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The Volkswagen Polo has just been named as Car of the Year for 2010, and by coincidence we have recently published a road test on the 1.6 diesel version. The Car of the Year jurors have already come under some criticism for picking the Polo over the much more radical Toyota iQ, which came second, but there's no doubt that the Polo is one of the finest cars in the supermini category, even though it's not without a few flaws.
 
Neither the Polo nor the iQ is any way a rival to the Aston Martin DBS Volante. In fact, very few things are. The Aston offers very little change out of 180,000, even if you avoid buying any optional extras, and it's not nearly as sporty as the V8 Vantage we tested recently, but as an effortless - and very beautiful - high-speed cruiser it takes some beating.
 
Mike Grundon has crafted two typically well-expressed pieces on two quite contrasting cars. First there's the SEAT Exeo ST, the estate version of Spain's continuation of the previous-generation Audi A4, and then comes the Mercedes-Benz ML 300 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, which Mike reckons isn't as notable for its high economy and low CO2 emissions as Mercedes likes to claim, but which he still enjoyed spending time with.
 
The Mazda CX-7 has been heavily revised this year, and one of the changes is that its powerful but thirsty turbo petrol engine has been replaced by the diesel which the car really needed right from day one. Obviously it's now slower, but it's also much more economical, and its status as one of the most enjoyable SUVs in the world to drive has not been affected.
 
You'll have to wait years for a chance to buy the all-electric Renault Zoe, but that hasn't stopped Rufus J Flywheel from devoting his latest column to it. Why? Because French parents of girls called Zoe are up in arms that their daughters' name has been used for a car. And that's all the excuse Rufus needs to start an argument on the subject ...