A car you’ll love to 8!

7:47pm Thursday 7th August 2008

You’ve got to hand it to Mazda. They certainly know how to make a car stand out.

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Proton’s Neo classical

10:16pm Thursday 31st July 2008

British drivers are a rather conservative lot.

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It’s a Ssang for Europe

9:39pm Thursday 24th July 2008

Fancy a people-carrier which doesn’t cost the earth? One that people will struggle to name without peering at the badge?

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Top(less) of the range

6:41pm Thursday 17th July 2008

The 207 is a great success. It’s Europe’s favourite car and sells by the shedload in the UK. It’s a regular top-ten seller over here, with 28,000 sales in the first six months of this year. Most are the ever-so-practical hatchback versions, but the coupe-cabriolet – a popular choice with women in particular – has brought open-air motoring to a whole new market. Everyone’s doing coupe-cabriolets these days. These are the hard-top models which have metal roofs which fold away in the boot. They are generally regarded as quieter, more secure and better-looking than traditional soft-tops. They have helped sales of convertibles regularly top 100,000 a year, which is amazing for a windy, rain-swept island like ours. But, on the downside these coupe-cabs (or CCs) are heavier than normal soft-tops. The roofs are heavy, they have heavy motors to operate the roofs and they require heavy body stiffening. Add to that the fact the roofs tend to infringe on the boot space, and you can see why coupe-cabriolets have their shortcomings. Peugeot, however, seem to have it cracked. The new 207CC, which replaces the 206CC, is one of the prettiest CCs and one of the best designed. It has style, performance and a great deal more space than you might expect. The new car is certainly more attractive and practical than it’s predecessor. Peugeot have added chassis strengthening to improve handling. This extra weight impacts performance, but the tested version seems to cope well enough. In fact, power has been increased all round in the petrol models. The interior trim is excellent. As a summer cruiser it is smooth and stylish but it is equally as pleasant when the weather isn’t so good. Nearly nine out of ten buyers of the 206 CC were women, and the 207 CC is likely to have a similar proportion of female buyers. That’s not to say it’s a girly car – it looks and feels quite macho, in fact. Unlike the 206CC, the 207CC has no shortage of rivals with Vauxhall Tigra, Mitubishi Colt CZC and Nissan Micra C+C all jumping on the bandwagon. The Peugeot is better looking than most rivals, and much more sporty. The interior is still two-plus-two rather than a proper four-seater, with the rear seats really quite impractical for adults. The driving position has been lowered to make it feel as if you are driving a ‘proper’ sports car, not a 207 with the roof missing. Bootspace is good with the roof up and not bad with the roof down – the remaining space is not high but extends a long way into the body. The ride is sportingly smooth and the car’s extra weight never makes it feel slow. Find a stretch of open road and it is perfectly possible to have some fun without feeling the flex that you may have encountered with the 206 CC. Engine choice is simple: a petrol or a diesel. The 1.6-litre petrol unit is extremely likeable, delivering its modest power remarkably quickly and smoothly thanks to a twin turbo and allowing the 207 CC to do a very convincing impression of a sports car. A non-turbo version is also available. In contrast, the familiar 1.6 HDi diesel majors on fuel economy. While it lacks the turbo’s sporting edge it has lots of torque so quick acceleration is still possible, and compensates in numerous other ways, including CO2 emissions of just 136g/km and a lower VED tax band.

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SUV-thing for the weekend

7:40pm Sunday 13th July 2008

Volvo are one of the perfectionists of the motor industry.

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Mondeo: best car in world?

6:54am Friday 9th May 2008

Welcome to what many are claiming already to be the best real-world car on earth.

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Raising the roof is light work!

4:02am Friday 2nd May 2008

Audi are innovators. They've made great strides in recent years launching premium cars which people really want.

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An Astra logical sign

6:57am Friday 11th April 2008

The Astra has long been a car for all seasons. A tidy family hatchback, sexy cabriolet, deceptively spacious estate and an excitingly designed hot-hatch, depending which model you plump for.

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Double top for Vauxhall

7:40pm Thursday 27th March 2008

It's March and the days are getting brighter, if not drier. We've had one or two decent days recently when the masochist in me thinks it would be rather fun to put the hood down on a soft-top.

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It’s chic and cheerful!

6:11pm Friday 29th February 2008

Anyone who has holidayed in France or Spain over the last decade or so will be familiar with Twingo.

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HRT may improve sleep and sexuality

Updated 5:21am Friday 22nd August 2008

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could result in improvements in sleep, sexuality and joint pain in older women, according to new research.

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