IF IT ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s BMW’s approach to its new, third-gen X5 and who can blame it? After spawning the original SUV golden goose with the E53 X5 in 1996, BMW has hardly altered the X5’s fundamental, money-making recipe: punchy engine up front, a luxurious, practical interior in the middle and tasty driving dynamics, with some off-roading ability, underneath.

But that’s not to say this new model is devoid of newness. Yes it rides on the same platform and uses the same front suspension, but there are new engines, a new rear-drive sDrive 25d variant and a body with no carry- over panels.

At $82,900, the 25d is designed to entice new buyers to the brand. Powered by a twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel churning out 160kW/450Nm, it’ll shoot the porky X5 (all variants weigh just over 2000kgs, despite BMW claiming new models are 5-40kg lighter) from 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds, yet sip just 5.8L/100km.

Sadly, the 25Dd, as well the 40d and the petrol-powered straight-six 35i won’t arrive Down Under until March 2014, with only the popular 30d, the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 50i and the new monstrous, triple-turbo M50d available from launch.

As you’d expect, all models have been suitably refined to make each variant not only faster and more efficient, but importantly more comfortable.

Power is up across the board, apart from the range-topping M50D, which despite having three turbos bolted to its 3.0-litre straight six, keeps the 280kW/740Nm output of its twin-turbo predecessor. Still acceleration for the big diesel is rapid, down to 5.3 seconds from 0-100km/h. Both models are brutally quick and concise when driven hard, but unless you’re racing Porsches on the school run, it’s the 30d that offers the best compromise on speed and comfort.

The volume model 30d (BMW reckons up to 70 percent of sales) gets 19inch wheels as standard instead of the 20s assigned to its more powerful siblings and it’s all the better for it. None of the X5s we sampled rode badly, but the 30d conveys a suppleness absent in other models, despite a hint more body roll through the twisty stuff.

Power is ample too, with its 190kW/560Nm 3.0-litre turbo six pulling strongly down low, but it can’t match the 50i’s subtle V8 burble or the M50D’s angry bark.

All third-gen X5s are mated to BMW’s excellent eight-speed auto, which not only shifts seamlessly, but keeps the power in the rev-range sweet spot to offer sharper acceleration and eradicate turbo lag.

Punt the 30d hard, and while it’s not in the same league as the barnstorming M50D, on the limit handling remains impressive, effectively disguising the X5’s size and weight to convey a sporty and planted feel, even without the new adaptive dampers.

Inside, everything is suitably luxurious and functional, with all models receiving a large 10.2 inch touch screen and a myriad of trim options. As has become customary, each X5 variant gets BMW’s rocker switch to alter the car’s drivetrain and chassis from docile (EcoPro) through to roid-raging bonkers (Sport Plus).

The only real chink in the X5’s armour is its new steering system, with BMW ditching the old model’s hydraulic rack for an electro-mechanical set-up. The result is a wheel that feels dead off centre and offers video-game levels of feedback, even in Sport and Sport Plus which only increase weight, not feel. It’s a disappointment, particularly from the company that makes the excellent M3, which begs the question, why didn’t BMW follow its own advice? If it ain’t broke…

PLUS Strong engine; excellent dynamics MINUS Dead steering; large price tag

BMW X5 30d Specifications

Engine 2993cc in-line 6cyl, dohc, 24v, turbo-diesel Max power 190kW @ 4000rpm Max torque 560Nm @ 1500-3000rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 2070kg 0-100km/h 6.9sec Price $99,900 On sale Now

ONLY MONTHS before a new-generation Mini Cooper launches in Australia, Alfa Romeo has put its Mini challenger – the Mito – through a ‘Series II’ enhancement program. Garnished with near-invisible styling tweaks, the big news is the entry price – just $22,500. And the engine that supports it – the Fiat Group’s characterful 875cc Twin Air turbocharged two cylinder.

The Twin Air pumps out 77kW and 145Nm in the Mito (compared to 63kW/145Nm in Fiat’s lighter Panda), and is mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. It’s less agricultural in the Alfa Romeo than in its cheaper Fiat cousin, with an interesting single-pitch induction note and a nicely cooperative mid-range. Alfa claims 11.4sec to 100km/h, with an astonishing fuel-consumption average of just 4.2L/100km. Don’t expect to achieve that figure if you continually stir the turbo-twin along.

Next step up is the Mito Progression at $24,500. Its 99kW/206Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged MultiAir four-cylinder is significantly quicker (0-100km/h in 8.4sec), though its manual transmission is a five-speeder and its lower-profile 195/55R16 tyres make the Mito’s marginal ride quality even worse (the Twin Air rides on 185/65R15s).

Two-pedal advocates can choose from the Progression TCT ($26,500) or the top-spec Distinctive TCT ($28,000) – each running a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. When tied to the TCT, the 1.4 turbo gains a chunk of extra torque (230Nm) and a slightly quicker 0-100km/h time (8.2sec), though the transmission’s lethargy from a standing start, combined with the start/stop system’s slow ignition response, can make the Mito TCT frustrating at times in traffic.

Far more disappointing, though, is the Distinctive model’s terrible ride quality. Wearing 215/45R17 Pirellis, the Mito Distinctive porpoises and jiggles over bumps, never settling and never feeling comfortable, even at freeway speeds. On a perfectly smooth road, its steering is alert and its handling is terrific, but the ride trade-off is an unkind one.

At base level, the Mito Series II is a quirky, interesting little hatch with a generous equipment level, useable room, a deep boot and coupe-like frameless doors. But for only two grand more, you could have Alfa’s vastly superior Giulietta six-speed manual – complete with five doors, prettier styling and a beautiful ride.

We know what we’d choose.

PLUS Characterful two-pot; decent standard equipment MINUS Terrible ride quality; lethargic transmission

Alfa Romeo MiTo Twin Air Specifications

Engine 875cc in-line 2cyl, dohc, 8v, turbo-petrol Max power 77kW @ 5500rpm Max torque 145Nm @ 2000rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Weight 1130kg 0-100km/h 11.4sec (cliamed) Price $22,500 On sale Now

Jaguar’s F-Type Coupe is stiffer, sexier and more sensible than the Convertible with which it shares much in common. In high-performance ‘R’ form, it’s also significantly swifter than anything else wearing an F-Type badge. The R Coupe is, unsurprisingly, the model chosen by the resurgent Brit brand for a long-range preview for select media.

Every one of the pre-production cars at the Circuit de Catalunya event in January packed the 405kW version of Jaguar’s supercharged 5.0-litre V8 beneath its sleek snout. This is a useful 41kW more than the F-Type S V8 Convertible, the most powerful of the soft-top line-up.

As with the Convertible, all Coupe models use a ZF-made eight-speed automatic with Jaguar’s ‘Quickshift’ control software. Half the R Coupes gathered at the racetrack outside Barcelona were equipped with the model’s standard brakes, and half with the expensive carbon-ceramic discs to be offered as (an expensive) option.

A circuit isn’t the place to learn anything useful about important everyday characteristics like ride comfort and powertrain refinement, but Jaguar has clearly nailed the extreme speed and handling end of the F-Type R Coupe’s performance envelope.

The car has a specific suspension and drivetrain calibrations and is equipped Jaguar’s most advanced dynamic enhancements. Between its rear wheels is a second-generation version of the company’s Electronic Active Differential, which works in parallel with a first-for-Jaguar Torque Vectoring by braking system. Both are intended to increase the R Coup’s agility to the highest level ever achieved by a production Jaguar.

Jaguar’s 0-100km/h claim is 4.2 seconds, just a fraction less than the S V8 Convertible. The R Coupe needs all the help it can get to make best use of its extra power and torque. A quick and smooth lap of Catalunya demands careful management of the engine. Short-shifting proves a good tactic to reduce rear-end slippage and increase mid-corner stability through some corners, and corner exits always demanded discretion. But get into the area where the electronic differential and the line-holding electronics do their thing, and the R Coupe feels brilliant.

Partly because the basic hardware is excellent. The steering, which shares its rack with the Convertible, is precise, fluid and informative. The carefully honed balance of the chassis is always evident. And the standard brakes are fine, although drivers who regularly need to stop hard from 200km/h-plus will find the optional carbon ceramic system worth every extra cent.

But the most exciting thing about the R Coupe is what it promises for the lesser Coupe and S Coupe models, powered by the same 250kW and 280kW versions of Jaguar’s supercharged 3.0-litre V6 as used in the F-Type Convertible.

The Coupe is only around 20kg lighter than the Convertible (blame tough new US roof-crush regulations, which don’t apply to soft-tops), but the all-aluminium body 80 percent stiffer. In fact, the F-Type Coupe has greater torsional stiffness than any other road-going Jaguar ever produced. The arch of the Coupe’s roof line and the way its cabin tapers into the car’s tail, emphasising its deep-drawn aluminium haunches, also adds to its visual appeal. Finally, the Coupe has a useful cargo compartment. It’s not huge – 315 litres up to the parcel shelf, 407 litres up to the tailgate glass – but it handsomely beats the paltry 150-litre or so boot of the Convertible.

The F-Type Coupe is scheduled to launch in Australia in late June. Expect the price of the R Coupe to be a little higher than the $201,945 of the S V8 Convertible, and the V6-powered Coupe and S Coupe to be slightly less than the $138,645 Convertible and $171,045 S Convertible.

Jaguar expects the Coupe to eventually account for more than 50 percent of F-Type sales globally. It’s certainly the body style those with an eye for beauty and a nose for practicality should choose.

Never in the history of automotive journalism has a road loop done less justice to the launch model.

For BMW’s new and outstanding M235i, the 60km test route took us south on Interstate 15 from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to the resort city for a lap of The Strip, the crazy straight road through the heart of the vast copy-hotels, that’s dominated by neon lights, giant screens, gambling dens and overt sin that leads back to the race track. No corners, no bumps, no stretching the engine or the chassis, just an excess of cop cars controlling the speed limits.

We learned only that the new 2-Series coupe – in reality a two-door version of the 1-series – copes with expansion joints, that the 240kW in-line six is flexible, the auto trany super fluent.

Three laps of a 1.8km road course inside the bowl, as smooth as a drag strip, revealed only that at insane cornering speeds and without the optional limited slip differential, the inside rear wheel eventually loses traction as the M235i drifts into a benign oversteer. Lapping the 2.4km oval at 200km/h, when the lap record is 365km/h, confirms the BMW’s high speed stability and an exquisitely deep throated exhaust note, but quickly becomes almost boring in the monotony of its sweeping bends.

Nothing to reveal the car’s inherent agility, a perception that though it’s grown over the previous 1-Series coupe (plus 50mm in wheelbase, plus 26mm in length and 43mm wider), the size is exactly right, the cabin small and more intimate, the windscreen closer, than the new Porsche 911. Bumps are effortlessly absorbed, the body control truly is in a different league to the old 135i.

The steering, quick (2.1 turns) and consistent in its behaviour, even if genuine feel is rationed to that moment as the car slips towards the onset of oversteer. The engine is another BMW masterpiece: maximum power of 240kW arrives at 5800 and stays to 6000rpm, while peak torque of 450Nm starts at an almost silly 1300rpm and extends to 4500rpm.

It revs and revs, pushing easily, effortlessly, beyond the 7000rpm to the 7250rpm limiter, and yet is marvellously tractable. And from idle to the redline makes all the right sounds. BMW Australia ignores the manual gearbox, the 8-speed automatic (responding instantly to paddle commands) delivers quicker performance – with launch control – and zero to 100km/h in a mere 4.8seconds (the manual is 5.0secs). Not quite as fast as a Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG (4.6ecs), but the M235i is a vastly more satisfying and honest drive to the one-dimensional Mercedes.

All that awareness only came the following morning when I joined a couple of friendly Pom hacks – unsurprisingly, nobody mentioned The Ashes – and we ventured our M235i into the mountains that surround Vegas.

With the end of the V8 M3, I think, I know, I have a new favourite BMW. At $79,900 – up over the $71,415 of the old $135i, but way under the 435i’s $97,381 the new M235i is a performance bargain.

The 2-Series also comes as a 135kW 220i ($50,500), 135kW 220d ($52,500) and will be joined a couple of months later by the 180kW 228i.

BMW M235i Coupe

Plus driver appeal, brilliant engine, agility, responsive auto Minus limited rear seat room, nothing else of note Engine 2979cc, in-line, 4 cylinder, dohc, twin scroll turbocharger Max power 240kW @ 5800-6000rpm Max torque 450Nm @ 1300-4500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1470kg 0-100km/h 4.8sec Price $79,900 On sale March

It wasn’t true to say that the virginal, white 911 GT3 Cup had never spun a wheel before. All Porsche Motorsport products are expertly shaken down at Porsche’s Weissach development track. But it’s unlikely that this car had ever spun before. Until I drove it.

In Australia, around 25 Pro teams and ‘Elite’ gentleman racers have each shelled out €171,600 ex-factory – call it $300,000 landed, including spare parts and taxes – to make a record-sized field of 991-series cars for this year’s Carrera Cup Australia.

Porsche staged a four-day handover ceremony at Sydney Motorsport Park to familiarise teams – andWheels – with the 338kW racer’s driving characteristics, and technical advances like the composite aluminium body construction, which has halved the cost of damage repairs.

No thought of that as the Stahlmeister lumbered into the carbon-shelled Recaro race seat. Wrapped and strapped by the seat, harness and cage, one sits so low as to be peering over the dash.

The 3.8-litre engine is loud, gnashing, mechanical. Racers rave about how easy is this car to drive: the rest of us are confronted with the sharp clutch pedal take-up and the minimal flywheel effect.

I chortled around for three familiarisation laps. Fears of a GT2-like, end-swapping monster were slowly dispelled by the very top-endy power. The steering was firm and deliberate, the chassis stiff and kart-like.

Too bad I never raced a kart.

Out again for my proper, five-lap stint. I started trailing the brakes deeper into corners, feeling the chassis pivot mid-turn, leaning harder on the gas, working the rear. It’s squat, stable, and the paddle-shift adds to the video-game vibe.

My fifth and final flying lap was a 1:39, still complete rubbish; most gentleman racers got around here in 35s in the superseded 997. But on that fifth lap, lofting over Corporate Hill, this white temptress pricked the dopamine centre in my brain. My muscles relaxed and I melted into it.

So I’d reached my start line, as it were, just before I crossed the finish line. At the slowest point in turn two, I figured – what the heck – before I cool this thing down, let’s just have a nice powerslide out of the corner.

At the flip-flop for turn 3, I over-corrected and got into a tank-slapper. Being alone and still on the blacktop, I jumped onto the brakes to bring it to an end. My trace looks like an etch-a-sketch and I look like a knob. But the 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup looks like being a vintage season.

THE MISSION here is not to refer to Honda’s first SUV diesel as the CR-VD – least of all because it is something you might actually want to acquire.

Yep, the new CR-V Diesel is proof that the Japanese company is finally awakening from a half-decade slumber.

On sale now from $38,290 plus on-road costs – or from $40,590 for the automatic versions that 90-plus per cent of customers are actually going to choose – the all-wheel-drive-only Diesel represents a robust challenge to the market-leading Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV-4 and Subaru Forester.

It is also the first Honda diesel with an automatic transmission option in Australia.

After an all-too short stint behind the wheel of the base DTi-S manual and up-spec DTi-L auto, we reckon the others have a pretty formidable foe on their hands. After all, the petrol versions have put the fourth-gen CR-V to number four in the medium SUV charts.

Sourced from England, the Diesel is virtually identical to the Thai-tailored petrol-powered CR-Vs bar its fancier headlights (with daytime running lamps), a grey grille, altered tail-light lenses (with LEDs) and differing trims and materials inside. No more woodgrain applique, apparently. That’s a decisive victory for taste.

Quality seems to have also taken a turn for the better, with none of the window rattles that we encountered when the RM-series first surfaced in late 2012. Better still, the dreaded foot-operated park brake throwback on regular auto CR-Vs has made way for a proper (manually operated) handbrake.

Snappily dubbed i-CTDi (Intelligent Common-rail Turbocharged Direct injection), the 2.2-litre twin-cam four-cylinder i-DTEC diesel produces 110kW of power and 350Nm of torque… outputs the 129kW/420Nm CX-5 SkyActiv-D equivalent beats soundly, but that are otherwise on-pace with the rest of the midsized SUV diesel set.

Whether paired to the smooth short-throw six-speed manual gearbox (our choice) or surprisingly fluent five-speed automatic, the CR-V Diesel steps off the line quickly, cleanly, and with a quietness that really is quite uncanny.

Though it runs out of puff at 4500rpm, the i-DTEC feels and sounds revvy like a Honda engine should – yet with sufficient mid-range reach to haul this hefty (1664-1723kg) SUV along at a satisfyingly stirring rate of knots.

Driven with gusto, we averaged an indicated 7.8L/100km in the top-line DTi-L auto (from $45,340), which isn’t too removed from the official 6.9L/100km; the manual manages 5.8L/100km – impressive until you realise the CX-5 auto betters the lot.

The Diesel’s launch program consisted entirely of straight and extremely dry country roads around Wagga, with little variation and virtually no corners to really ascertain the effects of the weighty derv donk up front.

Never a great communicator, the CR-V’s electric power steering feels as light and detached as it always has, yet still responds quickly enough when required to help keep everything in control. The Diesel’s handling remains true to the AWD petrol versions’ planted and secure ways – though determining ride quality would require further wheel time.

A fast run over loose gravel did remind us of the electronic stability control’s curiously tardy at first and then heavy-handed reactions. Nothing and then… bang!

Overall, then, as with most medium SUVs, bar the feisty Ford Kuga and CX-5, there is little that would appeal to a keen driver in this vehicle – but that is not what a CR-V is all about.

Keenly priced and equipped (all models include alloys, sat-nav, a reverse camera and rear parking sensors while the DTi-L adds goodies such as remote entry/start, front parking sensors, bi-xenon headlights with a cornering function, heated front seats and roof rails), the Diesel should boost the 17-year old nameplate’s appeal effortlessly, but we still reckon that calling it the CR-VD would spread the good word around even quicker.

Honda CR-V DTi-S

Plus Gutsy, quiet and frugal drivetrain, roomy and practical cabin Minus Dull dynamics, unsubtle ESC on dirt Engine 2199cc, in-line, 4 cylinder, dohc, turbo-diesel Max power 110kW @ 4000rpm Max torque 350Nm @ 2000-2750rpm Transmission 6-speed manual/5-speed auto Weight 1664/1723kg 0-100km/h 10.6/11.5sec Price From $38,290 On sale Now

At the turn of the century the uber-sedan class had deteriorated into a boring, predictable slugfest with the usual suspects – Audi, BMW and Mercedes – making the usual self-aggrandising claims to “the best car in the world.”

It was all largely irrelevant, because most A8s, 7 Series and S Classes ended up wearing hire car plates, or ferrying third world dictators between wives.

Very few private buyers were silly enough to pay real money for one, not least because you immediately tore up 50 percent of it as you rolled out of the showroom.

How times have changed. Sure, resale values for limos are still horrific (try 20 percent after five years), but at least you can now have some fun while you’re burning cash.

Porsche’s Panamera, Aston’s Rapide and the Maserati Quattroporte have given the class some welcome depth and driver appeal that goes beyond Teutonic chest beating.

The 2014 Quattroporte is an all-new car, with a 100kg lighter and stronger body. A 107mm increase in wheelbase is designed to liberate more rear seat space, an essential requirement to compete in the lucrative Chinese market which will account for more than 50 percent of Quattroporte sales.

There are two models, both powered by twin-turbo petrol engines with an eight speed ZF automatic as standard. The 3.0-litre V6 S, with 310kW/550Nm, costs $240,000 and will be available in late February; the 3.8-litre V8 GTS, driven here, is available now priced at $319,800.

The V8 produces 390kW and, with a full throttle overboost function, up to 710Nm. The seat of the pants test says Maserati’s claim of 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds feels pretty accurate. Lean on the accelerator in this thing and you’re off to see the wizard.

So why do I feel a bit sad about the new Quattroporte? After all, if you compare them by the numbers, it is a better car in almost every way than its predecessor.

The numbers never tell the full story. The symphonic wail of the previous GTS’s Ferrari-sourced 4.7-litre V8 is gone, replaced by a bland turbo whoosh, a faint far away rumble under power and a polite blurt when you change gears. With so much grunt now available from idle, you also miss out on that insane, addictive top end rush, though a short stroke layout for the 3.8 does at least permit a healthy 7200rpm redline and the twin turbos are well able to accommodate it.

I’m not sure the extended wheelbase has done the Maserati any handling favours either. A longer object takes more time to turn. No engineer can defeat that proposition. A lack of front suspension travel and excessive steering shake severely compromise the Maserati’s viability on rough local roads, too.

As I drove the GTS back from the launch, in complete comfort and cocooned in a cone of silence, I realised that what I missed most about this car was its Italian-ness. The previous Quattroporte GTS, especially the hard case MC Sportline, had it in spades. That car had a lot of Ferrari engineering in it, so how could it not?

This one just feels more…dare I say it…German.

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE GTS

Plus still looks Italian, performance, refinement, interior space Minus excessive steering shake, limited front end travel, underequipped at the price Engine 3799cc, V8, dohc, twin turbo Max power 390kW @ 6800rpm Max torque 710Nm @ 2250-3500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1900kg Price $319,800 On sale Now

If you’re contemplating the prospect of a hybrid-driven future with horror – and based on most offerings to date you could be forgiven – then recent developments should make you feel much more at ease. Less terrified, anyway.

With three of the world’s latest and greatest performance cars – the Porsche 918, McLaren P1 and LaFerrari – now packing high-voltage horsepower drivetrains, and the pinnacle of motorsport, Bernie’s fabulous flying F1 circus, doing the same for the 2014 season, it’s fair to say that the day of the performance hybrid has dawned. Hallelujah.

Down in the cheap seats, though, inspiring hybrid hardware is still hard to come by. There’s the Honda CR-Z, our 2011 COTY winner. Granted, you could argue this wasn’t one of our more logical or obvious COTY choices, but the Honda does illustrate the fact that, done right, a hybrid can be as expressive, engaging and capable on the road as conventional alternatives.

And so does Infiniti’s new Q50 sedan. If you’re shopping in the Audi A4/BMW 3 Series/Lexus IS/Mercedes C-Class space, it is worth your while taking a close look and a long drive in this car.

Priced at $67,900 for the rear-wheel-drive S and $73,900 for the why-would-you-bother all-wheel-drive S Premium, the Q50 Hybrid runs the same 3.5-litre V6 petrol/electric-motor parallel-hybrid drivetrain as the bigger Q70, with combined outputs of 268kW and 546Nm.

While you can’t manually select electric-only operation, the hybrid Q50 can cruise under light loads for a few kilometres on the battery alone, at up to 100km/h.

On the launch drive in Victoria, the rear-drive S returned fuel consumption in the mid-sixes, in line with its 6.8L/100km claimed average and a more than respectable result considering that the drive involved several thrashings up and down hills.

But the number that deserves attention is Infiniti’s claim of 5.1 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint. That’s HSV Clubsport territory, though we haven’t yet been able to verify it.

There’s no doubt that the Q50 is quick, refined and supremely flexible. It’s even got a good engine note, thanks to Nissan’s throaty V6.

The Q50 also introduces the world’s first production steer-by-wire system, which is standard on both the S and S Premium grades. A mechanical linkage is still fitted, but it’s decoupled on the column via an electric clutch and only activated if the triple-ECU/steering-actuator system fails. Otherwise, you’re using essentially the same fly-by-wire technology as the bloke steering a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning.

This Direct Adaptive Steering system, as Infiniti call it, is beyond precision and closer to complete exactitude in the way it points the car into a corner. It’s also fast, light, free of kickback and – shock! – you can even feel what the front wheels are doing.

While most other manufacturers are still struggling to get their conventional electric power steering systems wired into the driver, Infiniti has nailed it in this next-generation technology, first time out. A brilliant result.

It complements the Q50’s overall character, which is strongly on the sporty side of GT.

The rear-drive S comes in at a not-too-bargy 1775kg (still 120kg heavier than BMW’s ActiveHybrid 3, though) and is more firmly suspended than other variants, with disciplined body control. Immediately after it darts into a corner there’s some understeer, though it’s not of the “Captain, she won’t turn” variety that afflicts, say, the Lexus IS.

But the ride, on run-flat tyres, is sharpish and could become pretty rugged on NSW and Queensland goat tracks. The boot’s small, too.

Otherwise, this car has “good thing” written all over it. It goes, stops, steers and handles. And it’s a hybrid.

Yes, there is hope after all.

INFINITI Q50 S HYBRID

Plus drives like a real car, great steering, value, efficiency, equipment Minus small boot, uncertain resale values, 6-month service intervals Engine 3498cc, V6, dohc, hybrid Max power 268kW (combined) Max torque 546Nm (combined) Transmission 7-speed automatic Weight 1775kg Price $67,900 On sale Now

You notice the difference right away in the new Subi’s steering. It answers right now, and it does so without the scrubbing reluctance of front tyres given too much to do. You can finesse the throttle through a fast corner, lifting slightly to tuck the nose in tighter, aiming the car with gentle motions of your right foot.

Indeed, you take the new Subaru WRX STI to its limit pretty much as you would a Porsche Cayman or a Honda S2000. That sound you just heard was a 7.6-magnitude earthquake knocking over stereotypes.

This is not just car-mag hyperbole, even though the STI hasn’t changed all that much on paper. The engine is basically the same, ancient, port-injected, 224kW EJ25 turbo flat-four, not the new FA-series in the WRX.

And the car’s dimensions barely change – the wheelbase gets another 25mm; the overall length 38mm – the curb mass is still a hefty 1560kg and its steel structure and front-strut/rear multi-link suspension are much the same as before.

However, the new STI’s most important changes are small but vital. Starting with the structure – sedan only, the hatchback has been dropped – engineers wanted to make it stiffer, so new braces and gussets have been added, along with a stouter floorpan and parcel shelf to reducing bending and twisting by 30 percent and 40 percent respectively.

In one critical flex area, down at the rocker panels just behind the front wheels, a new stamping process was developed to cap the corner with a single steel piece with more attachment area for greater strength.

Once the body was shored up, Subaru’s engineers hung a better suspension on it. Up front, the struts are now inverted, sportbike-style, for more rigidity, and the brackets are stiffened and the spring and anti-roll-bar rates increased. In back, the suspension subframe keeps its rubber bushings but is more firmly anchored with new tie-downs to the body at either end, so there’s less squish of the assembly under cornering load for faster steering response.

The STI sticks with hydraulic power steering, and the ratio drops from 15.1:1 to 13.1, the old JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) spec that now goes worldwide.

The steering is amazingly lively, especially in the encroaching age of compu-steer. It tugs and sags with each dip and camber change in the pavement, and the effort off-centre builds organically through a corner. You have no doubt what the front tyres are doing. The BMW 3 series should have steering this good.

Indeed, everything in the new STI is tactilely more satisfying. The new Brembo-sourced brakes feel firmer, the shaft linkage of the six-speed manual is tighter for more precise shifting (STIs keep their old transmission, with improvements, rather than get the new six-speed of the WRX) and the cabin is swathed in better materials.

A new “Sound Creator” function pipes engine noise through a tube that delivers a nice snarl and whoosh into the cabin.

As before, Subaru gives you a raft of driver controls that let you tune the torque split, the throttle response and the stability-control system.

We ran fast laps at California’s Laguna Seca road course in a variety of modes, but decided the car felt quickest with the torque bias set rearward and the new torque-vectoring system, which brakes the inside front wheel to induce yaw, left on. Then, the car’s all-wheel-drive system – with helical front differential, electronically controlled centre diff and Torsen rear diff – supplied the most natural chassis feel.

The only limitation is the brakes, which get hot and long after trips through Laguna’s famous Corkscrew.

Despite a massive wing, the STI shares the regular Impreza’s forgettable styling. Worse, Subaru wants to end the STI’s ties to its old tobacco-sponsor color scheme from its bygone rally years.

The US, which has always taken about 70 percent of STI production, will be rewarded with 1000 “Launch Edition” cars schemed in the de rigueur blue paint and gold wheels. But after that, we’re told, the gold forged BBS wheels will no longer be available from the factory at any price and in any market.

Subaru wants the STI to be seen not as it once was – a cheap commuter made into a rally hero by a pile of race-shop gear – but as a refined road car; a cohesive, composed and slightly less expensive alternative to an Audi Quattro. In that, the STI hits its mark.

The special pedal-stomping and wheel-sawing technique you needed to perfect with the old STI is no longer required, thank you. Track days will never be the same.

Subaru WRX STI

Engine: 2457cc flat 4, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power: 227kW @ 6000rpm Max torque: 393Nm @ 4000rpm Transmission: 6-speed manual Kerb weight: 1536kg 0-100km/h: 4.9sec (estimated) Price: $60,000 (estimated) On sale: Q2, 2014

In 1968, Ford advertised its facelifted XT Falcon as packing “More, more Mustang” in its Coke-bottle-hipped shape, in the same way that Mercedes-Benz’s all-new W205 C-Class feels like it’s chocked with “more, more S-Class”. Except for the fact that no C-Class has ever been like this. From its compact-limousine appearance to its standard-setting interior, the fifth-generation C-Class takes ‘premium compact’ to a whole new level.

No matter where you look, this car is bursting with sweetness and light. Literally. Outside, almost every aero-enhanced panel is aluminium, helping to lower the C-Class’s overall weight by up to 100kg. And inside, hidden in its intricately shaped glovebox sits an optional perfume dispenser (dubbed Air Balance) that pumps a subtly scented fragrance into the C-Class’s cabin like an angel passing wind.

Ah yes, that cabin. It’s fabulous. So good, in fact, that Audi has reportedly delayed its next-generation A4 to ensure it can match (or perhaps exceed) the C-Class’s colour, texture, materials quality and design flair. As for BMW’s F30 3 Series, forget it. You could’ve heard the Munich designer’s knees knocking in Dunedoo when they first copped eyes on the new C-Class in Detroit two months ago.

Several C-Class drivetrains are already familiar – namely the 2.1-litre turbo-diesel four (in 120kW C220 and 150kW C250 tunes for Oz, plus as a C300 diesel Hybrid) and turbo-petrol fours in a range of outputs (1.6-litre 115kW C180, and 2.0-litre 135kW C200 and 155kW C250). A 180kW C300 turbo-petrol four will follow in due course, as will a 245kW C400 that goes on sale in September in Europe featuring the same twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 as the E400. There’s also a 4matic all-wheel-drive C-Class that will finally come to Australia in 2015.

So how is she on the road? Very much like a distilled S-Class. All engines are strong and super-efficient, though the C250’s chirpy 2.0-litre turbo-petrol is a more convincing sports-luxury unit than the older, less refined C250 turbo-diesel. In 4matic guise, the C400 is an effective wedge between the rear-drive fours and the forthcoming C63 AMG twin-turbo V8 that launches at the Paris Show in October, though a bit more spunk and greater acoustic sizzle would make the C400 even more convincing.

Backing up the C-Class’s superb interior is a generally high level of dynamic talent. It’s the first car in its class to offer air-sprung suspension (‘Airmatic’ in Mercedes-Benz speak), with Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual modes. On the autoroutes circling Marseilles in southern France, ultra-plush Comfort felt a little too softly sprung at 120-130km/h, whereas Sport did a terrific job blending impressive ride comfort and level body control.

The steering in Sport also gets firmed-up, and at speed it’s preferable to Comfort’s lightness (especially in the four-cylinder, rear-drive cars), yet as usual, we can’t help thinking the perfect balance is somewhere in between the two.

To get a near-perfect level of steering crispness in a new C-Class, best stick with the standard steel suspension. It doesn’t ride quite as calmly as Airmatic’s Sport mode (wearing the 18-inch wheels of all launch cars), but its steering is its saviour. The C400 4matic seems to be more suited to the air suspension’s multiple settings and is particularly cohesive when driven hard in Sport mode.

And the C-Class likes to be given some stick. Even the C250 diesel is well controlled and balanced, though with its lighter nose, the C250 petrol is arguably the sweetest drive, while the all-wheel-drive C400 is a bit of a corner-carving Q-car. It doesn’t quite achieve the rear-biased balance of a 3 Series, but then its damping and steering are both so much better as a whole, you can forgive the C-Class for not being so overtly sporty.

For arguably the first time since 1982’s original W201 190/190E, the all-new W205 C-Class is truly an S-Class for the (well-heeled) masses. We’ll have to wait until its Australian launch in August to judge just how close this car comes to perfection, but we can say this for certain – BMW and Audi need to up their game enormously if the 3 Series and A4 are going to out-class the new C-Class.

* To read all about the W205 C-Class’s intriguing technology and sports-luxury abilities in-depth, check out the May 2014 issue of Wheels.