While many models are...
While many models are still on the drawing board, here"s a Mitsubishi that"s ready for the showroom. Based on the "i" concept seen at 2003"s Tokyo Motor Show, the four-seater city car goes on sale in Japan early next year. No decision has been made about whether the model will come to the UK, but a spokeswoman told us: "Having seen the production version, we"d like to bring it here."
The new Chrysler 300C...
The new Chrysler 300C V6 CRD is one of those cars. If you don"t get it, that"s fine by me and okay with the US company, too. Chrysler is the first to acknowledge its increasingly quirky cars are not for everyone. If you"re stubbornly resisting the joys of diesel motoring, if you don"t have a large garage to accommodate this beast and if you don"t like unapologetically big, bold cars with attitude, this vehicle is definitely not for you.
If, however, you"ve previously bought or run big Mercedes and BMWs, and you"re bored with such clinically executed, sometimes overrated, barge-like executive cruisers, this is more than worth a look. If you crave a big luxury family car which is genuinely unique, and like the idea of buying something that"s 30 per cent less expensive than an equivalent E-Class or 5-Series, I guarantee that you"ll be seduced by the Chrysler.
I"ve driven saloon and Touring estate versions of the 300C in America, mainland Europe and Britain, in a variety of different colours, with petrol and diesel engines. My conclusion is that if I had around í‚á£26,000 burning a hole in my pocket, a dark metallic grey 3.0 CRD, preferably the Touring version, would be the ultimate car for my money.
And by some margin, too. I can"t believe it is in the same price category as the comparatively poor Jaguar X-Type diesel. I don"t know about you, but I reckon that the derv-powered 300C"s 218bhp and 143mph represent more than enough power and performance for any real-world driver. Up to 43mpg doesn"t sound too shabby, either.
Yes, but the new Chrysler is so different, imposing and in your face that it"s almost vulgar, one industry insider assured me. I have to say, he has a point. But this car oozes unashamed brashness rather than vulgarity. It makes a particularly strong visual statement, but it doesn"t cause offence. Unless you"re a worried rival manufacturer.
This is a family motor which turns heads, especially those inside BMWs and Mercs. It also happens to be the best two-wheel-drive vehicle that Chrysler has sold in the UK since its relaunch in the early Nineties. Come to think of it, maybe the 300C diesel is a car of the year in waiting. The saloon goes on sale next month for í‚á£25,750. But I can"t wait that long. I want one, I want it bad and I want it now. And the last time I felt like that was when I drove the considerably more expensive Bentley Continental.