Window Crank Handle, Jeep Wrangler 97-06 Tj on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Mini Countryman

There has been no more contentious a car launched this year than the Mini Countryman. It's been labeled by some as sacrilegious to the very essence of the Mini brand, of 'selling out' and, yes, of being ugly. But does the concept of a four-meter Mini translate to use in the real world?

Citroen DS3 Cabrio to get Top Gear Live UK debut

The drop top version of the DS3 – the Citroen DS3 Cabrio – is to get its UK debut at this year’s Top Gear Live shows. Just as Fiat has with the 500, Citroen has given the DS3 Cabrio a folding roof that keeps pillars and roof rails in place so the DS3 Cabrio looks just like the regular DS3 with the roof up, saving weight and costs and keeping the very good looks of the DS3 intact. The DS3 Cabrio is due to go on sale in early 2013 – just in time for first customer deliveries in the spring – but ahead of the UK arrival of the Cabrio you can see Citroen’s appealing drop top at this year’s Top Gear Live shows.

Vauxhall Astra VXR (2011) first official pictures

This is the new Vauxhall Astra VXR, a hot hatch from Luton offering the power of a Ford Focus RS for the price of a Ford Focus ST. Just how powerful is the new Vauxhall Astra VXR? A direct injection and turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine provides the power and torque, 276bhp and 295lb ft respectively.