For her cosmetics, her perfumes and her outfits, she trusts the French. Her jeans, she prefers them American or English. Her furniture comes from Belgium. As for her car… Italy, Germany and
 Japan sign her preferred models. Ah marketing… pernicious and twisted tool. We are forced to acknowledge that this time the train arrived late. It is over with the housewife escorted by four kids at the wheel of a minivan, however round and esthetically pleasing it might be, the spoiled coed in a bright Smart, or the thirty year old pin-up in a New Beattle. At the time when a garage managed by women and exclusively reserved for the fair sex opens its doors, the preferences of women are changing regarding cars. They work and drive as well as the other half of the world and have been coveting for some time already the mechanical jewels promoted at the Frankfort and Geneva car shows. Close-up on three of them…

Alfa Spider, an air of Dolce Vita
Worshiping beauty is however a very female tendency. When the men get noticed for their thoughtful mind, the women like what shines and is pretty. By sublimating Brera, Alfa Romeo is thus directly adressing their emotions. Muscular, the Spider is also long. The roadster owes its superb line to Pininfarina. Very much of its time, the interior, also with an outstanding finish, bets on a sober and balanced elegance, plays on a bit of quasi sensual aggressiveness. Available with three engines, it is equipped with a manual or automatic transmission. Hair in the wind in only twenty-five seconds, it drives smoothly. “Accelerations are lacking tonicity and energy; in rough conditions the rear axle vibrates”, will probably say the informed men. But does it really matter that this car takes two seconds more than its competitors to reach 100 km/h? Handling is secure on any type of highway. Unfortunately, more problematic is its fuel consumption. It is said that one excuses all the idiosyncrasies of a pretty lady. Will it be the same for a beautiful car?

Lexus IS250, elegance in the country of the rising sun
This model is for a car what a Chanel suit represents in the wardrobe. If they are not noticed at first glance, their elegance does not show any fault. Far from giving in to the ostentatious, the Japanese car aims at effectiveness. She is gradually discovered; once inside, one falls literally in love with her. The numerous equipments are appreciated: The sliding roof, the adjustable stir-ring wheel, the “free hands” key, the front and rear control radar, a godsend for the distracted. Also to their credit, one on the most powerful navigation system. Once these few lines are gulped down, the macho is already boiling with impatience. “How does she behave on the road?” Flexible, nervous and reassuring at the same time… The perfect combination. The miles are swallowed without any noise. Its comfort leaves no doubt. And with its price of 46.000 Û and some, it remains competitive in the luxury sedan segment. Those who dare to claim that the segment is more for men should look at it more closely: This model is small and compact. With its diesel engine (new hitherto on the Lexus planet, but gasoline is also available), it approaches the European market with serenity. Aggressiveness is not part of its vocabulary, it drives quietly. The mother can install her children in total safety (two, because the back seats prove to be too limited for three). Among the many equipments, the pre-collision system deserves a special mention: a radar perceives the incoming danger, actuates the seat belt pretensioners and starts assistance with emergency braking. And as every picture has a dark side, the IS is lacking in the trunk area with its low capacity. Impossible to compensate with the seats, which do not denote the folding option…

Roadster BMW Z4 M, warning for the strong sensations seeker
Very sportive, the roadster raises the gauntlet on aggressiveness. Initially, it throws to the face of the Cayman S (Porsche), its major competitor, strong arguments: a short back, a projecting and marked profile and a 343 HP engine. The same as the one roaring in the belly of the M3 (six cylinders, 3.2 L). The Z4 M reaches 100 km/h in only five seconds, thus dethroning the Z3. The driver is queen on board and the stability control system operates only in the event of a shortcoming on her part. With a 300 L trunk, quite an achievement for a roadster, the distinguished vehicle becomes the essential companion of her shopping trips. The dynamic and vindictive woman, who does not yet taste the joys of motherhood (because she can only take along her darling in this two-seater), will have to fork out the sum of 60,000 euros to treat herself to the best in terms of sensations. When performance is added to physical beauty, a woman is often completely satisfied. For the macho, the transgression is supreme: “she dares using muscular German cars, make turns in a few seconds and prefers the mechanical performance to the plastic gadgets of more feminine-labeled cars. This is too much…”.
Laetitia Rossi