1999 in Motoring - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Ford has given its ten-year-old Fiesta supermini its second facelift in four years, grafting its "New Edge" front end styling onto the design which came out in 1989 and was heavily modified in 1995. The latest version of the Fiesta has undergone few changes other than its facelifted front end. It is still as good to drive as before, though its rear seats and boot are still as short on space as they were before. The big news for the updated Fiesta is the addition of the swift "Zetec S" model, which has a 1.6 16-valve Zetec engine and a top speed of nearly 120 mph.

Vauxhall has updated the four-year-old Vectra in a bid to bring it nearer to the best cars in its sector. The new Vectra catches up with most of its rivals, but despite many changes - no less than 2,500, according to Vauxhall - it was a success compared the likes of the Mondeo and 406. These revisions coincide with Vauxhall becoming one of the world's first manufacturers to sell its cars over the internet, with its clever TV advertising campaign featuring Griff Rhys Jones being influential in rising sales this year.

Rover has endured a fall in its British market share of more than 30% over the last year, and has hit back by updating its two key models. The 200 Series has been facelifted to become the Rover 25. It had originally been designed to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra thanks to its higher equipment and prices, but this strategy was not entirely successful. So the 25 has been marketed as an alternative to the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa. It is a fine handling car with competitive prices, but its weaknesses are an awkward driving position and a shortage of safety equipment.

The Rover 400 has been facelifted to become the Rover 45, and has been re-positioned to compete with the likes of the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra, unlike its predecessor which was seen as more of a Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra rival. Apart from a new front end and a new name, the Rover 45 differs little from its predecessor. It is more competitively priced, with most models at least a couple of thousand pounds cheaper than the equivalent 400s were. The 400's success was mostly capitalised on offering a bit more equipment and style than most other similar-sized cars. The Rover 45 tries to perpetuate this, but is feeling a bit dated now.