All Production cars articles – Page 21
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Design Review: Lexus IS
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
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Driven: Chevrolet Orlando
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 ...
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Driven: Chevrolet Orlando
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
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Driven: a week with a Chevrolet Volt
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 ...
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Driven: a week with a Chevrolet Volt
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 ...
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Driven: Range Rover Evoque
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.
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Driven: Citroen DS4
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 ...
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Driven: Vauxhall Astra GTC
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," ...
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Driven: Vauxhall Astra GTC
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 ...
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Driven: Peugeot 308 RCZ concept
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 ...
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Driven: Peugeot 308 RCZ concept
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 ...
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Driven: Jaguar XF
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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Driven: Honda FRV
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
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Driven: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback
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 ...
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Driven: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback
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.
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Driven: Lexus GS450h
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 ...
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Driven: Lexus GS450h
Lexus' identity is still unclear, even 20 years after it launched. Toyota's premium brand has perpetually failed to establish a clear identity of its own due mainly to a lack of consistency and detail refinement across its products.
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Driven: Alfa Romeo Spider
Seldom do automotive manufacturers create designs that continue in the tradition of an earlier successful model. Often, the evolution of the once groundbreaking lines of an automobile will be diluted over time, as new generations of designers seek to create a car that will appeal to its target demographic. Sometimes ...
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Driven: Lexus IS-F
The Lexus IS-F is a significant new design for one core reason: it introduces a performance sub-brand parallel to that of the M-cars from BMW, AMG from Mercedes-Benz, and the S and RS sub-brands from Audi. This then is Lexus making a logical next step to further encroach on the ...
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Driven: Hyundai i40
CDN recently spent a day sampling Hyundai’s new i40 Tourer, which has just been launched in Europe. For the launch, Hyundai invited us to Waddesdon Manor, the home of the Rothschild banking family and a venue that has been used for previous Louis Vuitton events. It has recently added a new art gallery with fabulous views across rolling countryside, and contains work by Anish Kapoor, Michael Craig-