Cadillac’s BLS chassis offers a cunning disguise for the Saab 9-3 beneath it, but it is certainly no less of a car for that. A little quirky in appearance or strikingly designed, depending on your tastes, the BLS is General Motors’ first foray into the UK market. Whilst leg-room is ample in the front and better than adequate in the back, a slight element of discomfort arises for rear passengers from the sloping roof. If the latter aren’t very tall, they’ll be OK; but every extra inch of height may bring a small increment of neck strain, especially on a longish journey.

Cutting to the chase, we Europeans are inclined to be somewhat sceptical about the design quality of American cars, but the Cadillac BLS is built to European standards by Saab and is exceptionally reliable. Performance-wise, the range’s top dog is undoubtedly the impressive 2.8 litre V6: with 255 bhp, it’ll catapult you from 0-62 mph in 6.7 seconds – not bad for a small saloon. The 1.9 litre diesel delivers a respectable 150 bhp, but it doesn’t feel quite as highly-torqued as the best German counterparts.

Whilst the handling is not in the ‘Award with Distinction’ category, it is more than adequate and you’ll experience a creditable comfort factor in your drive. Boot size is relatively generous at 425 litres and is has a sensibly designed shape, too. The diesel models manage to yield around 45 mpg and the petrol models a not-to-be-scoffed-at 37 mpg .

With lines devised by the former Lamborghini designer Luc Donkerwolke, this three-door ‘Sports Coupe’ has a strikingly exciting appearance. One of Seat’s most popular models, accounting for 45% of the company’s sales, the Ibiza has some attractive new features.

The new model has a longer, wider platform than its predecessor, which largely translates into a bigger boot but certainly makes the cabin feel more spacious too. The backs of the front seats are curved, cunningly supplying more leg space for the rear passengers, and all the seats are sculpted and exceptionally comfortable.

The suspension provides a smooth ride for day to day urban driving, although if you opt for the sports suspension it’ll all feel a lot firmer. The car has undoubtedly benefited from improved shock absorbers and softer springs, making the drive a softer one than the earlier Ibizas could deliver. The 1.4 turbo petrol engine is zingier and more spirited than the 1.6 petrol. The new super- and turbocharged Cupra versions (‘Cupra’ mixes the words ‘Cup’ and ‘Racing’ ) yields a thumping 178 bhp. The car is responsive and lively to drive and, as part of the VW group, solidly reliable.

It is a little too small to function as a good family car but it’s not tiny and, for relatively modest journeys, it’ll do fine in this department.

 If you’re the sort of person who is drawn to comfort rather than appearance — more happy, say, with a Primark tee-shirt than an FCUK fashion statement, or supermarket sunglasses rather than RayBans – you won’t be unduly put off by the absence of glitz and elegance in this rather chunky, rather plain series.

The Epica does offer a good deal of comfort, though, providing ample leg room both front and rear, and delivering a pleasingly soft ride. There’s plenty of boot-space, too. As a saloon built in Korea, it features distinctly better quality materials in its interior than many other Korean makes and whilst the exterior design lines are not positively ugly they might be considered just a little dull and underwhelming.

The Chevrolet Epica comes in a 2.0 litre turbodiesel and a 2.0 litre straight six petrol version. It has to be said that the diesel comes with a bit more ‘oomph’ and power than the latter, and also gets you a creditable 46 mpg in comparison with the petrol engine’s less impressive 35 mpg. The Epica is intended to be a budget alternative to the Accord or the Mondeo and it doesn’t do a bad job in meeting this description.

This rather stately vehicle manages to look both solid and, if not exactly graceful, then distinguished and dignified. You can think for a moment that you’re looking at a Bentley or a Bristol, and it gives you a gloriously majestic cruise along the motorway. It is generously spacious with a massive boot and luxurious leg space all round, although children may find the relatively ‘high-up’ windows difficult to peer out of (which might lead to a little car sickness). There is, however, a downside to all this cabin space – it’s a huge car and can be a nightmare to park in confined, city settings. Multi-storey car parks may well have you breaking out in beads of sweat as you try not to scrape the paintwork.

The Chrysler 300C comes with three engine types – the 3.5 litre, 249 bhp V6 petrol, the 3.0CRD 218 bhp V6 diesel, and the monster 6.1 litre, 425 bhp V8. Of the V6s, the diesel model delivers better acceleration: 0-62 mph in 7.6 seconds compared to the petrol version’s 9 seconds (the V8 takes only 5 seconds). The diesel also yields appreciably more miles per gallon the petrol cars (35 mpg compared to the petrol V6’s 25 mpg; eye-wateringly, the V8’s mpg does not get beyond the teens). The diesel is also less heavily penalised in tax than the two petrol models. If you wish to combine comfort and good handling with a dash of regality, the 300C could well be the car for you.

It may look like a Dinky toy version of a Popemobile, but the Smart Fortwo is a simply superb city car and the latest model even makes longer trips a pleasure.

For a tiny car, the high seating position and acres of glass make the driving experience a becalming one. The tallness does, however, make for a touch of pitch and roll but never enough to cause the release of adrenaline.

As long as you never forget that this is a two-seater car, you may find yourself pleasant surprised by the amount of space it offers. The boot size is more than reasonable (340 litres when packed to the roof) and, if you’re flying solo and you need a bit of extra stowage, the passenger seat folds forward, increasing the space appreciably. You can even get accessory racks to carry a couple of pushbikes.

It’s not quite as nifty as its small size might lead you to believe, especially at the basic end of the range. Even so, for city driving this is not much of a problem and if you really want some extra verve, the Fortwo Brabus delivers all the additional zoom-factor you could wish for. Away from the city, at higher speeds it pitches and rolls a bit more noticeably but, actually, no more so than many tall SUVs. The Fortwo manages to be cheeky and chic at the same time.

This little car has a bold, if not especially exciting, appearance and offers a surprisingly soft ride for a vehicle with such a short wheelbase. Whilst it handles reasonable well, its height can on occasions make turning feel a little precarious above modest speeds and one becomes intrusively conscious of the grip, although if this discourages your inner Jason Bourne from risking any daring manoeuvres this may be a good thing.

For a small, five-door car it is cunningly spacious inside, with more than adequate leg room for rear-seat passengers; however, whatever has been gained in leg room has been lost in boot space, which is very, very limited. The rears seats do fold to ease this problem, but you probably would be ill-advised to take the kids with you to the shopping mall unless they don’t mind being up to their ears in groceries.

Performance, it has to be admitted, isn’t especially dazzling: the 1.0 litre petrol takes an age to get to 60mph, and the 1.5 litre a not markedly better 10 seconds, so plan your motorway overtaking well in advance and take no risks on ordinary roads. But on fuel efficiency, this little car is a winner, yielding up to 54.3 mpg (and insurance is low for both engines sizes, too).

Especially in its long wheelbase version, this is a veritable ‘Tardis’ of a small car; robust, roomy and excellent to drive. The stability problems of old have been wholly ironed out and you really feel you’re sitting in a much bigger car, especially if you’re on the back seat of the long wheelbase models. Interior quality is exceptional on all models. The clever ‘sandwich flooring’ allows the engine to be partly underfoot, so that the cabin space is considerably larger than for most small cars. You’re quite high up as a result, but this helps foster the illusion that you’re gliding along in a Land Rover rather than a Ka! The rear seats fold on a 60/40 basis, converting an already generous 435 litres of boot space into a huge 1995 litres.

There are a huge range of engines; the 1.5 litre petrol version hasn’t quite got enough ‘oomph’, although it’s fine for driving about town. Petrol and diesel at 2.0 litres more than adequately supply the missing gutsiness and they’ll cheerfully deliver a nifty drive. Despite its early reputation for toppling, the new A Class corners confidently and effortlessly even when you’ve got your toe down. The ride is a little on the hard side, especially with the faster models, but the car is responsive and sturdy. With 2.0 litre models yielding over 50 mpg, the A Class gets a gold star for fuel efficiency, too.

It may look like a big metal box, but it’s a box with class, style and power. Actually, it’s both more elegant and more agile than this description can allow. Forget people carriers – the Discovery seats seven comfortably and has all the sturdy engineering you’d expect for a vehicle which is as happy off the road as on it.

Whilst it doesn’t have quite the same degree of opulence as the Range Rover, it virtually matches it. It’s very spacious and it’s hardly basic: reasonably priced it may be, but it has more than a hint of luxury. You’ll get a very smooth ride on the road and a very robust one off it, a fact which can be accounted for by the extraordinary suspension technology. The Land Rover Discovery combines a monocoque chassis to deliver a good on-road drive, and a ladder-frame chassis to handle the pummelling of the off-road experience. Whilst this makes it heavy, the air suspension and superb steering undoubtedly help to create a nimble and responsive drive.

The seating is generously sized (all seven of them, if you go for the bigger model). The two rear seats in the seven-seater fold flat, making the boot space enormous (an ample 535 litres) and you can even have a go at pretending it’s a van: all the passenger seats fold flatly away. With a car this heavy, you wouldn’t expect great fuel consumption, but the TDV6 hits a respectable 30 miles per gallon.

The Skoda Fabia, with its simple, sturdy appearance is not only an eye-catcher – it’s a darned good little car to boot. The tall body induces a feeling of lavish spaciousness inside and, for a small vehicle, it gives an amazingly quiet ride. The engine is very well insulated and the suspension can make you feel that you’re driving a cloud. The adjustable driving position adapts to all heights and body-girths and the seats are comfortably firm. There are abundant interior storage options, better than average boot space and relatively generous leg room all round. It only comes as a five door hatch, but its modest external dimensions make it an ideal city run-around, enabling you to slip into the tightest parking spaces whether at the side of the road or in a multi-storey.

The engine is not a charging stallion, but then such a beast would be jarringly out of place in a car like this. The basic model is a 1.2 litre, 60 bhp petrol, which does struggle to get to the 60 mph mark; but your inner Lewis Hamilton will not be providing the motive for selecting this car in the first place. There are, however, progressively livelier engines on offer: 1.4 litre petrol and diesel, a 1.6 litre petrol and a 1.9 litre diesel. The latter two are certainly spirited enough for more zippy acceleration.

The car handles surprisingly well, with steering that has a certain softness to it which makes you think you’re driving a much bigger car.

More and more people choose to spend all or part of their year living abroad with nearly half a million migrating all around the world in 2008, some to seek out better weather, some for tax purposes and some for business and family commitments.

If you are living in a European country and find that you are frequently travelling to and from the UK by car it can be worthwhile to think about what car you drive, as many people lack confidence when driving on foreign roads. Most of Europe drives on the right hand side of the road and the UK on the left so driving a right hand drive car on European roads that you are unsure of can be quite daunting, so it can be worthwhile visiting a left hand drive car London dealer and purchasing a car to drive both here in the UK and across Europe. With being more confident on the roads here in the UK it won’t take too long to get used to a left hand drive car, then when you cross over the channel the adjustment will be a bit easier than in a right hand drive car.

When looking for a car for use both at home and abroad a specialist left hand drive car London dealer is the best to visit, with a wide range of cars available from Europe at better prices than the right hand drive counterpart, you will be able to find the car for you. As well as the choice you will also get peace of mind from buying from a UK dealer able to understand easily all the requirements needed to drive both here abroad as well as all documentation professionally completed in compliance with vehicle regulations.