Land Rover raises Evoque’s game

In 281 horsepower trim, Land Rover claims this go-faster Evoque will hit 60mph from rest in 6.7 and go on to a top speed limited to 140mph.

Aside from the raw numbers, the Evoque Autobiography Dynamic model boasts a number of tweaks to its suspension, brakes and transmission.

Buyers will be able to choose from both three and five-door models, while changes to the car’s exterior run to new alloy wheels, tinted headlights plus a contrasting orange and black exterior colour scheme.

The revolutionary BMW i3 electric car has been awarded the top prize in the first UK Car of the Year Awards.

After grabbing the prize for Best Supermini the i3 won the overall title in the new awards, as voted for by a group of 27 respected UK-based motoring journalists.

In the overall vote, which featured the likes of the Porsche Cayman, Range Rover Sport, BMW 5 Series, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso and Audi A3, almost half of the 27-strong judging panel chose the i3.

Uwe Dreher, BMW UK marketing director, commented: “The BMW i3 has pushed the boundaries in every way from sustainable production, to its unique construction and revolutionary ownership proposition. The judging panel clearly recognise this and we are delighted to be given such an independent accolade.”

Runner-up to the BMW i3 for the UK Car of the Year 2014 prize was the Ford Fiesta ST, which won the Best Performance Car category. Joint third place went to the Skoda Octavia Estate and Jaguar F-type, which topped the Best Estate and Best Open Top Car categories respectively.

For a complete list of winners, see ukcoty.co.uk

Hot on the heels of Renault announcing a radical new rear-engined Twingo city car, rival Citroen has unveiled its new second generation C1 urban runabout.

With its public debut scheduled for the Geneva Motor Show in March, the C1 will be available later this year in three and five-door bodystyles plus an intriguing open top variant.

Citroen has worked hard to improve on the outgoing car’s basic format, and the new C1 boasts a range of greener and better performing engines plus a cabin with a greater focus on high-tech entertainment and convenience features.

Along with the new C1’s bold exterior, there’s a greater emphasis on design, higher quality materials and clever cabin packaging.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the C1’s compact dimensions, with this latest model retaining a 3.46 metre city-friendly footprint.