Subaru has always been committed to producing cars that reflect its own highly individual and recognizable approach engineering. The 1980’s XT coupe wasn’t really a success, from the brutal big wedge of cheese styling to the turbo charged engine and four wheel drive, the whole thing failed to hang together. However, this failure didn’t put Subaru off from investing in another coupe as it would have done many other manufactures. No, Subaru’s next attempt was to be even more complex and even more unusual than their first bash. The SVX could be described as a combination of the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and Jaguar XJS, as the SVX had the mechanical cleverness of the former and the refinement of the latter. The 2+2 coupe was styled by Giugiaro, and it looked as if a jet fighter’s one piece cockpit had been lowered on to a fairly normal coupe body. This effect was secured by using half size windows, which allowed the doors to close completely flush against the roof.

Under the skin was a superb 3.3 liter, flat six engine driving an advanced and effective automatic gearbox. The 4×4 drivetrain came with a computer controlled torque split system. The SVX was a remarkably refined and sure footed car to drive, delivering the level of comfort that made very long journeys swift, safe and enjoyable. There was, perhaps, too much technology under too odd a skin, capped with too obscure a badge. It wasn’t a success, but the SVX was an excellent car anyway.

Subaru replaced its dull and rapidly ageing 1.6/1.8 series with all new Impreza in 1993. Like the outgoing car, the Impreza came in four and five door guises and had, like nearly all Subarus permanent four wheel drive installed. The first Imprezas were quickly praised, but with just 101 bhp under the bonnet, they couldn’t help but be regarded as somewhat sluggish. It was a fair criticism, and Subaru had to some degree already anticipated this problem. Subaru was known for its keenness for turbo charging, so few people were surprised when the company released the 208 bhp Impreza Turbo, complete with bonnet scoop, deep front bumper, rear spoiler and wide wheels. What few expected, however, was that the Impreza would turn into a modern day junior super car classic, following in the type treads of the Audi Quattro and Lancia Delta Integrale. Unlike the other contemporary 4×4 turbocharged sports hatches, the Ford Escort Cosworth, for example the Impreza was smaller, more widely and less intimidating to drive. The simple, Audi like four wheel drive layout and low centre of gravity afforded by the flat four engine helped give the Impreza a fabulous ‘road ability’ and the Impreza’s sheer performance was breathtaking.

Subaru used the car for the World Rally Championships, and chassis improvements figured out by Prodrive made it even better and helped the vehicle’s impressive performance. The Impreza become a cult classic. Very few cars could beat it from A to B across country, but it cost little more than a high specification family car.

Toyota has long known as a conservative car maker, particularly where its mainstream car are concerned. But as one of only two manufactures to be in profit every year for nearly four decades, it would be difficult to argue that Toyota’s business sense was flawed in any important way. The mid engined MR 2 project had started as far back as 1976, but Toyota seemed to have been easily distracted by the energy crisis, and put a swift stop to it. The idea for a compact and inexpensive mid engined sports car was revived in 1979. However, but it took some convincing of the management that the US market was waiting such a car, especially as the British Triumph and MG sports cars were close to death. The engineering plan called for a car in the exact mould of the Fiat X1/9, a small two seater based on the running gear of a conventional front wheel drive hatch, in this case, the Corolla. The product planner weren’t wrong. Pontiac had come to the same conclusion, and was about to launch its own inexpensive, mid engined two seater. MR2 stood for ‘Mid-engined Recreational with 2 seats.’

The great advantages of the MR2, though, was its inherent reliability and fine build quality, something Pontiac- and certainly Fiat- could not match at the time. The MR2 was also an easy car to drive quickly, and it was always a pleasurable experience. The styling of the original was also very well executed in a taut and razor sharp manner. It was a great success, because it offered the looks and cachet of a serious sports car with the reliability and build of a family car. It also proved there would be a ready market for inexpensive convertibles.

Volvo 3CC is the brainchild of the designers, engineers and business people at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center think-tank in California. Volvo’s 3CC illustrates how this automaker’s vision includes capitalizing on light weight, a small footprint, and innovative powertrains to address future driving needs. The 3CC is designed with a steel space frame and an outer body shell of bond-ed carbon fiber. Composite sandwich floor panels are used for safety and light weight. The car’s front electric drive, which provides 0-60 mph acceleration of about 10 seconds and a governed top speed of 85 mph, is powered by 3,000 lithium-ion batteries packaged within the sandwich floor. The batteries, the same type used in today’s laptop computers, provide a driving range of about 180 miles. Up to 20% of the battery pack’s energy can be recovered by regenerative braking.

The Volvo 3CC vehicle blends distinctive Volvo styling cues at its front and flanks. But there’s a sharp departure from traditional styling as this vehicle tapers toward the rear with a unique two-plus-one seating configuration with two adults up front and an additional seat for another adult or two children behind. Entering and exiting the interior is aided with a floating dash panel that slides forward as the doors swing upward. A sliding seat system also eases the process for rear seat passengers. Volvo 3CC is not only fuel-efficient, versatile, comfortable, and safe but also exciting to drive and look at.

Toyota was feeling adventurous when it planned the replacement for the Supra coupe. In the late 1980s, Toyota produced the exceptionally avant grade 4500 GT super coupe for research purposes. Serious passion went into its conception at every level. The 4500 GT’s influence was clear when the twin turbo Supra was launched in 1993. Project manger Isao Tsuzuki described it as “a race car that could be driven with confidence on American streets and highways.” The 1993 Supra was one of the best looking cars ever produced in Japan, a dramatic three door body shell with a giant frontal air intake and huge headlamps. Under the bonnet was a 3.0 liter, 24-valve straight six engine bolstered by twin sequential superchargers. With 320bhp and a massive 300lb/ft of torque available, the Supra was an exceptionally fast car. Tsuzuki put huge effort into making the new 1993 Supra 300lb (136kg) lighter than the old car had been.

The upshot was a better power to weight ratio than a Ferrari 348. Inside, lessons had been learned from the 4500 GT. The dashboard swept up and around from the center console, housing brilliantly situated heating and audio controls. On the road, the Supra was not only devastatingly fast, overtaking in third with full turbo boost was a mind bending experience, but exceptionally stable and secure, despite such massive power being directed to the rear wheels.

It is a new model developed on the Polo platform An interesting aspect of this car is that it will be priced lower than a Lupo and has a spacious interior. The price for the cheapest version is € 8,950. Measuring 3.82 m long (a Lupo measured 3.53 m) and 1.54 mm high, a figure similar to that of some cars and vans accepted (a Mitsubishi Colt five-door Audi A2 and measured 1.55 m high). It is rare to find cars of this size, and high and body with three doors: the closest is the Colt CZ3 (3810 mm long and 1,520 mm high). It’s a car approved for four occupants and without the possibility of having a fifth. Between the two rear seats there is a gap or a storage area for holding two beverage containers. It comes with two gasoline engines and one Diesel. First gasoline engine is 1.2 l (three cylinder 54 hp) and the most powerful is a 1.4 liter (75 hp four-cylinder). The Diesel is also three-cylinder, 1.4 l and 69 hp. These engines mounted on the Fox are not known for their performance even for a low consumption. It is an easy drive for quality and equipment. In this sense, is much closer to one than a Lupo Polo and other models of Volkswagen. The interior is covered with hard plastic (sometimes harsh. The prevailing hue of the interior is black. There is practically no detail or colored plastic ornaments that give a fresh appearance.

The C30 hit the market in late 2006. Since October 2009, Volvo sold an update, which affects both the exterior and the interior. It is on sale from € 19,874. C30 is 4.27 m long and three-door bodywork tourism. This is an alternative to models like the Audi A3, the BMW 1 Series, the Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class or the Volkswagen Golf , among others, though configuration and body style is more like the Volkswagen Scirocco . It has the limitation of having only four seats, the rear a small space, and a small trunk (251 l). Available with five engines: three gasoline-one of them can also work with ethanol and two Diesel. Later there will be developments in diesel engines: the 1.6D will be 114 CV and D3 there will be a version with five-cylinder engine and 150 horsepower. In the previous Volvo C30 2.0D there was a 136 hp, a 180 PS D5 (the two are diesel) and a 170 hp 2.4 G for gasoline. The body can be painted in 13 different colors, one of which, called “Orange Flame Metallic ‘is new. The more powerful versions, both diesel and gasoline, continue to carry twin exhaust. Alloy wheels are also different and now you can buy a white.

The Fetish is a roadster with 245 hp electric motor, which is on sale since 2004 in the Japanese market, 2005 in U.S. and in Europe. The price € 540,000. According to Venturi, the fetish is “the sports car in 20 years’ is the first electric motor sports are available in these three markets. Has an electric motor capable of 245 hp (180 kW) at 14,000 rpm. Its maximum torque of 220 Nm, available from the engine begins to rotate. Due to this characteristic of electric motors, gearbox need not, between the engine and the wheels there is only one gear to multiply the torque (compared with 9.8 to 1). It is rear wheel drive and the engine is centrally placed front. Thus, the fetish accelerates from 0-100 km / h in 4.5 s, less than a Porsche 911 Carrera S (4.8 s with 355 hp). The maximum speed is 170, very little compared to its maximum power. Ventura estimated that half of autonomy is 350 km and maximum speed; autonomy would be about 170 km. The batteries are lithium ion and can give a whole 58 kW / h. With an intensity of 80 A, the recharge time is 3.5 hours, a home with basic electrification level has a maximum intensity of 25 A. It measures 3887 mm long, 1884 mm wide and 1,200 mm in height. It has a great battle over its length: 2,600 mm. Its weight is 1,100 kg with batteries, and without them is 750 kg.

The Toyota iQ is a small utility, four-seater and 3.0 m, which is on sale since April 2009. This series has stability control, something rare in a small car, and an unprecedented window airbag. It is available from € 11,340, only with petrol engines (68 and 98 hp) and with manual or automatic. It can be an alternative to models like the Kia Picanto , the Citroën C1 , the Peugeot 107 , the Hyundai i10 or the Suzuki Alto , among others. The iQ is smaller and more expensive than all of them, although it is considerably more equipped (passenger list between 2.80 and 3.55 m sorted by price) and gives a greater sense of quality. The only similar model is more expensive is the Fiat 500. Either one is preferable to carry passengers in the rear seats. The recommended version is 1.0 which is 68 hp motor. The difference in acceleration that gives respect to the 98 hp is much lower than expected from its can be no power difference. The only drawback is the 68 hp IQ is vibrating at idle (is three cylinders). The 98hp engine has a smoother operation. With the 98 hp engine IQ is very pleasant to drive because of its smoothness and quietness of operation. However, as in other models we’ve driven with this engine, it gives a good result on the road: its ability to accelerate is far from what you would expect from its power. To notice differences with the 68 hp, you have to take him to a high regime. More driving impressions.

The Tesla Roadster is a sporty two-seater cabriolet with bodywork, driven solely by an electric motor. The chassis, monocoque aluminum, is developed specifically for this model, but builds on the platform of the Lotus Elise, with which it shares some elements windshield, tires, suspension parts and part of the dashboard. Nevertheless, measures 3.95 m long, ie, rather than the Elise (the Lotus Europa S measured 3.90 m). Tesla height is 1.13 m, very little. The body is made of fiber. Like the Fluence Renault ZE, the battery can be recharged only by grid, through different connectors and modes of failure. It has regenerative braking-in phases of retention and braking converts the kinetic energy into electricity to charge the battery. The electric motor provides 292 hp. It can rotate at 14,000 rpm maximum. Its torque is 380 Nm at 5,500 rpm. It has two modes: one that favors autonomy (“on”) and another that uses all the power for maximum acceleration (“performance”). The Roadster has a range of 340 km, in a consumption cycle approved in Europe for this type of car.