Autoblog UK

The French keep their word. Motor manufacturer Renault announced recently that the Gordini name was to be used once more for a new series of hot hatchbacks. And now the moment has arrived, with the unveiling of the Renault Twingo Gordini RS to the motoring public. This small, compact sporty number with many upmarket features goes on sale in March 2010. The Renault Twingo Gordini RS certainly stands out with its shiny Malta Blue paintwork and twin white stripes. This unique race finish was given to the original Renault Gordini rally cars in the 60s. The latest special edition model is based on the Renault Twingo Sport and is powered by a 133bhp 16-valve petrol engine of 1.6-litre displacement.

Combat Armoring Group are launching a new Russian-built tank onto the market. This monstrosity goes by the name of Combat T98 and looks as though it could be quite useful in a scrape. At four tonnes in weight and over four metres in length, the vehicle manages to combine the attributes of jeep, SUV, estate car and limousine all on one set of wheels. The St Petersburg-based manufacturers assert that it is the fastest armoured cross-country vehicle in the world. The Combat T98 peaks at a top speed of 180 km/h (112mph) and is powered by a General Motors eight-cylinder big-block engine delivering 400 horsepower. Consisting of two steel skins, the armour-plating is claimed to withstand quite a pounding. The windows have been manufactured from two-inch (5cm) composite-reinforced glass.

Gallery: Porsche Boxster roadster

The Subaru Hybrid Tourer was the main attraction on the company's stand at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. The PR people had even worked out a catchy slogan for it: "Take a Moment to Free Your Mind." Subaru envisage the Hybrid Tourer as a new approach to designing the Grand Tourismo vehicles of tomorrow, which will need to combine the two virtues of reliability and eco-friendliness in equal measure. In the case of this concept tourer, the Japanese manufacturer has gone for a two-engine hybrid system, with a motor under the bonnet busy generating electricity and powering the front wheels while another electric motor at the back drives the rear axle. Particularly eye-catching are two gull-wing doors providing easy access to the four individual seats. Large expanses of glass give an impression of airy spaciousness in the cabin of this 4.63-metre-long vehicle.

The new CTS Coupe is due to arrive in showrooms throughout the USA some time in spring 2010. Cadillac are keeping their options open about a market launch in Europe. This two-door model bears a strong visual resemblance to the design study presented at the Detroit Auto Show in early 2008. At 4.79 metres in length, the 2+2-seater takes the marque's current angular line of styling one stage further. Striking features are the front windscreen sloping at an angle of 62 degrees and a large, almost horizontally inclined rear window. The American designers have dispensed with conventional door handles, preferring touchpad technology to open the vehicle. Underneath the elegant bonnet is a 3.6L direct-injection six-cylinder engine pumping out 311 horsepower.

The UK is a brand-conscious nation. We care about the labels on our clothes, the make of TV we have on the wall of our living room, even the newspaper we read. We particularly care about the badge on the front of our cars - reliability and familiarity are high on the hit list of priorities for most new car buyers. Some people buy cars from the same manufacturer all their life.

And we love bargains too, which is why we'll happily visit a different supermarket to get the best deal, and why Primark is one of the most successful clothes stores in the country – because it's cheaper. But, does 'cheaper' really mean 'not as good'? A week driving the Chevrolet Cruze 150 diesel certainly posed the question.

The Cruze sits on GM's new global platform which also underpins the new, more familiar Vauxhall Astra. It's well equipped, good looking and offers decent performance, plus it's relatively cheap to run, with CO2 emissions of 143g/km CO2 and an easily achievable average of just over 50mpg. Yet the Cruze costs just £15,445 - or £5000 less than a similarly specified Astra.

So, other than the badge, what's the difference? Well, the Astra boasts marginally better build quality and has the superior engine - the Chevrolet's diesel needs to be worked harder and bogs down below 1500rpm, unlike the punchy Vauxhall unit. But on the road, while the Astra handles and rides a little better, the Cruze delivers the sort of finesse and precision you'd expect from a much more expensive car.

Would a £5k saving be enough to convince you to go for unfamiliar Chevrolet over better known British Vauxhall? We reckon it's worth a look.

Volkswagen are girding up their loins to take on the might of market leader Toyota. Over the next three years, they intend to plough €25.8bn into their car making business. Following the integration of Porsche, the group has now taken over Karmann. The Wolfsburg-based giant will be setting up a new subsidiary to manage its involvement in the insolvent supplier company and plans to retain more than 1,000 of the present Karmann workforce. Volkswagen have secured machinery, plant and premises from the former open-top specialist manufacturer and also have ideas for a new vehicle project. Despite the global downturn, Volkswagen are set to produce 6.2 million units during the current financial year.

Dacia are transforming themselves from a budget manufacturer into a lifestyle retailer. Exciting designs such as the Duster, already in the pipeline and now being prepared for launch in 2010, and the bang-up-to-date Sandero Stepway are grabbing attention. The Stepway has already successfully debuted in South America, where it is marketed as a Renault and should appeal to image-conscious customers on a tight budget here in Europe. Boasting Renault engineering, offering a long guarantee and representing excellent value for money, the Stepway is sure to make new friends. Safety equipment is the only area that is wanting, since upgrades are not available as an option. Dacia will have to do better in this respect.

Once the butt of many a joke, the Trabant was a big a symbol of East European communism as Leonid Brezhnev's eyebrows.

Unlike Brezhnev, the the Trabant is on the verge of making an unlikely revival...

When I found a family of mice feasting on my breakfast cereal in the kitchen cupboard, I thought that was probably the worst thing that could ever happen to my house. I felt my sacred ground had been invaded by uninvited, disgusting little squatters. Even now, months after they've departed, I can still hear the sound of the munching at night and have to rock myself to sleep.

When I see what some other less fortunate people have to put up with, I put things in perspective and complain less. Some people are invaded by drink-drivers and their cars. Like the Australian couple whose bathroom wall was destroyed by a car which lost control and ploughed into their house.

That was already bad enough, but the misfortunes of the Melbourne homeowners didn't end there. The car broke a gas pipe which caught fire – the blaze was put out very quickly, but not quickly enough to save the house from being nicely baked all over. Whatever wasn't destroyed by the fire and smoke got soaked by the firemen's powerful hoses.

The poor couple are now between a rock and a hard place - do they sit where its burnt or where it's wet? And it's not like they can have a nice bath to relax, what with having no hot water or bathroom wall.