Car reviews

159? Looks like a facelifted 156? If that were true it would be the worst facelift since Burt Reynolds' went Asian last year. Actaully it's not unattractive, it's just that the 156 was so gorgeous.

Here come the high-performance 911's Oh yes. Two years into the life of 997 generation, the Turbo and GT3 are bearing down on us. The Turbo - 480bhp, four-wheel drive, £98k - is on sale now. The GT3 -...

Another Focus wannabee? Say hello to the Dodge Caliber, America's answer to the ubiquitous Ford but with a big dose of attitude thrown in for free. The Yanks think it's a small car, but they think...

Another manic Merc? So how many squillion horsepower does this one have? It's not the car that's important, more what's changed under the bonnet. This is our first taste of a road car powered by AMG's...

After the rapturous reception given to the brilliant new RS4 we've got high hopes for the S6. As well you might. All the ingredients are there: V10 Lamborghini engine, grippy Torsen four-wheel drive...

What is this? It looks like a supermini with elephantiasis. Its the Nissan Note, the production version of last year's Geneva show concept car, the Tone. Together with the Qashqai softroader and the...

A new engine for the ubiquitous 3-series? A new body too. This is the coupe version of the 3-series saloon that hit showrooms in 2005. But BMW wanted to create a big bang for the launch of the...

Looks like a Murcielago to me, what's this LP640 business all about? The supercar competition has caught up - and in some cases overtaken - the Italian bruiser in the five years since its launch.

Ahh, the Porsche Boxster coupe. Yes, it's been a long time coming but I think Porsche would rather you didn't mention the B word if you don't mind - just in case people start questioning why the...

Ah, a convertible. One for the hairdressers or a car that's hair-raising to drive? The jelly-like first generation C70 convertible was a Nicky Clarke special: it looked good and had a decent stereo...

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo, doyen of the noveau riche and Premiership footballers. What's new about this? This is no 'ordinary' Cayenne Turbo, not that there's much ordinary about a 444bhp SUV that...

I'm confused, does the FR replace the old Leon flagship, the Cupra? Nope, that's still to come. The FR fills the gap between the standard, 147bhp Leon and the 237bhp Cupra due here early next year. So...

Hot hatch What's this ball of testosterone? It's only the most eagerly anticipated hot hatch of the year. Successor to the 182, the Clio 197 is the first of the small fast Renaults to use the new,...

Jag XK? Looks like a re-badged Aston DB9 to me! You're excused. The new XK is the work of Ian Callum, the man responsible for DBs 7 and 9. After a slightly acrimonious departure from Gaydon he decided...

So, Munich's TVR is back? That's right, but this one's a bit more sophisticated than the Z3-based version from the late 1990s. It's got the current M3's multi-award-winning straight six and no trace...

Another fast Mini? I can't keep up... This one's a bit special, a road-going evolution of the Cooper S Challenge race cars. Or, as the cynical might say, merely a PR stunt designed to maintain...