Infiniti’s entry-level model here brings urban-chic and urban-jungle together. No secrets that the luxury compact is built on the Mercedes-Benz A Class platform, which in the Mercedes camp, has spawned the A Class, CLA and GLA, which this car is most closely related to.

Mazda, the people who build cars, with an uncanny eye for shaving grams off just about every car they make, brought us the first MX5 back in 1989. It was all a Lotus Elan was meant to be, but with legendary Japanese reliability. Light, nimble, simple and smaller than a glossy red pimple. So successful it was that over in Britain, some felt it was a ‘proper’ British sports car. Then anything with the word ‘proper’ attached to it, to the Brits, carries ‘proper’ importance… Like ‘proper’ pizza, ‘proper’ fried Mars bars. In this case, ‘proper’ sports car, with ‘proper’ engineering.

The IS has always been seen as somewhat the Japanese answer to the 3 Series BMW. Now in it’s third generation, and now facelifted, the IS Turbo F SPORT retains their new 2.0 turbocharged four banger, ups the game with some kitting. But how does it fare on the road?

The Mercedes-Benz E class, which was launched in 2016, caught the attention of the motoring press, offering a refined car that was extremely quiet within the cabin and equipped with semi-autonomous driving capabilities. The guys at Stuttgart had upped the game too by launching different models to fill different market segments. To add to the fray of executive classed cars in the market, Swedish automaker, Volvo also introduced their flagship S90 sedan in the same year, with a more ‘Swedish’ approach to building an executive sedan, featuring the creature spoils of an open pore wooden dash , while powered by a twin-boosted engine, driving all wheels, but still kept the drive comfortable and laid back. The 5 Series is BMW’s second-best selling car, and the previous one was launched back in 2011, which was quite a long while back, making the new 7th generation model a very important car for BMW, which goes up toe-to-toe with its traditional Mercedes-Benz rival, and the new entrant from Sweden. 

Audi, makers of all things luxury, has just introduced a tiny engine to their smallest sedan. But can this 1.0 deliver the goods? Or will it be simply just too little?

Clifford Chow road tests the new 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 R-Line, and finds a GTi instead.

Toyota has one, Hyundai too built one, Kia Motors then said… We have one as well. Kia said “try it!!” And we said “OK!” The new Kia Niro represents Kia’s first foray into the fuel sipping hybrid car market. Would Kia know how to enter a market which has already gotten some traction over the last few years? We try the new Niro hybrid to find out.

Renault’s previous compact sedan, the Fluence, left much to be desired stying-wise. The Fluence was basically built on Renault’s compact ‘C’ platform, and built by Samsung Motors. The return of the Megane Sedan marks a departure from predictable styling, and in with a greater effort to make this car something very appealing. Did Renault get the formula right? Clifford Chow takes the Megane Sedan for a spin to find out.

We tested the Coupe model quite recently. Well, it is really more sedan than Coupe. The Shooting Brake presents the same compact zip-around dimensions but with just a little more space, by way of the estate-ish rear end. Mercedes decided to brand this one as a Shooting Brake.

The new 2017 Subaru Impreza joins a fray of compact family sedan and hatch offerings, aiming to attract the increasingly spoilt for choice buyer. As expected, the Impreza brings to the table its signature boxer engine and symmetrical all-wheel drivetrain. But in a market which is flooded by the likes of the new Honda Civic, Mazda 3 and the ever-so-popular Toyota Corolla Altis, will all that all-wheel drive hype help make the car stand out from the crowd? The Impreza is the first Subaru to utilise the new Subaru Global Platform (SGP). Up and coming cars in the Subaru line-up will be utilising the same platform. This is good for Subaru, as it means that developmental cost per car is significantly lower, allowing the small auto manufacturer to optimise their developmental dollar.

When BMW first produced it’s M3, it was a small and nimble driver’s machine. Razor sharp handling for its time and an extremely potent four-cylinder engine, made the E30 such a sought-after car. As the 3-Series footprint grew over the years, the M3 models that were produced were still excellent driving machines. Their handling improved, and so did power delivery. Sadly, with the increase in size, the small, chuck-around, low-weighted car started becoming a bit of a handful. With the 2-Series Coupe platform, BMW have proven that they still know how to make a car that is pure in experience.

We believed it would have been a matter of time before Infiniti, Nissan’s luxo car brand came up with a car we feel that was aimed squarely at a fat-engined BMW 3 Series sedan. The C segment executive sedan has long been seen by many, one which is crowded with compact luxury cars which represent the aspirations of what would be the young executive. Base models are usually lapped up by those who have just gotten themselves through the door. The Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 represents a performance oriented car for the more seasoned who loves a compact that delivers that bit (a lot) more in terms of outright performance, handling, and as always, that something special.

The current C Class Mercedes-Benz is in complete if there is no hot model in it’s range. For this, the guys at Stuttgart had fielded two C Segment sedans, the AMG C63 and the AMG C43. Audi has their S4 and RS4, BMW has their more muted 340i and mental M3. Mercedes needed one to fill this lower segment, since they only had a C63 model previously. The C43 sits in the same playpen as the lesser Audi and BMW models, but do not be fooled though. The Merc’s potent V6 twin-turbocharged engine is mated to a nine-speed transmission, driving all four wheels, makes this a very entertaining car, and wickedly nimble.

Vanilla flavoured on the outside with just some added colour, beefy goodness on the inside. I simply love it when my beef jerky is coated in vanilla ice cream and covered with nuts. Ok maybe not. The Alpina XD3 Biturbo, is Biturbocharged goodness, in an X3 body with ‘Beemer’ and ‘Alpina’ badging. You get all the X3 frills, the tall commanding ride height, utility room at the rear for your gear, that a vanilla X3 would provide, and 700Nm of beefy torque available under your right foot.

There are those who believe in BMW’s M cars. Any BMW with a real M badge on it would always trigger thoughts of mind-blowing performance; excellent handling and sublime exhaust notes. Then there are the virtues of mind-blowing performance, excellent handling and sublime exhaust notes… But all a little more understated. The Alpina B3 Touring represents one of two 3-series cars here, the other being the sedan variant, which presents a very attractive alternative. The not-so–loud styling, not that the M3 is that loud at all, makes this car ideal for those who love BMW’s superb handling 3-series platforms, but still would want to slip under the radar just a little. The B3 does it its own way, with the partially built ‘Beemers’ being brought into the Alpina factory for further fettling of the already superbly built straight-six and additional tweaks to the rest of the car, as Clifford Chow finds out more, being given butt time in the Touring model.

There is a sedan, estate, coupe, and now a cabriolet. Mercedes-Benz’s compact executive range has something for everyone. Compact dimensions means a car that is easy to steer in cramped quarters, but then, you do get +2 seating, which in my view, still offers very generous legroom.

Beginning the year with a supercar certainly is a great start. So first of all, a belated happy New Year friends! The second generation Audi R8 is currently the most powerful production Audi ever. Hand assembled in the same facility that built the R8 LMS Le Mans car, Audi’s management of Lamborghini also has also landed them with expertise in building a supercar for the road.

When the original Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster debuted some 20 years ago now (my how does time fly), it brought about a revolution in open-top motoring. Its folding hard-top roof, the automotive world’s first such application in decades, sparked off a trend that lasted well into the early years of the millennium. At one point it appeared that nearly every manufacturer had a convertible with a hard-top roof in its line-up.

Creole lady Marmalade? Not quite. The Opel Mokka X compact SUV brings a little fun to your drive, while the fuel sipping 1.6 litre turbocharged diesel engine keeps your fuel costs low. Just off the ship, we wanted to find out how much Mokka goodness is there in this car.

Ever since Jaguar got itself a fresh injection of funds, things have been shaking up. Shaken up awake and frothing at the mouth is the Jaguar F-Pace S. A 3.0 V6 with a supercharger bolted on sits under the hood. I knew something was stirring, but I wasn’t sure what it was just yet.

The Mk7 Golf has been in the market for a bit. But there is a reason why we are writing this late, and a very important one. Volkswagen will be launching what is termed unofficially as the Mk7.5 in time to come, and there will be some changes. Yes, improvements are the norm, but changes that will shape what is to come in the future.

The Toyota Prius carries on Toyota’s efforts to bring sustainable energies into everyday motoring. In its fourth generation, the Prius has attained cult status, from being the butt of jokes involving Vegans, to even family dog, Brian Griffin of the adult themed cartoon, Family Guy owning one.

It’s probably an open and well-known fact by now that the vast majority of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) don’t actually see any actual off-road action. Most are purchased purely for the looks and image alone, by people who see the need to appear rugged when in fact they won’t tackle anything tougher than a multi-storey carpark ramp.

We tested the RX Turbo earlier in the year, and found it a mixed bag of happy-when cruising, with excellent passenger comfort and silky smooth ride. And when given the beans, it was a little rolly around the bends. The 2.0 which can be found in the NX and GS turbo seemed to struggle with the additional weight of the bigger RX body. Build quality on the other hand was excellent, as is all other cars from Lexus. The RX350 brings Lexus a new set of legs. We got our hands on one, and here’s what we found.