Author: carcoutureblog

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Kia Pro_cee’d – Rock Hard Seats Pile On The Agony!

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I’m wondering why it took the Koreans quite so long to build their first hot hatchback. OK, there was once the well-received Hyundai Coupe but the Proceed is really the only car to rival anything with a GTI badge on the boot.

As I’ve already explained, the Proceed GT (I’m fed up with writing Pro_cee’d) isn’t exactly barnstorming fast with a 0-60mph time of 7.4 seconds. The gearbox is hardly slick and the 1.6 petrol engine has to be worked to achieve maximum ‘fun’ potential.

Be that as it is, the three-door with the eye-catching profile still provides enough performance to put a smile on my face. Well, for the first 50 miles anyway.

Then my happiness turns to a grimace as I struggle to get comfortable in the rock hard sports seats. It’s quite bizarre that Kia build a lukewarm hatchback then sticks a pair of F1 seats in the front!

Yep, if you like comfort or suffer from haemorrhoids get the standard Proceed and give the GT’s chairs a miss…

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Kia Pro_cee’d GT – The Driving Experience Doesn’t Live Up To The Sporty Promise

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As much as I like the sportier looks of the GT, I can’t say the Kia coupe feels that entertaining on the road. The daytime light clusters up front and the stylish design suggest it will be more fun than it is.

Much of this is to do with the steering. Far from feeling sharp and precise (a la Golf GTI and Focus), the GT offers little feedback to the driver, even though this model gets stiffer springs and dampers.

That’s not to say the handling isn’t good – it’s just that rival hot hatchbacks offer a more engaged driver experience.

Back on the road to London today. I’m clocking up good miles in the Kia. However, the fuel tank only holds 51 litres and with consumption around 34mpg, I know I’ll be making more petrol stops than usual this week…

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Kia Pro_cee’d GT – The Slippery Looking Kia Hatch That’s Great Value

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I’ve just driven the Kia back from London and I can tell you what I love about it the most – the 201bhp turbocharged petrol engine. It’s not going to worry the Golf GTI or Astra GTC but just look at the price – it’s a proper bargain.

The 1.6 unit feels eager to please and the chassis set up is good enough to allow some fun-filled moments on the last stretch of country roads home.

The interior is a mix of alcantara and leather, with a neat dashboard and rather a rash of buttons on the steering wheel. Annoyingly, this version doesn’t have sat nav.

Okay, so it’s not the most thrilling hot hatchback on the road today but it’s sport enough to keep most people entertained, in a safe, seven-year guarantee sort of way…

 

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Mazda3 – The Ian Botham of Brilliant All-Rounders?

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Ian Botham, or Stuart Metcalfe? You will know one of them but the two are forever linked by a cricketing bond – they were both brilliant all-rounders.

The only reason you haven’t hear of Metcalfe is that he once played for my team at Sale Boys’ Grammar School in Manchester. And although he probably works in IT now, Metcalfe once took all ten wickets in a match and scored 50 runs.

The Mazda is a great all-rounder too. It’s not especially brilliant at anything but it does everything you ask of it very well. It looks good, drives well and is very comfortable.

The trouble with all-rounders is that it’s hard to offer up a unique selling point. The VW Golf is the best all-rounder I can think off – the Botham of the hatchback world. The Mazda3 is better than a Metcalfe, probably more likely to be found surfing the edge of international cricket than playing in the first team…

 

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Mazda3 – The Beeping Car Hell of Owning A Mazda3?

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I don’t need to be warned that my ‘bleeping’ Mazda3 is unlocked, locked or that I’m walking away from the keyless ignition system with the fob in my trouser pocket.

No, in fact, I’m old enough to know that if I leave a car with a key in the ignition it’s likely to be nicked. And I’m not stupid enough to leave the Mazda unlocked if I’m not driving it.

So why does the 3 beep every time I press the key fob, or when I get out of the driver door with the key in my hand? This morning the alarm went off after I left the dog in the car and walked away.

What if I was at a filling station and wanted to walk in and pay, leaving a passenger in the car – would the alarm sound then?

So, come on Mazda, I know a lot of your customers are American and your US dealers live in a constant state of public liability insurance hell, but let’s get rid of the beeping car nonsense. We’re a bit too grown up for that on this side of the Atlantic…

 

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Mazda3 – A Sleeper Hit That Grows On You With Time…

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The more I drive the Mazda3 the more I like it. It’s a ‘sleeper hit’ – a car that looks ordinary but slowly grows on you, with every bend it encourages you to enjoy it more.

As well as undercutting most rivals on price, the 3 is one of the best to drive. It sits well on the road and encourages the driver to press on. It’s comfortable, roomy and eager to please.

And I’m enjoying the styling more too. I may have been a little harsh with the ‘clown’s shoe’ remark – it looks purposeful whichever way you look at it.

The 3 is also packed with equipment. Yes, our test car is top spec but the list of kit includes ‘bendy’ headlights that self dip, heated leather seats, a stonking stereo and keyless ignition. Not sure I like all the beeping when you walk away from the car but hey-ho…

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Mazda3 – Wins A Sobering Award From The Clan Of Scottish Motoring Journalists

749120_260913-1-mazI can only imagine the carnage at St Andrews this morning following last night’s Scottish Car of the Year Awards (ahem, that’s SCOTY for short). The illustrious gentlemen of the press who live north of the border are famous in motoring circles for not leaving so much as a drop in their glasses.

At least they could rub the sleep out of their eyes knowing they had done a good job by picking the Mazda3 as the car of the year in the Family Car category. It beat the Citroen Cactus (reviewed elsewhere on Car Couture) and the Peugeot 308.

A good choice and a brave one, considering what’s on offer from Ford and Vauxhall. Personally, I’d have called it a tie with the Cactus – a car that dares to be different.

The Mazda’s brilliant Skyactiv engines were highly commended but I would disagree with judges who said the 3’s interior was ‘Mazda’s best yet’. For me, the plain dashboard does nothing to excite the senses and is the one weak point of the car….

 

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Mazda 3 – Shaped Like A Clown’s Boot – Or A Golden Slipper?

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Here’s a fact – the Mazda3 costs considerably less than a VW Golf. It’s arguable much prettier, holds its value well and keeping it on the road won’t cost a packet either.

This week’s test car is a top spec Sport Nav model costing in excess of £21,000 but opt for one of the cheaper versions and the 3 starts to look like a very good deal indeed.

I also happen to like the styling of the ‘big-mouth’ Mazda’s front-end. Unlike the ‘sad-faced’ MINI it’s a car that seems to welcome you to the driveway every morning. Sweet.

True, inside the 3 is less than dazzling, with a plain uncluttered dashboard that does little to set the pulses racing. However, on Day One of Mazda ownership, I’m more enthused than I thought I might have been…

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Jeep Wrangler Overland – Bouncy, Noisy And Uncouth – The Most Fun Car Of 2014!

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How do you decide on which car to buy – is it the badge, price, practicalities or something else? Because I don’t have to make the school run or even commute to work, the number one factor for me is fun.

Which is probably why the Wrangler has been the surprise car of 2014. I was expecting a rugged workhorse with little to offer as an everyday drive. Most of the reviews on the web seem to pour scorn on the Jeep.

If I was in the market for a new Land Rover Defender, I would certainly consider the Wrangler as a viable alternative. It’s fun enough for me to ignore with the bouncy suspension, the body roll on corners and the noisy engine.

The Jeep may have been around for more than 70 years but this latest version is more refined enough to enjoy both on-road and off. That and the cool looks give it the edge over the current Land Rover….

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Jeep Wrangler Overland – Takes You Back To The Days Of John Wayne And MASH

jeep5The Wrangler makes me want to watch an episode of MASH – or one of those old war films where John Wayne steps out of a Jeep in full military kit, chewing a fat cigar. Yep, from the front, the basic Jeep hasn’t changed much in 70 years.

What is very different about this 2011 update model is that it’s now available as a five-door too. We’re driving the three-door, which does have rear seats but only offers a decent amount of luggage space when that bench is tumbled forward.

Wayne might have walked better if he had driven this current model too. Yes the Jeep bounces and shimmies on the road but the leather-clad seats of the Overland model are soft and comfortable, soaking up a lot of the pain.

He could have made it to the front line a lot quicker using the standard sat nav and the heated seats are among the hottest I’ve experienced too…