Makes and Models

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Thursday – No Place To Hide!

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If Car Couture is giving out prizes for the oddest moment of the year, it must surely have occured this morning when I came back to the Forester after a long run.

Wiltshire has plenty of quiet spots but the behind a Subaru on a hectic B-road is obviously not one of them. I went to open the boot and stumbled across a woman who was relieving herself on the kerb!

She picked the Forester over a BMW 3 Series estate and a SEAT Leon because it is much taller and provides a good deal more cover. Obviously, not enough in this instance!

Final day with the Subaru. In a nutshell – loads of space, practical interior and genuine off-road ability, without the bling. On the downside, it won’t appeal to image-conscious buyers, the prices look a little high and the engine is noisy when pushed hard.

Despite that, I’d buy one over a ‘pretty’ SUV anyday.

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Sunday – Ready For Winter?

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It’s lashing down in the Cotswolds – it must be to mark the arrival of our Subaru SUV. Summer ended last week and I’m mightily happy to be splashing through the ever-deepening puddles in the Forester.

This is definitely the sort of car that lives and breathes bad weather. You could say it looks better splattered in mud than clean – even the interior seems to have been designed for bad weather too!

There are loads of storage spaces and cubby boxes, many of them with practical rubber linings that are easy to clean. Our XC has fabric seats but any dirt seems to  disappear easily enough. Not sure it’s worth going for the more expensive leather option.

The XC does have some luxurious, like the electric driver’s seat, a USB socket, 17-inch alloys and obviously air con.

In fact, I’d say there’s little point opting for a more expensive Forester, unless you want the leather and sat nav. This is one SUV that, rather like a Land Rover Defender, is better for being basic.

 

 

 

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Saturday – No Legs

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You know that feeling on a dual carriageway when you move out to overtake and realise the power just isn’t there? That happened today when  the 92bhp 2008 just didn’t have the legs to get past a lowly old Volvo.

I can’t say our 1.6 diesel feels sluggish around town but at motorways speeds, you really need the 115bhp model – or the 1.6 VTi petrol that produces 120bhp.

The 2008 isn’t a car that I’ve really warmed to yet. It feels more like a small minibus than an innovative, mini estate that will fulfil the motoring requirements of Peugeot’s global family.

It just doesn’t have enough going for it to put it above the crowd of urban crossovers out there, like the funky Renault Captur and the bug-eyed Nissan Juke.

A car like this needs more than a crazy interior headlining and a rather annoying aircraft-style handbrake lever.

 

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Wednesday – Talking Two Tone

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Jessica ‘GTI‘ reminds me of the late eighties when it was de rigour for young sporty lads to have one. It was a label for the fast, cut above the rest model but was always attached to a sensible car.

This Peugeot is all that a GTI should be, it drives in a sophisticated way with responsive steering, well calibrated gears, good brakes and speed.  The combination of all those have come together to make this an enjoyable car to drive.

That combined with an straightforward console and intuitive touch screen display. It’s a system that didn’t require me to sit in a layby trying every option and button possible to use the satnav or change stations on the radio.

I was very intrigued to see that it is possible to create two tone dash and door handles, from a (slightly grating) red fading to black. This opens up a world of possibilities for car interiors.

I am surprised it has not been exploited in a bigger way. Of course, there is a danger that it could all get very messy and the inside of your car could end up looking like a childrens play area. However, in the right hands it could all be very exiting.

So I will be a little sad to say good bye to the lads’ (and lasses, it seems) GTI…

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Thursday – Teenage Tearaway?

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The Peugeot 205 GTI was a car that always got me in to trouble. A speeding ticket and some rather scary sideway slides on the mud-splattered roads of Herefordshire were all part of my ‘growing up’ process.

They say this new 208 GTi has grown up too – that it’s not the teenager tearaway the 205 was. Well, you could have fooled me. If growing up means better brakes, lots of airbags and sports suspension then I’m an old so-and-so.

I think we’ve seen every possible tweaking of a conventional hatchback to turn it into a hot hatch but the 208 parked outside on my driveway looks full of genuine purpose.

It’s lower than the standard 208, the front grille has been revised and the side skirts and rear spoiler suggest true intent. It’s the same inside, the usual mix of harsh-edged sports seats and colour-coordinated door handles let you know this isn’t model you choose for gentle drives to the shopping centre.

I’m looking forward to the next seven days in the GTi – hopefully without the speeding ticket and slides I remember so well…

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Tuesday – No Charge

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It’s one thing knowing that your car doesn’t qualify for the London Congestion Charge but quite another to actually enjoy driving around the capital without paying a penny!

I’ve spent most of the day in the city and you can’t help but notice how many TwinAir 500s are on the street. At Fulham Broadway car park I counted 11, plus one high performance Abarth. There were more Fiat’s than Minis – what does that tell you?

I suppose it is just a result of the zero Congestion Charge but the TwinAir is also a great car for city driving. Official figures claim 60+mpg around town – expect a more realistic 47mpg in reality.

The 500 is brilliant for squeezing into small parking space and it skips through narrows gaps in traffic that other supermini drivers just envy. It’s less enjoyable at high speed on motorways, jittery and susceptible to cross winds. That said, it more than keeps up with the big boys.

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Friday – Cute Alternative

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The fact that I’m already looking for reasons to drive the 500 and it’s only Friday speaks volumes. A 875cc car with modest performance and a wacky paint job might not sound that exciting. However, the appeal of this tiny Fiat – based on the same running gear as the Panda – is much greater than the sum of its parts.

You don’t need to be a fashionista to be seduced by the retro curves and gorgeous interior either. Just look at the huge number of 500s there are out there. Fiat has taken a healthy slice of Mini sales from BMW and is now copying the German manufacturer with a stretched version and the racy Abarth too.

True, the 500 lacks macho appeal but it does put a smile on your face every time to climb inside. It’s not just ‘a girls car’ either, although you can sort of understand why hairy-armed blokes wouldn’t be seen dead driving one.

I’ve got an open mind on the supermini. I want to know if it’s a practical alternative to the lower-priced Panda and whether it’s worth the £12,000 price tag too.

Today Jessica and I will head down to the Pembroke Arms in Wilton, Wiltshire, with a large Hungarian Viszla on the back seat. Not sure many dog owners would choose a 500 for transport but nothing ventured!

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Thursday – Another Lingering Goodbye

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The last Alfa Romeo I waved goodbye to was welded to my father’s driveway. The 1971 GT Junior came from an era when Italian cars had more rust holes than Swiss cheese. It was lifted onto a scrap lorry and never seen again…

There was a hint of the same feeling when the driver arrived to collect the Giulietta this afternoon. Some cars just get under your skin – some cars don’t. You have to be passionate about driving to own an Alfa, or you may as well buy a Ford and talk about fuel economy.

Yes, it’s not perfect – our earlier reports warned drivers of the perils of tiny, Italianate foot pedals. Then there are the niggly little things, like a sun visor that is either up or down, with no stopping in-between.

Jessica found an rather wicked blind spot on the driver’s side, I loathe the ‘beep-beep’ alarm warning that is so 1980s and the seats that require you to supply your own padding.

But hey, this is an Alfa Romeo and you just learn to live with it – and enjoy a family hatchback that looks like no other, is powered by a remarkable 1.4 petrol engine and puts a little passion back into your daily drive to the office.

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Wednesday – TB Or Not TB

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Alfa Romeo might not thank me for saying so but secondhand Giulietta‘s look like great value to me. I would have opted for diesel every time if I was buying – until I tried out this white 1.4 TB petrol.

I’ve driven the Volkswagen Golf with a 1.4 TSI and despite being quick, it just doesn’t pack the excitement you want from a relatively small, high performance engine.

The difference is that DNA switch by the gearstick. In ‘Normal’ mode the Alfa is  Golf-like. Push the lever forward to ‘Dynamic’ and the Giulietta surges forward with an instant, unmistakable rush.

I honestly thought it was a gimmick when the car arrived. Then I realised it’s what sets the Alfa apart. Perhaps the only question is, why isn’t DNA active all the time?

The fuel gauge is almost on red now. We’ve been averaging 39mpg most of the week. Final thoughts on this great car tomorrow.

 

 

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Tuesday – Accuracy All Areas

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Jessica Just for the information of the motoring public, I am not a size 9 shoe! I may be tall but accuracy in foot size is definitely needed here, I’m a size 8 shoe and proud of it… one does need suitable feet to hold up a 5’10” frame but there are limits!

But yes, it has to be said there could be a problem if you try to change gear in a hurry driving the Giulietta and your foot can’t find it’s way out from under the clutch.

I love the fact that Alfa Romeo are trying to impress by going their own way with this car.

The dashboard is especially thoughtful, with tactile buttons and intuitive options – but without the standard looks and positioning that seems to prevail in many new cars.

I love the hidden back door and handles handles, as they lull you into believing this is a coupe. The design is inspired but also streamlined and practical.

Would I swap it for a Golf? Not sure. My main problem was a distinct lack of vision beside the car ( a major blind spot), which made me nervous on a busy Sunday evening M25.

That said,  I may have been irritable due to the extreme numbness of my buttocks after only one hour in the seat.  It certainly wins the ‘numb rear of the year award 2013’ and will be hard to beat I’ll wager.

It reminds me of my slightly leaky, green Alfa Romeo Spider that I drove in my early 20s. It was fun, a little out of control but certainly looked good. There is something of that character here.

The Giulietta is exciting, good to look but suffers from some edgy flaws, which may be enough to put off less adventurous types.