50 best road tests of 2011: 16-20

Nissan Leaf vs rivals
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire (April)

It was the question on everyone’s lips in the spring: had Nissan created the first truly viable electric car? But it didn’t take long to realise that the British-built Leaf wouldn’t suit everyone.

The high purchase price is an issue, and if you regularly tackle long motorway trips and don’t have anywhere to charge the car at home, it’s simply not for you.

These compromises handed victory to the more versatile VW Golf BlueMotion diesel, but the Nissan was well rounded enough to push Toyota’s hybrid Auris HSD into third place.

Winning the residuals game
(February )

What’s your biggest annual motoring expense? Fuel? Insurance? Think again.

If you drive a new car, depreciation will almost certainly have the most significant impact on your wallet. The difference between a car’s value when you buy it and what it’s worth when you sell is so often forgotten, but will amount to thousands.

In this special road test, we picked some of the winners and losers of the residual value race. Among the star performers were the VW Golf, Jaguar XF, Land Rover Discovery 4, Audi A1 and Ford S-MAX.

Jeep Grand Cherokee vs rivals
Bruntingthorpe proving ground, Leicestershire (July)

Jeep is celebrating its 70th year and, now under Fiat ownership, it was looking for a return to form when its new Grand Cherokee met two rough and tumble off-road rivals in the summer.

Yet despite offering luxurious standard kit and strong mud-plugging ability, the car just couldn’t keep up with the Land Rover Discovery 4 or VW’s latest Touareg.

In the end, the Disco took first place due to its superb practicality and stronger residuals – but by a surprisingly narrow margin from the VW.

Test top 10s
Most economical cars tested in 2011

MG6 vs rivals
Longcross test track, Chobham, Surrey (June)

When MG made a welcome return to the UK new car market, the last words we hoped to be writing in our road test verdict were “horribly outdated”. Unfortunately, that’s the only way we could describe the gruff engine and unrefined drivetrain that prevented the new 6 hatch from making a bigger impression in the summer.

We drove the new MG6 back-to-back with the Ford Focus and Alfa Romeo Giulietta on its road test debut, but it wasn’t all bad for the legendary British brand. Neither rival could match the MG’s value for money – there’s so much standard equipment that not a lot is left over for the options list.

Unfortunately, any advantage on spec was soon cancelled out by higher running costs, and the new MG trailed the stylish Giulietta and fine all-round Focus in the end.

Tester's notes
James Disdale, Deputy road test editor

The MG6 was one of the most eagerly anticipated cars of 2011. Not only was it the first all-new MG in 16 years, it was also the first since Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) took over the brand back in 2007.

The MG6 didn’t have what it takes to topple mainstream rivals from Ford and Alfa Romeo. An outdated engine, creaky Rover 75 underpinnings and a low-rent interior relegated it to last place on its test debut. But the hatch came closer to causing an upset than you’d think, with its good driving dynamics, strong practicality and generous list of kit. 

And while sales have been slow, with only a handful of MG6s finding homes, bosses will have learned a lot, and will use this to improve future models, such as the handsome MG3 supermini. 

Given the might and determination of SAIC, it won’t be long before MGs are matching the class leaders – both on the road and in the sales charts. Europe’s major manufacturers have been warned...

Ford Fiesta vs Ford Model T

Dagenham, Essex (July)

In our very own version of Meet the Ancestors, we brought the latest Ford Fiesta together with its legendary predecessor, the Model T, to get a unique look at the automotive advances made over the past century.

The summer sun made the open-air 1912 Model T a joy to drive, although the only familiar control among its baffling array of levers and pedals was the steering wheel.

The hugely talented Fiesta showed just how far cars have come over the years.