The Ford Fiesta is a car that lives two lives. To the vast sane majority of people in the UK, the Fiesta is an endemic little car. They just are. I’m fairly certain one of Voltaire’s less well-known philosophical musings read: “There are cars on Britain’s roads, therefore at least one will be a FordContinue reading “Retro Review | Ford Fiesta Mk6 1.4 Zetec”
Author Archives: Kerbsider
Opinion | Kia EV6 – out Aston Martin-ing Aston Martin
Nothing is certain with cars, which is exactly what makes the car industry so interesting. The car industry like many others is reliant on the demands of its consumers – that’s for certain. What differentiates the car industry is that no other competitive or materialistic industry is so subject to governmental legislation. Cars have toContinue reading “Opinion | Kia EV6 – out Aston Martin-ing Aston Martin”
Opinion | Twin Turbocharged V6s – I take it all back!
A while back I ranted about Turbocharged V6s losing their identity. In fact I said: “In becoming more widely adopted, turbo V6s have become sanitised, mainstream, and have lost their outsider status. With tightening regulations and the need for efficiency, it is doubtful if we’ll ever see a churning, quirky, roughshod performance V6 ever again.”Continue reading “Opinion | Twin Turbocharged V6s – I take it all back!”
Opinion | The Honda Civic is the most American car on sale in the UK
The Honda Civic is a Japanese car. ‘Wow Kerbsider, thanks for that,’ I presume you might think or say, but hopefully you can grant me some semblance of respite as I try and get to the bottom of my point. Yes the Honda Civic is Japanese. If so why does it give more of aContinue reading “Opinion | The Honda Civic is the most American car on sale in the UK”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 6 – Cadillac CTS-V (2nd-Gen)
Curveballs are fun; automotive curveballs even more so. In the interest of worldly-perceptiveness, we’ve taken off our European blinkers, and have decided to make a quick jaunt across the Atlantic. The final member of the Supersaloon Class of ’08 alumni is a product of the US domestic market. The US domestic market (USDM), like theContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 6 – Cadillac CTS-V (2nd-Gen)”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 5 – Vauxhall VXR8
Sometimes brashness is best. Humans are emotional beings and trying to act in an un-partisan, people-pleasing and reserved manner is overrated. Sometimes, we need to get a little bit bolshy, leave maturity by the wayside, extend two fingers to the naysayers, and embrace silly. The automotive equivalent of doing this, is buying a Vauxhall VXR8.Continue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 5 – Vauxhall VXR8”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 4 – Lexus IS F
In parts 1-3 of this series we explored the expected protagonists of the small supersaloon sector: the Germans. Audi, BMW and Mercedes locked forever in a three-way Mexican standoff; it has pretty much always been this way, but occasionally an interloper emerges. Like a juddering tectonic plate, an unexpected rival shakes things up and helpsContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 4 – Lexus IS F”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 3 – Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204)
Whilst a V8 seems like a natural thing for a performance Audi to adopt, and the BMW M3 grew into its V8, AMG Mercedes have – regardless of their physical size – always seem to have huge V8s shoehorned into them. What makes AMG’s so enigmatic, especially those from the M156 6.2 Litre V8 era,Continue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 3 – Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204)”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 2 – BMW M3 (E90)
As we discussed in Part 1, the B7 Audi RS4 was the sort of car that is made when the planets align. It still stands as the high-water mark for the RS4 as a car, and following it up must have been an unenviable task. A car that experienced that unenviable task was the RS4’sContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 2 – BMW M3 (E90)”
The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 1 – Audi RS4 (B7)
Performance Audis have always been consistent in one key area: they are all ridiculously fast. On the other burly Germanic hand, performance Audis have varied wildly in terms of driver engagement and fun. For every R8, there is a one-dimensional RS5; for every well-sorted RS6 there is an understeering RS3. One Audi that ticks bothContinue reading “The Supersaloon Class of ’08 | Part 1 – Audi RS4 (B7)”
Kerbside 