2012 Peugeot 107 FULL ROAD TEST

Back in April we reviewed the Kia Picanto raving about its value for money and new found maturity that we felt was refreshing for a city car. In the past few months the market has been flooded with all new models, the first of which from  Fiat in the form of the new Fiat Panda and then there are Volkswagen group’s hottest triplets the VW UP!, Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo. These clean sheet designs are intended to shake up the market and steal valuable sales from already established models. There is one car maker that has more reason to be concerned than Kia, and that is Peugeot. Its tiny-tot the cute 107 is about to celebrate its 7th birthday so Peugeot have launched a swift spruce-up to keep it looking fresh. There is no denying that the 107 is a more traditional city car in that it’s relatively basic and doesn’t mimic larger cars as the Kia does so well. We hit the road to find out if Peugeot’s baby can still compete against the barrage of new models that have crowded the market and raised the bar even further.

SUZUKI REVIEWS COMING SOON

Rob McSorley on CARS will soon be reviewing Suzuki models with the cooperation of Suzuki Press UK

2012 Kia Sorento FULL ROAD TEST

Crossover. It’s a word we hear all the time in the car world but what does it really mean? Broadly speaking a crossover is essentially a vehicle based on a conventional car platform that mixes elements of a 4x4 or sport utility vehicle (SUV). The reason that crossovers exist is purely because the majority of buyers love the idea of a 4x4 but don’t actually need their go-anywhere ability, truck-like driving manners and high running costs. Today most buyers are drawn in by the image that has been placed upon the crossover’s shoulders, they show others that you are doing well in life and you enjoy an active lifestyle when really this may not be the case. As we found recently during our time with the Skoda Yeti the crossover formula works incredibly well, suiting the majority of buyers which is reflected in the steady increase in sales and popularity. Kia are no stranger to crossovers, they have in their line-up the attractive Sportage and the small but perfectly formed utilitarian-looking Soul which in their own right are very appealing cars. From 2002 onwards the Sorrento has sat at the top of Kia’s range with its heavy-duty ladder frame underpinnings providing superb off-road talent and the ability to tow anything you can think of. Through market research Kia found that today’s SUV buyers are younger, increasingly likely to be female and often wealthy urbanites who want the car for family use rather than the traditional country lifestyle. For these reasons the second generation model is an entirely different beast, launched in 2010 the new Sorento is now a crossover based upon an entirely new monocoque platform in a bid to generate a more car-like drive whilst improving fuel consumption and passenger comfort. We hit the road to find out how good the Sorento really is.

2013 Renault Clio TEASED

Ahead of its reveal at the 2012 Paris motorshow in September Renault have released a teaser image of the eagerly anticipated Clio that will go on sale in 2013. The image gives us a glimpse of the rear corner of the car with its kinked waistline, slim rear light cluster and strongly suggests hidden rear door handles like Alfa Romeo Guiletta. The Clio is a very important car for Renault as its the first all-new model to feature their new design language but unusually will only be offered as a 5 door. Based on the same platform as the Nissan Micra its likely to grow in size slightly to free up space inside and promises big gains in refinement as well as ride comfort and on-road thrills. Engines won't differ much from today's models so expect a wide range of petrol and diesel units with the scorching Renaultsport Clio expected in 2014.