Auto News & New car review

Dongfeng Citroën will reportedly show a pair of cars adorned with graphics inspired by soccer/sport apparel manufacturer, Kappa. From what we can gather, a trio of Dongfeng Citroën C2s will be on hand, one in the red-and-white motif you see above, and two more sporting the automotive equivalents of the official Team Italia uniform. Read the rest of this entry »

If an automobile were an entirely rational purchase, there probably wouldn’t be a lot of room in this world for cars like the Saab 900.

We don’t mean to suggest for a minute that the 900 is deficient in any of the key automotive virtues, such as performance, comfort and safety. It’s just that Saabs tend to march to a different drumbeat. Read the rest of this entry »

H3 is the affordable, approachable, people-friendly Hummer. It’s the Hummer you can drive anywhere and in any company, and not be subjected to rude gestures or inappropriate speculation about the size of your vehicular needs.

That’s because H3 packs all of the soldier-boy style and some of the off-road capability of the now-defunct H1 and house-size H2 into a mid-size, five-passenger package. Read the rest of this entry »

The Kia Sedona has just about everything the Honda Odyssey has, except the reputation, for a lot less money. Toyota and Honda have an edge on quality, ride and handling, but the Sedona is a compelling value in this class, offering convenience, comfort, style and performance.

From the outside, the Sedona looks classy and stylish. Inside, there’s seven-passenger seating with seats that easily collapse to create a vast cargo space. Every cabin convenience known to man is either standard or available. Storage space is everywhere you turn, and there are no fewer than 14 cup holders. Read the rest of this entry »

f you want a MINI, but you’d rather it looked and felt like a Peugeot 308, then this is the car for you. It’s got the same engine that Peugeot makes for BMW’s kleine Wunder-brand, but it’s got all that chunky Peugeot goodness that MINI couldn’t wouldn’t ever replicate. Read the rest of this entry »

One of life’s sinking feelings comes from waking up just before sunup, looking outside and seeing that you left an interior light on in the car all night long. In the old days, that scenario guaranteed a dead battery.

I had that feeling recently, at 5:30 a.m. on a cold Sunday. I saw the dome light shining inside today’s test car, a 2008 Lexus RX 350. It was both a beacon to tell the neighbors I was a nitwit and a signal that I wasn’t going back to sleep, not while wondering whether the battery still had enough juice left to start the engine. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK — Mary Anne, my wife, called it the “age extractor, a car that makes you feel younger the moment you get into it.”

But she had to bring lots of stuff to New York for an Easter week celebration. There was no way that the front-wheel-drive Audi TT 2.0 coupe, although it has been stretched and widened a bit for 2008, could hold Mary Anne’s largess. Read the rest of this entry »

The Infiniti G35 sedan has been remade for 2007. The body of the four-door sedan is updated, giving it a tauter, more buff look but without forfeiting its signature styling cues. Inside, there’s a richer, warmer look and feel, with performance-oriented enhancements that add to the driving experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Few road cars feel as at home on the race track as our Honda Civic Type R. So, when the opportunity to visit one comes around, it’s difficult to resist! Our long-term three-door has already enjoyed plenty of circuit time, and it recently sneaked in a trip to Brands Hatch.

The Kent venue’s famous twists and turns are meat and drink to the super Civic, and the talented chassis and rev-hungry engine ensure that the Honda is fantastic fun. Read the rest of this entry »

On the road price: £19,370 - £23,400
For : Modern styling, solid build quality, polished drive, strong residuals
Against : Small size limits family appeal, not a genuine off-roader
Driving
The Tiguan is similar to other Golf-based models. The pedals and gearlever are accurate and perfectly weighted, the handling reassuring and precise. With sharper steering, better body control and more grip than many rivals, the VW is capable on country roads and, unlike some off-roaders, it’s never cumbersome around town. The ride is firm but, thanks to absorbent damping, it is rarely crashy over rough surfaces and remains composed at speed. Read the rest of this entry »