1 Jul 2007

Up to Speed

Just announced...

Mitsubishi Lancer

Price £12,000-£19,000 (estimated)

On sale in UK December

What’s different? Everything. It’s an all-new Lancer with nothing but the name in common with the slow-selling car it replaces. Engines range from a 1.5 litre to a 2 litre turbo that should deliver 200bhp – without mentioning the Evolution X that comes next year. There’s also a 2 litre diesel engine from VW

Why should I care? You might not, as the Lancer will initially sell as a four-door saloon – an unfashionable sector in Britain. Still, it looks good and a hatchback will follow next year, and it’s based on the same new platform used by the already well received Outlander SUV

Consider also Skoda Octavia £11,020-£20,980, Ford Focus saloon £15,407-£17,672, Volkswagen Jetta £14,802-£20,207

In the showroom...

Peugeot 207 SW estate

 

Price £11,340-£14,365

Performance 0-62mph: 10.713.3sec / Top speed: 115-125mph

Power/torque 90-120bhp, 102-180 lb ft

On sale Now

What’s different? After the three-door, five-door and convertible 207s, the 207 SW estate is the fourth new body style to be launched in little more than a year. The SW has a great overall length and boasts a surprisingly big boot volume (1,433 litres) and extra rear headroom. It comes with two petrol and two diesel motors and a full-length glass sunroof

Why should I care? It’s not what you’d call a mainstream product, but if you want a car with compact overall dimensions but decent load-carrying ability, it’s likely to be worth a look

Consider also Ford Fusion £10,672-£14,072, Nissan Note £9,990-£13,590, Skoda Roomster £9,990-£14,070

 

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