This week Fifth Gear really prepared a lot of test drives for us, which can only bring smiles upon our faces. The show kicked off with a Honda Civic Mugen RR, the fastest hot-hatch model available, unfortunately, only in Japan. So Jason Plato decided to put it up against Honda’s fastest model available in Europe, the S2000. The Civic really proved it’s worth on the track, being especially tuned by the guys from Mugen, and beat the S2000, which lagged almost a whole two seconds behing the Japanese model. In the end, the Civic really sounds great, but for an everyday car, which offers you power in the right situations, the S2000 is the right one.

Next up, Tim Shaw showed us some situations where you can beat the CO2 emissions tax. Starting next year, in the UK, new tax bands will be introduced, making the car owners pay a lot more on their yearly tax. Tim came up with quite a few ways of cheating the tax or advantages that it brings. The first solution was getting a motorbike, which has a tax of maximum £66. Next up, was getting a car which was 8 years old, before the tax was introduced, or you can take it one step further, by buying a classic car, registered before 1973. Read More: "Fifth Gear Season 14 Episode 4"

The 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE is a new option package designed to offer improved fuel economy. Model-year 2008 also marks the return of the Cobalt SS high-performance model to this compact car’s roster. Manual-transmission Cobalt LS and LT models come with the XFE package, which includes specific tires and powertrain tweaks designed to maximize fuel economy. Note that the XFE package is not available on Cobalts equipped with the 2LT option package.

Sport coupes and sedans have a 171-hp 2.4-liter engine, while the SS is a coupe only, and it has a 260-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter powerplant. In terms of safety, the Chevrolet Cobalt is a mixed bag. In contrast to some cars in this class, rear disc brakes and ABS are optional except on the highest trim levels. Side curtain airbags became standard for ‘08, while they were previously optional. When equipped with the side curtain bags, the Cobalt has scored quite well in crash tests. Small Chevrolet cars have rarely been known for the quality of their interiors, and the Cobalt doesn’t do much to change this.

In editorial reviews, the car has earned negative commentary in regard to its hard plastics, inconsistent build quality and limited storage. On the positive side, the Cobalt’s interior is nicely insulated from road and engine noise, and the front seats should be very comfortable for the majority of drivers and passengers. The Cobalt debuted for the 2005 model year. As such, it is only now starting to appear with frequency as a used vehicle. The Cobalt effectively replaced the long-running Chevy Cavalier, which was both smaller and of much poorer quality.

This is a review ordered by ImportTuner through ReviewMe. But, remember, these are my opinions presented here and are not in any way influenced by ImportTuner.

So, what’s this about? Well, ImportTuner organized a contest and you can win an Import tuner tshirt plus you can get featured in an article about your car.

The next question that probably pops in your head is what you have to do. You have to submit your photos of your car, plus a contest entry about your ride. They’ll choose the top three entries and feature them in an online article and send each winner an importtuner.com t-shirt.

You can enter from 9:00 a.m. PST 6/01/2007 till 17:00 p.m. PST 6/22/2007. Online voting from 17:30 p.m. PST 6/22/2007 till 17:00 p.m. PST 6/30/2007. And stay tuned to see if you are a winner.

So, nothing really more to say about this contest, except that it looks pretty cool and all you “tuned up” guys should really take a look here. Read More: "Win a T-Shirt with importtuner"

This is a paid review ordered by Autotropolis, through ReviewMe. But stay cool, even if they paid for it, the opinions expressed here are completely mine and are not influenced in any way by them.

So, what is Autotropolis? It’s a website that wants to turn into an indispensable resource for those of you trying to find a new car. Their “weapon” is the very interesting Vehicle Selector Aid tool, reviewed by us here, a few days ago. The tool allows you to search for the best new car for you, depending on your lifestyle, your needs and your preferences. And it is pretty good, as I found out by reviewing it, the solutions it gave me being close to what I wanted. If you don’t want a suggestion, they offer you the possibility of searching by Manufacturer, Make, Type or Price. Read More: "Autotropolis.com Review"

First of all, I’d like to mention that this is a paid review, order by Autotropolis.com through ReviewMe. However, even if paid, the opinions presented here are all mine. So here it goes.

The main subject of this review is Autotropolis’ Vehicle Selector Aid service. What does this service do? As it’s name says, it helps you find the most appropriate new car for you. They claim that this is “the internet’s first application to help you find New Cars based on your needs and wants, not just price and style!”. So let’s see if they are right. I’ll try to find myself a new car. Read More: "Vehicle Selector Aid System"