BMW Zero-Series

Auto Express have reported this this week - a fiesta-sized BMW with front-wheel drive and a BMW badge. This is as opposed to the Mini Countryman which seems to be invading the same territory. Having said that, the Countryman is described as "Golf-sized", which ought to be bigger than "Fiesta-sized" unless they mean the Mark I Golf which was tiny (although not as tiny as the original Fiesta) This is getting confusing.

As for front-wheel drive, BMW have always resisted it in their BMW-badged cars, claiming that rear-wheel drive is better for handling and makes a car more of a "driver's car" - this may be true if you are Jensen Button but if you use the car to pootle about town, you're not going to appreciate doing tail-out slides around hairpin bends - in fact, RWD may just scare the wits out of you if you lose it on an icy roundabout in Swindon in January. A recent survey of 1-Series drivers showed that over half did not know that their car was rear-wheel drive - that has to irritate BMW but maybe shows why they have moved into front-wheel drive territory first with MINI and now with this.

I'm not generally a fan of BMWs, the X5 tends to be driven by complete idiots and the X6 just looks absoultely stupid when you see one in the flesh. I have to admit that the only BMW I've driven a sensible distance in was actually very pleasant to drive - and that was a six-year old 3-Series that had had a hard life. Also, the people who used to drive BMWs very badly on motorways have now moved into Audis so BMW may be able to claw back some reputation there.

Overall, I do like the look of the new Zero-Series - I suppose they couldn't call it the half-Series because that would just be daft. I'll give it 8/10 for looks but I won't be buying one - especially not at £16000.