Long term tests

Our Megane went in for its first service

The Aston has been back for a couple of weeks now, following a week-long visit to the factory where its bout of starting maladies was investigated. Th…

As mentioned last month, I've been amazed by the 993's progressive breakaway when the rear Bridgestones give up their grip and the weight of the rear-…

The Jag has now been back with us for more than a month since the prolonged investigation into its electronic epilepsy. It has also become clear why i…

Passenger gets in, pulls door closed, door bounces open again. Passenger repeats the process several times. Seat belt caught? No. Coat caught? No. All…

Petrol. Always a big issue with the Mustang, but not, as you might imagine, because it guzzles a gallon every 15 miles or so. The problem is getting f…

The Christmas break meant a jaunt to Wales to see the folks, and the chance to really get to know the 130.

It's not a good feeling sitting in a Ferrari that's just died in the middle of a crowded roundabout, especially when you know that the bill for any re…

There are some boxes that you definitely don't want to tick. For example, those that result in your details going to third-party call centres generall…

It took a good 1500 miles for the Coupe to fully loosen up. The engine felt quite breathless to begin with, seeming to struggle to deliver its promise…

By the time you read this it'll be a year since the big Fiat rolled up outside Evo Towers. In 12 months I've clocked up 20,000 miles - and I've got a …

The Murciélago's been keeping a pretty low profile for the last couple of months. Two main reasons for this. Firstly, I'm trying to keep the mileage d…

The Porsche 911. Some of you will probably own one of these. Lucky sods. A few more of you will have driven one at some point. But I'm willing to bet …

The Exige's first birthday party has put something of a dent in the Meaden finances, thanks to insurance, road tax, servicing and new tyres all being …

It took less than 10 minutes for my opinion of Porsche 911s to change forever. As a teenager who devoured as many car magazines as possible, the inevi…

The Stang is back from the paintshop, having had the additional and unwanted key-applied side-stripe resprayed. A £500 excess on our insurance policy …

It was well and truly autumnal on my first evening with OY55 GOX; dark early, the courtyard outside the office lashed with wind and rain. I blipped th…

The last evoactive trackday of the year, at Brands in late September, was set to be a super-sliding smokefest. I had cunningly contrived to have a set…

Last month's report, you may recall, ended on something of a cliff-hanger. The Jag had developed a number of intermittent faults, starting with the ce…

Standing on the hard shoulder of the M25, looking at the white rump of the Caterham parked 50 yards up the road, it's rather a sad ending to our time …

How would the Megane fair over a weekend break to the Yorkshire moors?

Picture the scene. You've been part of the evo team for a few months, the familiar names from reading the magazine are rapidly becoming the familiar f…

As I watch the 550 being strapped down onto WRC's terrific new rolling road facility at Silverstone it occurs to me that this could all end in tears. …

It's always good to have a 350Z knocking about the place, especially if it's the Anniversary GT4 variety with the extra 20bhp. Unlike the fairly subdu…

The Jaguar has a comedian's sense of timing. We'd promised the kids three days at Disneyland Paris in the last week of the school holidays and, becaus…

After a whole year and over 15,000 miles with the Evo VIII MR FQ-340, two memories in particular stand out as defining moments. The first was just thr…

Aren't modern diesels wonderful? I relish long trips in the Mondeo, taking delight in the amount of fuel I'm not using. Recently the average consumpti…

Lots of miles covered by a number of drivers this month, with Brett Fraser, Andy Morgan and Harry Metcalfe all sampling the big-hearted Ford. All say …

Hyundai isn't a name that often crops up in the pages of this magazine, but we're no badge snobs and the Coupe shouldn't be overlooked. We gave it fou…

It was one of those surprise phone calls that sounds too good to be true: 'Hi Harry, do you want us to give your car a special treatment that'll mean …

You might be forgiven for thinking it a little unusual to see a Lamborghini on a campsite, washing line attached, complete with a selection of laundry…

There was always an air of slight surreality surrounding the MG SV-R, and now that it's gone we almost have to pinch ourselves to believe it was ever …

It was service time this month and, to make matters worse, it was the big one, the one that demands a tick in every box on the job card (new gearbox o…

How many of the gadgets on your car do you actually need? How many do you actually use? Give me air-conditioning and a good CD player and I'm happy; w…

Why don't they sell them over here? That's all I could think as I handed back the keys to my Forester's more glamourous sibling. I know the STi is sti…

Is the Citroën C4 VTS a proper hot hatchback? Tricky one. The genes are surely there, with souped-up Saxos seen on every Saturday-night high street an…