BMW USED CARS

This A5's specification should be as good as convertibles get. After
all, the engine is the smooth, torquey 3.0 TDI (we love that in every Audi) and
it's attached to the twin-clutch S-Tronic ‘box (which we like just as much in
every VAG product). Lazy gearbox to suit the wafting cabrio, economy of the
diesel to suit your wallet. And Audi really knows how to build great soft-tops
- the A4 Cabriolet was a constant best-seller.

But
things don't quite add up. The chief culprit is the gearbox, which is standard
fit on the 3.0 TDI. Positives first: it's a dual-clutch, so the changes up and
down the 'box in full auto are silky smooth and very slick. You hardly ever
notice them and the kickdown speed is much better than in a normal torque
convertor auto, too.

Four, wheel and drive. Those
three little words are what save the new Vauxhall Insignia VXR, for the simple
reason that they banish all thoughts of the torque-steering monstrosity that
was the Vectra VXR to the dark recesses of your mind.

Because despite producing 321bhp
and 321lb ft from a 2.8-litre V6 turbo, the Insignia VXR doesn't suffer from
any sort of torque steer at all. Those three words also sum up neatly the
attitude shift of VXR - gone is the chav factor, replaced here by something
more civilised. Less Burberry cap, more company rep with tie at a jaunty angle.

‘Useable performance' is the
buzz phrase now, even ‘subtle' styling. Thank goodness for that, as VXR was in
danger of becoming an antiquated performance brand only four years after it
launched.

It's a sweet little car, the Mazda2. Not sweet in a cute way, but sweet in a crisp
and sharp way. Our only problem with it so far has been with the 1.4 diesel
engine, which is unrefined and doesn't suit the car's zingy nature.

So will this new 1.6-litre diesel solve the problem?
In short, yes. It might only be a few cubic centimetres bigger than the 1.4 -
which you can still buy - but it has a far more useful 88bhp and 158lb ft,
that's a third more than in the smaller engine, making it less thrashy and more
effortless. CO2 output is 112g/km, just 5g
more than the 1.4's figure.

What a great little car. Not a contender in our
mind-blowing performance car shoot-out this month (TG 195), admittedly, but no less brilliant for it, this
facelifted Clio remains at the top of its class. And after driving it for a
couple of days, I was as impressed with it as with any of the mega-cars you'll
find in later pages. Building a small car this good is no easy task.

The car tested
is a Sport Tourer, in Dynamique trim, with the 1.5 dCi diesel engine. If you
need an efficient, clean, small runabout, this is it. At £14,770 (£13,220 for
the Expression base model) it's not particularly cheap, but a determination to
avoid the bargain basement Koreans is probably wise in this category.

This new 116d is the cheapest BMW diesel, the lowest-polluting and the most economical model
in the BMW range... it's also one of the best. In fact, it's one of the most
sorted hatches you can buy, full stop.

The 116 badge is the lowest of
all BMW monikers, but 116d does not mean 1.6 litres - this is the same
2.0-litre diesel lump that appears in the 118d, 120d and 123d, but here it
produces 116bhp and 140lb ft. That's down from 176bhp and 258lb ft in the 120d,
but the lower boost levels, coupled with the clever start-stop tech that's been
on BMWs for a while now, means that the fuel economy rises to 64.2mpg and CO2 falls to 118g/km.

Another month, another Audi. The Ingolstadt factory
is busier than ever right now, belching out new models as fast as its conveyor
belts can carry them. Audi sold over a million cars last year, and this A5
Sportback is the 33rd car to join the company's line-up. It's also the sixth to
share the A4/A5 platform.

So what is the A5 Sportback,
exactly? We will attempt to answer that as briefly as possible, but because
it's complicated, it might take nearly a billion words.

Curious car, this one. Despite a massive
temptation to ask just how such a thing ever made it past the idea stage, car
companies, particularly German ones, don't tend to make things that they
haven't already established someone will probably buy. Which means that, when
asked by the researcher with the clipboard and fixed smile, more than one
person must have said "Yes, actually, there is an X6 M shaped hole in my life".
Who these people are and what sort of lives they lead is anyone's guess but,
having driven the X6 M, I can only suggest that they are conflicted. Very
conflicted.

The last 740d was a 4.0 V8 diesel. Confusingly to
people outside BMW, the new 740d is not a V8, nor a 4.0-litre. Ah. Nope, the
new biggest diesel in the 7-Series range is a new super-efficient twin-turbo
straight-six, and it's a 3.0-litre block, but this time not derived from the
same 3.0-litre motor that you find in 30d and 35d versions elsewhere in the BMW
ranges.

Still with me? Right, explanation ahoy: this new
motor gets an all-aluminium crankcase and third-generation, common-rail fuel
injection that's good for 2,000 bar of pressure. Piezo injectors provide the
injection, and big pressure and fine control are good things. Higher pressure
means bigger bangs, control means more efficient burns, the pair bring better
power and economy.