Hello Petrolheads! Soon, I will be writing about my 2003 Merc CL 55, but because this is a truly special car, will write about its context beforehand. This generation CL, internally known as the C215, was launched in 1999, as the coupé version of the, in 1998 new, W220 S-Class. Because the main premises when developing the W220 were to reduce the… excesses, so to speak, of its W140 predecessor – I actually reckon the W140 to be Daimler’s peak – the main requisites were to add lightness, not only literally, but especially to the overall image, which also meant reducing the dimensions a bit. That, actually, was a good thing.   To do so, and in spite of a lot of new added technology – which also adds weight – Daimler went exploring alternative materials for the body-in-white, namely, extensive use of aluminium and also some bits of magnesium and plastic. The CL, being based on the S, went down the very same approach: its platform was still made out of steel, but the rest was...

  To be and… to appear to be Hello petrolheads! Today, am going to compare two hatches: a warm one, and a hot one. AVIS was kind enough to give them to me within a month time, and because of the similarities – and differences – I decided it was a good idea to review and compare them. Oh, in case you’re wondering, spoiler alert: the warm one is the Golf Performance Pack. More on that later. Also, sorry for the shoddy quality of the Focus' photos. Don't really like the way it looks, so didn't bother too much... Drove the Focus first. The first visual impression was good, maybe because it’s still a new car, most likely because the predecessor was so underwhelming. Will leave design considerations up to you, but can tell you most people like it a lot. This car’s sporty appearance – the ST-Line package plus the LED headlight units – does seem to be very balanced. The biggest surprise, though, was inside. Previously, Focuses have occasionally felt...

Hello petrolheads! Today I’m writing about what, frankly, has always been my dream car. 20 years after having first set eyes on it in a car magazine, and having immediately fallen in love with the form, I finally got hold of an R170 Merc. In other words, the first generation SLK. Actually, nowadays, the collection comprises not one, but three such SLKs. It took quite some time to find the perfect one, and all of a sudden, there were three. More about that later. The one I’m reviewing today is actually the second one, with a very similar configuration to the first one. I bought it because, well, how could I not?! Two family owners from new, low mileage, decent service record, reasonable shape… furthermore, the colour combination is wonderful, and not that common. This is one of those cars which, quite unanimously, people think has aged particularly well. The SLK was born a classic, due to simple and elegant lines, with more than a hint of sportiness. Even though...