The place for independent car reviews in Europe

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ Shooting Brake Electric is one of those EVs that quietly makes a very strong case for itself. Not because it is the fastest electric car. Not because it tries to be shocking. And not because Mercedes has reinvented the wheel. But because it gets the important things right.

The Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo is the kind of car the internet should love more. A beautiful Italian convertible. A front-mounted 3.0-litre twin-turbo Nettuno V6. 550 hp, 650 Nm, all-wheel drive, a proper eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, four seats, a fabric roof and enough elegance to make most German alternatives feel a little too serious. Maserati’s own catalogue lists the GranCabrio Trofeo at 550 CV, 650 Nm, 0–100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 316 km/h. And yet, somehow, this car still feels underrated.

The BMW M5 Touring is one of those cars that almost feels too absurd to exist. A station wagon with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, plug-in hybrid technology, 727 hp, 1,000 Nm of torque, all-wheel drive, a usable electric range, a boot large enough for family life and enough performance to make your driving licence feel permanently endangered. On paper, it sounds like the ultimate everything-car. And in many ways, it is.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 Hybrid is one of those cars that makes you wonder how far the entry-level premium segment has come. Not that long ago, an entry-level compact Mercedes felt exactly like that: an entry-level compact Mercedes. A bit stylish, yes. A bit premium, maybe. But never really close to the bigger cars from the same showroom. This new CLA feels different.

Some badges should be handled with care. HF is one of them. For Lancia, HF does not simply mean a sportier trim with larger wheels and a different logo. It refers to a history filled with rally dust, victories and icons such as the Fulvia Coupé HF, the Stratos HF and, of course, the Delta HF Integrale. And now that same logo sits on a fully electric Ypsilon. On paper, that almost sounds like sacrilege. No turbo engine, no rally soundtrack, no petrol fumes, no mechanical chaos. But then you drive it. And suddenly, the story becomes a lot more interesting.

There’s something almost counterintuitive about the Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive. In a market where electric cars are getting heavier, more complex and significantly more expensive, Tesla strips things back. Less power than the Performance versions, fewer features, a simpler setup and yet, after spending serious time with it, one conclusion keeps coming back:

Some cars exist because they make sense. Others exist because they push boundaries. And then there’s the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance, a car that, on paper, makes absolutely no sense… yet somehow ends up being one of the most compelling electric vehicles on the market today. With 925 horsepower, over 1,000 Nm of torque, and a 0–100 km/h sprint in just 2.5 seconds, this is officially the most powerful Audi you can buy right now.

Still the best-looking plug-in hybrid SUV… but something doesn’t quite add up There are cars you buy with your head. And then there are cars you buy because you feel something. The CUPRA Formentor has always been the second kind. But while this car still knows exactly how to win you over at first glance… it doesn’t take long before you start asking questions.

Practical, efficient, comfortable and cleverly engineered. When the Skoda Enyaq launched, it proved that this philosophy could also work in the electric era. Now Skoda takes the next step with the all-new Skoda Elroq, a compact electric SUV positioned below the Enyaq in the lineup. Smaller, more city-friendly and slightly more affordable, but still built on the same advanced Volkswagen Group MEB platform.

Volkswagen’s SUV lineup has become enormous. Between the T-Cross, Taigo, T-Roc and Tiguan, not to mention the fully electric ID models, it’s sometimes difficult to immediately understand where each model fits. Yet the Volkswagen T-Roc still manages to carve out a very clear place in the range.

Alpine has always been about lightness, agility and driver engagement. In other words: small cars, big smiles. So when the brand announces something like the Alpine A390 GT, a larger, more practical, all-electric performance crossover, you’re right to raise an eyebrow.

Sometimes you get into a car and immediately think: this is special. And sometimes you get into a car and think: this just makes sense. The new Skoda Enyaq 85 Corporate falls into that second category. No drama, no gimmicks, no exaggerated promises. Just a fully electric family SUV built with one simple goal: to do everything right.