Mercedes-Benz CLS

At first sight the CLS might appear to be a solution to a problem that isn’t there; it offers no more, and in some ways a lot less, than the cheaper E-class upon whose platform it is based.

The car is a large four door, coupe style sedan with an imposing new variation on the Mercedes Benz family face that has the brand’s coupe specific grille flanked by L-shaped headlamps. But its character is defined by a sweeping side feature line that runs off at a tangent from the front wheel arch in a single strong arc to the rear lamps, echoed above by the base of the shallow DLO. This sweeping profile is further reinforced by the sweep of the upper DLO and tapering tail of the car.

The CLS makes sense as it fills a niche between the established Mercedes Benz sedan and coupes. And the specific problem that it solves is for the wealthy empty nester who still wants the practicality and image of a large Mercedes sedan, but doesn’t want the family/business man image of the E-class. SL

Mitsubishi Colt

This is the European debut of the new Mitsubishi Colt, which may look familiar as it closely follows the CZ2 concept car show at Frankfurt in 2003.

Sharing a platform with the Smart ForFour, the Colt was designed in Mitsubishi’s European design studio in Trebur, Germany and is design director Olivier Boulay’s first Mitsubishi production car for Europe. It is also Mitsubishi’s first genuine B-class car and looks like a very competitive proposition.

Defined by a clean mono-space profile and the new corporate face, the Colt is very wide for the class at 1.7 metres. But it is the interior that really impresses, with modern materials and colours - such as the blue HVAC, ICE dials and gear stick gaiter, and the square pattern IP material.

The Colt deserves more success than it is likely to get in Europe being from such a small brand; it is a unique and modern design and a very viable alternative to the class leaders from Volkswagen, Ford, Peugeot et al. SL

Peugeot 407

This is a very unusual car, and a very significant new perspective on the European mainstream D-class. Two generations ago Peugeot created the 405 which became a class leader by carefully evolving the established sedan formula, but since then this class has dwindled as the premium brand D-class took off. The 407 aims to redress this by offering a genuine alternative to the mainstream D-class; an explicitly coupesque four door sedan.

Dominated by a sports car like lower grille aperture, the lengthy nose can be attributed mostly to pedestrian impact legislation that sees hard points sited well below the bonnet surface. The nose works with a cab-forward architecture defined by a raked leading shut line of the front door which flows back along a steeply raked A-pillar seamlessly into the rest of the DLO. A short tail with vestigial buttresses completes the coupe-like profile.

With unusual proportions and without the attention to detail of the premium brand D-class car, the 407 is not guaranteed success. But it offers a more valid future perspective on this important class than any other brand has provided for many years. SL

  Read our full Design Review...

Toyota Corolla Verso

Like other Japanese brands, Toyota has recognised the need to produce models tailored for Europe, witness the Yaris and the latest Corolla. But the Corolla Verso launched at Geneva is the first to be produced exclusively for Europe.

Designed at the company’s Eurpean design centre, ED², the Verso is very European with its confidently defined side flanks, wheel arches and shallow DLO, and with its good stance and simple, cohesive detailing. Like several other new cars at the show, the hood sits well above all engine hard parts in order to conform to pedestrian impact legislation, and a prominent proboscis runs down its length into a large corporate graphic mark.

Inside there are seven separate seats, with the rearmost five all folding individually into the floor and material quality comparable to the European class leaders.

The now established, and still growing, mini MPV class has a new serious contender in the very European Corolla Verso. SL

Skoda Octavia

Although quite a subtle evolution of its predecessor, the Octavia is a completely new Skoda, based on the platform of the new Golf.

Longer than most C-class cars thanks to its sedan/fastback profile and commensurately longer rear overhang, the Octavia is an important new design debut at Geneva as it closes the design quality gap between Volkswagen’s lowliest brand and brands such as Volvo.

The Octavia shares similar qualities to last year’s Volvo S40 in its C-class based, conservative 'sedanesque' conceptual design and also in its well resolved surfacing. It impresses most through its attention to detail; tapering upwards body colour B-pillar, head lamps flush with the bumper surface and inboard bonnet shut line. And in the interior with vents and centre stack recessed into the IP, roof central spine and uniquely crafted instrument dials.

The Octavia is not exciting, but it’s not supposed to be. It is a quietly significant new car from one of Europe’s most upwardly mobile car brands. SL

Mini Castagna and Cabrio

The MINI is developed in two different directions at the Geneva Show. The new factory Cabrio version features a fully folding fabric roof from Webasto, which can either be partially opened like a sunroof or else fully retracted behind the rear seats. The resulting hood stack isn’t particularly attractive - so at least remains faithful to the old Mini cabrio heritage - but the speed of operation and quality are plus points.

The second and more interesting development is the limited production estate from Italian coachbuilder Castagna, which is shown at Geneva in two versions. The Wagon extends the wheelbase and rear overhang by 250mm, giving a useful increase in both rear passenger and trunk space just as on the original Mini estate. The Woody is a fun reinterpretation of the Mini Traveller with a 21-piece hand-made kit added to the body. Wickerwork trim and fitted luggage are among the many options offered. NH