From some of your responses to my recent article about the Subaru Stella on show in Melbourne, I guessed that you may think I'm the usual middle-aged car-nut. Apparently, I hate the environment, and electric cars. Clearly, these people can't read.

As I said in that article, I love electric cars. Not ones like the Subaru Stella, though. I prefer ones that actually are a significant step toward sustainable and environmentally friendly motoring. Like this Mitsubishi iMiEV. And guess what? It's coming to a showroom near you. This is the good parts you need to know:

The Mitsubishi iMiEV may only have a 47kW motor, but with 180Nm it will have impressive acceleration, and it has a healthy top speed of 130kmh. If you don't believe that those figures are enough to provide "normal" acceleration, you only need to consider that the iMiEV weighs just over a tonne - 1080kg. It's plenty, trust me. Power comes from Lithium-ion batteries, and can give the iMiEV a range of 160km, which is more than enough for most daily commutes, or your lazy Sunday drive. Recharging the batteries at the end of the day takes between 7-14 hours from flat to fully charged, depending on your power source. That may sound like a lot, but most of the time, it won't take that long to fully charge it, because it won't be fully flat to start with, if you know what I mean. Putting it on charge overnight will do just fine.

So what are the downsides, assuming there are any? Yes, there are, but crucially, as I would like to point out, they are not as significant as they are with the Stella. Like the Stella, the iMiEV is expensive. At $30,000, it may be a seriously hefty price premium for a car that is only 3.4 metres long (a whole half a metre shorter than the Colt, which isn't a huge car to start with), but nevertheless, I must commend the iMiEV for putting environmentally friendly motoring within the financial reach of a lot of people. Not everyone, admittedly, and a car this small may not be practical for some people, but the iMiEV is highly space-efficient, since it is an electric adaptation of the hugely successful Mitsubishi i (which sadly isn't sold here).

Yes, it does have some limitations, but the Mitsubishi iMiEV is a huge step in the right direction, and one that is useable for an average Joe like me, everyday. That's a win-win. I can only hope that the Australian public take to it warmly, which will encourage other car makers to bring their new, high-tech electric cars to Australia.

MELBOURNE 2009: Mitsubishi iMiEV is Electrifying

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

I like the Mitsubishi Lancer - it's a car that is pretty much at the top of it's game, up with the class competitors, and selling well. It's exactly the thing Mitsubishi Australia needed to increase profitability in our market. Then they introduced the Sportback.

In one rather memorable story, I remarked that you're usually pretty safe with any small car that has the word "Sport" added to it. I was pretty much right, but only because in that case, the "sport" referred to a level of specification (tuned suspension, bodykit, etc.), and not the rear end of a car. It's becoming a growing trend. Audi named the four-door version of their A3 the "Sportback", then Holden decided that the new Commodore wagon should be called "Sportwagon" (what the frick is sporty about a 5-metre long Commodore Omega wagon has got me beat), and now we have the Lancer Sportback. The reason why I'm really annoyed by the Lancer is because, unlike the Audi and the Commodore, it looks absolutely hideous.

I couldn't find a picture on the internet that hadn't been cleverly angled to hide the wierd shape of that rear hatchback - it looks pretty unloved, doesn't it? Nevertheless, I will assume that it broadens the Lancer's appeal further, and can probably carry heaps of stuff. Why I'm really mentioning it is because usually, the transfer from hatch to booted sedan comes up with some hideous cars. Think about when they made the Toyota Echo sedan! That was a shocker. Thankfully, car makers have realised that we tend not to buy ugly spin-offs of good cars, so we don't get some of these hatch-to-sedan blunders. Elsewhere however, they have. Often, these are travesties that are best represented in profile - the Citroen C4 sedan. Nowhere near funky enough to be a dancing robot (tell Tsoukinator). Another example I'd like to show you is the Mazda2 Sedan - horrible!

I want to have a dig at it not because I think it is ugly (even though I do think so) - Imprezas, and Subaru's in general, are meant to be ugly. It's reassuring. It tells you: "Don't worry. I haven't changed. I'm still ugly - I'm still good quality Subaru inside." Instead, I hate it because in profile, or side-view, it has basically copied the proportions of the current (and outgoing) Mazda3. Tut, tut, tut.

Alright, now it's the sedan's turn. The front half of the car is actually bearable, but only once you've seen the rear end. Subaru have done even more copycating here - although this time, they've copycatted something really bad to start with.

What would you think if I told you that you're new "fooli sik" WRX looked like a Suzuki SX4? Well, I'd be right, and you'd be fuming - "how dare you compare my fooli sik WRX with that heap of sh**!" you will say. But I will walk away and laugh, because the arse of your $50,000 sports car, with rally credentials, street savvy, and a youthful image - looks identical to the arse of your grandma's little runaround.

RANT: I Don't Like That Arse, I Don't...