2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS "The Mega SS"

The Good: - Cool retro-modern styling - Great grip and handling - Seriously powerful engine

The Bad: - Hard plastic interior - Shallow luggage boot - Outward visibility

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We’ve already tested the Camaro before, but it was a V6 version. With a sixer under the bonnet, it is a competent car, sporting even, but does not rise above the level of homely coupes. So when we received the Camaro SS from the General, we didn’t expect it to be much different, even though we’d driven it briefly before. However, it turned out to be at a whole different ballgame, especially considering we were surprised to find it had a manual shifter.
In terms of how the SS looks, it is so similar to the V6 model that we’ll save time by just copy-pasting bits and pieces of the other review. It is as stunning as ever, even if appearing a bit loose around the panel gaps. Buyers at the lower rung will be happy to note that their V6 looks almost exactly the same as this top-end model, save for larger rims, rear lip spoiler and a fake bonnet vent up front on the SS. The chop-top Camaro is a big car in person, but that does not necessarily translate to a massive cabin. There is enough space for a couple of six-footers if the front seats are moved all the way down, but the roof is still a bit too close to the head for comfort. And let’s not even bother with the rear legroom. There isn’t any.
The sporting front seats are well-bolstered, beautifully trimmed with leather in the SS, and power-adjustable for the driver. The passenger seat offers quick manual access to the rear, but the tight opening leads to a tighter rear seat. The cargo trunk has a similarly small opening, offering a very long but ultimately shallow luggage area. Of course, there is no shortage of cup-holders, with two exposed ones up front, just ahead of the central cubby-cum-armrest.

2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 "Sting Ray"

The Good: - Jet-fighter engine - Jet-fighter handling - Jet-fighter styling

The Bad: - Jet-fighter cabin capacity - Economy-class cabin trim - Cargo-plane ride quality

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Being as humble as we are, the Corvette Z06 is the closest we’ve ever come to playing with a supercar. We are constantly ignored by Porsche. The Italians are too cheap to give out cars. Audi never invited us to their R8 launch because we “offend” them with our frank opinions. And Aston Martin judged us as being too “young” to give us anything. But the funny part is, this relatively “cheap” American speedster, in the hands of a competent driver, can slay them all.
The Corvette has as much heritage as any of the Italian marques. First built in the 1950s to compete with European sports cars, it was fabricated in fibreglass due to a steel shortage. Sure enough, this also resulted in massive weight savings, and the tradition has continued ever since. Nothing more than a straight-line bruiser in its first five generations, the fifth-gen C5 brought about an injection of handling prowess comparable to more expensive supercars. And now, in its sixth-gen C6 form, it improves on the previous model’s attributes. The Z06 trim just adds more flavour to an already-enticing sizzler.

2008 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 "The Mighty Off-Road"

The Good: - Strong enough engine - Decent ride quality - Tons of cargo capacity

The Bad: - Needs better cabin materials - Awful legroom management - Way too big and hungry

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It is rather apt that our latest Chevy test vehicle is called the Avalanche. It is so big and brutish that sensible folks run to avoid its charge. This region is known for pedestrians who stroll across roads even when cars are coming up fast, but the Avalanche Z71 makes them jump out of its way even when cruising slowly. That is about the only realistic reason why anyone would buy one of these trucks.

2008 Chevrolet CSV CR8 "The 4 door Sport"

The Good: - Monster of an engine - Great ride and handling - Way too much cabin space

The Bad: - Way too big on the outside - A few cheap cabin bits - Bit of a petrol addict

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When you spend week after week test-driving “average” cars, it can all get a bit tedious. Every car starts feeling similar – V6 engines, automatic gearboxes, front-wheel-drive – there can only be so much variation in a common theme. But once in a while, something comes along that makes you sit up and take notice. The CSV CR8 is one of those things.
Sure, the CSV CR8 is a practical package with four doors, tons of legroom and a huge luggage trunk. But all the hidden bits are the ones which ultimately define it. How many family cars have a big V8, rear-wheel-drive and — horror of horrors — a manual transmission?

2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible "The New Muscle"

The Good: - Aggressive styling - Pure uninterrupted power - Great handling

The Bad: - Useless rear seating - Hard cabin plastics - Noisy even with the top up

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If you thought the Camaro franchise was strung out as far as possible, think again. Our latest run with the stunning Chevy muscle car is with all-new convertible version, brewing for years and now finally on the streets. The only question is whether, with the roof chopped off, it is still as well-sorted as the coupe.
Our new-for-2012 Chevy Camaro SS convertible tester has all the design cues of the SS coupe, namely the fake bonnet scoop, the larger tail pipes and the bigger alloys. The obvious differences are the brake light on the boot lid and, of course, the cloth top that gives the car only a slightly-lopsided roof profile compared to the coupe. On close inspection of the exterior, we’d say build quality is about the same, which is to say, passable.

2007 BMW 335i Coupe "Cute and Sporty"

The Good: - Intense handling - Seats four in comfort - Excellent engine

The Bad: - Somewhat firm ride quality - Rear seat access - Small side mirrors

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We find it hard to start an article about a member of the BMW 3-Series family without mentioning that it still rules the roost as far as sports sedans are concerned. We’ve driven most of the new-name competition such as the almost-famous Infiniti G35, the cramped Lexus IS 300 and some really sad version of the non-Quattro Audi A4. And they still fall behind in some way or the other. The new turbocharged 335i coupe just ups the ante.
We were pleasantly surprised when this car was delivered to our doorstep to keep for the next four days. As with many other recent BMWs, this one too appears overlong, dull and tall in photos, but really is amazingly well-proportioned, aggressive and low in reality.

2008 BMW 135i Convertible "Young and Charming"

The Good: - Sports-car handling - Sports-car acceleration - Sports-car fun

The Bad: - Hard ride quality - Cramped rear seating - Very expensive

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The 1-Series hatchback was unceremoniously launched years ago, touted as an entry-level BMW for young people who can’t afford the 3-Series. Years later, the same young people voted with their wallets, skipping the undesirable One and saving up for the Three anyway, at least in this region. BMW is now trying to rectify that expensive blunder by expanding the 1-Series line-up with a two-door coupe and its soft-top variant. A more powerful set of engines were also thrown in for good measure. Which brings us to our 135i convertible tester, easily the most ‘funtastic’ car we’ve driven in months.

2009 BMW 750Li "First Class Luxury"

The Good: - Looks better than before - Powerful and efficient engine - Feature-filled spacious cabin

The Bad: - A bit too long - A bit too expensive - A bit limited in the boot area

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BMW’s long-running 7-Series flagship has always been an elegant and classy luxury sedan, right until they unleashed the bloated previous-generation mutant back in 2002. Fast-forward to 2009, and the German manufacturer seems to have rectified their gaffe, turning the 7-Series back into what it originally was — a svelte supercruiser.
Most noticeable is the successful execution of a new front end featuring wider nostrils and angry headlights, although the front bumper is cluttered with random lines that are thankfully missing on the rest of the car’s body. Generous use of LEDs for the front indicators and the huge rear tail lamps make for a briefly-interesting light show at night. Use of chrome is limited to small trim bits, along with some shiny exhaust tips integrated into the rear bumper. And the use of 20-inch alloy wheels made our long-wheelbase 750Li tester look smaller than it really is.

2009 BMW X6 xDrive50i "Big and Sporty"

The Good: - Amazing handling - Awesome engine - Head-turning looks

The Bad: - Expensive and seats only four - Rear-seat headroom - Head-turning looks

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After the 1-Series was introduced, BMW purists lamented the downgrading of an iconic nameplate in the name of profits. And just as the 1-Series is starting to get accepted, BMW has dropped another bombshell in the form of the X6, which some would call a misguided attempt at upgrading the iconic nameplate. But while the X6, a so-called sports-activity-coupe-whatever, is an abomination, we could not help hating it a bit less after we kept one for a few days. Because, love it or hate it, the car sure makes a statement.

The X6 is essentially an X5 with roof-replacement surgery, as the top has been chopped off for a “sportier” look. However, beyond the near-identical front-end, every body panel is different from those of the X5. Even the front bumper and the rear tail-lamps are completely different. Fitted with 20-inch alloys and plastic cladding along the bottom, the X6 looks smaller than it really is. We were actually excited to see this car in person, and couldn’t take our eyes off it. It was sort of like the love a dog owner has for his pet bulldog.