Hyundai ix35 Review (2012): Premium 1.7 CRDi 2WD

We have Hyundai’s impressive looking ix35 compact SUV come crossover in for a week for review in 2WD guise with Premium trim and the 1.7 CRDi engine. We’ve wittered on endlessly about how impressive Hyundai’s efforts have become in the last few years; from Halford’s special to credible alternative in less time than it takes from one Olympic games to the next. But it’s one thing turning small, budget family cars in to real competition for the established market leaders, but is it a stretch too far to think Hyundai can take on the might of car makers like Ford and VW in the compact SUV market?

'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish': A tribute to Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

The recent passing of Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, has found us mourning the loss of a visionary who brought not only technology and functionality to the product design industry, but also transcended the boundary into automotive design. Jobs succeeded in making what was at the time a foreign invention – the personal computer, a device impeded by its lack of usability – attractive to the masses by making it simpler, intuitive and essentially more functional for those who didn't hold a PhD in physics. From his previous experience with the artistic qualities of calligraphy, Jobs took a sector that was so inward looking that it risked alienating the consumer – regardless of its capability – and wrapped it up in a warm, aesthetically appealing package that could be more easily understood.

Vauxhall Adam Rocks (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 19 February 2014 14:00 The new Vauxhall Adam Rocks is surely one of the most bizarre new car niches to wing its way to this year’s Geneva motor show. To create this supermini crossover, Vauxhall has raised the ride height of the Adam city car by 15mm, fitted workmanlike plastic body cladding – and taken a tin-opener to the roof. Yep, you can retract the canvas roof’s centre section, in the same style as a Fiat 500C or Citroen DS3 Cabrio.