Coming to a showroom soon...

The Kia Soulster was a funky yellow concept car that debuted at the New York Motor Show last year. It was a good place to unveil it, because the quirky Soul supermini has become something of a sales phenomenon since it went on sale in the USA. With its wide range of colours, body decals and smart wheels it’s become a hit with the Stateside college campus community. It’s not such a massive seller in the UK – in fact you see very few around – but I really like it because it’s not a bog-standard small hatchback like a Vauxhall Corsa or Renault Clio. The reason I’m telling you all this is that I have it on good authority that a production version of the Soulster is getting very careful consideration at the highest levels in South Korea. It perhaps wouldn’t have the pick-up truck rear end, but be more of a Soul Convertible. The roof is likely to be the sort of ‘slide-away’ canvas top that’s on the Fiat 500C. The reason for the new version is that with three B-segment cars – the Soul, the Venga and the all-new Rio that’s coming in the autumn – Kia needs to make sure these products are sufficiently different so it doesn’t just steal sales from itself. And it would be Kia's first foray into open-air motoring.

I broke the law... but I'm not alone

I’ve got a confession to make. I broke the law on Friday and then I did it again yesterday. I loaded up a couple of bikes on to a hatchback-mounted bike rack (like the one pictured above), and you couldn’t see the number plate because of them. My eight-year-old son and I went camping over the weekend and went to an area of Suffolk that’s very popular with cyclists, partly because it’s flat and partly because it’s pretty. At the campsite we stayed on I counted at least half a dozen other drivers who had done exactly the same as me. I can totally see the reasons for the law being as it is; the police want to be able to read the number plate. But it’s widely ignored by drivers who can’t be bothered going to the hassle of getting a new number made up – which is legally a whole lot harder than it used to be – and then working out a way of attaching it rigidly to the outermost bike so it doesn’t flap about in the wind. For the couple of times a year I do it, I’m simply not bothering because I know the chances of getting pulled over by the police are almost nil. They’ve got better things to do with their time. They’re only going to worry about me if I’m weaving all over the road or committing some other offence. At least I hope that’s the case, because I’m camping again next weekend.

Driven: all-new Kia Picanto

Writing this from a hotel room in sunny Bordeaux, where I’m driving the all-new Kia Picanto. I’ve done about 50 miles in what’s expected to be the top-selling 1.25-litre engine – there’s also a smaller three-cylinder 1.0-litre – and seen it in what’s likely to be the most popular trim, known simply as ‘2’. You won’t be surprised to learn there’s also ‘1’ and ‘3’. And I can say with my hand on my heart that you won’t find a better city car on the market for the money. Until yesterday, my favourite was the Hyundai i10, and obviously Kia is its sister company, but this is better in every aspect. It rides and handles like a much bigger machine, and on a twisty B-road can actually put a smile on your face. There’s not many city cars do that. Fuel economy of 65mpg will also make owners happy, it’s got a characterful design inside and out – it’s much funkier looking that the Hyundai – and all for around £10,000. The new Picanto is everything the Chevy Spark should have been, but wasn’t. It’s a great little car.

...and then I got run over

I was struggling to think of what to write today. My back is still bad and my wife has been signed off for fortnight after having her appendix out the old-fashioned way, ie, not with keyhole surgery. I’m told it’s like having a Caesarean but without the baby to care for. Needless to say, motoring matters have not been at the forefront of anyone’s mind in the Yarrow household. And then I got run over. I say ‘run over’… I got hit by a car. Only its door mirror, which was akin to me hitting my funny bone on something hard. It hurt, but I wouldn’t be requiring an ambulance. Here’s what happened: I had taken my kids to school, was walking home and about to use a zebra crossing. There was a pale green MkIII Micra a good 20 metres away – I even found a picture of one on the Nissan media website – so I assumed the driver would slow if they needed to. I wasn’t paying much attention to it, and with my back as it is, I tend to be staring at the ground quite a lot. Next thing I know it’s caught my left elbow. The driver didn’t stop, there was no acknowledgement of the incident whatsoever. I can only assume he or she simply didn’t see the 6ft 4in bloke crossing the road in front of them. Unbelievable.

French electrics? Clearly still a bit iffy...

I’d like to tell you my back is cured, but sadly it’s not. Even a healthy dose of Diazapam to help my muscles relax doesn’t seem to be helping much. So to the Peugeot 508, which arrived on Monday afternoon. I can’t really offer much in the way of a considered opinion on its merits yet – driving isn’t my strong point at the moment, and walking is something of a struggle if I’m honest – but I can tell you that it seems to be blighted with the same electrical niggles which coloured my last experience of a big Peugeot. I ran a 406 Coupe during my days at Auto Express, the 3.0-litre V6, and thought it an excellent car to drive. However, the orange-on-black display screen at the top of the centre console seemed to have a mind of its own. It flickered persistantly, randomly changed read-outs for no reason and eventually a horizontal section of the pixels died. So I had to smile when I went out in the 508 yesterday to run my son to Cubs to find the date/time read-out (above) had reset itself to midnight on 1 January 2007 and was flashing at me. Not great for a car with less than 1,000 miles on it.

It's been a difficult weekend...

I’ve been rating cars for the last 13 years one way and another, but rarely have a I paid as much attention to the comfort of the driving position as I have over the last three days. I put my back out quite badly on Thursday night, which happens to me from time to time thanks to a weakness dating back 20 years. I’ve still had to get on with life generally, which means I’ve been gingerly lowering myself in and out of a vehicles over the weekend. The family Ford Focus estate isn’t great for bad back sufferers, mainly because the seating position is quite low. Much more preferable is the Wrangler, which is much higher and therefore easier for me to get in and out of. It's been the car of choice over the weekend, and thankfully the weather has been okay because I've not got the strength to get the roof back on it. Not sure what I’m going to make of the Peugeot 508 (above) that’s due on my driveway later today. Whatever happens, I will continue to avoid bumpy B-roads and anything with speed humps for the next few days.

Hottest Corsa yet blasts in

This is the first official picture of Vauxhall’s most powerful Corsa ever, the new VXR Nürburgring Edition, which goes on sale later month. At its heart is a re-worked version of the standard car’s 1.6-litre turbo, uprated from 192bhp to 205bhp and with around an extra 20Nm of torque. A modified engine management and turbocharger system, plus a sports exhaust with reduced back pressure, have all contributed to the rise in power. The risk of torque steer – too much power going through the front wheels, causing the car to wander off line when you power through corners or there’s a change in road surface – is reduced thanks to a mechanical, multi-plate limited-slip differential. Under the skin component firm Bilstein has developed bespoke spring and damper units, with a reduced ride height by 20mm at the front and 15mm at the rear. All this means a 0-60mph time of just 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 143mph, while a unique bodykit and colours will mark the Corsa Nürburgring out from the crowd. All yours for £22,295 – a lot of money for a Corsa, but it could be worth it. I will let you know in due course.

The genius of the T200 accessory

Praise the Lord! I am a believer! I have seen the future and its name is K4.600 with the T-Racer T200 attachment. It’s about this time of year that the pressure washer emerges from garage hibernation, firstly to get the bugs of the front of the car and secondly to give the patio a clean-up. But over the weekend these jobs were made so much easier by an invention that will be hailed by men everywhere who clean patios as ‘genius’. The actual pressure washer, supplied by well-known and respected brand Karcher, is nice enough and claims to use less water and electricity than previous models. Lovely, and ideal for bug-busting on the Ford Focus. But it’s the attachment that was news to me. Rather than just having a lance that does the patio in a two-inch strip and sprays crud everywhere – which has traditionally been my technique – this little baby is about the size of a dinner plate (pictured above). Attach it to the end of the lance, then cleaning the flagstones is like running a hoover over them. There’s no fuss and no mess because all the water and crud stays underneath the T200. What used to be the work of two hours was all over in 20 minutes. It was a revelation. Why anyone would do it the old fashioned way having tried this is beyond me. I’m sold.