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Motoring News

Chrysler chief in move to boost dealer morale
Tom LaSorda, Chrysler's chief executive, is due to meet several dozen of the carmaker's biggest dealers as part of a drive to boost morale during a period of intense uncertainty over the unit's future.

Autocar podcast: your next car
The Geneva motor show might be over, but that doesn’t mean the new-car news stops coming.

BMW 130i, Motoring News
BMW announces limited edition M Sport BMW 1-series

Pagani Zonda, Motoring News
Zonda bows out in style with a limited-edition, 1.1million-euro trackday special

KTM X-Bow, Motoring News
KTM's radical road-racer set for production; first 100 already sold

Shock safety risk of travel sickness, Motoring News
A quarter of family drivers claim they have been distracted by an unwell passenger in a new survey on car sickness

Smarter Subarus are in focus, Motoring News
Not content with unveiling the world's first ever diesel boxer engine at the Geneva Motor Show, Subaru also demonstrated its latest safety system

Shock tactic KOs crooks, Motoring News
Here's a shocking way to deter crooks: a ring of high-voltage lightning

Brit speed king nets new award, Motoring News
The land speed record-breaking JCB has been among the honours again this week, after being handed the coveted Dewar Trophy

Golden oldie is in Seven heaven, Motoring News
Happy 50th birthday, Caterham!

Motoring numbers, Motoring News
Motoring statistics from around the world

Vauxhall Vectra, Motoring News
As GM's stunning GTC concept took centre stage at Geneva, our pictures show how Ford's big rival is already close to completion

Used Cars, Motoring News
Secondhand buying advice and restrictive fleet supply to keep demand strong

Renault Clio, Motoring News
Renault chose the Geneva Motor Show 2007 to take the wraps off of the Clio Grand Tour Concept

Motorists brace for road tax hike
Owners of the heaviest polluting cars could face substantial increases in road tax

Hummer opens doors in Manchester
Off-roader specialist Hummer has opened its first UK showroom in Manchester

Sportier Yaris SRs arrive
Toyota's newest version of its Yaris supermini is the fastest it has yet built

Super-caddy in the pipeline
Next year Cadillac will produce a new car that “will be unlike anything the company has done before,” according to General Motors’ vice president Bob Lutz.

Flying start for Lewis Hamilton
Racing prodigy Lewis Hamilton claimed third place in the Australian Grand Prix yesterday - in his first race.  

The world's most expensive cars
Got a few hundred thousand pounds to spare? Take a look through our round-up of the world's priciest motors.  

Hummer is here
General Motors' world-renowned mud-plugging brand Hummer has officially opened its door for business in the UK.

Lewis Hamilton: 'A very competitive individual. He knows where he is going'
Based on his performance in Australia, where he became the third British driver to finish third or better on his grand prix debut - the others were Peter Arundell, third in Monaco in 1964 and Mike Parkes, second in France in 1966 - Lewis Hamilton shows all the signs of becoming the nation's first multiple world champion since Sir Jackie Stewart.

Raikkonen stays cool as Hamilton finds top gear
A guy called Kimi Raikkonen won the Australian Grand Prix here in Melbourne yesterday. You remember him, the Ice Man who used to drive for McLaren but is now the first man to win on his debut for Ferrari since Nigel Mansell in 1989. But the man they cheered most was a 22-year-old Briton, Lewis Hamilton, who was the sensation of his first grand prix as he confidently led his world champion team-mate, Fernando Alonso, for the first 44 laps and eventually finished on the podium in third place.

Ecstatic Hamilton enjoys dream F1 debut
Rising British star Lewis Hamilton admitted he could not have dreamed of a better start to his Formula One career as the McLaren rookie enjoyed one of the most promising debuts in the history of the sport at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton: rookie beyond his years
It said everything about the aplomb with which Lewis Hamilton has adapted himself to F1 in Melbourne that it came as something of a disappointment when he qualified his McLaren only fourth on his debut. Sensational is an over-used adjective in any sport these days, but the 22-year-old from Tewin, Hertfordshire, demonstrated conclusively throughout practice and qualifying in Albert Park that in his case it was richly apposite.

Just who is the best driver in Formula One?
What makes the perfect race driver? Are such men born, or can they be made? Is nature more important than nurture? The Scottish legend Jim Clark, whom many still believe to have been the greatest ever, was seen as a complete natural, to whom the quick lap came with ease. In contrast, his 1967 team-mate at Lotus, Graham Hill, one of his most consistent competitors, was regarded as a worker, a man who had to fiddle endlessly with his machine before banging in his fast lap much later. Yet both won two world championships.

Alonso's cool head ignites McLaren's title ambition
There is a tangible excitement across the Formula One world as we await the renewal of hostilities with the start of the Australian Grand Prix tomorrow. The reason is simple: many informed observers sense that we could be in for a memorable season of motor racing, perhaps even a vintage one.

Hamilton up with pace as Button is upstaged
When Jenson Button finally won his first grand prix, in Hungary last August, Lewis Hamilton was still racing in the GP2 series which supports Formula One. But yesterday, perhaps symbolically, Hamilton sat in front of Button in the post-practice media conference here in Albert Park. And with third-fastest practice time compared to Button's 14th, the newcomer already appears ready to upstage his more experienced countryman. It was indeed a day of mixed fortunes for the top British contenders.

Sir Frank Williams: 'We've got a much more serious racing car'
The first thing Sir Frank Williams asks me when I walk into his office at the Williams Formula One compound at Grove, near Wantage in Oxfordshire, is to explain the political hue of The Independent. There is no need for me to put the same question to him. A large portrait of Margaret Thatcher on the wall behind me rather advertises his colours. "I was a big fan; I think that in some areas she created necessary and pivotal change," he says.

Ilmor quits MotoGP after only one race
Ilmor, builders of the only British bike on the MotoGP grid, yesterday made the shock decision to pull out of the championship after surviving only one race of the 2007 season with their 800cc X3 SRT motorcycle.

F1 2007: Hamilton confident he will be off to a fast start
If Lewis Hamilton's growing legion of fans are honest with themselves, there is really only one question in their minds as the 22-year-old Briton prepares for his grand prix debut: can he beat his team leader, Fernando Alonso?

An email conversation with Anthony Davidson
What are your feelings prior to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday now that you are finally going to race full-time in Formula One?

Conway recruited by Honda as Hill urges Button to move
Mike Conway has become the latest Briton to sign up to Formula One. Conway, the reigning British Formula Three and Macau GP champion, has joined Jenson Button's Honda team with immediate effect and will have the opportunity to drive at a test session later this year.

Motorcycling: Hayden's old-school skills face invigorated examination by Rossi
This week you can find odds of 10-1 if you want to bet on the American rider Nicky Hayden retaining his MotoGP world championship. And for Valentino Rossi to win? Just 6-4 on.

Davidson backs Hamilton to handle pressure
Anthony Davidson is convinced Lewis Hamilton will handle the pressure ahead of his debut Formula One campaign. Davidson also fears that his former Honda team-mate Jenson Button will not be given the car he needs to mount a realistic title challenge.

Motorcycling: Fall of Troys is Toseland's ambition
World Superbike challenger James Toseland will tomorrow try to emulate England's one-day cricket heroes and leather Australia's sporting heroes on their home soil.

Illien, Zen and the fine art of motorbike racing
Mario Illien has the bemused look of a man who has completed almost every line in a tough crossword in five minutes, but now, just as the train is pulling into the station, cannot crack the final clue.

Blue-sky thinking Honda fast-track the environment into Formula One
In a break with Formula One tradition, the Honda team will replace advertising and sponsor logos on its race cars with an image of the Earth.

An email conversation with Jeremy McWilliams: 'When I stop racing I'll probably clean the toilets here'
Jeremy McWilliams, 42, from Belfast, is the last British rider to win a motorcycle grand prix, the only British rider on the MotoGP grid, and this year rides the new British bike, the Ilmor X3

Toseland has Australians in his sights after making flying start
James Toseland, Britain's piano-playing bike racer, surrendered a chance to pursue rock stardom in 2006 to focus on the World Superbike championship, but the decision looks justified today as he heads for Sunday's second round of the series sitting at the top of the points table.

Motorcycling: Tyre mistake sees Toseland miss out on pole
James Toseland, Britain's world superbike challenger, yesterday lost the chance of taking pole position for today's opening round in Qatar when he made the wrong choice of tyre for his Hanspree Ten Kate Honda.

Yamaha jubilant after Rossi stays on two wheels
Valentino Rossi has signed a deal to remain with Yamaha until the end of next season, putting on hold once again his mooted move to Formula One.

Hamilton writes off new car to cut short Spanish test
Lewis Hamilton escaped unhurt following an accident during a test session with McLaren in Valencia yesterday afternoon.

Rallying: Peterhansel secures Dakar hat-trick
Stéphane Peterhansel sealed his third Dakar Rally triumph following yesterday's 15th and final stage in the Senegalese capital.

Rallying: Loeb conquers pain to win in Monte Carlo
The reigning world champion, Sébastien Loeb, overcame the effects of a broken arm to dominate the opening event of his title defence in Monte Carlo yesterday.

Rallying: Loeb and Sordo share honours
Sebastien Loeb, chasing a fourth consecutive world title, maintained his lead over his Citroën team-mate, Dani Sordo, of Spain, in the Monte Carlo Rally yesterday. The Frenchman and Sordo shared the honours in the principality, taking three stages each as the Frenchman ended the day with a 25.2 second cushion.

Loeb makes quick getaway in Monte Carlo
The Frenchman Sébastien Loeb launched his pursuit of a fourth consecutive world title last night, charging to and early lead in the Monte Carlo Rally.

Solberg the showman ready to put smile back on the face of rallying
The swagger, the beaming smile and infectious enthusiasm are back, and if he is half as good as his word, Petter Solberg will be in the thick of the World Rally Championship contest this year. Even his staunchest rivals would have to concede that is a welcome prospect.

McLaren have high hopes for Hamilton
The head of McLaren, Ron Dennis, believes it is possible for Lewis Hamilton to win a grand prix in his first season.

Bahrain to take stake in McLaren
McLaren's team principal, Ron Dennis, and Mansour Ojjeh, of TAG Group Holdings, have agreed to sell 30 per cent of the McLaren Group to Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding, a company wholly owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Alonso steers Hamilton on learning curve
Ron Dennis is habitually wary of what he calls "the winter world championship", the game of talking things up during the off-season. But yesterday he did not trouble to disguise his enthusiasm for the forthcoming season, nor the robust state of his McLaren team's health.

Rallying: Gronholm beats nerves to secure victory for Ford
Marcus Gronholm took Ford's World Rally Championship team into the short winter close season brimming with confidence and ambition after delivering the first victory in their home event for 27 years.

Rallying: Ford's hopes rest with Grönholm after Hirvonen makes early exit
Ford's hopes of winning their home event on the World Rally Championship for the first time in 27 years rest with Marcus Grönholm after his team-mate Mikko Hirvonen was forced to pull out yesterday.

Wilson seeks the Ferguson effect
It has been 27 years coming, so you can forgive Ford for wanting to sing about it. If you are put on hold at their rally team headquarters prepare for a blast of Queen's "We Are The Champions".

Meeke determined to break way into rallying's 'rich' club
Britain's rallying fraternity will tell you that switching this country's round of the World Championship back to the end of the season is a welcome return to the good old days.

Hamilton's first test hits problems
Lewis Hamilton endured a shaky opening to the Formula One testing session at Barcelona yesterday with his McLaren car stalling after only a couple of laps.

Hamilton's F1 drive is a dream come true
The 13-year-old boy who approached McLaren's team chief, Ron Dennis, at an awards ceremony stuck out his hand and said politely, "Hello, my name is Lewis Hamilton and one day I'd like to drive for McLaren."

Rallying: Gronholm victory delivers manufacturers' title to Ford
Marcus Gronholm's fourth Rally New Zealand win gave Ford their first manufacturers' championship since 1979 yesterday. The Finn, was followed home by his team-mate Mikko Hirvonen to seal the title, while Valentino Rossi, seven times motorcycling world champion, finished a credible 11th in his privately-entered Subaru.

Rallying: Gronholm leads after opening day
Marcus Gronholm stamped his authority on day one of Rally New Zealand as Valentino Rossi struggled to come to terms with life on four wheels.

Davidson finally handed F1 drive
Anthony Davidson, for so long one of the "nearly men" of Formula One, has finally secured a race seat. The British driver will compete with Super Aguri next season alongside Japan's Takuma Sato.

Motorcycling: Windless and Jamison spark Lions' surge to top
Tony Windless scored 23 points last night to lead Milton Keynes Lions to the top of the British Basketball League by beating Scottish Rocks 96-88 for their fifth win out of six.

Brawn follows Schumacher out of the Ferrari paddock
Hard on the heels of their defeat by Fernando Alonso and Renault in the drivers' and constructors' world championships in Brazil last weekend, Ferrari have announced expected changes in their management.

Schumacher's legacy leaves F1 awestruck
The 2006 Formula One season will be remembered for the gripping battle between the old Old Guard and the new, Michael Schumacher versus Fernando Alonso. Ferrari versus Renault. Their on-track confrontations, together with off-track chicanery and controversy, made it a memorable year rendered all the more significant when Schumacher finally revealed after victory at Monza in September that he would be retiring.

Alonso holds off brilliant Schumacher to retain title
And so it is over. Fernando Alonso is still the world champion after finishing second in yesterday's Brazilian Grand Prix, and heads into his future as the man everyone will have to beat.

Schuey exit promises many twists and turns
So, who is the man under the greatest pressure in Interlagos this weekend? Michael Schumacher, who starts only 10th and must battle through to win with Fernando Alonso failing to score if he is to retire with an eighth world championship? No.

Schumacher insists bid for drivers' title is over
The edginess that accompanies any world title decider hung in the overcast air of Interlagos yesterday, as the two protagonists at its epicentre did their best to conduct business in the usual way. The one with the major advantage - the Japanese Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso with his 10-point cushion, of course - insists that it is not over. The one with the mountain to climb - Michael Schumacher, who has to win with Alonso not scoring - insists that it is.

Hero or villain? Schumacher reaches the end of the road
Niki Lauda, FORMER WORLD CHAMPION Hero or villain? "Hero. Seven times world champion, nobody else can do this. He is outstanding. [Juan Manuel] Fangio had five, the next best. If you judge Michael as a racing driver, no one has ever performed at the top for so long as him, and that means he has done consistent work on his driving, keeping up the with technology, the way he has always pushed to develop himself and the car, he just kept pushing and never stopped. To win one world championship is easy. You had the right car at the right time. But not seven. That shows his single-minded focus and the support of his wife. He had no distractions, and was always down to earth." Greatest drive: "No idea. I might say some of my best races were where I had a handicap and only finished third ... Could be the same with him." Worst moment: "The one thing that I don't understand is when he can be so perfect in making his split-second decisions, which decide whether he crashes or wins, how could he do what he did in Monte Carlo? It's absolutely a normal thing to do, we all did it. The difference is that he did it and he got caught on TV. He should have hit the guardrail. But why say nothing for two days and then come out with a story that isn't a story? I don't understand the conflict in his head. Why couldn't he handle his mistakes the way he handled the car? That's his only weakness, in everything else he was outstanding." Was he the greatest ever? "Yes, if nobody beats him. It will be a long time before anyone else wins eight world championships, and maybe it will have to be nine. I'm not sure I'll be around to see it."

Schumacher faces up to thin chance before the fat lady sings
Michael Schumacher conceded defeat after Fernando Alonso's victory in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix had taken the Spaniard within a point of retaining the world drivers' title. But having been on the receiving end of an engine failure that all but stymied his own aspirations, the German knows that Formula One is a fickle mistress who can turn on suitors in the blink of an eye.

Schumacher ready to concede title after Japan blow-up
There is a big wheel in the funfair at the Suzuka circuit, but yesterday, on the 37th lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, the bigger wheel of fortune turned in favour of Fernando Alonso and against Michael Schumacher just when the opposite outcome seemed inevitable. After his Ferrari engine exploded, the German conceded that the fight for the world title is lost.

McLaren test Hamilton for Brazil GP
McLaren have not ruled out the possibility that the British rookie Lewis Hamilton could make his grand prix debut in Brazil later this month. The 21-year-old GP2 champion's career has been steered since he was 13 by the McLaren principal, Ron Dennis, who said that Hamilton will test a car in Jerez in Spain this week.

Suzuka's spectacular farewell
The world knows that Michael Schumacher, who seems increasingly likely to wear the world champion's crown this year, is heading into retirement at the end of what has been a gripping season.

F1's defining question: What is more vital, a driver or his tyres?
Formula One enthusiasts the world over have been pondering one prime question for the past two or three months: who will be the world champion this season? Will it be the reigning champ Fernando Alonso who hangs on to his crown for another year? Or will the outgoing legend Michael Schumacher stage one of the biggest comebacks in history to snatch a remarkable eighth title at the 11th hour? Or will the alchemists at Bridgestone or Michelin be the true champions? Has the importance of tyres, and the influence they exert on performance, got so out of hand that the skill of faceless scientists, rather than that of fearless race drivers, will dictate the outcome?

Renault prepare to harness Alonso's frustrations
Fernando Alonso looks like death warmed up. Michael Schumacher reportedly has a head cold. Perhaps this means something, perhaps not, but yesterday each was upstaged by his team-mate as track conditions improved and Renault went head-to-head with Ferrari around this circuit.

Alonso demands help from Renault
Winning in Formula One these days takes a team effort embracing the input of more than 500 people. So when Fernando Alonso says that he feels alone in his drivers' title fight with Michael Schumacher, it tells you a lot about his mindset at this crucial point.

Alonso accuses Renault of not backing title push
Fernando Alonso last night accused his Renault team-mates of not wanting him to win his second world title because he will move to Formula One rivals McLaren next season.

Alonso reliant on tyres to regain grip
For a man who lost the lead of the world drivers' championship for the first time on Sunday afternoon - though he is equal on points with the Chinese Grand Prix winner, Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, the German has had one more win - Fernando Alonso, of Renault. remained remarkably upbeat yesterday about his chances of retaining his crown and denying Schumacher an eighth title as the circus heads to Suzuka, Japan, this weekend. But the Spaniard called on his tyre-makers, Michelin, to give him something more for the races in Japan and Brazil.

Schumacher in pole position as Alonso runs into trouble
If Giancarlo Fisichella's performance in China yesterday was a guide, Renault are going to be in trouble in 2007. The Italian could have taken a damage-limiting victory over Michael Schumacher, once the early leader Fernando Alonso had run into trouble. Instead, a mistake from the Italian gifted the German his seventh win of the season and the 91st of his career. And it gave him the lead for the first time in the 2006 title chase even though he and Alonso, who recovered to finish second, share 116 points; Schumacher has seven wins to Alonso's six.

Briatore prays for new life after Schumacher
Say what you might about Flavio Briatore, the colourful maverick who steered Renault to their world championships last year, the guy has a sense of humour and a sense of theatre. He is also one of those people who tend to see the bigger picture in Formula One (unless his driver is on the receiving end of a stewards' penalty, in which case he can be as peevish as the best of them).

Motor Racing: Title rivals fully armed for their final battles
In the end, almost inevitably on a dull and dreary afternoon when there was no point in them vaingloriously overstretching their equipment, Felipe Massa, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso were ultimately overshadowed by the Friday testers - Alex Wurz, Sebastien Vettel and Anthony Davidson. But the fact that the two Ferrari drivers were separated from Renault's team leader by less than two-tenths of a second bodes well for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix and the fight for the title between Schumacher and Alonso.

Alonso and Schumacher begin final stages of title battle
Fernando Alonso has not won a grand prix since Canada in June, but the world champion remains bullish that he can regain form on a circuit where he dominated last year as he and his arch-rival, Michael Schumacher, fight for the world title in the final three races of the season.

End of an era for the gladiators of motocross
There is, it seems, only certainty about the Motocross of Nations taking place in Winchester this weekend - it will end in tears.

McCoy lured by Ilmor X factor
Garry McCoy, a 34-year-old Australian who has previously won grand prix and world superbike races, has been named as the rider of the Ilmor X3, a new British motorcycle which will make its debut in the Portuguese MotoGP on 15 October.

Turkish GP survives ruling
The Turkish Grand Prix organisers were yesterday handed the largest fine in motor sport history over an incident after the race last month, but the event was not dropped from the Formula One calendar as had been feared.

Hamilton: I'm no Tiger Woods
Lewis Hamilton has no time for comparisons with Tiger Woods or Theo Walcott. But now he has been crowned the 2006 GP2 champion, if he gets the call he is hoping for from the McLaren team he will have to cope with a rash of headlines hailing Formula 1's first black driver.

Hamilton waiting for call to step up to Formula One
If Lewis Hamilton was a less composed young man, his nails might now be bitten down to the quick. After his toe-to-toe battle with Nelson Piquet Jnr for the GP2 championship was resolved in his favour at Monza last weekend, he waits for a call from McLaren that will determine whether he will race in Formula One in 2007 and thereby become the first black Grand Prix driver.

Flawed genius Schumacher calls time on brilliant career
After 246 races, 90 victories, 66 pole positions, 75 fastest laps and seven world championships, what will we finally make of Michael Schumacher? How will his sport remember a man who was at the same time one of its most gifted practitioners and yet also one of its most controversial? Perhaps Bernie Ecclestone summarised it best when he suggested that every time anyone mentions Schumacher, they think of Formula One. The two became synonymous, and his retirement at the end of this season, which he announced after winning the Italian Grand Prix here yesterday, will inevitably leave a huge void until the next big character emerges.

Alonso's grip on title weakened after Ferrari win
Michael Schumacher's 90th grand prix victory here yesterday proved a bittersweet affair. It began tarnished by the controversy that saw title rival Fernando Alonso relegated from fifth to 10th place on the grid, ended with the win and only a two-point gap to the Spaniard, and finally concluded with the long-awaited confirmation of his imminent retirement and the signing of Kimi Raikkonen to take his place.

James Lawton: Gifted and ruthless soul of Formula One, where winning, fair or foul, is everything
It is entirely typical of Michael Schumacher that at the time when he is supposed to let go, sated like no champion in the history of his sport, a unique hunger to win remains etched on a face that, as far as any camouflaging of remaining ambition goes, still might be as bare as a skull.

Italian Grand Prix: Schumacher pipped for pole on his swansong
Monza, that magical mecca of speed, is heavy on symbolism. And what could have been more symbolic than the fight between Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen for pole position yesterday?

Schumacher gears up to drive off into sunset
The only question anyone wants an answer to right now in Monza is whether Michael Schumacher really is going to announce his retirement from Formula One after the Italian Grand Prix tomorrow.

Briatore signs new deal with Renault
Acknowledging that the loss of Fernando Alonso to McLaren signals the end of an era, Renault yesterday landed the first punch in what promises to be a busy news weekend at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza by confirming that Flavio Briatore would lead their team for a further two years.

Imola loses its grand prix
The Formula One calendar will be trimmed to 17 races after Italy and Germany each lost a race on the 2007 schedule yesterday. In a short statement, the FIA, the governing body of motor racing, revealed that the 2007 season would begin in Australia on 18 March and feature 17 grands prix.

Alonso and Schumacher duel to finish
The body language between Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher after the Turkish Grand Prix told you all you needed to know about their relationship.

Massa claims emotional first triumph as Alonso edges duel with Schumacher
Felipe Massa won his first grand prix here yesterday, but for 14 sweaty-palmed final laps all eyes were on a titanic battle for second place between the bitter rivals Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

Turkish GP: Massa delights in maiden pole
After the unusual weather conditions that pertained in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Formula One got back up to temperature in sweltering conditions in Turkey that will, the world champion, Fernando Alonso, believes, ensure that tyre performance is the key to victory.

Vettel makes instant impact
Sebastian Vettel announced his arrival in Formula One by setting the fastest time in practice for the Turkish Grand Prix today, in just his second session behind the wheel.

Road Test: BMW X5
Specifications

The Verdict: Proton Satria Neo 1.6 GSX
Specifications Price: £9,595 Engine: 1.6-litre petrol Performance: 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds, 42.8mpg CO2: 157g/km Worth considering: Fiat Grande Punto, Seat Ibiza, Suzuki Swift

Subaru B9 Tribeca: A very dumb SUV
Would suit Sorry, no idea. Price £28,995 (the seven-seat version costs £33,995) Performance 121mph, 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds Combined fuel consumption 23mpg Further information 08708 502 503

Gilera Nexus 500 Maxi Scooter: A new, funky urban warrior
Specifications

Road Test: Audi TT Roadster 3.2 Quattro
Specifications

The Verdict: Volkswagen Eos
Specifications

Bentley Continental GTC: A dazzlingly posh new soft-top
Would suit: Simon Cowell Price: £130,500 Performance: 195mph, 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds Combined fuel economy: 16.5 mpg Further information: 01270 535 034

Road Test: Peugeot 207CC GT
Specifications

The Verdict: Citroen C1 Rhythm 1.0
Specifications

On wheels
Specifications

Road Test: Smart ForTwo
Specifications

The Verdict: Porsche Boxster
Specifications

Road Test: Nissan Qashqai 2.0 DCI
Specifications

The Verdict: Seat Leon FR
Specifications

Kia Cee'd: A family car with a personality problem
Would suit People who don't really believe they deserve a Golf. Price £10,995-£14,245 Performance 107mph, 0-62mph in 13.8 seconds (as tested) Combined fuel economy 60.1mpg Further information 0800 775 777

Road Test: Skoda Fabia 1.2 12V
Specifications

The Verdict: Perodua Myvi
Specifications

The Verdict: VW Golf GTI Edition 30
Specifications Price: £22,295 Engine: 2.0-litre petrol Performance: 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds, 34.0mpg CO2: 194g/km Worth considering: Ford Focus ST, Renault Mégane Renaultsport 225, Skoda Octavia vRS

Road Test: Kia Cee'd
Specifications Price: From £10,495 to £14,245 Engine: 1.4 litre and 1.6 litre petrol; two versions of a 1.6 diesel; 2.0 litre diesel follows Transmission: 5-speed manual (6sp on 2 litre diesel); auto option (petrol) Performance: (120mph and 0 to 62mph in 10.8secs (1.6 petrol); 44.1mpg (60.1mpg on the diesel) CO2: 125 (1.4 petrol) to 165g/km

On wheels: Suzuki Swift Sport
Specifications Would suit Boy racers on a tight budget Price £11,499 Performance 124mph, 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds Combined fuel economy 37.7mpg Further information 01892 707 007

Road Test: Toyota Auris 1.6
Specifications

The Verdict: Volvo C30 2.0 SE
Specifications

On wheels: Audi TT 2.0 TFSI
Would suit Posh middle-aged women from Chiswick Price £29,095 Performance 149mph, 0-60mph in 6.4 seconds Combined fuel economy 36.7mpg Further information 08457 699 777

The Verdict: BMW 335 Coupe
Specifications

Road Test: Seat Altea XL
Specifications

On wheels: BMW 335i Coupé
Would suit M4 man Price £33,420 Performance 155mph, 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds Combined fuel economy 29.7mpg Further information 0800 325 600

The Verdict: Skoda Roomster
Specifications

Road Test: Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 D-iD
Specifications

Piaggio MP3: A very sexy scooter
Three-wheeled vehicles don't get the best press; just think Trotter Independent Trading's Reliant Regal van.

On wheels: Vauxhall Corsa 1.4SXi
Would suit Closet mum-racer Price £10,595 Performance 107mph, 0-60mph in 11.8 seconds Combined fuel economy 46mpg Further information 08457 400 800

Road Test: Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
Specifications

The Verdict: Maybach 57S
Specifications

On wheels: Lotus Europa
Would suit Emma Peel Price £33,895 Performance 143mph, 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds Combined fuel economy 30.4mpg Further information 0870 900 0565

On wheels: Citroën C4 Picasso MPV 2.0 HDi
Would suit Virile cubists Price From £14,995 Performance 121mph, 0-60mph in 12.5 seconds (as tested) Combined fuel economy 46.3mpg Further information 0800 262 262

Honda CBR600RR: Leader of the pack
Specifications

The Verdict: Lexus IS250
Specifications

Road Test: Renault Megane R26

On wheels: Mitsubishi iCar
Would suit The Jetsons Price £8,999 (not on sale yet, but due in the UK in June 2007) Performance 80mph, 0-50mph in 11.2 seconds Combined fuel economy 55mpg Further information 0845 070 2000

The Verdict: BMW F800s
Specifications Price: £5,995 Engine: 798cc liquid-cooled parallel twin. Performance: 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds Worth considering: Honda NT650 Deauville, Ducati Multistrada 620, Suzuki DL650 V-Strom

Road Test: Mercedes-Benz Gl 420 Cdi
Specifications

On wheels: Audi Q7
Would suit Misanthropes Price £47,725 Performance 155 mph, 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds Combined fuel economy 20.8mpg Further information 08457 699 777

Road Test: Mazda 3 MPS
Specifications

The Verdict: Kia Carens
Specifications

On wheels: Land Rover Freelander TD4

The Verdict: Mercedes-Benz E63 Amg Estate
Specifications

Jeep takes a giant leap forward
Specifications

Road Test: Panda 100 HP
Specifications

On wheels: Mini Cooper S
Would suit Well, I wouldn't say no Price £16,000 (but the extras can easily take it over £20k) Performance 140mph, 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds Combined fuel economy 40.9mpg Further information 08000 836 464

Road Test: Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy
Specifications Engine: 1,584cc air-cooled V-twin Maximum power: Not given Maximum torque: 120Nm @ 3,300rpm Brakes: 292mm discs at front and rear Transmission: six-speed gearbox, belt final drive Dry weight: 313kg Seat height: 645mm Tank capacity: 18.9 litres Price: from £13,295

Road Test: Audi S8 Quattro: Watch out world
Specifications Price: £70,825 Engine: 5.2-litre V10 Maximum power: 450PS at 7,000rpm Maximum power: 540Nm at 3,500rpm Transmission: All-wheel drive with six-speed "tiptronic" gearbox Performance: 155 mph maximum (governed); 0 to 50mph in 3.1 secs; 0 to 62mph in 5.1 sec; 20.9mpg CO2: 320g/km

The Verdict: Mini Cooper
Specifications Price: £12,995 Engine: 1.6-litre petrol Performance: 0-62 mph in 9.1 seconds, 48.7 mpg CO2: 139g/km Worth considering: Ford Fiesta ST, Nissan Micra 1.6 Sport SR, Peugeot 207 1.6 Sport

On wheels: Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

Kawasaki Versys: Best of both worlds
Specifications

Road Test: Honda CR-V i-CTDi
Specifications

The Verdict: Peugeot 207 Sport
Specifications

On wheels: Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
Would suit Marcello Mastroianni (were he still with us) Price £80,595 Performance 167mph, 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds Combined fuel economy 14.5mpg Further information 0800 064 6468

Suzuki GSX-R750: a pocket thunderbolt
Specifications

Road Test: Land Rover Freelander TD4
Specifications

The Verdict: Citroen C6 3.0i V6 exclusive
Specifications

On wheels: Seat Leon 2.0 TDI FR
Would suit My friend Tomas

Piaggio Zip 100 Scooter: Just too much zip?
Specifications

Road Test: Mini Cooper S
Specifications

The Verdict: Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
Specifications

On wheels: BMW Z4M

Road Test: Volvo C30 T5
Specifications

The Verdict: BMW Z4 M Roadster
Specifications

On wheels: Honda Legend

Road Test: Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet
Specifications

The Verdict: Audi TT Coupe 3.2 Quattro
Specifications

Porsche 997 Turbo: the ultimate 911
Specifications

The Verdict: Audi RS4 Cabriolet
Specifications

Road Test: Mercedes-Benz CL
Specifications

On wheels: Mercedes-Benz GL 420 CDI
Would suit Ryder Cup wives Price £66,865 (as tested) Maximum speed 143mph, 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds Combined fuel economy 24.4mpg Further information 0800 181 361

Road Test: Peugeot 207 GT Turbo
Specifications

The Verdict: Volkswagen Golf R32
Specifications

Alexei Sayle: Brakes? What a lot of namby pamby nonsense
Truly, as LP Hartley says in his novel The Go-Between: "the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there". He might have added that shoes were much cheaper, but apart from that I can't say I disagree. They also say that history is written by the winners (though that doesn't include race horses and greyhounds).

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I finally went ahead and bought my new set of wheels last week - a Pinnacle Evolution 1.0. I should probably confess at this stage that my decision to go for the Evolution over a Specialized Rockhopper was rather strongly influenced by Pinnacle's offer to sell me the bike at trade price.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
Dublin becomes the latest European city to join the cycling revolution this summer, following cities such as Lyon, Paris and Brussels by launching a cheap bike-hire scheme.

Sean O'Grady: It's all hands to the pumps, guys
Even before the great contamination scandal, I always tried to avoid buying fuel at supermarkets, as I was never sure the stuff was as good as the "branded" petrols and diesels, which contain detergents to keep your engine clean and efficient.

Alexei Sayle: Only the mad go carless in LA
Watching the Oscar awards ceremony last week and seeing Helen Mirren get her award for The Queen, I was reminded of the time I walked to her house in the Hollywood Hills. This happened on my very first visit to LA, when I was staying with my wife at the famous Chateau Marmont Hotel, on Sunset Boulevard, and I did not appreciate how mad it was to walk anywhere.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
Since I started commuting to work on my bicycle three and a half years ago, visiting the bike shop has become an increasingly depressing experience. Although I take my wheels in for a service every three months or so, I'm almost always landed with a massive bill for new parts, as well as a lecture from the mechanic about keeping my bike in such poor condition.

Steve Stradling: Cameras help spot risky drivers before they crash
Higher speeds increase crash severity and frequency. Those who drive fast are likely to cause and suffer more injury. A 1 per cent increase in speed is associated with a 2 per cent increase in the injury crash rate, a 3 per cent increase in the severe crash rate and a 4 per cent increase in the fatal crash rate. From 30mph to 35mph is a 17 per cent increase.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
It was disappointing to see only 10 MPs claiming for cycling on their annual expense forms, published earlier this month. Jeremy Corbyn (Labour MP for Islington North) and Mary Creagh (Labour MP for Wakefield) topped the list, totting up an impressive 1,120 miles' worth of bike journeys over the past year, but no one else came even close.

Vince Yearley: Switch off before you drive off
I blame multitasking. These days we are all meant to be able to do loads of things at the same time. The problem is, of course, we can't. Not effectively.

Paul Smith: Cameras trigger poor driving... but there is hope
Speed cameras make drivers worse and that makes our roads more dangerous. Government statistics fully support the conclusions. Official research supports - but does not draw - the conclusion. All we need now is an official admission that speed cameras have been an epic failure and the consequent scrapping of the speed camera programme.

Alexei Sayle: Show your real personality - write it on a van
I was writing something about my family's involvement with trade union politics and their membership of the Communist Party and it suddenly struck me that revolution was our family business: if we'd had a van, it would have said on the side, "Joseph Henry Sayle & Son - Revolution, Mayhem and Disorder".

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I've been doing my best to learn about all the different parts of the cycling world over the past few weeks. Having discovered the world of downhill and 4-cross two weeks ago, I moved on from extreme to endurance last weekend, and entered the world of cyclo-cross racing.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I discovered a new extreme side to the world of cycling last week, when I took a trip up to County Durham for a few days' mountain biking. Hidden in the depths of Hamsterley Forest - a 5,000-acre wood near Bishop Auckland - I had my first encounter with the sport of downhill bike racing.

Sean O'Grady: Well done, Ken. there, i've said it
It isn't often that I take the time to praise Transport for London, but here goes. (I offer the usual apologies for being London-centric. It's just that it's about to widen the Congestion Charge zone, and other plans to change the scheme radically are gathering pace. One day every city will have a scheme, so if you live in Leicester or Liverpool, it's worth noting what they're up to in the capital.)

James Daley: The Cycling Column
Cycling proficiency tests are set to make a comeback next month, as part of a new initiative to try to get more young people on to their bikes, and riding safely. If it works, the idea is that thousands more children will grow up not only as cyclists, but as responsible cyclists.

Alexei Sayle: My shameful need for a mighty boy
THERE'S A programme coming soon to BBC4 about soul music, and a preview for it that I read quoted Eric Burdon, lead singer with The Animals, as saying that although he isn't black, he sees British miners of that time as "slaves". He adds that he was already comfortable with black faces because they were the faces of men after a day down the mine, their lips whitened by foam from the Guinness. Well, not really, Eric. His experiences with black-coloured miners' faces might have made him feel at ease in the midst of The Black and White Minstrel Show, or possibly at an Al Jolson-impersonators' convention, but has nothing to do with his relationship with people whose skin colour doesn't wash off or his ability to sing the blues.

Sean O'Grady: Who will rid us of these greedy highway hyenas?
You might have thought that those cowboy clampers had gone away. Well, you're wrong. They're still with us, only now they've been issued with a licence to extort. I discovered this at my cost.

Alistair Carmichael: Mobiles and cars just don't mix
When Barbara Castle introduced the breathalyser for testing drink drivers in 1967, she did so in the teeth of fierce opposition. Drinking and driving was considered acceptable. Today it is regarded as one of the most dangerously self-indulgent and socially unacceptable activities.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
Surely there must be more we can do to prevent bike theft. Over the past five years, the number of reported cycle thefts in London has doubled to more than 20,000 a year - and given that many people don't even bother to report thefts to the police, this number is certain to represent only a fraction of the real total.

Sean O'Grady: Don't drink the transmission oil
One of the frustrating things about running our Honda Civic Hybrid as a long-term test car is that nothing much happens. The only thing I've had to attend to in six months is the windscreen washer reservoir. You can't squeeze much entertainment out of that.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
THE DEPARTMENT for Transport appears to be run by a bunch of petrolheads. At the end of last month, while most people had their minds on other things, it quietly slipped out a rather worrying document, encouraging local councils to consider allowing cars to use bus lanes during the rush hour - on the condition that they carry at least one passenger.

Alexei Sayle: OK, China, it's payback time
I'M ALL in favour of China's growing economic strength and its penetration of Western markets, but I don't feel this because of any altruistic motives such as thinking that we need another superpower to balance out the United States or anything. My interest in China is prompted by the thought that I might one day want to revive my stand-up comedy career.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I always find it really depressing to see how many people stop taking to their bikes as soon as the winter months come around. But this winter, given that we've yet to see daytime temperatures fall anywhere close to freezing (in the capital at least), it's particularly disappointing.

Stephen Foley: China syndrome strikes America
AS AN advertising pitch, I can't see it going down well with America's car buyers. Changfeng, the state-controlled Chinese car maker which hopes to start shipping its SUVs to the US next year, unveiled its latest model with a so-bad-it's-hilarious video at the Detroit Motor Show.

Sean O'Grady: Now I can't even afford to take the bus
There's been a lot of talk recently about the soaring cost of public transport, and how it costs more to go by train than it does to catch a plane from, say, London to Manchester. The price of a standard open return rail ticket on the London to Manchester run is now £219, after the New Year hikes in prices. The wonder of it is that there is anyone that pays such silly prices. Maybe disqualified drivers and Russian oligarchs are filling the carriages that pull in to Manchester's Piccadilly station every day.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I finally made it to my first Critical Mass ride last month. It was one of the most uplifting experiences I've ever had on two wheels, and one which, if you're a regular cyclist, you really shouldn't miss out on, even if it means a trip to the capital.

Alexei Sayle: Where true healing begins
Unlike most people in the entertainment business, I am not interested in getting my hands on "freebies". It always amazes and disgusts me how at the end of awards ceremonies you can see wealthy celebrities fighting each other, sometimes with knives, just to get their greedy paws on a free goody bag that contains a packet of balloons, a pencil and a copy of Exchange & Mart from 1987. Admittedly, this obsessive honesty of mine does lead me to make mistakes. For a while, there has been a media war going on in London where people are paid to hand out free copies of rival newspapers. I was unaware of this so each time somebody in a purple jacket tried to thrust a paper in my hand I thought they were trying to bribe me and I would give them a long and impassioned speech about how my soul wasn't for sale to Rupert Murdoch or Associated Newspapers for the price of a free paper.

Sean O'Grady: Why ludicrously posh motors are good for us
We've got a bit of a luxury theme going on this week: Maserati, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and Maybach all in one plutocratic edition. (Sorry there's no Bentley this time.) I ought to apologise in a way, because such fun seems at odds with the miserabilist spirit of our times. We ought not, you might argue, be giving even a line of coverage to such extravagances when the planet is dying because of them. One trip to the shops in the twin turbo bored-out sports-tuned 6-litre V12 Maybach would probably melt an ice cap.

Sean O'Grady: The market will make us all green
We hope you agree with the choices for our inaugural Green Motoring Awards. But we know that the only really worthwhile award would be given to those who gave up their cars altogether and embraced the bicycle and public transport. A few heroic Independent readers have contacted me to confirm they have done just that, and we shall be honouring them with their own feature. We're not convinced that life is as easy without a car as with one, but we're prepared to learn...

James Daley: The Cycling Column
Although Britain's cycling infrastructure has undoubtedly improved significantly over the past few years, a good proportion of the new cycle paths and routes around our cities seems to have been terribly ill-conceived.

Alexei Sayle: They think it's all voice-overs
When I put my old newspapers out for recycling on a Sunday night I always make sure I wear a spangly cloak, lime-green plastic hot pants and a revolving red light on my head so passers-by will definitely notice me. There's a valid reason for this attention-seeking behaviour - it's that I do the voice-over for the TV ads that encourage you to recycle your newspapers, so I want to be conspicuous when I myself am doing it, to show that I agree with the concept behind the commercial.

Sean O'Grady: Want to avoid road pricing? Just drive less
I've heard quite enough about road pricing, thank you very much. And what I have heard I have not liked. I also happen to think I've got a couple of ideas that Rod Eddington didn't give due weight to in his report last week. Allow me to expound on them briefly. Who knows; such freer debate, outside the parameters of the Eddington Report, might just save us all a few quid.

Sean O'Grady: What is the price of going green?
Right now I am in a bit of a quandary. I'd really like to buy the long-term Honda Civic Hybrid I'm driving around in. It's got a good many things going for it, though mostly not down to its hybrid technology. There's the Honda build quality, which has stood up well to half-a-year's hard use in London and on the nation's motorways, escaping from our overrated capital city. It's easy and smooth to drive, the only irritation being the whine from the constantly variable automatic transmission, which makes hard acceleration from, say, 50 to 70mph rather wearing. It's a saloon, which I like because it makes any junk I'm carrying around that little bit more secure. It's no beauty, though.

Alexei Sayle: 'Fess Up, Gordon, Or I Get Nasty
On the digital channel More4 they show these little mini programmes called interstitials that fill up the space in between longer programmes. Another term for these short films is bumpers.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I'm constantly amazed by the number of cyclists in Britain who still don't bother to wear a helmet, especially those who are regularly braving dangerous inner-city roads. There's no end of independent research which, not surprisingly, shows that wearing a cycle helmet reduces your chance of being seriously injured in an accident considerably.

Sean O'Grady: Now that's a stretched limousine
You could say the world divides into two. Those who regard a stretch limousine as the height of cool, the ideal location for a party, and the more stretched the better. And those who regard these hen-night specials as abominations, motorised visions of hell, whose darkened glass conceals the most appalling scenes of depravity.

Sean O'Grady: Don't shoot the messenger
Given climate of the times (no pun intended), I suppose it's not surprising that we've had so many letters from readers recently. They've been pointing out the apparent inconsistency of an environmentally conscious newspaper such as The Independent running a motoring section. Hypocrisy, explicitly or not, is the charge.

The Cycling Column: Let's not moan, we are making progress
I've been on holiday over the past fortnight in what are reputed to be the two most pro-cycling cities in North America - Toronto and Portland. Both have won numerous awards and accolades for their positive attitude to cycling over the past few years, and have made some pretty good progress towards getting more people out of their cars and on to their bikes. In the US and Canada, where the car culture is so much stronger than the UK (I was amazed to see petrol on sale for 38p a litre in Canada!), this is no small achievement.

Alexei Sayle: It's easy, just like driving a tank
During the rioting in Budapest two weeks ago, on the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising, some demonstrators stole a Soviet-era T-34 tank due to be used in the commemoration, and drove it at the police. Seeing this on the news, I thought to myself, "Boy! They must have some tough driving test in Hungary for somebody to be able to drive that!". I mean, even in a big crowd, who in Britain knows how to drive anything except a car or a scooter?

Tim Luckhurst: Why is there this hysteria about mini-motos?
I witnessed my first motorcycle accident aged 13 in 1976. David demanded to race his 1958 vintage 150cc single-cylinder James Captain against my 1967 Raleigh Wisp. It was ostensibly futile. The James was feeble by modern standards, but it still produced a lot more power than my moped. The difference was that my brakes worked.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I'm sorry to admit it, but I seem to have developed a new and passionate prejudice over the past few weeks, and it's got to the point where I can no longer resist the temptation to air it: I've a problem with people who ride Bromptons.

Sean O'Grady: Be Civic minded and beat the tax
I always get a little twinge when I clamber into our long-term Honda Civic Hybrid. It's nothing to do with the nice leather seats, in bland grey but comfy enough (and heated too). It isn't the damage I'm doing to the environment, because it isn't a bad car as far as Mother Earth is concerned (although at 39mpg this petrol/electric Honda is not as eco-friendly as I thought it'd be).

James Daley: The Cycling Column
I lost and regained my faith in humanity in all of about 30 seconds last Friday, while I was riding home from work. As has become a bit of a habit of late, I was sitting on the wheel of another commuter (I haven't been able to resist since my colleague told me that you expend 30 per cent less energy than if you go it alone), using him to help me drag myself home after a long and tiring week.

Alexei Sayle: Skullduggery at the pump and a cow in the car
A friend of mine had an agency job for a while in which he was paid to move cars around a giant decommissioned US airfield in Oxfordshire. The cars he drove were either brand new and waiting to go out to dealers or were almost-new fleet cars about to be resold at auction; either way, they were clean and unmarked.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
The perpetual conflict between motorists, pedestrians and cyclists has taken up more than its fair share of column inches over the past few months (not least in this column). But in recent weeks I have come to discover that it's not just in the cities where cyclists get people's backs up. We seem to court controversy wherever we go.

Stephen Ladyman: Car drivers are not the enemy
Britain's roads are among the safest in the world - and they're getting safer.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
One of my favourite parts of city commuting is the dozens of impromptu races you find yourself caught up in every week.

Alexei Sayle: The joy of being a celebrity tester
I have just taken delivery of a long-term test car, a top-of-the-range Citroën C6 that I hope to be driving for at least the next six months. This era got off to a good start when, on the first day of loanership, I parked outside a Greek restaurant in the Primrose Hill district of London and almost the entire waiting staff came out to admire its distinctive lines, which evoke the great Citroën limousines of the Sixties and Seventies, and to tell me what a beautiful car they thought it was.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
It's been wonderful to see London mayor Ken Livingstone finally forced to take a step back from his aggressive stance towards cyclists in recent weeks - conceding that the introduction of bicycle licence plates would not only be costly and impractical, but would also have the unintended consequence of discouraging people from taking to their bikes.

Mary Williams: Where 'TOP Gear' meets road safety
Stephen Ladyman, the road-safety minister, can find the time, and therefore spend taxpayers' money, saying in the media that he is "distressed" that Top Gear is being "knocked" in the wake of the injury of the presenter Richard Hammond. But, sadly, he can't find the time to launch National Road Safety Week (6-12 November), organised by Brake, the road-safety charity, which this year focuses on the terrible death toll caused by young drivers.

Alexei Sayle: A sea voyage out of our skins
I have only ever been on cross-Channel ferries before, so this time when travelling to Spain I thought it would be interesting to take the two-night car ferry trip from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
It's that time of year when full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn and gathering swallows twitter in the skies (poetry). It's also that time when you pack your waterproofs, ensure you're visible in the stealthy twilight with bright lights and plenty of shiny stuff, and keep finding yourself either under- or overdressed for the weather.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
This column prides itself as a judge of horse-flesh, that is to say bicycles, and I spend a lot of time looking out for exotic or elegant specimens. A few weeks ago, I was chatting on a street corner with a friend, eyeing up the bikes as they flew or ambled past, and sometimes interrupting the conversation to point out particularly nice ones. "I am worried," my friend said after a while. "Three times now an attractive woman has gone past on a bike and you've only been interested in the bike." Maybe I am repressing something.

Sean O'Grady: Let's be balanced on our bikes
I'd like to offer an apology. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column that ridiculed Transport for London's "you're better off by bike" campaign and criticised the behaviour of some cyclists (for jumping red lights and so on). I said cycling on busy roads was dangerous. I thought cyclists ought to be insured for the admittedly extremely rare damage they do to cars, if they happened to scrape their bodywork, say. The solution, I argued, was for cyclists to be insured (compulsorily), licensed, and to be steered away from the busiest roads. There should be a small fee to help cover costs.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
JOHN ESPLEY e-mails with a query. He wants to replace his "decent hybrid" with a proper road bike. He doesn't to waste time or money making bad decisions, but he can't find a book that will tell him everything he needs to know. (He's particularly concerned with frame-size, comfort and gearing.) What advice can I offer?

Alexei Sayle: The Communist Motoring Manifesto
I WAS doing a television interview recently and during the course of it I was asked where my fascination with cars and driving came from.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
Hollywood has always been about cars. Horses and trains have their moments - well, horses have had several entire genres to themselves.

Sean O'Grady: Cyclists don't own the road
There is what must be an enormously expensive advertising campaign going on in London, promoting the idea that "You're better off by bike". The ads are paid for by Transport for London, the Mayor of London's transport quango.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
LAST WEEK, we were talking about collective demonstrations raising the profile of cycling, in the shape of the Critical Mass rides; this week, a more individual way of raising the profile: the Tall Bike Tour of Britain.

Alexei Sayle: Not really the thing for an evil magician
AFTER SPENDING three weeks in Spain with the Kia Magentis 2.0 diesel it was finally time to return to the UK. I've driven all the way down to my Spanish village twice before: once in a pre-launch, top of the range Rover 75 and once in a £50,000 Lexus LS430. But nobody there, either Spanish or British, ever showed any interest in either of these cars, whereas several people admired the Kia, asked what it was and how much it cost. I don't know whether that means people in my village are weird, or perhaps they could see that the car was more in their price range.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
I was shocked to come back from holiday and read about how mean everybody had been to James, after he'd advocated red light jumping. Not that I agree with him; but I think the antagonism disguised the fact that there is an awful lot of common ground between the "sensible" cyclists and the RLJers. We all think - don't we? - that the road regulations as they relate to cyclists are a mess and need reforming; and that other road-users need to learn to accept the presence of cyclists. It's a question of strategy: the RLJers believe in confronting things head-on and showing motorists we have a right to space on the roads. The sensiblists believe in a Fabian strategy, persuading other road-users that we're not so bad and we deserve their support.

Sean O'Grady: The ugly side of going green
I blame the Americans. No, not for the crisis in the Middle East, not for global warming, not even for fast food. However, I do hold the Americans responsible for making my car ugly. The Honda Civic Hybrid I've been lent does many things admirably. It's a smooth, reasonably well equipped cruiser that is doing its little bit to save the planet by using less fuel than it otherwise would. This is because its hybrid motor uses power that would otherwise be wasted, for example during braking. It stores it in batteries in the boot of the car. Then, for example during hard acceleration, the batteries power an electric motor that helps out the relatively small petrol engine. Despite using electric power to move along, the Honda is not a plug-in electric car. It generates all its electricity itself. Fuel economy is around 40mpg, not that outstanding, I know, and rather less than the official figures suggest, but better than if it was running on petrol alone, and arguably better than a diesel equivalent.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
The last couple of weeks have been a true eye-opener. I'd always believed that cyclists were generally mild-mannered, sensible folk who - even if they did not agree with each other - would stick together in the fight against the motorist. How wrong I was.

Alexei Sayle: My Week With An Old-Skool Charmer
After making a speech in Trafalgar Square condemning the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, I drove to Portsmouth in the new Kia Magentis and boarded a ferry for Bilbao. Now there's not many motoring correspondents who could say such a thing as that: to me it has a whiff of the inter-war years, of memoirs that start: "After saying goodbye to Leonard and Virginia Woolf and having sex with them both I motored down to Spain in the 8 Litre Delahaye Superbe where I volunteered for the International Brigade to fight against Franco. Within the week I was in command of a regiment of surrealists on the Aragon front, our artillery mostly comprising giant clocks pulled by teams of trained lobsters."

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
If you had to single out one person as having made the most important contribution to the development of the bicycle, JB Dunlop would be on the shortlist. In 1887, Dunlop, a Scotsman with a veterinary practice in Belfast, experimented with ways of making his son's tricycle more comfortable and came up with the pneumatic tyre. Without the bounce and grip that inflatable tyres give us, cycling would be pretty intolerable.

Ruth Metzstein: Dear AA, thanks for my really lovely night out
THE 10 minutes on hold, waiting for my call to be answered, did not bode well. But then again, I was a "lone female" (highest priority) in a dangerous location (warning light number two), on one of Britain's busiest motorways (less than half an hour from Birmingham), how long could the AA take to rescue me?

Alexei Sayle: Why I shouted at innocent people from my 4x4
I love cycle racing, specifically I love the Tour de France. I even like it that all the teams are named after commercial products rather than cities or countries, as in football or athletics. To me this is the way things will be in the future when we all live in places called Milton Tescos or the Isle of Morrisons, so my feeling is we might as well get on with it.

James Daley: The Cycling Column
Before I begin, I should probably offer an apology to the law-abiding and thoroughly sensible Robert Hanks - whose column I have hijacked while he is away on holiday, only to rubbish his conservative views about safety and cycling etiquette.

Gavin Green: Made in Britain? Not if you look under the bonnet
The unions are protesting about the closure of Ryton. The Chinese are starting production at Longbridge again, but on a fraction of the old scale. MG Rover has gone, Ford-owned Jaguar shut its spiritual home at Browns Lane, Coventry, and GM's sole remaining car production facility in the UK, at Ellesmere Port near Liverpool, has downsized. It's been grim for the UK car industry.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
A few years ago, I took part in a performance of Eine Brise by the Argentine composer Mauricio Kagel. He subtitles the piece, "a fleeting action for 111 cyclists", and I was one of the 111, riding along the street, whistling, shushing and ringing my bell.

Nigel Mansell: Safety is earned, not bought
This year I visited the Motor Show for the first time since I became president of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). And my new focus on the IAM's work started me thinking about car safety.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
Cyclists are often accused of being self-righteous, and perhaps sometimes we are; but that's only because we're better and more ethically aware than other people. For instance, at CycleFit in Covent Garden the other day, in between having my legs measured with protractors and plumblines as I pedalled furiously, I asked Julian Wall what the rationale behind the business was: "Morally," he said, "we have to fit someone to their bike."

Alexei Sayle: The big motor show at the end of the world
I have several women friends for whom shopping can be something of an ordeal. This is because when they go into a store they have this feeling that the staff will get upset with them if they don't buy something. The result of this is that they inevitably come out of any shop lumbered with expensive stuff that they don't want. The same used to be true for me when I visited exhibitions and shows. I remember going to the Farnborough Airshow a few years back to protest against the arms trade and coming away with a McDonnell Douglas F15 Air Superiority Fighter complete with an M1601 20mm internal cannon and Aim 9L Sidewinder missiles. It's a bastard to keep clean since the wings won't go through the carwash. Similarly, when I went to the Motor Show in 1992 when it was still at the Birmingham NEC to film an item for Top Gear, I found myself buying a brand new Rover 827 Coupe.

Robert Hanks: The Cycling Column
It's about time this column had a sprinkling of the fairy dust of celebrity, and Wayne Hemingway has been on TV often enough to count.

Alexei Sayle: Small is beautiful - especially if it's a hire car
It is truly amazing how the advent of cheap short-haul fights on easyJet, Ryanair, Monarch and the rest has affected our lives. Obviously, in the long term getting all that jet exhaust right up near the ozone layer is going to lead to us all living in a post ecological disaster-style dystopia, as predicted in Kevin Costner's Waterworld - a film that also went a fair way to evoking how tedious and painful such a dystopia would be. In the short term though it has led to me changing my car- hire habits.

Golden oldie is in Seven heaven
Happy 50th birthday, Caterham!

Shock tactic KOs crooks
Here's a shocking way to deter crooks: a ring of high-voltage lightning

Smarter Subarus are in focus
Not content with unveiling the world's first ever diesel boxer engine at the Geneva Motor Show, Subaru also demonstrated its latest safety system

British GT and F3 season preview
Kicking off at Oulton Park in April

Chancellor to raise taxes
Revenue raising from performance cars

New editor for PH
Adam Towler takes over the reins today

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