Jaguar F-Type: 2013 World Car Design of the Year

The new Jaguar F-Type has been declared 2013 World Car Design of the Year at the New York Auto Show this week. We have to confess we moaned about a few details on  the F-Type when it arrived, and about the price. But we soon realised that, rather than being a pricey alternative to a Porsche Boxster, the new Jaguar F-Type was actually a real alternative to the Aston Martin Vantage – turning it in to something of a bargain offering.

Ford Explorer (2011) launches +video

The 2011 Ford Explorer Because it’s unlikely we will get the 2011 Ford Explorer on this side of the Pond, we haven’t covered its interminable tease in any real detail. Yes, we reported on the 2011 Explorer getting Ford’s new Curve Control, an electronanny designed to cure understeer, but we didn’t report every silly photo Ford released. But not being thorough on reporting a really boring and drawn out tease is one thing, but we can’t ignore the launch of a new version of a vehicle that until quite recently was selling almost 500k a year.

Volvo V40 Cross Country & V40 R-Design: Paris 2012

Volvo has revealed the V40 Cross Country and V40 R-Design at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, and both are convincing. The sporty take on the new V40 is the V40 R-design, a cosmetic update for the already good-looking V40 that manages to bolt on go-faster bits without wrecking the good lines of the normal V40. We would like to have seen the Volvo V40 R-Design get the sports suspension as standard, but Volvo obviously feel that most R-Design buyers want the looks rather than the more dynamic ride the sports suspension offers, so it stays as an option. And as the R-Design option is available across the new V40 range – from the D2 to the T4 – it’s probably the right decision.