May old acquaintance be forgot, but not last year's cars

Time to look back on a years sampling and single out the high points of testing before the low point of indigestion.
Family cars are the bread and butter of the motor industry. Er, the trouble is that some of them are a bit crusty, lacking in any real appeal or personality. Here then are a couple with jam filling.
Ford’s Mondeo is four-star accommodation where a room at the YMCA might be excused. A great range well priced. Fantastic news for future taxi passengers.
However, nothing has delighted as much as the Saab bio-power. faster than the petrol version it proves alternatives work. Pass my rainbow scarf, mother.
Supermini competition is always cutthroat, marketing is everything. Remember that Fabia cake advert? Skoda wanted to cut the sponge up and send it out as a promotion but the idea was spiked by the thought police because it had stood under hot studio lights.
That didn’t stop the Fabia being praised for good value, typical VW build quality, excellent styling and a tasty buttercream filling. Simply a splendid little car.
Oh, if you fancied something a little more adventurous the Roomster proved itself to be a great alternative car, full of good ideas and a positive boon to people in tall hats.
Sports cars come in all shapes and sizes, just like humans, which is why I can’t decide if the Daihatsu Copen was the biggest act of self deprecation I have ever executed or simply the most fully clothed fun all year. Finished after the style of Lesley Phillips, the latest version dispenses with a tiny turbo-charged engine in favour of a 1300cc unit. It is cute, interesting, leather trimmed and quick without being all mad as ......, for just £11,000. Daihatsu insists it is not cramped. It is. In my local they proposed a charity event where people would pay £1 to watch me get in and out of it. Priceless.
Hot hatches are very much back on the menu these days despite insurance premiums that would bring down a bank. The Corsa VXR (6.5secs to 60mph) made me popular with young men, not always a good thing. Seat’s latest 1.8 Ibiza Cupra (7.3 to 60mph) is still as exciting as sky surfing and the 1.6 litre Suzuki Swift sport (8.5 to 60mph). In the end I was left in tears of joy by the Peugeot 207 GTi.The Nuttall's Minto of hotties. Original and best.
People Carriers are also called MPVs and sometimes, rudely, vans with windows. This year In didn’t drive a single one. This has made me very happy.
Cabriolets are exceptionally popular in the UK. Why? In a year that was wetter than Noah’s boatyard the emphasis was on how fast you could get the roof up. Winner was the Mazda MX5 Roadster. Just the job, a good drop head with character, a bit of boot and reasonable performance at £18,500 for the 1.8 litre. Girls only need apply.
Talk about he who laughs last, 4x4 manufacturers must be in stitches. All year off-roaders have been attacked as ecological heresy, Satan’s hoodies. And guess what? Despite inquisition, tax flagellation and even trial by Liberal Democrat the market grew.
This was the year of the crossover. At one point I considered switching the lights off in case they were attracting them. Peugeot and Citroen teamed up with Mitsubishi to produce the 4007/Outlander/ C Crosser, Nissan launched the Quasqui which was marketed as a skateboard, interesting. GM introduced the common-origin Antara and Captiva. Oh and there were more, many more.
Of those I drove my vote goes to the Citroen. Well finished, a bit pricey for a Citroen but well rounded and able off road.
However, sorry lads. I’m wired up a bit like a gas clock so my best 4x4 drive was an Isuzu Rodeo pick-up.
Happy new hangover.