What we said then: “It’s another electric vehicle that, we can’t help but conclude, would be better with its own power source on board. But the Twizy has a loveable character.”
It is loveable, too, and quite unlike any Renault, ever. But the appeal palls in rain and cold, both penetrating the tandem occupant zone copiously without the optional semi-enclosing doors. It doesn’t go all that far on a charge, either, although that may be a good thing. Great on the right day, in the right weather. Which is why it has no rivals.
Volkswagen Phaeton (2003)
What we said then: “If there’s one word that seems to define the VW Phaeton it’s ‘why?’.”
Ferdinand Piëch’s folly, the VW Phaeton made sense only to VW’s boss and, eventually, Chinese buyers, whose liking for big saloons prolonged the life of this supposed VW flagship for longer than it deserved. Piech’s ambition for VW was admirable – the same upmarket thrust yielded the successful Touareg – but it made as much sense as selling billionaire jewellery in a mainstream department store.
Chrysler Delta (2011)
What we said then: “A bit different from the norm, but too patchy to recommend it.”
The last Lancia to be sold officially in the UK was the Delta in the 1990s but the model did return, in third-generation form, after being engineered for righthand drive. Fiat crassly sold it in the UK not as a Lancia but as a Chrysler and it never really caught on.
Fiat Multipla (1998)
What we said then: “There should be more cars on the road like the Multipla. As a means of transporting families, it is a work of genius.”
This deviant Fiat was also an ingenious chunk of convenience, its barrel body housing six and packing bins, shelves and bottle holders. “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it,” ran an ad quoting Confucius. Quite.