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It would be fair to say that, after a while in this job, you approach different new cars with different expectations.

And it would also be fair to say that I approached the Renault Koleos, newly arrived on these shores, with my expectations flying somewhere below ankle height.

I mean, just look at the thing: with its teetering stance, grafted-on corporate front end and full complement of soft-roader design cliches. It even boasts an inclinometer – the sort of pointless detail that I remember from the 1980s Fiat Panda 4x4.

There was one good way, it seemed to me, to test the worth of the improvements of the recently revised Lotus Europa SE: subject it to a long, fast trip.

When the car was launched in 2006 it was billed as the right choice for Lotus owners who wanted a reasonably refined touring car, still with the great driving values of the Lotus Elise and Exige to which it was closely related.

But the original Europa S fell short of expectations, and was never a match for the mainstream competition.

After deliberation, I decided to tackle what I always think of as the Jim Clark heritage route — from Lotus’s Hethel HQ to Duns, Scotland, where Clark lived. That seemed especially appropriate since it’s 40 years since the great champion died at Hockenheim. Plus, a round trip of 700 miles is just too far for key faults to stay hidden and offered the ideal opportunity to really test the Europa’s mettle.

I've just spent the weekend - yes, most of it - driving a Porsche Cayman. I'm gradually coming down from my high, but I'm still pretty convinced it's the best car I've ever driven. It's nowhere near being the fastest, or the most...

I've just spent a weekend driving the new Ford Kuga in the Alps. It coped superbly with the winding Alpine roads over the moutains from Geneva to Courmayeur and it is genuinely stable with some fun adjustability on the throttle. What was almost more...

You won’t believe the interior of the new Vauxhall Insignia - particulary if your memory of cabins in Luton cars consists of cliff-faced fascias formed in ultra-durable plastics, plus knobs and switches straight from the Early Learning Centre. 

In detail and perceived quality, it’s close to matching BMW and not so far behind Audi. Vauxhall believes the expanding success of Chevrolet as GM’s new worldwide ‘entry’ brand gives them permission to move Vauxhall upmarket — though not to the extent of hiking prices — and their designers have taken full advantage. Design boss Mark Adams reckons the work with Insignia will “lift all GM Design”, and will have special impact on the new Astra, due in 2010.

I had a landmark moment yesterday. It may have already happened to you, but for the first time it cost me more than £100 to fuel a car. Perhaps appropriately it was a BMW X6 , whose 80 litres of diesel each cost £1.31. I’m going to keep...