The new Artega GT is a Porsche Cayman S rival at 911 money from a brand new German manufacturer. Delusions of grandeur? Perhaps not, because the chief advisor to the project is Karlheinz Kalbfell, an ex-BMW man who helped launch Mini and Rolls-Royce under German ownership, before moving onto Alfa and Maserati. And the VW Group supplies the engine and transmission – the last car luckily enough to get such a privilege was the KTM X-Bow, and that turned out to be rather good. Has VW backed another winner?
continue reading "Artega GT"

Mini is attempting to create a sub-brand with JCW – think of it as the company’s own M Division – which means the John Cooper Works is more than the ultimate Mini. It’s the first of many high-performance, high-hoon Minis.

The first JCW, just driven by CAR Online, goes to war with the Honda Civic Type-R and Ford Focus ST, and while not as spacious as the Ford or Honda, it promises stunning pace and superb consumption and emissions figures. Or so Mini claims.
continue reading "Mini John Cooper Works"

The Alfa Romeo Mito has got under the skin of us here at CAR. We’re starting to see them on the road in some numbers – helped no doubt by the smashing £8995 scrappage deal under recent Government incentives – and to these eyes it’s the best looking supermini by miles. It’s arguably the first car to dislodge the Mini from top-dog status.

We’ve tested it here in 1.3 diesel form. And first things first, it’s not quite so attractively cheap here: £15,785 before options, which spiral to £18,095 with the addition of dual-zone climate control, leather, parking sensors and metallic paint.
continue reading "Alfa Romeo Mito 1.3 JTD Veloce"

Mini is attempting to create a sub-brand with JCW – think of it as the company’s own M Division – which means the John Cooper Works is more than the ultimate Mini. It’s the first of many high-performance, high-hoon Minis.

The first JCW, just driven by CAR Online, goes to war with the Honda Civic Type-R and Ford Focus ST, and while not as spacious as the Ford or Honda, it promises stunning pace and superb consumption and emissions figures. Or so Mini claims.
continue reading "Mini John Cooper Works"

Have the 2010 revisions dragged Mitsubishi’s imperious off-roader into 21st century contention? We test the latest Shogun – on the road and off it…

Excuse me while I flick through the handbook. Let me see now – ah, yes, here we are: ‘off-road performance’. ‘The Shogun can tackle the most arduous off-road work with confidence,’ it says. Yes, that’s what I thought. ‘Every facet of the Shogun’s development is geared towards superior off-road performance.’ Pause for vigorous nodding. ‘It’s all but unstoppable!’ That’s right!
continue reading "Mitsubishi Shogun 3.2 TD Elegance"