It was time for my sister to buy her first car, and with my advice in mind, to cut a long story short I should just tell you that she ended up buying a Hyundai i30. Today, actually. So I thought I'd share with you the way she arrived at her choice, because I believe that the way she went about buying her first car was exemplary to say the least.

To start off, we discussed her size range - one of the single most important things to consider when buying a car, and most often overlooked. It is a great starting place, and also gives you a consequential price range. My sister is a percussionist, and is often carrying a reasonable amount of gear, if not necessarily a lot of passengers. So a large cargo room area (with seats folded down) was needed, but a wagon was deemed too big. Instead, a large hatchback seemed the go, especially with the high amount of city driving that she plans to do. So immediately, she found that she had a list of cars to investigate.

However, there were a few priorities that influenced this list. She did not want safety to be at all compromised - so her car had to feature the full set of airbags (front, side and curtain) and feature electronic stability control. To obtain these features in a used car is next to impossible, and she found that it involved buying a reasonably old car from a premium brand such as Audi. The trouble then was that such premium cars incur extra costs, namely insurance, premium grade fuel, parts prices, service and repair costs. With the cost of ownership stacking up on cars that were already more than 5 years old, she decided that it simply wasn't worth it. With about $25,000 to spend (she had saved for a good number of years!) she decided that the best course of action was to buy a new car, and fit the safety features as options where they weren't standard. So a list was created, and we prepared to eliminate those who were unworthy.

The cars on this list were extensively researched on the internet, and the findings written down in a notebook for easy reference later. Each page was devoted to a different car, and when compared, all the pros and cons of each car were evident. So my sister stayed true to my golden rule number 9: "Do ya bloody research, ya lazy bugger!" - although that article "Your First Car" is geared (forgive the pun) toward buyers looking at a used car, you can read my buying tips here. Anyway, it was clear that some cars would have to be rejected before the race started, for the various reasons stated below:

Citroen C4 SX - too expensive, especially with automatic transmission
Fiat Ritmo Dynamic - automatic transmission not available (...!), expensive too
Ford Focus CL
Holden Astra CD - curtain airbags not available on "CD" model, no stability control
Honda Civic VTi - not a hatchback, lacks stability control, only front airbags available
Hyundai i30 SX
Mazda3 Neo Sport
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback CL - no stability control, automatic is $2,500 extra!
Nissan Tiida ST-L - no stability control, not roomy enough
Peugeot 308 XS - too expensive, no automatic on XS model
Renault Megane Dynamique - Expensive, not practical enough
Subaru Impreza R - Expensive, again
Suzuki SX-4 - no stability control, only two airbags, high fuel consumption
Toyota Corolla Seca Ascent - no stability control at all
Volkswagen Golf Edition - wait for it... too expensive also

As it turns out, after all that, there were only three cars that fulfilled her needs at all, even if it was only on paper. And if you remember my "Your First Car" feature story, I had a golden rule - forget about Chrylser, Daewoo, Daihatsu, Dodge, Hummer, Hyundai, Kia, Proton and Ssangyong. Technically, this should have ruled out the i30, but my argument for this rule in the first place were that these brands make unsafe and poor quality cars. The i30 had all the safety features she wanted, providing she optioned the safety pack, and a new Hyundai will have a 5-year warranty. It's seemed churlish to deny it a spot in the final three.

So, having done all her research, she went dealing, and found that she really could just rule the Focus out of contention. Sometimes things aren't as good as they seem to be on paper. The Focus was essentially just as good as the Mazda3, without the sporty attitude and cool looks. The Focus also lacked a few convenience features that the Mazda had, and in the end, the after-bargaining price was pretty much the same.

The i30 however, is the one that came on top of the Mazda - for a few reasons, actually. Believe it or not, the i30 had the better interior. No, really. The interior pictures I have here are merely for illustration, and have been nicked from www.carsales.com, and aren't the actually the cars she looked at. But they are the right models, Neo Sport (Mazda) and SX (Hyundai), although I understand it may be hard to see what I mean from just the pictures. There were a few things about the Mazda that were simply done better in the i30. For example, the instrumentation of the i30, with its blue lighting, is much clearer than the Mazda3 and its eye-hating red illumination. Actually, the speedometer of the Mazda3 Neo Sport is the biggest problem, because 0-100kmh occurs in the 6 to 9 o'clock positions of the dial, and such a small spread of numbers makes your speed difficult to gauge (I'm loving these puns today!). This is no such problem in the i30. In fact, the i30 interior was obviously cleaner and just as classy as the Mazda, which does not appropriately reflect the pictures to the right. Even the rear seat provides more legroom and kneeroom, while boot space for either car is virtually the same.

Where the Mazda should gain ground on the i30, in driving experience, it fails, because the difference was not enough to gain the attention of my sister, who felt that they both drove very well and was content with either, although she preferred the driving position of the i30. This underscores the importance of test-driving these cars - even my sister was going to assume that because the i30 was a Hyundai it would be incompetent on the road. The i30 even has a few extra features over the Mazda, the most useful of which is a burglar alarm.

Don't get me wrong, we're both huge fans of the Mazda3, and still are, but at the time she was car buying, the Mazda was a car at the end of it's model cycle, and significantly older in design than the i30 - it showed. Which proves a point in my "Your First Car" article - cars are getting better all the time. Although the Mazda is obviously cooler than the rather bland Hyundai, this did not bother my sister at all - the Hyundai was by no means boring, she argued, and was better in just about every other area of assessment.

In fact, even I have been converted to an i30 fan - I'm not a huge fan of the way it looks, but for most people, it looks absolutely fine, drives absolutely fine, and is great value. She haggled like her life depended on it, and came away with a great deal. The real way to describe the i30 would be with this sentence: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the i30, other than it has an awful Hyundai badge on the bonnet and tailgate."

But if that doesn't bother you, like it didn't for my sister, then the i30 is a great car. More importantly, it's a car that you can love. And she certainly loves her red Hyundai i30 - she's going to show it off to her friends.

FEATURE STORY: My Sister Bought an i30... Shock!

It's time to introduce a new IN YOUR FACE segment, and it's called captions. Simply because it's about giving apt captions to rather silly pictures. But of course, this is a car rag, so they're car pictures.

Often, when car makers release their press images for a car or concept car, they include a picture with people and their car - usually this is a way of creating a favourable image, or singling out a desired target market. However, this can sometimes go horribly wrong - take this press picture of the Renault Laguna Concept of 1997.So, any captions? I'll start you off:

"Phew! This car looks so much better in virtual reality! Even the wheels don't look like trash can lids!"

"In virtual reality, there isn't a cliff here like in real life - so I'll just take a step here and.... AAAARRRGH!!!"

"In the future, we will all drive in a diagonal fashion down otherwise straight roads."

"With the force, Luke, you too will be able to drive a car as ugly as this."

"This car is so embarassing I'd rather jump off a cliff than stay there with you!"

"White psychiatric ward uniforms not provided."

CAPTIONS #1: The Renault Laguna Concept

You may have seen it advertised on the Tennis, but now you get to see what it really looks like. It's the new Kia Cerato, and despite the fact that only cheapos will buy them, I thought I'd let you know what it's all about. Kia will tell you about how cutting edge their new car is, but it's only really a Hyundai Elantra - which arrived here for sale a whole two years ago. Nevertheless, it is here to persuade you that Kia definitely mean business. I'm not too sure it works, but on the other hand, I am sure that someone out there will really like this new Cerato.

The styling is somewhat of a departure from the looks of current Kias, and debuts what will become the new corporate face of Kia. The reason for the new design is that Kia have a new head designer, Peter Schreyer, who came to Kia from Volkswagen. The Cerato is an example of the apparently distinctive new "Schreyer Line" grille - which is as unremarkable as any other grille, just that it has two extra slithers of chrome near the Kia badge.

So anyway, the way it looks. The main influence here is clearly Honda, from the shape of headlights (which look interchangeable with the new Accord Euro) to the V-shaped face design, to the shape of the rear lights and boot (which screams "Civic" to me). But I still can't shake a little sense of Ford BF Falcon in the bonnet and the side profile, even though I very well know that Kia wouldn't be influenced by a large Australian sedan that is not sold anywhere else in the world.

So yes, I do believe it is be very derivative, but rather boring and safe nonetheless. Although having said that, the new Cerato is infinitely classier than the Elantra it is based upon, and although that doesn't say much, surely this can only help Kia in their quest to be perceived as a high quality car maker.

Less helpful is the design of the interior, which here is pictured in top spec SLi form (note the little bits of piano black finish, which is becoming more and more popular everywhere, it seems). While the centre console is rather nice, the overall impression of the interior is that it is very cheap. The fake metal finish just looks like silver plastic, and while the dark overall colour of the interior is meant to give the Cerato a European ambience, the overwhelming use of what I like to call "orange peel" plastics (you know, that rough dimply stuff that tells you it's a cheap car) spoils it. It also has probably the ugliest steering wheel design I've seen for quite a while.

But the Cerato will stay cheap, with a starting price of $18,990 - which becomes even more attractive with an optional $1,000 package that includes Stability Control, Traction Control, Cruise Control, and Audio Controls on the steering wheel. I call it... the control pack. Equally impressive is the new engine, still a 2.0 Litre, but with 115kW (making it the most powerful naturally aspirated 2.0 Litre in its class), and a tidy economy figure of 7.9L/100km. And with all six airbags as standard issue, the new Cerato suddenly sounds quite attractive.

In fact, Kia reckons that only prejudice will stop them selling a heap of Ceratos this year. They've set the target of 3,000 - but regardless, I'm starting to thing it might be worth a look for people who want conservative looks and a high level of features, without having to pay a high price.

NEWS: 2009 Kia Cerato is an Interesting Mish-Mash...

The financial crisis has claimed another victim - well, sort of. The plan was for Cadillac to be launched in Australia last year, and well, that never happened obviously. But now, GM-Holden CEO Mark Reuss has gone public with the news that Cadillac will not be coming to Australia, and the plans have been well and truly shelved to gather dust. So the financial crisis didn't really claim a victim, exactly, because we never had Cadillac here down under anyway.

Cadillac was all systems go in Australia, even after it was first delayed - Cadillac showed off it's CTS Coupe at the Australian International Motor Show (formally the Sydney Motor Show, until Sydneysiders decided they were more important than that), saying it would join the CTS sports sedan to make up their first two models, both released by the end of 2009. The sedan was, in fact, meant to start selling in March.

So just before the boats set off for down under, Mark Reuss has bailed on us - it's not his fault, you understand. General Motors is, generally (forgive the pun), in a lot of strife at the moment, so the number one priority at the moment is to keep Holden above board. But, having said that, it has been confirmed that GM-owned brands Saab and Hummer will be staying in Australia for the forseeable future. We just won't be getting any more GM brands for a while yet. Mark Reuss had this to say on the demise of the Cadillac Australia project:

“There is only one chance to properly launch this brand in Australia and in these challenging times, we believe we couldn’t give it the best chance of success. There is no doubt the Cadillac CTS is a magnificent vehicle and the response since it was revealed at the Australian International Motor Show in October 2008 has been very positive. “But obviously since then the market for new cars has continued to deteriorate, the challenging broader economic environment remains largely unchanged and the exchange rate has worsened for imports."

Which I've been thinking, probably crazily on my part, is quite a shame. I can't believe I actually wanted Cadillacs to arrive on Aussie shores. Why? The vehicles in the pictures here are really quite nice - for the past 45 years the US has been turning out grotesque vehicles, and yet, suddenly, as if from nowhere, they've found their mojo. The CTS looks cutting-edge, original and athletic, as does its coupe sibling, and Cadillac Australia were even had sketchy plans to import the SRX in 2010. That too, is a brilliant looking X5 and ML-Class rival. For the first time since the fifties, Cadillac have reborn, become modern and individual, and we're going to miss out sampling the fruits of their renaissance. Knowing our luck, by the time Cadillac has settled back into mediocrity, they'll arrive on our doorstep again.

Another reason why I wanted Cadillac to launch in Australia is because I honestly think that the German juggernaut of Merc/BMW/Audi is getting a little too complacent for my liking. When they produce such counterproductive things as iDrive and COMMAND, you know they're starting to lose touch with consumers. Cadillac would be a good influence to shake things up, after all, the Germans have next to no competition - not enough people are brave enough to buy an Alfa Romeo, Saab is almost irrelevant because of its lack of prestige, and Volvo, though slowly gaining some youthfulness, still rests on it's staid safe laurels.

And here's the clincher: because we aren't getting the Cadillac CTS, we also miss out on the brilliant 410kW CTS-V. Now that really is a sad face thought... wait for it... :( there we go.

NEWS: Cadillac Not Coming to Australia, Boo Hoo...

Before I start, I guess I have to go into a laborious and long explanation of who Stirling Moss is, so you get the idea of how important the dedication of this car is. Stirling Moss is the best British racing car driver in history, ever, if that makes sense. And he's a "Sir".

Wow, that really didn't take as long as I expected.

So anyway, Sir Moss, who probably has the most outstandingly cool given name in history - what I wouldn't give to have the name "Stirling"...! - turns 80 this year, and it really is about time he had an outstandingly cool car named after him. So this is what they came up with.

This is, when you get down to the nitty gritty, just an SLR. Which we shouldn't scoff at mind you - with a supercharged V8 engine pumping out 485kW, and a 0-100kmh time of 3.4 seconds, this is hardly tame. It will surge all the way to 349kmh, if you want to take it there. No doubt you like what you see. I like, you like, we all like.

But SLR production stops in May, so only 75 of these beauties will be built, and before you start thinking that you'll have a chance of buying one, allow me to sorely dissappoint you - they've only been offered to current SLR owners, and they've all already been snapped up. For a bargain, of course: $1,536,000 my sources tell me. Yeowch.

But the point of me writing this article was not just to introduce to you another irrelevant supercar, but to illustrate that for me, the Stirling Moss is exactly what the Merc/McLaren SLR should have been in the first place. When they decided to make a new supercar, why didn't they look to the Mercedes and McLaren supercars of old for inspiration? Thing about the 50's Mercedes SL Gullwing, or the McLaren F1, which featured the odd number of three seats, which a central driving position. These cars were wild, extroadinary, and there was nothing else like them, so they became instant classics. The SLR was unremarkable in the world of supercars - yes, it was fast, but they're all fast. The SLR simply wasn't "super". I believe that the SLR Stirling Moss certainly is super. Super Dooper.

The Stirling Moss is brilliant for the crazy things, like the bonnet that accounts for about half the car's total length, and the quad exhaust pipes that protrude from the side of the car, not the rear. It is also brilliant for what it lacks - a roof (though it does have a little tonneau cover you can fit if it rains), side windows, a windscreen... yes it does not have a said windscreen. It does have a small flap, but this is the fastest open air experience you can possibly have in a road-legal car. End of story. Not really, I have more to say, actually.

They've obviously borrowed the styling-cues from the old 350 SLR, itself a classic, but the elegance and perfection in which they are executed in such a modern way is truly breathtaking. And it even features a proper McLaren paintjob - a highly reflective, almost mirror like silver. Yes, this is definitely a car for my dream garage folks, sure is.

NEWS: Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss

The age of demented-looking BMWs is over, I hope. With the unveiling of the next-generation Z4, BMW have bucked a recent trend by creating a car that is elegant, individual and original. The infamous Chris Bangle, current head BMW designer (responsible for the current batch of models, and models up to 2010) has matured his "flame-surfacing" ideas, which were previously a kind of arty excuse to make cars that looked disappointing, to put it politely. It has to be said though that Bangle's designs have been very influential, and has promoted talk about the importance and meaning of car design among other manufacturers, which I have no qualms with applauding.

The previous Z4 was criticised in many quarters, one leading industry expert saying that it looked like it had been designed "with a machete". Ouch. Bangle has commented in depth about not just the merits of designs, but the downfalls, admitting that his designs do not photograph well. Bangle, when asked about the future direction of BMW design by Motortrend, said that he believes in cars following a revolutionary/evolutionary design pattern. Let me explain. This means that if the last all-new design of a BMW car is evolutionary in approach, then the next all-new design will be revolutionary in approach. And the next model the opposite.

So the series of revolutionary BMW models, whether you liked the way they looked or not, is over. Now is the time where the theme is tweaked and refined, in the new Z4's case, very much for the better. While this Z4 retains some of the ideas of the previous model - a long, convex sloping bonnet, architectural motifs, and a forward leaning nose - this new model is a more uplifting, untroubled piece of design, and reflects the new confidence at BMW to create vehicles that are not only different, but elegant and desirable. If there was one word to describe the last Z4, it was certainly not elegant. But this one is far different.

The headlamp cluster is shaped similarly to the current 3-Series, and the trademark double kidney grille is reminiscent of the new 7-Series. But the largest reason, in my opinion, for this design's success is that the car doesn't look sad any more. Gone are the droopy eyes, snotty looking nose, and concave-shaped door panels that gave it the appearance of an anorexic cat. Instead, BMW have finally produced a convertible that has enough class to compete with the Audi TT, but is still refreshing and individual.

Inside, the story is similar - does anyone else remember the huge concave/convex panel of fake brushed metal spanning the entire length of the dashboard? Replacing it is a design that features a considered mix of tones and textures, exuding a sense of quality that was largely missing before. The whole car is significantly larger in every dimension, and BMW have taken great care to make it as liveable as possible by increasing driver visibility and increasing the roominess of both the cabin and the boot.

Instead of the two-variant system that was used in the previous model, in which one was a folding cloth soft-top and the other a hard-top coupe, this model has a two-piece folding metal roof, which surprisingly looks quite natural - this truly is from the new breed of coupe/convertibles, where they actually look like normal cars. And of course, iDrive has been revised (yet again...!) for this new model, hopefully taking another tiny step toward user-friendliness.

But what's powering the new Z4? The plan is for three petrol V6 engines to be offered: a 2.3 Litre 152kW; a 3.0 Litre 192kW which is naturally aspirated; and my favourite, the twin-turbo 3.0 Litre, which will have 228kW so it can go from 0-100kmh in 5.2 seconds. Both the 3.0 Litre V6 Z4s are electronically limited to 250kmh, and all of the engines meet EuroV emissions regulations. Interestingly, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be offered, but only on the 3.0 Litre twin turbo. We have no official word yet as to what the M version of the new Z4 will be powered by when it eventually arrives, but the expectation is that it will be the 309kW V8 from the current M3.

But the point is, we finally have a car from BMW that looks comfortable looking the way it looks - which is an awkward way of putting it, but apt all the same. The Z4 looks stylish, and looks like it knows it. Which suits me just fine.

NEWS: BMW Z4 Proves BMW Can Still Make a Good-Looking Car

Seeing the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, recently delivered to the Italian police force, I laughed very hard, as we all did when we learnt about it. A tiny two-door coupe, with a 412kW V10 screamer of an engine, working as a police patrol car? The idea was fantastic, if absolutely ludicrous. But the idea of giving a police force a wacky or superfast police car is not a new idea, and has happened all over the world - with interesting results, I must say. So I thought I'd take you through the world of desirable (arguably, anyway) police cars. It is quite a fun trip, and certainly yields some unlikely results.

Believe it or not, Italy aren't the only country to have a Lamborghini Gallardo in its police force fleet. In South Africa, a Gallardo with a slightly underwhelming paint job rules the streets, especially imported from Italy. It is actually loaned to the police force by the importer. So why exactly did the South African police want a Lamborghini Gallardo in the fight against crime? As an "attention-getting device" to control traffic, or so they say. Good try, boys and girls. We all know you spend your time doing donuts in the station carpark.

But if we could get back to the Italians for a second, what do you think they drive when they don't drive their Gallardo? There is, after all, only one. Well, among their fleet, we also have some Smarts, for use in narrow Rome alleyways and streets. Can you imagine the pain of an Italian police officer going on duty? "I'll just take the Gallardo today, what do you reckon boss?" - "Oh sorry, I'll be out on the road in that today - you can have the Smart instead." Shot down!!!! By the time the smart reaches 100kmh from a standing start, the Gallardo is past 250 - it's that fast.

Naturally, the Germans have also taken this idea to a nutty new extreme, and produced a few police cars that can chase just about anything on the autobahn - like this Brabus CLS Rocket, a heavily tuned version of the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The Brabus CLS Rocket has a twin-turbo V12 sitting under the bonnet, with a mind-bending 544kW on tap. The Brabus CLS Rocket is actually the worlds fastest street-legal production sedan, with a top speed of 362.5kmh. Unbelievably.

In case those nutty krauts get bored with their monster of a CLS, they also have a TechArt tuned Porsche 911 Carrera S to chase down the bad guys. It will also do 300kmh, and a 0-100kmh sprint of just 4.5 seconds. What a shame the German police have too much integrity to have a drag between this and their Brabus CLS... now that I would pay to see. Ah, but TechArt swear that they've modified the 911 safely for community well-being, and all that jazz - you can tell they're just really lying by looking at the size of the alloy wheels!

But sometimes you just have to wonder about the practicality of these cars. I mean, in Bulgaria, they decided that a Porsche 911 Convertible would be perfect for the job. A convertible?!?! Why does it have to be convertible? Do the police officers really need to feel the wind in their short-shaven hair when they're pursuing a crook? Obviously in Bulgaria the union has demanded it. And what about the flashing lights? Where do they go now? Sometimes you wonder whether they really wanted to use them as proper police cars, or as public relations stunts.

In The Netherlands, they've gone even crazier in their quest for the ultimate police car. They've got a Spyker C8 Spyder, which is a convertible also (for some apparent reason), and has Lamborghini-like scissor doors. For chopping off the heads of criminals, I presume. Don't laugh, this is quite likely - remember that marijuana use is quite legal in The Netherlands, even encouraged. You can walk into a corner shop and get wonderful giant-sized hash lollipops for one euro each - true story. So that's why there is a Borat impersonator in the driver's seat with a Sale of the Century buzzer on his head.

In the US, the story is similar, although Americanised. Take this supercharged V8 Hummer H2, which stalks the streets of, you guessed it, Texas. And with it's 7.0 Litre engine producing 522 kilowatts of power, it's all fine and dandy by this County Sheriff. He's just loving it, isn't he?

And of course, the muscle cars. There are heaps of police muscle cars in the US - and it's a national culture that police cars simply have to be faster than everything else. So below, in order, we have a very beefy Dodge Magnum, which is all dressed up to run people over - what a shame the police don't do that either; we have a nice and welcoming Dodge Viper, demonstrating some famous southern hospitality; a Chevrolet Corvette with flame livery, because it's necessary to look cool; and of course, a Ford Mustang.

In China, they've taken a similar approach to the US - they also have a Hummer for their police department. Except, of course, because it is Chinese, it is a copy of a Hummer, and not the real thing. Is anyone else getting some Chery QQ deja vu, or is it just me? And if you're thinking that it looks very much like a military vehicle, then you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking - it's basically a big bad tractor, ready to eat all the left over Chinese children, I reckon. Alright, that was a low blow. But you have to admit, it certainly looks sinister - I would get very scared if one of these things appeared in my rearview mirror, anyway.

And next door, in Japan, they've decided that the best way to take on "fooli-sik" types in their Skyline GT-Rs is to, well, get a GT-R themselves. You know what they say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So that's exactly what the Japanese are doing. So now, every time I see a Skyline roar past me with bright blue underbody neon lights and an ear-splitting stereo, I'll wish that a Japanese GT-R was there to hunt it down. I mean, it even has a vertical plastic screen on the bonnet - aerodynamics perhaps?

These efforts tend to make the Australian police cars pale in comparison, although we have had a few interesting efforts over the years. An Alfa Romeo GT springs to mind, which is stylish, if not brutally fast, but really, you can't go past the Lotus Exige - and both cars lie in the Queensland Police Department! Ahh, those Queenslanders - something in the hot tropical air does it to them. Still, gotta admire their style.

So what would be your ultimate police car? What would you like to see? A British DBS? A Swedish Koenigsegg? Now that would probably kill more people than it'd save! Bad idea...

FEATURE STORY: Wacky and Fast Police Cars

We've all seen the way people who don't wash their cars write "wash me" in the dust on their rear windscreen - they think they're really funny, but the joke is so old it's soon going to get a letter from the Queen.

A crazy bearded man from Texas with questionable taste in shirts - Scott Wade - has taken this concept to a wonderful new extreme, and we will gape in awe at his creations here. Scott simply allows his Mini Cooper get dangerously dusty (to the point where the rear window is opaque!), and then, brush in hand, draws amazing pictures in the dust. And you thought that the smiley face you drew on the car window when you were seven was pretty cool.

On his site there are pictures of heaps of different drawings, which he simply allows to be destroyed by the rain - which he thinks creates the most stunning arty effect of all. I'm not about to disagree!

Below is a left to right work in progress - a classic "poker dogs" scene, slowly created by Wade. When the drawing is complete, in the 2nd last picture, he reckons it has only taken him about an hour. The final picture in this sequence is how the picture looks after a bit of rain.

There is no doubt that Scott Wade's dirty car art is work of genius, and would get a stare from anyone who walks his dusty Mini. But they are stares of astonishment and delight - at the dust, and what can be achieved with artistic talent and a bit of ingenuity. To quote Mr. Wade himself:

"You know, water is a precious resource. We use an awful lot of good, clean water washing our cars. Why not let 'em get dirty once in awhile and make some art?"

No doubt by now you're ready to see some more - check out his site at http://dirtycarart.com/index.html

WTF?! #6: Scott Wade's Mind-Blowing Dirty Car Art

When Mitsubishi made the current Outlander, both Citroen and Peugeot were involved, and so, it was announced that they would be making their own versions of the Outlander platform. The Citroen C-Crosser was quietly released in 2007 - I say quietly because aside from the more Citroen-esque nose, the shape of the car was pure Outlander. Even the interior was identical to the Mitsubishi. Peugeot then released the 4007, which again, was virtually identical, except for the face. So don't say anything about the Mitsubishi Outlander in front of people that work for Peugeot or Citroen. And no-one's really buying the C-Crosser or 4007 because we can all see through their lies - they're not new cars in their own right, merely copies. So Peugeot didn't want that to happen again with their latest attempt at a Compact SUV. It is all new, based on the 308 platform, and got an extra 0 to its name.

Actually, I'm reasonably impressed by the 3008. The overall shape of the car is quite pleasing, if a bit bulky and chubby. Of course, because this is a Peugeot, the face of the car is horrible - how hard can it be to make a car with a nice nose? Oh, wait a minute, I forgot - the French have no inspiration for nice noses. The domestic trend is quite the opposite. On the other hand, because this is a Peugeot, it will look much better in real life than it does in pictures. Hopefully. Well, I hated the 407 in pictures, but when I see them out on the road, they somehow look elegant. This had baffled me for a long time, until I realised the truth - Peugeot have invested a lot of money in the paint finish of their cars. Have you ever seen a 407 with a boring looking paintjob? They're always sparkly and stunning, or glossy and classy. Perhaps this is what is blinding me to the true ugliness of a Peugeot.

Anyway, the 3008. In Europe, the 3008 will be offered in a vast range of petrol and diesel engines, but when it arrives here in 2010, the story will be a bit different. The petrol range of the 3008 only reaches 1.6 Litres and 115kw, so it is most likely that we'll only get the top-of-the-range 2.0Litre diesel engine, producing 120kW and 340Nm. In 2011, Peugeot plan to introduce a diesel-electric 3008, like the Prologue HYbrid4 concept shown last year. Don't expect that to come here though, sadly.

The new 3008 will be offered in 5-seat and 7-seat configurations, and Peugeot want the 3008 to fill the roles of SUV, people mover, and family hatchback. I personally think it will join the Nissan Dualis in a new market segment - a sort of 4x4, sort of hatchback kind of car. Perhaps then it would be a good idea to create a front wheel drive version of the 3008, Peugeot? In this way, the 3008 will save weight (increasing performance, economy, etc.) and hopefully also make some gains in the handling department. It's not like people who want a 3008 will want to go off-road, by any stretch of the imagination.

Like when they launched the 308, Peugeot are harping incessantly on about how their new cars are of vastly better quality. And though I'll admit that the interior looks pleasant, in an Audi R8 kind of way, time will be the judge of their claims. Wouldn't it be great if other car makers could make their more interesting cars as reliable as a Toyota?

But do you think that Peugeot really is purposely entering their car in a new market segment? Does the 3008 really compete with the Nissan Dualis? You know what I'm talking about when you see them next to each other. They both share the same low ride height, anyway. Let me know whether you think the concept will take off - I believe, providing the price is right, that it will.

NEWS: Peugeot 3008 Officially Launched into a New Market Segment