​One of the most anticipated sports cars of the year finally broke cover this week, the BMW M2 Competition, and it comes complete with M3 and M4 power.

It's been a week since the doors for the Geneva Motor Show opened, and they still are until this Sunday.  The big theme this year is eco-friendliness, but with a twist.  The twist is fun!  With cars like the Volvo Polestar 1 and Honda EV concept cars, it seems like manufacturers have finally realized that people want cars that are eco friendly, but also fun.  There's plenty of other interesting non-EV and non-hybrid cars as well, but 10 have stood out more than others.  Hope you approve of the list.

The 2018 Geneva Motor Show is upon us, and there's plenty of new metal to get excited about.  Eco-friendliness, as usual, seems to be the popular theme -- with a seemingly endless list of new electric and hybrid cars.  However, a lot of manufacturers have managed to make them exciting.  It seems that the days of boring, uninspiring eco-friendly cars are going away.  Outside of the world of electric cars and hybrids, there's plenty of exciting new performance cars, as well as a great number of interesting new everyday cars.  The doors open to the public tomorrow, check out these pics to get a preview.

The Mercedes Benz E-Class has always been the benchmark for premium brand midsize sedans, thanks to its reputation for comfort and prestige.  As a result – at least in Switzerland – it seems to be the default choice for many chauffeuring services, embassies, and even UberBLACK drivers.  But things aren’t easy for the E-Class; facing tough competition from the likes of Volvo, BMW, Audi and even Lexus.  So the E-Class always has to be that bit more appealing if it is to remain on top, and having spent a few hours with a new E300, I find out what makes it stand out over the rest.  

Kia have been having a good run over the past few years in terms of having a product line-up with good-looking models, however things seem to be changing especially when you look at the new Kia Niro. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it outright ugly, but it’s still not really a car that you would buy based on its looks alone.  So, with two weeks to use it as my daily runabout, I had more than enough time to find out what other good qualities it has, and if other well-established hybrids such as the Toyota Prius deserve to be overlooked in favour of this new offering.

When I finished my very short test drive in the new V90, I came out thinking that this is not your stereotypical Volvo.  Gone are the days of boring, square family station wagons, and in comes the elegant, exciting, and thoroughly modern way of getting around with your family. 

​I’ve wanted to buy an S197 Ford Mustang for the longest time, particularly the 2005 to 2009 version.  I always thought that the S197 Mustang looked good, but it wasn’t until the release of the 2008 Shelby GT500 KR that I decided I’d have to buy one.  The problem with the KR is that it was – and still is – a bit pricey for me. But the great thing about Mustangs is that you can get a regular GT and pretty much turn it into the car you want it to be, thanks to an endless supply of affordable aftermarket parts that you can add over the course of time.  Basically the Mustang GT’s potential for customization is one of the reasons I decided to buy one.  I also got one because Mustangs have always been special cars (safe maybe for the second generation one), being truly desirable yet attainable by the masses.  It has been eight months since I bought this 2005 Mustang GT but it still remains unmodified, which means it’s the perfect candidate for a review of a used stock 2005 Mustang GT.
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​I find myself yet again in Toronto, and this time I’ve decided not to get anything fancy and just get a cheap rental for the week.  I ended up getting a 2016 Hyundai Elantra, and if there’s a list of top inconspicuous cars, the Hyundai Elantra would probably be right up there with other cheap compact sedans and hatchbacks.  So why did I even bother to include it on a website called Standout Cars? Well, the truth is the Hyundai Elantra isn’t a standout car in the attention-grabbing sense.  But as far as buying a cheap, value for money type of car that promises decent fuel economy, low maintenance cost, and reasonable levels of equipment, the Elantra is a strong contender.

​Something became immediately apparent when I recently took a look at Lexus’s current model line-up, and that is they’re trying very hard to add some excitement to their brand. After Lexus released the fantastic LF-A supercar its image changed forever, the only problem is that the LF-A was made in limited numbers and was very expensive.  But armed with a new design language and some newfound mojo, Lexus have tried to include some of that magic to some of their more affordable models, and one of them happens to include this new IS 200t Sport. 

​Even though it’s set to be the cheapest M car in the BMW range, it wont come as any surprise if it ends up being the most popular.  Continuing where the brilliant 1-Series M Coupe left off, it too comes with a turbocharged straight-six engine, although with a single twin-scroll turbocharger rather than a twin-turbo setup.  It has 370hp (30hp more than the 1M), and a seven-speed double-clutch gearbox is now optional.   Examples of starting prices for the M2 are CHF 69,900 in Switzerland, £44,070 in the UK, or €56,700 in Germany.