All Production cars articles – Page 21

  • Article

    Driven: Honda FCX Clarity

    2015-05-09T11:59:15Z

    It may be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell but the Honda FCX Clarity is no work-in-progress; its technology awkwardly shoehorned into an existing model. Nor is it a brittle concept without suspension banned from exceeding 30mph. It's a safety-tested four-seat executive sedan designed from scratch to accommodate hi-tech underpinnings.

  • Article

    Driven: BMW 335i Cabriolet

    2015-05-09T11:56:17Z

    Driving the car over the course of a week made us value details such as the hidden exterior door handle lights that come on at night when you approach the car, the way that the rear seatback folds forwards to give a large luggage area that can be secured (roof ...

  • Article

    Driven: BMW 335i Cabriolet

    2015-05-09T11:56:10Z

    The 3 series has come a long way. While the original 1975 E21 was initially only available as a two-door sedan, it was soon transformed into a cabriolet thanks to an aftermarket conversion kit by Baur. In 1982, the E30 was a two or four-door sedan until several years later, ...

  • Article

    Driven: BMW 5 Series GT

    2015-05-09T11:54:40Z

    It's an illustration of the place London has become that it's typically possible to park brand new or exotic cars on an average street and be met with studied indifference by the average passer by. So why, during a week of driving a BMW 5 Series GT, were we made ...

  • Article

    Design Review: Lexus IS

    2015-05-09T11:46:00Z

    The old IS200/300 was a simple concept, clearly targeted at the BMW 3 Series: a sporty, compact executive car with a straight-six engine and RWD, available in sedan or sporty wagon format. This new model is a much more complex product, in some ways more mainstream, in others more sophisticated and focused. The new design direction is meant to express three fundamental elements of the Lexus ‘L-Fin

  • Article

    Driven: Chevrolet Orlando

    2015-05-09T11:45:51Z

    Chevrolet recently launched the new Orlando crossover in the UK market. The seven passenger vehicle - which eschews a conventional monovolume MPV package in favor of a more bulky, upright one that aims to fill the same need - will be sold in the North American market as well as ...

  • Article

    Driven: Chevrolet Orlando

    2015-05-09T11:45:00Z

    Inside, the Orlando doesn’t attempt to rewrite the rulebook, but it does bring a new level of functionality to the segment. The seven-seat layout of the cabin is akin to that of an SUV or crossover, not of a typical MPV. It feels spacious and roomy - especially considering the platform on which it’s built - and the top of the line LTZ model we drove features leather seats and piano black trim alon

  • Article

    Driven: a week with a Chevrolet Volt

    2015-05-09T11:39:20Z

    Day 4 + 5By now, we’ve a clear picture of what irritates and delights about the Volt. The start up ‘whoosh’ never grates as we thought it might. The layout of the center stack buttons actually has strong logic and becomes much easier to use with familiarity, while grabbing the ...

  • Article

    Driven: a week with a Chevrolet Volt

    2015-05-09T11:39:12Z

    In Fall 2010, before the Volt went on sale in North America, we sampled an early build model and came away so impressed, we declared it the car for the digital age. Since then the car has received harsh criticism from the press and been outsold by the Nissan Leaf ...

  • Article

    Driven: Range Rover Evoque

    2015-05-09T11:36:15Z

    As Sam Livingstone opines in his review of the latest Porsche 911, we are in a period of car design consolidation, with the new 911 the ultimate expression of a slightly suffocating trend.

  • Article

    Driven: Citroen DS4

    2015-05-09T11:32:52Z

    Recomissioning the DS name looked like a risk to many outside Citroen’s headquarters, including us. And the new sub-brand’s opening salvo - the DS3 - didn’t exactly calm the worries of those of us who hold the original in high esteem. Where was the ingenuity? The originality? The depth of ...

  • Article

    Driven: Vauxhall Astra GTC

    2015-05-09T11:31:01Z

    To that end, Dyson worked on making the positive and negative shapes in the surfaces look organic, maximizing tension though the flanks and in the shoulderline to convey a greater sense of dynamism, which is also apparent in the upwards sweeping beltline. "Sometimes the simplest solution is the most iconic," ...

  • Article

    Driven: Vauxhall Astra GTC

    2015-05-09T11:30:55Z

    Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and VW are in perpetual battle for the C-segment title, the toughest European segment to compete in. Visual differentiation is key, but so is practicality and performance - all attributes that the respective offering must possess. And so the fight continues, heating up with the arrival of the ...

  • Article

    Driven: Peugeot 308 RCZ concept

    2015-05-09T11:30:06Z

    The deliciously curved roof rails are made from aluminum and will remain so in the production model. It's only at either end that things go slightly wrong. At the front the stock Peugeot gaping grille and swept back lights is a love it or hate it affair. And from certain ...

  • Article

    Driven: Peugeot 308 RCZ concept

    2015-05-09T11:30:00Z

    Every now and again Peugeot produces a model that causes a real stir. The 205 GTi was one such car. The 406 coupé another. And the 308 RCZ could be about to follow in their wheel tracks. The sleek 2+2 coupe was first shown at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show ...

  • Article

    Driven: Jaguar XF

    2015-05-09T11:27:18Z

    It is possibly harder to design a Jaguar than any other premium car brand. The essence of the firm's highly regarded design language is over 40 years old with the shadow of the 1961 E-type and 1968 XJ6 - and even the 1955 Mk1/1959 Mk2 - looming large. For decades ...

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    Article

    Driven: Honda FRV

    2015-05-09T11:25:00Z

    The Honda FRV is a misunderstood car. It’s a European market orientated compact MPV that unusually has two rows of three seats, a configuration shared only with the earlier Fiat Multipla design. But unlike the bulbous, short, tall and deep-windowed Italian, the Honda shares almost identical dimensions to the five seat Renault Scenic that is the compact MPV market leader

  • Article

    Driven: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

    2015-05-09T11:22:19Z

    Around the back the rearward rising beltline runs through the rear lights before gently dropping off, neatly framing the bowtie, while a detail line runs off the bottom of the DLO. The two come together to create a negative surface on the tailgate that adds a feeling of depth to ...

  • Article

    Driven: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

    2015-05-09T11:22:15Z

    The C-segment is one of the most important sectors of the automotive market, with every mainstream manufacturer having at least one car competing within. From Alfa Romeo's Giulietta through to the Lexus CT200h and Volvo's C30, there really is a car for everyone.

  • Article

    Driven: Lexus GS450h

    2015-05-09T11:22:09Z

    Unfortunately this tech-forward effect is ruined by the lack of consistency between each element. The graphical design and quality of the cluster and the corresponding 12-inch centre screen and HUD (which features a rev-counter graphic straight from an 80s child's toy) feel unrelated. It's a shame Lexus doesn't have a ...