Jeremy

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Wednesday – A Car For All Season

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Jeremy  The last day in the Sportback – will we miss it? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. While the styling of this latest A3 five-door is only slightly sharper than the last model, everything else about this exceptionally sensible car is good. Very good indeed.

The A3 is a mass seller for Audi and this is without doubt, the best incarnation of the ubiquitous hatchback to date. Everything revolves around a 2.0 TDI engine that churns out enough power to make the car engaging to drive and will amaze you at the fuel pump too (we’ve average over 50mpg all week).

You can cruise along the motorway while it purrs quietly, or slip down through the six-speed gearbox on an A-road and enjoy  sharp steering that doesn’t throw up any nasty surprises.

Inside, the Audi is very smart, with a classy dashboard and buttons in all the right places. The seats are super comfy but supportive enough for enthusiastic driving. Masses of space both front and rear too.

So the conventional styling and the expensive price tag are really the only questionable attributes of the Sportback. And as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, for some people it will be the perfect buy.

 

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Tuesday – Reg Who?

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Jeremy – I’m just back from Roehampton Club where I spent some of the day playing croquet with Reg Bamford, the double world champion. I’m writing a feature for the FT and Reg very kindly agreed to give me a masterclass.

Never heard of Reg? Well, that’s the nature of sport. While soccer players get paid £200,000 a week, Reg can’t even land a sponsorship deal on his trainers!

Now I’m not suggesting Audi should loan him a courtesy vehicle but walking back to the car park, I couldn’t help noticing that the Audi symbol is four circles – just like the four balls that are used in croquet.

Now, surely that should have Audi clammering to sign him up? Not only is Reg a double world champion, he lives in London and is one of the nicest world sportsmen I have ever met. A true gentleman in every respect – apart from on the court, where he takes no prisoners! The four ring logo represents the four companies that joined together to form Audi in 1932.

It’s the last day with the brilliant A3 tomorrow. A perfect car in just about every respect, apart from the lifeless styling which still frustrates the hell out of me.

 

 

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Saturday – The Sensible Choice

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Jeremy – A chap at the newsagents this morning asked me what word would best sum up the Sportback. He had driven Audis since 2002 and was thinking about downsizing from his company A6.

Not an easy question to answer because at first glance, this latest Sportback appears very similar to the last model – and not that unlike the three-door A3. On closer inspection, it has more angular lines and looks more dynamic from the rear but is otherwise, very much a standard issue Audi.

I told him the steering is light and very accurate, it sits well on the road, both at motorway speed and around corners. He was impressed that I’ve also been averaging 51mpg without even trying – in all manner of conditions. It has lowly emissions of 108 k/km too, meaning low road tax.

The A3 reminds me in so many ways of the VW Golf. It’s not the most exciting car to look at but the Sportback is proficient at just about everything you ask it to do. It’s even roomy inside, with a decent boot and quality fittings.

Standing on the road with my weekend FT in hand, I finally come up with the answer. Sensible.

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Friday – Just Not Cricket

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Jeremy It’s not going to be easy picking holes in the Audi A3. This is probably the most competent car I’ve driven in ages – beautifully screwed together, classy and comfortable.

However, these days when I sit in a vehicle for the first time, I look for the features it doesn’t have. I thought with S Line spec and the £1,500 technology pack, all bases would be covered in terms of infotainment.

There’s a pop up, seven-inch screen on the dashboard for sat nav and you can operate the radio and music functions from a perfectly places, rotary dial on the centre console.

Surprisingly, however, the package does not include DAB radio! So, while I had been hoping to listen to the international cricket on Radio 5 Live Extra (only on DAB), I’ve had to settle for R4 instead.

This aside, the system is simple to operate, with a Bluetooth connection to my mobile phone that automatically downloads music tracks without a cable connection. The package also has a ‘Jukebox’ that allows you to download tracks onto the car’s hard drive, where they are saved for future use.

All very slick – but I’m going to miss the cricket…

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Wednesday – Beetle Drive

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Jeremy – It’s our last day with the Beetle, VW‘s answer to the retro Mini. But while the Mini has morphed into a variety of oddities, the Bug now looks better than ever.

The masculine, squat shape make the VW more purposeful than ever and there’s an exceptional interior that’s not only a pleasure to sit in but fairly practical too.

Sitting on the latest Golf platform, the Beetle is a better drive than the previous model, even though I would opt for the more refined 2.0-litre engine rather than the 1.4 we tried, which has to be worked exceptionally hard to prove enjoyable.

There’s just enough performance to make the high revving 1.4 fun. The steering is more precise and there is a surprising amount of grip on twisty roads. That said, somehow it doesn’t have the precision of the Golf through the bends.

If you want a roomy, practical hatchback for the family buy a Golf. For those who want something that turns a few heads and stands out from the crowd, the Beetle remains almost as cool as it was 40 years ago.

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Saturday – Fender Bender

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Jeremy Remember when you were lucky to find even a radio in your new car? Then came tape machines, CDs and now we frown if a car doesn’t have an aux jack for an iPod – or offer a wireless Bluetooth connection.

I’m happy to say our Beetle Sport test car is equipped Bluetooth – not just for calls but for music too. It means my mobile phone can stay in my pocket while it sucks all the Daft Punk tracks off and plays them through the music system. Cool. It’s also very easy to set up for Luddites like me.

And what a great music system! The £495 Fender speaker upgrade is well worth the cash. Much more enjoyable than the glass sunroof that only opens a couple of inches and deafens you with wind noise.

The package includes a thumping sub woofer that sits upright in the boot corner. It does eat into some of the luggage space but so what – the sound is phenomenal.

Our test car also has an ambient lighting back which can be adjusted to change colour between red, white and blue! So, at night, the door trim now lights up to match my mood – brilliant!

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Monday – Final Thoughts

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Jeremy Despite a few niggly faults, the RCZ is an exceptionally good drive – even with the entry-level 1.6 petrol engine under the bonnet.

The 156bhp version delivers a 0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds but, for some reason, it just feels faster. It helps make the Peugeot responsive and more engaging to drive than you might expect. The RCZ is a delight to steer in to a corner.

I found that the A-pillars do restrict visibility rather a lot and there is a nasty blind spot  in the door mirrors – otherwise the vast expanse of glass in the cabin gives the RCZ a more spacious feeling than the class-leading Audi TT coupe.

I think my main complaint about the car is the driving position. Apart from the high foot pedals (see earlier reports), the seats are unsupportive and the steering wheel is just plain ugly.

There’s no doubt the RCZ would be a fantastic secondhand buy but the next generation model needs to address these issues to turn a good car into a great one.

 

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Sunday – Daft Pug

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Jeremy – It felt like the whole of England was out today – doing what English people do best. Queuing and shopping.

Fortunately, that meant the Wykeham Arms in Winchester was quieter than usual and a 50 minute dash down the A303 past Stonehenge was well worth the effort.

I downloaded the new Daft Punk album onto my iPod for the trip but it only took a few miles before I became frustrated with the RCZ‘s music system. I judge an entertainment system by how intuitive it is – this one isn’t.

Once the iPod is connected, all its functions are taken over by the Peugeot. I eventually had to stop the car and scroll through the ‘artists’ painfully slowly on the RCZ dashboard interface before I realised this could also be completed by the stalk control on the steering column.

Now, you really do have to know the workings of your stalk control and remember them because it’s totally hidden behind the steering wheel itself. Having the controls on the front of the steering wheel would be a much better and safer system.

There are lots of things to like about the RCZ but quite a few features, that would be annoyingly simple to rectify, that aren’t.

 

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Saturday – Pedal Low

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Jeremy Just back from a 300-mile round trip to horsey Newmarket in the RCZ – plenty of driving time to get more of a feel for the Peugeot.

What’s good about this designer coupe is that despite carrying only 156 horses under the bonnet, it feels remarkably composed and refined on the motorway. The 200bhp model must be even better.

What’s not so good is that returning via central London, the Peugeot was seriously tricky to drive in stop-start heavy traffic. The reason? It’s those high foot pedals again. Every change of gear was awkward. You also need to be aware that the RCZ also has a big blind spot in the door mirrors.

I’m still in two minds about this car. I like the styling, the concave rear screen, the curvy bits and the new front end. However, the driving experience and interior just don’t match the promise of the cool design.

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Friday –

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Jeremy  I’ve just been reading Richard Hammond‘s review of the new RCZ in the Mirror. Me and the little chap used to present on Men & Motors PI (Pre Internet) – in those days he rode a motorbike to work and was slightly taller…

He’s obviously a big fan of the Pug coupe and especially the styling. I have to say I agree with him because any manufacturer that dares to break the jellymould of car design deserves a slap on the back.

The latest RCZ benefits from the new corporate nose of Peugeot, first seen on the 208. It’s not that different to the last one but on the RCZ, that means slightly more angular headlights and those annoying daytime running lights too.

One feature I agree with Hammond on is that there is something odd about the driving position. I can get comfortable in the seat but the foot pedals are so high they must have been designed for somebody with two knee joints.

It’s weird. The electric seats will recline and adjust for height but at 5ft 10ins, I began to feel like, well, a Richard Hammond. No idea why this is but I’m hoping Jessica can shed some light on things when she squeezes her 5ft 11ins frame inside next week…