MINI Countryman Review & Road Test: MINI Countryman Cooper D All4 (2011) Part 2

MINI Countryman Cooper D All4 - Style over substance? It seems incongruous at first, this MINI Countryman. It’s as if BMW has sent their MINI off to beef-up for its new role as a mover of stuff and people.

2013 Skoda Superb Facelift: Price from £18,555

When Skoda sent us the first details on the new Superb they did say it would go on sale in June, but that’s now slipped to mid-July, but in advance of that revised date Skoda has now decided how much they want you to cough up for their take on the VW Passat. Starting point for the new Superb is £18,555 for the 1.4-litre TSI 125PS S hatch, with prices rising to the range-topping Laurin & Klement Estate at £32,455, but there’s plenty of engine and trim versions in between to fit your budget. There’s a total of six engine options on offer – 1.4 TSI, 1.8 TSI, 3.6 V6 are the petrols and a choice of 1.6 TDI and 2.0 TDI with 140PS or 170PS for the diesels – with trim choices of S, SE, Elegance and Laurin & Klement with a couple of Eco ‘GreenLine’ models in the mix too.

Who's Where: Martin Smith joins Ford Europe design team

Martin Smith has been appointed as Executive Director of Design at Ford Europe. Smith, a native of Sheffield, England, brings a wealth of design experience to Ford, having held positions at Porsche, Audi, and most recently as Director of Design for Opel/Vauxhall. In his new position, he will report to product development chief, Derrick Kuzak and to Ford's global group vice president for Design, J Mays.