The Alhambra, Seat’s variant of the joint development with Ford and VOLKSWAGEN (who respectively possess the Galaxy and Sharan) is beginning to show wear and tear, and it is in no way certain that you will see a replacement for the machine if this one runs out.

That is similar to the other two similar cars, Alhambra combines a considerable and nicely-built body with sufficient of space. Underneath the skin there’s a choice from a 2.0 litre four or perhaps a lusty 2.8 V6 petrol engines, or a great pair of diesels.

Six speed transmission, better handling than you’d expect and superb value all equal to a good reason to miss its age.

Mainstay of the thousand Spanish car hire companies, the Arosa is Seat’s smallest car however in common with all Seat products there’s a good deal of fun to become gained from driving it.

The entry-level 1.1 isn’t one to set one’s heart afire, but progress to the 1.4S with 100PS and you’ve got a recipe for tremendous fun. Handling is huge fun using the bigger-engined car, which displays this type of sense of enjoyment that you could also feel it smile.

Accommodation is exactly what you’d expect of the car on this size – great for two although not a pleasant for four – and also the car looks right, too.

New in this area, and signalling a fascinating turn in Seat’s design philosophy, Altea is really a development of a show car first seen a few years ago.

Altea includes a pleasing, boldly curvaceous body shell which supplies plenty of space, and possesses the expected battery of safety goodies.

The actual surprise comes once the car is pointed right into a set of curves; despite its height the vehicle has a low centre of gravity, which means a hugely enjoyable driving experience.

The entry-level 102PS petrol engine is very reasonable, however the best fun comes once the FSI 2.0 litre unit is specified; this is actually the same engine utilized by Audi, amongst others, and it is lively and sharp. The 105PS diesel can also be worthy of consideration, because of its excellent torque characteristics.

Volkswagen Group’s Spanish outpost is constantly on the build up its successes not only in its homeland, but across all markets where it features a presence.

Pulling from the neat trick of combining German quality with Latin flair has ensured a good following for the brand. New for 2004-5 may be the Altea, a bold reinterpretation of the multipurpose vehicle which throws inside a good deal of sporting character.

This positions the vehicle against the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class replacement, however with two distinct advantages; it’s first in this area, and it is priced to represent considerably less expensive.

Also new for 2005 may be the latest generation of Toledo, that is considerably more chic than its predecessor because of bold styling much like that of the Altea.

Essentially value and sporting nature are in the heart of almost all Seats – just the ageing Alhambra breaks that tradition.

More conventional that it is sibling the xB, xA might be any Toyota model; utilizing the same economy-biased driveline of a 1.5 litre four cylinder engine and five speed transmission, there’s little to tell apart the car.

It’s, however, excellent value, and may be specified having a wide range of extras that may personalise it. How the car customising scene began in California (more than the usual half century ago, that is by-the-by) is no mere coincidence.

It remains to appear whether Toyota’s Scion brand can recapture the era of radical chic that exemplified the 1960s – or whether it too late for those that.

An unusual and wondrous beast – the vehicle is so boxy you could be forgiven for convinced that the designers were dealing with a retro phase, and opened it on 1960s delivery vans.

Pulled along by a cost-effective 1.5 litre engine giving 108PS, the xB will require a great deal of imaginative work within the dealer boutique (that is how this equipment is bought) to show it into something desirable.

Yet despite its apparent insufficient visual charm the model is selling well within the trend-setting state of California, where it’s being used as a latter-day equal to the woodie surfer wagon of the fifties.

A sleek, sculpted body style that owes more to Europe than Japan, tC is really a newly-announced two door coupe which draws heavily about the Toyota parts bin; a 2.4 litre four cylinder engine with 160PS along with a front wheel drive transaxle are both what to be present in sundry Toyotas.

Same with the all independent suspension package that promises to provide clean, sharp cornering power. Just like the other two Scions the tC exists as a blank canvas which the new owner would be to paint the vehicle of his / her dreams.

What exactly starts as a bargain car might result in have an expensive showroom cost by the time the entire process of personalising it is complete.

Another brand from Toyota, essentially tailored for the younger end of the American marketplace. Scion is just just starting to roll out at full strength, being piloted in California then gradually taken into other states having a young demographic. At the moment there is a three car line-up, but this really is expected to grow since the brand establishes itself.

Toyota’s rationale during the time of launching the brand was candid; the marquee is really a boutique product referred to as “a new type of vehicles targeted at a new generation of shoppers who actively seek-out the most recent trends however you like and innovation” and therefore the brand can respond more quickly than other Toyota divisions to fashion changes.

The main part of the experience is the fact that buyers might have the car tailored to their personal needs, therefore the basic models should be considered foundations. The idea would be to recapture the glory days of what Tom Wolfe referred to as “Kandy Colored Tangerine Flake Streamline Babies.”

Another substantial sports utility (Just how much choice does American’s market need when it comes to big SUVs?) Relay is really a seven seater that Saturn’s marketing people describe as a crossover using the multipurpose vehicle market.

The end result is a four-square, truck-scale machine with either front-wheel or four wheel drive along with a 3.5 litre V6 to haul it along.

Don’t over expect in the way of driver involvement – this machine is more about road presence than fun for the person driving. To distinguish this from countless others on the market Saturn claims a smarter-than-most interior. But is the fact that enough of a differentiator within an over-subscribed market?

Another iteration of the floor pan that’s found beneath countless GM cars (such as the Vectra in Europe) Ion is really a sporty machine that may come as standard using the 2.2 Ecotec engine; for the more adventurous there’s a supercharged variant available which gives a good 205PS.

Suspension is set for the firm end of the spectrum for sporty handling, as befits the marketplace the Ion is targeting. The Quad Coupe is more interesting compared to sedan, most famously because of its rear-hinged rear doors, a la mode Mazda RX8.

GM are racing Ions in club events in the united states, which is doing the brand’s image no harm whatsoever.

A curious beast, this. It looks as if after being built, it’s been through a-not-very good custom shop, and hacked about with. Certainly the grille about the slab-fronted machine looks an afterthought.

In all other respects the equipment is a quite impressive bit of hardware. A newly-introduced 3.5 litre V6 endows the vehicle with a useful quantity of grunt and allows those drivers who choose the 4×4 driveline (there’s a choice between front drive and all sorts of wheel drive) to make probably the most of the car’s traction.

Handling is very good otherwise wonderful, and also the 4×4 can deal easily with slippery road and track surfaces.

Yet another offshoot of the General Motors brand – and also the number of brands it controls is definitely an indicator of why GM may be the world’s biggest motor manufacturer- Saturn is tailored for reaching younger end of the market.

There’s a suggestion within Detroit’s circle of gossips how the brand has been positioned to change the recently-mothballed Oldsmobile. A four model line-up (with a brand new sports car because of roll in a year approximately) covers the bases of sedan, sports utility, and multipurpose sectors.

The oddball in the household is the L300, which looks too conservative for the youth market. Or possibly it is a tactic to keep onto Saturn buyers because they move towards middle-aged respectability? Only GM knows without a doubt…

With the L300’s days numbered what matters to Saturn may be the way that these quirky machines are now being received through the market – and just how the equivalent products from rival Scion compare on sales. Only if that shakes out will GM be sure that the brand includes a life in front of it.