extras on the 2.7 TDI, for example, took the price from £28,440 as listed to a formidable total of £40,545. Two trim levels are available - SE and S line - the latter being identified by its row of little LED lights on all the time when driving by day or night.

We enjoyed driving these new A4 models enormously, and agreed that most buyers will probably be very happy with the quiet, responsive and very fast 2.0 TDI, expected to be the top seller. But for £4,500 extra the 2.7 V6 with 188 bhp and auto transmission seemed very tempting indeed, so our recommendation for Prime Choice would be the Audi A4 2.0 TDI 6-speed at £23,940, or if the budget will run to it the A4 2.7 TDI V6 Multitronic CVT automatic for £28,440.

SsangYong
Back, better and cheaper, is the concise summary of the revised SsangYong range in a line-up described as ‘completely refreshed,’ and now being marketed by a new company called Koelliker UK Ltd., which took over the franchise last year. For a limited period - and they don’t reveal how long it will be - SsangYong is offering free servicing for three years and up to 30,000 miles, plus free satellite navigation upgrades on certain models.

There are three models - Kyron, Rexton and Rodius. Much better value than before when it cost £17,995, the revised Kyron is now on sale at £3,000 less (£14,995), and has a 2-litre five-cylinder diesel engine, but note, front-drive only. For another £2,000 it gets four-wheel drive, and a further £1,500 adds Mercedes-Benz five-speed T-Tronic automatic transmission. What is not made too clear is that in basic form the Kyron has beam axle rear suspension, and the ride was uncomfortable. Far better, but also a lot more expensive, was the Kyron 2.7 SPR, which has a 2.7-litre diesel engine, permanent four-wheel drive and independent rear suspension with Mercedes-Benz T-Tronic automatic. The price for this one is £22,495.

The Rexton models all get four-wheel drive and 2.7-litre diesel engine, the Rexton S starting the range at £19,995.

Under the Rodius name come seven-seater SsangYongs, all with the same 2.7-litre diesel engine, and beginning with the 270S at £14,995 in front-wheel drive form. Four-wheel drive comes in with the top model, Rodius 270 EX which also has auto transmission and costs £19,995. We particularly liked the ingenious centre armrest and storage unit which takes out and converts into a baggage trolley with wheels.

The substantial price cuts compared with what the SsangYongs cost before make this new range sound attractive, but one needs to check prices and specifications carefully. Following a brief test day acquaintance our recommendation for Prime Choice would be the SsangYong Kyron 2.7 SPR auto with four-wheel drive at £22,995, and the SsangYong Rodius 270 ES seven-seater two-wheel drive at £16,995.

Renault Twingo
It always seemed an odd decision of Renault UK back in 1992 not to import the previous model of the Twingo, which looked so attractive when seen in France. They were anxious not to conflict with Clio sales, but no such reticence applies now, and the Twingo was launched here with right-hand-drive in September 2007, and what a very appealing little hatchback it is too.

It was pouring with rain when we drove the 75 bhp version, but that is often the best weather in which to try a car and discover any shortcomings. With Twingo there were none, and instead we appreciated the good ventilation keeping the windows clear of condensation, and the clever pantograph action of the left windscreen wiper, which enables the two wipers to sweep nearly the whole of the windscreen area.

The front corners present a fairly large triangular block to corner vision, but this has become almost a universal problem with modern vehicles due to the requirement for roll-over structural strength. Twingo is offered with just two engines at present.

Both of these are16-valve four-cylinder petrol units with 1,149 cc capacity, developing an impressive 75 bhp in standard form, which gives the car lively performance reaching 60 mph in just under 12 seconds, and a top speed of 106 mph; and the other is a 100 bhp turbocharged unit for the sporty GT model. Claimed fuel economy for the 75 bhp version is 49.5 mpg, and a still very creditable 47.8 mpg for the GT.

Ride comfort is good, and there’s generous load space with two individual folding rear seats, adjustable to and fro to give priority to load or legroom as required. The standard model, called Dynamique, is well equipped including foglamps, remote locking, and a neat rev counter mounted separately above the steering column. To the left are a digital speedometer and a fuel gauge comprising a diminishing column of blocks with trip and total mileometers beneath. The digital instruments are large and bright enough to be clearly legible in all light conditions.

Price of the Dynamique is £8,375, or £8,900 with air conditioning, though some extras on the test example took the price up slightly. A wide range of options is available, so we would select as Prime Choice the Renault Twingo 1.2 Dynamique 75 at £8,375, plus £525 if the optional air conditioning is required.

Mazda5
‘Zoom-zoom’ is the well-known brand call of Mazda, whose range goes on expanding and improving at a great rate, and January brought wide-ranging changes to the Mazda5 multi-seater. In a car of sporting style, the manufacturer offers seating for seven with the second row of three seats arranged to slide or fold, and there are two folding seats at the rear. Inevitably there’s not a lot of luggage space when all seats are up and in use, but roof rack runners are available if necessary to put some luggage on the roof.

Mazda5 offers the convenience of sliding doors which are very easy to open or close, so it hardly seems necessary to provide electric action for them; but this is one of the new features, as part of a £1,750 luxury pack which also includes xenon headlamps and black leather trim, and is available for Sport and Sport Nav models only.

The range starts with a 1.8-litre petrol engine at £14,760, but there are also 2-litre petrol and diesel engines. As suggested by the name, the Sport Nav model includes a very good touch-screen navigation system, which also switches automatically to give a rear view picture when reversing. This comes with the 2-litre petrol engine at £19,080, or £20,545 with the more powerful of two 2-litre diesels.

Auto transmission is available but only with the 2-litre petrol engine. All 2-litre models have six-speed gearboxes (five-speed on the 1.8).

Revised frontal appearance and a better interior layout add to the appeal of the new Mazda5, and we were pleased to see good instrumentation. All too often these days, speedometers are too dark to be seen in many light conditions, but on the Mazda5 the instruments are illuminated all the time, and clear to read at a glance. Best value of the new range seemed to be the 2-litre diesel (110 PS version) with TS trim at £16,265, but also attractive is the 1.8 TS petrol, so our prime choice is the Mazda5 1.8TS 115 PS (182gm/km) at £14,760, or for the high mileage driver anxious to keep tax and fuel cost down to a minimum the Mazda5 2.0 Sport 143 PS (162 gm/km) at £18,895.

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