Auto Trader Blog

New Jaguar XJ pictures – your reaction

kcautotrader — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:01:40 +0000

The leaked pictures of the Jaguar XJ give us our first impression of the car head of its big launch this evening. What do you think of Jaguar’s new saloon? Have your say below.

This just in: Nissan Pixo 1.0 Tekna

andrewgoodwin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:38:33 +0000

This week, I’ll mostly be driving a Nissan Pixo 1-litre Tekna. It’s finished in pearly white and costs £8,645. So, what are my first impressions of the smallest and cheapest car in Nissan’s range? It’s alright actually. Parking in Wimbledon is always a slightly fraught affair, but not in the Pixo. Spaces have never felt so big. If [...]

This just in: BMW 123d M Sport Convertible

adrianhearn — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:02:01 +0000

A jet black BMW 123d M Sport Convertible has just turned up at the office for a week’s loan. Wimbledon and Glastonbury have just finished so it was bound to be good weather after those two traditionally rain-soaked events. Except both the tennis and festival were dry this year so Mother Nature has chosen this week for [...]

Seat Ibiza Cupra, Bocanegra and FR launch

kcautotrader — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:51:08 +0000

We’re out in Barcelona test-driving the new Ibiza hot hatches: the FR, Cupra and Bocanegra. The FR sits at the bottom of the line with a 1.4-litre turbo and supercharged engine developing 150bhp while both the Cupra and Bocanegra boast 180bhp from the tuned version of the same power plant. Seat only built the Bocanegra [...]

This just in: Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X SST 330

kcautotrader — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:15:46 +0000

We recently reviewed Mitsubishi’s hottest Lancer Evo X, the FQ 400 and now its smaller-but-still-spicy sibling has appeared. Insert “you wait ages for a hot Evo, then two come along at once” joke here. To give it its full name, this is the Lancer Evo X GSR SST FQ-330. Here’s our first pictures of the car: First [...]

European Car of the Year 2010 – who will win?

kcautotrader — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:51:48 +0000

The 2010 European Car of the Year shortlist has been announced. There are 29 cars listed, with models as varied as the Porsche Panamera super-saloon and the hybrid Honda Insight vying to take the accolade won by the Vauxhall Insignia last year. But which will win? Here’s four of our picks – make your prediction below. Stuart [...]

Tell us about the best car you ever owned

stuartmilne — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:50:03 +0000

Made do with a Morris Minor? Courted in a Cortina? Married in a Montego? We’ve all had cars we look back fondly on. A reminder of an old boyfriend or girlfriend, a great adventure, or simply because it was a great car. And we’d like you to tell us all about it. In exchange for a bit [...]

Ford Ka: Like / Don’t like

kcautotrader — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:44:44 +0000

Our Ford Ka is heading home soon. Here’s what we’ll miss about the nippy city runabout – and what we’re not so sorry to see the back of. It’s a small car but there’s no evidence of corner-cutting. The door handles in particular have a solid, quality feel to them. The bright white grille is getting [...]

This just in: Fiesta Mountune

stuartmilne — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:29:42 +0000

The Focus RS might be the Ford that’s getting everyone excited at the moment, but there’s plenty to entertain with its smaller brother – the Fiesta Zetec-S Mountune. It’s half the price of the RS, but certainly doesn’t seem half the car. Ford has passed modification duties to tuning company, Mountune, which has supplied a new induction [...]

This just in: Ford Ka

kcautotrader — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:05:05 +0000

A Ford Ka arrived in the office this week and the timing couldn’t be better. London is being hit by a two-day tube strike, and a nippy little city car is just what we need to avoid the public transport chaos. We’ll be putting the Ka to our ten-point test later this week. In the meantime [...]

This just in: Maserati GranTurismo S

kcautotrader — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:45:54 +0000

It’s a good week when we get a Maserati in to test drive. It’s a very good week when we get two… This two-seat Maserati GranTurismo S arrived at Auto Trader today. Not only does it look utterly ferocious, but its caterwauling 4.7-litre V8 engine can push it to 183mph and 0-62mph in sub-five seconds. Web [...]

I’ve just bought a Beemer through Auto Trader

vijaypattni — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:55:50 +0000

I am a big BMW fan. Don’t ask me why or even when it started, but somehow the allure of Munich’s famous straight-sixes coupled to rear-wheel-drive and excellent build quality slowly wormed its way into my brain. And I finally have satisfied a long-standing urge to buy a properly quick, properly rare performance BMW. Ladies and gentlemen, I [...]

This just in: Maserati Quattroporte

kcautotrader — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:36:25 +0000

We’ve just taken delivery of a Maserati Quattroporte which we’ll be putting through a ten-point test later this week. First impressions? Well, you can’t help but be floored by its elegance and presence. It’s a bona fide head-turner. I wish they’d put the markings for the gear lever on the driver’s side of the column. But that’s [...]

Are all sat-navs going to fail in 2010?

Dom Sacco — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:34:24 +0000

Sat-nav systems could become defunct next year, according to a report from the U.S. Government. It reckons a lack of investment and development into the U.S. Air Force’s GPS (Global Positioning System) will cause the failure. But the U.S. Air Force said sat-navs will carry on working as normal. So who’s right? I’ve been meaning to buy a [...]

Wayne Rooney’s amazing car history

adrianhearn — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:26:33 +0000

As a Liverpool fan it’s pretty hard to say this, but Wayne Rooney has done pretty well for himself. He’s winning everything with Manchester United, is happily married to Coleen and has 70,000 people cheer him on every week at Old Trafford. And with a fortune of £35 million, he’s not exactly short on cash – a [...]

Brad Pitt is not Steve McQueen

vijaypattni — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:28:26 +0000

Brad Pitt is reportedly set to play the legendary Steve McQueen in a biopic of the world’s coolest petrolhead. But while one of Hollywood’s biggest stars shares some qualities with the late Bullitt star, I can’t help but think he’s probably the wrong casting choice. I like Brad Pitt and he’s definitely cool. But ‘McQueen’ cool? Not [...]

Volkswagen Polo: Rate it on the Auto Trader Cool-o-meter

kcautotrader — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:17:13 +0000

We’ve just driven the new Volkswagen Polo for this first time. It leaves little to be desired as a functional family run-around. But does it have that little extra something to make it cool? Rate more cars Audi S3 Sportback – Rate it on the Auto Trader Cool-o-meter Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed Volkswagen Golf GTI Renault Twingo Renaultsport Skoda Superb Kia Soul Gumpert [...]

New Vauxhall Astra: what do you think?

adrianhearn — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:27:24 +0000

Vauxhall released the first official pictures of the new Astra today. And the Insignia-inspired design certainly gives the Astra a more mature look. It’s a classy looking car but it didn’t grab our attention in the office like when the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Honda Civic were first announced. And while the front clearly shares design cues [...]

Would you have a speed limiter on your car?

kcautotrader — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:28:30 +0000

You’ve probably seen vans and other vehicles driving around with stickers on them declaring: “This vehicle is electronically limited to a maximum of 70mph”. That technology is about to be taken a step further. The Department for Transport is testing a new system that reads speed limit signs and automatically restricts cars to the maximum limit [...]

Car jargon busted

Dom Sacco — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:37:10 +0000

We’ve just produced the Auto Trader A-Z of motoring: a list of car terms, common phrases and motoring acronyms. Is there any confusing car jargon we’ve missed? Let us know what we should add to our dictionary of car terms. • A-pillars • Active steering • Advanced Safety Electronics (ASE) • Airbags • Anti-locking Braking System (ABS) • B-pillars • Brake Assist • Brake [...]