MAY
Anticipating the f luctuation of the car market is difficult at the best of times, but no more so than during a global pandemic. May was the tail end of a housebound year and began with industry figureheads aiming to do just that: predict the long-term impacts of a sector working its way back to full strength, having been hit severely by production and supply setbacks.
Some restrictions remained in place and our road testers were still sandwiched between step two and step three of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, but their reviews were well and truly back in full swing.
Winning design for a 2030 Bond car was this ‘Polestar’ 007
Our road tests inadvertently focused on a host of Stellantis brands, with cars from Peugeot, Citroën and Vauxhall among the stars. The overhauled Vauxhall Mokka was admired for its fresh, eye-catching design but was slightly let down by its driving dynamics. What really impressed our testers was the Mini Cooper S Convertible – still top class as a pure driver’s car, with a punchy powertrain and excellent engineering.