A few years ago you could be forgiven for wondering where the classical elegance of Peugeot's Pininfarina-styled models had disappeared to.

The well-proportioned 406 was replaced by the nose-heavy 407, almost a Gerald Scarfe caricature of what a Peugeot should look like.

But more recently these styling excesses have been toned down, with models like the 5008 and RCZ signifying a more subtle look.

The latest new model is the 508, which is due in showrooms in April 2011 in both saloon and SW estate body styles.

Tell your friends you have driven an Infiniti and you're likely to get the same response should you mention Accrington 'Who are they?' Stanley.

The name might not ring too many bells on these shores, but Nissan's luxury-arm is already established in the US and having driven the G37 Cabrio I predict we will soon share our friends-from-across-the-pond's admiration for Infiniti.

You won't see to many Infinitis on the roads just yet as there is only a handful of sales centres in the UK - the nearest to Wales being Birmingham - but it is a quality brand that is aiming to eat into the sales of BMW, Audi and Mercedes.

This week I had to make the five hour trip from Cardiff in South Wales to Llandudno in North Wales.

A pretty horrible journey to make on a Friday night you might think? Not when you're in a BMW 530d Touring.

The 530d's 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel engine allowed the journey to be done at effortless pace, while the hugely impressive interior design ensured the journey was a comfortable as sitting in my front room at home with my slippers on.

Is it a coupé? Is it a saloon? Is it an estate? Umm, actually it’s a hatchback but Audi claims its new executive express features the best bits of all the above.

Last week I spent a couple of days in southern Spain testing out the new Audi which the German manufacturer describes as a three-in-one; the character of a coupé, the comfort of an executive saloon and the practicality of an estate.

A pretty big claim to make you might think? Yes it is, but truth be told it’s actually a pretty accurate one.

When I step out of a coupe I want to do so wearing a big silly grin on my face. The Peugeot RCZ went one step further!

If the Paris Motor Show - where 64 new cars were launched in the Autumn - was the day the industry fought back against the recession, then the release of the RZC earlier in the year was the day Peugeot stuck two fingers up at collapsing sales and slumped profits.

The French giant, once famed for making fantastic driver's cars, have been criticised in recent years for churning out one yawn-a-minute car (308) after another (307). No longer!

How far does one tank of fuel take you in your car?

I don't know, I've driven SEAT's latest green machine from Mid Wales to Cardiff then to Wigan and back and only managed to use just over half a tank.

SEAT claims the Leon Ecomotive will do more than 900 miles on a single fill. Couple this with reduced CO2 emissions and enthusiasts now have a sporty car that also takes care of your wallet as well as the environment.

Volvo used to have a reputation for building solid, practical estate cars.

To be fair it still does – the V70 and V50 might not have the greatest load volumes in their respective sectors, but their squared off tailgates ensure they’re the right shape for transporting large, boxed items.

To most people, the new V60 – a ‘sports wagon’ version of the new S60 saloon – will be an estate, but according to Volvo’s definition of an estate car was based on its ability to carry a washing machine with the rear seats in place.

The advertising gurus at Volkswagen certainly know a thing or two about marketing. I mean, who hasn't seen their 'looks like a Golf, sounds like a Golf, but isn't a Golf' TV advert?

If all new hatchbacks weren't already compared to that of the German's, they certainly are now.

But despite the Volkswagen Golf still the undoubted king of its class, they are being kept on their toes by the arrival of a new wave of high quality Eastern Promise hatchbacks.

It’s not every day that you’re handed the key to the fastest car in the world and told to “have fun”.

Yet here I am, in southern Spain, key to said car in hand.

There’s a full tank of super unleaded and miles of empty, perfect highway at my disposal and, with a gulp and a quick prayer, I mentally prepare myself for the ultimate version of the ultimate performance car.

A trip all the way to Reading in the over-congested south-east, merely to drive not a new car but a new engine in a familiar car, is not something guaranteed to excite me.

But having returned from the launch of the Fiat 500 TwinAir, I think I might just have been in on something a little bit historic.

The TwinAir is not merely some marketing-led twist on the Multijet/Multiair call-it-what-you-will names that Fiat plasters on its engines these days.