Jonathan Goddard Reviews Archive

News from Jonathan Goddard

Results 1 to 14 of 14.

Mini Cooper D
Can a small diesel be any good? 6 October 2007 10:00 GMT

The Good
Excellent build quality, fun, cute, frugal

The Bad
Practicality, confusing dash, loud engine

Verdict
Small diesels are notoriously crap. This one isn’t but it’s no where near as much fun as its petrol-powered stablemates

Price
£14,190
Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDi Laurin & Klement
Is the hype really worth believing? 1 September 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Amazing value, great ride, hugely practical, different, build quality, good looks

The Bad
Badge, some awkward switches, slightly suspect electronics

Verdict
No better car for the money - a near perfect car for either family or company purposes

Price
£19,855
Route 66 Chicago 6000 GPS receiver
Rooute 66 launches first standalone in-car GPS system 29 July 2007 15:47 GMT

The Good
Excellent screen, easy to use, good value, fast GPS location

The Bad
Tempramental, weak battery life, pointless MP3 functionality, imprecise touchscreen

Verdict
One of the better budget in-car GPS solutions

Price
£149.99
Peugeot 407 SW HDi 136 SE
A well-equipped, hugely comfortable dog of a car - yep, it's French 26 May 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Comfortable, good value, well-finished cabin, looks great in black

The Bad
Tempremental, frustrating, sloooow, looks crap in any other colour

Verdict
Surprisingly good build quality and supreme comfort can't compensate for a truly iritating driving experience and the knowedge that the 407 will let you down eventually ... cos it's a Peugeot

Price
£18,602
BMW Z4 Coupe 3.0si SE
The Z4 gets a metal roof ... and a personality bypass 28 April 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Solid, fast, good looks, suprisingly practical

The Bad
Misses drop-top, scratchy, harsh ride, dull

Verdict
Technically a good car, the Coupe version of the Z4 just doesn't make much sense

Price
£31,805
Honda CR-V 2.0 i-VTEC
Is the latest Honda soft-roader better than the last one? 7 April 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Supreme build quality, solid, relatively low emissions, comfortable

The Bad
Uninvolving, not as practical as you'd think, so-so handling, ugly

Verdict
The best of the soft-roaders returns, but while it isn't exactly bad the latest iteration is somewhat of a let-down

Price
£18,815
Honda Accord Tourer 2.4 EX Auto
A Car That's All Things To All Men? 10 March 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Hugely practical, great drive and ride, well put together, handsome

The Bad
Pricey, fairly high CO2 emissions and, erm, that’s it

Verdict
Very possibly the best of all the mid-size family estates, it crushes the opposition in almost every regard with its combination of looks, road manners, technology and equipment. I want this car – and if you trued it, you probably would to because it’s very nearly all things to all men (and few chicks, too)

Price
£23,500
BMW 320d M Sport Touring
Can BMW improve on a classic? 10 February 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Superb build quality, fine looks, practicality, great handling

The Bad
Ridiculously harsh ride, stodgy clutch, poor low down pulling power, pricey, not very economical

Verdict
What else would you expect from a 3 Series estate but solidity, assuredness and overpricing? Quality but not without fault

Price
£28,455
BMW X3 2.0d SE
Has BMW improved with the new model? 3 February 2007 9:00 GMT

The Good
Good styling, decent economy, fun to drive, massively improved interior

The Bad
Expensive, rather pointless, tiny boot, not an off-roader, poor relation to X5

Verdict
Very competent and almost charming soft-roader that makes sense for the school run but not for anything else. Feels like one giant compromise

Price
£28,560
Kia Sedona 2.9 CRDi people carrier
Is this the car to opt for if you've got a growing family? 2 December 2006 9:00 GMT

The Good
Enough space to accommodate a religious cult, car-like handling, solid, comfortable, great value, electric sliding doors

The Bad
Misses telescopic steering column and wheel-mounted stereo controls, rather too many quirks, basic seat system, dull looking, sloooooow

Verdict
The Sedona isn’t half bad, offering a load of space and a decent driving experience for peanuts. Rather too many electrical oddities, though, and it’ll make you feel utterly anonymous

Price
£15,750
Mini Cooper S
The new mini is here, but does it excite? 11 November 2006 0:00 GMT

The Good
Superb fun, great performance, direct handling, comfortable, excellent build quality

The Bad
As pokey in the back and boot as ever, odd engine note, confusing dash

Verdict
Quite simply brilliant. The only possible reason for not buying one if you¹re in the market for a fast and fun thrasharound is its boot/rear passenger space or the fact you have the IQ of roadkill

Price
£15,995
Chrysler 300C CRD Touring
Are the Americans invading? 4 November 2006 6:00 GMT

The Good
Huge road presence, practicality, individuality, one of the best bargains to be had

The Bad
Awful ride, load space not great, fuel economy, looks too challenging for some

Verdict
Sure, this kind of car makes a statement – you just have to work out if you can live with that as much you can with the actual car

Price
£27,275
Porsche 997 Carrera S cabrio
Has Porsche lost its magic? We get behind the wheel to find out 28 October 2006 11:06 GMT

The Good
Superb handling, well-engineered, good spec

The Bad
Not as inspiring or special as it should be, pricey

Verdict
A new (sort of) twist on an established legend is technically a great achievement but it’s a rather cold experience

Price
£65000
Vauxhall Astra Twin Top 1.6 16v Sport
Can Vauxhall perform with its convertible Astra? 7 October 2006 11:00 GMT

The Good
Nice looks, superb roof mechanism, one of the most practical of all the current CC batch

The Bad
1.6 completely gutless, noisy, scratchy handling, dull interior, clunky gearbox

Verdict
The Astra Twin Top is a Jeckyll and Hyde kind of car: pointless with top up, as wonderful as all convertibles with the roof down

Price
£17,795