Ben Anderson 1

On Saturday the 11th of November I collected my new Kia Optima. With only 9 miles on the odometer and plastic still covering the HVAC controls and seatbelts it’s safe to say that I couldn’t possibly get a car any newer than this without stealing one directly from the production line in Korea.

Ten months of waiting, delays, a useless dealer (who was promptly replaced with a far superior one) and an employment scare that almost made me cancel the order – its safe to say I’ve been through a bit of an ordeal, and that I also possess the patience of a saint.

The new Ford Mustang in Europe is the first Muscle car from the states to really hit it big over here. The waiting list is now so long that Ford UK has begged Ford North America for more production time in an attempt to deliver as many cars as possible. It’s clear to see that Ford are onto a winner.

When I bought my 2013 Kia Pro_Cee’d GT, which I call “Sprocket the Pocket Rocket”, I did so with upmost confidence that I would always love it no matter what. I test drove many different hot hatchbacks before handing my cash over to Kia – this was my first ever performance car and the first ever car I’d be spending my own hard earned cash on and I wanted to get it right. Previously all my cars were fleet vehicles from work, and all of them were Nissans because, well, I worked for Nissan.

Because people don’t seem to realise this: I do live in the UK. So it is rather UK centric. The Toyota GT86 (aka Subaru BRZ, Scion FRS) when released was heralded as the return of inexpensive, rear wheel drive sports cars. I may be in the minority, but upon release what I clapped my eyes on was an admittedly very pretty car with too many drawbacks to even register on my shortlist. I test drove the GT86 over a year ago before putting my money down on a Mustang, but I was hoping to come away throwing money at my local Toyota dealership instead given all the hype.

The result? About a 5hp drop in peak power over the LHD model. However (apparently) the rest of the engine’s power delivery below peak power is near identical.

Yesterday, I posted a review of the Jaguar XE R-Sport. That car easily sets the benchmark for the compact executive market without a shadow of a doubt – though, I concluded that I would never buy one. The reason? Whilst it drove amazingly well, it did it in a very ”like a sir” manner, and I want some more visceral punch to my driving experience. I want to be attacked, not massaged.