‘second-best’ models

PEOPLE LOVE SUVs. They’re seen as the catch-all family motor, offering space, security and a touch of panache. But we reckon those people are missing out, because the traditional estate car offers alm

£254,200 OTR/£XXXXX as tested/£5,077 pcm WHY IT’S HERE: What has a hybrid makeover – and Mulliner buffing – added to the world’s best grand tourer? DRIVER: Ollie Kew “THIS IS AN EXPERIENCE RESERVED fo

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Is this good enough to be the performance X3? The BMW X3 M is one of those cars that has a reputation for attracting a certain kind of buyer. But actually its buyer base is much b

JUST HOW FAR HAVE WE COME SINCE THE 1980s? The hatchback I’m driving has 324bhp coursing through its front wheels. Deployed with a modicum of skill and mechanical sympathy, that’s sufficient to launch

What have I done? I have just spent about six times that which I’ve yet previously spent on a car, on a vehicle that has twice as many cylinders as I’m used to, will consume about double the amount of

2004-2013